Chapter 115: 115 – Father Aqi

Exactly as Imperial Physician Kale had predicted, General Aquila woke up the next day.

Crown Princess Pica, who was sitting by the side of his bed, was immediately alert.

"Aqi?" she called softly.

General Aquila blinked in confusion, and stared at her face for quite some time. Then a smile bloomed on his handsome face. "Pica…?" he asked hoarsely. "Are you really here? Am I…am I dreaming?"

Crown Princess Pica immediately threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She burst into tears.

General Aquila patted her back with familiar movements. The two of them had grown up together, and they had always been the best of friends even before they got married to each other. It was nothing new for General Aquila to soothe an upset Crown Princess Pica.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Crown Princess Pica gathered herself and withdrew. Then she reached out again and caressed General Aquila's face with gentle fingers. "Aqi…" she breathed. "Aqi, my darling Aqi…"

A deep flush spread across General Aquila's face.

Crown Princess Pica wiped her face and smiled at him. "My darling Aqi…" she repeated.

General Aquila pinched her cheeks affectionately and looked around the room. Slowly, comprehension dawned on him as his memories neatly divided into two – one of his life in the Obsidian Kingdom until he was lost at sea, and the other of the past ten years. And then he remembered the red token and the incident at the inn which had brought him here.

Crown Princess Pica, who was observing his face with her full focus, understood exactly what was happening.

"You can't imagine how happy I am to have you back," she murmured softly.

General Aquila's eyes were soft as he regarded her. "I've made you worry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Pica…it must have been hard for you."

Crown Princess Pica shook her head. "I'm just glad to have you back," she said. "As long as you're with me, Aqi…as long as you're with me, I can deal with everyone else, with everything else."

General Aquila smiled indulgently. "Yes, my dear," he said.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Crown Princess Pica called. She didn't move away from General Aquila, though, and she didn't let go of his hand, either.

Raven opened the door slightly and popped his head in.

"My token flashed," Raven murmured. "We wanted to check if there was any change in General Aquila's condition, so…" His words faded away as soon as he realised that General Aquila was awake and smiling at him.

"Is that little Raven?" General Aquila asked. "Come here, my boy, let me see how you've grown up," he said fondly.

Raven flushed and stepped into the room, closely followed by Mana and Rook.

"Hello, General Aquila," Mana greeted politely. "I am Princess Mana of the Emerald Kingdom, and I am also Raven's fiancée."

General Aquila smiled at her. "There's no need to be so formal, my dear child. Raven calls me Father Aqi, and so should you," he said.

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Mana already liked this handsome and dashing man. He was clearly very fond of Raven.

"Yes, Father Aqi," she said sweetly. "How are you feeling now? Have you recovered your memories? Are you still uncomfortable?" she asked rapidly.

General Aquila smiled again and shook his head. "I feel quite all right," he said. He turned to Rook. "You must be Rook," he said. "You look just like I did when I was your age – except that you're a little better looking because you've got Pica's liquid eyes," he said. "You were merely a baby when I saw you last…you were too young to remember me, weren't you?"

Rook burst into tears and rushed at his long lost father, throwing his arms around the big man and hugging him tightly. His actions mirrored Crown Princess Pica's completely.

General Aquila patted his son's back soothingly until he stopped crying.

"Father…" Rook said when he stopped crying at last. "Father, you're finally here…you're finally here with us…"

General Aquila kissed Rook's forehead. "Yes, son. Father is sorry that he is late, but Father is here now," he said quietly.

Rook nodded.

General Aquila looked at Raven expectantly.

Raven stood rooted to the spot until Mana elbowed him. Then he approached General Aquila shyly.

General Aquila pulled him into a hug as well.

"Two such handsome and powerful sons," he said, his eyes filled with affection as he observed Rook and Raven. "I'm a lucky man, indeed!"

"Are you feeling better, Father Aqi?" Raven asked, before Rook could mention Enca and Dawe and the fact that Crown Princess Pica had another husband that was still alive.

General Aquila nodded. "Yes, son, thanks to you," he replied with a smile. "So…you're the next monarch, is it?" he asked Raven. "The black token, even. Very impressive! I'm very proud of you, and whether you need me as Father Aqi or as General Aquila, know that I am always here for you!"

Tears brimmed in Raven's eyes as he quickly looked away. "Yes, Father Aqi," he said in a trembling voice.

General Aquila turned to Crown Princess Pica. "Do you want to tell me about what's been happening with you in the last ten years?" he asked.

Crown Princess Pica bit her lip nervously and nodded. Then she briefly explained everything.

Mana was quite impressed, to be honest. Crown Princess Pica may be strange and she may not have been a good mother to Raven in the past – but she was as brutal to herself as she was to anyone else. She spared no one any face, not even herself, nor did she try to sugar coat anything she was narrating. She laid out the facts exactly as they were.

General Aquila clenched his fists when she was done. Crown Princess Pica looked uncharacteristically nervous as she waited for his reaction.

Finally, General Aquila sighed. "You've suffered a lot, Pica," he said quietly. "But that is no excuse for treating Raven like this. I'm glad that you're making amends now, though."

Crown Princess Pica nodded guiltily.

General Aquila regarded Raven with troubled eyes. "You've suffered a lot, son," he murmured. "I can't even do anything to make you feel better about the past…but as long as your Father Aqi is alive, no one will be allowed to bully you in the future," he promised.

Raven nodded shyly.

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