Pre-Canon Adventures Collection

The Fisher

After losing his eldest son in an attack that he could not have stopped, Master Ardorus Nestoris is too afraid to spend time with his youngest son, Achillean, out of fear that he will get hurt. When Mara convinces him to relax and take him fishing, all goes well for a while and Ardorus thinks he was worrying about nothing

Lessons are learned, but some must be learned the hard way

Author's note: if you've read 'The Lie' and/or 'The Truth,' then you'll know that Ardorus is the name I gave to Achillean's father. the same goes for Mara being the name I gave Achillean's mother

anyway, I needed to give Ardorus a reason to dislike the Voltaris and this was one of them, as well as a reason for maybe not being quite the wholesome daddo that Dominus is to Ingressus. he tried, bless him XD

*******************

Achillean perched on a fallen tree trunk on the Nestoria shoreline, giddily swinging his legs as he was too small for them to touch the floor. He sat on his hands, swaying from side to side with the breeze and his ruffled hair brushed across his face, lining his beaming smile. He was only there because his father was out on the pier fishing, instead of his usual hunting – there was a shortage of fish in the village and Achillean's mother had insisted that Ardorus help and give his bow a rest; there was no shortage of deerskin or stewing bones, with thanks to him and his team. Achillean loved watching his father on the pier. He only wished that he could join him.

Ever since they lost his older brother, their family had become quiet and Ardorus became ever so protective of Achillean – he never let him get close to harm's way. That also included the ocean. Achillean was sat on the tree trunk on the shoreline because Ardorus feared that the small boy would fall into the sea and drown. It wasn't so much that Ardorus was scared of Achillean getting hurt, it was more that he was scared that Achillean would get hurt and he wouldn't be able to help him. As a father, it was his duty to protect his sons. He had already lost one, he was not losing another.

He couldn't take it if he lost another...

As Achillean's eyes remained fixed in awe of Ardorus as he fished, his mother had joined him and perched on the end of the wooden trunk, laying her hand next to his. He didn't even noticed her as she sat down. She smiled and allowed herself a little giggle as she looked at the fascination that lined her son's golden eyes, glinting in the sunlight. She looked between him and Ardorus in front of her and her heart warmed at the love Achillean had for his father. She tilted her head.

"Psst," she whispered into Achillean's ear, making him jump slightly. When their eyes connected, she grinned and Achillean leapt at her, wrapping her in his arms and making her laugh. "Hey, you! What's up?" she asked as she turned the small boy around to sit comfortably on her lap.

Achillean shuffled a little before squeezing his mother's fingers in his own.

"When is dad coming home?" he asked. Mara looked at Ardorus, still as a statue, rod in his hands.

"I'm sure he won't be long, Achi-bear." She squeezed Achillean tighter against her body. When his gaze remained on his father, she frowned a little and looked between the two boys. "You want to be with him, don't you?"

Achillean nodded.

"He told me to wait here, away from the water." He pointed to the waves crashing against the wooden supports on the pier, splashing both the shoreline and his father's legs.

Mara sighed. She knew of Ardorus' sudden protectiveness towards them both after losing his firstborn, but she hadn't realised how much it had started to affect Achillean. She didn't notice the strength of the connection between Achillean and Ardorus and how the latter's detachment was nothing to do with loss – he was pushing them away to protect them. Mara knew, then, that she needed to talk to him to get him to open up a little more – to let them in.