Chapter 2 Ludo
1881 Words
Ludo
I knew Becca could feel my anxiety had been sky-high since she told me about visiting her parents in England. I still struggled with waking up to this perfect angel wondering how the hell I deserved something like this. Would her parents see past who my father was? Do they even know? I had so many questions, but I was avoiding the topic as much as possible.
“How was the ceremony?” I asked, trying to get off the parent visit.
“You didn’t miss much; it's not like a changing ceremony or a wedding,” Ginny said. “The passing of the crown is kinda dull.”
“Chiefs have crowns?” I asked.
“Figuratively speaking,” Freyja clarified.
“Does this mean you’re the chieftainess?” Becca asked Elle.
“Yes, I took the oath with Everett,” Elle said. “But you know how mom is; she will always be the chieftainess of Black Wing. Besides, I’m usually busy with the peace-speaking stuff. I have another conference coming up, but this time I’ll be in Greece.”
“What do you do at the conferences?” I asked curiously. I never really got to learn what a peace speaker does.
“Address issues among the tribes and try to come to a resolution,” she explained. “I also teach communication skills to the leaders of the tribes, and sometimes I get to meet the whole tribe. It’s enjoyable but tiring at the same time.”
“Hopefully, I can go to Greece with you,” Freyja said. “But we will see if the Australian dragons get along by then.”
“So you guys work together?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” Elle said. “Any issues come up, I go with Freyja to help out and usually can resolve things. Conflicts are down almost forty percent since I became the peace speaker.”
“That’s amazing,” Becky gasped. “You guys are bringing peace on earth!”
“We are trying too,” Elle laughed. “Sometimes they make it difficult.”
“What happens if the peace speaking doesn’t work?” I asked.
“That usually only happens if I’m not able to make it to the conflict location,” Elle answered. “Like Freyja got called to an emergency to Australia a few days before the ceremony, and I couldn’t go because I needed to be here. So she went to handle it, and it took a little longer than anticipated.”
“What was the problem?” Becky asked as she began to serve everyone’s plates.
“One tribe making false accusations about another,” Freyja sighed. “Then the other tribe turned around and accused them of the same thing. It was stupid as usual.”
“You sit, princess,” I said to Becca and had her take my seat. “You have been on your feet all day.”
“He spoils me,” Becca sighed and kissed my nose.
I finished serving the remaining dishes and refilled drinks before sitting down. The food was excellent as always because my princess is a gourmet cook on top of an event planner. She is the definition of grace under pressure.
“Is there any way you can cater and plan the wedding?” Gwen asked. “I can’t get over this salmon. It’s delicious!”
“Catering was going to be my backup if event planning didn't work out,” Becca said modestly. It was absurd to think she could fail at anything. “But I’m glad I still got it.”
“Where did you learn to cook?” Freyja asked.
“My dad taught me,” she said. “It was him and me at home a lot while my mom was doing tribal business. She was a high-ranked warrior in Dragoon. I’ve always loved to cook, so when I started staying in Ireland and Scotland for long periods, I taught myself traditional recipes when I wasn't working.”
“Do you bake?” Ginny asked.
“Well…” Becca said and looked at me. She didn’t have to ask; I went to the kitchen counter and took out two pies and an upside-down pineapple cake. “A little.”
The girls oohed and aahed over Becca’s confectionary delectables. I helped wrap some leftovers for the girls to take back with them. I knew Denny would appreciate the baked goods anyway. Becca loved to cook and bake for people and was up early this morning preparing for our visit. I was thankful for how the girls received Becca and made her feel special to be part of the group. My princess was self-conscious about being a hybrid for some reason.
“We should get back to Dublin,” Elle said. “We missed you guys; please come to visit as soon as you can.”
“I’ll be there for sure next week,” Becca said. “We need to start planning for a wedding.”
“You’re more than welcome to come to see us outside of work,” Ginny said, hugging Becca to her. “We’re going to run out of couples to marry soon enough, so you’ll have to come to visit more.”
“Yeah, we like spending time with you,” Gwen said, taking her turn to hug. “We want to see more of you and not just to plan our wedding.”
“Thanks, ladies,” Becca said sweetly. “You sure do know how to make a girl feel welcome.”
“We love you; come see us,” Freyja said, hugging Becca, then turned to me. “I’ll see you soon, brother.”
“Drive safe,” I said as the girls all hustled outside to the car.
“They are the sweetest people I have ever met,” Becca said, waving as the black car pulled out of the driveway.
“They want to get to know you more,” I said, rubbing her back. “Why don’t you lay down, and I’ll clean up?”
“Okay,” she said and kissed me deeply. “I love you, Ludo.”
“I love you, princess,” I said before sending her upstairs to the bedroom.
I took my time picking up the plates and glasses from the table. This time next week, I’ll be in England to visit the Oakleys of Dragoon. Becca didn’t talk about her tribe that much, and when she did, she spoke more about her dad than her mom. I gathered that her mom was distant when she was growing up since her mother was often away on missions or training. What was I going to even talk to them about? What if they ask me about my parents? What am I supposed to say? Do I lie? That doesn’t seem logical.
I don’t know how long I stood there holding the sponge, wiping the same spot on the table as the questions snowballed through my brain. I shook my head to snap myself out of it and finished cleaning the kitchen. When it was nice and orderly, I went upstairs to see Becca sleeping in our bed. She had taken her ballet flats off and her hair out of its bun. I loved it when she had her hair down.
Gently, I laid down beside Becca and fell back into the pillows. I didn’t think I’d be able to nap, but I liked to hold my princess while she slept. When she felt the warmth of my body, she instinctually curled up against me and nuzzled against my chest. Six months ago, I never thought this moment would have ever been possible. I was destroyed and ready to end it all until the Goddess saved me then sent me the best miracle I could imagine.
I must have dozed off because suddenly it was dusk, and Becca had gotten up without me knowing. I stretched my arms and legs before getting up to find her. I came out of the bedroom, and I could hear her voice talking to someone. I paused to listen for a response, but it was quiet before she started talking again. She must be on the phone, so I followed the sound of her voice to the living room.
“Dad, it will be fine, okay?” Becca said. “We will be there Friday evening and leave on Sunday. Where’s mom? Yes, I want to talk to her. Hey mom, how’s it going? I wanted to remind you guys that Ludo will be coming home with me this time. Because you need to meet him, he’s my mate. What does that mean? No, he isn’t; he’s nothing like his father. I don’t care; I’m not rejecting him, mother! He wouldn’t ever hurt me. The Goddess wouldn’t give me someone like that, and he’s never even raised his voice to me, let alone a hand. Ludo is sweet, caring, kind, and gentle. He is everything that a mate should be, mother.”
My heart sank to my knees while I listened in. So Becca’s parents know my heritage, and at least one of them is not okay with it. I knew this situation was too good to be true; we were always going to face some consequence for my past. All I could do was prove that I wasn’t anything like my father and treat my princess the way she deserves.
“Because it’s my right, mom!” Becca continued to speak in a low volume, but I could tell she was upset. “It’s my right to find my mate and marry him if I want to. I don’t care if Dragoon has anything to do with it because as far as they are concerned, I’m just a reject!”
I couldn’t control the growl rip through my chest. Who would dare think my princess was a reject? For what? Becca heard the growl and turned to see me standing there, listening to her conversation. She looked sad before turning back to the phone.
“Look, mom, I need to go,” she said curtly. “I will call you in a few days when I know more. Uh-huh, yeah, I love you too. Tell dad I said I love him. Okay, bye.”
She hung up the phone and looked sheepishly away. “Guess you heard that, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to come between you and your family, princess.”
“No, you’re not, I promise,” Becca said. “You are the most important person to me, Ludo. Even more than my dad, and I know he’s really excited to meet you. Mom is just…a warrior first.”
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll have to do my best to prove to them that I’m nothing like Surt.”
“You don’t have to prove anything,” she said. “There is nothing wrong with you.”
“They’re your parents; they’re just worried about you,” I said.
“I…Let's talk,” Becca said. “There’s something you should know before we go for a visit.”
- Writer
