Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Over the next few years Draco started helping Jackson with his work on the slab walkways and other construction and landscaping projects. While Lyla, with Alice's help convincing the other parents, opened and started teaching classes to the children. Until the new school house is finished, she teaches the classes on the first floor of the town hall during the front half of the week.
During which Aster, along with other kids around his age, learned everything from reading, writing, and math to what plants are safe to eat and how to tell when it's going to rain. Things that even their parents didn't even have a chance to learn until they were much older, if at all. After some time even some of the adults started asking Lyla to teach them too so, with her husband's help, she occasionally taught the adults of the town at night after their children went to sleep.
Then one very special day came, Aster's 15th birthday. Now the same height as his mother and on his way to being an adult.
"Aster, happy birthday!" shouted a man sitting in front of his house as Aster was on his way home.
"Thanks Mr. Norman! How's the leg?" Aster replied with a wave.
"Good, its good. I should be back to work in the next couple of days."
"Alright, well, be sure to take it easy."
"Will do!" Mr. Norman said with a way goodbye as Aster continued walking.
Aster spent most of the day being bombarded by people telling him 'happy birthday'. Even a few parents tried setting him up with their daughters. To which Aster just politely turned them down, saying he'll find someone when he gets the chance but he was too busy mentoring under his father to settle down. A white lie, since he was actually quite infatuated with his teacher Mrs. Grage, or Lyla as he's known her. Despite knowing she was twice his age and married to his swordsman instructor. Both of whom he has spent the past couple of years getting to know and even respecting a great deal. So he doesn't plan on acting on his feelings, knowing he'd just get rejected. He's just reveling in the one-sided crush for a while longer. Though he did wish he had managed to keep it a secret, Draco regularly teases him over it during their sparing matches.
Upon reaching the front door of his home, Aster hears a familiar voice call out to him.
"Well, if it isn't the future thief of my wife, the birthday boy." Draco calls out with a cheeky smile. "Happy birthday Aster, I hope it's been a wonderful day." He says with a heartfelt smile this time.
"It was, thank you master."
A mischievous smile quickly spreads across Draco's face like a wildfire, "I bet it was, you spent all day with my wife. Also, I've told you to quit it with the 'master' stuff."
"Yes master," Aster replies with a mischievous smile of his own before they both walk into his house.
Inside Aster is welcomed with the scent of his mother cooking his favorite dish, braised rabbit served with a scallions, garlic, and potato stew. The slightly sweet earthy taste of the tender and lean rabbit meat paired with the light hearty stew that tastes of roasted garlic, lightly sautéed scallions, and potatoes; with a hint of butter and cheese. That is the dish that has constantly invaded Aster's dreams throughout his life. Much to his master's dismay since he isn't fond of onions and scallions.
Some time later, Jackson and Lyla along with a few family friends showed up for the little party to celebrate Aster's birthday; Alice started bringing out dinner and everyone enjoyed the food and talked amongst each other and with Aster. After all of the food was gone it was time for the main event, loaves of bread slathered in honey and jam.
"A toast to the birthday boy! Who will be an adult starting next year, so you better finish getting spoiled by me and your mother out of the way by then." Jackson announces with a playful but proud smile.
"Happy birthday!" everyone collectively said together, though a bit clumsily.
After about another hour of talking, congratulations, and merrymaking most of the guests had returned back to their respective homes. Leaving only Aster's family, Lyla, and Draco.
"So Aster, I take it you plan on following in Mr. Stark's footsteps?"
"It's just Jackson. Draco, I keep telling you that you don't need to call me that." Jackson interjects.
"Yes yes, I know. But it's just a habit of mine to adhere to the chain of command. You are my boss after all."
"You're not in the military anymore though." After hearing this Draco's gaze drifts towards the ground while a look of unease briefly crept its way across his face.
"You're right." Draco says after a while, with weak smile. "Anyway, we drifted off topic. So, Aster? Are you going to follow in your father's footsteps?"
"I haven't decided just yet but I believe so. I kinda want to work as a guard but that seems like it'd be pretty boring guarding a place this peaceful." Aster responds with a slight chuckle.
"You just don't really understand how beautiful it is to live somewhere so 'peaceful'. Let alone how lucky you have it. I've spent the better part of my life on battlefields." Draco's gaze once again drifts downward, this time with one of his hands covering his eye. "Especially after this happened."
After a bit of time passed with Draco not moving or saying anything else Lyla comes over and taps him on the shoulder. After a moment he looks up at her, stands up, and starts walking to the door.
"I think we're gonna head back home. Thanks for the food and for inviting us." Lyla says with an apologetic smile. "Again, happy birthday Aster. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
Aster and his father sat there for a while longer before Jackson gets up to go help Alice in the kitchen, only saying this as he leaves. "Perhaps you should give him a bit of space for the next couple of days."
A couple of months later it was time for the young Jason's 5th birthday. Unlike Aster's party, the one for Jason is quite modest. Only family, Draco, and Lyla present.
"Hello little one, it's your auntie Lyla." Lyla says while playing with Jason off to the corner of the room. "Perhaps auntie will have a child who you could play with in a few years." She says while sneaking a few glances at her husband. Who is trying his best to pretend he didn't hear her.
"You heard her" Jackson tells him with a sly smile and a wink, while elbowing him playfully. "You know there are many men in town who would be glad to take your place."
"Like your son?" Draco responds with a playful look toward Aster.
"Could you please stop bringing that up master. It's just a one-sided crush nothing more." Aster says bashfully, trying to avoid looking at Lyla as she walks up to the three of them.
"You really should stop teasing him Draco. Besides, I find it adorable that he likes me that way." She says while quietly laughing to herself.
"Oh, I think you've killed him, Lyla." Draco tells her, while stifling a laugh, as he watches Aster's face turn bright red, everything from the tips of his ears to his cheeks and nose.
After a moment of laughter, Draco tries to resume the conversation they were having before Lyla's comment.
"As I was saying Jackson, I really think you should go out to a larger city and do some research. So, you can better reinforce things here. You've done a wonderful job here but it is a far cry from the way things are built everywhere else." He pauses for a bit before continuing. "I get that you've all lived in isolation here for generations, miraculously might I add. The fact that the Midnight Order hasn't come knocking honestly astounds me. But you need to broaden your horizons a bit. I can help a bit from my time in the military and building things but I'm not an expert nor do I fully understand everything I did learn."
"I hear you; I do. But I can't risk going out there and then something happening to me. The Order may leave us in peace as long as we give them lumber, limestone, and a portion of our crops. But that doesn't mean that if we decide to come and go as we please that it'll stay that way." After a brief moment to think Jackson continues. "Taking the two of you in, in and of itself, could cause us many issues."
Upon hearing this Lyla and Draco look at each. After a moment, Draco says "we know that taking us in could put you all at great risk, but we love this place. If we go out there in your place then we'll be caught easily and it wouldn't be hard for them to learn where we were all of this time. You know we'll always be grateful and sorry to put you in this position."
Jackson lets out a deep sigh. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I knew full well of the risks but still insisted on letting you stay here. And I understand where you're coming from, but I just can't bring myself to go to some random city just to learn about infrastructure. That in and of itself would be suspicious. To me at least." He says as he scratches the back of his head.
"What about we visit that cousin you've talked about in the past?" Aster chimes in after quietly listening to the conversation. "If we go under the guise of visiting family and just decided to learn a few things on infrastructure before leaving. Then it'd be less suspicious, right?"
"The boy's got a point there." Draco says with an approving look while Jackson stood there in thought.
After a brief moment, Lyla also chimes in. "When was the last time any of you left the forest? Has Jason, or even Aster, seen world outside of this forest?"
Jackson looks at Lyla and Draco before looking to Aster and finally at Jason, who was asleep on the floor. "I'll discuss it with Alice later. For now, how about I go wake up the birthday boy. It is supposed to be a party, right?" He says with a smile as he walks to where Jason is sleeping.
After about half an hour Alice announces that dinner was nearly done and that everyone should start setting up the table. Moments later Alice started bringing the food over to the table, with Aster and Jackson helping. As the plates were being served, the room started to be filled with the earthy sweet scent of stewed chicken with leeks, lentils, potatoes, and basil. Served with a fresh loaf of bread.
After everyone had finished eating and talked amongst themselves some more, Lyla and Draco returned home. Later that week Jackson and Alice announced to the rest of town that they, along with their children, were going to go visit Jackson's cousin in Elmwood. A city to the north east of the town, about a week's travel away. They planned on visiting for a month, so they planned on being gone for about a month and a half.
Aster was excited to see the outside world, to see anywhere but the home he had grown up in. Though he was still a bit nervous about leaving his home, Wolfsbane was the only place he had ever known. One of the few constants in his life.
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