The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 80 - The Strength Of A Legacy Evolves Over Generations

Chapter 80: Chapter 80 - The Strength Of A Legacy Evolves Over Generations

The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Anper er Yecine strode into a courtyard. His two young sons were already warming up with the basic forms they had been practicing for years. As they should be. His eldest boy moved with a fluid grace that belied his age, while the younger strove to match his brother’s precision.

"Good. But today, we push harder. As members of the Yecine family, much is expected of you. You must always strive for excellence, to prove your worth as cultivators and as men."

He paced before them with hands clasped behind his back, every bit a drill instructor.

"Your time at the Youth Guild approaches, Kaland. There, you will demonstrate the superiority of the Yecine training. You will show them what it means to be a true cultivator, unburdened by the weaknesses that plague lesser families."

The oldest nodded with determination on his small face.

"I won’t let you down, Father."

Anper turned to his youngest. The smaller boy straightened under his father’s stern gaze. He was ready to respond just the same!

"Ajoreal - you will continue to learn from your brother’s example. Your progress has been steady, but there is always room for improvement. Always."

The elder Yecine led his sons through a series of advanced forms with their training swords. His goal was to build upon the foundation they had been developing for years. As they synchronized to his movement, he spoke of the family’s expectations and the importance of maintaining their reputation.

"The Yecine family has always been a bastion of strength and order."

Anper stopped to correct a minor flaw in the youngest’s stance, using a small painful tap of the wooden implement on the child.

"Our power comes from our dedication to the cultivation path and our unwavering loyalty to each other. We do not allow ourselves to be weakened by sentimentality or outside influences."

Ajoreal tried to concentrate after the physical rebuke while asking his question.

"Like Qatrand? You said he’s been spending a lot of time with that Goltbred girl."

The Yecine elder’s jaw tightened. How very much he wanted to reveal the truth to them. But they were young - and they couldn’t be trusted to keep quiet, unlike Navuill. They respected him, but they didn’t fear him like that boy.

"Qatrand has lost sight of what’s important. He has allowed himself to be distracted by frivolous attachments. It is the sort of mistake that we cannot afford to make."

He turned to face his two real *sons*. His expression was as grave as he could make it to impress his point.

"You must always remember where your *true* loyalties lie. The bonds of our family are the only ones that matter. Anything else is a weakness - a vulnerability that our enemies will not hesitate to exploit."

The boys nodded solemnly. Their young minds had long been absorbing their father’s words. Anper continued to guide them through the training while pushing them to their limits and beyond. When Kaland started to falter, the swordsman was quick to remind him of his duty with a hard voice... despite the trembling of his small body.

"A Yecine does not yield to fatigue. You must learn to push past these limits. To find strength in the adversity that you set for yourself. Only then will you be worthy of our name."

His eldest flushed with exertion and determination while redoubling his efforts. He refused to let his father down. Not like their older brother!

The morning wore on and the sun climbed to its zenith. The heat would start to cause more trouble than it was worth, so Anper called a halt to the training. The two kids were soaked in their sweat and panting - but they stood before him and awaited his assessment of their progress. The man kept his praise measured.

"You have both shown improvement. Remember - a Yecine’s training is never done. We must always strive for greater heights. We must be ready to secure our family’s legacy in the face of any challenge."

He looked out over the courtyard with a distant gaze. His thoughts turned toward the horizons ahead. The storm clouds that would pour down on them all and the lightning that would surely seek out their blades.

"The world is changing, my sons. There are those who would see our way of life destroyed. Those who would undermine the foundations of our power. We must be ever vigilant - and always ready to defend what is *ours*."

Anper’s thoughts turned to Elua in particular. To the way she had so effortlessly charmed Qatrand. Her unknown Astralism was trouble enough. The challenge to the Yecine traditions was even worse. He was starting to suspect that the girl even knew their plan... or at least the truth that it was a daughter she was marrying.

He would not let the same happen to his actual sons. To be manipulated in such a way. Either by an outsider or by plans within the family, like he had been. He would mold them into the actual leaders the family needed. Men of unwavering strength and conviction.

He turned back to Kaland and Ajoreal.

"Remember, you are the future of the Yecine family. The weight of our name rests on your shoulders. Bear it with pride. Respect. Let nothing sway you from your path."

Young faces set in resolution before they bowed to their father. They called out in unison with tender voices. Legacy was something hard to fathom - but listening to the man’s expectations for so long-

"We will not fail you, Father."

The elder dismissed them to clean up and begin their regular studies. As they moved out of the courtyard, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pride. His *two* sons were strong, disciplined, and utterly devoted to the family. They were everything he had hoped for.

They were everything the Yecine name demanded.

Yet even as he watched them go, a small part of him wondered if it would be enough. Qatrand’s weakness had already shown how easily the family could be led astray... how quickly carefully laid plans could unravel. The challenges they faced would be great.

He shook his head to banish any doubts from his mind. Anper would not let that happen - not to his sons. He would be the father they needed. The guidepost that would lead them to greatness.

And together, the Yecine family would weather the storms to emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before. It was the only way. The Yecine way.

---

Navuill sat in his room. His head was a mess of conflicting thoughts. The conversations with his uncle played over and over in his head. The weight of the family legacy was pressing down on him like a physical burden. It was a long familiar weight, but lately it felt like it was tilting on his shoulders.

He knew he wasn’t the only one. The young man thought of the couple who had been shaking everyone up since the bridal ritual before his mind drifted to his own wife.

Their arranged marriage bound them together and - while she was unrefined compared to many others - had always been cordial with him. However, there hadn’t ever been real warmth between them. There had been no sense of partnership or shared purpose beyond the label.

He had only done what his family required of him and not much more.

On a sudden impulse, Navuill stood and made his way to his wife’s quarters. The journey wasn’t short... and he had plenty of time to change his mind. But the more he thought about it, the more he needed to know.

He found her sitting by the window in her room. She held a book in her lap and a pensive expression on her face as she studied its contents. The young man who had come all the way to find her was suddenly quite unsure what to even say!

"W-wife."

She looked up with obvious surprise at the sound of his voice.

"Nav...uill? Is something amiss?"

Her husband shook his head before taking a seat beside her.

"No, I just... I wanted to see you. To talk."

The young woman set her book aside. There was confusion and suspicion on her face. She was never very good at hiding her thoughts. Even if he didn’t use his Empath abilities. She composed herself as best she could before responding.

"What did you wish to discuss?"

Navuill hesitated. His uncle’s words about weakness and sentiment echoed in his mind like a warning. Then he thought of the pair - of the kind of strength he had seen in their bond. How exactly was that different? What did he need to do to get there?

He had an idea... but he didn’t know if it was the right one.

"I... I know our marriage was arranged. That we didn’t completely choose each other. But I want you to know that I... I want to care for you. I want us to be partners. For us to face challenges together as husband and wife."

He reached out awkwardly, tentatively taking her hand in his. Much to his surprise the young woman didn’t pull away. Instead, she smiled at him as he felt her emotions flitter with uncertainty. Even with her heart usually on her face... it was a small, cautious thing.

It nonetheless warmed her eyes and the emotions he felt through his Astralism. Navuill felt a weight lift at her words. He knew that he had chosen correctly.

"I would like that very much, my husband."

A sense of rightness settled over him as his burdens seemed to line up better on his shoulders. Perhaps this was only the start of what his cousin and her fiancee had found? A feeling of connection and shared purpose that didn’t include as many individuals as his entire family, but might be just as impactful.

Perhaps remaining blind to all but the Yecine way was not the only way to live after all.

---

Lirades sat in her private garden at the estate. As one of the oldest surviving members, she did hold some privilege even if she was not as respected as she had been at times in their history.

She sipped on tea and enjoyed the quiet of the early evening. There was a feeling in the air that it might rain later at night. She looked up as a young wife - one from the newest generation - approached. The child had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Dowager Lirades, may I join you?"

"Of course, my dear. You look like you have something on your mind."

The older woman nodded while gesturing to the seat beside her. Navuill’s wife sat down right where she’d guided with her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"I... I do. It’s about Navuill."

Lirades raised an eyebrow. The new generation included her 10th-great-nephew that had just started a buzz, so her interest was definitely stimulated. Though it might be better said that it was started by the little fiancee of the ’boy’.

"Oh? Please dear, do tell."

"He came to see me this afternoon. Just to talk? To tell me he wants to care for me and that he wants us to be partners in marriage."

The young wife voiced with wonder. The more she had been thinking about how it happened the more in disbelief she was becoming. She had come to the wisest person there to help set her head straight. Lirades herself couldn’t hide her surprise.

’Another one?’

"Really? That’s... unexpected."

She nodded with a smile growing on her face.

"It was. But it was also... nice. It felt like a chance to be part of something more than just duty and obligation. I’m worried that I’m in a dream."

Lirades leaned back in her seat. She had seen the way the young men and women had reacted to Qatrand and Elua’s bond. The way it had seemed to challenge everything that had been engraved about strength and weakness.

Perhaps this was one result of that event. That challenge which the quick, bladed-tongued new bride from the Goltbreds had levied on them all with her ’innocent’ words. An additional step towards a different kind of life. One built more on partnership and shared purpose rather than cold duty and rigid tradition.

Like she had with her husband, once upon a time.

"I think... that you may be onto something. It does sound like a wonderful dream. To find strength in the bonds between us rather than in the walls we build around ourselves."

The young wife looked at Lirades, hope and determination shining brighter in her eyes. It wasn’t that she expected to be scolded by her... but getting this sort of affirmation from the long-lived woman felt like it was igniting something.

"I think Navuill and I can be like that. We’re brave enough to try. I... I want us to try."

The elderly woman smiled before reaching out to pat the younger woman’s hand.

"Then be brave, my dear. Be brave. The Yecine family needs it more than ever."

They sipped tea and talked idly of the near future as the sun began to set over the estate. Such a change would not come easily, Lirades knew. There would be resistance and perhaps even outright hostility from those who clung to the old ways of doing things.

Ways that they wouldn’t dare admit fluctuated plenty over generations.

However, as she looked at the determined young woman beside her... a very old woman felt a little younger. A Yecine legacy that was not built on coldness and isolation to maintain their strength, but on the warmth and benefits of the bonds between everyone was a hope worth fighting for.