Thanus 98

I readied myself for a funeral. Niala is sick, and Gaff has some explaining to do?

Yarrick patted over Gaff’s shoulder before slipping off. He seemed to know his place in all of this well. I’d spent more time fathering his kid than he had the past seventeen years. He and Ester weren’t that great of parents before the alcohol and wasting.

By the defeated gravel in his voice and the dark circles under his eyes, I could tell he was exhausted. Gaff didn’t wilt under our glares, though. Instead, he braced himself and sat up, steeling his gaze as he recounted what they’d been through. The sentinels beat them bloody, and he had the thin lines of scars in his hairline to show for Niala’s passable healing attempt.

He needed Letti to work on his jaw a bit. It clicked a little when he moved it.

I didn’t say anything, and Kiromir didn’t react, but for her to have healed something like that on him, they’d need to share a bond… I didn’t know it could be possible at her age. The youngest I’d ever seen was seventeen. I didn’t want to be the one to say it.

He told us about their nights and her shaking fevers…

Oh no.

Then he took a deep breath, looked Kiromir in the eye, and dropped the bombshell. Despite my intuition, it still surprised me. We put so many Wildling assumptions on her. We didn’t know, and Kiromir nodded sagely, letting us know everything would be ok. Gaffriel stared him down, not apologetic in the least.

“I’ll never apologize for loving her.” He whispered, and that right there sealed his fate.

“Come here.” Kiromir’s voice cracked as he brought Gaffriel to himself for a hug and held him there. I thought Gaff would tough it out, but he and Kiromir shed the same tears for different reasons.

“I’ll do better. I’ll be stronger and work harder. I have to be the best for her when she gets old enough.”

Kiromir just squeezed him tighter.

“You’ve already done enough. You’re enough.” He kept repeating himself, and Gaffriel’s shoulders shook. I don’t think Gaff had ever been ‘enough’ for anyone but Ni.

“Come on, carrot, let’s go get Letti,” I told him.

“I need to kick Yarrick’s ass.” Gaff groaned.

“Why this time?”

“Do you know what my name means in her language!? You won’t be calling me carrot for long; I’ll tell you that much.”

“Riel means ‘of the storm.’” He said.

I nodded. That sounded pretty cool and lined up with what Yarrick had wanted.

“They don’t say ‘Chata ryel nah’ They say ‘Gaff rahl neh.’”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Well.. eheh… it’s a….” I couldn’t make myself sugarcoat it.

“Oh, creator’s feathers… That’s why….” Kiromir laughed as he pulled away from Gaff.

“She kept saying your name was bad when she was little, and I thought she was making fun of you… Your name is literally a bad word…words.”

Gaff tugged at his hair and groaned.

“Mir, go get Letti and bring her here. She’ll want to hear this story, too.” I laughed, and Gaffriel gave me a withering look. He wasn’t blushing, though. He blushed enough these past few nights, I imagined.