Once the group returned back to the shared estate, Adam spotted his companions. ‘Good job, you punks.’

“Mister boss,” the young man called. He had short dark hair and a baby face, which was contrasted by the fact he was as wide as a bull, thick with muscle, and even towered over the likes of Adam.

“Nobby, my boy, how have you been?” Adam asked, patting the young man on his shoulders, feeling how sturdy they were.

“Good,” the boy replied. He held up a necklace of beads. “A gift.”

Adam allowed the boy to leave before his eyes snapped to the figures handing his sister gifts. He watched as the young woman slipped aside, slinking towards the shadows, with the other half elf following her nearby, making to sit out of the way.

“Lord Morkarai,” Adam greeted the dark skinned fire giant, the fiery red beard shifting as the fire giant smiled.

“Adam,” Morkarai replied, shaking the young man’s forearm with a large hand. “Are you well?”

“Can’t be anything but fine while I’m in the Iyr.” Adam motioned his head to sit with the Prince in one corner. “How are you doing, Lord Morkarai?”

“I am well. I cannot be anything but fine while I am in the Iyr.”

Adam raised his brows, smiling slightly. “That’s good to hear. I was hoping to see you soon, I wanted to thank you for your gifts to my children.”

The Prince bowed his head. “It was my pleasure.”

“I can’t believe you upstaged me on my children’s birthday. I only gave them a few rings and such. I wanted to give them more, but I was bullied into handing over just a few rings.” Adam sighed.

“It was my pleasure,” Morkarai repeated, his beard shifting, still hiding his smile.

“Are you picking a fight?” Adam asked, glaring up at the fire giant.

“Do you wish to fight again?” Morkarai asked, sitting up taller. He wore the clothing of the Iyr, a top which wrapped over itself, requiring a sash at his waist. It held a large pocket on the inside, which flowed towards his side, able to keep a large number of items. Adam had seen an Iyrman keep a child within the pocket previously. The trousers of the Iyr were simple though well made.

“No, I’m still afraid of you,” Adam replied, though he recalled his Omens. ‘I could guarantee he’d miss me once, but what am I going to do to him without Phantom?’

“I have heard you are working hard,” Morkarai said, his gaze knowing.

Adam smirked in response. “Something like that. What about you? Creating lots of Basic weapons and Rings of Protection?”

“I have,” the Prince confirmed.

“When do you plan on returning?”

“I may not return for some time,” Morkarai admitted. “I wish to remain within the Iyr for a while longer. I pray the Iyr will continue to stand for another thousand years, and if I must remain here for a few more years to fill its coffers full of magical items, I will do so.”

“What do you get out of the Iyr for helping it?” Adam asked.

“Wealth, the support of the Iyr, the stability of the nearby regions, and pride,” Morkarai replied. “If Voodur is threatened, the Iyr will send their support.”

“Have you ever called for the Iyr’s assistance?”

“Yes.”

“Oh?”

“There was a situation which required immediate attention, pirates who had begun to grow active on the nearby islands, and though the Confederacy asked for our support, we giants are too slow with our politics. If the situation was closer to home, perhaps we would have moved quickly, but it was far enough away that we spent months discussing the matter. My father, in his great wisdom, called for the Iyr’s assistance the moment the issue arose to placate the Confederacy.”

“Oh?” Adam recalled how an empire had currently struck the east of the Confederacy, and apparently the Confederacy had yet to rally together against the threat, leaving the various ejirates to fend for themselves. “The Confederacy, what was it called again?”

“It’s full name? The Confederacy of the Seventeen United Free Ejirates of the People of Many Bloods and One Tribe.”

“That was it,” Adam replied, nodding his head. He had forgotten how many ejirates formed up the confederacy. “I hope Lady Shamia’s doing well.” ‘Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if she’s even still within the Iyr…’

“Is the new child yours?” Morkarai asked, his eyes falling to Larot. ‘A demon?’

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You have good eyes, Lord Morkarai,” Adam replied, flashing the cheekiest of smiles. “Although, isn’t it obvious that such a cute kid is mine?”

“Which child here is not adorable?”

“You know, Lord Morkarai, you ain’t so bad.”

“I would hope not.”

“It’s a shame you’re royalty, otherwise we could have been best friends.”

“Can we not be the best of friend if I am royalty?”

“It’s too much politics to deal with.”

“I will deal with the politics.”

“What kind of best friend would I be if I let you deal with the politics all by yourself?” Adam retorted. “Anyhow, I’m too ridiculous, so I’ll just be a pain.”

“You should not refuse me so quickly,” Morkarai stated. “Are my opinions not considered in the matter?”

“In order to be a best friend, several opinions are considered, including my own.”

“I do not believe you would be such a pain to me.”

“It’s not about you or me, Lord Morkarai. It’s about the politics which surrounds us. You and your position as a prince of your people, and me and my position as a fool among the Iyr. There might be a time when you want to help me, but your father, the King, might refuse, due to the political ramifications of a prince helping me out. There might be a time where I might want to help you, but it’ll drag so many other people around me in danger because I’ve committed myself to your nation, even if I only wanted to help you.” Adam sighed. “Your position is too big, and mine too small.”

“We do not know each other to call each other best friends,” the fire giant began, “but that does not mean it will not change in the future. Perhaps there will come a time you will be unable to assist me, and perhaps there will come a time when I will be unable to assist you…” Morkarai sipped the tea Adam poured for him. “Humour me this one question.”

“Sure?”

“If Entalia asked for your assistance, would you help her?”

“Obviously.”

“What if she cannot come to assist you.”

“Well, I…” Adam paused, glancing to the side in thought. “Huh. That’s a bit…”

“Must I have children with you for you to come to my aid?”

“Now, now, Lord Morkarai, you’re saying some dangerous things,” Adam replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’ve given me quite something to think about.”

“If the Iyr had requested for you not to bring Lucy back to life, would you have listened to their request?”

“No.” Adam crossed his arms, sitting before the Prince awkwardly. He had been mostly joking, but upon hearing the Prince’s words, he had so much to chew within his mind.

“Dunes has informed me you view relationships as transactional,” Morakrai said, finishing the tea, pouring himself and the half elf some more. “If I cannot assist you personally, that does not mean I am unwilling to assist you in a different manner.”

“Why do you want to be my friend anyhow?”

“I believe we have similar opinions on friendship.”

“What’s that?”

“I, too, would go to extreme lengths to assist my friends.”

“Would you face against Lord Shama?”

“You are right that I am bound by my position, I, Prince Morkarai of Voodur, may be unable to act in some circumstance, but it does not mean I am unable to face Lord Shama. Lord Shama is an emperor, and though his rank surpasses my own, it does not mean he can shirk the royalty of this realm.” Morkarai sipped his tea slowly.

‘I guess that makes sense…’ Adam wasn’t sure if he wanted someone like Morkarai to put himself in such an awkward position, though, considering how monstrous Shama was.

“His family and my own have a history,” Morkarai stated, thinking back to the stories he was told as a boy.

“What kind of history?”

“It was his father who forced our people away from our lands,” Lord Morkarai informed the half elf.

“Asa?”

“The very same.”

“Why did he do that?”

“We fought a war and we abandoned our homes for the future,” the fire giant stated. “We once called the event The Greatest Calamity, though the generation before my own, we changed its name to The Great Leaving.”

“Why’s that?” Adam was shocked to hear of a long lived race like the fire giants, who took forever to respond to an attack, daring to change something that was a part of their cultural heritage and a foundation story of their people.

“Though it was a great misfortune, our people now thrive alongside the great Sansant family. The Sansant family granted us great favour.”

“Right, the Sansant are pretty nice.” Adam slowly nodded his head. ‘For elves, I mean.’

“I would be remiss not to mention Lord Hadda, for his family assisted us for some time, before we left the realm. We travelled for many years through the land, but it was after the formation of the Iyr, and after Lord Hadda took power, when we came to this realm and settled with the great Sansant family.”

“Is that how you guys came to form an alliance?”

“The alliance was formed later, once we had gathered our bearings, as the dwarves are one to say.”

“Many dwarves in Voodur?” Adam mused.

“Many. They live within their volcanoes, and we live within our own.”

“They didn’t live within the volcanoes you’re now in?”

“They were forced away by the Sansant some time before we arrived, and now that we have settled here for this long, the dwarves have… quietened much of their grumblings.”

“You still get some grumblings, eh?”

“Some, but I believe they like us more than the elves.” Morkarai smiled. “We both enjoy drinking and crafting.”

Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve heard the elves and dwarves on this land really despise one another.”

“I have heard,” Morkarai stated, slowly nodding his head. “The elves are free to roam within South Aldland, but even half elves will be harassed if they make their way too far north. Even the great Sansant family would have issues heading north through the land.”

“I wonder what happened between them…”

Lord Morkarai shrugged his shoulder. “I heard they were once the greatest of friends, but a rift formed, and even before the time of the Iyr itself.”

“Damn, that long ago?” Adam whistled. ‘For the dwarves to change their tune, something big must have happened…’

“Daddy!” Jirot shouted, storming her way to her father, with little Jarot bouncing after her. “Is going today?”

“What?”

Jirot held up her hands, and once she was within her father’s arm, she pointed up towards the sky. “Is going today?”

“Perhaps it is?”

“No.” Jirot sucked against her thumb before she looked towards the Prince. “Woah Mohky?”

“That’s right,” Adam said. “Are you nice to him?”

Jirot pulled her head towards her father’s chest. “No.”

“Why not?”

Jirot smirked.

“Do you see how she bullies me? Do you know what she did before, Lord Morkarai?” Adam asked.

The fire giant Prince remained silent as he listened to Adam gush about his children, giving Fred no chance to come and speak with the half elf. The young man sat with Brittany and Jonn, sharing drinks with them. He had been in the Iyr for so long, and upon seeing how terrifyingly powerful they were, the young man wondered if he’d truly be able to marry any of them.

‘When will we be able to leave?’ Fred thought, sighing.

Rain began to trickle that evening, before the storm came upon the Iyr, a thundering end to the Year of Silence.