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Cale leans back on pillows plied high against the headboard and reads by lamp light. It is so late at night that some would argue it is already morning. On, Hong, and Raon are all snuggled in around him and are sleeping fitfully. Outside a storm rages wildly.
In their sleep On and Hong finch at ever roll of thunder. It’s no surprise really, the two kittens never sleep well on nights like this. From what Cale had gathered it was the result of a particularly frightful experience with a storm at sea back when they had stowed away on a ship while escaping the eastern continent. The experience was also the source of their fear of open water.
He hopes the storm will pass soon so that they can rest more easily.
Even as he has the thought a particularly loud crash of thunder wakes all three of the children.
Cale doesn’t even have to look up from his book to know that they are awake, he had felt how they had all flinched before huddling closer to him.
Sighing he sets down the book and strokes both of the kittens fur.
“It’s only a storm. You can go back to sleep.”
Raon crawls into his lap, unknowingly getting between Cale and the discarded book in the process.
“Human that was loud!”
“Yes. “ Cale answers as he extracts his book from under the little dragon. “It’s loud because the storm is close right now. It should move past us soon.”
On and Hong both get up from their former positions and move closer to Raon. Obviously they will not be drifting back off as he had hoped.
Everyone jumps as lightning flashes and the thunder rolls again just as loud as the last time.
‘I suppose this is better than watching them flinching in their sleep like before.’
Cale reflects as Raon exclaims
“Human I think this storm is even louder than the first one!”
Cale nods, remembering what Raon meant by “the first one”.
Raon was referring to the first thunder storm he had experienced after being rescued from the cave where he had been imprisoned for the first four years of his life.
That storm had hit late at night too. It was shortly after the plaza bombing incident and the time Raon, having lived for so long deep underground, had no context for what a storm was. Add to that ignorance the reactions of two traumatized kittens…
Cale had been completely caught of guard when he suddenly found himself with a bed full of distressed children as a large thunder storm had swept through the Roan kingdoms capital.
To her credit, On really had tried reassure the little dragon and her brother. It was just that her own bad memories and subsequent fear of severe storms kept undermining her assurances that there was nothing to worry about. The boys had gotten more and more work up as they fed off of each other’s reactions. Meanwhile On had become overwhelmed and increasingly distressed by her own inability to calm them. Raon and Hong, misinterpreting her distress, had in turn become even more upset and less receptive to her reassurances.
In the end Cale had been awakened by the frantic Raon and trembling Hong. While On, who had had hung back, had practically been in tears from the frustration and stress of the whole situation.
It had fallen to him to calm down the children and give an impromptu lesson on the physics of thunder storms to the four year old Raon. It has taken at least two hours before he had managed to get everyone to settle down enough to go back to sleep.
“Human you should us sing the song from then!”
On and Hong instantly start nodding agreement with Raon suggestion.
Cale sighs again. There had also been that.
During Raon’s first storm he had made the mistake of singing one of the many lullabies Kim Min Ah used to sing for her baby. After the birth of her child she had developed a habit of occasionally singing lullabies when she was at work. Most of the team had families of their own by then, so no one batted an eye at how easily such a song could get stuck in her head.
The situation with the children back then had reminded Cale of the song Min Ah had called ‘A lullaby for stormy nights’. He had decided to sing it on a whim, more as a bribe to get the children back to bed than anything else.
Min Ah’s song hadn’t actually been Korean so he figured it should be alright. Besides English had enough similarities with the language of this world that the song should translate well enough.
What Cale hadn’t considered was how much of an impression the song might leave on someone who hadn’t had much exposure to music before, or to bring comforted in moments of distress for that matter. Thanks to his oversight, Raon had developed an unfortunate habit of requesting songs late at night during moments like this.
Thankfully, the children had all seemed to understand that there was a time and place for such requests. Cale had so far been spared dealing with the others reactions to to learning that their notorious trash like young master was singing lullabies to a dragon.
Three expectant sets of eyes watch him waiting to see what his answers to the request would be.
The window pains rattle as thunder booms outside. As one, the three children flinch at the sudden sound. Seeing the reactions Cale given in.
He can sing for them if it means that they will stop acting so pitifull.
In his head he recalls the record of Kim Min Ah’s lullaby and starts singing along.
“Little child, be not afraid
The rain pounds harsh against the glass
Like an unwanted stranger
There is no danger
I am here tonight”
His voice is decent enough. He wouldn’t be winning any awards but it was pleasant enough to listen to. Back then Kim Min Ah had sung the song beautifully but she was a soprano so the real notes of the song are far out of his vocal range. Instead of trying to match the notes from his memory he just follows the general shape of the song as and sings in a range that feels more comfortable.
“Little child
Be not afraid
Though thunder explodes
And lightning flash
Illuminates your tearstained face
I am here tonight”
The three children smile and snuggle closer together as he reaches the chorus. He doesn’t even attempt to jump to the higher notes and instead continues to sing in basically the same key as before.
“And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
On forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning”
To the children listening the sound of the storm raging outside seem to fade farther into the background as they focus on their humans voice.
Outside the door of their room a servant stands frozen in place, eyes wide with surprise. The surprise on Ron’s faces is quickly replaced with a slightly wider than usual smile as he continues listening to the sounds coming from inside.
“Little child
Be not afraid
The storm clouds mask your beloved moon
And its candlelight beams
Still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight”
Ron had long ago picked up on the fact that the kittens disliked storms, that was why he had decided to check on them after seeing that a faint light was still coming out from under the young masters door. Cale sometimes had a habit of falling asleep without putting out his light. On a night like this it was a perfect excuse for checking on the children. Ron never dreamed that he might stumble across something like this!
“Little child
Be not afraid
The wind makes creatures of our trees
And the branches to hands
They're not real, understand
I am here tonight”
It had been years since the last time Ron had heard Cale singing anything besides tunes from rudest collection of drinking songs. It was a habit Cale had thankfully cast aside when he decided to stop acting like trash.
‘And now he singing a lullaby like this on a stormy night?’
The thought makes Ron’s grin grow even wider as the song continues from the other side of the door.
“And someday you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
On forest and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning”
‘Such precious lyrics’
It occurs to Ron that he really can’t place the melody. He had been by Cale’s side for most of this young man life. In all that time he had never once heard this song before.
‘Did he learn it from his mother?’
As he wonders that there is a subtle shift in the music and the tone of the song as becomes more reflective.
The grin start fading from Ron’s face as he registers the lyrics of the next verse.
“For you know, once even I
Was a little child
And I was afraid
But a gentle someone always came
To dry all my tears
Trade sweet sleep for fears
And to give a kiss goodnight”
Inside the room Cale is blissfully oblivious to Ron’s bitter reflections while listening to that particular verse of the song. The song, which Ron now presumes Cale learned at a young age from his deceased mother.
Contrary to Ron’s expectations, the current Cale Henituse feels nothing from singing the lyric besides a brief moment of bitterness over the years three children around him hadn’t had a proper parental figure like the one the song was describing.
They should have been allowed to grow up showered in love the way Kim Min Ah’s kid would be.
The bitter moment passes quickly though as Cale notices that, while the storm continues to rage outside just as violently as before, the children barely react to the sound the of the thunder now.
“Well, now I am grown
And these years have shown
Rain's a part of how life goes
But it's dark and it's late
So I'll hold you and wait
'til your frightened eyes do close”
Outside in the hall there is an odd expression on Ron’s face. The look is soon replaced with the same smile from earlier when he hears a young voice suddenly join in with Cale as he sings. It takes a moment to recognize the new voice as belonging to On. He has never heard her sing before.
Her voice is clear and bright. She is obviously familiar enough with this song to be confident in singing along with Cale.
It dawns on Ron in that moment that lullabies like this must be a more common occurrence than he would have expected.
Inside the room Cale, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected duet, offers On one of his rare smiles. The two continue singing, oblivious to the hidden member of their audience.
“And I hope that you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
On forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Everything's fine in the morning”
With out warning On, Cale stops singing and lets her sing the next line alone as the song draws to an end.
“The rain will be gone in the morning”
It’s a bit of selfishness on his part. Even if it’s only brief he wants a record of just her voice singing.
On stops singing in surprise after noticing Cale hadn’t joined for the last line.
She is looking up at him expectantly, so without missing a beat Cale jumps back in and finishes the last line of the song alone.
“But I'll still be here in the morning”
Outside the bedroom door Ron can hear Raon and Hong’s softly cheering for the performance.
“Noona your voice is pretty!”
“You and our human should sing another one!”
“They are right On, you sing well. But I think that if it’s another song you want, than the three of you should sing one for me first.”
Cale voice is soft as he makes the suggestion and it has a gentle teasing tone that Ron has never heard him use anywhere before this moment.
Somehow that realization makes Ron feel as though he is trespassing on something private.
Tempting as it is to continue listening in, Ron forces himself to move away from the door.
Walking back down the hall Ron can just make out the soft sound of three children discussing which song to sing for their human flowing from inside the room.
Outside the windows the storm howls on.