Chapter Text
The first gift Wylan ever remembers receiving is a small stuffed rabbit from his mother.
It was his fourth birthday, crowds of merchers swarming around the young heir presenting gifts to his father on his behalf. Praise for securing an empire.
Wylan had watched the wealthy men convene with wide eyes, clutching his mother’s skirt tightly, tucked into her side. She combed her fingers through his already wild hair, soothingly scratching his scalp.
“It’s okay, treasure. They’ll be gone soon, then it’ll be just us.”
Wylan smiled up at Marya safety seeping into his bones from the love in her gaze. Just us . All he ever wanted.
His father was nice enough, reading him to sleep and bringing him hot chocolate when he asked, but he never made Wylan feel as safe and loved as his mother did.
When the last of the strange men had left, Marya scooped the little boy into her arms, swinging him around the room. Wylan shrieked and giggled with glee, arms thrown open to the world.
“Marya, put him down,” Van Eck said from behind the giddy pair. Not unkind but with little warmth.
Still giggling, Wylan tipped into his mother’s side, always drawn into her. The sun and its planets. He didn’t hear the conversation over his head.
“Jan, he’s only four.”
“He needs to learn how to hold himself at these kinds of gatherings, you can’t protect him forever.”
“He’s a child!”
“A child who will soon grow into a man and take over for me. He needs to be seen as independent, not nipping at his mother’s heels.”
Noticing the strange shift in tone, Wylan reached up for Marya’s hand, seeking her touch. She squeezed his fingers immediately and knelt to his level, smiling at him with none of the warmth she shared with her husband.
“Hi, treasure,” she whispered, seemingly ignoring the man towering over them both.
“Hi, mama,” Wylan murmured.
“Want to get out of here? I still haven’t given you your present yet.”
“Marya-” Van Eck started.
“Enough, Jan. Let him enjoy his birthday.”
And with that, she rose with Wylan, cradling him in her arms. He snuggled into her chest, already drowsy with the lull of her steps as she carried him to his room.
“Do you remember the story we’ve been reading, Wy? About the rabbit prince and his kingdom?”
Wylan smiled and nodded. He loved that story full of fantasy, magic, and love. He felt Marya’s grin against his hair and giggled at the feeling.
“Okay, close your eyes,” she said as she sat him gently on his bed, the boy sinking into the ridiculously expensive silk.
Wylan hummed and did as he was told, gasping when he felt something soft and weighted land in his outstretched palms.
“Okay, treasure, open them!”
Wylan looked down at his lap and shrieked with excitement. He was clutching a small stuffed rabbit. Brown with darker patches, just like the one from the story.
“Mama, it’s the prince!”
Marya smiled and enveloped the boy in a hug, musing his hair.
“That’s right! It’s a reminder to you to always treat your friends with kindness and forgiveness, just like the rabbit.”
“I will! Thank you, mama, thank you!” Wylan giggled, wrapping his arms around his mother’s neck.
Wylan felt more than saw Van Eck enter the room. Marya’s arms tightened around him, her breath hitching, and even at four years old, Wylan knew whose presence caused that reaction. He clutched the stuffed toy to his chest and turned, facing his father.
Van Eck was holding a book that Wylan hadn’t seen before. He held it out to the boy who took it tentatively.
“Happy birthday, Wylan. I’ve gotten you a new book. When you’ve finished with your current one, I figured you could try reading this one to me instead? You’ve become quite the storyteller and it’s about time you learned how to read.”
For reasons Wylan didn’t understand, blind panic seized his chest. He fought back tears, feeling himself retreat back into his mother’s arms.
“What a lovely book dad got you!” She murmured into his hair, stroking his arms soothingly. “You can try to read it whenever you want to, there’s no rush, treasure.” She directed this last phrase over his head to Van Eck
Wylan nodded, not feeling comforted despite her presence. His father was watching him with a look he didn’t understand.
After a moment, Van Eck stepped forward, holding his son’s face gently. For a second, his face softened, love glistening in his eyes, and then it was gone.
“Happy birthday. Marya, it’s okay to leave him. He needs to learn to sleep alone.”
Wylan slept that night clutching the rabbit tightly to his chest, breathing in his mother’s scent, and tried to ignore the feeling that everything was about to change.