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Night had fallen over Briar Valley. Lilia held his son in his arms, and he seemed restless. The baby grabbed at his shirt, trying to get his attention. Lilia, doing the best he could, was stroking his hair.
“You’re usually falling asleep by now. Why is today different, hm?” Lilia asked, though he knew Silver couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
Human children were so complicated. Silver should be fast asleep, yet here he was, grabbing him like some restless animal. He had raised Malleus, which was easy enough, considering they were both fae. But a human child? He swore they were annoying crybabies. A creature that didn’t deserve his love. Yet this child… He made his heart melt.
“You’re too adorable, Silver,” Lilia whispered. Silver stared up at him with those big purple eyes, too innocent for this world. He was only a few months old, yet he seemed so full of life. Who knew a human could need so much energy?
Silver continued to clutch at him. Lilia continued petting his hair. He sat on a nearby chair, the one near the window, and held Silver close to his chest. He was so fragile, so small, too delicate for rough hands like his. Lilia pressed a soft kiss to his head, making Silver giggle at the funny feeling of lips on his head. That sweet sound was enough to make him smile, actually smile, for the first time in years.
“You ought to get to sleep, little one,” Lilia said softly as Silver continued to grasp at his shirt. “You’ll have more energy if you go to sleep now.”
As expected, Silver just stared at him.
“Stubborn boy,” Lilia muttered, though it was more tender than anything else. “How else do I get you to sleep?” he wondered aloud.
“How did I get Malleus to go to sleep?”
He thought for a moment. A long moment, actually. It had been years since he'd done something like this…
“Ah. Perhaps you’d enjoy a lullaby?” Lilia asked. Silver continued staring at him with those big doe eyes, wondering what his dad was talking about.
There was a lullaby from a story he’d heard long ago, the story of The Flying Elephant. The elephant's mother was said to sing this to him while she was trapped in a cage. Silver would enjoy it.
With a short breath, he began singing quietly.
“Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine.”
Lilia continued to stroke Silver’s hair, the baby watching him as he sang. Slowly, he began to relax against Lilia’s chest, hands moving to his sides.
“Little one, when you play, don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine. Never a tear, baby of mine.”
Those lyrics hurt more than he wanted to admit. Surely, Silver and he would get stares when Silver was old enough to play. He was fae, and Silver was human. Besides, he was the feared General of the Right, and he was raising a human child. Despite all of this, he would never let Silver lose that unique sparkle in his eyes.
“If they knew sweet little you, they'd end up loving you, too.
All those same people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you.”
He knew if Maleanor and Raverne were still here, they’d love Silver. Maleanor would’ve loved to hold him, to coddle him, to give him a mother’s love.
“From your head to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows.
But you're so precious to me. Cute as can be, baby of mine.”
Silver was now fast asleep against his chest. He was so precious to him.
He wasn’t much now, but he knew in the near future that Silver would be so much more.
His precious child.
Cute as can be, baby of his.