“Alright Marla. Now just like I showed you. Don’t hold the draw too long. Pull back, sight down the arrow, and release. Smooth-like.” Logan’s voice was low and steady, causing the raven curls about the girl’s ears to flutter. He stood on his knees, helping keep his daughter’s form in the proper position.

“Elbow up!” he reminded as she drew back.

“Elbooow uUuup…” Marla parroted tremulously.

“Don’t hold it. Sight and release.” Logan repeated his earlier instruction. There was a twang, and from where he was with his face right next to hers, Logan saw how the sound made her flinch just a bit, but she kept her eyes open! In truth, that alone filled him with pride, regardless of where the arrow fell.

“I HIT IT!! I HIT IT!!!” Marla squealed, jumping up and down, thrusting her little fishing bow into the air. Logan glanced down range and saw that the arrow had indeed stuck itself to the lower right corner of the target some ten yards off.

“YOU DID IT!!” he cheered in a sing-song voice. He grabbed Marla by the middle and hefted her up into the air, spinning her about briefly. “Oof! Bloody Hel, you’re gettin’ to be too big for that.” he wheezed with a chuckle. Marla gave a lopsided grin and curled up her wiry arms in a flexing pose, making a little growling sound. Then she broke into a giggle.

“Ma says I’m big because I eat my greens!”

“True enough.” Logan nodded.

“But you said I won’t get big ‘less I eat my marrow. So is it greens or marrow?”

“Both! You need both.” Logan leaned in, like he was sharing a secret. “But the marrow’s more fun, ey?” he bumped her conspiratorially with his elbow and they both mimed holding something up to their mouths and making a sucking sound before laughing together. It was a father daughter treat they shared, since Emma couldn’t stand the stuff.

“Now then! What’s say we try again? See if you can’t do it twice?” Logan offered warmly, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Marla nodded enthusiastically, tight curls bouncing about her face. She faced the baled hay at the back of their yard, just before the tree-line, and took a sidelong stance.

“MAARLAAA!!” came a husky alto call from the trees. Logan looked to see that Marla was already raising a knocked arrow, not yet registering the voice as she concentrated. He swiftly put his hand on her arm and pushed the bow back down. Barreling through the brush with all the silence and grace of a rutting bull, little Dagny trundled out into the yard. They looked quite excited.

Logan bit back his disappointment at having his father-daughter time interrupted. Little Dagny didn’t have much in their life, and the last thing he wanted was for them to feel unwelcome in one of their few safe places.

“LOOKIT! LOOKIT!” the bedraggled dwarf exclaimed. They held up a sizable rabbit, beaming. Marla dropped her bow, leaving it for Logan to scoop up with a sigh.

“WOAH! Did you catch it yourself?” she asked energetically, grinning at her best friend.

“Yeah! I tried to use my slingshot, but I only caught its leg. But then it ran slower and I caught it in some super sticky mud!”

“I can see that.” Logan interjected, looking at the dried muck that caked the child. “Your clothes are a wreck. Did Mr. Marsh give you a second set?” Logan kept his tone carefully neutral as he spoke the name of Dagny’s guardian, fairly certain he knew the answer. His suspicion was confirmed when Dagny shook their head.

“Right. Well it looks like you’ll be needin’ to clean that rabbit. Might as well do that first. Then it’ll be off to Emma for a change and a bath.” Dagny looked surprised and elated, and that damned near broke his heart.

“Really?” They asked, hopefully.

“Can’t have you dirtying up the table at supper.”

The children looked at each other then and cheered, hugging one another tightly.

“Oy! Marla! Don-“ he huffed as his daughter got herself coated in the same filth without thinking. “Bugger all…”

“LANGUAGE!” cried Emma from the roof, where she was mending the thatch.

“YES LOVE…” Logan said in a mockingly begrudging tone. “Right. You lot. Over to the shed, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

—

Marla had been a touch squeamish about it all, but Dagny had proved to be an attentive and quick study. They also had steady hands. Logan stopped himself there. Dagny wasn’t his to take on, much as he’d like to. He had to walk a fine line. He could offer them a safe place, a full belly, maybe try to pass on some knowledge, but too much and people would start to question why another family was tending to Old-Man-Marsh’s charge. The cantankerous fisherman had more pride than love in him, and wouldn’t take kindly to being made to lose face. He was also rich enough to make Logan’s life a nightmare if he felt like it.

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“I know that face.” Emma said softly, hugging him from behind and nuzzling his neck from over his shoulder. “You’re imagining leaving that old feck

dangling by his ankle somewhere in the bayou.”

“Too obvious. Besides, if you want to hurt that lump of coal, you need to aim for his pocket book. It’s the only part of him what still feels.” Logan grumbled. “Can’t believe they won’t do something.”

“Might be a miser, but he’s too clever by half. He fulfills his civic duty.”

“Barely.” Logan scowled.

“Barely,” his wife agreed. “All we can do is give them a spot of happiness.” She gave him a reassuring squeeze and he clasped his hands over hers, running his thumb over her strong, calloused fingers. “Now then! The wee ones will be down any moment. Best wipe that scowl from your face, lest Dagny get the wrong idea.”

Logan took a breath and turned to give her a peck on the lips, smiling.

“That’s better.” Emma said warmly. “Now fetch the shank!”

Separating, the pair worked together to finish preparing supper. The meaty leg of the bog-strider left over from Marla’s birthday was shining in the firelight as the children dashed down from the loft and slid onto the bench beside the table. Both wore shifts, though Dagny barely fit inside one of Emma’s.

Marla served herself, but Emma didn’t allow Dagny the opportunity. She dropped a large helping of stewed green field peas, roasted purple tubers, and glistening poultry onto Dagny’s plate before any objections could be raised.

“Heard you caught yourself a rabbit today.” She said brightly while Dagny looked at their plate in awe.

“Yeah,” they said distractedly, spearing a duck potato with a fork. “Spotted it down by the fallows.”

“Tew uff da stowy!” Marla demanded around an over large mouthful of meat.

“Chew! Then speak!” Logan chided her, trying not to smile.

“I was out trying to spot Miss Coopers goats. Gretchen said some were missing and there’s a reward! Well, I didn’t spot no goats but I saw the rabbit. I tried to catch it there but it was too quick. It ran west. I was sure I was gonna loose it, but I remembered what you told me about finding game, Mr. Tanner!” Dagny was excitedly waving the tuber around as they recounted the tale. “Chased the little bu-“ the young dwarf froze as Emma gave them a warning look. “B-beast…” they amended. “All the way down to The Stilts! Then I-“

“Hang on, what?” Logan interrupted. “The Stilts? Are you daft?!” Dagny blanched at the harsher tone, and Emma laid a hand on her husband’s arm.

“Gently, love.”

“Right.” Logan started over. “Dagny, what I meant to say was that The Stilts are dangerous. All sorts of things live around and under those mangroves. Gators, snakes, sickle claws, not to mention the lizardfolk. People go m-“ Logan cut himself short. Dagny was well aware of how people went missing out there. Their own parents had disappeared last winter. They hardly needed that sad reminder. “Even some of the plants out there can hurt you. I mean, just look at your clothes,” he pointed towards the fireplace where Dagny’s patched and stitched clothes hung close enough to dry.

“Funny that.” Dagny said, bushy auburn brows furrowing. “The grass did it. It was sharp. Snagged my clothes and cut at my skin like little knives.” That got Logan’s interest. He’d heard of such things but never seen it locally.

“Ooh! And then!” Dagny returned to their animated retelling. “I saw a HUGE Bogtrodder!!” It was standing in this little green pool near the muck with the rabbit. It was taller even than you, Miss Tanner!” the excited kid pointed to the taller of the pair.

“Woah! Were you brave? Did you fight it off?!” Marla asked in awe.

“No way!” Dagny laughed. “I screamed like a newborn kitten and ran away as fast as I could! Those things are MEAN!” Marla laughed at that, and mimed screaming with her arms above her head in a silly mimicry of running away, which Dagny joined in on.

“Wise choice.” Logan commended, loudly enough to be heard over the giggles and whisper screams. “Though maybe try not to scream next time. It’s lucky something else around didn’t hear and come after you.”

“I couldn’t help it.” Dagny panted, giggles fading enough to allow them to shovel in some food.

“Well, just promise me you’ll hunt closer to home. The Stilts are no place for a young dwarf all alone. ESPECIALLY if no one knows you’re out there.”

“I will. I promise.” Dagny assured respectfully.

“What about together?” Marla asked suddenly. “What if we all went together? Maybe we could go get that GIANT bird! I could bring my new bow, and you could bring your slingshot, and papa can help us catch it!”

“I don’t know about that, Marla…” Emma said doubtfully. “Like Papa said, it’s dangerous out there.”

“”PLEASE?!”” Both kids pleaded in unison, drawing out the word for as long as their little lungs would allow. Finally Logan relented, putting up his hands on surrender.

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!!” he silenced their begging. “BUT! Only after I’ve had a chance to scout out the area and make sure it’s safe enough. And IF I think it’s safe, you’ll both need to do EXACTLY what I say. And Dagny, you’ll need to get permission to go.”

Dagny deflated at that.

“Awww… But the head of house always says no…”

“Then we’ll arrange it for your free day. Once you’ve got permission to go off and do as you like, we’ll head out. IF I think it’s safe!! That’s a BIG IF!” Logan offered. That was apparently good enough for the kids, who cheered loudly.

“Okay you two, eat up before it gets cold.” Emma ordered. “Once those clothes are dry, I’ll have to run Dagny down to the dock on Gilly to get them back home before they’re missed.”

“And I’ll bring down the rabbit tomorrow, once it’s good and smoked.” Logan added with a smile. The sheer joy on Dagny’s face about crushed him inside. He swore to Skaði that he’d make sure that racist old miser would get his due some day.