Valum held his hands up as the sword tip slowly inched itself towards his chest. He did not think his morning would be spent running from his own daughter from killing him, but one thing he was incredibly impressed with was that not only did she catch him, but she did so despite his clear head start.

“M-Maeve, may I call you Maeve?” Valum said as the sword touched his tunic.

“No, you do not get to talk to me.” Maeve said her voice was still seething with rage.

Behind him several out of breath guards showed up and pointed their spears at him. “Where is the monster Paladin Maeve?”

“Right here. Capture him and take him in.” The guard looked at Valum with slight confusion since he on a basic inspection did not appear to be a monster.

Looking between him and the Paladin he approached Valum and put his hands behind his back and put arcane braces on him. “Come with me we will get this all sorted out.”

…

Valum stared at the wall of the small room while he waited for someone to come in. What his main concern was that if he sat here for more than a few days his thirst would return with vengeance and become unbearable revealing his new self to a city not known to take kindly to non-human beings.

Soon loud shouting and arguing could be heard outside the room after several hours of waiting he finally had something happen.

The door opened and a youthful man who was probably roughly his own age entered though technically he was nearly forty years old at this point. The man took a seat across from him, his brows furrowed and he rubbed his temples. Waving his hand the arcane bindings fell off his wrists.

“My name is Captain Garret. I'm in charge of this section of the city guard. I also am a Paladin of the goddess Caphaine. The first thing I would like to say is that your lover Paladin Maeve’s mother has come to your defense insisting you are not in fact a monster and only her young lover.”

Sighing he looked Valum in the eyes as if he felt a bit of pity for a man his own age.

“Paladin Maeve insists you are a fiend…which seemed to have confused the guards. As a result we are going to release you. While I can understand Paladin Maeve’s feelings in this regard, I'm not looking to jail or using her words to execute a man whose crime is sleeping with someone’s mother. If it was a noblewoman…there might be a case.”

Valum felt a wave of relief wash over him as he heard those words. Captain Garret stood up and opened the door to lead him out. “I informed Paladin Maeve that if she wished for this to be resolved she would have to do so with her mother and you not involving the city guard.”

“Thank you for doing your duty Captain.” Valum didn’t want to bite his tongue so he quietly accepted what was said.

As he exited he saw Maeve and Valeri standing by a look of relief on Valeri while Maeve looked like she had just eaten a mouthful of sour fruit. In his heart he wanted to laugh and embrace his daughter, but he knew it wasn’t practical at this point.

“Varen!” Valeri called out and embraced him.

“Varen? Don’t you mean Julius?” his eyes darting towards the still pouting Maeve.

Valeri rolled her eyes “Do you think ou–my daughter would be so foolish as to buy that made up name for you Varen?”

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“Oh ehhh of course not that would be ridiculous.” he said unconvincingly to which Valeri pinched his back as she turned to Maeve.

“We need to talk to Maeve.” Valeri said, leaving his embrace.

Valeri led them all out to a small bakery near the Blackwood’s manor where she sat down beside Valum and made Maeve sit as well who crossed her legs and turned ninety degrees away from them both. The scene would be nice if it wasn’t for the hostile aura that exuded from his daughter.

“Maeve…this is Varen who I told you about and I am sorry for not coming clean sooner about it.” Valeri said nudging Valum.

“Yes…we both apologize profusely.”

Maeve eyed them both up and down and ignored her mother for a moment staring into Valum’s eyes. “Where did you meet my mother, why are you willing to date a woman significantly older than her, and what are your intentions with her going forward?”

Valum saw this coming so he decided to be detailed, but vague enough that both him and Valeri could keep the story straight. “Well I met your mother when she was out shopping for the Blackwoods one day. I had just returned from the countryside and she helped me find something I was looking for at the market. Age is meaningless to me. What I care about is that she is beautiful and filled with good character and maturity, a rare quality in a younger woman with no experience. Finally my intentions are to marry this woman and spend my life with her.”

Maeve’s eyes glared at him “How many women have you manipulated in the past?”

“She is the only woman I have ever been with and hopefully the last woman I will ever be with.”

“What is her favorite flower”

“Moonbloosom.”

“When is her birthdate?”

“Third month of winter on the third day. Born 3535 PBT.”

Taking a deep breath Valum was thankful that he remembered these things he glanced over at Valeri who despite her age was looking at him like a gitty teenage girl who was admiring her first love…’well I guess I am her first love’ he chuckled internally.

“Where is your family? Do they approve?” Maeve asked, hoping to find some allies in opposition to this.

Valum didn’t need to lie about this one either. “My parents, brothers, sisters, and entire extended family were butchered in a small beast tide from the wildlands. Only I survived.”

Maeve paused looking at the man before her intently and realized it was very serious and the pain in his face couldn’t be hidden. “I’m sorry to hear that. My father died in the wildlands as well. I am protective of my mother because I’ve seen the pain she had to go through every anniversary of his disappearance and every wedding anniversary spent alone without the man whom she loved.”

Maeve finally looked at her mother who stopped looking at Valum and straightened up. “Do you love him mother?”

Valeri did not hesitate “I do, he has made me feel whole. Which I have not felt since your father first went missing.”

Maeve nodded and stood up. “I am not happy about this nor do I approve, but I must admit that I’ve not seen my mother like this my entire life and therefore I cannot come between it, but I will be watching you carefully.”

Without another word she left her parents alone.

“Valum…how are we doing to reveal the truth to her? This will do for now, but she deserves to know her father.”

Valum nodded “After I settle down for a while and figure out everything else further…I need a source of blood.”

“You mentioned that the effects of your bite seem to fade within twelve hours right?” she said smiling up at him.

Valum turned to his wife and looked at her curiously. “Yes, why?”

“Well I’ve always wanted to be bitten if you know what I mean.” Valeri looked at him seductively.

Valum chuckled “You will be the death of me somehow” without a care in the world nor thinking of eyes of passerbyers who were gossiping about the older woman with the young man he leaned down and gave her a long kiss. After a few seconds he broke it “Valeri we have a lot to do and we will make up for lost time.”

“This time I intend on being by your side and not leaving it.”

Valum’s thoughts began to craft a plan and the money from the bandits would be a good start.