Chapter 204: Home
Jacob opened his eyes slowly to the sound of chirping birds and light wind. Rays of sunshine broke through the autumn leaves as they illuminated the area around him. There weren’t any more wings on his back and his armor were gone. Instead, he was wearing a warm brown tunic with beige pants and shoes that felt too comfortable to describe.
Jacob rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around confused for a few moments.
"Dad! Dad!!"
A little girl came running up to Jacob and jumped in his arms. Jacob welcomed the hug warmly and lifted the small child into the air. Maria appeared not long after. She was wearing her dark hair in a ponytail; her outfit was that of a red wool sweater that matched well with her long yellow skirt. In every sort of way, she looked divine in Jacob’s eyes.
Jacob looked back at the little girl in his arms. She had Maria’s verdant-green eyes and short black hair, but Jacob’s facial structure and high-energy.
"Sorry, my love. She just couldn’t wait for her dad before dinner was ready."
Jacob carried the small girl over to Maria with a bright smile. The girl rested her head under his chin while her arms wrapped around his neck.
"It’s okay. I think I just got a bit tired getting us some more firewood for the house. I had the strangest dream ever. You would never believe me if I told you. There was a dragon that I had to take care of."
The girl’s eyes shone with excitement.
"A dragon?! You have to tell me about it, dad! You have to tell me!"
Maria covered her mouth trying not to laugh. Jacob looked at his daughter with a smirk.
"Maybe after dinner, but only if you clean your plate. Got it?"
The little girl looked like she was fighting her own mental battle deciding whether it would be worth it to not hear the cool story so she could get out of doing her chores. However, after a few moments’ hesitation, she gave in.
"Fine. You better remember to tell me!"
Maria walked over to Jacob and kissed him on the cheek lightly.
"Our daughter has a special announcement for you! We can talk about it over dinner!"
Jacob’s eyes grew wide.
"A special announcement!"
He looked at his daughter playfully.
"Can I get a hint, please!"
The little girl smirked devilishly.
"Only if you clean your plate, dad."
Jacob was completely stunned hearing her response.
’This little devil used my own trick against me! She’s definitely my daughter alright.’
"Very well! I will!"
After a short, peaceful walk through the forest, they walked to a small cottage fitted with a brick chimney and clear windowpanes looking into the dining room. The house itself was made of a light brown oak, and the roof was tiled with thin stone slabs. It was obvious that this house was homemade. Not perfect, but comfortable.
The three of them walked into the dining room where the food was already laid out. The aroma was like nothing Jacob every experienced. Simply smelling the food made his mouth water.
"My favorite dish? What did I do to earn this?"
Maria sat across from him as she helped their daughter sit in the chair next to her.
"Married me, built this house, gave us the peace we were always looking for, many things, my dear."
Maria smiled and sat down with a bright smile on her face.
Jacob stared at the dish hesitantly and lifted a spoonful into his mouth. The food was just as good as it smelt. The flavor exploded in his mouth. Everything about this day was perfect. This was the happiest Jacob had ever been in his entire life. He was with his loving family, eating his favorite dish, in a cozy cabin, and surrounded by a peaceful landscape.
’Did I die and go to heaven?’
As he finished his first bowl, he looked up at his daughter.
"So, what’s this surprise I’ve heard so much about?"
His daughter giggled happily.
"I learned how to write my name!"
Jacob’s face dropped in fake-shock.
"What?! That can’t be true!"
"It’s true it’s true!"
"I don’t believe you! I need to see this for myself!"
He looked at Maria, asking for silent permission to let her run into another room to grab some paper and a pen. Maria nodded back politely.
After jumping off her seat and scurrying in another room for a few moments, his daughter came back with a pen and paper. Maria helped her back up on her chair so she could write using the table.
"Look dad look!"
"I’m watching sweetie. Let’s see this."
Slowly, his daughter began to write out her name:
Z-A-L-O
Jacob stared at the letters confused. A strange ominous feeling came from deep within his being looking at the words written on the paper. It felt like an eerie silence had taken control of him. He shook his head and looked at the paper again.
J-A-N-E
Seeing the real name written on the paper made Jacob smile and clap his hands.
"Amazing job, honey! I’m so proud of you!"
He reached over the table and gave her a high-five. Her hand was so small that it hardly covered his palm when she slapped it. She sat back in her chair excitedly.
"Mommy has been helping me practice. My hand hurts really bad from writing so much."
"Well, I’ll make sure she doesn’t go too hard on you, okay?"
Jane giggled and clapped her hands together. Maria rolled her eyes while hiding a smile.
"She’ll be fine. Do you mind helping me clean up everything?"
"Way ahead of you!"
Jacob began to clear off their dining room table from all the plates and silverware while Maria wiped the surface clean. After a brisk clean-up, Maria picked Jane up and carried her into their living room to sit in a comfortable chair facing a fire. It was clear that Jane was getting sleepier by the second. Maria rested her head in her lap while she stroked her fingers through her short, black hair.
"All the fresh air and food must have tired her out. Do you still want to tell your dream you saw?"
Jacob sat on a small sofa across from Maria and stared into the fire.
"Actually, I do. It’s very odd. Normally, I forget dreams the moment I wake up, but this one I can’t seem to forget."
Maria looked at him curiously.
"Interesting. What was it about?"
"We had these weird powers and there were these monsters everywhere. They were about to take over the whole world. We were actually just on our way to saving it... I think?"
Jacob remembered something vitally important and he held his right arm.
"Wait, that reminds me. Both of us were marked with this strange tattoo from these cultists. Part of our powers came from them."
Jacob lifted up his sleeve. Nothing was there. His arm was a completely normal color with no tattoos. He started touching his skin where the mark used to be.
"It’s strange. This feels so... wrong to not have it on me anymore. Is that weird?"
He looked at Maria hoping for an answer. However, she seemed oblivious as to what Jacob was talking about.
"That is quite a unique story. When did the dragon come into play?"
Jacob chuckled slightly.
"Oh, that part. Right before I woke up, we slayed this dragon that attacked us. It turned out that the dragon was carrying a baby, so we ended up taking it in for ourselves to raise."
Maria continued scratching Jane’s head lightly hearing the story.
"That was very nice of us."
Jacob sat in comfortable silence as he watched the fire crackle in the dim cabin.
"Jacob, can I ask you an honest question?"
Jacob looked into Maria’s eyes with a hint of curiosity.
"You can ask me anything you want."
Maria hesitated a bit before asking her question.
"Is this enough for you?"
Jacob didn’t understand the question at first and made a weird face.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, is this, our family, this peaceful existence, this cabin, isn’t this boring to you? Don’t you wish for something more than this?"
Jacob smiled at Maria before looking back into the fire.
"This is all I’ve ever wanted."
"Really? This is it? Why?"
"I have everything I need. I have a lovely wife, a healthy daughter, a warm place to stay, plenty of food, and the peace here is incredible. I don’t need exciting things in my life to be happy because I’m already excited to spend the rest of my life with you two in this place."
Maria smiled brightly, faintly holding back some happy tears.
"Thank you for saying that. I’m glad we are enough for you."
"Me too. This had been a perfect day. I finally feel where I’m where I belong. I finally feel like I’ve found my home."
Maria smiled brightly and looked down at Jane who was still asleep in her lap.
"Let’s go put Jane to sleep, then we can get ready for tomorrow."
Jacob looked over at Maria with a hint of surprise.
"What’s tomorrow?"
"You already forgot? We’re visiting your dad tomorrow, silly! It’s his birthday, remember?"
Suddenly, Jacob’s heart began to beat quickly. Small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and his hands shook slightly.
"My... dad is alive?"
Maria looked at Jacob worriedly.
"Are you okay? Why would your dad be dead?"
Jacob ran his hands through his hair.
"I’m... not really sure. Something doesn’t feel right about this."
Vivid flashbacks of watching his own dad pass away flashed through his mind.
"You’re starting to scare me, Jacob. Did you hit your head before you fell asleep?"
Now that Maria mentioned it, his head was hurting quite a bit. He definitely felt like he needed some rest.
"Sorry, I think you’re right. Let’s go to bed."
With that, Jacob followed Maria up the small wooden steps. First, he laid his daughter into her bed and kissed her forehead lightly before closing the door as quiet as he could. Then, he followed Maria into bed and laid with her until the next morning.
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