Bet You Never Thought

Life had been... rough, to say the least, as of late for the Klein family. Losing Ashen had been a devastating blow that had left the family fractured and dispersed across Ardent like dandelion seeds on the wind, but it had been an inevitable outcome once Chimera's health took another steep turn for the worse. But worst of all was the news of two more of her children's deaths—untimely and cut down in the prime of their lives. It had devastated the doting mother for a long time. Since then, Aliana had been acting as the glue that held her family together (or what parts of it remained around her) as well as de facto matriarch of the Klein family and the caretaker to her ailing husband, putting on a strong facade for those around her.

The small clouded woman who had once been a queen now spent her days trying to console her distraught and bereft children and spent her nights cuddled up at her husband's side, listening to him cough and retch and heave until dawn while she tried to get him to keep down any of the various medicines she made. Aliana was tired. It showed on the ash and snow fae's features. She'd spent half her life trying unsuccessfully to cure Chimera's illnesses and the other half making and birthing and raising their children. In many ways, Aliana felt like she'd accomplished so much—but in others, she had never felt like more of a failure...

On this day, a surprise visitor had found her gently coaxing Chimera back to sleep while he wheezed and heaved through labored breaths. It was Quill's mastiff. At first, the dog's presence confused Aliana. She hadn't seen Quill in some time save for when he would pop up around Ashen from time to time, and before that he had been gone for seasons at a time, only to emerge to show he was still alive and share sordid tales with his brothers before vanishing on his conquests once more. Of all her children, Ali felt like she had failed Quill the most. Her sweet boy who had once had aspirations to be a great warrior like his father and learn from the swordsmen of the Hallows had begun to walk his father's degenerate path—a path she had desperately tried to urge her children away from. Aliana loved all of her children with all her heart and soul. She wanted more for her pups; she wished for their health, their happiness, better for them than she had, as any mother would. Quill was coming back around once more, it seemed.

Aliana only left Chimera's side once she had gotten him back to sleep. She took some time to clean herself up and make herself presentable so she didn't look quite a mess when her son arrived. Then she followed the mastiff from Alias Island to mainland Boreas. Walking alongside the large canine, the petite fae spotted the monochromatic form of her massive son seated just off the shore, waiting for her. But it wasn't just his presence there that took her by surprise. There was another wolf, a lovely fae of tawny golds and clean whites. She brought to mind a fawn with her colors and markings, and it appeared from the way she was leaning into Quill's side that the two were quite familiar with one another. Ali's attention perked immediately, aquamarine eyes looking over the pair with curiosity while a warm motherly smile greeted them in kind.

"Hello again, my sweet boy. How have you been?" she greeted Quill first in her melodic lyrics, approaching him and gesturing him to lower his head so she could plant a gentle kiss to his forehead. He looked healthy; he was eating decently too, it looked like. Then those curious aqua eyes and kind smile turned towards the fae at his side. "Hello there, dear! I'm Aliana Klein—Quill's mother." She would let the girl introduce herself, catching herself silently praying that she wasn't just another one of Quill's conquests. He had never brought one of his casual lovers home before though... Did Aliana dare to hope that she was something different?

"Aliana"