Chapter 41
New Beginnings
Several weeks had passed, and Ember was sitting in the den with Eira and Otto.
Theo was lying on the floor with one of his books, and Fen was teaching Maeve how to play some obscure card game he had learned on the internet.
It was peaceful—a kind of peace she never imagined she would feel again.
She laid down her book and sat up a little straighter.
“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Ember announced.
Eira set down her sewing project, and Otto laid down the paper he was reading, both eyes now on her.
“I was wondering if that offer was still open?” She bit her bottom lip, her stomach coiling into tight knots.
Eira’s face lit up, tears pooling on her lower lash as she grinned.
“Of course, Mo Chroí,” Otto whispered. “Of course it is.”
“Would I have to change my name?” she whispered, instinctively grabbing the pendant that hung around her neck. Her name was the last thing she had of her father, the last thing that tied her to him. It wasn’t something she thought she could ever let go of.
“Of course not, love,” Eira sniffled. “You can add our name onto yours or discard it entirely and keep your father’s name.” She stood up and walked across the room, sitting beside Ember and taking her hand in hers. “Either way, you are ours, fully and completely.”
“Would the ceremony still work if I’m not a Kitt?” she whispered.
“Mo Chroí,” Otto smiled, “you will be ours whether you take our name or not. It won’t change anything. Not the adoption or the binding ceremony, and certainly not how much we love you.” He looked down at Theo and smiled, adding, “Both of you.”
“And if you’re worried about your familial rune,” Fen grinned, “that’s not how that works, either.”
Ember furrowed her brow. “How does it work then?”
Otto let out a gruff laugh. “When a magical adoption takes place, there is a special ritual that is done. It’s a little more than just a few signatures on a piece of paper.
It's the forming of a new bond.” Otto pulled a worn out pendant from his pocket and handed it to Ember.
“When a magical adoption takes places, your familial rune isn’t replaced, you simply just add a new one. ”
Ember traced the runes, feeling the rough edges rub under the pads of her fingers as Otto continued.
“A new bond is created, a second familial bond. It isn’t meant to erase your family. Your family just grows.”
Ember was sure she looked insane with the way she was grinning. Tears rolled down her face, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away. She looked down at Theo, a hopeful smile on his face.
“What do you think?” she signed.
Theo rolled his eyes with a grin. “What are you waiting for?”
“We would be honored,” she whispered, as she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “We would be honored to be your children.”
The room was filled with laughter and joy.
Music seemed to play from every inch of the home as Eira flicked her wrist, and Otto scooped Maeve up and began dancing through the halls with her.
Eira wrapped Ember and Theo in a hug and soaked both their shoulders with tears as she whispered promises against Ember’s tangled hair.
Otto threw Theo up on his shoulders, and she listened to her brother laugh like she had never heard him do before.
They joked and talked and made plans for the future, and Ember was certain nothing could ever get any better than this.
She sank into her chair, watching as her family settled into their nightly routine, a new nightly routine, and an intense wave of peace settled over her like a blanket.
We’re home.
“Thea!” Maeve squealed, as she swung open the front door. Ember’s face lit up as the woman walked into the kitchen. Her coffee-colored hair hung in waves over her shoulders, decorated with several braids, and her emerald eyes twinkled as she smiled at Ember.
“Thea,” Ember breathed with a grin. The woman wrapped her in a hug and she choked back the tears that were already brewing.
“I heard you had quite the adventure.” She winked. “Are you doing alright?”
“We’re getting there.” Ember smiled. Every day was a little easier than the last. The longer she spent in the Kitts’ warm home, the more the dark cloud hanging over her seemed to dissipate.
“And this must be Theo!” Thea beamed, as the little boy grabbed Ember’s hand with a grin. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Theo gave her a shy nod, gripping Ember’s hand a little tighter.
“Nervous?” Thea asked with a wink.
Ember blushed as she bit her lip, looking down at Theo. “Maybe a little.”
“I have something that should help with that,” Eira said, as she poured piping hot tea into a mug and handed one to Ember and another to Theo.
In the other hand, she held a potion bottle.
She quickly popped the top off and poured the contents into both teas, twirling her finger above the liquid to stir.
Ember watched the silver swirl around with the amber like a pool of starlight.
“Calming drought,” Eira whispered, as she kissed her forehead. “For the nerves.”
Ember nodded as she sipped the drink and immediately felt herself relax, every molecule that was vibrating in her body slowing to a leisurely stroll. Theo seemed to feel the effects too because his grin widened, his grip on her hand loosening.
“Shall we?” Thea asked, as she nodded to the other room.
Eira, Ember, and Theo followed her into the dining room and sat at the table. Otto joined them, followed shortly by Maeve and Fen. Fen took the seat beside Ember, squeezing her hand a few times and giving her a reassuring smile.
“Now to clarify for the record,” Thea began, as she sat a pen and parchment on the table.
“We are here for the finalization of the adoption of Ember Moira Lothbrok and Theodore Avery Lothbrok to Otto and Eira Kitt.” She smiled at the family as they nodded enthusiastically, Eira already wiping stray tears from her cheek.
Thea nodded with a smile. “And, Ember, have you two thought about whether or not you will be taking the Kitts’ name?”
Ember fidgeted in her seat as bit her lip and looked around the table. Her eyes met Otto’s, and he gave her a small nod with a reassuring smile. She took a deep breath as she tapped her finger on her knee and looked over at Thea.
“You could hyphenate it,” Thea offered, as she smirked, “and then you could use whichever name you wish.”
“That sounds lovely,” Ember replied. Her voice was steady, but nerves still rolled around in her stomach.
“Perfect.” Thea nodded with a grin.
Ember met Eira and Otto’s eyes, both of whom looked like they couldn’t be any happier than they were in that very moment. Her heart rate settled as Theo grabbed one hand, and Fen squeezed the other again, giving her a look of his utmost approval.
“Will she still be my sister?” Maeve asked, as she bounced on her knees in her seat. “Will Ember still be my sister if we don’t have the same exact last name?”
Otto scooped her up into his lap and kissed her forehead. “Aye, Mo Chroí,” he laughed. “Family is so much more than blood and a last name.”
The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.
“Before we can get to the paperwork,” Thea continued, “the bonding ceremony has to be completed. Have you decided where you want to have it?”
All eyes turned to Ember, who didn’t realize until that moment that she was supposed to have a place picked out for this elusive ceremony.
“Um…” she stuttered, “I think I would like to have it in the den.” The den, in front of the roaring fire, was where she first thought maybe this would all work out. She felt at peace there, surrounded by her family, and she couldn’t think of a better place to solidify her place here.
Thea nodded and flicked her wrist, shuffling the pile of papers into a neat stack, and stood quickly from the table.
“Shall we?” she asked and motioned for everyone to follow her into the cozy den.
Thea stood in front of the fireplace and motioned for the family to join her.
They placed themselves in a circle, leaving the middle open.
Ember’s heart beat furiously in her chest as she willed her hands to stop shaking. She shifted her weight back and forth, trying to do something with the sudden amount of energy that was suddenly bubbling inside of her.
Apparently, the tea had worn off.
Theo grabbed her hand and squeezed.
I’m here.
“Ember, Theo, please come and stand in front of me,” Thea said gently, as she touched her arm and moved them to the center of the circle. “Now, Eira, hold Ember’s forearm, and, Ember, do the same.”
Ember’s eyes met Eira’s, and it took everything in her to hold back the tears. Eira’s eyes were misty as she smiled.
“Otto, please do the same with Theo’s arm.” And he did, giving them both a gentle squeeze and a soft smile that eased Ember’s nerves.
Thea didn’t have to tell Ember and Theo to grab hands.
He held tight to her, like she was a lifeline, and she did the same.
Thea hovered her hand over their arms, and a silver cord spun from her palms, wrapping around Ember’s skin, and hugging it like a glove.
It felt warm and safe, like crawling into bed the night before Yule and reading till you fell asleep.
The cord wrapped around Eira’s and Otto’s arms as well, and Ember could feel the magic already beginning to thrum through it.
“I will say the incantation, and when I’m finished, the cord will disappear, and the bonding ritual will be complete.” Thea smiled. “Are you ready?”
Ember took a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m ready,” she whispered. Her eyes met Fen’s, and he gave her a teary smile, quickly wiping his eyes with the back of his hands.
Thea closed her eyes and spoke the incantation like she had known it since birth, and goosebumps ran up and down Ember’s arms.
“Two families, bound together.
Strength for storms that they might weather.
May the Gods of Asgard guide their steps,
Fill their hearts where they have kept