Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her Charm

"There is one moment I can recall that was the last time I felt that our family was safe. Some of you may remember. It was this summer. Only mere months before today, but it was such a wonderful time.

As night came upon us and my family began to wake, we found ourselves in the garden so that the boys could get some energy out. Rosetta and I sat on the stone bench that rested near the pond, watching as the children ran to their heart's content.

Together, they giggled while they ran, jumped, and twirled around as best they could. Each was trying to outdo the other, their bursts of energy having no clear end in sight.

'Look what I can do!' Leo grinned as he attempted to do a roll upon the ground. He was able to flip himself over, but fell in a way he hadn't expected. He was quick to look around, to make sure no one had seen him slip up. Judging by the smirk on Alistair's face, he had noticed.

Alistair was quick to stand and try it himself as he saw the new challenge present itself. Though, his roll was nearly identical to Leo's. 'Mine was better!' He taunted.

'No it wasn't! Mine was!' Leo argued, crossing his arms over his chest. They both looked in Caelum's direction for the deciding factor, but their infant brother only grinned at them while he clapped his hands together.

I never had any siblings, so I'm not sure what a normal relationship between brothers and sisters should look like. Yet, as I gazed upon my boys, I was rest assured knowing that they would always have each other. Their playful bickering was music to my ears. It told me that Rosetta and I were doing alright with raising them. To think when we had our first that I was so worked up about doing good and about not messing up. I didn't stop to think about worse things that could happen, things like this.

I never thought I would have to do it on my own.

'I think you both did a wonderful job,' Rosetta's soothing voice wrapped around my heart as she addressed our children. She relaxed into my arm that was wrapped around her, resting her head upon my shoulder. She placed her hand on my knee, subconsciously tapping a rhythm that only she knew.

I rested my head upon hers. 'It's incredible,' I whispered as I watched Leo and Alistair begin to make up, instead helping the other on how to do a better roll. I couldn't help but wonder the kind of people that our boys would grow up to be. I hoped that above all, that they would know the importance of love and family.

'What is?' She didn't move her head as she replied. Instead, she smiled. Rosetta was entirely focused upon the boys. It was rare she ever took her eyes off of them.

I tried to think of the best way to explain it to her. There were so many ways to word it.

Our world had become something out of the purest of fairy tales. I had been her knight in shining armor, though she had been mine as well. I had seen her start as a timid young lady barely of adult age that cowered beneath her father's hand to a brilliant woman that spoke her mind clearly and had learned to refuse to back down. I had witnessed the uncertainty she had been surrounded with when we first had Alistair, to the confidence in her ability as a mother that had developed before we had Leo.

Rosetta had seen me go from the son of a Count that wasn't sure he could handle the responsibilities his father left him, to a man that had endured the suffering of a great transformation and worked with ease as Count. I had become a better father than I had ever hoped to be and I felt secure. I knew that nothing could take my family away from me. I could protect them all.

'This life we've created for ourselves. Rosetta, when we first were wed did you suspect anything like this?' I smiled as I motioned with my head to the boys as they moved on from rolling around. They were now trying to see who could run around the pond the quickest.