｡･:*:･ﾟ★"Welcome to the family. We eat pizza on Fridays and hunt demons on Sundays.":･ﾟ☆

:･ﾟ★, "We shall have to make this battle worthy of legend then." *:･ﾟ☆

Octavia

With one fell swoop Andreas beheads the Burned One knelt in front of his son. War cries echo through the forest as a troop of Solarian soldiers join the fray, Burned Ones are attacked with fire, lightning and steel, none escaping Andreas' wrath.

Fuck I forgot what he was like when he goes 'dad mode'

Welcome to true blooshed Dumaris and Airfolk, someone was stupid enough to threaten Andreas Ashford of Erakylon's children.

"Octavia! Beatrix!" He roars, signalling to the oncoming Burned One.

When the hell did Bea get to my side?

Not really that important when she's busy flaying the skin from the Burned One's bones. I grin in savage delight as I send shadows to take the form of claws and daggers, ripping and shredding against the creature with renewed passion.

Riven hastily pulls Sky to his feet, handing him one of his twin blades as the blonde refuses to do anything but gape at his father. Childish desperation and hope in his eyes.

Well this is a rather interesting reunion. Asmodeus whispers as he comes scuttling towards me along the forest floor.

Shut it. I snap before pausing, What news of the Alfean mountain ranges

Empty, they have been drawn out to us mistress

Fuck.

"The caves have been emptied." I tell Riven, "we need to evacuate to Alfea, more are coming."

He glances at Sky before running back to our troops, shouting out regrouping orders.

The creature screeches and cries out in pain as a large wolfish jaw clamps around its throat before ripping it clean off when the Dire wolf rears onto its hind legs. I hear a shocked groan of pain as Irene's paws land on the ground, jostling Silva who rests atop of her large form. His eyes are bright with shock, relief and for some reason, guilt.

It's not his fault Andreas was forced to hide.

He couldn't have known to continue his search for Drea's body.

"Andreas." Silva gasps through the pain, grinning when his old friend throws his sword at Burned One being pinned down by Beatrix.

In a moment of panic I look back at the convoy of injured, seeing my sister ordering around the Alfean troops to ensure a safe return for them all. Thank Helios, I thought something had happened with Silva and Irene leaving the group. The Solarian's seem to have taken over the battlefield for better or worse, allowing our troops much needed rest.

The Queen and Rosalind will have heard of this then.

"Saul." Andreas' voice is filled with a rare laughter, his eyes clear with a clarity I have not seen for sometime. "You look like shit."

"Yeah, well." Silva looks down at us, eyes bright as he grins. "I was attacked by a Burned One, what's your excuse?"

"I just clawed my way out of the depths of hell." Drea sounds so offended that I can't help but laugh as I send a dagger made of shadow at an approaching Burned One. "The afterlife is no easy place to escape."

Silva rolls his eyes and Irene lets out a low growl that I think is supposed to be laughter, but it sends the nearby soldiers skittering away and Andreas' chuckles echo louder through the forest in response, Silva's quickly joining him.

The Burned One I stabbed lets out a screech and Irene doesn't hesitate to lunge forward and shred into its body, ripping it limb from limb.

Andreas lets out a hoot of heady joy, drunk on the reunion with his old friends.

"That's my girl!" He yells, raising his hand in a salute to Irene, who bares her blood filled teeth at him in a savage grin.

GROUP OF 8 INCOMING! Belial roars.

They have some kind of grunt reinforcement. Asmodeus adds

"Andreas!" He jogs towards me, "They have some kind of grunts."

"Find out what kind." he commands and I nod, sending out the shadows as he runs over to a nearby soldier to give new orders.

"We have eight incoming!" I call over the fray, making sure to raise my voice and not scream.

Fear will get us killed.

"Evacuate to Alfea!" Silva's voice echoes after me. "Evacuate to Alfea!"

He and Irene race through the trees, Silva pressing a hand to the wound on his side as the pair rip through the remaining Burned Ones, commanding the troops the entire time. Sky shifts by my side, stepping closer to me.

"So this is what you meant when you said we needed to talk." He murmurs, voice still filled with shock as he takes in the male before us as he gives out orders. My chest tightens at his words, please don't be mad.

"Dad told us not to tell you." Beatrix answers for me from Sky's left as she builds a shield of lighting around us. "He wanted to see you in person."

"Dad?" Sky scoffs, but I can feel the pain in the noise. "He moved on quickly."

Beatrix snorts. "One, I'm adopted. Two, he went insane with grief when he lost you and his family."

Beatrix finishes her shield as the three of us stand as commanders in front of the Solarian troop behind us. I look back to see they've organised themselves into neat ranks, a fairy to a group of five specialists, six fairies in total.

Could be worse numbers wise.

"Just know, Sky, that he didn't want to leave you." I whisper to him as the shadows murmur of the oncoming enemy approach. "It took the strength of three fairies and 4 arrows to stop him from returning to you."

"Now isn't the time for this conversation," Beatrix states as Andreas walks towards us, away from the soldier he was conversing with. "You can get your answers later."

"Fylí," Andreas addresses us and Beatrix and I quickly step into a military stance, Sky following a second behind us.

I watch from the corner of my eye as Andreas stops in front of Sky, standing toe to toe with him, blue eyes staring into their twin image. I don't think Sky is breathing as his father reaches up to clasp on the back of his head, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together and I hear them both release a ragged breath. Each grieving for their lost time.

Andreas nods slightly, the movement more of a tremble than anything.

"I have missed so much, my boy." He whispers, voice broken, "I shall not miss anymore."

Sky takes a shaky breath nodding his head hastily as they pull back slightly.

"I have so much to tell you, to ask-"

"And I shall listen to every tale." Andreas proclaims quietly, his promise for Sky and Sky alone.

Andreas waits for Sky to give him a nod of understanding, they will have their time. They just need to survive this first.

Andreas steps back and stands in front of, back to the commander in front of his troops as he tells the soldiers behind us as much as us. "You will lead a group each, 2 fairies, 10 soldiers. The kills of 2 Burned ones each."

He steps closer to murmur, "In some way or form I have raised you, trained you or you are my blood... Show them what it means to be our family."

We give him sharp nods of understanding as he looks back at an approaching Irene with Riven resting on her back, her wolf from towering over us. Riven quickly drops down, sparing Andreas a glance as he walks to Sky clasping his arm in greeting, channeling that whole 'we're bros but we're also super gay for each other' vibe before handing him a new set of weapons, bow and arrows included.

"Silva with the healer?" Drea asks, and Irene gives him a nod even though he's looking at Riven.

"Harvey is with him." Riv states before turning to face me.

I smile when he gives me a quick kiss and passes a set of bow and arrows to me. Riv stands on my right, linking our pinkies as he turns to face Andreas once more who stares at him with pure dominance and protectiveness.

"Silva's infection has spread," I tense at his words, Riven's defeated tone worrying me, "the Burned One needs to be killed. Tonight."

Irene whinnies at Riven's words. ears pressing flat against the back of her head even as Riv mutters a 'sorry mother' to her.

"Shhh..." Andreas soothes gently, stroking a hand across her head. "Mother?"

"Irene and Silva took me in a couple of weeks ago."

Andreas hums, stepping towards Riven and I tense, stepping in front of him as Sky does the same. Drea merely raises an amused brow as he looks at the three of us in silence before chuckling slightly.

"Well then," He states, offering his hand to Riven. "Andreas."

"Riven." My mate shakes his hand firmly and I can already see the approval beginning to form in Andreas' eyes.

"Welcome to the family. We eat pizza on Fridays and hunt demons on Sundays." Drea grins.

Helios, I miss those days

"Go with Sky." he commands and Riv nods, remaining by my side but sharing a look with Sky on my left.

5 minutes.

"They're 5 minutes out." my voice echoes in the silence.

"Hear that, Elskan." Andreas whispers to Irene but his voice carries on a dead breeze. "Your quarry will soon be here, and we can avenge Saul."

She chuffs and snarls, her bloody matted fur shaking with the movement.

"The Burned Ones are ours." Andreas states, not taking his eyes away from Irene's as the two stare at each other with savage glee.

"What of the babe." Beatrix's voice breaks with worry as audibly swallows. "Irene is pregnant."

Andreas pauses before laughing softly. "Oh, Elskan. What wonderful news."

He pauses, thinking his word through. "This is your last fight then?"

She steps closer to him, snarling as though daring him to take the joy of bloodshed from her grasps, the opportunity for retribution and vengeance.

"We shall have to make this battle worthy of legend then." He declares, voice low and strong.

"Do you not want us to-"

"Irene and I can handle them." Andreas cuts Sky off harshly, but softens when he looks back and sees how worried his son is as he tries to finish Beatrix's argument. "She needs this and I have no doubt her kills will be more successful than ours."

60 seconds.

"To your positions!" I call and quickly squeeze Sky's hand and gripping Riven's pinkie tightly with my own before moving away to stand in front of my designated group, leaving the pair to stand side by side.

Cave goblins. Belial hisses as he reaches me and I gasp.

I thought the Eraklyons eradicated them two hundred years ago?

And the Solarian's eradicated the Burned Ones sixteen years ago? Asmodeus huffs, What's your point?

My point is when we kill things they are supposed to stay dead.

"Cave goblins!" I shout to the soldiers behind me.

"Nothing more than grunts, do not show mercy for their attempts at intelligence." Beatrix calls to her own soldiers.

The drumming of racing footsteps reach our ears and I can hear the soldiers begin to shuffle in anticipation.

"Hold your nerve." Andreas murmurs to them and the movement stops.

Hold their nerve? It's been 300 hundred years since the goblins were an actual problem, the last hundred of their hunting was merely them dying out. We don't even learn about them in school anymore.

Well that's evidently going to change. Darkling mocks and I roll my eyes, allowing the shadows to dance at my fingertips in preparation for battle.

The crack of electricity alerts me to Beatrix's own preparations and she builds a second shield around our soldiers, this one weaker than her first and closer to the approaching enemy, a deterrent, a way to slow them down. Andreas hastily mounts Irene back, muttering something about getting out her old war-dog armour.

The goblins race into view, a group of 20 at most but even the sight of them is disturbing Twisted figures, not more than coming up just below chest height with their crouched figures and gangly limb. Animalistic cries leave their rotting mouths and I fight the urge to gag at their foul appearance.

They truly do look the part. Belial comments morbidly as I send a wave of shadows to trip the first rows of their ranks, sending them stumbling over each other.

"Don't waste your Shadows on the cannon fodder." Andreas commands from Irene's back as she paces in front of us, walking the length of all three groups. "Save it for pinning down the Burned Ones that reach past the shield."

I release my shadows, allowing the goblins to clamber to their feet, long twisted ears twitching with annoyance as they race towards us, their long hooked noses practically scraping the ground as some of them clamber to us on all four.

"Light up the first shield." Andreas commands.

"What disgusting creatures." Beatrix drawls, electrifying her outer shield as they pass through it, allowing them to get incinerated.

Disappointingly they quickly learn not to press against her shields and that objects are not damaged by Beatrix's lighting. Soon volley after volley of rocks is hurled against the inner shield. The Soldier's shift further, some murmuring in alarm at the sight in front of them. The goblins are mindless mercenaries but they have far more intelligence than the normal Burned Ones or demons the Solarian soldiers have faced.

"Just a bit of rain, boys!" Sky calls back to the soldiers as they get restless, Riv nocks an arrow beside him. "I thought you were used to it up in the north."

The persona of confident commander elicities chuckles and murmurs of agreements from the soldiers behind us as their movements cease. I pull out an arrow, quickly nocking my bow.

"Beatrix," Andreas calls, stopping before us as he stares out at the goblins, at the Burned Ones visible behind their ranks. "Let the goblins in slowly, only a section at a time."

Beatrix nods and steps forward, hands raised as opens a small gap in the outer shield to allow a single file of goblins to enter.

"I call first shot." Riven declares with a sharp lilt as Sky nocks an arrow beside.

"Second kill is mine." I call to him, grinning when he smiles at me.

Sky rolls his eyes at us but, "Taking all the easy kills I see. It's alright, I'll tackle the harder ones."

The first Goblin enters past the first shield and Riven waits until the second one follows it before realising his arrow, hitting the Goblin square between the eyes even without using one of the enchanted tracking arrows. I smirk in delight, feeling pride bubble within me as I lose my own arrow, reloading as Sky takes down the third goblin.

For a long moment we remain like that, killing the Goblins in order till the smart amongst them bring our rough, primitive shields built of wood and metal with no discernable craftsmanship.

Still, my mates and I take down a further six before the decision is made to save arrows. I quickly click my bow into ints holding on my back next to the arrows, choosing to pull out my whip as I eye Sky pulling out his sword and Riven his recovered twin blades.

Sharp movements have me cracking my weapon against the ground, remembering the sheer power I felt when Silva first brought me it. I can feel my mates' appreciative attention on me as I test out my metal whip's power, familiarising myself with it once more. I look up to see Beatrix pulling out her chakram, the metal discs sharp and lethal in moonlight.

Andreas really did have a flare for the dramatics when getting you both birthday presents. Asmodeus muses that I can hear the appreciative tone in his voice.

I just think he didn't want us to be basic bitches.

Like his son and his broadsword? Belial snickers.

I ignore him in favour motioning for my troop to follow my movement to the right as Betrix mirrors me on the left until we have the goblins surrounded, the shield acting as a pen with only a few entering the open entrance way before falling to Riven's twin blades as he stands in the opening.

My heart flutters at the sight of my mate covered in blood and guts as he beheads goblins left and right. Fuck that shouldn't be as attractive as it is.

I watch in silence as Irene moves to stand by Riven's side, Andreas above her raising his arm in signal. I tense up, feeling the soldiers behind me do the same as weapons are unsheathed and magic activated.

"They have no armour so the kills will be easy," I state, allowing my voice to carry across the forest over the snarls of the creatures before us. "They are dangerous in large numbers so stick with your group and hold formation."

Andreas brings his arm down, the shield drops and the battle begins.

A/N: I forgot to add an author's note the first time around so I'm back again.

What do you think of Andreas?