Lanarot giggled wildly as her extended family swarmed her, flooding her with attention. The young girl babbled excitedly towards her family, all the while they showered her in gifts, handing her strips of coloured cloth, leather, and more.
Adam glanced around, noting the children all around, including another young boy, one who had been born after Lanarot. He nodded his head to the boy, who hid within his mother’s bosom, before looking back at Adam. For the boy’s sake, Adam looked aside.
The Half Dragon triplets remained at Adam’s side, while Adam carried his twins within his arms. He let them down in the corner, so they could play in the little area for little babies. He noted there were other newborn babies here too, those who were no doubt born around the same time as Gurot and the others.
‘Did the Iyr ask everyone to make babies?’ Adam asked, before taking a seat to one side. He watched as Lanarot was pampered by her extended family, wondering if the other children were also pampered similarly.
“Mama,” Lanarot called, pointing at the nearby food. “Bwead.”
“She’s so…” Adam sighed. “She really is growing too quick, Jurot.”
“Yes.” Jurot looked down to Adam, wondering if they would repeat the conversation from earlier. “She is two now.” The words struck him by surprise. He had watched her grow, as Adam had. They would leave on their adventures and return to see someone completely different. He remembered how small she had been when she was born, and how much she would cry. He emptied his mind, not wanting to think about how quickly she was growing up.
“What did you get her for her birthday?” Adam asked.
“I carved a wooden figure,” Jurot admitted.
“Is it made of a special wood?”
“It was from wood gifted to me when I was younger.” Jurot paused. He wondered if he should mention that it was from his father, but his throat clogged up, and he was unable to say more.
“I made an axe, and I thought I should give it to her,” Adam admitted.
“That is a good gift.”
“Well, yeah, but…” Adam recalled the previous gifts he had given to her. A magical axe, and twilight fox core, and now a mundane axe? ‘I probably shouldn’t say it’s a poor gift in case he feels bad.’ “I hope she’ll…” Adam squinted. “No, wait. I don’t want her to grow up. Why am I giving her an axe?” Adam rubbed his eyes.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?” called a voice. It was a dark skinned man, well built, with dark hair and green eyes. At his side was a sword, one which had been gifted to him, and named after him in a moment of exhaustion.
“Dunes,” Adam said, standing to greet the Aswadian Priest. Following him was Sir Vonda, Priest of Life, as well as the thickly built Nobby, and Jonn, the other Half Elf. “Vonda, Nobby,” Adam continued, hesitating for a moment, before continuing. “Jonn.”
Dunes looked to the girl, who was stuffing her face full of bread, eating from the fingers of her relatives. “She’s grown so much.”
Adam winced, sitting down in his corner. “Don’t remind me.”
“She truly loves bread,” Vonda said, taking a seat beside Adam. She wore a mace at her side, and a shield at her back, which she unstrapped to sit comfortably. A scarf hid the lower half of her face and neck, as always.
“She loves bread like I love offending monsters,” Adam said. “I feel like she isn’t as chubby as she should be.”
“She is round enough.” Dunes chuckled. “She can’t be too round, in the Iyr…” He paused, recalling the few Iyrmen who were not lean and muscular, and instead were round and muscular.
Lanarot eventually napped alongside the twins, while the younger babies were taken elsewhere. Meanwhile, the group of adults gathered together, sharing drinks and food, chatting about this and that.
“Unless it’s an emergency, I’d like a week’s notice before we leave for our adventuring,” Adam finally said, broaching the topic he was dreading. “This year doesn’t have any time limits to return, though I…”
Jurot could see Adam realise the problem he had. It was the most obvious problem, something Adam should have figured out long ago.
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“Wait a second. Jurot, we can’t return back for the twins’ birthdays, can we?”
“No,” Jurot replied, affirming Adam’s suspicions.
Adam sighed, leaning back in his chair. He didn’t want to miss it, his twins’ first birthday, not when he hadn’t missed his triplets’ first birthday. “Damn.” Adam inhaled deeply, shaking his head. “Damn. Damn. Damn. What the hell am I meant to do? I…”
“You could ask the Chief for permission,” Jurot offered.
“There’s no way he’d allow something so stupid,” Adam said, shaking his head. “I heard he didn’t even let the King inside the Front Iyr.”
“Is it stupid to you?”
“No.”
“You should speak with him.”
Adam sighed again. ‘Should I?’ He looked to his sister, and the twins beside her. “Alright. I’ll go and speak with him.” Adam wasted no time in leaving the family estate, his triplets making to follow him. “You can’t…” Adam saw the pouts on their faces.
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D20 + 1 = 7 (6)
“How could I refuse you, my little babbies?” Adam asked, dropping down to embrace them one by one, kissing their cheeks.
The Chief was an older man, with long hair dyed red, though there were white streaks which broke the sea of red. He was clean shaven, with a strong jaw, a wide, flat nose, and small eyes. He was lean for an older man, carrying at his side a longsword at his side, made from a fusion of bone and metal. There were new wrinkles on his forehead, those of stress.
“Good afternoon, Chief,” Adam called.
“I thought you would be enjoying your sister’s birthday,” the Chief replied, his voice like ash, airy, with little substance.
“Yeah, well, that’s partly why I’m here to talk to you,” Adam said, clearing his throat. He looked down to Konarot, who met his eyes, before he returned his attention back to the Chief. “My children are cute, aren’t they?”
“They are.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Adam said, trying to figure out the angle he wanted to use. ‘No, I can’t do that against him. I should be serious since Elder Story isn’t here.’ “Sorry, that’s not why I’m here. No, well, it is, but in, you know, a way that’s related, but it’s not that.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve been working pretty hard recently.”
“Yes. Elder Zijin has informed me that you are, still, working hard.”
“Right. So I was thinking that, if I left the Iyr while its gates were closed… could I come back for my children’s birthday? Jirot and Jarot, the twins, are going to have their first birthday near the middle of the year, in duskval.”
Chief Iromin wondered how he didn’t guess it would be about that. Of course, since it was Adam, he would be stressing about that sort of thing.
It was such an Adam question to ask.
The Chief remained silent for some time. “If you are at the village around the time of your children’s birthday, an Iyrman will guide you to the Iyr, and you may return for your children’s birthday.”
“Really?” Adam asked. He couldn’t help but be surprised at how easily Iromin had agreed.
“Yes.”
“Sweet. You’re the best, Chief.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah, that was it. I really do appreciate that, Chief.” Adam ruffled the triplets’ hair. “Say thank you to the Chief.”
The children looked up at the Chief for a moment, before going to hug his leg, before returning to their father. Iromin restrained his smile, glad that he had overruled the other Great Elders in using Adam’s children against him.
“There may be a way for you to remain within the Iyr and grow stronger,” Iromin said. “You could leave after your children’s birthday.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Or you could return on their birthday, and stay within the Iyr after,” Iromin said.
“Stronger?”
“All will be revealed once you give your word,” Iromin said.
“I’ll have to do it after their birthday, but I’m not sure,” Adam admitted. “I’ve… I’ve got a lot of promises I need to keep for this year.”
Iromin bowed his head, allowing Adam to leave. He would need to speak with the Great Elders to inform them of the situation with Adam’s return. He shouldn’t have made such a promise when the Iyr was going through an unprecedented time, but to have Adam owe them for something like that, it was a great deal.
“He says it’s okay,” Adam said, returning back to the extended family estate, wearing his triplets.
Dunes threw Jurot a look, who had won the small bet, a bet made for bragging rights. “Remind me not to bet against Adam again.”
“I will,” Jurot said. “We spoke of when to leave, Adam. We should leave on the fifteenth.”
“The fifteenth?” Adam asked, letting his children dismount him, before he was free to sit. “I knew we were going to leave so soon, but…”
“We should work from dawnval until midway through duskval,” Jurot said. “So you may return to the Iyr.”
“Aren’t you going to come too?” Adam asked.
“We should not worry the Chief,” Jurot said.
“You missed my triplets’ first birthday, and now this?” Adam asked. “You didn’t even celebrate our birthdays together. You even said you were coming back early this year, but you didn’t.”
“I said I would return during the first month,” Jurot replied.
“I’ll let it slide this time since it’s Lanarot’s birthday,” Adam said, tutting quietly. Adam glanced around at the others, wondering how to tease them.
“If we are going to work through noonval, perhaps we should speak with Sir Landon?” Dunes offered.
“Sir Landon?” Adam asked. “Ah, the tournament?”
“Yes.” Jurot let slip a hint of excitement.
“Isn’t there also the whole roaming beast thing with the band of mercenaries?” Adam asked. “Something about the Great Twilight? Am I making things up?”
“We could join a group towards East Port,” Jurot confirmed.
“Right, right, and then we need to find the enchanting shrine. Then there’s the matter of your friend, Dunes, and…” Adam leaned back in his chair. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Dunes bowed his head, glad Adam had remembered about his friend. “Thank you, Adam.”
“Any time.”
With the group confirming their year, they continued to enjoy the birthday together. Adam decided to let go of his thoughts, taking the day off from stressing about life.