Aster gently held the babe and gingerly snuggled his small sleeping face with the soft green blanket. Aster looked lovingly at his son before he made his way down the winding roads of DeLaRose. He left behind the cell house that was adjacent to Madam Rose's Main House. He didn't dare look back and kept moving.
The path back to the omega dorms was a bit aways so he knew he'd be walking for a good while; however, he was not discouraged since he knew these roads by heart. A few months ago, back before the pregnancy fiasco, he had looked forward to walking down this same path for it meant a bit of peace and quiet after being berated by Madam Rose for hours. Through the years, this path had been his safe space, but for the first time since he could remember he felt a heavy pressure settle on his shoulders. The exhaustion that ate at his every waking muscle made this walk feel even longer. He wanted to rest. He wished for it. Craved it.
The path was empty with its winding roads surrounded by woods full of lush and greenery. Its never ending distance only reminded him how large DeLaRose actually was. It was a brothel in the heart of Heathenport, but with its lavish streets, gardens, and estates, it felt like a city of its own. Set apart from the ugliness of Heathenport, seemingly within its own bubble, DeLaRose felt like a dream. It was a beautiful veil cast in illusion. Of course, it was anything but to all the omegas whose indentured servitude would never cease under Madam Rose's corrupt contracts.
There were only two fates omegas had in DeLaRose. The first was that of an omega who had signed their lives away to Madam Rose. Often in desperation, they signed their lives away with the promise of a dream only to realize that it had all been a trap. It would take any omega years or possibly their entire lives to release themselves from the contract's bindings. Most of the omegas Aster knew worked in DeLaRose due to these nefarious contracts. However, some omegas didn't mind their circumstances and even thanked Madam Rose for changing their lives for the better.
Then there was the other fate that Aster knew very well. The second fate was that of an omega who was bought by Madam Rose and owned by her till their death. While slavery itself was illegal under Crystalline's law that didn't stop corrupt nobles from finding loopholes and freeing themselves from any accountability.
Aster had only been ten years old when he had been bought by the woman. He was one of the few that had this fate. He glanced down at his baby tucked away sleeping in his arms. He looked so safe, so warm, so preciously happy.
But now, he realized another fate he had not thought of before. An omega could very well be born into this life…
The child looked nothing like him except those darling golden eyes. At that moment Aster tried to remember his parents and wondered who he had taken after. Had he looked more like his mom? Or had he taken the looks of his father? His mind came up blank. He had forgotten how they looked. and what remained in his memory were only small fractured remnants of who they used to be. With every passing year his parent's faces became blurry in his memory. Everything slowly faded except the few things he could grasp onto like the sound of their voice and the feeling of their touch. He clung to them like his life depended on it. Afraid that he would fully forget them one day.
He thought it somewhat bittersweet that it wasn't until he became a parent of his own that he began to think about them more often. He especially thought of his mother. Many times he would ask himself if his mother would have been proud of what he'd done. Would she have understood? Would she have shook her head in disappointment?
Being stuck in that cell for months in isolation made him think way too much about his past. When he began to spiral he would shut off his brain. He hated thinking about the past because it brought too many memories he wished to keep locked away. Thinking about the past would only remind him of the homeland he had lost and the horrors of the day everything had changed. So he opted to ignore it, because for the longest time it was the only way he had learned to survive. He had learned all too quickly that being weak-willed was not an option.
As these thoughts consumed him he realized he had finally reached one of the main roads. He looked down the intersection and quickly moved himself behind the trees where a wooded path lay parallel to one of the roads. He walked inconspicuously and tried to blend into the foliage. And it was good that he did because the appearance of omegas soon filled the road the further down he walked. Many of them looked tired as they headed back to the dorms to have a night's rest after a long day at work. Others moved in the opposite direction barely getting the night started.
Then a rambunctious group emerged seemingly out of nowhere and startled him, making the baby in his arms stir. Their cackling and gossiping filled the air. He tucked his baby into his chest and rocked him back and forth hoping he wouldn't wake and start crying. Thankfully, the baby only stirred and made small sweet sounds before settling down again into a deep sleep.
"I simply can't believe it!"
"I know! That's all the count could talk about all week. The Fifth Prince this! The Fifth Prince that! I'm so sick of it."
Aster's blood froze at the mention of the word prince and hugged his baby tightly as he continued down the road listening to the group which was too loud to ignore.
Another person down the road chimed in, "I can't believe he's faked his death this long. Makes you wonder what he was doing all those years. Wasn't he pronounced dead during the War of Astrodel?"
"Dead or not, he's really made all the nobles go mad with anxiety. I don't get it. It's not as if he's next in line for the throne."
Someone added, "Does anyone even know who he is?"
A person chuckled, "I heard he was hated for being illegitimate and that's why he went through such lengths to disappear during the war."
They all laughed and another gossiped,"I heard that he's so ugly he couldn't bear it and ran away."
"Oh, I heard about that!" exclaimed another and continued, "A soldier told me that apparently the prince got injured so badly in the war it disfigured him, so it could be true."
Aster stopped walking and the voices of the group slowly faded as they moved farther away from him. He turned to look up at the sky. His golden eyes reflected the stars making them brighter, clearer, like diamonds embedded in them. His black hair turned to a cool black, tinted like dark blue ink, matching the night sky.
He walked a ways off the road taking a shortcut, and with every step he took his heart beat grew louder with anxiety as he approached his destination. He didn't know how he would react once he saw the faces of those familiar to him. He did not know how they would react either. It had been nearly nine months. They had simply never been apart for that long.
Then, at last, after nearly nine months he saw his little bungalow. The dorms where the omegas slept and lived were made up of rows and rows of small bungalows that seemed like they would go on forever. The bungalows were all lined up and crowded next to each other showing their signs of wear and tear. One bungalow could fit about three omegas so they all shared living space with each other. All bungalows were adorned with different things that showed each person's personality. Some bungalows had small little flower beds outside, others had potted plants at the windows, and others had hung wind chimes. At this time of the night, some were lit inside with a warm yellow glow as the sound of laughter came from within.
His golden eyes lay upon his own home. The small vegetable garden grown by Fiona seemed to be thriving as if he had never left. And hung near the door was an elegant fire lamp Jonah had seduced from a nobleman years ago. It was lit as if to greet him.
It looked the same down to the cracks and crevices that gave it its unique appearance. It seemed like the roof hadn't gotten repaired either. Fiona and Jonah must have had a terrible time during the rainy season a few months back.
Suddenly, the door swung open and his heart dropped when he saw Jonah in his airy summer attire. It looked like he had come back from the dance stages and had not bothered to change clothes. He knew better than to do that, Aster thought and smiled.
It was a beautiful thing to know that despite everything, Jonah would never change. Jonah, the ever graceful dancer that Aster knew him to be, instead moved with a limp. Aster arched an eyebrow and noticed the bandage around the dancer's left foot which seemed to be slightly swollen. Despite this, Jonah's carefree nature made it seem like he could care less about his injury and instead was distracted by his own reflection in the handheld mirror he held up.
"What did you do!" Jonah exclaimed, "My hair! You chopped it all off!"
Fiona followed close behind holding the scissors and responded, "I trimmed it like you wanted."
"Trimmed? Trimmed! Perhaps we should have gone over what that word meant. Where did my luscious curly hair go? You cut it too short," he cried.
"It'll grow back. Now stop walking, and get back in here. You need to rest your foot," Fiona responded. She already looked tired of his dramatics.
Jonah let out a heavy theatrical sob and started limping back inside. Aster's lip trembled at the sight of them going on with their daily lives. After eight months he could not dare imagine what had gone through their minds when it was revealed he was with child. He hadn't had a chance to see their reaction. He had been with Madam Rose the day he had found out about the pregnancy.
That day he had been listening to one of her long lectures when suddenly Aster had the urge to vomit. After that small bout of nausea his body had frozen in shock as he felt the chord of his child slowly form in front of his very eyes. Perhaps, it was the look on his face because Madam Rose was quick as a whip and figured it out no more than a minute later. And just like that he was gone for eight months and locked away from the entire world.
Now, all he had to do was take one small step and they would be able to notice him. He did not know what stopped him. He had waited nearly nine months for this moment. Somewhat he found himself shaking. He closed his eyes and finally mustered the courage to move out of the woods. He slowly opened his golden eyes and beheld as beautiful Fiona helped Jonah get up the two small steps.
Since she was the one facing the direction of the woods it was she who saw him first.
Her bright green eyes widened and her entire body lay frozen as if she had seen a ghost.
Jonah, perplexed by her sudden change in expression, followed Fiona's eyes. His eyes widened while he dropped the mirror in his hand. The injured dancer did not waste a second. Jonah, limp and all, ran to Aster and embraced him.
Instantly, Aster felt his brother's warmth envelope him. The same warmth he had missed every night in that cell.
Jonah held him by the side of his cheeks and took every minute detail as if making sure that this was his darling brother. Jonah rambled, voice breaking, "Please tell me this is real. Aster. Oh, Aster did they not feed you. My beautiful brother. What did they do to you?"
Jonah was becoming a mess as his nose began to run and tears fell like rivers down his cheeks. Aster had no words except…
"I'm sorry," he blurted out because that's all he was able to come up with during those months of isolation. He had run this scenario in his head hundreds of times, and he had prepared over a hundred responses, but all of that had vanished when he saw them and all he could really think about now were those words.
"I'm so sorry," he spoke again but this time his own voice was cracking.
Fiona walked over and stood in front of her two brothers. Her emerald eyes took in the child bundled in her brother's arms. She said nothing.
Aster saw her gaze and where it was directed at.
Teetering.
He finally broke down.
His unbendable strength and mental fortitude fell away like a tumbling tower. He fell on his knees before them.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't let him go," Aster sobbed.
Perhaps, Aster meant it in more ways than one. He couldn't let them go. In those moments, he couldn't let go of the man. In those moments, he couldn't let go of the baby. However, in the end it never would have mattered because his decisions would never change.
He would have always chosen his baby.
Fiona kneeled ever so gracefully. Her dark red hair fell down like a blanket of silk and her dark hand gently lay on his shoulder. Her resilient strength was enough to calm him down. She stared into his golden eyes and spoke from her heart, "I missed you."
Aster let out a broken laugh which quickly turned into a sob. He had dreamed about this moment for months. He was safe.
Jonah fell down on his knees and let out a wince before he got them all into a hug and said, "Welcome back, brother."