A New Home

The journey had been a long one, two months and three days on the ocean, now finally they were here.  As the boat pulled into port its occupants crowded the deck looking at the port, longing to have their feet touch stable dry stable land instead of the rocking and rolling with the movement of the waves.  The day was nice with the sun hidden behind clouds starting to grey and covering the whole of the sky.

As the majority of the passengers rush this way and that, trying to be the first off and onto the docks a particular violet hair lycan drops the hood to her cloak and brought her children close. The lycan kneels next to her children so she can be heard over the ruckus on the deck, people yelling obscenities at the dock men in a hurry to leave. “Darlings,” She starts to fiddle with their cloaks, pulling down their hoods and making everything neat. “I need you to be aware that this place is completely different than our old home. A different language is spoken here, but you will pick it up in time. They have different customs as well, they aren’t that hard. This place? It’s our new home, we can’t go back.”

“Why not, Mommy?” Her little violet hair son asked accusingly, as if it was her fault that they had to flee. He was only four, but already he was trying to be the man.

“I want Daddy!” Her two year old blonde daughter screams and bursts into tears as she falls down on her butt.

Jaysrim brings her children into a tight embrace, a sad sigh escapes her lips. She knew they wouldn’t be able to understand the complexity of the situation, but they had the right to know at least know the grasp of the situation. “Sweeties, Daddy left us. He is not coming back. Bad people are after us, and they’re not going to stop. That’s why we came here, because we will be safe here. I promise.”


The trio was among the last of the passengers to disembark the boat, with their few possessions they made their way to the market in silence, the children due to their new surroundings, their mother concentrating on remembering her way around, and the market people due to seeing someone that they thought was dead. After the gift of horses from a startled salesman they started to ride east.

They arrived at the at the wrought iron gates at twilight, the guards in front eyed the family suspiciously as they neared. “Who- Oh my! Lords and Ladies in high Heaven hear my prayers and forgive my eyes if they be false, if that is not my fair Lady Jaysrim than whom may it possibly be with that color of hair?”  

“It is! Will you take me to the manor?” She speaks in her native language to the guard, and is that she had not forgotten it in her time away. The woman is excited to be home all of the sudden, and to have her children here, in this place fit for a king. As one of the guards opened the gate, the other grabbed the reigns of Jaysrim’s horse and started to escort them to the castle.

Jaysrim chats with the guards on the way to the castle and has one take the horses to the stable and the other take them inside. A horn is blown, alerting all the occupants of the house of the arrival and has them gather in the dining hall, a tradition always done when guests arrived was now done for the owner of the house and her children. “Please Lords and Ladies in high Heaven and lords and ladies of the castle, pray a blessing and welcome back the Lady of the house, Jaysrim, and her children little lord Ruarc, and little lady Lialu Ramelf.”

Knees were bent by both servants and other family members as the three entered the main hall. Then there were cheers, and drinks, and a very large party, full of food and laughter and stories all through the night that Jaysrim translated for her children, and started to help them understand. Though the children only make through a few hours of partying before they are fast asleep and have to be taken to rooms upstairs.

“We all thought you were dead…The raiders attacked and then Joshua was dead, several people were dead, and then you were missing.” Jaysrim’s and her uncle were chatting together at dawn in the garden, not yet letting her rest.

“It wasn’t raiders Jordan, it was me. I ran away, since I hadn’t been allowed to leave. And now that I am back, things are going to change. For the better. You and the rest of the family will be allowed to stay as long as my changes are followed. I have brought my children here and they will have a better life than I have had. The same that my father and mother tried to do before I was forced here.”

Jordan gave a sigh and nodded. “I know. Half the family is going to leave because of you. But what about your children’s father? What does he think of this?”

“Nothing, if he ever comes around he will be taken prisoner and the kids will not be allowed to see him. He betrayed me, he betrayed those that we had sworn we’d do everything to protect, and then he tried to kill me.”

“Why not just kill him then?” He gave a chuckle. “Do not act like it’s something you haven’t done before after you just said that about your uncle Joshua.”

Jaysrim pursed her lips and took another sip of her drink. “Things are very…very complicated with this situation. Now I’m going to rest now and check up on my children, just I hope you will stay.”


Jaysrim watches as her children play in the yard made by walls surrounding the castle. No longer were any of the three dressed in travel clothes but instead of fine clothes, the girls in long dresses that flowed softly down to their ankles, Jaysrims came with a corset. Little Ruarc ran around in long pants, something that he had now grown accustomed to. None of them cared that there was snow on the ground; they were having fun in the snow fighting with wooden swords.  Their cloaks? Where were they? The kids had thrown them off somewhere, and Jaysrim wore hers.

“Breakfast is ready!” The call came from Jordan, who had stuck around even after their talk three months prior. Everyone had. In the three month span of time since they arrived the children had started to learn the language, the castle had been cleaned, the staff had been replaced, and the man that had gifted them the horses was now the one that supplied all the horses.

Jaysrim smiles and turns to go inside, and a servant hands her a letter, with the royal seal on it. “Ah! Kids! I have a letter from your uncle!” She opened it up and started to skim it, “Oh he’s waiting for us to visit! We simply must!”

The children ran over and into the dining hall, little Lialu smiling and running into her uncle’s arms, and Ruarc sits at the table flirting with another little girl that lives in the manor.