"Raegaaan!" Gideon called and the dragon ran away.
"Raegan, come to uncle, and let's play!" He beckoned once more but Raegan did not want to get close with the knight who coined himself as 'uncle'.
"Oh, look what I have here!" Gideon brought out a bunch of berries from his pockets and the dragon instantly stopped at the sight of the delicious-looking berries.
"Kruu?" The small dragon tilted his head to the side and Gideon smiled at it.
"Yes, come here to uncle and let me carry you hehehe," He laughed and swished the berries that were still hanging from the small branch with leaves.
Raegan took careful and slow steps towards the knight wearing a thick armor and when he reached Gideon's feet, Raegan looked up to see the berries.
His blue eyes sparkled and his cute pointed tail wagged.
"You love berries like uncle Gideon too?" The swordmaster asked when Raegan finally climbed up to his arms and nestled there while munching on the berries.
"I love the meat dad makes more!" Raegan suddenly spoke which spooked Gideon and earning the dragon a small screech of surprise from the knight.
But Gideon gently smiled when he saw that Raegan was enjoying the berries he brought.
It was Pier's adopted child.
A small dragon he got from the spoils of war in the Taron Kingdom. Could it even be considered as a spoil of war?
The mythical creature was like the reward Pier got after saving the kingdom from the enemy's forces.
"Your blue eyes resemble your dad's eyes, Raegan," Gideon started to walk while carefully carrying the dragon.
"Father says that a lot too! He says I look like dad because our eyes are the same!" Raegan happily spoke and Gideon chuckled at how cute it sounded.
"Really? His majesty does?" Grabbing a few more berries from his pocket, Gideon fed more to the dragon and Raegan happily obliged.
"Yes!" Raegan responded and the two were soon enclosed in a comfortable silence as Raegan continued to eat the berries Gideon brought with him.
A few moments later, Raegan spoke again.
"But... what is an uncle, uncle?" The child inquired in which Gideon scratched his cheek.
"Uhm... Hmm, something like your dad's friend that you can also consider your father!" The knight explained and Raegan's eyes widened.
"I have many fathers?"
"Why yes, even the scary-looking man that is always beside your father is your other uncle too," The knight referred to the dead fairy that was always commanding the forces that are marching and destroying cities left and right.
"So, you are my father too?"
"Yes. But your number one and first father is his majesty," He brought his hands up to Raegan's cheeks and squished them slightly. The fat that was starting to slowly accumulate in the dragon's face was very cute.
Raegan was always eating.
It had been two weeks ever since Pier and Ciaran decided to stop the invasion in the Cresencia Empire to fulfil their final goals and ever since that time, Raegan did not stop eating.
"Then are you my second father?" The dragon was continuously asking him questions wherein Gideon was happily obliging with answers.
"Well... Yes, you can consider me as your second father." He rubbed Raegan's head and the dragon purred again like a cat at the pleasant feeling of his head being rubbed.
"Do I have another daddy too?"
'Daddy...' Gideon thought about the term. It was commonly used by spoiled noble children in the Taron Kingdom but seeing Raegan was being spoiled by Pier nonstop, he thought the term was quite fitting.
"Sadly, no. You do not have another daddy like King Pier. There is no one like him in the world, Raegan," He spoke and started heading outside the palace where it was now the season of fall.
The winter finally ended and even though cold winds still blew as it was the natural environment in the Mir Mountains, it was far less chilly than what they had weeks ago.
"I see... but are you like my father too, uncle because you said you are my second father?" The small creature inquired for the nth time and Gideon laughed.
"Well, I am not as powerful as your father, Raegan, but we do share some unique traits too!" The voice he gave Raegan was similar to that of a child's as well.
Gideon had been working in an orphanage ever since House Woodlock fell on the hands of other noble households and so, he learned how to interact with children.
Raegan was just like them. Asking many questions and curious about the world.
"Wow! Can you tell me what those unique traits are, uncle?" Raegan was slowly starting to get invested with Gideon's words and that pleased the knight.
"Well... There is only one person we will follow and serve in our entire lives and that is His Royal Majesty, King Pier," He scratched the back of Raegan's ear and the dragon stretched his paws at the sensation of his ears being scratched.
"We are also completely devoted towards your dad and promise not to look for anyone else," He continued which perked Raegan's interest.
"Father always says he loves dad, uncle. Do you love dad too?"
Gideon paused his actions when the child asked about the question. His eyes scanning the entirety of the Mir Mountains from the place where the palace is situated.
It was beautiful.
He had always been here in the Mir Mountains for months now but it was his first time appreciating the beautiful view since all he did was train himself to become stronger.
Deciding he finally had the answer to the dragon's question, Gideon sat on the field of soft grass and continued to caress Raegan's ear.
"I have a story, Raegan, do you want to listen? It is about your dad," He started and of course, Raegan wants to learn everything about his dad so he agreed.
"Yes!"
"Haha! Well then, let me start with your dad's life in the previous place we lived in," Gideon took out more berries for Raegan and the dragon happily munched on them.
"You see, King Pier was surrounded by so many bad guys. They were always hurting him and making King Pier cry and angry."
Right when Raegan heard the statement, his ears perched and he glared in particularly no one.
He hated hearing the word 'bad guys' and 'angry' especially when it involved his dad.
"But King Pier is very very very smart, just like you, Raegan. He always finds ways to defeat the bad guys and is always calm even when angry," A small smile made its way on Gideon's face when he remembered the moments Pier would always mock nobles of different rankings.
"Yes! Dad and I are smart smart!" Raegan commented.
"Of course. But unfortunately, the bad guys did something very bad to King Pier. Even though your dad saved them many times and helped them too, they still hurt him," Gideon's eyebrows also furrowed when he remembered the moment Pier would look hurt days after he moved to the Mir Mountains.
"Grr!" Raegan glared at the sky again while a berry was hanging on the corner of his lips.
"The bad guys should be destroyed! Their city should be destroyed!" He rallied in which Gideon agreed to.
"Of course. The bad guys were punished now and their city is destroyed after King Pier saved cute little Raegan from the other bad guys too,"
"Yey!" Raegan's tail wagged back and forth.
"Then after that, King Pier lived in here with your father and the other vampires!"
Gideon sucked in storytelling and he knew that too. He just enjoyed telling some stories about Pier even it was in the vaguest way.
"Wow... Daddy is very cool!" Gideon nodded his head at the statement and went back to scratch Raegan's ear again.
"He is very cool. Your dad is also the smartest and strongest person I know. In fact, your dad saved me from the bad guys many times too!" His grin widened when he remembered the times Pier saved his life.
From the magic beast on the forest.
From his magic diversion.
From the death penalty imposed by the prince and lady.
Those three significant moments were the most remarkable for Gideon and he wanted to treasure those for the rest of his life.
"Sometimes, I wonder if I would be your first father if I met your dad earlier and saved him, Raegan. But of course, if I were, King Pier will probably be hurt much more and we will never get to meet Raegan!" The smile on his face quivered and faltered for a moment.
"Uncle Gideon was very powerless and the bad guys could easily hurt him that time so your dad protected him until he became powerful."
Gideon knew about the plan. Ciaran and Pier would fight the other candidates that are living in the northern oceans of the Cresencia Empire and if they do complete their goals, their lives would continue happily living until the end of time.
He wanted to share his feelings even just with their adopted child.
It was heavy yet it was pleasant.
"Does dad love uncle Gideon too?" Raegan curiously asked as he was now on the final berries remaining on his small paws.
"Your dad does love uncle Gideon, but not enough to see uncle Gideon as your first father!" He cheerfully spoke but if others were to see him right now, they could definitely tell that Gideon was letting his emotions out.
"And regarding your question earlier, Raegan," Gideon looked into the skies and saw that the stars were once more starting to twinkle. The moon was shining bright and bringing comfort to him.
He wasn't hurting. Gideon understood himself.
"I do love your dad, everyone loves him," He chuckled and closed his eyes.
A teardrop fell and landed on Raegan's small head.
"But Uncle Gideon will not be able to provide anything for your dad if Uncle Gideon tried to tell his secret before."
Alerted with the word 'secret', Raegan's eyes widened.
"Is this a secret, Uncle Giddy?" He asked which Gideon returned with a light laugh.
"Uncle Giddy? Well, you can call me Uncle Giddy even if it sounds not fitting with my handsome face," He responded and Raegan listened even more attentively knowing it was a secret.
"Can you continue telling your secret, Uncle Giddy? Raegan will not tell anyone! Even dad and father!" Raegan's blue eyes were wide and it only reminded the knight of his master.
"Of course. Well now, Uncle Gideon will definitely be able to provide your dad with many things like what Raegan loves"
"Food?"
"Yes, food."
"And money?"
"Yes, Uncle Giddy can definitely provide that. But of course, His Majesty, King Ciaran will be much more so. He can provide your dad with everything." Gideon's hair swished in accordance with the trees around them and the sensation of the calm and serene environment gave him peace of mind.
He is right here in the fourth mountain, holding Pier's adopted child in his arms.
Even though his master was young, adopting a dragon was not a problem with any of it because Raegan isn't like the other human children.
Raegan's ears obviously perked up when he heard his father's name.
"Yes! Father! I love father!" He ran and chased after his tail on Gideon's lap making the knight laugh with the silly actions.
"But Uncle Giddy, will Uncle Giddy have other sons like Raegan too?" This time, Gideon couldn't find the answer.
Does he desire to have children?
Right now-
"Definitely not. Only Raegan can be my nephew and son!" He smiled.
"But if your dad and father will have other children, of course, they will also be my children," He assured and that made Raegan smile too.
"Wow! Other Raegans and newfew!" It was the wrong word but Gideon let the child be as it was cute to listen with.
"But for now, Uncle Giddy will take good care of Raegan and give him lots of love!" Gideon then stood from his position and carried Raegan in his arms again.
"Do you also know, Raegan, that Uncle Giddy has another dragon inside him? Do you want to meet the dragon?" He asked and Raegan eagerly nodded his head.
"But in one condition!" He raised his pointer finger and Raegan's eyes aimlessly followed it.
"You need to keep Uncle Giddy's secret and not tell anyone, okay?"
Raegan nodded his head with a short yet cheerful "okay!" as a response and Gideon started to walk back into the kingdom.
He was tasked by his master and the other king to help Raegan communicate with the water dragon inside of him and teach the prince how to shift his form for his upcoming acknowledgment ceremony in the kingdom.
"Uncle Giddy, can we have more of the yummy food when we get back to the palace?" Raegan asked him.
"Yes! Raegan ate all of my berries so we will go back and get some more!" Raegan and Gideon departed towards the palace again to get more food.
The little secret between them immediately slipping the dragon's mind and was forever lost.