Creamsicle Flavor Binge
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Creamsicle Flavor Binge
Toppings & Extras: Chopped Nuts (Sorin’s raised by Dennis and joins the Freedom Fighters), Sprinkles (Sorin is a sprinkles in this AU and not a Hot Fudge, which I think he likes), Milkshake (for Eva and Carrie), Malt (Snowflake Milkshake), Malt (Pot Luck: Nath: Believe me, the drug of freedom is universally potent. (Nathan Sharansky)), Brownie
Word Count: 5,103
Rating: PG
Summary: Sorin finds a way to make a difference and still keep Dean safe
Notes: This is what would have happened had Edward taken Dennis up on his offer to raise Sorin. Thus, Sorin grew up not knowing Ani or Vlad and ends up on the other end of the fight. Marina’s been very nicely demanding this so here it is. This became an unexpected Brownie. My apologies. Happy birthday (and belated Christmas!), Marina! So glad to have this done :)
Enlightenment
The day Diana died, leaving Sorin a single father, he found himself at loose ends. His father, who occasionally wrote, insisted that he return home and bring Dean with him. Sorin grew up in that old manor house and has no reason to want to return. Although Dennis Dakamar could not exactly be considered neglectful, Sorin also did not consider him a particularly good father and he certainly did not want him around Dean.
He checks them into an inn while he debates what to do next. Dean, unsurprisingly, makes friends with all the staff almost immediately, either ignoring or not understanding Sorin’s warnings that they would be moving on.
Then, one night, almost two weeks in, he abruptly remembers a conversation he and Diana had had, back when things were still good and she was healthy. And he knows what to do.
Authority
“Are you sure about this?” Captain Beau asked him, glancing at Dean, who was fast asleep on his father’s shoulder. “Dean is very young to be in this situation.”
Sorin unconsciously tightened his grip around the toddler. “I know that, sir, and I thought about this long and hard before I made the decision. I’d heard that you had a few other youngsters here and this is…is what I need to do. For myself and for my son. My father is not a nice person and I don’t want my son anywhere near him.” He paused. “What you’re doing is right.”
Beau studied him for another minute and Sorin would have snapped to attention if he had not held his son. “Very well. I can’t argue with those reasons,” he said with a small smile. “Dean is the youngest we have at the moment, but Iris enjoys taking care of the kids and the older kids help with the younger ones. I’m sure he will be a breath of fresh air around here,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you, sir,” Sorin said, more relieved than he wanted to admit that Beau was okay with his decision.
Talent/Skill
Little time had passed before Sorin found where he fit in. There were only about a hundred people there at that point, including a small handful of kids, of which Dean was the youngest by almost three years. Sorin all but took over the group in charge of trying to predict the tactics of the still nameless people they fight against within a month. He organized Beau’s messenger system and helped keep everyone updated on what they need to know.
There was little praise to be had, but he found he did not need it. Being able to return to the small room he shared with Dean and know that what he was doing would make a difference for his little boy was all that he needed.
One day, though, Beau pulled him aside after lunch. “How are you and Dean doing?” he asked, Dean having run ahead to greet one of his many friends in the camp.
“Good, sir, thank you.”
“I wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you’ve done,” Beau told him. “You’ve obviously got a hell of a head for this sort of stuff.”
“So do you,” Sorin pointed out, a little amused.
Beau smiled slightly. “It’s different and it’s nice not to not have to worry about that. Dean seems to have fit in well.”
“Dean loves people,” Sorin said.
“And you?” Beau said and Sorin cursed how perceptive the captain of the Freedom Fighters was.
“I’m happy,” he told him, which was honest, but avoiding the point.
Hope
Sorin had been there almost a year when the call came that the young Jasmine of Lockholme had been attacked. Beau asked him if he wanted to come, but Sorin declined. He was not a lot older than the captain or the others, but sometimes he felt like he was. Beau asked him to keep Jasmine’s identity quiet, which Sorin only knew from keeping track of the messages, and Sorin told him to stop worrying and get going.
It was immediately obvious, to anyone who looked, that with Jasmine’s addition to the group meant the start of something new; new, different and better.
She came in one day, a few days after picking the name Jez for herself, and plopped herself down across from Sorin’s work area. “I want to learn everything,” she told him. “Will you help?”
He felt himself smile at her blunt statement. “Of course, Jez. When do you want to start?”
“How about right now?”
Sorin glanced over to make sure that Dean was still fast asleep on his bed in the corner before nodding. “Deal. Come sit over here and I’ll show you what I do.”
Honor
The day after they received news that King Patrick Highcastle had been killed, Beau stood up in front of them during dinner, looking grim. “We’ve gotten information on who exactly took over our country yesterday. The seeming head of the movement was a Vladimir Opalin, and his sister, Anica, is the other.”
Sorin blanched, choking on the bite of food he had just eaten. Dean looked at him in alarm as the man on the other side pounded him on the back. The commotion drew Beau’s attention and his eyebrows drew together. “Sorin? Are you okay?”
He finally managed to catch his breath and nodded, still pasty white. “Yes. Can I...can I talk to you after dinner?”
“Of course,” Beau said, concern slipping across his features before Mick nudged him and he returned his focus to the announcement.
Sorin got someone to watch Dean for a few minutes and approached him as soon as the meal had broken up. “Sir? I...you should know that Vladimir and Anica are my half-siblings,” he said, steeling himself, back stiff as he awaited Beau comment.
“You told me you were an only child,” he said, a little confused. “Can you explain?”
“My father...raped Lily Opalin a little over a year after Vladimir was born. When it turned out she was pregnant, Edward, their father, agreed to give the child, me, to my father with the condition we moved far away. I’ve never met either of them.”
There was a pause as Beau absorbed that. “Thank you for telling us, Sorin, and if you’re worried, don’t be. I’m not concerned about your loyalty at all. If you think of anything that might be useful, please let Mick or I know, okay? Otherwise, this will go no further than us.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Courage
The first time Sorin actually felt worried about his son’s safety was the day they discovered that the Opalins had found their hideout. The messenger appeared in the midst of a meeting that he was sitting in on. “They’ve found us,” he gasped.
All eyes instantly shot to Beau. “Very well,” he said, all outward calm. “Iris will be in charge of getting those unfit or too young to fight out the back and towards our back up area.” His gaze rested on Sorin for a moment. “It is up to each of you whether you accompany them or not. I will not push those of you with a responsibility to the children in particular to participate.”
Sorin nodded slightly and excused himself to find Dean.
“Daddy!” Dean yelled when he spotted his father coming. “Okay?” he asked, a bit of concern wrinkling his features as he held up his arms.
“Yes,” he told him, scooping him up. Instantly the toddler wrapped his arms around his neck and grinned at him.
Sorin studied him for a minute and then realized that, as much as he didn’t want to leave Dean an orphan at such a tender age, he could not, in good conscious, not fight. That was why he had joined, after all. “I have to go with Mr. Beau and a lot of the others for a few days, Dean. I need you to go with Iris and the other kids and be on your very best behavior until we can catch up.”
The boy frowned. “You goin’ like Mama?”
“No!” he said hastily. “Gods’ Breath, Dean.” He let out a breath. “I am only going to be gone a few days. That’s all. Then we’ll be back.”
Dean studied him and Sorin wondered, from the perceptive look, if perhaps his son was spending too much time around Beau. “Okay, Daddy,” he said and Sorin was reminded once again that his baby was getting big.
Discipline
Sorin was sure that what got him through the battle was the fact he had told his son he would come back - as close as he could come without actually saying the words ‘I promise’. When his section, led by Jez at that point, because Brighton had vanished, most likely killed in the melee, got cut off, he was sure the world had made a liar out of him. However, Jez, as young as she was, showed amazing resilience and backbone. It takes almost eight hours in a tree, hiding among the leaves and branches from the opposing force before they got the okay to come down.
It took all of his considerable self-control not to whoop and dance with joy.
Youth
“Daddy! Daddy!” Dean came barreling down the hall and slammed into Sorin’s legs. “’m not little!”
“Dean, you’re still only three, pal.”
“Carrie is littler.”
“Who?”
“Carrie! C’mon,” the little boy said, grabbing his hand and tugging him down the hall. Sorin let him, still feeling confused, until they rounded a corner and found a woman, a toddler around Dean’s age, and Iris all standing in the hallway.
“Daddy, see!” Dean crowed, drawing their attention.
Sorin smiled a bit uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, my three year old apparently has forgotten his manners.”
“Daddy,” Dean said in exasperation. “This is Carrie and her mommy.”
He put out his hand. “Hi, I’m Sorin. Welcome to Cavern Hall.”
Carrie smiled shyly at both of them, half hiding behind her mother’s legs. Her mom looked harried, face flushed and hair tumbling around her face. She took his hand in a surprisingly firm grip. “Eva Morales. This is my daughter, Carrie. We arrived last night.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Carrie came to school this morning,” Iris said, “and Dean couldn’t wait to tell you that he wasn’t the youngest anymore.”
“Carrie can’t be too much younger,” Sorin said, directing the comment to Eva.
“She’s just three,” Eva said with a touch of pride.
Dean pranced forward, grinning at Carrie. “Wanna play tag?”
The little girl studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment before matching the expression. “Nuh uh! Coloring!”
“Okay,” Dean said, taking her hand. “I’ve got crayons,” he added proudly as he led her off towards his and Sorin’s room.
“Guess that’s that,” Iris muttered and Sorin had to agree.
Acceptance
Sorin had thought his son was well adjusted but quickly realized that nothing affected a child like a playmate their own age. Of course, this also led to more than one lecture, because all of a sudden Dean did not care about school but just that he had Carrie to play with.
Eva seemed a lot less worried when Sorin approached her. “They’re still just toddlers, Sorin,” she said. “Let them play.” She smiled briefly, looking less harried than when she had joined but no less tired. “They deserve to have fun and it’s not like they can go anywhere. They both know better and there are guards at the doors, who would catch them.”
“Are you okay?” he found himself asking, despite the unspoken camp rule that you did not pry into other’s lives.
“It’s a lot to take in,” she said after a moment. “I felt like I was just getting used to life with just Carrie and then I decided this and...” she paused again. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Don’t stress yourself out about it too much,” Sorin said. “Take it easy. No one is going to push you here until you’re ready to push yourself. And you’ve got Carrie to look after.”
“And you have Dean. I fail to see a difference.”
He smiled faintly. “I’ve had more practice by now.”
She returned it. “Thanks, Sorin. I appreciate the words of wisdom.”
“I do what I can.”
Fame
Beau approached Sorin a few weeks later. “I have a favor to ask,” he said somberly.
The captain was often serious, but Sorin rarely remembered seeing him that serious, especially since Jez had joined. “Yes?”
“Would Edward have ever mentioned you to Anica and Vladimir?”
“I don’t know...” Sorin said slowly. “If he did, I doubt it was positive, but he’s been dead for a few years. I remember my father’s excitement over it. His comment was something rather inappropriate, but people didn’t seem to like him much in general.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, what with Dean and all, but we could really use an inside man.”
Sorin could tell that Beau was uncomfortable even asking it. He let out a breath. “How long?”
“As long as it would take to ingratiate yourself on their good graces and get some solid information, then you can cut and run.”
“Doing that would probably put myself on their hit list.”
“You would never have to leave Cavern Hall again.”
Sorin pursed his lips, unwilling to admit the idea excited him. He was an adult, though, with responsibilities. Leaving would not be that easy. “Let me talk to Eva and see if she would be willing to take Dean at night.”
Charity
“Eva?” Sorin called, waving her down.
The other woman stopped and favored him with a smile. “Hello, Sorin.”
“I...have a really large favor to ask, and it’s okay if you say no.”
“That’s not a great way to start a conversation,” she said dryly.
He smiled slightly. “My apologies. Beau asked me...” he stopped, realizing he would have to tell Eva what he had told no one but the captain. He glanced around to ensure they were alone. “Vladimir, Anica and I share a mother, although I have never met either of them. Beau asked me if I could infiltrate the castle at Yulkido by using that relationship and find out more about them.”
Eva absorbed that without batting an eye, which raised Sorin’s already high opinion of her even higher. “Except you have Dean to think about.”
He nodded. “There is no way I want to take Dean into that castle.”
“And you want me to agree to keep an eye on him.”
“It would be for between a month and six weeks, which I know is a long time. And, as I said, you’re allowed to say no.”
She smiled. “Your son is wonderful. I’d be happy to do so, Sorin, especially if it can help us potentially end this that much sooner.”
“I owe you.”
“Make it up to me when this is all over,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “Let me know when you’re going to leave.”
Self-esteem
It took almost two days of people and waiting until he got an audience with the siblings. His siblings, if he let himself remember, but he was determined, no matter what, to keep them at arm’s length. They were the enemy.
The room he was ushered into was small, an office upon first glance. The man who had to be Vladimir was hunched over the desk, writing furiously. Anica was perched on the edge, regarding him openly. “Vlad,” she said as he entered and the man looked up.
Sorin was instantly disconcerted to see that he and Vladimir had the same eyes. Their mother’s eyes. I can do this, he told himself.
“You must be Sorin.”
“That’s me,” he said, not sure how to refer to them. Sir and miss were probably appropriate but these two shared half the same blood. That would be too weird.
“Hi,” Anica said brightly. “I’m Ani and this is Vlad!”
“Anica,” Vladimir hissed.
She ignored him, hopping off the desk and bounding over, taking his hand and pumping it enthusiastically. “Father mentioned once that we had a sibling. It made him angrier than usual, though.” It was surprising how much pain was in her eyes, although she strove to hide it. He instantly felt himself drawn to it.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, a little off-guard by the greeting and what he had seen.
“What do you want, Sorin?” Vladimir asked.
“I want to help you,” Sorin said.
“Why?”
Because I can do this. And lives are counting on me, including Dean’s. “Because I believe what you’re doing is right.”
Purity
It became immediately obvious that Anica was bored. She spent much of the first few days with Sorin. Her eyes never lost the haunted look and he was quickly able to determine that her happiness was all a front to hide how deeply unhappy she was. For the first time in his life, he found himself glad that Edward Opalin had let his father take him. If Edward’s blood children were this messed up - Vladimir was no better, he just hid it by throwing himself into his work - he could only imagine what he would have ended up like.
Finally, he hit his first big break. “Want to meet Renny?” Anica asked, and Sorin, who had been doing mind-numbing paperwork that Vladimir had assigned, stared at her.
“Excuse me?”
“Ren. You know, Renier Highcastle,” she added when his expression did not clear.
Sorin had heard her but was having a hard time processing the fact she had just so easily blurted out. “Sure,” he said quickly and watched her expression go dreamy.
“He’s the best, you know.”
“Who? Prince Renier?”
“Uh huh. C’mon.” She grabbed his hand, ignoring the fact they had met only a few short days ago and dragged him out from behind the desk and down the hall. When she stopped at the one door with a guard, Sorin was somehow not surprised. She burst through the door, dragging him with her.
Renier started out of a chair by the window, looking as bewildered as Sorin felt. He took a good hard look at the two half-siblings and then his eyes widened. “Oh, shit, not another one of you!”
Sorin instantly bristled, already not pleased with how much he and Vladimir looked alike. “I’m not,” he started, but thankfully Anica ran right over him.
“This is our half-brother we never knew until a few days ago, Renny!”
“Excuse me?”
Anica giggled. “You two will get along well! You already sound alike.”
Renier did not look pleased with that prospect and Sorin could not exactly blame him.
Ani merely grinned, patting Sorin on the shoulder before bounding over and throwing herself into Renier’s arms, an expression of such pure joy that it abruptly hit him that, no matter how much else was fake in this castle, this - her and Renier - was not.
Diplomacy
Sorin spent a month in the castle. He and Vladimir, to perhaps no one’s surprise, did not hit it off well. Sorin instantly sensed something unsettled about his older half-sibling, and Vladimir did not trust him, not that he ever took the time to try and find out.
He and Ani, on the other hand...As Sorin packed up his belongings to leave, he cursed himself for allowing her to worm her way into his heart. Now he felt a small bit of remorse for what was to come.
“Sorin?”
He looked up, seeing Ani standing in his doorway, a forlorn expression on her face. “Hey.”
“Are you sure you have to go?”
He nodded. “My father is ill and we don’t have any other family. I’m the only one who can go.”
“We could bring him here,” she said petulantly. “I could convince Vlad to.”
“I think your brother will be happy to see the back of me.”
Ani sighed. “I guess we’re not really your brother and sister, are we.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Ani,” Sorin said, looking up from his packing. “You’re great, really, and I’d love to spend more time with you, but things aren’t working out that way. I can try and come back, if my father gets better quickly.”
She frowned. “You always refer to him as your father.”
“So do you,” he pointed out.
“Most people aren’t like Edward Opalin,” Ani said and managed a small smile. “I wish you could stay.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” Sorin said, the impulsive words out before he could control himself. He had no idea what he would do if she took him up on it. Cavern Hall was home now.
She laughed, shaking her head. “You know I can’t, but thanks.”
He hesitated, wondering how far he could go, and chose his next words carefully. “Ani, if everything is about to explode, try and get yourself out, will you?”
Ani patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, Sorin,” she said, all smiles again. “I’ll be fine.”
He could only hope she was right.
Prosperity
Sorin had never taken much time to evaluate his life and realize how lucky he was, but during the long journey back to Cavern Hall, he had more than enough to think. Cavern Hall was not actually that far away, but he took a long route in case Vladimir had him followed.
One of the main things he realized was how lucky he was. Sure, his father was an asshole, but he had a son who adored him, had had a wife who had been the most wonderful person in Tira and now had a cause he believed in.
Ani, on the other hand, had none of those things, except the asshole father. On top of that, she had plainly gotten the short end of the stick with that brother of hers.
He finished setting up his camp the second evening and sat down, pursing his lips. “I wish there was something I could do for her,” he muttered out loud.
Despite lying awake half the night pondering that issue, he came up blank and decided that, for now, he would just have to focus on his own luck.
Maturity
He headed straight for Beau’s office upon arriving back at the camp. He ran into him halfway there, though, with Jez and Beau brightened. “Sorin! Welcome back! How long have you been back?”
“Just arrived,” Sorin said, hefting his bag. “I figured you’d want to hear about it.”
“Anything that we can do something about right away?” Beau asked.
“No...”
The leader smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Then go see your son first. We can talk after dinner, okay?”
“Dean will be excited to see you,” Jez added.
Sorin had no problem with that, and with a wave, he headed for the room where Dean was staying with Eva and Carrie. “Dad!” Dean yelled, tearing down the hall towards him as he turned the last corner to their room. It took Sorin a moment to realize that the almost four year old had just called him ‘dad’ and not ‘daddy’. Then his son connected and he automatically scooped the little boy up, hugging him.
“Hey, kiddo! I’ve missed you!”
“Missed you too, but Carrie and Eva are fun,” he announced, beaming and giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “And Carrie and I go to real school now and,” Dean continued excitedly and Sorin realized that the toddler he had left behind had somehow become a child.
He looked up, letting his son continue to spew information at him. “Thanks for taking care of him, Eva.”
She smiled. “Just good to have you back. Dean’s been a perfect angel.”
Carrie giggled, bouncing in place and tugging at her mom’s hand as she did. “Dean’s not an angel, Mom! He’s trouble like me.”
Eva laughed. “Very true. You caught me.”
Sorin grinned and forced himself to push thoughts of Anica Opalin out of his mind. This was where his home, and his family, was now.
Wisdom
“So it’s mostly Vladimir?”
“Almost fully. I think Ani’s only there because she has nowhere else to go. Her brother is all the family she has.”
“Besides you,” Beau pointed out gently.
Sorin frowned at his desk, listening to Jez gently kick her heels against the desk. It had not surprised him to find out that Jez and Beau had had a meeting of the minds and were now an item. “I won’t lie to you,” he said finally. “I liked Ani...Anica. She’s a good person and she and your brother...they are obviously head over heels for each other.”
Beau sat back, regarding him pensively. “Yes, so you said.” He quickly held up a hand. “I don’t doubt you, Sorin. I’m just not sure what to do with it. I didn’t even know Renier was alive until you just told me. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do, Beau,” Jez said. “This might be an instant when we just need to let things play out how they will. There’s nothing else to do about it. Do you agree, Sorin?”
“I think, in this instance, wiser words have not been spoken,” he said. As much as Beau and I both hate it.
Respect
He had no trouble settling back into his usual routine, taking back his office, which Beau and the others he had roped into helping were only too glad to let him do so. The first thing he noticed was that one of his favorite informants had been asking about him. ‘Col’ was a good guy, although he sometimes sounded kind of young to Sorin, so he worried about him. However, he had proven himself resourceful and to have a high ability to ferret out information that would come from other sources as much as months later.
Hey, CH - that stood for Cavern Hall, a fitting title that would fool anyone who might intercept it, at least in theory - don’t tell me my usual pal isn’t there. What if I don’t want to talk to you? Don’t tell me I’m full of it either, because I know his style and handwriting. Bring back the good guy. -Col.
Col, no worries, I’m back. Just had a few things to take care of so friends were in charge. What’s new? -CH
CH-lots. Movement around Greensward spells trouble. Not to mention the fact rumors abound out of the castle about a third sibling. Weird, eh? -Col
Sorin had to chuckle at that. At least those rumors would dissipate now. And maybe it would keep some people who they needed to keep occupied out of their face at the same time. He paused before jotting off another note, wondering if he should write his father - that would be the first since Diana had died - and warn him that there was a chance Vladimir Opalin might come poking around before deciding that he just wanted to be a fly on the wall if it happened. He had no doubt that his father would do his very best to kill Vladimir like he had been unable to do with their father. Maybe it would solve all their problems.
He could only hope.
Beauty
Sorin sat next to Eva outside Cavern Hall. It was a quiet morning and they had not had issues with the Opalins in some time, so Beau had given permission for the kids, those who had trouble sometimes with being inside all the time, to head out and play. Sorin and Eva had both volunteered with the responsibility of keeping an eye on the little ones. There were four besides their two children, but they were all older and were ranging further, often with an older sibling or parent.
Dean and Carrie were still running around whooping and dancing, trying to catch butterflies and chasing birds from tree to tree.
Sorin could not tear his eyes away.
“Dean, Dean, look at this,” Carrie exclaimed, crouching down by a small pink flower.
The just four year old bounded over and plopped himself beside her, reaching for the flower.
She slapped his hand away. “Dean,” she scolded, “you’re gonna hurt it.
”
“Am not!” he said righteously. “I just wanna touch it.”
“Well don’t.”
“Fine. It’s an ugly flower an’ I’m gonna go find a better one.”
Eva glanced at Sorin, both of them amused.
“Don’t be silly, Dean,” Carrie said, totally unperturbed by the slightly older boy’s attempt to annoy her. “It’s the most prettiest flower ever. I wanna color it.”
Dean paused, halfway into getting up and examined the flower with a new, critical eye. “Dad could carve it, I think. He’s gonna teach me when I’m five,” he added, a fact that Sorin had never told him nor promised. In fact, he was planning on waiting until Dean was as old as possible before handing him a knife of any kind.
“Well,” Carrie said thoughtfully, “I can color it now.”
Dean, ever active, now hopped up and grabbed her hand. “C’mon, Carrie, you can color later, but now it’s time to play!”
Carrie hesitated but Dean’s enthusiasm was too great. “Okay,” she said, finally, hopping up and returning to their romping.
Sorin wanted to the moment to last forever.
Faith
It is hard some days. Some days it seems like such an uphill struggle that they will never manage to accomplish anything. Then he gets up, and he goes outside the small room he and Dean share, and he seems hope. There is life there, maybe only a hundred and fifty of them, right now, but they stand for not just themselves, but for all of those out there who have had themselves stomped on by Vladimir Opalin. He cannot even count Ani into that equation any more - and her predicament weighs on him each day.
He hears a respond from Col, which reinforces that they have allies out there, that people are rooting for them. He meets Jay, a young man with a sunny disposition but a determination to follow through to the end. He watches Dean continue to grow and flourish in an unusual situation.
It is these things that remind him of what is important. There is a future. There is a chance and they just have to wait for that critical moment and take advantage of it.
When they do, he will do his best to keep Ani out of the fire. To try and allow her and Renier to have all the happiness they sorely deserve. He will keep his son from the bloodshed and then show him what it is like to have a real and normal life.
One day, it will all be over.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy (NIEE) universe, During NIEE
Challenges: Creamsicle Flavor Binge
Toppings & Extras: Chopped Nuts (Sorin’s raised by Dennis and joins the Freedom Fighters), Sprinkles (Sorin is a sprinkles in this AU and not a Hot Fudge, which I think he likes), Milkshake (for Eva and Carrie), Malt (Snowflake Milkshake), Malt (Pot Luck: Nath: Believe me, the drug of freedom is universally potent. (Nathan Sharansky)), Brownie
Word Count: 5,103
Rating: PG
Summary: Sorin finds a way to make a difference and still keep Dean safe
Notes: This is what would have happened had Edward taken Dennis up on his offer to raise Sorin. Thus, Sorin grew up not knowing Ani or Vlad and ends up on the other end of the fight. Marina’s been very nicely demanding this so here it is. This became an unexpected Brownie. My apologies. Happy birthday (and belated Christmas!), Marina! So glad to have this done :)
Enlightenment
The day Diana died, leaving Sorin a single father, he found himself at loose ends. His father, who occasionally wrote, insisted that he return home and bring Dean with him. Sorin grew up in that old manor house and has no reason to want to return. Although Dennis Dakamar could not exactly be considered neglectful, Sorin also did not consider him a particularly good father and he certainly did not want him around Dean.
He checks them into an inn while he debates what to do next. Dean, unsurprisingly, makes friends with all the staff almost immediately, either ignoring or not understanding Sorin’s warnings that they would be moving on.
Then, one night, almost two weeks in, he abruptly remembers a conversation he and Diana had had, back when things were still good and she was healthy. And he knows what to do.
Authority
“Are you sure about this?” Captain Beau asked him, glancing at Dean, who was fast asleep on his father’s shoulder. “Dean is very young to be in this situation.”
Sorin unconsciously tightened his grip around the toddler. “I know that, sir, and I thought about this long and hard before I made the decision. I’d heard that you had a few other youngsters here and this is…is what I need to do. For myself and for my son. My father is not a nice person and I don’t want my son anywhere near him.” He paused. “What you’re doing is right.”
Beau studied him for another minute and Sorin would have snapped to attention if he had not held his son. “Very well. I can’t argue with those reasons,” he said with a small smile. “Dean is the youngest we have at the moment, but Iris enjoys taking care of the kids and the older kids help with the younger ones. I’m sure he will be a breath of fresh air around here,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you, sir,” Sorin said, more relieved than he wanted to admit that Beau was okay with his decision.
Talent/Skill
Little time had passed before Sorin found where he fit in. There were only about a hundred people there at that point, including a small handful of kids, of which Dean was the youngest by almost three years. Sorin all but took over the group in charge of trying to predict the tactics of the still nameless people they fight against within a month. He organized Beau’s messenger system and helped keep everyone updated on what they need to know.
There was little praise to be had, but he found he did not need it. Being able to return to the small room he shared with Dean and know that what he was doing would make a difference for his little boy was all that he needed.
One day, though, Beau pulled him aside after lunch. “How are you and Dean doing?” he asked, Dean having run ahead to greet one of his many friends in the camp.
“Good, sir, thank you.”
“I wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you’ve done,” Beau told him. “You’ve obviously got a hell of a head for this sort of stuff.”
“So do you,” Sorin pointed out, a little amused.
Beau smiled slightly. “It’s different and it’s nice not to not have to worry about that. Dean seems to have fit in well.”
“Dean loves people,” Sorin said.
“And you?” Beau said and Sorin cursed how perceptive the captain of the Freedom Fighters was.
“I’m happy,” he told him, which was honest, but avoiding the point.
Hope
Sorin had been there almost a year when the call came that the young Jasmine of Lockholme had been attacked. Beau asked him if he wanted to come, but Sorin declined. He was not a lot older than the captain or the others, but sometimes he felt like he was. Beau asked him to keep Jasmine’s identity quiet, which Sorin only knew from keeping track of the messages, and Sorin told him to stop worrying and get going.
It was immediately obvious, to anyone who looked, that with Jasmine’s addition to the group meant the start of something new; new, different and better.
She came in one day, a few days after picking the name Jez for herself, and plopped herself down across from Sorin’s work area. “I want to learn everything,” she told him. “Will you help?”
He felt himself smile at her blunt statement. “Of course, Jez. When do you want to start?”
“How about right now?”
Sorin glanced over to make sure that Dean was still fast asleep on his bed in the corner before nodding. “Deal. Come sit over here and I’ll show you what I do.”
Honor
The day after they received news that King Patrick Highcastle had been killed, Beau stood up in front of them during dinner, looking grim. “We’ve gotten information on who exactly took over our country yesterday. The seeming head of the movement was a Vladimir Opalin, and his sister, Anica, is the other.”
Sorin blanched, choking on the bite of food he had just eaten. Dean looked at him in alarm as the man on the other side pounded him on the back. The commotion drew Beau’s attention and his eyebrows drew together. “Sorin? Are you okay?”
He finally managed to catch his breath and nodded, still pasty white. “Yes. Can I...can I talk to you after dinner?”
“Of course,” Beau said, concern slipping across his features before Mick nudged him and he returned his focus to the announcement.
Sorin got someone to watch Dean for a few minutes and approached him as soon as the meal had broken up. “Sir? I...you should know that Vladimir and Anica are my half-siblings,” he said, steeling himself, back stiff as he awaited Beau comment.
“You told me you were an only child,” he said, a little confused. “Can you explain?”
“My father...raped Lily Opalin a little over a year after Vladimir was born. When it turned out she was pregnant, Edward, their father, agreed to give the child, me, to my father with the condition we moved far away. I’ve never met either of them.”
There was a pause as Beau absorbed that. “Thank you for telling us, Sorin, and if you’re worried, don’t be. I’m not concerned about your loyalty at all. If you think of anything that might be useful, please let Mick or I know, okay? Otherwise, this will go no further than us.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Courage
The first time Sorin actually felt worried about his son’s safety was the day they discovered that the Opalins had found their hideout. The messenger appeared in the midst of a meeting that he was sitting in on. “They’ve found us,” he gasped.
All eyes instantly shot to Beau. “Very well,” he said, all outward calm. “Iris will be in charge of getting those unfit or too young to fight out the back and towards our back up area.” His gaze rested on Sorin for a moment. “It is up to each of you whether you accompany them or not. I will not push those of you with a responsibility to the children in particular to participate.”
Sorin nodded slightly and excused himself to find Dean.
“Daddy!” Dean yelled when he spotted his father coming. “Okay?” he asked, a bit of concern wrinkling his features as he held up his arms.
“Yes,” he told him, scooping him up. Instantly the toddler wrapped his arms around his neck and grinned at him.
Sorin studied him for a minute and then realized that, as much as he didn’t want to leave Dean an orphan at such a tender age, he could not, in good conscious, not fight. That was why he had joined, after all. “I have to go with Mr. Beau and a lot of the others for a few days, Dean. I need you to go with Iris and the other kids and be on your very best behavior until we can catch up.”
The boy frowned. “You goin’ like Mama?”
“No!” he said hastily. “Gods’ Breath, Dean.” He let out a breath. “I am only going to be gone a few days. That’s all. Then we’ll be back.”
Dean studied him and Sorin wondered, from the perceptive look, if perhaps his son was spending too much time around Beau. “Okay, Daddy,” he said and Sorin was reminded once again that his baby was getting big.
Discipline
Sorin was sure that what got him through the battle was the fact he had told his son he would come back - as close as he could come without actually saying the words ‘I promise’. When his section, led by Jez at that point, because Brighton had vanished, most likely killed in the melee, got cut off, he was sure the world had made a liar out of him. However, Jez, as young as she was, showed amazing resilience and backbone. It takes almost eight hours in a tree, hiding among the leaves and branches from the opposing force before they got the okay to come down.
It took all of his considerable self-control not to whoop and dance with joy.
Youth
“Daddy! Daddy!” Dean came barreling down the hall and slammed into Sorin’s legs. “’m not little!”
“Dean, you’re still only three, pal.”
“Carrie is littler.”
“Who?”
“Carrie! C’mon,” the little boy said, grabbing his hand and tugging him down the hall. Sorin let him, still feeling confused, until they rounded a corner and found a woman, a toddler around Dean’s age, and Iris all standing in the hallway.
“Daddy, see!” Dean crowed, drawing their attention.
Sorin smiled a bit uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, my three year old apparently has forgotten his manners.”
“Daddy,” Dean said in exasperation. “This is Carrie and her mommy.”
He put out his hand. “Hi, I’m Sorin. Welcome to Cavern Hall.”
Carrie smiled shyly at both of them, half hiding behind her mother’s legs. Her mom looked harried, face flushed and hair tumbling around her face. She took his hand in a surprisingly firm grip. “Eva Morales. This is my daughter, Carrie. We arrived last night.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Carrie came to school this morning,” Iris said, “and Dean couldn’t wait to tell you that he wasn’t the youngest anymore.”
“Carrie can’t be too much younger,” Sorin said, directing the comment to Eva.
“She’s just three,” Eva said with a touch of pride.
Dean pranced forward, grinning at Carrie. “Wanna play tag?”
The little girl studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment before matching the expression. “Nuh uh! Coloring!”
“Okay,” Dean said, taking her hand. “I’ve got crayons,” he added proudly as he led her off towards his and Sorin’s room.
“Guess that’s that,” Iris muttered and Sorin had to agree.
Acceptance
Sorin had thought his son was well adjusted but quickly realized that nothing affected a child like a playmate their own age. Of course, this also led to more than one lecture, because all of a sudden Dean did not care about school but just that he had Carrie to play with.
Eva seemed a lot less worried when Sorin approached her. “They’re still just toddlers, Sorin,” she said. “Let them play.” She smiled briefly, looking less harried than when she had joined but no less tired. “They deserve to have fun and it’s not like they can go anywhere. They both know better and there are guards at the doors, who would catch them.”
“Are you okay?” he found himself asking, despite the unspoken camp rule that you did not pry into other’s lives.
“It’s a lot to take in,” she said after a moment. “I felt like I was just getting used to life with just Carrie and then I decided this and...” she paused again. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Don’t stress yourself out about it too much,” Sorin said. “Take it easy. No one is going to push you here until you’re ready to push yourself. And you’ve got Carrie to look after.”
“And you have Dean. I fail to see a difference.”
He smiled faintly. “I’ve had more practice by now.”
She returned it. “Thanks, Sorin. I appreciate the words of wisdom.”
“I do what I can.”
Fame
Beau approached Sorin a few weeks later. “I have a favor to ask,” he said somberly.
The captain was often serious, but Sorin rarely remembered seeing him that serious, especially since Jez had joined. “Yes?”
“Would Edward have ever mentioned you to Anica and Vladimir?”
“I don’t know...” Sorin said slowly. “If he did, I doubt it was positive, but he’s been dead for a few years. I remember my father’s excitement over it. His comment was something rather inappropriate, but people didn’t seem to like him much in general.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, what with Dean and all, but we could really use an inside man.”
Sorin could tell that Beau was uncomfortable even asking it. He let out a breath. “How long?”
“As long as it would take to ingratiate yourself on their good graces and get some solid information, then you can cut and run.”
“Doing that would probably put myself on their hit list.”
“You would never have to leave Cavern Hall again.”
Sorin pursed his lips, unwilling to admit the idea excited him. He was an adult, though, with responsibilities. Leaving would not be that easy. “Let me talk to Eva and see if she would be willing to take Dean at night.”
Charity
“Eva?” Sorin called, waving her down.
The other woman stopped and favored him with a smile. “Hello, Sorin.”
“I...have a really large favor to ask, and it’s okay if you say no.”
“That’s not a great way to start a conversation,” she said dryly.
He smiled slightly. “My apologies. Beau asked me...” he stopped, realizing he would have to tell Eva what he had told no one but the captain. He glanced around to ensure they were alone. “Vladimir, Anica and I share a mother, although I have never met either of them. Beau asked me if I could infiltrate the castle at Yulkido by using that relationship and find out more about them.”
Eva absorbed that without batting an eye, which raised Sorin’s already high opinion of her even higher. “Except you have Dean to think about.”
He nodded. “There is no way I want to take Dean into that castle.”
“And you want me to agree to keep an eye on him.”
“It would be for between a month and six weeks, which I know is a long time. And, as I said, you’re allowed to say no.”
She smiled. “Your son is wonderful. I’d be happy to do so, Sorin, especially if it can help us potentially end this that much sooner.”
“I owe you.”
“Make it up to me when this is all over,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. “Let me know when you’re going to leave.”
Self-esteem
It took almost two days of people and waiting until he got an audience with the siblings. His siblings, if he let himself remember, but he was determined, no matter what, to keep them at arm’s length. They were the enemy.
The room he was ushered into was small, an office upon first glance. The man who had to be Vladimir was hunched over the desk, writing furiously. Anica was perched on the edge, regarding him openly. “Vlad,” she said as he entered and the man looked up.
Sorin was instantly disconcerted to see that he and Vladimir had the same eyes. Their mother’s eyes. I can do this, he told himself.
“You must be Sorin.”
“That’s me,” he said, not sure how to refer to them. Sir and miss were probably appropriate but these two shared half the same blood. That would be too weird.
“Hi,” Anica said brightly. “I’m Ani and this is Vlad!”
“Anica,” Vladimir hissed.
She ignored him, hopping off the desk and bounding over, taking his hand and pumping it enthusiastically. “Father mentioned once that we had a sibling. It made him angrier than usual, though.” It was surprising how much pain was in her eyes, although she strove to hide it. He instantly felt himself drawn to it.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, a little off-guard by the greeting and what he had seen.
“What do you want, Sorin?” Vladimir asked.
“I want to help you,” Sorin said.
“Why?”
Because I can do this. And lives are counting on me, including Dean’s. “Because I believe what you’re doing is right.”
Purity
It became immediately obvious that Anica was bored. She spent much of the first few days with Sorin. Her eyes never lost the haunted look and he was quickly able to determine that her happiness was all a front to hide how deeply unhappy she was. For the first time in his life, he found himself glad that Edward Opalin had let his father take him. If Edward’s blood children were this messed up - Vladimir was no better, he just hid it by throwing himself into his work - he could only imagine what he would have ended up like.
Finally, he hit his first big break. “Want to meet Renny?” Anica asked, and Sorin, who had been doing mind-numbing paperwork that Vladimir had assigned, stared at her.
“Excuse me?”
“Ren. You know, Renier Highcastle,” she added when his expression did not clear.
Sorin had heard her but was having a hard time processing the fact she had just so easily blurted out. “Sure,” he said quickly and watched her expression go dreamy.
“He’s the best, you know.”
“Who? Prince Renier?”
“Uh huh. C’mon.” She grabbed his hand, ignoring the fact they had met only a few short days ago and dragged him out from behind the desk and down the hall. When she stopped at the one door with a guard, Sorin was somehow not surprised. She burst through the door, dragging him with her.
Renier started out of a chair by the window, looking as bewildered as Sorin felt. He took a good hard look at the two half-siblings and then his eyes widened. “Oh, shit, not another one of you!”
Sorin instantly bristled, already not pleased with how much he and Vladimir looked alike. “I’m not,” he started, but thankfully Anica ran right over him.
“This is our half-brother we never knew until a few days ago, Renny!”
“Excuse me?”
Anica giggled. “You two will get along well! You already sound alike.”
Renier did not look pleased with that prospect and Sorin could not exactly blame him.
Ani merely grinned, patting Sorin on the shoulder before bounding over and throwing herself into Renier’s arms, an expression of such pure joy that it abruptly hit him that, no matter how much else was fake in this castle, this - her and Renier - was not.
Diplomacy
Sorin spent a month in the castle. He and Vladimir, to perhaps no one’s surprise, did not hit it off well. Sorin instantly sensed something unsettled about his older half-sibling, and Vladimir did not trust him, not that he ever took the time to try and find out.
He and Ani, on the other hand...As Sorin packed up his belongings to leave, he cursed himself for allowing her to worm her way into his heart. Now he felt a small bit of remorse for what was to come.
“Sorin?”
He looked up, seeing Ani standing in his doorway, a forlorn expression on her face. “Hey.”
“Are you sure you have to go?”
He nodded. “My father is ill and we don’t have any other family. I’m the only one who can go.”
“We could bring him here,” she said petulantly. “I could convince Vlad to.”
“I think your brother will be happy to see the back of me.”
Ani sighed. “I guess we’re not really your brother and sister, are we.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Ani,” Sorin said, looking up from his packing. “You’re great, really, and I’d love to spend more time with you, but things aren’t working out that way. I can try and come back, if my father gets better quickly.”
She frowned. “You always refer to him as your father.”
“So do you,” he pointed out.
“Most people aren’t like Edward Opalin,” Ani said and managed a small smile. “I wish you could stay.”
“Why don’t you come with me?” Sorin said, the impulsive words out before he could control himself. He had no idea what he would do if she took him up on it. Cavern Hall was home now.
She laughed, shaking her head. “You know I can’t, but thanks.”
He hesitated, wondering how far he could go, and chose his next words carefully. “Ani, if everything is about to explode, try and get yourself out, will you?”
Ani patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about me, Sorin,” she said, all smiles again. “I’ll be fine.”
He could only hope she was right.
Prosperity
Sorin had never taken much time to evaluate his life and realize how lucky he was, but during the long journey back to Cavern Hall, he had more than enough to think. Cavern Hall was not actually that far away, but he took a long route in case Vladimir had him followed.
One of the main things he realized was how lucky he was. Sure, his father was an asshole, but he had a son who adored him, had had a wife who had been the most wonderful person in Tira and now had a cause he believed in.
Ani, on the other hand, had none of those things, except the asshole father. On top of that, she had plainly gotten the short end of the stick with that brother of hers.
He finished setting up his camp the second evening and sat down, pursing his lips. “I wish there was something I could do for her,” he muttered out loud.
Despite lying awake half the night pondering that issue, he came up blank and decided that, for now, he would just have to focus on his own luck.
Maturity
He headed straight for Beau’s office upon arriving back at the camp. He ran into him halfway there, though, with Jez and Beau brightened. “Sorin! Welcome back! How long have you been back?”
“Just arrived,” Sorin said, hefting his bag. “I figured you’d want to hear about it.”
“Anything that we can do something about right away?” Beau asked.
“No...”
The leader smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Then go see your son first. We can talk after dinner, okay?”
“Dean will be excited to see you,” Jez added.
Sorin had no problem with that, and with a wave, he headed for the room where Dean was staying with Eva and Carrie. “Dad!” Dean yelled, tearing down the hall towards him as he turned the last corner to their room. It took Sorin a moment to realize that the almost four year old had just called him ‘dad’ and not ‘daddy’. Then his son connected and he automatically scooped the little boy up, hugging him.
“Hey, kiddo! I’ve missed you!”
“Missed you too, but Carrie and Eva are fun,” he announced, beaming and giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “And Carrie and I go to real school now and,” Dean continued excitedly and Sorin realized that the toddler he had left behind had somehow become a child.
He looked up, letting his son continue to spew information at him. “Thanks for taking care of him, Eva.”
She smiled. “Just good to have you back. Dean’s been a perfect angel.”
Carrie giggled, bouncing in place and tugging at her mom’s hand as she did. “Dean’s not an angel, Mom! He’s trouble like me.”
Eva laughed. “Very true. You caught me.”
Sorin grinned and forced himself to push thoughts of Anica Opalin out of his mind. This was where his home, and his family, was now.
Wisdom
“So it’s mostly Vladimir?”
“Almost fully. I think Ani’s only there because she has nowhere else to go. Her brother is all the family she has.”
“Besides you,” Beau pointed out gently.
Sorin frowned at his desk, listening to Jez gently kick her heels against the desk. It had not surprised him to find out that Jez and Beau had had a meeting of the minds and were now an item. “I won’t lie to you,” he said finally. “I liked Ani...Anica. She’s a good person and she and your brother...they are obviously head over heels for each other.”
Beau sat back, regarding him pensively. “Yes, so you said.” He quickly held up a hand. “I don’t doubt you, Sorin. I’m just not sure what to do with it. I didn’t even know Renier was alive until you just told me. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do, Beau,” Jez said. “This might be an instant when we just need to let things play out how they will. There’s nothing else to do about it. Do you agree, Sorin?”
“I think, in this instance, wiser words have not been spoken,” he said. As much as Beau and I both hate it.
Respect
He had no trouble settling back into his usual routine, taking back his office, which Beau and the others he had roped into helping were only too glad to let him do so. The first thing he noticed was that one of his favorite informants had been asking about him. ‘Col’ was a good guy, although he sometimes sounded kind of young to Sorin, so he worried about him. However, he had proven himself resourceful and to have a high ability to ferret out information that would come from other sources as much as months later.
Hey, CH - that stood for Cavern Hall, a fitting title that would fool anyone who might intercept it, at least in theory - don’t tell me my usual pal isn’t there. What if I don’t want to talk to you? Don’t tell me I’m full of it either, because I know his style and handwriting. Bring back the good guy. -Col.
Col, no worries, I’m back. Just had a few things to take care of so friends were in charge. What’s new? -CH
CH-lots. Movement around Greensward spells trouble. Not to mention the fact rumors abound out of the castle about a third sibling. Weird, eh? -Col
Sorin had to chuckle at that. At least those rumors would dissipate now. And maybe it would keep some people who they needed to keep occupied out of their face at the same time. He paused before jotting off another note, wondering if he should write his father - that would be the first since Diana had died - and warn him that there was a chance Vladimir Opalin might come poking around before deciding that he just wanted to be a fly on the wall if it happened. He had no doubt that his father would do his very best to kill Vladimir like he had been unable to do with their father. Maybe it would solve all their problems.
He could only hope.
Beauty
Sorin sat next to Eva outside Cavern Hall. It was a quiet morning and they had not had issues with the Opalins in some time, so Beau had given permission for the kids, those who had trouble sometimes with being inside all the time, to head out and play. Sorin and Eva had both volunteered with the responsibility of keeping an eye on the little ones. There were four besides their two children, but they were all older and were ranging further, often with an older sibling or parent.
Dean and Carrie were still running around whooping and dancing, trying to catch butterflies and chasing birds from tree to tree.
Sorin could not tear his eyes away.
“Dean, Dean, look at this,” Carrie exclaimed, crouching down by a small pink flower.
The just four year old bounded over and plopped himself beside her, reaching for the flower.
She slapped his hand away. “Dean,” she scolded, “you’re gonna hurt it.
”
“Am not!” he said righteously. “I just wanna touch it.”
“Well don’t.”
“Fine. It’s an ugly flower an’ I’m gonna go find a better one.”
Eva glanced at Sorin, both of them amused.
“Don’t be silly, Dean,” Carrie said, totally unperturbed by the slightly older boy’s attempt to annoy her. “It’s the most prettiest flower ever. I wanna color it.”
Dean paused, halfway into getting up and examined the flower with a new, critical eye. “Dad could carve it, I think. He’s gonna teach me when I’m five,” he added, a fact that Sorin had never told him nor promised. In fact, he was planning on waiting until Dean was as old as possible before handing him a knife of any kind.
“Well,” Carrie said thoughtfully, “I can color it now.”
Dean, ever active, now hopped up and grabbed her hand. “C’mon, Carrie, you can color later, but now it’s time to play!”
Carrie hesitated but Dean’s enthusiasm was too great. “Okay,” she said, finally, hopping up and returning to their romping.
Sorin wanted to the moment to last forever.
Faith
It is hard some days. Some days it seems like such an uphill struggle that they will never manage to accomplish anything. Then he gets up, and he goes outside the small room he and Dean share, and he seems hope. There is life there, maybe only a hundred and fifty of them, right now, but they stand for not just themselves, but for all of those out there who have had themselves stomped on by Vladimir Opalin. He cannot even count Ani into that equation any more - and her predicament weighs on him each day.
He hears a respond from Col, which reinforces that they have allies out there, that people are rooting for them. He meets Jay, a young man with a sunny disposition but a determination to follow through to the end. He watches Dean continue to grow and flourish in an unusual situation.
It is these things that remind him of what is important. There is a future. There is a chance and they just have to wait for that critical moment and take advantage of it.
When they do, he will do his best to keep Ani out of the fire. To try and allow her and Renier to have all the happiness they sorely deserve. He will keep his son from the bloodshed and then show him what it is like to have a real and normal life.
One day, it will all be over.