“Nana, come, nana,” Jirot called, holding out her free hand hand, beckoning her grandmother with her fingers as though she wanted to fight. “Come, nana, come.”

Sonarot approached her granddaughter, who beckoned her down, before bringing a sliced peach to the woman’s lips.

“Is peach, okay? It so yummy and you can eat it, okay?” The girl said, before rubbing her stomach, an affirmative grunt escaping her lips.

“Thank you,” Sonarot said, brushing the girl’s hair.

The girl smirked, allowing her grandmother to brush her hair. “Nana!”

“Yes?”

“I do not like you!” the girl waited to see if she would get into trouble, her brows raised expectantly, before cackling as she bounced away on her tiny legs.

Sonarot swallowed the peach, noting the way the other children looked at her, each in shock. Even little Jarot was looking back towards her as he slowly shuffled away to follow Jirot, before Sonarot pointed for him to look forward, the boy pouting, thinking he was in trouble.

“Do you like me?”

“Yes!” the triplets replied, still in shock by her younger sister’s words, before Konarot hugged her grandmother’s leg. She stared up at her grandmother, still waiting expectantly to see what she would do. Kirot and Karot stared expectantly too, Karot slowly bringing a cup to his lips, his eyes wide like a deer in headlight.

Sonarot smiled, brushing their hair tenderly, before returning back to the others who were watching after the youngest children. The other younger children were currently too busy amongst themselves to be paying much attention, though she could feel the expectant gazes of the other adults around.

Sonarot did what Adam could not.

Keep her mouth shut.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Adam said, holding up a hand towards the Fourth Hope. “Hold your horses.”

‘Mine does not need to be held, for it is a magical steed.’

“We need to finish our checks first, so let’s take a moment.”

“We should leave earlier,” Hope Willow said, unsure of why they had waited so late in the day to leave. It was still a couple of hours before noon, but that was still far too late to be leaving the town.

“I appreciate your advice, but we’ve got our system, and it’s worked out so far.”

‘Were you not hunted by the Marquises’ guards?’ her look said.

‘That doesn’t count, I’m talking about preparing to leave without missing anything, obviously,’ his look replied.

“I’ve double checked the food,” Korin said.

“Okay,” Kitool replied, ticking off the little box.

“Arrows seem full,” John said.

“Okay,” Jaygak said, ticking off a box, before adding in the comment.

Seem full.

Once the list was checked, the Iyrmen handed it to one another, checking the other’s work, before checking the list together. With the list done, the group began to make their way out, the children in each of the wagons.

The Hope and Rays rode upfront, while Ray Vonda rode with the children up front, with Nobby and Fred, and Cobra and Julia. She kept Max beside her, her presence able to calm him somewhat, keeping him from constantly heaving.

‘I hope the journey goes well…’ Adam thought, sitting at the front of the wagon, beside Nirot. Every so often, Adam would freeze in place.

An owl flew overhead.

There were other birds flying too, especially within a distant land, tiny little birds which cheeped towards a little girl with tiny horns and silver hair.

“How she can say that?” Konarot asked. “She cannot, she cannot.”

“She cannot,” the bird replied affirmatively.

“You must watch, okay?”

“Okay.”

Unfortunately, Konarot had mostly forgotten about the matter a few hours later, up until she heard Jirot’s voice cut through the air.

“No! Not weading!” Jirot pointed up to her grandaunt. “Nana is weading to me.”

“Jirot, sit well, I will read,” Citool said.

“No! I will not! You, you are not weading to me! I want nana!” Jirot huffed, inhaling deeply, ready to cry.

“Jirot…”

“Jirot,” Sonarot called. “Bring the book you wish for me to read.”

Jirot stood up straight, a smile encroaching across her lips, before she darted away with Jarot.

“Will you spoil her today?” Mirot asked.

“She often sits and grumbles about her father,” Sonarot replied. “I will see if she continues to misbehave.”

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Jirot brought back a book, climbing onto Sonarot’s lap, opening the book. “Look, nana, look.” The girl pointed to a particular word. “Jiwoh. Is my name, nana, is my name, but it is not me, I am not in book, I am your lap, okay?”

“Yes,” Sonarot replied, brushing her hair, before beginning to read the tale to all the children in front of her, from Jarot to Inakan, though Inakan barely paid attention, busy focused on the piece of cloth before her, rubbing it against her face now and again.

Once the tale was spoken, the children made their way to eat dinner.

“Nana,” Jirot called, smirking up towards her nana. “I do not like you.” The girl cackled and rushed away, but stopped. “Nana, thank you, okay?” She gave the woman a thumbs up, before rushing away to eat.

“…”

‘Of course she is his daughter,’ Sonarot thought, glancing up towards the sky, the same sky which had already darkened miles away, where a group made their way southward.

“Of course she’s my daughter,” Adam said.

“You said she was cute, so how can she be your daughter?” Vasera replied, riding up beside the half elf. “This does not seem to make much sense.”

“She causes as much trouble as me, so of course she’s my daughter.”

“She sounds so intelligent.”

“That’s right, she is.”

“Then how can she be your daughter?”

“Vasera, you think I haven’t heard these jokes before? Who do you think I am? I’m Adam, you know? I’m Mister Boss, Mister Boss. My daughter’s going to be the best boss in the world, better than me, because she’s smart and cute, and she’s my daughter.”

Vasera let out a snort before riding away slightly.

“What do you mean, gruh?” Adam called out as she rode away. “Yeah, that’s right, that’s what I thought.”

“Adam,” Jurot called, his eyes towards the sky.

Adam followed his eyes to watch as something in the sky fell, burning from the heavens. “Whoa. Isn’t it coming awfully close to us?”

“Yes,” Jurot replied, noting its trajectory. “It may land a few miles away.”

“Should we go check it out?”

“We can,” Jurot said, motioning his head to the nearby wolves.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Jurot whistled, motioning his head for the others to ride their wolves and follow him out.

“You didn’t want to send us out?” Vasera asked. “Don’t trust us?”

“Of course I don’t trust you,” Adam said. “If you can’t understand the greatness of my children, then how can I trust you?”

Vasera cackled, the group continuing along their way until they found the outpost a short while away.

Fourth Hope Willow’s eyes remained glued to the half elf. She glanced around. ‘Three?’ Her eyes fell to Ray Vonda, who didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact Adam had cast three Third Gate spells, each to form a tower for them.

“Adam,” Jurot called, leading the wolf riders back, with a severely annoyed Lucy, though she avoided the gaze of the Hope and Rays, which often fell upon her.

“If you tell me you’ve found another kid I need to take as my own…” Adam began, eyeing up the bundle they had brought back.

“You do not need to take the child as my own.”

“I don’t need oxygen in my lungs, neither, but I would rather like not to die.”

“…”

“Considering how you’re carrying it, doesn’t look like a kid. What is it?”

“Nightsteel,” Jurot replied, revealing the small rock within the bundle. It was about the size of a fist, which no doubt caused a crater to form. “There were others which fell, but we left them.”

“Why did you leave them?”

“This one cannot be demanded of us since we have left some behind.”

“Is that how that works?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Cool. How good is nightsteel anyhow?”

“Aren’t you a smith?” Lucy joked.

“Yeah, well…” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just like that, right?”

“Right…”

“It is good.”

“Nice. Well, let’s put it in the cart.”

“Nightsteel is wonderful steel,” Fourth Hope said. She noted the way Adam was looking at her. “Yes?”

“No, no, continue…”

“…”

“…”

Hope Willow decided against saying anything else, not liking the annoyed look he held within his eyes. ‘What?’

As night crest over Aldland, the children were bathed by their elder siblings, while Fred watched over George. Fred recalled the way Adam had informed him previously of how to handle George. There was a threat within Adam’s eyes as he had spoken to Fred.

‘Let the kid wash himself, just make sure he doesn’t drown,’ Adam had said.

Fred wasn’t sure if Adam was trying to infer that he was going to do something untoward towards the boy, but the look in Adam’s eyes, and the intense pressure had caused his tongue to dry up. Ever since then, however, Adam had been rather polite and respectful, to the point Fred wasn’t sure if he had imagined it.

Night had already taken the Iyr so many miles to the west.

Jirot stared up at her grandmother, who had asked her to brush her teeth. As she was about to decline, she noted the look in her nana’s eyes, and decided against causing trouble, brushing her teeth lightly.

“Mama,” Lanarot called, holding up her brush, allowing her mother to help her brush the back of her teeth. Lanarot then went on to kiss and hug each of her nieces and nephews, making sure to say she loved each and every one of them, and they returned the sentiment.

Sonarot did the same, though one smirked up at her.

“I do not like you, nana.”

“Okay,” Sonarot replied, kissing her forehead, brushing her hair.

“Daddy coming back now?” Jirot asked.

“No.”

Jirot pouted. “I do not love daddy.”

“…”

“Jirot, no!” Konarot said.

Jirot huffed, before dropping into the corner, sucking her thumb, with her younger twin brother settling himself beside her, his eyes wide.

“I will speak to her later,” Sonarot assured the eldest of the siblings, ruffling her hair gently, feeling how cold she had become. She lifted Konarot up, holding the girl close to her chest. “Nana will deal with it, okay?”

“Okay…”

Sonarot nuzzled the girl’s neck gently before letting her down, allowing the children to sleep in their own corners. She also kissed Gurot’s forehead, the boy squirming slightly, already half taken by slumber, before she stepped away. She made her way to the others, who were speaking quietly in the courtyard of the shared estate.

“Will you allow her to keep behaving this way?” Mirot asked.

“What way?”

“The words are not right.”

“She brings peaches to my lips. She sits so quietly on my lap. She kisses me before it is time to sleep. Her words may be Aldish, but her actions are those of we Iyrmen.”

“I would not go so far to say her words are Aldish,” Mirot stated firmly.

Sonarot shrugged her shoulders, before the sounds of crying children brought the Iyrmen to attention. In the blink of an eye, Sonarot and Mirot were at the Rot estate, where Gorot had appeared from another room, checking to see what was wrong too. The other Iyrmen had darted all around, checking on their own estates, while Citool had leapt up onto the roof, just in case.

The children were all crying, from Gurot to Konarot.

“What is the matter?” Sonarot asked.

The children all whimpered and cried before looking over towards Jirot, who was crying the hardest.

“Nana! Nana!” The girl held up her hands, before she was swept into the woman’s arms. “Oooo! Oooo!” the girl whimpered and cried.

“What is the matter, my Jirot?”

“Ay di noh seh I wub you, nana.” The girl continued to shake as she sobbed, while her grandmother cleaned her face.

“Yes?”

“I did not say I love you, nana.”

“Okay,” Sonarot said, kissing the girl’s forehead. “I love you too, Jirot.”

“I do not like you nana, I love you, okay?” Jirot said, hugging her grandmother tight, before sucking her thumb.

Sonarot’s breath tickled the girl’s neck, wondering how she could cause so much trouble. “Why must you be as troublesome as you are cute, Jirot?”

“Mmm,” the girl replied, sucking her thumb still, before the other children were soothed by their baba and nanas.

Thankfully, Adam wasn’t causing as much trouble as his daughter.

When the sun rose to high noon, Fourth Hope Willow glanced towards Adam in confusion.

“My children must be missing me so much,” Adam whispered, letting out a soft sigh.

‘Why is he mentioning his children now?’ Willow thought, drawing her blade, hearing the roars of dozens of serpentine heads.

‘It’s okay,’ Adam thought. ‘One hydra for each of my kids, that should be okay, right?’