As Tyr’s eyes quietly found her, Oswin drew a small breath that she held, bold enough to let her gaze meet him directly, but still affected by the electricity it seemed to bring to life in her body. The day they had met in the Lagoon had shown Oswin the man Tyr was trying to become, and that was the man Oswin wanted their son to know their father as. It was important Oswald understood he came from a strong stallion who dedicated his life to protecting the sanctity of the islands alongside the Peak. It was important Tyr was the role-model for their child that she’d hoped he would be.

As she watched him return his attention to Oswald (who still had his bold white face pointed up and his expression open and curious), the next few words he spoke told Oswin that he was exactly the stallion she wanted to believe he was.

Oswald smiled lopsidedly as his father told him the day was all about him and that he wanted to get to know him. He had been so worried his father wouldn’t like him that he hadn’t even considered the fact that he would want to spend this much time with him. A smile broke out wide over the large colt’s face and his head lifted up, dark tail flagging behind his roan and splashed white rear. “Yeah! I would really like that.”

Oswin wanted to stay and watch them not to hover over Tyr and monitor his behavior with their son, but because it was affecting her in a way she hadn’t thought she’d be affected. How long had she blocked the pain of missing her father out? Why had she continuously had children with stallions who couldn’t be in their lives? Guilt touched the happiness she’d been feeling, watching Tyr and Oswald, as she wondered what she’d robbed Klara and Maia of.

“Mama says I’m going to be big like you,” Oswald’s little voice piping up broke through the cloud that had started to try and darken her mood. Oswin smiled over at him, still looking up in absolute awe at where his father stood. “Do you think I’m going to be big like you too?”

Oswin cleared her throat. “I’m going to go speak with my Codebreaker,” she lied. Tyr deserved time alone with his child and he deserved to know she trusted him with it, too. She didn’t need to lurk and keep a watchful eye on what he was saying to him. Her gut told her the Lagoon General could be trusted, just as it had the night they’d brought Oswald into this world beneath the stars above the Peak. “Call for me when you’re ready,” she said, and though she’d meant to say it to Oswald, her eyes had drifted to Tyr and she’d instead said it to him. Oswin didn’t correct herself and didn’t question why there was suddenly an aching part of her that wanted a moment alone with him after he spent time with Oswald. She smiled and resisted the urge to walk to where she could brush her nose against Tyr, turning instead to affectionately nuzzle Oswald’s dark red mane and whisper an encouraging, “Have fun my love.” Before she turned to walk away and make herself scarce.

oswin & oswald
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.