She jabbed him harder this time. ‘There are too many mouths to feed, Keir!’
‘Adriana, you’re not feeding an entire army with one rabbit!’
‘I never said I was!’
‘Then roast it!’
Their bickering unravelled into laughter, warm and easy, until Adriana abruptly brought the rabbit down upon Keir’s head. He yelped and swore under his breath, rubbing the spot as Adriana grinned in triumph, the rabbit dangling limply in her grasp like a war trophy.
Bryn’s gaze lingered on the sword resting at Ash’s side, its edge catching the fading light like a shard of fire.
‘Will ya teach me how to use it?’ he asked, voice earnest, almost boyish despite the weight of war clinging to them all.
Ash’s golden eyes widened, flashing briefly like molten metal, before falling to the blade as if it were a living thing he had long since learnt to fear as much as wield.
‘Kage Blackburn showed a few of us da basics,’ Bryn continued, shrugging as if embarrassed by the confession. ‘We’re good hunters, aye, but swords? We’ve neva held them proper.’
Adriana’s dark eyes lit with a spark of excitement, as quick and fierce as flint striking stone.
‘That’s an excellent idea, Bryn! Ash, you could teach us drakonian techniques. The wolverians should learn to fight with more than just claws and teeth.’
Ash shook his head, slow and firm, shadows crossing his expression.
‘Don’t be difficult,’ Adriana chided, giving his arm a sharp poke.
‘I don’t… I don’t feel comfortable t-teaching,’ he murmured, his voice rough with the weight of unspoken unease.
Adriana’s eyes narrowed, assessing. ‘Didn’t you always train with your soldiers?’
‘That’s not the same as teaching,’ Keir muttered, clearly enjoying the brewing storm between his wife and the prince.
‘Whose side are you on?’ Adriana snapped, her glare darting towards him. Keir raised his hands in mock surrender, wisely turning his face aside.
Adriana returned her attention to Ash, her voice softening only a fraction. ‘Is it because of the stutter?’
Ash hesitated, then nodded.
‘I thought it didn’t bother you anymore.’
Ash sighed, running a hand over his tired eyes, fingers trembling faintly as though smoothing scars no one else could see. ‘I feel c-comfortable with those I know,’ he said, voice low, ‘but with s-strangers… I don’t…’ The words trailed into silence. He stared down at his hands, calloused and strong yet faltering in ways no sword could fix. A part of him had learnt to live with the brokenness in his voice, but buried deep, like a splinter lodged too far to reach, was the same gnawing dread, the fear of speaking before those who did not already know his heart.
‘Hey, if anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way…’ Keir cracked his fists together with a threatening smack, his grin wicked and mischievous. ‘We’ll beat them to a pulp.’
Adriana rolled her eyes, exhaling dramatically. ‘You can’t just go around brawling with our own army.’
‘Who says I can’t?’ Keir countered, his smirk infuriatingly smug.
Ash couldn’t help but smile, warmth spreading through his chest like embers catching fire. In that moment, his thoughts drifted unbidden and tender to his daughter: the curve of her sweet smile, the way her hands moved like poetry when her voice could not bridge the silence of her world. She had never known fear, never faltered, and the memory of those fearless eyes softened him even now.
‘It’s all right,’ a voice coaxed, pulling Ash back from his reverie. Bryn stood, smiling with quiet assurance as he gave a small nod. ‘It’s all right to be scared. We’ll be there to help ya through it.’
Adriana’s grin stretched, bright and infectious, as she clapped a hand on Ash’s back with unrestrained affection. ‘You hear that, Ash Acheron? No more excuses. We’re going to slaughter every demon that dares torment you.’
‘Adriana—’ Keir began, only to be swiftly silenced.
‘I’m having a moment here, don’t ruin it, husband,’ she snapped, giving him a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
Keir sighed, dragging a hand over his face as he stood, clearly exasperated. ‘I think he could handle any demon thrown his way.’
