Chapter 513: Laughter by the Hearth

Orion did not knock. He hardly ever did when he was visiting Brynhild and Lysander.

He placed his hands on the knob and twisted it immediately he reached the door, the wood shifting inward with a familiar groan of its hinges.

Cold followed him and Sophia in.

Snow clung to Orion’s cloak and to the edge of his boots. A few white flakes slid from his shoulders and melted against the warm air inside.

Sophia was still in his arms.

She blinked once as warmth wrapped around her face and the scent of burning wood and dried herbs settled into her lungs.

The hearth crackled softly.

"Honestly, Orion," Lysander said at once, his voice flat.

Orion paused only half a step inside.

"You should really learn how to knock when you visit us," Lysander said.

Ronan, who was seated comfortably on a chair near the hearth, nodded in agreement without even looking away from the fire.

"That’s true, brother," he said in agreement. "You should really learn how to knock. It’s not like it’s your house."

"You don’t knock too," Orion told him.

"Well, that’s true, but it’s not me they are talking about right now, is it?" Ronan asked Orion with a faint smirk.

Lysander’s eyes slid toward him immediately.

"Ronan."

Ronan turned his head, looking at Lysander fully.

"What?"

Lysander’s jaw tightened.

"Focus on the fire," he told him. "You are not supposed to even turn your head. Stop stealing glances at my wife’s breast."

Ronan frowned faintly, then turned back, his gaze on the hearth.

"Okay, I am now back to focusing on the fire," he said to Lysander. "And will now stop stealing glances at your wife’s breast."

There was a sharp pause.

Sophia froze.

Orion’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Brynhild sat a few steps away, a short distance from the hearth but enough that Ronan couldn’t turn to steal glances at her breasts like Lysander had said. Raina was cradled against her chest. The baby was feeding quietly, one small hand curled into Brynhild’s tunic.

Ronan lifted a hand in surrender.

"You should know, brother, you are being highly unreasonable at this moment," he said calmly. "She’s feeding my niece. It’s not my fault my eyes happened to catch that black—"

Lysander made a low, unmistakable growling sound.

Ronan stopped mid-sentence.

Slowly, very deliberately, he lifted both hands and mimed zipping his lips shut even as his eyes glinted with humour.

Lysander muttered under his breath.

"I truly do not know what possessed me to become friends with you."

Ronan immediately leaned back in his chair.

"Friends?" he repeated. "You speak like we are merely acquaintances, Lysander. I am your sworn brother."

Lysander looked at him... well, the back of his head.

"I was drunk when I took that oath," he said. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Orion snorted quietly.

"All of us were drunk," he said.

Before Ronan could reply, Orion stepped forward.

Without warning, he nudged Ronan off the chair with his knee.

"Hey—"

Ronan stumbled forward with a soft grunt, catching himself quickly.

Orion placed Sophia down carefully in the chair Ronan had just been occupying.

"You did not have to push Ronan away so I could sit," Sophia told him.

"I did not, but I did it because... well, it’s Ronan. He should stand," Orion said.

Ronan rolled his eyes. "Some brother you are," he said. "Just so you know, I’m only letting you take the chair because of my sister-in-law."

Orion ignored him and turned the chair so it no longer faced the hearth.

Ronan straightened slowly.

Now, unfortunately, Ronan was directly facing Brynhild.

And Brynhild was still feeding Raina.

Lysander inhaled deeply.

"Face the wall," he growled out.

Ronan stared at him.

"...What?"

"Face. The. Wall."

Ronan glanced helplessly toward Orion.

"Why am I the only one being punished?" he demanded. "What about him?"

Orion immediately turned around.

He placed his back to Brynhild without hesitation and folded his arms.

"I am facing the wall," he said evenly.

He tilted his head slightly.

"You should too."

Ronan’s mouth fell open.

"You would betray me so?" Ronan asked him.

"I like my body intact," Orion replied to him.

Ronan turned reluctantly and faced the wall.

"Just so it is known," he muttered, "I am only doing this because I respect you, Brynhild and Lysander. But you are very clearly overreacting."

Orion nodded from his own place at the wall.

"That is true," he said. "You forget that we all played together when we were little."

Ronan hummed in agreement.

"And we have seen parts of Brynhild long before—"

The growl that followed was louder.

Both Ronan and Orion spoke at the same time.

"Sorry."

They both chuckled as they said it.

Sophia covered her mouth, trying very hard not to laugh.

Brynhild laughed softly.

"Lysander," she said, shaking her head gently, careful not to disturb Raina. "You are really overreacting."

She glanced down at the baby.

"I’m just feeding her."

She shifted Raina slightly as she spoke.

"I truly don’t care if they see."

Raina let out a tiny, pleased sound as Brynhild turned her gently to the other side.

The baby latched on immediately.

Pure, unmistakable delight settled on her small face.

Sophia felt her chest soften at the sound Raina made and the look of delight she had on her face from being fed milk.

Lysander looked away.

"I care," he said quietly.

Brynhild smiled faintly.

Orion glanced over his shoulder.

Orion paused. "Honestly, I can’t blame you. I wouldn’t want other people to see shorty’s breasts either."

"At least you understand," Lysander gritted out.

"But then again," Orion added, "you are overreacting. And for your information, I actually like Sophia’s breasts more."

The room went completely still at that.

Sophia covered her face with her hands as she sucked in a breath even as her lips twitched.

She tried to hold in her laughter, as did Ronan and Lysander, who froze at first.

But it didn’t last long, because they all burst into laughter.

Sophia was the first to give in, then Ronan and Lysander, and finally Orion and Brynhild.

Raina smiled too, with her mother’s nipple in her mouth, like she understood what was going on in the house.