“Oh! You!” Adam held his daughter tight within his arms, swaying from side to side, almost melting against his daughter.

  Konarot rubbed her warm cheek against her father’s, clutg the back of his cht within her grip, not wanting to let go. “Daddy.”

  “Oh, my baby, my sweet baby girl,” Adam whispered, peppering her face with as many kisses as he could to make up for the time they had spent apart. He nuzzled against her heir warmth boung off one another, while he rubbed her forehead with his own. “Did they bully you?”

  “No,” Konarot replied. “I fall asleep and I wake up and I see daddy.”

  “Oh?” Adam nuzzled her nose, on the verge of tears. “Do you feel better now?”

  “Yes.”

  Adam tio embrace her tight, before he felt the gazes of ainst his back. “What, ’t a father embrace his daughter after not seeing her in so long?” Adam caught the eyes of his children. “Well, I suppose you’ve all missed your sister too.”

  The four children swarmed their eldest sister.

  “Kaka!” they cried, embrag her tight, each making sure to kiss their eldest sister’s cheek as they hugged.

  Kirot she girl and the pair purred as they embraced.

  Konarot nuzzled Karot, the pair rog slightly as they hugged.

  “I miss you so much,” Jirot said, hugging her sister tight, her head resting against the girl’s shoulder.

  “Kaka…” Jarot held his sister close, though the eldest girl brushed his hair and rubbed her cheek against his.

  Adam covered his eyes, sniffling slightly. “Thank you, Elder Shaman.”

  “I did what I must,” Elder Shaman replied simply, before leaving with the rest of the Shamans.

  Adam dropped down to a knee and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small badge. To the entire world the desig very little. It was fairly small, regur, and upon its face was a design close to Adam’s heart. Within the tre lus outline by a slightly rger plus. Then an x, with a mark across the left side of ea the way of a windmill spinning. With such a design, several triangles formed between the x and plus, small and thin on the sides, much bigger oop and bottom.

  “Gift Giving has passed, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t prepare anything for you, my sweet.” Adam pced the badge within Konarot’s hand, g her fingers over it for a moment. “This badge… I…” Adam paused for a long moment. “This badge represents daddy’s old home. It represents a lot. Lots og good, lots of evil, but it was daddy’s home. One day I’ll tell you more about it, but this design, it’s only going to exist with you.”

  Konarot blinked, not quite uanding what her father was saying, but she could feel the affe ing from him. They held one another so tenderly once more. Adam inhaled her st, the smell of the Iyr’s oils upon her.

  “I want to hug you more, but we’ve got something to do.” Adam lifted her up, carrying the girl by her lonesome, his children following their father out, also wanting to be held. “You brats, your sister has been all by herself, so daddy o hug her properly!”

  Konarot rested her head against her father’s shoulder. It had only felt like an hour since she st saw her father so she was a little fused but she cuddled against her father and closed her eyes. ‘Home.’

  While Adam took his children away, allowing Konarot to reuh the rest of her family, the Chief stared at the gem within the cave. He could feel the chill emanating from the gem, and its intense power.

  ‘How did the girl tain such power? I thought they were dangerous, but I did not realise they were sources of danger for the Iyr.’ Iromi out a defeated sigh. ‘Even your children surprise me so? Should I have expected less from Mad Dog’s greatchildren?’

  It wasn’t long until that fellow adored his returning greatdaughter, tig her tummy. “Did they bully you, my greatdaughter?”

  “No,” the girl replied, giggling lightly from her greatfather’s tig. “I fall asleep and I wake up.”

  “Are you certain? If they bullied you, you must tell me. Do you think I ake a mess?”

  “No,” Konarot replied, bowing her head slightly as the old man rubbed her head, not uanding how much trouble she had saved the Iyr.

  A rush filled the shared estate, the families having waited for Konarot to return before they left. It didn’t take long for Iyrmen to prepare to leave, however. The Iyrmen knew how to prepare quickly to leave, taking fewer moments to prepare to leave to kill. Although, there was ohing the Iyr spera time to prepare for.

  The prayers began early in the m. Korin’s voice cutting through the air. Though the white of nightval sullied the air, the chill invading through Korin, he tio pray out in the Aswadian tongue. He held a his sword out in front of him, as though it to the world. He blew into the air, from left tht and right to left, before tinuing the prayer, blowing the air once more, before finally bowing his head, the bde to Lady Arya. After a moment he gowards Sara who began to tap the drum, and music began to ripple through the fort as the Iyrmen began to py, a cacophony of leather, wind, and string.

  Adam gowards the bride and groom, adorned within their simple clothes of a dull red and blue. Amira wore a scarf which covered her hair and horns, ed around her ned shoulders, while Dunes wore piece of thick folded cloth kept atop his head by a band of rope which fell over his ears and around his shoulders. The pair wore very little jewellery, though sat within the tre of the newly made vilge on the Iyr’s side of the river, atop a stage which elevated them even as they sat.

  ‘Korin and Sara are w so hard,’ Adam thought as the pair guided the Iyrmen to provide for the visitors of the wedding. ‘Should I do some work too?’

  Duared down at his cup of wine. ‘It’s too cold for a wedding.’ He sipped the wine which warmed his bones.

  Amira ehe musid the general enviro of pleasantness all around her. She fought away the nerves and the thoughts of whether it was a good idea to do this. ‘The Priest ander is going to kill us.’ She go her side where Dunes sat, deep in thought within his cup.

  “Thinking of your st regrets?”

  Dunes side eyed his bride, a small smirk appearing on his face. “No. What are yretting?”

  “I ’t have regrets when we’ve e this far.”

  “You stop now.”

  “How I do that?”

  “I won’t take it personally?”

  “It’s embarrassing enough to marry you.” She resisted the urge to elbow him.

  Dunes smiled, chug lightly. “If we stop now, the Priest ander might be gentler when he beats us for our transgressions.”

  “I could see you were in such a rush to marry me.”

  “Was I?”

  Amira bit her lower lip, ready to jab Dunes in the side with a finger. He was lucky he was getting married today, otherwise she would have had him wheezing at her feet. “I hope your bet pays off, Morn.”

  An awkward smile fell across his lips. “Ohe Priest ander meets Adam, I’m sure he’ll beat us well. After a few years, I’ll accept his apology, and all the pensation he offers.”

  Amira’s lips twitched into a small smile. “You are lucky you are marrying me, he will uand since he is used to the trouble I cause.”

  “I am indeed wise.”

  Amira thought about jabbing him again.

  “I’m sorry, Dunes,” Adam called as he approached with his children and his Iyrman panions. “I know it’s your wedding, but my children are so adorable they’re taking all the attentio me pour you a drink to make it up to you.”

  Dunes chuckled, fshing his pearly white teeth. “I will five them, just this once.”

  “Sihey’re so cute?” Adam asked, grinning wide as he poured the groom and bride a drink.

  The pair of twins stared at Dunes’ face, mesmerised by the trast of colours of white from his teeth and the near bck of his skin. They wore the same attire as the rest of their siblings, fairly pin clothing, with a longer outer robe Iyrmen typically did not wear.

  “Are you well, Konarot?” Dunes asked.

  “I am good,” the girl replied quietly, settling herself beside her father, holding his side.

  “I am gd you are well.”

  “Do you know who this is?” Adam asked.

  “Manajah Doons,” Konarot replied.

  “That’s right, it’s Manager Dunes. Do you know what today is?”

  “Wedding.”

  “That’s right.” Adam motioned a hand to Amira. “Who is that?”

  “Amira?”

  “Manager Amira,” the half elf firmed. “Say hello.”

  “Hello.”

  “Everyone’s met Dunes and Amira before, right?” Adam ruffled his children’s hair. “It’s their wedding. They’re going to be husband and wife, like daddy and mommy.”

  “No! You are my daddy, you smelly boy,” Jirot said, huffing at her father, pointing at him threateningly as she did.

  “Of course, of course.”

  As Jirot bullied her father, Dunes sipped his wine. He thought back to the first time he had met the tiny goblin girl, and how he had almost killed her. The feeling of overwhelming pressure from Adam back then was terrible, and the fact the half elf had threateo almost kill him still seeped deep within him. In the same way Adam didn’t hold it against the Priest, Dunes didn’t hold it against Adam. However, the guilt within his heart, of almost depriving Adam of su adorable pair of children, it pgued his heart like the most wicked disease.

  Amira jabbed Dunes against his back, sipping her wine a moment ter. “Did you have fun with your father, Jirot?”

  Jirot gowards Amira, her eyes taking in the devilkin’s sight. She smirked. She turo flee towards her aunt, but Adam pulled her in close, attag her with his affe.

  “Smelly girl! What were you about to say?” Adam blew a raspberry into the giggling girl’s neck, who was uo escape from her father’s grasp.

  Amira noted Jaygak raising her brows, the soft smile on the Iyrman’s face, before the devilkin shrugged her shoulders. “What a lovely daughter you have, Adam. She has the spirit of our Day of Laughter.”

  “That’s because she’s a smelly girl,” Adam said, blowing another raspberry into her neck, the girl squirming and giggling as she almost began to cry. Adam let her go, the girl almost dropping beside Jaygak, who pulled the hysterical girl close. Little Jarot also cuddled up beside his aunt.

  “I not smelly! I go myself!” The girl panted for air, embrag her aunt close.

  Dunes gnced aside to see the elderly Iyrmen rexing in their er, with a tiny demon baby rexing beside them. ‘Mad Dog. Fme Brand. Butcher. Will there be a fight today?’

  Thankfully, the Day of Laughter passed, and the Day of Eating approached.

  Noht some warmth upon the wedding, which had brought together many more Iyrmen and even many vilgers from the nearby vilge. As noon veered above, water and soap was brought to the bride and groom, who were wearing more jewellery than the day before. The music had shifted t attention to the pair, rising louder, befrowing much quieter than before.

  ‘Did Sara help with her nails?’ Duhought, noting his bride’s dark blue nails.

  They dried their hands on a towel provided to them by Korin, before they reached down to pick up a piece of fruit to feed one another. Dunes fed Amira a piece of cut salya from his fingers, before the woman fed him a slice of apple from her own fingers.

  As she fed him the apple from her fingers, noting the way she smiled as some juice dripped onto his thick shirt, his heart throbbed. Whatever regrets his heart may have kept hiddeed away, it throbbing wildly as he uood the significe of the Day of Eating. The pair tio feed one another was their tradition.

  ‘Dunes really is handsome…’ Amira couldn’t help but admit, seeing how the line of his beard was. ‘Korin must have spent an hour assisting him.’

  Dunes leaned bad gnced up towards the grey sky. It was then he uood why weddings were so popur in noonval, and why so many children were born in dawnval.

  “What do you think?” Adam asked, eating his pe, raising his brows towards Alex. “The pe is delicious with milk, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I love pe with milk.” The boy tio shovel spoonfuls of pe. It was her too hot, too cold, it was just right. “It’s my favourite.”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, brushing Alex’s hair, befoing back to eating. He gnced around to all the food on offer. ‘How much money did he make that he could afford to give away all this food?’

  Hundreds ehe food Dunes and Amira had bought, and Korin and the Iyrmen, as well as the business workers had cooked early in the m.

  Though nightval was white and lifeless, the Day of Colour was not so. While the many people around wore something bright, a scarf, a hat, a sash, but the bride and groom in the tre shone brightest. Dunes wore a bright red, his hair still bck, but his beard dyed a fiery e. There was only one person who matched such a beard, but they were adorned in a dull grey. Dunes’ attire was red, the kind of red only matched by fresh blood, his scarf resting over his shoulders a red and gold which would make even the Priests of Noor proud.

  Amira wore a bright blue, like that of the Aswadian sky during noonval. Her face was also marked blue, trasting her red skin, causing a pair of twins to remain mesmerised by her, and her soon to be husband.

  Korin stood, his hands crossed over his stomach, listening ily to the prayer from the Iyrman, an amulet of Wahtu dangling across her chest. He ched his fist together, trying to focus on the prayer, though he could feel the sleepiness set within him. ‘Stay awake, Korin. Soon! Soon!’

  “Look, it’s daddy,” Jirot said, pointing to Vonda as though she couldn’t see the half elf dressed in a saturated purple with white highlights, matg the rest of his children.

  “What is he carrying?” Vonda asked.

  Jirot shrugged. “Soad?”

  “I think you’re right,” Vonda said.

  “I am always right.” Jirot sat up taller, while little Jarot smiled, nodding his head.

  Sara brought a bundle of blue cloth to Amira, who uned the cloth to reveal a bde made of steel, the kind of steel one could only find within the Iyr. She was gd the Iyr had accepted her request te a bde. She held the bde in hand, holdiher end within her hands, as though about to offer it to someone.

  Adam brought a bundle red cloth to Dunes, it to the Aswadian before retreating back awkwardly. Dunes uned the cloth to reveal the bde. The haft was long, the pommel in the shape of a circle, but engraved within was a sun with rays that seemed more like fmes. The leather around the handle was tightly ed, made of thick leather, dark greyish, brown, and green. The hilt of the bde held a cross guard which seemed to slowly melt into the rest of the bde.

  Korin held out his hands before himself, addressing the pair. “You may exge the hazya althifaf.”

  Dunes held out his hand to accept the gift first, though Amira had dohe same. An awkward moment passed as Dunes smirked, causing Amira to pass her gift first. She was too busy cursing Duo thank him, because if she had reached for the bde without both hands, she certainly would have dropped it.

  ‘Morn!’ Amira thought, feeling the tingling of great magic within the bde. ‘Dunes!’ The shock had caused the blue marks upon her face to crack slightly.

  The fire giant Prince poured his panion more wine, p himself a cup too. “gratutions.”

  “You’re are gratuting the wrong person,” Ashmir said, raising his cup, before sipping the rest of his wine. He stared at the boy, a strahough not by blood. His eyes theo the girl. He stared at them for a long while, but instead of their faces, he thought of a different pair of faces. One was simir to Dunes’, the other was a face he had not seen in decades, and would not see again in this lifetime. A siear fell down his cheek as he stared into another life, another past.

  For o's not Adam causing trouble...