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Brothers	By : Koori Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 1830 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter Twelve – Thomas Conway, Age 35
Thomas watched his boys run off, though two years younger than Foster, Nathaniel stood just a tall but he did possess the slender body of his birth mother. His disheveled blond hair was slightly longer than Foster's but Norah feared if they cut it too short the tips of his ears may show before she could correct them. However, it probably did facilitate his younger son to look more feminine, or truth be told elfin.
Though the Second War ended a few years ago, the High Elves were still committed to the young Alliance. And their presence while rare was more common than it had been in the past. He had shield Nathaniel from them their last trip to Stratholme but soon someone would make the connection between his son's telltale eyes and those of the elves. They would accuse Norah of bearing a half-breed bastard and Thomas would not see that shame brought upon his wife. When he pressured her to let him tell the lad the truth Norah would put him off, when he's older … don't upset the boat … he's happy …were always the reply. Truth be told, like him, she was afraid they would lose him to people they knew nothing about.
As he grew, Nathaniel was bound to see more differences between him and his family. His birthright had already given him better ears and eyes than mere humans, which aided him to become a very skilled huntsman. There was also the matter of his age, as far as Thomas could figure out there would come a time that Nathaniel would stop aging the same rate as the rest of them. It hadn't happened yet, thankfully, but elves though not immortal lived a very long time. And Thomas had never seen an old elf yet, at least based on appearances. What if Nathaniel didn't age from this day forward for another forty years how were they going to explain a forever child? Thomas sighed, didn't do any good to worry about the 'what ifs'. He headed to the barn; there was stock to be fed.
That evening's dinner was its normal boisterous event, with the children trying to talk over one another. The Paxtons, who now had their own cottage, still joined them for the family meal. Nathaniel was excitingly telling the girls about a hawk he had spotted; as he spoke he brushed back his unruly hair and tucked it behind his ear. Norah nodded slightly toward their son and Thomas saw what she did. His ear had started to peak again; his wife would have to correct it, if the ruse was to continue. She would give both boys a night cap this evening with a sleeping herb in it, that way Foster would be kept in the dark alongside his brother. When they awoke in the morning, neither would suspect anything. They had done the same routine many times through the past decade though it seemed to happen more often now that Nathaniel was growing older.
After dinner the boys went up to their room to do their homework. Normally Thomas would make them do it at the table. However, they were being punished enough by the aroma of the scrumptious peach pie his wife made for dessert; he wouldn't make them sit there while they ate it in front of them. After dessert he chased Rosemary away from the kitchen and joined his wife at the sink, to help with the dishes.
"So what was it this time?" she asked.
"Some boys picking on Nathaniel," he replied, his voice barely audible over the sound of the water. "It's bound to happen, he'll always be slimmer than most and as he grows his elfin features will only be more prominent." He kept his words low; they had learned the hard way Nathaniel's hearing was better than theirs. They had to reprimand him more than once and tell him it was rude to eavesdrop on conversations that were not his own.
"Anyone get hurt?" Norah asked.
"Zach's boy a busted lip and the Lewis kid was probably limping for a bit afterwards," Thomas said, "nothing serious, our boys didn't have a scratch." He failed to hide the pride in his voice and was rewarded with an elbow in his side.
"I was against you teaching them how to fight to start with," she said.
"I'm teaching them how to defend themselves and those they love," he replied. "The war may be over but these are not gentle lands, my love. These children are not coddled nobles and nor would we want them that way."
"They are just children!" Norah replied her voice rising, "give them a chance to be one; they have the rest of their lives to have the worry about the burdens of being an adult, let that be our yoke for now."
"This land has a way of robbing one's childhood," Thomas replied.
"You are not your father," Norah replied. "You will not abandon them; you will be here to protect them."
"I most certainly will try," Thomas replied, "but incase I'm not I want them to be able to do it themselves."
Norah sighed and relented. "I'll take care of his ears this evening after the children go to bed."
"How much longer are we going to keep this deception going, beloved?" Thomas asked. "I think it will be easier for him as he grows to understand fully who he is."
"Please," Norah said. "We've had this talk before, when he's older … he lost his mother, don't be the one to take away this family too."
"Mama … Papa, look!" Young Sara ran in waving around a drawing she had made. Kneeling Thomas took it. "It's our family," his young daughter said. "There is me, and you and Mama, Nathaniel, Janice, Foster and Jenna … I just need to add the dogs … we have lots."
They did indeed have a lot of dogs; their canine family consisted of the puppies born in the cave those years ago … Wags, Paws, Flower, Dirt and Sky. The boys had trained their dogs, Wags and Paws to guard outside like their sire had. Flower, Dirt and Sky spent their time between the house and the barn.
"It's a beautiful drawing," Thomas said giving her a hug. "I like the dress you're wearing and the flower you gave your ma. What does Nathaniel have there?"
"An egg," Sara said, "so he can throw it at the bad boys if they come back."
Thomas sighed and patted her on the top of her curly head. "Sounds like a waste of an egg to me. Why don't you make it a ball and you and he could be playing catch?"
"Okay Papa!" And she ran back to the table where her colors were.
Thomas watched as his wife prepped the hot-chocolate she would serve the kids before bed, with a little extra in the boys' mugs. Leaving her to it, he walked into the family room to spend some time with the children before bedtime. After Nathaniel and Foster finished their homework and joined them he had all the kids settle down on the couch.
"All right," he said as Norah handed out mugs of the cocoa to the children, much to their delight. "This weekend we have a special treat planned for everyone," he said.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched Nathaniel sip his hot beverage and wondered at the slight droop in his shoulders. His son put the drink in his lap, cupping the warm mug in his hands. Nathaniel glanced up to find his eyes on him and he smiled. "What kind of treat, Pa?" he asked.
"I want candy!" Jenna said with a grin.
"I dolly!" Sara said, "One that has curls like mine!"
"I'd like a new pocket knife," Foster admitted.
Thomas laughed and waved off the requests. "It's not your birthdays," he said. "We'll be taking a trip to Stratholme." That got him excited cheers. They could be going to Stratholme for bags of manure and it wouldn't matter to his children, they just loved going to the big city. "If everyone stays out of trouble," he eyed the two boys and got sheepish looks from both. "Otherwise you two may find your weekend working alongside Grant here at the farm."
"Yes, sir," they replied.
The children minus Nathaniel had eagerly finished their hot chocolate; his son's mug remained untouched on his lap. Thomas frowned, that wouldn't do. "Drink up, Nathaniel," he said, "bedtime soon."
"It burnt my tongue," Nathaniel said.
"It should be cool now," Thomas said. "Finish it off."
"I'll drink it for you," Foster said making a grab for the drink.
"No!" Norah and Thomas shouted at the same time.
It startled the children and the cocoa splashed over Nathaniel, Janice and Jenna as the mug slipped out of hands and dumped. That led to more cries, mostly of alarm since the drink had cooled.
"Sorry," Nathaniel and Foster said in unison.
"Go change for bed," Thomas said with an encouraging smile. "Not going to force you to drink hot chocolate if you don't want to. We'll clean this mess and be up to tuck the lot of you in."
"Leave the chocolate stained clothes outside your door," Norah instructed as she returned with a damp towel to clean up the floor. "I'll soak them overnight."
As the children hurried off to do as they were asked, Thomas bent down and picked up the dropped mug. He sniffed and took a sip of the swallow of chocolate that hadn't dumped, he could taste nothing amiss. Gathering up the other children's mugs he brought them into the kitchen and rinsed them out. Norah joined him. "Try again another night?" he asked.
"No," she said. "The drink should work quickly on Foster. I'll just use my priest training to put Nathaniel asleep when we go to tuck him in. It won't take me long to mold the top of his ears. I shouldn't even need to use a blade, this time. Next time I'll want to sheer some of the flesh otherwise they'll be too large."
"All right, beloved," Thomas said. "Mother knows best."
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Brothers