The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 41 - Why Yes, Yes They Can

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 - Why Yes, Yes They Can

Around three months after Qatrand was asked about it by her elders, the location of the competition and traditional pre-war festivities had been officially released to the public. It was a time of excitement and increased tension... as while it was well known that the cultivators had been moving and preparing for this latest Voidling Descent, now there was an actual date for another related matter that stressed how close it was getting.

Yet many mortals, as well as competition aspirants from simpler backgrounds, looked forward to the entertainment. Cultivators might be seen frequently going about their Guild activities, but finding out who the next expected ’celebrities’ among this next generation were helped lift many people’s moods at a time it was needed.

The young Yecine didn’t really think too deeply about all of this, she merely trained rigorously in between the times at her job. Not because she deeply wanted to be one of those locally famous people, but because it was an opportunity for feeling steady growth - one that she had lacked since the elders that convinced her to be her father’s ’son’ stopped providing her with as many resources.

The illusory training tool had handily replaced that lack with its specialized advice. Then, any time she was a little tired or couldn’t get something quite right despite its help, the thought that El might need her to be stronger in the future would help her focus. She had still been getting tens of letters a month that let her inside the life of the girl’s facade, but some part of her had grown nervous about meeting her in person again.

’Will she be unhappy with my progress?’

This kind of intrusive thought had begun to appear, despite the swordswoman always shaking her head at it and reaffirming that El was always more supportive than she really needed to be. One could not easily shake years of being looked at with eyes that held thinly hidden contempt at her rate of achievement, and it didn’t help that they’d started to ignore even doing that much.

Apathy could be worse than anything when you just wanted to be *seen* for your exertions.

It was at a meeting with The Ironclad Order that was meant to be a pep-talk for the aspirants to the competition in their number, that one of the speakers had said something that triggered this unwanted thought again. It had only been the equivalent of a parting ’do your best’, but the weight of it had grown when it entered her ears like she had applied her Element directly to the phrase.

Then after finally calming herself, she was struck again with a different emotional dagger. Qatrand’s father had been one of the senior attendees... and for the first time in months he approached the black haired ’son’.

"You look like you’ve been working hard lately, but don’t forget what we told you. Do not lose in an unsightly way... and should you face your cousin in the competition, you will make way and lose gracefully."

She was stunned, but nodded almost automatically. Qat realized now that the words back then could have been interpreted this way. Now that she had been ’stabbed’, Anper chose to twist it a little before he left... as the child’s constant fiddling with her hair color back to blonde had reminded him of his deceased wife.

"Maybe then you won’t disappoint too terribly and be of more use than a marriage."

Unfortunately for him, she didn’t really get the generational ’dig’ as she knew nearly nothing about the woman. The line was still hurtful in the direct interpretation... and she stood still while the others of her age had all left. Her shoulders were tense and her knees were locked as she stared at a random point in space.

One individual had seen his old friend talk to the ’young man’ and sensed that the situation was not... optimal for his usual offer. Yet he knew his wife would have words to say and a neck to choke if he failed again. He decided a little harmless use of seniority would work this time.

"Qatrand. Come along with me."

The swordswoman forced herself to nod and follow. Whatever the Goltbred wanted, it was better than staying in the meeting hall alone. It was only when they had left the building that Qat actually began to wonder what was going on.

"Sir, where are we headed?"

"We’re going home. There’s no need to be professional with me when we are taking personal time."

The Yecine stopped walking in the middle of the street. She realized now that they must be going to visit his newest child, just like he had been requesting for months. She had been told not to interact with the family outside of Elua too much.

"But-"

"If you really need for me to make it an order, Qatrand, I can do that too."

While the brunette’s words held a seriousness, his face was as friendly as ever. The raven haired teenager nodded at the man who would be her father-in-law and closed the distance. She had also been told to not ’act suspicious’ about her refusals to interact. With the way she had been made to feel a bit ago, the idea of rebelling against her family’s orders was growing.

’El said that I should go visit Onya if I actually felt like doing it...’

"I’m sorry that I kept saying that I couldn’t come."

They walked in silence for a while after her admission. Ondua hadn’t heard whatever it was than Anper had said to the ’boy’, but he did know just a little about how cold and controlling that family could be. He always felt a touch of sympathy for their younger relatives. While the resources the Yecine had to disperse to their many members was more than adequate, the atmosphere never seemed emotionally nurturing to him.

’How they managed to grow a good seed that my daughter fell for is a mystery.’

The brown eyed man looked back and met a pair of pigeon blue that shifted to match his own. He suddenly felt a little fleeting bitterness over that relationship! His daughter kept writing more to him whenever he barely mentioned coming into contact with the ’boy’ that week.

’Maybe he’s just a hard to stifle weed that could grow anywhere!’

Ondua shook his head at the rude thought as his usual sunny nature and sympathy for others won out. He shortly compared his own family upbringing that he fled from to that of Qatrand. At least until he discovered their intentions for him, he *had* felt loved. Anper on the other hand was a man that would never show such emotions.

"There is no problem. I just want you to feel comfortable being around us. My little girl... well, my ’older’ little girl cares for you so much. How can you not be good enough?"

If the swordswoman’s father had stabbed her with a cold knife, then her fiancee’s had just pressed a burning hot blade over the wound to cauterize it. For a moment his casually spoken words hurt even more than the dull pain, but then she felt like she could breathe a little better than since she was in the hall.

Qat wasn’t sure what to think of this pairing of emotions, though she did know that for once she did have a ’want’ for the approval of the man she was yet still deceiving.

"I care for her as well. Even if I’m not good enough, I will try my best to be."

The man turned and placed a hand warmly on the other’s shoulder and sighed happily. He did not squeeze too tightly and his smile was genuine.

"If I thought that wasn’t the case, I would not be willing to hand over my daughter or bring you to form a bond with my newest. You’re young and doing fine. I won’t tell you to ignore the pressures you feel, but you can come and relax at our estate any day you need it, alright?"

For the second time that day she nodded almost automatically.

---

"You finally succeeded in kidnapping the target."

Qat froze in the familiar doorway at the strange words. The swordswoman turned her face to the playful mint eyes of the speaker. It had been months since they last spoke - since just before El left for her training and now Yatrel er Goltbred sat in a rocking chair breastfeeding Onya.

"I know you might not want to show up the real sister and make her jealous, but you shouldn’t ruin the opportunity to interact with a baby. It may come in use some day in the future, yes?"

A teasingly smug smile from the beautiful woman shook the Yecine along with the implication of ’grandchildren’. She could see the shadows of El in the expression - or more appropriately, began to take closer note of the effect of the mother’s genes on her child. She looked down at her calloused hand before bringing it up to rub her currently dark hair.

’Is it only that El tried to copy her like they make me do or is it something more natural than that? Is this just what happens when you actually spend time together?’

The emotional wound that Anper had left earlier throbbed. Qatrand had realized for a long time that he didn’t think well of her and her effort, but adding it today on top of the other order had been harsher than usual. She tried her best to do what they wanted and hoped that it would make him show a bit of approval, but the only time such a thing came was from a different family.

Ondua was always kind, and Yatrel was never as terrible as the rumors. Not to mention the young brunette who was just like them, facade or not. The two parents shared a look while the teenager struggled.

"It’s a little early to be thinking about that. But she’s also right. Learning something early rarely hurts."

"Speaking of learning early, Onya is having nightmares again. Can you use your Astralism later if she starts getting restless?"

"Of course. Finally getting to use my technique practice from so long ago is a good thing. Elua never needed my help with dreams."

Their conversation brought the swordswoman out of her own thoughts.

"Babies can have nightmares?"