Iskra rolled over trying not to steal the precious blankets from her sleeping mother. She was having trouble sleeping. She heard every little sound in the small room, Aska's purrs from the foot of the bed, her mother's soft and steady breaths, the rain hitting the window. The moonlight seemed so bright as she rolled again, this time a loud huff from her mother caught her attention.

"Iskra," the woman groaned. "Go to sleep."

The girl closed her eyes tightly and tried but failed. She turned over again getting another huff from her mother.

"Søta?" Revna asked as she rolled over to face her daughter. "What is keeping you up? You've been tossing and turning for hours." When the girl offered no response, she perched herself on her elbow and gazed down at the girl. "What is bothering you?"

"Why don't you tell me anything about your adventures?" She questioned. "In Kauhea, they say you fought a dragon! That's amazing! I want to know more. Please, mother. I think I'm old enough to know more."

"Rune did mention that you had talked with the Mistguard girl..." she sighed, Iskra could feel her mother's frustration building. "My adventures are just a means to an end. Nothing more."

"To what end though?" Iskra sat up quickly.

"Iskra..." Revna started as the girl jumped from the bed.

"Rune is right when he says that you could easily be a high ranking official in the town guard," Iskra paced in the dark room her mother sitting in the bed. "Money isn't the reason. Is it to get away? Would being in the towns guard keep you too close to home for your liking? Is it me? Am I..."

"Iskra! Enough!" Revna stood taller than Iskra had seen before. Her form hulking in the dark room. She slowly returned to her normal size, she took a step forward and rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I love you, more than life itself. I also do love adventure. One day you might understand what that call feels like. I do not leave because of you. Never think that. Never." She pulled Iskra's chin up so their eyes met. She rubbed her thumb across the girl's cheek. "Do you understand, søta?"

Iskra nodded slowly, "I'm sorry mother."

"I'm sorry too," she said softly. "I never meant to hurt you." She pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tight. "Was that all that was bothering you?" The girl shrugged. "Iskra?"

"I don't know," she muttered not moving from her mother's embrace her arms slack at her sides. "I just wish I knew more."

"About my adventures? They really are not grand as the Mistguard girl claims they are. I promise that." Revna held her daughter out at arm's length.

"I wish I knew more about me," Iskra sighed and Revna froze. "Fell told me not to bother asking anyone. But I can't stop thinking about it."

She was obviously trying to think of a way to avoid the conversation all together but had already hesitated too much. "Søta...I didn't realize that it was bothering you this much." She finally settled on reacting to her daughter's feelings and not answering the question at hand. "When you are old enough, I promise I will tell you everything you need to know." Iskra pouted and folded her arms over her chest. "Right now, know that you are loved."

"Yes mother," she sighed as she began walking over to the chair on the other side of the room. "I think I'm going to go sleep in the other room." Aska stretched out before hopping off the bed and following behind the young girl.

Revna watched her daughter trudge across the hall and into the next room. Once the door closed she stood and listened at the door as the girl began talking to the cat. The girl was speaking primordial and Revna could only really make out every few words. She felt the tears building as she made her way back to their bedroom. She dug through her pack reaching the journal she kept hidden from the girl. When she opened it the angry tears began falling freely as she gazed at the letters from Halvar. She wanted to tear the book apart, but she couldn't bring her hands to move. She stuffed the book back in her pack and went back to bed.

The next morning came quickly, Revna found herself awake before Iskra and Fell, as usual. She peaked her head into the room across the hall to see her daughter fast asleep, and the cat curled up near her head. Revna closed the door behind her and made her way down the hall into the living quarters where Rune and Thyra were already up and about.

"Are those bags under your eyes?" Rune asked with a chuckle causing Thyra to turn from her work quickly.

"Revna, you need your sleep." She stated glancing at the slight swell of the woman's abdomen. "Were you feeling sick? Do I need to fetch the cleric?"

Revna shook her head, "No need to worry." She sighed. "Has Iskra been asking questions lately?"

Rune and Thyra gave each other a look before going back to their work, "We haven't told her anything, as requested." Thyra stated. "But yes, she has been very inquisitive as of late. Asking how we met, who her father is, why is she an earth genasi? Not exactly in those words...but..."

"Very valid questions for a thirteen almost fourteen year old to be asking," Rune added. "She needs some kind of answers. She is getting very fed up with ours."

Revna thought for a moment, "We met after I rescued Fell from a band of wolves when he was young. If she asks why Rune couldn't do it himself, I was the one that found Fell first. We mention nothing of Halvar. Including anything that relates to him. I didn't know her father. Genasi can be descendent from a dormant bloodline. She could be reincarnated." Rune frowned as she continued. "What?"

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"You want us to lie to her?" He asked as he placed the plate on the counter.

She nodded, "It's nothing more than what you have already been doing."

"It is asking way more..." Rune started.

"We'll do it," Thyra sighed heavily as she interrupted her husband. "For Iskra's safety...We'll do it." Rune's look turned to shock as he glanced between his wife and their friend. "It is what is right. It will keep Iskra safe."

...

Iskra ran through the house quickly. She had to wake Thyra and then she knew she had to run into town to get the midwife. She had her boots on but they were untied, her cloak on her shoulders and clasped around her neck over her simple nightgown, her curls tucked into a quick braid. She barged into Rune and Thyra's room completely out of breath. They jumped at the sound of the door.

"Iskra?" Thyra's voice was sharp.

"The...baby..." her voice was ragged from running across the house.

Thyra jumped from the bed grabbing the robes from her wardrobe. "You know what to do," she stated. "The midwife lives in the house by the clocktower." Iskra nodded as she quickly tied her boots. "Don't forget your shield."

"And take this," Rune handed her a mace. "You shouldn't need it."

Iskra's face paled as she took the mace from his hands. "I'll be right back." She stated as she turned toward the door and began her run through the cold night.

The night was dark as it was a new moon. Iskra cast light on her shield to help her ability to see the trail before her. It was still early autumn, but the weather had already cooled significantly and patches of ice made the route slippery. Their home was about a mile outside of Ijos proper, and the midwife was on the other side of town. Iskra knew the trail that was fastest and safest for this time of night.

She was so focused on the trail that she didn't hear the wolf coming up behind her. It lunged forward, barely missing her legs. She turned to face it her shield at the ready. She swung the mace, striking the wolf across its snout. She took a step back and the wolf lunged again, this time biting her arm. She swung the mace and it struck yet again. This time the wolf let out a soft whimper as it crashed to the ground.

Iskra glanced at her bleeding arm, then at her surroundings. She dropped her shield momentarily as she healed herself and watched as the wounds closed leaving bite marks and blood splatter across her arm. As she entered town, she passed by a few city guard that stopped momentarily watching her as she ran through, but didn't ask if she needed anything. She made it to the midwife's home and began to bang on the door persistently.

"Oy! I'm coming! No need to be so loud, you'll wake the entire neighborhood." The woman's voice was gruff. "Oh, it's you..." she sighed as she opened the door. Iskra was completely out of breath. "I'm guessing you came on behalf of your mother?" She nodded. "Let's get a move on then, don't want to miss anything."

"Thank you," she finally got out.

The way back to the Mathieson property was uneventful and quick. Iskra barged through the door to see her mother and Thyra walking up and down the hall. Her mother glanced up and her face paled at the sight of her daughter.

"Iskra, you are covered in blood..." She waddled forward and took her daughter's hands in hers. "Are you ok, søta?"

"Mother, I'm fine." She smiled. "I promise." Revna turned over the girl's arms revealing the bite marks. Iskra quickly took her arms out of her mother's grasp. "It was just a small wolf. Nothing too dangerous." Revna's worry was evident on her face.

"I thought Fell was going to get the midwife?" She stated. "That was the plan, wasn't it?"

Thyra glanced at the girl, "Iskra is more than capable of handling herself. Rune thought that this would be an excellent task for her training."

Revna took in a sharp breath and reached for Thyra's outstretched arms. "I think I am done walking the halls for now." She said eventually. The midwife followed Thyra and Revna back down the hall to the bedroom.

Fell chuckled as he stepped up beside Iskra, "You definitely know how to scare the shit out of your mother."

"How was I supposed to know they were walking the halls?" She threw her hands up. "Can you please help get rid of all this?" She gestured to the blood splatter on her nightgown and he nodded. A quick wave of the hands and the blood began to disappear.

Thyra came up to the two a moment later, "Your mother insisted that I check on you. Are you injured? She said she saw bite marks..."

"I am fine," she replied. "Mother needs your assistance more than I do." Thyra nodded but took the girl's arms and began to examine the marks. "I promise, I am fine." She pulled her arms back but the woman's grip was stronger.

"You didn't fully heal," she sighed. "Let me at least patch these up before they start bleeding again." Thyra led her to the table and forced her into the chair.

"Please tell me your mother didn't see those?" Rune asked as he stepped into the room.

Thyra sighed, "Her arm was covered in blood when she walked in."

He sighed, "Did Revna see?" Thyra nodded. "Well, there goes training for the next few months..." He glanced at Iskra. "What did you run into?"

"A wolf," she sighed. "It wasn't even that big. Ouch!" She pulled her arm away from Thyra and rubbed it gently. "What was that?"

"Just trying to clean it," she replied. "It's all clean and bandaged. I should go see to your mother." Fell, Rune, and Iskra all nodded in understanding.

Fell sat next to Iskra at the table while Rune paced the room. Thyra was in the bedroom with Revna and the midwife. The three had been waiting in the dining room for hours at this point with no news or sound from the bedroom.

Rune's pacing stopped suddenly when his wife stepped out of the room a small smile on her face, "Is everyone ok?" He asked and she nodded.

"Revna and the babies are perfectly healthy," she smiled as three sets of eyes widened. "Iskra, you have twin sisters, would you like to meet them?"

She nodded hesitantly and followed the woman back into the room. As she stepped into the room her mother looked up from the bundles in her arms. She looked exhausted, but strong. Iskra stepped up to the bed and glanced into the bundles in her mother's arms. The babies were fast asleep.

"This is Freya, and this is Ingrid," Revna smiled warmly and nodded toward the edge of the bed.

Iskra took a seat, and her mother handed her one of the bundles. The infant squirmed as Iskra adjusted her hold. She gazed down at the bundle and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Thyra smiled from the doorway.

Iskra raised an eyebrow, "She looks like a goblin."

Revna chuckled as Thyra gaped, "That's what I said." Revna's smile grew. "They'll look a little more human in a few days. You were pretty goblin like too when you were born." Iskra shifted uncomfortably as the baby in her arms began to move. "Just stay calm and relaxed, they can sense fear."

"Really?" She asked and her mother chuckled shaking her head. The baby's chin began to quiver as she fought against the swaddle. "I don't think she likes me." Iskra tried to hand the baby back.

"She just doesn't know you yet," she reassured her. "Give it a little bit of time, they'll be all over you soon enough." She took the bundle back into her arms as Iskra stood taking a step away from the bed.

"I should let you rest," she stated as she turned to leave.

"Iskra," she stopped at her mother's voice. "You were very brave today. I am proud of you."

She nodded quickly and left the room. She felt her shoulder beginning to shake as the tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn't understand why she was crying.