“It’s going to be okay,” Adam whispered into Vonda’s ear, holding her hand. They sat to one side, in the shadows of the shared estate, each sipping their fvoured water, having fiheir meal of potatoes and eggs.

  Vonda gnced aside to her husband, iwining her fingers with his. Since when had her husba such a keen eye upon her?

  No, that was a silly statement, si was Adam.

  The real question was when did he learn to read her so well?

  They watched the Family Heads greet the children, the nearby Heads already familiar to the childreo Sonarot often taking them out to py with the children of the other estates. They had all accepted that Sonarot viewed them as her own grandchildren, as was her right, though it was only now that many had e to accept the children as Children of the Iyr.

  “Everything is ging,” Vonda whispered, squeezing his hand.

  “Yeah.”

  “I think it is for the better,” Vonda said, but there was something else within her voice. An apprehension for the unknown.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Adam repeated, slowly nodding his head. He gnced aside to her, taking in the sight of her face for a moment, stopping himself from itting her faory so obviously, and instead gnced down towards her stomach, reag down to rub it gently, feeling the movement within. “Are they still kig?”

  “They are.”

  “How could you do that, you silly boy, you silly girl, how you kiother like that?” Adam cooed to the stomach, feeling the movement against his hand. “Oh dear, oh dear, what a fool of a father I am, riling you up.”

  Vonda rested her head against Adam’s shoulder, inhaling deeply as she dealt with the sharp pain of their child moving so harshly withiomach. She was ner to blog out the pain, though usually she was able to use her magic to heal herself, but with a child, it was awkward to use any magic.

  Pam stared at the young woman from nearby, wearing a b over her shoulders, while her husband whittled away nearby, blowing the wood to one side, colleg the scraps and dust into a basket. He remained pletely engrossed within his work, having shut off the world. Her eyes theo the children, who remained with their grandmother, and were showered iention of the various Iyrmen around. Little Jarot, who was so sweet ale, and used to love her bread, and Larot, who remained eerily silent.

  “Okay?” called a gruff voice from beside her.

  The young woman jolted slightly, gng aside to the one armed, one legged Iyrman, who called the young woman his granddaughter. “Okay…”

  “Do not be afraid to speak,” Jarot said, the old man sipping his milk, this milk more sour than any other milk he had drunk before, even though he had caused so much trouble for it.

  “Okay…” Pam gnced aside to her father, who had retly returned back to the Main Iyr, though sat awkwardly to one side, unsure of what he should do. He had returned in order to remain near Pam for the birth of his sed grandchild, but the thoughts of his face also focused on what to do in this situatioared at the children, with their green skin and amber eyes, still unsure of how to treat them. It was ohing to marry into the Iyr and accept half dragons as family, but ao accept goblins and a demon.

  Pam pulled the b over herself. When she regnant the first time, the twins took such good care of her. Even during her current pregnancy, Jirot and Jarot made sure she was fortable, but now, when they needed her, what could she do?

  “What am I meant to say?” Bam eventually asked his daughter, his voice barely a whisper. “If it was Damrot, or Virot, I would uand, but…”

  “Just say what you would say if Virot was killed.”

  “She wouldn’t have been killed, she’s not…” Bam gnced aside slightly, shaking his head. He had half a mind to think the Iyrmen could hear him, but even so, he couldn’t help himself. “The Divine must be ughing at me.”

  “Would Lord Sozain ugh at you? Mother Soza?” Pam asked, her eyes gring at her father. “Adam’s children were killed. They’re Children of the Iyr now, I hear.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “They’re Iyrmen.”

  “Iyrmen? Iyrme…” Bam motioned a hand towards the children, who had been taken away to sleep. “No one uand an Iyrman’s thoughts.”

  “You should say your dolehey’re still my husband’s nephews,” the young woman stated firmly.

  Once Adam was done kissing his triplets goodnight, he carried Jirot and Jarot out to the nearby s, only to stop when he saw the tall, thickly built man. He had begun to grow a bit of a beard, the baker scratg it awkwardly.

  “Your, uh…” Bam swallowed, eyeing up the half elf. He had heard the tales of the young man and his brother, his own son in w. If someone had told him that Jurot was aiming to bee the Chief of the Iyr, it would have all made sehough of course, sidering his grandfather, it made sehat Jurot could kill a dragon. A dragonsyer, his own son in w? The baker gnced around the Iyr for a moment, avoiding the twins.

  The Iyr. It was home to tales that were borderline fantasy. The reason he was within this nd was because of Jurot marrying his daughter, but one of the driving forces behind such was the young man before him. The reason why his daughter possessed thousands of gold, was because of the half elf, who had paid the , even though Jurot could have spent the thousands of gold for the ridiculous dowry. He no longer had any worries for his daughter, who could live the rest of her life without worry of going hungry.

  Bam looked down to the children, the green skinned goblins, with their leaf shaped ears, their shy amber eyes looking back up towards him. Once, a pair of those eyes held great mischief, but now? Bam felt his throat tighten, trying to find the words.

  “Look,” Adam said, hoisting his children up slightly. “It’s Bam. Do you remember Bam?”

  “It’s Pam’s daddy,” Jirot replied, gng up at her father with a raised brow. “He is a baker.”

  “Isn’t my daughter so smart?” Adam pnted a kiss on her forehead. “How you be so smart?”

  “I remember,” the girl said, smiling slightly.

  “Aye, I bake,” Bam said. “I…” Bam threw a look to Adam, slowly bowing his head. “I just wao say… if you need anything baked, you ask me, and I will do what I for the children.”

  “I love kako’s bread, but your bread is oo,” Jirot said, giving him a thumbs up, the girl’s eyes so i and sweet.

  Bam smiled awkwardly, slowly nodding his head. “I taught my daughter well, then.”

  “I am daddy’s daughter, and daddy is not teag, he is always w.”

  Bam smiled slightly. “A father should work hard.”

  Jirot pouted, ling her head against her father’s shoulder, groaning lightly. “Daddy is so smelly.” The girl jolted up slightly staring up at her father, who leaned down to kiss her forehead.

  “Daddy is so silly, always w, but he’s w hard, right? So you should spoil daddy since he’s w hard,” Adam said, noting the guilt in his daughter’s eyes.

  “Daddy…” Jirot pouted.

  Bam gnced down at the boy, who was named after the one armed Iyrman who stood patiently nearby. “Good night.”

  “Good night,” little Jarot replied, also retreating to his father’s chest.

  Adam’s heart tio ache, even as the st days of the month passed, and they weled the sixth month of the year, the st month of noonval. He had spent his days with his children, pying dragonchess, pying wallball, drawing, reading with his twins, and just sitting aloh Larot, who was often with Jazool. She was too young to uand why he had been missing for a few days, or why the aura within the Iyr had ged.

  It was the st evening of the month, and while the one armed Jarot spoiled the twins, speaking of his tales, not mentioning ahs, but rather speaking of all the figures he had met, from Fme Bde to even the likes of the Vianders of the various Orders, Adam sat beside his you son. The red skinned boy blinked sleepily, thinking of nothing in particur.

  “If there’s anything you need, let me know,” Adam whispered, rubbing the boy’s back gently. “I wish I could py with you all more. To walk the fields, lifting you up to my chest because you got tired. To kick the ball against a wall, and bring the cup of water to your lips because you’re parched. To draw alongside you, making sure you dohe vibrant crayons. To read to you, until you finally yawn, and I put you to bed. I wish I could give you all the life you deserve.”

  The silence apahe pair into their thoughts.

  Elder Zijin hadn’t expected him so soon, upoart of the sixth month. It was too soon, and the half elf had not yet spoken to the people he o speak to. Even so, the half elf approached the Elder, who had already prepared it.

  “No Churot?” Adam asked, noting the Elder was alone.

  “No,” Zijin replied. “You are ready?”

  “I’ve given Asorot his gift,” Adam firmed, taking his seat opposite the Elder, smiling sadly. “This isn’t the kind of thing I be ready for.”

  What is he ready for?