“Oh…yes?” I replied after snapping out of my thoughts.
“Ryder and Lance are asking if you want to watch them train this weekend,” Reiner repeat our son’s request.
“Oh…sure…I’ll be there,” I replied while still a little confused.
“Yay! Mummy’s finally joining us!” Ryder exclaimed cheerfully while Lance clapped his hands and cheered.
Since the arrival of the boys and since they started talking, the mansion was never the same again. The peaceful and quiet atmosphere was utterly destroyed. Nowadays, the place was filled with the boys laughing, screaming, and running around. It was almost always loud when they were home apart from the time when they were asleep. It was a change that I had learnt to appreciate.
“Are you sure?” Reiner whispered close to my ear to keep his words out of the boy’s earshot.
I knew why he was asking. I wasn’t a big fan of watching the boys participating in those pretty…barbaric events. Reiner went with them all the time and helped King and the other instructors coach them as well. I’ve seen Reiner train a couple of times and I had to say that it was a little bit much for my tastes. I did appreciate how it kept his body very in shape and fit, though.
“Yeah…they’ve been nagging me to go…so…” I replied while feeling helpless.
If I didn’t turn up, I’ll just be an unsupportive mother, right?
…
I never knew back then that going to that event would lead to another surprising turn in my life. It was a very sunny day and I had to get up early because my sons were too excited that I would be joining them for training that they got up too early.
“I’ll handle them with the maids,” Reiner offered as he got up from the bed.
Although I wanted to sleep in, I knew that I should deal with the boys. Unlike the other days, I’m the focus on their attention today because it wasn’t normal for me to join them for this event.
“I’ll deal with them,” I said as I dragged my tired body off the bed.
Why did it seem so difficult for me to get out of bed lately?
“Ryder! Lance!” I called for my boys when I got out of my bedroom.
I caught a glimpse of a maid running around and then I saw my boys running around as well. They better stop doing that to the poor maid or she’s going to end up quitting and it wasn’t easy to find a replacement.
“Ryder! Lance! Come here…” I called my boys again.
This time they probably heard me. Either that, or they had decided that they should behave well for the day because they turned and started walking obediently towards me.
“Good morning,” Ryder said with a sheepish smile on his face.
His face and everything else about him just remind me of his father. Was Reiner this naughty when he was a boy? I didn’t even want to find out anymore…
Having a well-behaved girl would be nice too…
I was starting to understand Queen a little more now that I had sons of my own. They’re great and all that but, they gave me headaches quite often too.
“Quick breakfast before we leave. Head to the dining room now,” I ordered firmly.
“Where’s dad?” Lance asked curiously.
“He’ll be there soon,” I replied as I started ushering them along the hallway.
Maintaining my authority in the household over the children was a struggle. They usually listened more to Reiner and to King than they did to their own mother. The only saving grace was that I could get Reiner or King to take them for the whole day to give me some time to wind down.
We arrived at one of the large training arenas that belonged to the company after a short drive. The kids got out of the car enthusiastically as Reiner helped grab their bags and gears. I got out of the car in the daze as I wondered what spectacular things, I would see my boys perform today. Hopefully, it wasn’t anything dangerous.
“Ready? Show your mummy something cool,” Reiner told the boys encouragingly.
The ways the boys cheered like they were going out to war showed me clearly that they didn’t require anymore encouragement. Sometimes they had too much energy that it made me feel tired. I couldn’t help but smile at their cheerfulness, though.
“What are they going to do today?” I asked Reiner as I walked by his side.
My eyes were on the back of our boys who had already ran off ahead. They were greeted by two tall men who I knew were their instructors, so I wasn’t worried about them at all. They were in really good hands.
“Lance will probably show you some basic body combat skills while Ryder…” Reiner replied before trailing off.
“What will Ryder do?” I asked suspiciously.
“You’ll see…” he answered before winking at me.
I had a very bad idea about what I was about to see. It was too late for me to back off and go home, though.
The first session was held indoors, and Reiner was right about Lance showing body combat skills; however, I didn’t think that what he did was really basic. He’s still so young, why is he even doing all those moves?
“Isn’t that like…dangerous?” I asked Reiner with worry.
My eyes stared at Lance as he punched and broke bricks and then showed defensive skills against another student who was much older and bigger. Why can’t he just wear a suit and sit behind a desk?
“Nothing is dangerous if you know how to do it properly,” Reiner replied, completely worry-free.
Even if I tried to believe that it wasn’t so easy on my heart to watch. The worst thing was that I had to watch because that was what Lance wanted me to do. Although Lance wasn’t as interested in all of this macho stuff as Ryder was, he was considered quite good at it too.
–To be continued…