Zorroku and Peaches

Double Bow Knots

Zorroku and Peaches

Part 7

After Zorroku had dropped his grandmother off at her tent, she gave him a small sack of incense and told him to put it into his fire tonight. And that it would kickstart the bonding process.

He took it but instead of going to his tent, he came back to yours and simply sat outside of yours and listened. He silently wept as he could hear what songs you were singing to Ori. They were the same songs his mother had sang to him when he was little, with other songs he wasn't familiar with but sounded beautiful and wonderful and so soothing. He appreciated that you had such a soft, soothing singing voice. It was gentle and warm, loving and caring with so much feeling. He used to think his mother's voice was the most precious sound in the world. And then Medowne's voice. Then Ori's. And now yours. He would never get tired of this. He would never think for a moment that your voice, singing so softly would be anything but blissfully beautiful.

He could hear you cooing and bonding with her and how utterly happy Ori was. She had never been so happy before. The poor thing never did get to meet her mother. Ori had to be cut out of Medowne to keep from Ori dying with her mother. And it had been nothing but heartache and sorrow and pain ever since. And had you come at any other point, he would not have been ready to have you in his life because he was grieving so hard.

But something about moving to the summer grounds felt like he was getting a fresh new start and that maybe it was time for him to move on. And while his brothers had been much more eager to meet you than himself, the moment you came into that dining hall, you stole his heart away and he froze and just stared slack jawed at you like an idiot.

Thankfully he had recovered by the time you finally lifted your eyes. Your beautiful, shy, blue eyes. And now that you were here and had Ori, it was like you had always been here. That Ori was always supposed to be yours once Medowne passed. And while he hated that Ori had suffered her whole life so far, he felt confident that she would never have to suffer another moment. Because she had you and she had him and that's all that they needed. She was cooing and laughing right back at you, better and louder and happier than she had ever done to him. And jealous was the farthest thing he could feel right now. It was pure relief and bliss.

He could hear his daughter's big, bright smile in her coos and it warmed his heart and started to heal the hurt he had felt losing Medowne and struggling to care for her on his own when he felt so ill equipped and helpless to do so. He could clearly imagine the tender scene that was unfolding just on the other side of the tent wall. His prayers for a good and proper mother for Ori were answered this day. And he couldn't have imagined ever asking for them to be answered in such style or with such perfection.