Chapter Text
Syngorn, the majestic city of the elves
Long ago, Percy had fantasized about visiting the city despite knowing it was a clear impossibility. After all, elves are known to be conservative and distant with all the other species even with titles backing them up
And to think he would find it in the Fey Realm no less, the other subject of his intrigue from his youth, was a situation he would’ve never imagined
But there was something wrong however, not so much the city itself but the way Vax’ildan and Vex’ahilia were acting
Vex looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable while Vax had a fury on his eyes that reflected how much he wanted to get the hell out of the city as soon as possible. Percy has never seen his siblings acting so strangely
Eventually they were caught by the city’s guard, and his brother demanded an audience with an Ambassador Syldor Vessar, using the name like if spitting out poison. A name he vaguely remembered having heard about before
He was a well-respected figure in Syngorn but Percy didn’t knew much more about him due to how reserved the man was like the rest of his kin. He had recently heard a rumor that he had a child, but nothing more
He definitely didn’t remembered him having more children before, especially not that Vax and Vex were said children
Syldor’s home was…something, to say the least
On the first hand, Percy was fascinated with the architecture of the place, rich with elven structures and their tomes. But at the same time, there was this feeling of constriction and overwhelming silence
Literally the other noise in the house besides their footsteps was the big grandfather clock on the distant wall, the house was so silent he could still hear it clearly despite his limited human hearing range
It was different from how Percy himself has grown up, because despite Whitestone Castle being much bigger it was constantly filled with sound. The occasional explosions of his tinkering, the laugh and steps of his siblings, the training of the guards or the messing in the kitchens, every corner was filled with noise
It was something that he had complained about in the past, and that he remembered with nostalgia currently
"Real Vermaloc wood" Percy said with awe, running his glove-covered hand against the smooth surface of the bookshelf "Your father has gold standard taste"
"Oh he does, except when it comes to us" Vax spat in distaste, looking this close to punching the bookshelf
"What do you mean, brother?" Percy asked with concern, having never seen his brother so angry and his sister so downtrodden
"Be honest Snowy…" Vex sighed, using their own nickname for her younger brother "Do we honestly look like we come to nobility to you?"
She looked down and Vax made a face of uncomfortableness, both expecting an honest answer from their brother so similar yet so different from them
He was born into nobility and with a loving family to booth, while them in a small village in the middle of nowhere with a deceased mother and a father that wanted nothing to do with them unless it convenience him
They always liked to say that Percy was their brother in everything but blood, but there were times like this that they remembered that was not always true
However, Percy just smiled honestly and put a hand on his sister’s shoulder, gifting her with some comfort
"It’s actually easier to act like a noble than you think, Stubby" He told her "Just be a bit of a shit and wear what everyone else is wearing"
Percy chuckled at his own joke, and that actually made Vex laugh just a little and Vax actually cracked a smile for once since they entered Syngorn
"I’ve dealt with many people with money and titles, they’re definitely not worth you" Percy promised, putting his other hand on his brother’s shoulder "Either of you"
The two smiled at their brother’s kindhearted words words and hugged him in appreciation and he was quick to hug them back. It was heartwarming for them both the same human with rags and empty expression that shied away from any physical touch now being comfortable with hugging them back
"Thanks Snowy, you’re so adorable" Vax teased, pinching Percy’s cheek in his usual teasing way
"Could you please stop doing that, Scrawny? I’m not a child anymore" His brother grumbled, just making him even cuter
"Nope! We have a right to tease our baby brother however times we want" Vex teased him too, pinching at his other cheek
"When did we established that I’m the youngest?" Percy grumbled, but despite his exasperation he was happy to lift his siblings spirits even if it came at his own embarrassment
The moment between the three was interrupted when the doors to the study opened, and an involuntary gasp of nerves left both Vax’ildan and Vex’aliah’s mouths fearing who might’ve entered. The gloved hands of their youngest brother that were still in their shoulders being the only thing that were grounding them to earth
They both visibly relaxed once they saw it wasn’t who they thought it was, but rather a elven woman named Devanna, their father’s fiancé. Or rather, his wife now if the timeline was right
She was one of the few people at Syngorn that treated them with respect, trying to be somewhat motherly with them even if her attempts were awkward at best. And even if she could never replace their mother, they appreciated her efforts in comparison to Syldor’s coldness
And it seemed that she wasn’t alone, as another unfamiliar yet young voice was heard behind the same door Devanna had walked through
An elven girl, who couldn’t be older than 8 in elven years, came through the door holding a owl bear plushie in one arm while the other held Devanna’s hand. A girl that looked so much like Vex in their youth, and even had her same eyes
"Who are you talking to, Mum?" The elven girl asked innocently, looking at each of them with curiosity
"Oh right, you haven’t met Velora" Devanna chuckled awkwardly "…Our daughter"
The triplet’s eyes widened in shock at the news, but this would explain the girl’s uncanny resemblance with their sister. And not only that, but Velora was the perfect combination of all her older siblings, having Vex’s eyes and Vax’s nose
She even had that Percy’s same spark on her eyes
"We have a…sister" Vax’ildan said breathlessly, looking at Vex’ahlia and wondering if this was what his Snowy was feeling when he learned that Cassandra was actually alive this whole time
"Hi, I love your feather" Velora told the half-elven woman, and Vex broke out of her initial shock to gift the child a small but genuine smile
"Then it’s yours" She said, crouching down to her eye-level and placing her feather on her brown hair which was just a shade lighter than her own "A gift from your half-sister, Vex’ahlia"
"Just call her Vex. And I’m Vax" Vax’ildan added, also breaking out from his initial shock and greeting his other sister
A girl that was the vision of who Vex’ahlia could’ve been, if they hadn’t suffered life’s unfairness and been on the run for so long and actually had a proper childhood. A part of Vax will always resent himself for pushing his sister into a life of crime at such an age, just to satisfy his selfish desire
But if they hadn’t done that, they would’ve never met the fuzzy Trinket. Or the rest of Vox Machina, so chaotic but accepting despite all its faults
And especially that white-haired boy with cracked glasses that completed their set
"The twins!" Velora gasped, eyes sparking with amazement at meeting her long lost half-siblings that she had heard so much about "But…Father said you’d never come back"
Vax and Vex were still smiling, but there was some sadness behind them. Of course they knew that their father would do something like this, discourage the fully eleven child he so heavily desired from ever meeting his greatest sources of scorn and shame
"What, and miss the chance to meet you?" Vax’ildan chuckled, putting his own feelings aside for now and ruffling Velora’s hair careful with her gifted feather "Ah, a travesty"
"And besides, there’s one inconsistency of what Father might’ve told you" Vax stood up and grabbed Percy’s gloved hand, pulling him closer "It’s actually the triplets"
"Really?! Who are you?" Velora asked with all the innocence of a child, looking at the interesting man with glasses with curiosity
Percy swallowed his nostalgia of his own biological siblings also having such reactions to everything, and crouched down to met the little girl in the eye
"I’m Percival, I’m your other brother" He introduced himself and Velora gasped with amazement
"I have another brother!? Awesome!" She cheered, tackling her other brother into a hug that almost pushed him into the ground
"Woah, careful there!" Percy chuckled, effortlessly carrying Velora up "Glad to see you inherited our sister’s strength"
The elven child giggled at his joke and ran one of her tiny hands through his hair, marveling at the softness of it
"Your hair is so pretty! It looks like snow" She said and Percy’s smile faltered for a while, remembering the exact reason why it turned white in the first place
Vex was about to gently scold Velora for her question, knowing that his hair was a sensitive topic for her brother. But to her surprise, he actually chuckled at that
"Really? Have you ever seen snow before, little Vel?” Percy asked and the girl in his arms which had been so cheerful until know looked down with disappointment
"No, it never snows in Syngorn…" She explained, and Vex and Vax could relate to her disappointment as they were the same growing up, especially in comparison to the snowy winters they would have back in their old childhood home with their mother
"Well, where I’m from in Whitestone, it snows nearly all year" Percy said and Velora instantly lighted-up at his words "Maybe one day I can take you there~"
"Really?!" She cheered with enthusiasm
A harsh fake cough broke the cheerful atmosphere, and they all looked up to see an elven man looking down on them from the platform above with cold analytical eyes and Vax’ildan and Vex’ahlia’s breathes got caught in their own throats
They were suddenly children again, trying their damn hardest to gain even the smallest of ounces from the man who wanted nothing to do with them unless it served a purpose to him
Remembering the times he purposely separated them both and they felt so suffocated and alone in their individual rooms that felt so big and dark without the other, the days filled with appointed tutors who were just as harsh as he was, the cutting remarks over how they weren’t born of elven nobility and how they will never be good eno—!
A pair of hand grabbed their own, stopping them from the painful memories and from entering a full-on panic attack. They turned around to see another familiar figure
A human boy with hair of snow that was dyed with blood, tattered rags for clothes and looking like a corpse with the amount of injuries that gardened his pale skin. Eyes that were the perfect combination between blue and green hiding behind cracked glasses, who look like they would otherwise be soulful
But they were instead empty and filled with sadness…
When they blinked, they were now seeing current Percy looking at both of them with concern in his eyes. But regardless of everything else, he sent them a silent message that they had his support and that they had changed
Vax’ildan and Vex’ahlia nodded at their brother’s support, knowing that he was right
They were no longer those terrified children, they had changed and suffered through worse. In comparison, their asshole of a father paled considerably
And they were no longer alone, now having the rest of Vox Machina by their side
And their missing puzzle piece as well