ARAWN
My mother worked the streets as well.
But she was nothing like Nerthus.
She lacked everything and most of all, strength.
As my father got to know I existed he compensated my mother well. Well, enough to have us living regally. She didn’t provide any differently for me though. She just stopped selling herself but kept on spending all her money on her drugs and every waking minute popping pills.
According to her, it was already the biggest mercy that she had come to take me out of that orphanage.
She was convinced I should venerate her like her Goddess for it. At first, I was confused, but slowly I began to understand that it wasn’t that loving gesture as what she sold it to me.
Without me, she wouldn’t have gotten any money.
My father didn’t know that she hated me just because I was looking a lot like him.
In front of him, she played the worried mom. And did everything to get him to pay more to have her addiction fully settled.
She overdosed a few days after my fifteenth birthday, and I couldn’t even bring myself to feel bad about feeling relieved.
My father took me into his home on the same day as my mother’s funeral.
I don’t even remember if I possessed anything at that time that I would have been missing.
Even if I suddenly found myself in a family with three half-sisters, I couldn’t tell if I was ever a part of it.
My father was elated to have brought home his lost son.
This has nothing to do with love though. He had just found his successor. And he was already so broken, it wouldn’t take much more work to have him trained into a sociopath.
Ready to take over a reign one day.
My father’s wife, on the other hand, did everything in her power to get rid of me. My only luck was that she was dumb as a glass of cold water.
The day we found out that my father was murdered, was the day I finally got to put a bullet between her eyes.
I was 25.
It must have been the same year Nerthus had to identify her best friend in a police station.
I took over my father’s throne and his business in a million-strong metropolis. They had done a good job, nobody even tried to get up against me.
How to blame them? I was always good at the disposal of rats.
As I wake up to the smell of pancakes, I lie back down, convinced that I’m still dreaming. As I move my hand on the bed beside me, I find it empty.
Taking a deep breath, I get up to follow the mouth-watering smell.
As I turn the corner to the kitchen, I see my beautiful queen humming while pushing around a pancake in a pan.
I stand there observing her with a smile for a minute without saying anything.
She jerks up lightly as she discovers me and laughs as she puts her hand on her chest. “OMG, you scared me.”
I scratch the back of my head and must be flexing unintentionally as her eyes light up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to.”
She lifts her gaze back to me and smiles, “Don’t worry. How was your sleep?”
“Restful, thank you.”
She giggles as she returns to her pan, scooping up the pancake to deliver it safely to a little plate with a lot of them already stacked on it.
“Did you sleep well too?” I ask her, hoping for another happy answer from her.
“Yes, perfectly. Thank you for asking.”
It feels strange, but it makes my heart warm up. I never had someone talking about my sleep.
Neither did I ever have any interest in asking someone about how they had been sleeping.
She clears her voice, her eyes fixated on the dipper in her hand, distributing the liquid dough in the pan. “I’m really sorry for yesterday. I didn’t want to be such a crybaby. It will never happen again. I swear.”
My chest tightens uncomfortably. I don’t get her, she is always trying to get through everything alone, even if I should have made myself clear enough that she has me now.
I step behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. As I put my head on her shoulder she seems to relax in my hold, and I follow her movements as she continues to make another pancake.
This is actually a first too.
“Why?” I ask, feeling her gulp.
I suppose her little heart just started beating a bit faster, even if she would never admit it, “Why what?”
“Why wouldn’t you do it again? You didn’t bother me. Didn’t it feel liberating?” I move my head to graze her skin with my teeth, seeing goosebumps rising on her skin lightly.
She grows silent for a heartbeat or two before she sighs, “It did feel good. And I slept like a happy baby.”
I chuckle as I lean in to kiss her neck. “See!”
I’m surprised how she lets me hold her while she finishes making the pancakes.
Taking the plate and some cutlery, I set the table while she opens the drawer to take out all kinds of toppings.
I stare at them in awe like a little boy in a candy store as she turns around with a giggle. “Do you want a coffee?”
“Yes, I’d love to.” She hums as she starts the coffee machine and fills the tank with fresh water.
Putting the toppings and different sauces on the table I stand back next to her and lean on the counter as I turn the chocolate sauce in my hands. “Did you ever use this?”
“Sure, I love pancakes and make them a lot, so I used every…” She stops talking as she lifts her gaze to meet mine and I flash her a big grin. “You weren’t talking about pancakes, right?!”
I shake my head slowly and she presses her tongue to the side of her upper teeth, making me want to catch it with my lips. “No, I actually never used it… that way.”
I chuckle as I concentrate on the bottle in my hands, and she starts filling the second cup with the deliciously smelling hot brew. “Why?”
She laughs nervously as she bumps into me playfully. “Don’t ask such things. That’s not part of my repertoire. That’s why.”
I nod about to open my mouth again as she beats me to it. “Don’t ask, Arawn. Just… don’t.”
Pushing myself off the counter, I follow her to the table. “Do you take some milk or sugar in your coffee?”
I shake my head and she smiles at me. “Very well. Sit and eat, please.”
Taking my seat, I enjoy watching her as she walks back to the kitchen to take milk and sugar for her coffee and comes back with it. It actually feels amazing to sit at the table with her like this.
“Thank you very much.” I pull her in, to press a kiss to her cheek and she giggles again.
I’m really fond of that sound.
“You’re welcome. I hope they are edible.” She says while blushing and keeps her gaze low as she picks at the things on the table.
“Sure!” I take a bite of my pancake and hum happily.
She is holding her cup in front of her face and smiles brightly at me. “Good?”
“Yes!” I smile while munching and she takes a sip of her coffee, before digging in too.
I really could get accustomed to this.