His Protector | TVD & TO

Chapter 7

997 A.D.

The wolf inside is breaking free.

As winters came and passed, Solas started to notice and observe the people around him. When he was younger, he did not fully understand the difference between himself and the others. It wasn't until he grew older that he realized something was inside him. It was like an animal trying to break free from its chains and always on the prowl. He was scared; he could hear the growls in his subconscious if he paid close attention to it. He saw how other children had an Amye while he did not; he couldn't help but wonder. 'Did he have an Amye?', 'Where is she?' 'What happened between her and Ada?' 'Why did she leave them?' 'Was he the reason why his parents weren't together?' 'Did she die?' 'If she did die, is that why Ada never talked about her?' His thoughts continued wandering as he carved the wood in his hands and waited for his ada to come home.

Jhaeros was coming home from a successful hunt when he thought about his son and his actions lately. He knew Solas had questions for him and was building the courage to ask about them. He knew the time had come to tell Solas the truth; his son had turned 5 and 10 years old this past moon cycle. He wondered if his son would still consider him his father once he knew the truth or if he would paint him the villain of his story. He believed Solas had every reason to hate him once he knew the truth. Solas still had siblings, and he could return to those people. After all, Jhaeros was the outsider between them in the end. Solas had ties to the people even if he did not know, while Jhaeros was the monster people feared. Jhaeros could feel the burning traitorous tears sting his eyes as his heart cracked at the thought of Solas leaving him. All he could do was let out a broken chuckle.'The irony' was all he could think; 'he, the last of his kind, was once the cruelest being among the mortals brought down by a young boy he would die protecting. Even if Solas didn't count him as his only family after this, he was his family.' Jhaeros guessed this was karma for everything he had done in his life.

Jhaeros stopped by the old willow tree where he first had Solas; time used to mean nothing to him until he had his son. He smiled sadly as he felt a stray tear run down his cheek. He took a deep breath, looked up at the tree, and rested his forehead against the bark. He whispered a prayer to the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. He prayed and begged for hope that Solas would not leave him, for that is one thing he could not stand. Once he finished, he lifted a part of his sleeve to wipe any tears that may have run down his face and turned on his heel to face the reality he was now prepared for.

Solas paused in his carving when he heard a twig snap. He tilted his head ever so slightly to make it seem natural and not to alert whoever was there in case they were an enemy. He tightened his grip on his knife ever so slightly and counted to ten in his head to clear his thoughts. His eyes snapped open when he heard leaves crunching; the person was about 100 meters away. He turned so swiftly and let his blade fly toward the unknown person. He knew his aim ranged true when he heard a scream.

Jhaeros felt his heart freeze when he heard that bloodcurdling scream come in the direction of where Solas was. He took off so faster than he ever thought he could run, his arrows already drawn as he leaped from branch to branch. When he arrived, he saw his son standing over another male with his bow and arrow on his back and sword drawn. Jhaeros took in the situation and saw that Solas was uninjured, causing him to release a breath of relief. Solas's eyes flickered to his father briefly, then back down to the unknown man.

Walking closer to the male, Jhaeros lowered his bow and put his arrow back in his quiver, "You are not human; are you mortal," Jhaeros spoke with certainty. Solas narrowed his eyes in question of what his father was talking about.

The man gulped back the pain to answer, "How do you know what I am?" He rasped out as he gritted his teeth.

"I know many things mortal, and now I want to know why were you spying on my son?" He demanded of the male in question

Solas looked between the two, wondering what was happening, but the man spoke again, "You see, about 5 and 10 years ago, I had a child with a woman—"

"So it was you who she slept with," Jhaeros cut him off before sighing, "Solas, put down your sword and bring the man back to our home while I get our dinner. I already know what this is about. Everything will be answered when I return, and only then is that man allowed to talk. Do you understand Solas?"

"Yes, Ada, come back swiftly," Solas whispered.

Jhaeros turned his head towards Solas, placing his forehead against his, "Always, my manya."

Solas placed his sword back in its sleeve strapped to his back, looping the unknown man's arm around his neck. He pulled his knife out of the man's stomach and placed it in its sleeve on his belt as they began to walk back to his home as his father told him to. He could hear the wound on the man slowly close up and thought, 'So what Ada said was true; he isn't fully mortal.'

As Jhaeros walked back to where he left the deer he killed, he felt as if he was walking on cracking ice, waiting for him to plunge into the cold waters to drown him. Although he was prepared to tell Solas the truth, he was not expecting Solas's true father to appear. It would seem as if the world is against him, and it has come to claim him for all the terrible things he committed. Sighing, he placed the dead deer on his shoulder and began his track home.