Slowly Ailill had felt his body and soul return to peace with each passing day Siobhan was home. He knew as much of the torture she had gone through in the Arch as she would tell him, never pressing for more to the stories, but still starting to harbor increasing resentment towards the mare and stallion that had set their sights on his family. As Siobhan told him of her pregnancy and he watched the child of a monster grow in the woman he loved, his heart twisted. The unknown surrounding this foal clouded all his dreams, hopes, and imagination. It was as if Aranck had stolen a child from them and instead gave them a changeling, a creature neither of them could know about or understand.
The golden stallion had gone on many walks to clear his head and to shake away the mist. His bright clear eyes would watch his daughters play and heart tug at the absence of Akadi and the mood of Roisin. He loved his children, never differing them between who their sire was, or in the case of Akadi who either of their parents had been.
Ailill sighed to himself at the thought. With her past unknown the thought of his greying reminded him of the truth of their being. She had come to them with no recollection of her family and they had built her life anew. The difference was that with this foal the demons of the past would surely come and try to collect what they thought belonged to them.
His body shivered under his skin at the thought of Aranck or Nyimara coming for this child. He had fought hard every time and would continue to do so. Every blow, every bite, and every scream was given in utter defiance at their cruelty. He would stop at nothing to continue to protect his family even in the face of certain failure. An ear flicked in thought. It would not have been the first time he had considered asking the Peak or another to step in to help end this relentless vendetta. Nor could he lie and say he never thought about asking Siobhan to seek refuge in the mountains, knowing the sisters of the Peak would defend her. He did not believe she would be open to such a suggestion, and he selfishly yearned to keep her by his side.
The day seemed calm, but Ailill knew Siobhan’s discomfort grew. As her restlessness increased his anxiety intensified. The only birth he had witnessed had ended in the death of the mare. Siobhan moved away from him as he had heard mares often do when the time has come. He breathed deep, resisting the urge to follow. Instead he paced their clearing, the eyes of his daughters watching him. When he could not stand himself anymore, and Naenia was about to tell him off, he uttered a quiet word for his children to stay put before setting out to follow Siobhan’s trail.
It did not take long for him to find them. He called softly to let Siobhan know he was there before he approached. First his eyes lit at the sight of her, relief flooding him to know she was well. His gaze shifted to the colt at her side. Breath caught in his throat with a wave of emotion washing over him. The child’s body was white save for a rusty brown over his ears and covering his eyes. It was as if from the first touch of her lips to his head, Siobhan had begun to wash over the boy.
Golden ears laced back into his pale mane. The muscles in his jaw clenched hard. This child would be his son. Just as Akadi and Roisin had become his daughters. Aranck could try as hard as he wanted to steal Siobhan and the colt from him and he would fight it. Ailill would stop at nothing for his family. From the moment he laid eyes on the newborn colt he was a part of the family.
Shaking his head, he peered back at the pair and called softly.