Moonbound: The Rogue's Second Chance
Chapter 178: I AM PROUD OF YOU

Chapter 178: I AM PROUD OF YOU

Darius hummed softly to himself, seeing Serena always put him in a good mood. Sometimes he could hardly believe it, that something so simple as her laughter, her voice, could loosen the heaviness around his chest. He had bid her farewell after they had another long winded discussion about nothing too serious in particular. He nearly would have continued lounging in her bed but he had a duty to attend.

The village of Longdale had taken on a livelier rhythm than usual. The sun had just dipped behind the hills, casting a mellow gold across the rooftops. Torches had been lit in preparation for the communal banquet, their warm glow mingling with the natural fading light. Wooden tables lined the village square, some still being hammered together by eager hands, others already covered in white cloth and decorated with pine sprigs. The scent of stew, baked bread, and roasted game lingered in the air, a promise of the feast to come.

Darius walked through the square, his boots crunching over scattered gravel, taking careful stock of every detail. He nodded to the workers as they passed by, offering quiet encouragements, his expression a calm mixture of authority and satisfaction.

"Stars above, you’re humming," came a voice from the side. "Should I be worried?"

"Nana," he said warmly, spotting Elder Evelyn near one of the food stalls. She stood with scrolls tucked under her arm, her long grey braid swept to one side, wrapped in a crimson scarf that stood out boldly against her pale robes.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," Evelyn said with a wrinkled smile, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "And here I thought you’d be too busy brooding in some corner of the Keep."

"I would never, I had business in the Keep but it is done now," Darius replied with mock gravity.

"Mmm." She tilted her head, scrutinizing him. "You are in a suspiciously good mood."

He chuckled. "A man is not allowed to enjoy his evening?"

"Not when that man is you," she teased, and they both shared a small laugh.

Darius glanced over her clipboard. "Tell me how we are doing. Are the supplies holding?"

The old woman unfurled one of the scrolls. "Three more barrels of mead came in this afternoon. The Ven family is donating two roasted boars. Redhollow pottery has arrived for the table centerpieces, and the apprentice bakers are already ahead of schedule."

He nodded, genuinely impressed. "That is better than I expected."

"You ought to give yourself more credit," she said, arching a brow. "This whole thing wouldn’t exist without you authorizing the Hawthorne reserves."

Before Darius could respond, a sudden shout of laughter echoed from across the square, and a tiny blur of motion launched itself at his leg.

"Alpha Darius!"

A pup, no older than seven, wrapped small arms around his leg. Darius steadied himself, blinking at the unexpected impact. The boy beamed up at him with wide golden eyes and a tooth missing from his grin.

"We can not wait for the food!" the boy exclaimed breathlessly. "Mama said we can sit near the fire and everything!"

Darius smiled, placing a steady hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Then I will make sure the fire burns bright just for you."

The boy whooped and ran off again, leaving behind only the smell of pine and grass. Darius watched the little boy until he disappeared, a smile touched his lips and then sighed. It was these little moments that made him feel like everything was worth it.

Evelyn watched the interaction with fondness. "They adore you, you know."

Darius let out a quiet breath, and watching another child skip past and nearly bump into one of the bakers. "I am not sure why."

"Oh, hush," Evelyn said sharply. "Do not start that with me again. You give them hope and that is more than enough."

He said nothing, but his gaze dropped for a moment, drawn inward.

Evelyn set her scrolls aside on the nearest and stepped closer. Her voice softened. "You have done them proud, Darius and you have done me. Your mother and father both. You have made this place feel safe again."

His throat bobbed slightly. The mention of his parents never came easy, even now.

"You remember your father during his last years," Evelyn continued. "But I remember him when he was young, before the burden crushed him. You have his shoulders. Stubborn, yes, but strong. And your mother... she would have called this whole gathering extravagant. But she would’ve sat front row, arms crossed, secretly thrilled."

Darius swallowed and looked away, blinking quickly. "Thank you," he murmured.

Evelyn didn’t press. She only reached out and rested her wrinkled hand briefly over his. It was a rare kind of touch, not meant to coddle, but to reassure him.

"Now," she said briskly, withdrawing, "go find yourself something to eat. You have earned it."

"I will," he said, voice still a little hoarse.

Evelyn gave him one final nod and returned to her work.

Darius lingered a moment longer in the middle of the square, letting the sounds of laughter, clinking plates, and the rustle of banners fill the silence that Evelyn’s words had left behind. He looked up at the sky, now shifting into deep blue, the first stars just beginning to prick the horizon.

He remembered his father’s hands, once calloused from battle, trembling near the end. He remembered his mother’s voice reading to him in the archive halls. He had carried those memories for so long like weights, reminders of what could not be repeated. Sometimes it was so hard, it became difficult with the arrival of Serena but it twisted the way it made him understand his father more than ever.

But tonight... they didn’t feel quite so heavy. He breathed in deeply, the night air thick with pine and firewood.

There was still more to do. The banquet preparations were only the beginning. But for once, Darius allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was doing enough.

And for Ironshade, for them all that might be what mattered most.