The day after, they all did nothing. Still recovering from the previous day's events, Ava had multiple times ensured that Kaen had no lasting problems with his left arm, which he had put inside Pammon’s fire.

Amaranth and Glynnis spoke in a different tone when Kaen talked with them. When he asked how long they thought the eggs might take to hatch, they confirmed it would be a few weeks.

Soon, Phillip and Frederick would need to stay inside the cave and wait for the moment when the eggs hatched.

There would be no time to get them if things moved quickly.

Kaen remembered how quickly Pammon had hatched. One moment, he heard his friend's voice in his head. The next moment, the egg cracked, and a tiny copper dragon was before him.

“My parents are expecting us. If we don’t go, we know how they will act the next time we see them.”

Kaen groaned, stretching in bed as he lay beside Ava, enjoying her scent. He had never realized until the last few days just how she smelled. There had always been a scent, but now he could easily recognize it even when other scents were around.

“I know… do we have to get there early, or can we just show up right before dinner?”

Ava elbowed Kaen, earning a grunt from him. “I would like to spend a little time talking with my mother before we just sit down and eat. Some mothers and daughters are like that.”

“Fine. I guess you should ask Amaranth if we can have her take us. Pammon has been struggling to avoid destroying every inch of your parents' courtyard when he takes us.”

A moment passed, and Kaen knew what was happening.

“She said she would be happy to. Now sit up and let me help you get dressed. I need to make sure you are wearing something presentable.”

Kaen tapped his eye covering. “Isn’t this good enough?”

Groaning, Ava pounced on top of him. “No… you need more than just that. I don’t want to share more of your body than I must.”

Kaen laughed, pulling her down and kissing her.

It took a while before they were ready to get dressed and go.

Lord Hurem had been anxiously awaiting Kaen’s arrival, evident from his sitting in the courtyard, reading a book, and facing the direction they always came from.

“It was nice of you to come a little early!” he exclaimed. “Your mother is waiting inside for you to help her with something, my precious daughter!”

Ava smiled and kissed her dad on the cheek before waving at Kaen and heading toward the door, which would take her inside.

“Let me assist you. We are just going over to the table.”

“I can see a little. Just lead the way, and I will follow.”

Lord Hurem cleared his throat as he stared at Kaen. His eyes narrowed as he took in his son-in-law, with bandages still over his eyes. “How can you see? Have you disobeyed my instructions, taken the bandages off, and tried looking?”

“It’s a long story, but no… just something I’ve picked up in the last few days. I’ll tell you more after we sit.”

Kaen watched Lord Hurem scratch his chin for a moment before turning sideways and slowly approaching the table.

Unable to help it, Kaen laughed and moved quickly, reaching out, putting his hand on his father-in-law's shoulder, and pushing him. “Don’t worry about me, and stop walking like that.”

“Remarkable!” the man gasped.

Kaen didn’t need eyes to see, knowing the man had a smile on his lips.

“Now, I don’t believe you would lie to me, but you haven’t tried opening your eyes yet, have you?”

Kaen shook his head slightly as he watched the green outline of Lord Hurem’s fingers remove the pads that were over his eyes.

“I have not. Ava has changed the bandages and pads a few times, but only to put on more salve and clean bandages.”

“And you can still tell me how many fingers–”

“Four.”

Lord Hurem snorted, still checking every few minutes that Kaen could see. “What you are describing is impressive. I believe there must be books talking about it somewhere, lost for a thousand years or more. Though I guess, knowing who you are and what you always seem to achieve, this might be something new entirely.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The warm washcloth felt exceptionally wonderful as the man washed salve from his eyes. It was always pleasant when Ava had done this. The area around his eyes had become sensitive to touch after being protected by the pads and wrap.

“Now listen. Cover your eyes with both hands and slowly open your eyes. If it hurts or becomes too much, close your eyes and we will cover them for a few more days. Better to be safe than sorry.”

Kaen nodded. His heart was pounding as he desperately wanted, no, needed to be able to see normally.

Slowly, he put his hands over his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Calming himself, he opened his eyes slightly. It felt like he was pulling his eyelids apart. They were somewhat stuck together from the salve, and time shut even after a good washing.

“Can I borrow that rag again?” Kaen asked, forcing himself to relax and close his eyes again.

After a few more wipes with the cloth and letting it sit for a minute, Kaen felt ready to try again. Once more, Kaen held his hands over his eyes and was able to pull apart his eyelids. The brightness of what he saw through the tiny cracks between where his hands were almost overwhelming.

“Relax… breathe,” Lord Hurem said. I can tell by how your face is scrunched up that it is a lot. Keep the amount of light to a minimum. I probably should have taken you somewhere darker. Would you like to move?”

Kaen shook his head slightly and continued to breathe. Closing his eyes for a moment, he cracked them again. The light felt so bright that it was almost as if he had a light stone next to his eyes.

Something draped over his head, and the light immediately almost disappeared.

“I put my shirt over you. That should help some. Look down and try now.”

Kaen opened his eyes more, needing a few seconds to open them completely. He had to blink multiple times as tears came out, lubricating everything.

He made a tiny crack between both hands; this time, the light he saw was less overwhelming. He exhaled the breath he had been holding and continued to open his fingers slowly.

It took minutes to adjust after each of the slightest increases in space.

Unsure how long it had been, Kaen finally slid both hands from over his eyes. Occasionally, he had to squint, but he could see his legs as he stared at them. The brown leather pants his wife had put him in had a few drops from the fallen tears.

He had never imagined how excited he might be to see a pair of pants, but it felt exhilarating. The fringe of the shirt was a dazzling bright light, a reminder that it was different under this shirt than when he took it off.

“Hold up and wait,” Lord Hurem ordered. “Don’t just rip that off. Tell me what you see. Is it clear or blurry? Do you see multiple images of everything?”

“I see two legs in a pair of brown leather pants.”

A chuckle came, and Kaen saw a hand appear beneath the shirt. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two.”

“Just two, or do you see an afterimage, like another copy elsewhere?”

Kaen shook his head. “I only see the two you have held up. Both look clear, and I can tell you just got your nails trimmed.”

Kaen heard his father-in-law sigh. “Alright. Close your eyes, lift your head, and when you’re ready, let me know. I’ll take off my shirt, and we will try this again.”

After finally opening his eyes, it was hard to close them, but Kaen forced them shut. Sitting straight, he held up a thumb and felt the shirt come off his head.

“Now, slowly open your eyes… slowly!”

Kaen shut them quickly as the light had hit him worse than Pammon's headbutting. He knew that he had messed up, trying to open them completely.

“Sorry.”

“Not as sorry as you will be if you get a massive headache. Trust me, son, I don’t want you to suffer any longer than you must, but this isn’t a race. Small steps.”

Nodding, Kaen slowly cracked them open, repeating the process, and after what felt like forever, he could see his father-in-law and Ava standing before him.

“Well?”

“You look amazing,” Kaen replied. “Better than I had remembered.”

Ava and her father both snorted and shook their heads.

“Kaen, I’m glad you think I look amazing, but is everything still clear?”

Coughing, Kaen nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you. It is still a bit bright, but I can see fine.”

Lord Hurem nodded and stood up, collecting all the materials from the table he had used for Kaen’s eyes.

“Good. I’ll be back. You two can sit here and enjoy the garden while I retrieve my wife.”

Kaen turned, more excited than he realized to be able to see his father-in-law depart.

A hand brushed his, and Kaen turned to see his wife smiling at him.

“You should see yourself,” she said with a smile.

“Forgot how good I look?”

Ava snickered, making a face as she smirked. “It’s… you know I love you, right?”

“Why do I feel there is a but to this?”

She nodded, her smirk transforming into a full-blown smile. “Let’s just say we need to get you a mirror… there is a two-inch strip of white that wraps around your face and–”

“Holy dwarf balls,” Kaen cursed. Glancing around the courtyard, he found a silver tray on a small table with some glasses on it. Moving quickly, he took the glasses off the tray and held it up, looking at its polished surface.

Looking back at him was a man with a tan, weathered face, except for a solid two-inch white section.

He slowly put the tray down and looked at Ava, who was biting her lip. Her eyebrows were all the way to the top of her head. Kaen could tell it took every ounce of her self-control to not laugh.

“Will you still love me if I’m ugly or look like a raccoon?”

Unable to resist, Ava burst out in laughter, wiping a few tears as she nodded.

“Gods, yes… that is exactly what you reminded me of… a cute little raccoon.”

“Have you ever actually dealt with a raccoon before?” Kaen asked. “Because let me tell you, those things are not cute. They are mean, vicious, and will fight you.”

Ava continued to laugh, and then Kaen saw her glance around him.

He turned to see Lord and Lady Hurem walking toward them after entering the courtyard through the main house door.

His mother-in-law missed a step when she saw Kaen grabbing her husband's hand while she regained her balance. A well-hidden smile flashed briefly before being pushed down into her normal elegant look.

“Kaen, I am excited to hear that you are well!” she called out as they approached him. “Even if it looks like you are in need of a little sun.”

Kaen shook his head, unable to resist smiling when he saw his mother-in-law grinning. He would gladly endure the looks and jokes because he knew it was now time to settle a few things.