Andrew and Bleda were walking by the river. The siren was humming.
He was calmer now. The ladies had kept him safe. They had told him time and time again that if he didn't want Bleda, then he should come clean about it.
But Andrew did want Bleda. He just wanted some time to himself. If meeting that orphan girl had taught him anything, however, it was that his inner siren wanted a family.
Even if his child was going to be adopted.
"When I first saw you," Bleda began, as he looked at the clear and calm waters. "I thought you adorable. Like a vision."
Andrew blinked. But he didn't say a thing. He wanted to see just what was going to happen if he let the necromancer speak.
"I told myself, Bleda, this is a pure and kind creature. You are a necromancer and older. There is no way that he will ever want you."
Andrew sucked in a breath.
Bleda had thought that he didn't have any chances with him from the beginning?
"But then I heard you purr for me," Bleda said, rubbing the back of his head. "And I thought, maybe, there was a chance."
The Mongol inhaled slowly.
"But if there isn't, I would like to at least remain your friend. To hear your sweet songs, to smell your sweet smell."
Andrew began to blink.
"To joke with you. Tease you out of a bad mood."
The siren began to purr again. He tried to stop himself, but he knew he could not. His inner siren had been testing them both.
Now it was going to harvest that which it had planted.
"I won't lie to you. Tangra is chasing after me. Trying to kill me," That was news to Andrew. He had not felt anything malevolent in the air before.
"But you know?" Bleda said as he finally turned around to smile at the siren. "He can come, he can pick a fight, but I have something to live for. I have you; I have our family. I will fight until the end!"
Andrew melted at these words.
He closed the distance between them. Leaning into Bleda's body. Doing a trust fall.
Strong arms wrapped around him. Andrew closed his eyes.
"I'm still scared," the siren murmured.
"I know. So am I," Bleda told him as he hugged him closer. "But you give me strength."
Andrew took in Bleda's scent. Marveling at how it calmed him. Grounding him in the here and now.
"And I hope I can give you strength during the tough times. That I can be your support," Bleda finished, holding Andrew in his arms so, as if he was afraid of the siren melting into the river's waters.
Becoming just a fond memory. Just a lovely dream with an end befitting a dream.
A memory.
Sweet, kind, but fleeting.
"If I am your strength, then can you be mine?" Andrew finally whispered.
"Must you ask, my love?"
The siren nodded, burying his face into Bleda's nape.
He finally stopped purring.
His inner siren knew that it no longer needed to push things forward.
****
When Bleda took up the telecommunication pendant to call Dimitri and Nikola, he found them in the inn, feeding the babies.
"The trade road to Eagle's Nest needs just a couple of more days," Bleda said, Andrew in his arms.
The siren was sound asleep.
"We have a problem," Dimitri said as he looked at Timmy. "There was a village by the name of Water's Fall. The adults there were killed by a Lich. The children are in the school, for now, but the orphanage in Oak's Rest is too small to take them all in. They are confused and scared. Most of them refuse to talk."
Bleda nodded, his expression grim.
"We need to get an orphanage building, and soon. Do you two mind coming back? We train the entire day, and we honestly can't fit that in as well."
"Tangra has to be stopped," Jack piped in. "And only Nikola can stop him. We have just a month to do so."
"We will be back," Bleda said. "And Andrew would love to take care of the children."
Bleda had seen the longing in the siren's eyes as the man had looked at the little girl.
The small flower crown was on the bedside table. Still fresh, kept so with Bleda's mana.
"How is he, anyway?" Nikola asked. "Do you have any good news?"
"He decided to give me a chance," Bleda said with a blinding smile. "His inner siren finally calmed down. Now he is not purring anymore."
Bleda heard as Nikola let out a sigh of relief. Timmy babbled something as Vera let out a happy scream.
"Huh, the babies are also happy?" Bleda joked.
"Sure, they are!" Nikola told him as he got Timmy on his shoulder to burb him. "They are little cupids! Rocky! Are you watering Silvia again? Don't do that! You watered her just two hours ago!"
"But she is thirsty!" The golem protested.
"Just leave her on the windowsill and read your book!" Nikola commanded.
Bleda heard a chirp as well.
Tony was probably fussing.
"You know," Bleda began, as he tried to think about any reason why he was so blessed. "I think we are a real family now."
For a minute, there was a silence from the other end.
"We were so from the start," Bleda heard Dimitri say. "How could we not be? I think that Cupid is working overtime to turn us into pincushions!"
"Yeah! And he never misses," Jack teased.
Bleda heard the sound of a light slap.
He smiled.
"Then we will come back," Bleda said as he hugged Andrew close to himself. "I'll get horses from the stables, so it won't take us that much time."
"Bleda?" Nikola asked as he placed Timmy back in his crib. "Could you please get me some books on rune crafting? For absolute beginners? The runes this world uses are Chinese characters. But I never learned much Chinese in school. If you find something, do bring it over."
Bleda nodded.
This world was not like theirs, but it still had familiar elements in it.
The Mongol knew to treasure these familiarities. This little piece of order in the sea of chaos.
Something to tell him that he might be lost here, but he wasn't alone.