Inside a study room, two men argued loudly.
“How could you not tell me about this until now? How could you hide the fact that your wife was a fairy?” one man asked, yelling at the other.
“Because of this. Because of things like this. Because you all would see it as a crime. You would see it as treason when all I did was fall in love.
I have served humanity for many years, poured out my blood and sweat, but I had to hide the fact that my wife was a fairy for many years just because she was a fairy.
I couldn’t be happy because every day I wake up knowing that people like you would take her away from me.
You would castigate her and make her feel like a criminal, and all she wanted was to have a family with me and be happy with our son.
But now she’s gone, and I decided that you, who have been my friend for so long, should know the truth. Because I don’t know when I’ll die.
If I die, I need someone who will take care of my son, knowing who he was as a half-fairy. That’s why I’m telling you now,” the man said.
“This is dumb. How could you be so dumb? With your status and everything, it would be a great issue if word got out.”
“I know, but it has happened, and now Aaron is part of this world, and he is growing, and I want him to be able to live a normal and happy life.
If he is incapable of living a happy life here, then I’ll take the risk and head into the fairy country. Even if they kill me, I’ll beg them to take Aaron.
Because he is my world and my only joy. He reminds me of the life I had with his mother. He reminds me that I was happy and alive, even if it was just for a short while.
So, to me, Aaron is not just a son; he is my heartbeat. I don’t care how you see it, I don’t care how the world sees me, but Aaron must have a happy life.
So, Duke Terron, you, as my friend and a man like me, tell me, is that so much to ask? Should I throw away a child because of status?” Aaron’s father asked.
“I’m not one to be asked that question, because I fell victim to such a choice.
You remember when my wife was pregnant last, and it was said the baby died? That was a lie. I have been thinking about how to tell you this for years now, but now seems like the best time to.
He was a beautiful boy, with eyes like his mother and a heart like hers as well. But as I held him in my arms, he lacked talent.
He lacked whatever it would take for him to be a noble under my name. I, the Duke known for my mastery in magic, having a child that would be talentless.
That was not something I wanted; I didn’t want my bloodline to be tainted,” Terron explained.
“Terron, tell me you didn’t kill your child,” Aaron’s father said, grabbing Terron by the collar.
“No, I didn’t. I wanted to, but my wife pleaded on his behalf, and we sent him to another town to be raised by whatever commoner family would take him.”
BAAM!
Aaron’s father’s fist connected with Terron’s face, sending him staggering and slamming into a wall.
“What the hell did you just say? How could you with a straight face tell this to me? You threw away your son, not caring if he lived or died.
Have you no humanity, Terron? Is status and name all that matters to you?” Aaron’s father asked.
“It had to be done; there was no other choice. My father was a commoner, an orphan; he was nothing, a young man named Terron, struggling to survive every day.
He would work and work, and at the end of the day, thugs would take whatever he worked for. That was until he met a man.
That man gave him words that changed my father’s life. The man said:
‘Living a good life makes you a saint, but those saints go unrecognized. Living a true life, filled with conscious decisions, good or bad, to make progress, and covering it with fake goodness also makes you a saint, but this saint is recognized.’
This meant that my father should do whatever it took to grow and survive. As long as he covered his tracks, he would become a saint, loved by all.
These words stuck with my father, and he ran with them. My father had a legacy, a high-rank one, but it was just at the level of a basic noble.
If he wanted to give birth to children that would become the greatest in the kingdom, he would need to marry a high noble.
So my father decided he had had enough. He would no longer waste his life and legacy. So he trained alone for many years until one day, a knight saw him and felt he was strong enough to be a knight.
And so my father became a knight. He grew, through evil and good methods, while covering his tracks. He grew in magic and in swordsmanship.
Soon, a great war happened, and my father, who had become a captain through blood and walking over others, became the hero of the war.
His status rose, and soon, the former Duke, who couldn’t get a son, asked my father to marry his daughter.
My father reached his goal; he had finally become who he wanted to be, but with a trail of blood behind him.
So my father imparted all these words to me. He told me his whole journey and told me to make the right decisions, good or bad, and cover my tracks,” Terron finished his backstory.
Aaron’s father went and sat down. He looked at the ceiling and spoke.
“I don’t know how to process that story, but you trusted me, the same way I trusted you. We take both of our secrets to the grave,” Aaron’s father said.