Selfless Love

Family Portrait

Victoria groaned impatiently. If Rudis fiddled with the bows on her dress one more time, she would rip them off. She didn't mind getting dressed up, even if the high collar got on her very last nerve, but she dreaded knowing that she would have to sit in it for hours on end.

"Are you almost ready?!" her brother shouted from the other side of her bedroom door.

"Almost done," Rudis said quietly, more to herself than to the loud little lord.

The woman carefully clasped a small strand of pearls around Victoria's neck.

"Done," she said proudly as she gave Victoria a hand mirror so that she could take a closer look at the small bit of makeup the maidservant had provided her. Rudis had said she was too young, but Victoria insisted, stating that if her mother was going to wear it, then she would too.

Victoria smiled proudly and thanked Rudis for taking the time to help her, knowing she had already spent a considerable amount of time getting her mother ready.

She happily skipped over to the door to greet her brother. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw him. He looked quite dashing in their family colors, dark blue and silver, but the maids had tried and failed to tame his unruly hair. It looked a little silly to her, partly tamed and partly unkept.

Andrew scoffed.

"You look just as silly with all those ribbons and bows," Andrew teased.

Victoria merely made a disgusted face in response.

Ever the gentleman, Andrew, offered his arm to his little sister and escorted her to the foyer, where their parents were waiting for them with the artist who would paint their family portrait.

Victoria's eyes grew wide when she saw her parents. Her father wore perfectly tailored pants, a shirt, and an overcoat. His sword was strapped to his side, and the worn sword ornament Maxi had given him over a decade ago clashed against his dark coat.

Her mother looked like a heavenly vision. She wore a floor-length gown of whitish silver with small blue accents. She wore earrings Riftan had bought her during a trip to the capital many years ago. Looking down at her own dress, Victoria realized she was wearing a very similar dress, just a less extravagant version because she was so young.

As her parents took their seats, Victoria saw the sunlight reflect on something shiny hanging from her mother and father's necks. As she moved closer, she recognized the small coins of slightly different size and color. Her parents only wore them when they were on expeditions—something about good luck her mother had mentioned. Victoria supposed they wore them today because they wanted them to be a part of their portrait because it was something special to both of them. Her mother had not been able to tell her why her coin was burned on one side but said she might tell her some day, when she's older.

Her mother and father sat side by side, and the children stood on either side of them. Andrew stood next to his mother, Victoria stood beside her father, and little Hadrian sat comfortably in Maxi's lap. The baby was content as he fiddled with the intricate lace and fringe along the bodice of his mother's dress and likely wouldn't fuss.

Behind them was a large tapestry of a beautiful oak tree, almost identical to the one in the castle gardens, with a dark, starry background. In the top left corner was the crest of the Remdragon Knights, and in the opposite corner was the crest of the Roem family, her mother's heritage. Victoria wondered why she didn't have the Croix crest placed on the tapestry instead, but she assumed her mother was simply proud of her once-royal lineage.

In the beginning, the children tried their best to behave, knowing their task was serious, but they soon became bored of standing still and watching the artist slowly create his masterpiece. The children began to fidget, rubbing their shoes against the tile and swinging their arms.

Maxi cleared her throat. It was an unspoken warning for them to behave. The children froze, and for a while they remained still before they quickly became restless once more. The seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes felt like hours. Would they have to stand here all day? For forever?

"Try to be still, please." Maxi said stiffly, trying to remain as motionless as possible.

The children looked down, shamed by the slight scolding tone they heard on the edge of her voice.

"Sorry," Victoria said shyly, shifting her feet to stand slightly behind her father as though he were a shield.

"Sorry, Mother," Andrew said sheepishly.

Riftan sighed heavily.

"I can agree that this isn't the most exciting event we've experienced as a family," their father admitted. "But you need to stay still so the artist can do his part."

"But we're bored," Andrew whined.

"Hmmm, what if we tell you a story to pass the time?" Maxi offered.

The children beamed at her excitedly and immediately became still, listening intently as their mother always had great stories to tell of her daring expeditions with their father and the knights.

Maxi looked over at her husband and gave him a proud grin.

"I always tell you stories. Why don't you ask your father for a story this time?" Maxi said gleefully.

The children gasped, and their eyes twinkled with joy and anticipation as their attention quickly turned from Maxi to Riftan.

"What story would you like to hear?" He asked, unsure where to begin.

"Tell us about when you faced the Dragon Sektor!" Andrew said.

"No," Victoria whined, "we've heard that one before."

"Any great story worth telling is worth telling twice." Andrew countered.

"How about when you first fell in love with Mother?" Victoria cooed while batting her eyelashes dreamily.

Andrew rolled his eyes at his sister, already a hopeless romantic.

"I want an adventure story, not a sappy romance!" Andrew groaned.

The children became silent, trying to think of a story they could both agree on.

"Tell us about the first monster you ever faced!" Victoria exclaimed. "You never told us that story."

"Oooooo! Yes! Yes, please, father!" Andrew encouraged.

Riftam briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They thought he was trying to remember what kind of monster he fought, but in truth, he was a bit nervous to tell the story—a story he hadn't even told his beloved wife.

"Well, a long time ago," Riftan began, "when I was just a boy, not much older than you, Andrew, I encountered my very first monster and-."

"What?! My age?!" The young boy exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes," Riftan said slowly, as though struggling to recall an old memory that he truthfully remembered as clear as day. "I was headed home after work-"

"Work?" Victoria interrupted. "Why on earth did you have to work at our age?"

"That is a story for another time," Riftan said coolly. "Now if you want to hear the rest of the story, I think you ought to stop asking so many questions."

The children immediately clamped their mouths shut and stood tall, eager to hear more.

"As I was heading down the road, I passed by the home of a dear friend who I often saw playing outside. They were a bit younger than me, and we truthfully didn't know one another all that well, but seeing them happy and carefree always made me smile after a long, hard day at the forge."

Riftan became quite lost in thought, reflecting on the many times he had witnessed a very young Maxi playing with her dog or collecting shiny stones in the yard.

Maxi cleared her throat, and Riftan blinked harshly, having been pulled from his memories.

"As I walked by their yard, I heard them scream." Riftan continued. "Without thinking, I climbed over the wall that surrounded the grounds of the estate. I saw my friend's dog in the clutches of a nasty lizard monster as long as Andrew is tall. It was a terrible creature with long, tallon-like claws and dark black and green scales. It had sharp teeth like a drake, and its eyes were a sickening yellow."

The children's eyes grew wide with worry; Andrew clenched his fists, and Victoria clutched the hem of her father's coat.

"The poor hound was probably already dead and had done their duty to protect their master, my young friend. It was the first time I'd seen a monster up close, seeing how powerful, dangerous, and unpredictable they were," Riftan said, sounding equally sad and grateful. "But that wasn't even the scariest part."

"What could possibly be worse!?" Victoria wailed as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"My friend... they..." Riftan hesitated, as though it were truly painful for him to recall this part of the story.

Maxi reached over, laid her hand on Riftan's hand, and squeezed it encouragingly. Riftan squeezed her hand in return, silently thanking her, before they both returned to their rigid poses.

"My fearless little friend charged at the monster who had killed their dog, armed with nothing more than a large stick, and began to hit it wildly with an anger that I had never seen in them before," Riftan said. "They yelled over and over for the beast to let go of their pet, and eventually the monster did, but it now had a new target."

Riftan swallowed heavily and took a deep breath before continuing.

"The monster lunged at my friend, tackling them to the ground, and sank its teeth into their arm," Riftan said bitterly, as though mad at himself, which he was, absolutely furious for not acting sooner. "I ran forward and pulled the monster off of them and used my small dagger to strike at anything I could reach. I hacked at its throat until it stopped wiggling and went still."

The room was silent; even the brush strokes of the painter had grown quiet, as the artist was just as invested in the story as the rest of the family.

"I threw the lizard off to the side and ran to see about my friend." Riftan continued. "My friend was silent—not even a small cry from the pain from their monster bite. They were probably in shock, seeing what was probably their first monster, witnessing it murder a beloved pet, and having the beast viciously attack them. I reassured them over and over again that they were going to be okay. I was probably also trying to remind myself of that fact as well. I sucked the venom out as best I could and tore my sleeve to bandage their wound. I wanted to do more to help them, but their lazy servants finally came running to assist my friend long after the comotion had passed, and I had to leave."

"Leave?!" Andrew shouted. "What for? Your friend's family should have at least thanked you."

"I didn't need their thanks," Riftan said calmly. "You do things for friends without the expectation of thanks."

Riftan turned his gaze to Maxi, whose bright eyes locked on to his as her lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

"You simply do it because you care about them," he concluded.

The room fell into a peaceful silence as the children and parents alike reflected on the tale.

"That should just about do it!" The artist proclaimed happily.

"It's over?!" the children rejoiced.

"They say time passes rather quickly when you're having fun," the artist said.

"I don't know about fun," Andrew argued, "but the story was amazing! You should tell stories more often, Father!"

"Yes! Please do!" Victoria agreed wholeheartedly. "Tell us another!"

"Maybe some other time." Riftan said smoothly, "Wouldn't you rather go for a quick ride around the grounds before it gets dark?"

The children brightened at the idea, having been cooped up inside all day. They eagerly raced down the hall to change out of their uncomfortable, fancy clothes and into their riding attire.

"I wonder what became of my young friend." Riftan said lightly, with a hint of sarcasm, as he escorted Maxi and their youngest child to the nursery.

"I'd like to think out there somewhere doing wonderfully, blessed with a happy home, dear friends, and a beautiful family." Maxi said, her voice was equally light and teasing.

"And what makes you think that?" Riftan asked, as he planted a tender kiss on her forehead after she had placed their son in his cradle.

Maxi looked up at her handsome, fearless husband and smiled warmly at him, gratitude shining in her eyes.

"I'm not sure," she said softly. "Just a feeling."