Adam began to work, having almost fotten that he had taken on a set of new orders from the previous year. Lyka Bael back to the business, with some minor trouble.

  “You lost the bet and now you want to hang out in the Front Iyr?” Adam asked, judging him with his eyes. “Do you see this, Jirot? You and I are w so hard, but this guy, we beat him up, and now he doesn’t want to work?”

  Jirot tutted at him, causing him to retreat back to the business, with Lucy, Mara, and even Jurot.

  “W?” Jirot accused the half elf, with her brows pointing upwards.

  “I will take a day off on the seventh, like always,” Adam assured, pnting a kiss on her forehead, befoing to ent.

  Jirot pouted, but allowed her father to go, since he allowed her to read to him every night. They even pyed Warriors and Wanderers, with the children rolling their little wooden dice their uncle had crafted for them.

  The days passed like this, with Adam trying to uand his p the world. He kept his stress to himself as he ented.

  ‘He’s probably not going to stick around to kill me, right? What am I thinking, he didn’t e all this way just to not kill me. Still, he seems to have some work up north? Does that mean we’ll get to meet him again? Should I try and talk to him, tell him I won’t mess around any more?’

  The waters around Adam were turbulent once more, but the half elf exhaled out his worries. ‘At least the baby should be born fine.’

  Adam met the girl’s eyes. She was so small still, and her hazel eyes and dark hair matg her mother’s. Adam tickled her nose, causio squeal. “You smelly girl, you worried so much back then, and now you’re ag all cute?”

  “Daddy, it is time for reading,” Jirot said, holding her book against her chest, waiting for her father to follow her.

  “Of course, my dear.” Adam carried Virot to the side where all the other children had gathered, most of whom Adam didn’t reise. Damrot y within a basket to one side, where a teen Iyrman from another family watched over the boy. Adam sat beside the Iyrman, who slowly nodded her head, the half elf returning the nod.

  “She reads so well,” Okvar said, dropping down beside Adam.

  “Yeah,” Adam said, fshing a small smile to the Iyrman, whose head had been shaved bald, his thick beard c his tusks. “She does.”

  Okvar listeo the girl as she read so fidently, her brother sitting beside her, sometimes reading out portions himself, though the boy often gowards his father and Okvar. Okvar smiled at the boy, who had been so small when he was first born, he had fit within the Iyrman’s hand. He recalled the feeling of the boy’s skin against his chest, those weak breaths against his chest.

  Ohey were done reading and listening, the children scattered bae. Okvar picked up Damrot’s basket, dismissing the teen with a smile, before esc Adam and his children bae. He remained silent on the walk home, pg the basket to one side, o the boy’s mother, who smiled and thanked him. Okvar bowed his head simply iurn before he stepped away, still half in thought about what to say.

  “Adam?” Okvar called out. “Okay?”

  “…” Adam nodded his head.

  Okvar bowed his head iurn and walked off. Adam had already gohrough a simir experience before, but this time it was different. This time, Adam had a family to worry about, and unlike Okvar, he was no Iyrmahought of the twins, who were so full of life. ‘You have both grown so well.’

  “You met with him?” Rasam asked once she pleted her rounds.

  Okvar eyed up the woman, who had gained some weight siheir st outing together, though most of it fuelled the objects she lifted every m. “I did.”

  ‘Should I go too?’ Rasam thought, before dismissing the thought. ‘He will ime alone.’

  Once Adam was done enting his on, he began work on enting the shields. ‘I still o ent my on, but I should focus on paying my debts first.’

  However, once he finished enting the shields, he took the week off for the festival. The Front Iyr was full of life, the musi the distance providing a gemosphere, while Adam walked around with his children.

  Kred at the basket from afar. She held the little pouch full of beans, those which would ter be used for fertiliser for the nd. She tossed it towards the inner basket, though missed, instead managing to nd the pou a slightly rger basket outside. She stood tall, her tail swaying from side to side.

  “Haha!” the old one armed Iyrman shouted. “My greatdaughter is so good at throwing!”

  Konarot smiled shyly towards her babo, who had returned from his work. Her tailed swayed slightly once more as he tio praise her, and the rest of the children, even Karot who had missed the basket, and Larot, who didn’t even bother to participate. The old one armed Iyrman then fed his greatchildren, feeding them the pizza their father had introduced into the Iyr.

  “Jirot, Jarot,” Gangak called, feeding the pair from her fingers, each taking a bite of the bread.

  Otkan sat silently beside them, watg over Larot and Virot, allowing Adam and Vonda to sit to one side.

  “Adam…” Vonda said.

  “What? It’s a husband’s romao feed his wife, you know?” Adam stated, holding up the fork of vegetables to his wife’s lips. Vonda returhe favour as the pair ate to one side, with Adam drinking milk aing bits of cheese, while Vonda drank the milk which had been ground out of oats.

  ‘I should really take you on more dates,’ Adam thought.

  It was a few days into the festival, when the childreaken to see the wrestling, that Adam and Vonda explored the festival. They walked through the side roads, finding many tired Iyrmen eajoying their peace. They picked up bits and pieces of food along the way, and accepted all the water and milk and juices given to them, while Adam refused any alcohol.

  “Vonda?”

  “Yes?”

  “How much money should I doo Life’s Rose?”

  “Whatever pleases you.”

  “We’ve got quite a bit of money after the Iyr refused to accept most of it,” Adam said, recalling just how much the Iyr had refused. “I mean, we have about… a lot. We should probably donate some of it to Life’s Rose and the other temples.”

  “How much did you wish to donate?” Vonda asked, uanding she couldn’t leave it so vague.

  “I don’t know, about ten thousand?” Adam said, as though it weren’t a princely sum. “What do you think?”

  Vonda held Adam’s hand, squeezing it gently. “You should donate some to Life’s Rose, and some to the other temples.”

  “Including the other Divioo?”

  “That would be best.”

  “The Lord of Order too?” Adam asked, a small frown upon his lips.

  “It may be best,” Vonda replied, unsure of how much that would soothe the Lord of Order, who certainly had it out for the half elf. She brushed along the back of his fienderly, feeling the softness of his fae skin, almost feeling the roughness of her own hands against them.

  “Okay, but most of it is going to Mother Soza, then Baktu, then Lady Arya.”

  “It is your…” Vonda paused, realising the mistake she made. “Okay, darling.”

  “Do you think flirting with me will make me fet about what you were about to say?” Adam asked, before he scooted closer. “You know me so well, darling.”

  Vonda rested her head against his shoulder, holding his hands as the pair rexed together.

  While the pair flirted, Jurot sat beside Pam, who stared at the sky. She thought about the first time the pair had met, about five years ago, in Red Oak where he brought bread from her. He had been younger, leaner, with longer hair. He had trimmed it down slightly every so often, and each time he did, the cut was slightly shorter tha. He had been a fresh, baby faced adventurer, and now he was someone who had sin a dragon, hydras, and had won two tours. She was a baker then, and she was a baker now.

  “Thank you for calling my father to the Front Iyr,” Pam said, reag out to take his hand into her own.

  “Okay,” Jurot replied, before recalling the phrase he had been taught. “No problem.”

  “I was a little hesitant about all this, but you, and your brother, you both keep your word.”

  “I am an Iyrman, and my brother does not lie,” Jurot replied simply.

  Pam smiled, squeezing his hand again, before staring at it. Those hands were different to her own. They were rough, coarse, calloused from years of his profession as an Iyrman.

  “Do you find it fortable in the Iyr?” Jurot asked.

  Pam raised her brows in surprise, before smiling slightly. “A little. I prefer the business.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s not as… scary.”

  “Is the Iyr scary to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “It should not be scary to you, but the world.”

  “I e from the world which finds the Iyr scary.”

  “You are noart of the Iyr.”

  “Am I?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not sure if I be.”

  “You are,” Jurot replied, as though that was the end of the matter. Even now, if the Great Elders wished to do anything to Pam, they would o gh him and the rest of the Rot family.

  Pam smiled, squeezing his hand again, before bringing it up to her cheek. She watched as her husband’s ears turned red and she smiled. “You’ve gained a little weight.”

  “I will train more.”

  “I don’t mind it.”

  “Okay.” Jurot gnced aside, having lost to his wife so easily.

  “Is it still dangerous for your brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you be staying here all year?”

  “No. We will be leaving soon.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “North.”

  “Isn’t that where… Starsword?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will it be dangerous.”

  “It is always dangerous.”

  Pam sighed, before iwining their fiogether. “I will pray for your safety, and your brother’s.”

  “I will bring him back safely,” Jurot stated.

  “Then I will pray you grow stronger.” Pam rested her head against his shoulder.

  Jurot didn’t want to tell her that her prayers would send greater foes to him to make him stronger, only increasing the ce for their death. “Okay.”

  When did our Jurot bee so shy? How cute.