NARRATOR POV
Ariel pants as he tries to catch up to his father as they make their way through a familiar route he hasn't in two years. Ether glances back at his son, who was following behind closely but was tired. They made their way through the forest for hours before stopping at a familiar clearing, taking a brief rest before they continued on their way. Hours before nightfall, the familiar cottage where he stayed as a child comes into view as his mom waits patiently at the door. As they both made their way to the door, Circe met them meters before the door, pulling her son in a tight hug as she ran her hand through his hair. Ariel returns the hug happily before they all make their way inside the cottage.
Nighttime comes quickly as Ariel makes his way to his room, collapsing on the soft bed he hasn't had the pleasure of using in two years. He quickly drifts off to sleep as his tense muscles relax against the soft bed, leaving him completely defenseless. Areil didn't get to rest much before he was woken by loud bangs against his house door. He pushed himself off the bed and made his way down the stairs, where his parents stood across from a middle-aged man reading from a scroll. It was not even daybreak yet. The anger in his father's eyes told him he was not the only one agitated about the disturbance. The look on Circe's face was complex, mixed with joy and a hint of vulnerability. Ariel had only seen it when he woke up from his coma. After a little contemplation, Ariel decides to join his parent on the at the door. The middle-aged man finishes what he was reading from the scroll before he notices Ariel standing next to Circe as she runs her hand through his hair subconsciously. The man took a subconscious step back as his eyes met with Ariels before he bowed slightly to Circe and turned on his heel.
Ether slammed the door shut, causing the hinges to shake, before Circe shot him a glare, which earned her a sigh as he made his way back up the stairs, obviously to continue his sleep. "What does the man want?" Ariel's voice earned Circe's attention, causing her eyes to stop trailing her husband's movement and settle on her son. She knelt in front of him as she ran her hand through his hair. "Nothing your father can't fix," she murmured as she pulled at strands of his hair. "We should probably do something about your hair, else it will start getting in your eyes," she muttered as she stood up, taking his hands in her pull him along as she made her way up the stairs to his room. She helped him get into bed properly as he dozed off for the second time. Circe placed a soft kiss on his head before exiting the room as she returned to join her husband in their own room.
As the sun filtered through the window into Ariel's room, he stirred slightly, trying to get the sun out of his face. He turned for several minutes before getting up, his hair falling slightly over his shoulders, covering a huge percentage of his forehead. A sigh escapes Ariel's lips as he pushes himself to clean up and put on a new set of clothes his mom got him during his years away. After a few minutes, he finally appears at their dining table, where Circe and Ether were already in a discussion. He shrugs as he mutters his greetings, settling down beside Ether, who just spares him a glance, then returns his focus to his wife, who was beaming at her son, seeing the cloth she had. carefully picked for him, fitted perfectly. "Ariel, how about we go shopping today? You've grown out of your old clothes, so it would be a great idea to get new ones. Plus, you have to cut your hair; we could do all that today." Circe stated as she passed a plate of food over to Ariel, a smile never leaving her face. Ariel eagerly met her gaze as he hummed at her suggestion, causing her to giggle at how excited he was. Ether finished his food first as he excused himself from the table.