Chapter 6 - The Gortons
In a smithy far removed from politics and strife, the rhythmic clanging of a hammer resounded. Each strike was imbued with extraordinary force, enough to shatter any ordinary hammer.
Mia was intensely focused, striking at a short palladium blade with all her power, doing what she could to reshape it into the perfect shape. ‘This is a gamble. We’re spending a lot on fueling the forge for this. And palladium is insanely expensive, 10 times the cost of gold,’ she thought, pouring what she had into this attempt.
The newly installed forge roared, maintaining the blistering heat needed to forge palladium. Mia knew she could have asked Lilly to heat the metal, but she was already so busy these days. And putting any more pressure on her was the last thing Mia wanted right now.
Mia’s father, Michael, sat on a stool quite a distance from the forge. He had short brown hair and a muscular frame, which made it easy to see the relation. He was an experienced blacksmith, but without the protection Mia had, he struggled with such intense levels of heat. “Time for another break, Mia. The bracelet’s nearing its limit. Dinner should be ready soon, too.”
Mia looked back at him with impatience. “Fine, but I’m getting close now. It should be finished after the next round.” She put the hammer down and turned off the fuel supply to the forge, letting it gradually cool on its own.
Her father looked at her with a smile as he got up from the stool and stretched. “I hate to point it out, but you said the same thing the last two times as well.”
“Well, maybe if someone hadn’t kept interrupting, I’d have finished ages ago!” she retorted, annoyed.
“You have a point,” he conceded with a chuckle. “I should just trust that you know when the bracelet will stop protecting you.”
Mia’s stubbornness softened. She knew the importance of the protective bracelet, especially at these infernal temperatures. It was a necessary precaution, even if it meant slowing down her progress.
Michael seemed to notice Mia’s hesitation. “I still don’t get why you’re so set on this, you’ve made plenty of stuff for your girlfriend to enchant when she gets back to it.”
“Please just call her Lilly.”
“But you don’t get embarrassed when I do that.”
“Dad!” Mia replied harshly, but she could not stop the pink hue from appearing on her face.
He chuckled, clearly amused. “Look at you, all flustered! I haven’t seen you like this in years!”
Mia rolled her eyes and replied sarcastically, “Well, I’m so happy you’re enjoying it!” She paused to collect her thoughts before addressing the question properly. “Lilly is getting trained by one of the greatest enchanters in the kingdom soon, so if I want to keep up I have to get used to using stronger materials.”
Michael’s expression softened, showing a more genuine smile now. “I can understand not wanting to be left behind, but don’t the crystals cover any enchantment she can make? Do you really need palladium at this stage?”
Mia sighed. “At her speed of improvement, it’s hard to say. She’s already overtaken me once in the few months she’s been training. Another year, and she might even be on adamantium. And I need to have some experience at that point.”
“You might be onto something there. But it looks like we’ll need a sturdier anvil,” he noted, gesturing towards the anvil that had begun to show signs of wear under the strain of Mia’s relentless hammering.
Mia bit her lip, completely aware of the financial strain her ambitious projects were placing on their household, especially after the recent forge upgrade.
Michael noticed her concern. “Why don’t you ask the Lady Protector for some finances? I’m sure she would want the city to be adequately armed in the future.”
Mia’s expression didn’t change. “We’re partners, Dad. I don’t want to rely on her so much.”
“Oh, come on. I’m sure she’ll get more than enough compensation for her heroics, and she wouldn’t hesitate to give you some help. You’re not just business partners either.”
Mia wasn’t convinced, but she still considered it. She had considered it before, but she always shut herself down for fear of being seen as dependent on Lilly’s finances. ‘Is that fine though? I’d hate to feel like I owe her anything. But maybe that’s just me not having adjusted to our new relationship. How would I feel in her shoes?’
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“I’ll think about it, Dad. Now let’s have dinner.” Mia checked the forge before hanging up her leather apron and following her father out of the smithy.
As soon as she entered the hallway, she could smell the aroma of delicious food and felt her stomach rumbling. She’d spent a lot of energy today and was more hungry than usual.
When they entered the living room, the dinner table was already set, and both her brothers were sitting there eagerly waiting for the food. The room was snug for a family of their size, but it was the heart of their home, filled with a lifetime of memories.
Mia and Michael took their usual seats opposite her brothers, leaving the end chair for her mother as usual.
“Smells like boar and potatoes. Do you know what we’re having?” Mia asked her oldest little brother, Morgan.
He was less imposing than his father and had a darker shade of hair, but his face was similarly stout. And like all his siblings, he shared his mother’s green eyes. He wore a clever smirk as he replied, “No, your real family was spared this time. It’s venison.”
"It's brave to say that when your face is in the presence of my fists, dimwit. And you should look in the mirror more often if you think I’m the boar here,” Mia replied, satisfied with her retort.
Michael just laughed, more than used to the family banter. He was the teacher of that subject after all.
No actual fighting had happened between the siblings for years at this point, since Mia had started hurting her brothers by accident. She still used that to claim her spot as the strongest sibling, much to the annoyance of her brothers.
The youngest brother, Mortimer, was both the smallest and the wildest of the group, finding it hard to sit still for any period of time. He had light brown hair, similar to Mia, and a kinder face than the other men in the family. That didn’t make him look feminine though, just more like your average 14-year-old boy.
He had started waving his wooden sword around like he usually would at the dinner table, and no one bothered to comment on it. His big dream was to become an adventurer, and unlike Mia, he had never given up on it.
They all calmed down as their mother, Nancy, entered the room, carrying a steaming tray filled with venison and vegetables. She was the shortest one in the family, with dark brown hair and green eyes.
The room grew warmer with anticipation, and a respectful silence fell over the table. Although she was a quieter presence compared to the rest of the family, her influence was undeniable.
“It smells lovely, honeybun,” Michael said, enjoying the silent groan from his kids at the loving nickname.
“Thank you, dear,” Nancy replied with a smile, putting the tray on the table. She knew everyone would start grabbing their food as soon as she sat down, and so she did, unleashing her hounds.
As they began to eat, the conversation naturally flowed towards Mia’s forging and Lilly’s upcoming ceremony.
“Since I’m the only one here strong enough to forge palladium, it’s hard to explain how it feels,” Mia said with knitted eyebrows, acting like she didn’t just make a dig at every man in the room.
Morgan looked annoyed, flexing his arms. “You have such spindly arms, Mia. If you don’t cheat with mana, I’d crush you in arm-wrestling for sure!”
Mortimer shook his fist rapidly in the air in a strange pattern. “Strength isn’t all that important anyway; speed is king! And look how fast I am!”
The other siblings just looked at him with strange gazes, but Michael laughed and humored him, “I almost didn’t see your hand there, impressive!”
Mortimer seemed to understand that he was just being humored, but still smirked like he was the only one who understood the truth.
Nancy smiled from the side, having a good view and understanding of everyone else. “What do you think of the title and medal from the king then, Mia?”
Mia shared her thoughts, clearly proud of her partner. “As the savior of Thundrel, of course she should get a title! You’re all coming to the ceremony, right?”
They all nodded. Celebrating the city's savior was obvious to any citizen, and since they had known Lilly since she was a child, they were all excited for her.
Nancy looked at Mia and replied, “You know, I haven’t seen Lilly at all since you two got together. We should invite her over for dinner one of these days.”
Mia, caught mid-chew, nodded enthusiastically. “I’m sure she’d love that. The ceremony’s tomorrow, so after all the official stuff calms down I’ll let her know.”
These dinners were highlights in Mia’s day, and something she was nervous about leaving in the future. Right now, with evenings and mornings with Lilly and days with her family and the forge, she felt her days were divided perfectly.
As the dinner gradually wound down, a contented atmosphere lingered in the air. Mia had eaten more than usual, and finally pushed her chair back, stood up, and announced, “I’ll see all of you at the ceremony tomorrow.” They all waved their goodbyes as she walked out the door, content with another honest day’s work.
Walking back to Lilly’s and Gramps's house, Mia’s mind was filled with thoughts. ‘Gods, I’m nervous about the ceremony tomorrow. I wonder what the princess looks like… And I hope the meeting today went well. I guess discussing the budget with Lilly is fine, but I’ll wait until tomorrow at least,’ she thought, as her footsteps echoed in the streets.
Approaching the house, she noticed only a couple of guards and assumed Lilly hadn’t gotten back yet. She greeted them briefly before pushing the door open, ready for a quiet evening.
But to her surprise, as soon as she had entered, Lilly almost leaped into her arms. The suddenness of it, the raw emotion in Lilly’s embrace, sent a jolt through Mia. Seeing the tears in Lilly’s eyes, she wrapped her arms around her and felt her heart swelling with a rush of affection and concern. ‘What happened to make her like this?’ she thought, forgetting her own worries completely.
Mia held her close and felt a wave of emotion wash over her. As she gently stroked Lilly’s hair, Mia couldn’t help but think, ‘Gods, I love her so much!’