//------------------------------// // 16: Lullaby of the Music Box // Story: Memoir of a King’s Master Consort by Sir Spike // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Children, regardless if you’re really their parent or not, that if you take up the responsibility to raise, watch over, care for, comfort, feed and love them – is an immense challenge. It will test you not just as a parent, but of who you are in regards to patience, sense of justice, selflessness, and the ability to listen. To even have one child that depends on you for everything is a tiring job. And five…? Well, the Changeling royals and I did have one advantage – in it that the culture itself, the definition of family is a little different at the hive. For you see, the Changelings, once they’re hatched, they don’t just have one group of parents. While hatchlings do in fact recognized their biological parents and tend to turn to them when they need to the most. However, it is also the responsibility of the adult population to have the same responsibility as their parent. Like for example, if a hatchling falls and hurts themselves where they start crying, nearby adults do have the responsibility to check up on them to see if they’re alright. Or say if an adult sees a young one doing something wrong, then they would show them how to do it right. In other words, the biggest responsibility for parents to raise their hatchlings is assisted by their neighbors. While this is good news for the King, Queen and Master Consort, that didn’t mean that we were completely free from the same responsibility. If anything, since they were officially hatched, we’d regularly go to the nursery to see how they were developing. Since they’ve started out as grubs, they tend to crawl nearly all over the place – and that’s no exudation. They literally climbed up everywhere. On the floor, your legs, the walls, ceiling, you name it. And like babies, they do have a tendency to cry. This happens a lot every time we visited the nursery, that there was at least one who would give off a high, screeching wail like claws on a chalkboard. (If anything, Thorax gifted me with a pair of earmuffs so that the sound wouldn’t hurt my ears as much.) But regardless, they did need to be taken care of and to play the guessing game of what they’re crying about. There is one memory that comes to mind. It was about several months after they were hatched that before I went to bed, I went down to the nursery to check up on them (not without putting my earmuffs on). Most of the hatchings when I got there was already asleep while a few nurses were holding the young ones. I went up to what became known as the royal crib where the five of them were. And as expected, none of them were asleep and Atalanta was on the edge of bawling. Gently I picked her up in my claws. “Shh,” I cooed over. “It’s okay sweetheart. Don’t cry little angel,” I wiped the tears with a free claw as I said this. “I know it’s late and you want to sleep. That’s why I’m here, just to be sure that all of you are tucked up and ready to have good dreams. And look,” I lifted up my tail that held a music box I brought with me. “I have this with me to lull you all to sleep with.” After settling all five in their crib and had the thin blanket to cover them all, I set up to wind up the music box. It was a gift that came from Twilight when she was here for the baby shower that has significant meaning to me personally. According to her, she bought the box sometime after I was hatched, and its melody that is embedded in my subconscious had always lulled me to sleep. How fitting then, that here I was, using the same tune to help them fall asleep in a place that’s difficult to do so? I set the music box on the edge of the cradle, letting it play out it's a haunting song to as I stood over. Watching, protecting my living hoard to be sure that they were safe and comforted. Atalanta especially as she seemed to need it the most as she wrapped herself around my claw. It is a memory that will be immortalized in my mind at the sight of the amount of trust she has for me. There was a tap on my shoulder that I flipped my head around to see Thorax there, holding a hoof to his lips. Once they were sound asleep and the music box’s spring had all wound down for me to take it, we carefully walked back out of the nursery. “I see you’ve got here before me,” he said quietly. “Well, of course, it was my turn… wasn’t it?” “Technically it was mine, but it’s appreciated nonetheless.” He nuzzled my neck, “Thank you for doing that.” “It was nothing,” I replied, holding the box up in my claws. “I think they would disagree,” he pointed at the nursery. “They need love at this stage in life, and you know that I and Lavender are impressed by how much you’ve gone above and beyond for them.” “Well can you blame me? They’re my family now, and… I know that we’re not technically married, but we sure act like one.” He smirked as he gestured for me to follow. “You do have a point there. If things were different, I wouldn’t have you as a consort but as my husband. Still, this kingdom is new and it needs stability for its own sake. My Changelings want a bloodline and as we know, there’s only one way to do it.” “Oh I get it,” I nodded. “That unlike say… Blueblood where his Aunts rule the land and they have spares on the side, it only made sense that he would marry a stallion because there were others to continue on.” “Exactly, but luckily as King, I got to make the rules about having Masters.” “Careful Thorax,” I teased. “Such flattery would only get you into the bedroom.” He smirked, “And you say that as if that’s such a bad thing. Still, I and the hive are blessed to have you here.” “So you’ve said,” I patted him on the back. “However, I am feeling rather tired out myself. Between the day court, hanging out with you and the kids, I just don’t know how much energy I have until I just fall apart.” “That’s why you have all of us. After all, it takes a hive to raise a hatchling, but you have all of us to help give you a break when you need to.” Just then, down the hall, we heard piercing cries that came from the nursery. Immediately we turned around to rush back in to quickly locate that the source came from the royal crib. Scheherazade and Sekto were fighting over the blanket while the other three were bawling from being disturbed. With a collective sigh, we set to work in calming them all down and set the fusing Changelings to stop fighting. “You take care of Atalanta, Junior, and Velvet while I cool these two down,” Thorax told me as he used his magic to lift the angry hatchings out of the crib and rocked them. “Hey you two, there’s no need to fight. There’s plenty of that blanket for all five of you. I know you’re cranky, but a good night’s sleep will help make you feel better when you wake up.” I wound up the music box again in one claw and drying their tears with the other. This time around, I was humming the tune. Since it’s no secret that my singing voice is awful, my humming isn’t as to these little guys, it was like warm milk in sound. It took a while to let the plucking music and my humming to sooth them, even the ones that Thorax was rocking to quiet down. Admittingly, it took even longer just to be sure that they were genuinely asleep. He carefully set the youngest ones back into the cradle and tucked their blankets again. Once we were absolutely sure that they were sleeping, we returned to our walk. “I never knew that hatchings could be so demanding.” I nodded, “Yeah I know… especially little ones. But we do have to be patient with them. Hopefully, it’ll be a couple of years when they don’t need our help to fall asleep.” Thorax yawned, “Hey Spike? How tired do you feel right now?” I shrugged, “Maybe I have enough energy to read a comic book and to…” I coughed in my claw. “You know…” The King gave a sly smile, “Oh? Would you require some assistance with that?” “Well, I don’t wanna pressure you. You had a long enough day as it is.” “I know. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t uphold the duty of giving my consort the love he needs. Really, it’s never a bother for me.” “If you say so,” I kissed him. “I don’t want to make you feel that you’re a slave with all the work you have to do.” “Do you know the old saying: ‘If you do the thing you love, you’ll never work a day in your life?’” I told him that I did. “Yes, I know how stressful it can be when you have to manage a kingdom and your own children. But really, not only do I want this, but I do enjoy taking care of the kids. I wanted to have this family, and to have you included in that.” I chuckled, “I’m trying to imagine what they’re going to be like later down the road. Sometimes I look at them and I could see them asking how exactly our relationship works. Or even, what will they call me? Uncle Spike?” He mused, “I kinda like the ring to it. Uncle Spike.” My face deadpanned, “You’re never going to let that go, are no.” “Nope,” Thorax replied with a wicked smile. “I’ll even decree that for now on you’ll only be referred to as Uncle Spike.” “I was joking!” He chuckled, “And I’m kidding… or am I?” I raised an eyebrow as we went up the stairs. “You know, you can be evil when you want to be.” “Who me?” he gave me his puppy dog eyes. “But I thought I was a good king.” It’s rather hard to be slightly annoyed by him when he has his moments of being adorable. “Okay, you are,” I replied with a goofy smile. “Still, are you really going to have them call me Uncle Spike?” “Well, I don’t see any alternatives. In a way it kinda makes sense considering that you’re not exactly a Changeling but you’re part of the family.” There’s nothing to argue about that. He’s right in a strange way. That I guess it would make the most sense as to those little guys; I would be a kind of uncle. Maybe it just takes time for my half to get used to being called as such. At the top of the stairs on the floor of where my room is, a question I asked earlier resurfaced. “So how exactly do we explain to them about our relationship?” “Like how that they have a mom and two dads?” I nodded. “Well, when they do come of age to learn about the birds and the bees, I think we should sit them all down and just explain it to them.” “How?” Thorax paused to think about his response. “Well… When that day comes, we’ll explain to them that their mother wanted to have children and I had the means to make that happen. At the same time, I have my heart set on you. I’ll explain to them that love tends to mean different things to different creatures. For example, some would want it to be one on one, while others have what is called an open relationship. It’s where that all parties are aware of the other and they set terms to which they’re agreeable. I’ll even explain to them that just as long as you love them for who they are, and that you are responsible with those that you trust the most, that’s all it matters.” I smirked, “Something tells me that you’ve probably eavesdropped on Twilight’s lectures. So then,” I scooped the King up into my arms. “I hope that you’re not feeling too tired, Your Majesty?” He smiled as I walked towards my room. “Oh, I look forward to it, my Knight.”