Prologue-3
491 Words
Hours later, Arthur walked down the landing towards the stairs holding a basket between his paws.
Ragnar sat in front of the fire, a book of fables in paw while Gertrude and Klaus conversed quietly at the dinner table. Arthur shook a silent ‘no’ when they noticed him, gesturing to his oblivious son by the fire, and they understood.
He stopped behind Ragnar, who turned and looked up at him.
“Daddy? Is the surprise ready yet?”
“It is, Ragnee, it is,” Arthur smiled.
He placed down the basket facing the other way, hiding its contents.
“Now, listen to me closely. I’m going to show you the surprise but only on two conditions.”
“Okay, Daddy!” Ragnar agreed excitedly, putting down his book.
“First, you need to be very quiet. If you’re loud you will upset him, okay?”
A very enthusiastic nod.
“Second, you cannot touch him. You can look and sit with him but you cannot touch him whatsoever.”
Another nod.
“Good. Well then. Say hello to… Corsair Sedrid, your little brother.”
He turned the basket around to display the sleeping cub in the basket. Ragnar gasped in response before clamping his small paws over his mouth. Arthur smiled, beaming with pride, and put a paw on his shoulder.
“Good job on not being loud because he’s sleeping right now. We both know how important good sleep is, right?”
Ragnar nodded, paws still clamped over his mouth.
“All right, Ragnee. You like him?”
His son went to answer but held his tongue.
“Ragnee, you can speak, but not too‒”
“I love him!”
Arthur shushed him and rolled his eyes.
He has to show his excitement somehow.
“You two will get along well. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet but when he does we’ll see what they look like.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Ragnee?”
“Why doesn’t he open his eyes? Can he not see?”
“No. It’s because when you’re born your eyes stay shut for a while. That happened to you as well when you were born.”
“But why does that happen?”
“I think one of the doctors would be happy enough to explain it to you in Daddy and Mummy’s room. You want to go and say hello to Mummy?”
“Is Corsair coming with us?”
“Of course he is. Come on, let’s go.”
His son leapt up with joy, racing up the stairs and down the landing to the bedroom long before Arthur even reached the foot of the stairs.
“Winter Baron,” one of the servants asked. “The crowds outside are restless. Do we tell them the news?”
“By all means. Let the soldiers and Peter know to spread the word. Have one of the Krosguard lieutenants go to the aviaries and have the news dispatched across the clan.”
“Of course, Winter Baron,” one nodded, rushing to the door with their co-worker.
As Arthur climbed the stairs, he could hear his family name spreading like wildfire amongst the crowds outside.
“Long live the Sedrids! Long live the Sedrids! Long live the Sedrids!”
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Arthur looked down at his son sleeping soundly in the basket. He smiled.
“Welcome to the world, Corsair Sedrid. Welcome to Vos Draemar.”
- Writer
