Page 101 of As The Shifter World Turns

101

WE’RE GOING TO LARP

Neil

“Today’s the day!” Toby bounded into our bedroom at the crack of dawn, waving his fake sword and dressed as a medieval prince. “Bow to me, M’lords.”

“Imagine I’m bowing,” I said as I pulled the bedding over my head and Martin joined me.

“It’s only one day, right?”

“Yes,” I hissed.

“I heard that.” The covers were ripped off us and our son put the tip of his cardboard sword at Martin’s throat. “I could have your head for that.”

“My apologies, Your Most Royal of Highnesses.”

His dad’s apology had Toby nodding and then he dashed out of the room, thrusting the sword at imaginary opponents.

“What are we supposed to do when we LARP?” Martin asked before Charlie cried and he went into our little boy’s room and brought him back to bed. That was a dangerous move because Charlie certainly had a wet diaper and maybe a full one too.

“You did read the outline, right?”

Toby and his friend, Jim, had written a summary of what was supposed to happen. He and Jim were twin brothers. Their father the king died and half the kingdom's subjects supported one prince and half the other. There was to be a battle followed by a feast.

Daire had convinced his parents to let us use their estate by the lake—honestly I think we used it more than they did—but his parents wanted to join in, insisting they were dukes or counts and said they’d dress the part .

“Maybe.”

“Martin, you didn’t. Toby will be upset.” Our son had been complaining that few of the Sunshine Manor people had replied saying which roles they had taken. As well as knights, there were supposed to be lords and ladies, servants, squires, stable boys, cooks, scullery maids and I couldn’t recall what else. Charlie and I were dressing as knights and I’d bought a knight costume for my mate as well.

I handed Charlie to Martin, insisted he change our son’s diaper and then wandered into the kitchen to be confronted by Toby leaping out from behind the door yelling, “Who goes there?”

“Tis your weary father, sire. My throat is aching for caffeine to wake me up.”

“Very well. You may pass.”

Today was going to be a many-cups-of-coffee day.

“TD, where are my boots?” Toby yelled.

“Wherever you left them.” I poured a second cup of coffee and took a deep breath as Martin came in with Charlie. Our little boy was crawling so and I’d been hit with the realization that life would have been much easier if he was immobile.

We’d had to childproof the apartment a while ago and poor Martin was always yelling, “Neil, I can’t open this.”

We couldn't all fit in the van now that there were a lot of kids in the manor family. So, Ryder and Ivor’s family would go with Micah and Archer while Anthony came with us along with Daire and Nate.

Anthony was still skittish about Len, and while the new security cameras and locks had him feeling a little more secure, most nights he slept in 2B and sometimes on our sofa or in Ivor’s spare room.

We piled in the car but we were the only ones in costume, and Toby grumbled.

“Don’t worry,” Daire told him. “The rest of us are getting changed when we get there.”

“Charlie, you look so cute in your knight’s costume,” Nate told him and our little boy rewarded the alpha with a big grin.

Once we arrived, Toby headed for a tent that had been set up for onlookers. His friend was there with his family and classmates from school who wanted to join in.

While Martin and I waited for everyone to get dressed, Toby joined us but then his brow furrowed. The Sunshine Manor family wandered over to us and our older son stamped his foot. “You’re all knights. You were supposed to choose different roles and let me know.” Even the kids were knights. Every single one, even Dyani and Elune. This is bad!

“Daire isn’t,” Nate said as his mate wandered toward us.

I did my best to stifle a laugh but failed. Daire was dressed as a lady with an uppercase L. He wore a long flowing dress and had one of those pointy hats with a veil flowing from the tip.

“Looking good, Daire,” Ryder noted as he bowed and Daire curtsied.

“You’re going to ruin everything.” Tears were streaming down my son’s cheeks. “We need people other than knights.” My big boy was hurting and we had to do something. I messed up my hair, put dirt on my face and ripped my tunic. “Now I’m a servant.” I nudged Martin.

“I can be a…” He glanced at me helplessly.

Daire’s omega dad stepped in. “We can make you a lord. I rented plenty of extra costumes in case people turned up without any.” Most of the Sunshine Manor family took up his offer.

Martin hugged Toby. “There you are. I’ll be back soon and then I’ll order Neil to clean my boots.”

Not likely, Your Lordship.

Toby sobbed his reply. “You don’t have to do that, Dad.”

“Oh, I do.” He winked at me which had me thinking I’d wear my servant’s ripped tunic to bed. Maybe Martin could wear his lord’s fake fur coat.

Toby regained his composure and handed out a sheet of paper which we were supposed to have read. Everyone, including his school friends, gathered around. Toby and Jim stood on stools. They gave everyone instructions. There were props such as shields for the knights, buckets for the servants and chairs for the lords and ladies. They were to divide into teams, one on Toby’s side and the other on Jim’s. Our son thanked Daire’s parents for providing the medieval banquet.

And then it began. Charlie and I stayed close to Martin who had no clue what he was supposed to do. Micah kneecapped a squire with a fake sword while Ivor battled a knight on the opposing team.

“Wow! Ivor’s swordsmanship is excellent,” I noted.

Ryder, who was holding Dyani, and dressed as a squire, nodded. The gleam in his eyes told me he and Ivor might be roleplaying after their daughter went to bed this evening.

“Take that.” Daire! “His Royal Highness Prince Toby is the true heir.” My grizzly friend was doing some fancy footwork as his cardboard sword bent and tore while he fought a knight from the opposing side. Despite his long dress, which was now splattered with mud, he was winning the fight. His opponent gave up and we cheered as our friend was victorious.

As I was a servant, I raced out with a bucket of water, and Daire tossed it over his head, making the dress stick to his legs. Nate, who had remained a knight, strolled over with his opponent’s shield and sword.

My mate had decided that as Lord Martin, he would wander in amongst the fighters, offering encouragement and giving what he said was a suitable wave for a man who lived in a huge mansion and kept many servants.

Daire’s parents took the battle seriously and were covered in mud when they clapped their son on the back. But it was Anthony who took on multiple roles. He fetched water, welded a sword, chatted to Lord Martin and rescued Prince Toby when he became stuck in the mud. I suspected it was good for him to be away from the manor and thoughts of Len.

In the end, Toby’s side was declared the winner and he was crowned king. Everyone cheered and headed for the long banquet tables groaning under the weight of the food. Our older son raced toward us, and we hugged him.

“I’m so proud of you, son. You and Jim organized all of this. Well done,” Martin said.

I kissed him. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”

Even Charlie was excited though he’d been in his stroller playing with his toys most of the time.

Thankfully, the food was a modern take on medieval food and by the time we climbed into the van, we were exhausted and very full. Toby fell asleep and we had to wake him up when we got home. He complained when I told him to have a shower, but he was caked in mud and there was no way I was letting him go to sleep like that.

I sat on his bed and covered him up when he was done. “Big day, huh?”

“Mmmm. I loved it.”

Martin came in and kissed our son good night.

When we crawled into bed, my mate was wearing Toby’s crown. “You shouldn't have taken that from his room. He’ll be upset in the morning.”

“I thought I could be the king and you can be?—”

“Asleep?”

“Really?”

“Love, I’m exhausted. It was a long day. You were there, right? Being a lord and all?”

“Okay.” He removed the crown and put it on the nightstand.

“But if you steal that crown tomorrow night, perhaps I can be the servant who has to do your bidding.”

“It’s a date.” He kissed me and we turned off the lamps and fell asleep in one another’s arms.