The fg of the Rot family fluttered in the wind, and the carriages veered towards the fort.

  ‘Within the Iyr, even the snow gives way to the Iyrmen…’ Duhought, waving a hand towards Fred and Charley, who turhe wheels to allow the bridge to fall and the gate to open, allowing the carriages to ehe fort without fri.

  “Oof,” Adam said as Jirot leapt up towards her father, the half elf dropping to a knee as he feigned dropping his daughter, though pnted her firmly onto the ground. “You’re so big now, Jirot! How you do this?”

  Jirot cackled, her tiny green face flushed slightly red from the cold of nightval all around them. She raised her arms up, g her gloved fiogether. “So big and stuhrong!”

  “No, no, so small and cute,” Adam said, though he was distracted by Larot climbing down the side of the carriage with some assistance from his grandmother, before the boy gnced around the fort, his red face full of unceremonious rality.

  ‘The cold is not so bad.’

  ‘Is he walking by himself?’ Adam thought, his eyes glued to his son, though he didn’t see the boy step just yet.

  Larot could feel the gaze of the one who poured in his blood and magic to birth him, uanding the expectations within those eyes. However, he did not move, deg to stand tall and strong, the baby’s stance wide as he crossed his arms behind his bad waited to be carried.

  Shumf. Shumf. Shumf.

  Adam gnced aside to see his triplets ying face first into the snow to one side. “Konarot, Kirot, Karot, what are you doing? The snow might be dirty! e to daddy.”

  The triplets hoisted themselves up before they rushed to their father, the triplets pouted, their tails slumping behind them, their leaf shaped ears also moving as the fps to their hats shifted slightly.

  Adam cast his Tricks, the snow shifting off their fronts. “Why the long faces? You’re not in trouble, you smelly little brats. Daddy ed you up. We’ll find you some snow to py in ter, okay?”

  “Okay,” the triplets replied, staring up at their father with small smiles across their faces.

  “Jirot, Jarot, e here,” Adam called, hearing them already darting away.

  “No!” Jirot shouted back, cag.

  “Jirot, e,” Sonarot called.

  The tiny girl darted trandmother, blinking up towards her ily.

  “Your father wishes to speak with you.”

  “No?” Jirot replied, trying to challenge her grandmother, only to dart towards her father after the woman raised her brow.

  “Smelly girl, how you bully me in front of everyone?” Adam asked, pig the girl up, tossing her up a tiny amount, before pnting her onto the snow. “Let me show you off first, okay?”

  “No!” Jirot cackled, squealing with delight, before she squatted down to avoid her father’s hand, whiapped atop her head to ruffle her hair through her rge hat.

  Little Jarot smiled up towards his father, revealing more of his teeth, whily emphasises his various set of es, which typically peeked from the ers of his lips.

  ‘These kids! They’re so cute? How they be so cute? Ah, of course, it’s because they’re my children.’

  Voually approached the carriages after what felt like an appropriate amount of time for Adam to be ge for his children. “Wele, President, Executives, Little Bosses.”

  “Ray Vonda!” Jirot shouted, charging with vi towards Vonda, before skidding to a halt. “Hello!”

  “Hello, Little Boss,” Vonda replied, stroking the girl’s warm cheek tenderly. “How have you been?”

  “Good! I eated pe, and I eated salya, and I ride in the carriage aaaaall the way and I am so well beehaved,” the girl replied, puffing up her chest, smug satisfa painting her green and red fabsp;

  “Hello,” little Jarot called, smiling up towards her, while Karot stepped beside him to greet her too.

  The farmers gathered around with their families, each adorned within thick clothing, having doheir scarves and gloves as they stepped out to greet the high ranking members of their business.

  “Nobby, my boy,” Adam called, reag up to pat his strong shoulders. “Whoa! Did you grow taller and stronger?”

  “Hello, mister boss,” the boy replied, flushing slightly. “No.”

  “What’s so different about you then?” Adam asked, gng up at the boy. “Did you always have a beard?”

  “No,” Nobby admitted.

  Whereas onobby wore a face, he wore a gentle beard, one which was still growing, and revealed how he was still so young, for it was thin as of yet. His hair had beely trimmed too, and his clothing, though thick, seemed to be so ly pressed.

  ‘I see you’re a man now, Nobby…’ Adam had all but fotten Nobby had turned… “How old are you now, Nobby?”

  “een.”

  “For some reason I thought you were younger… “ Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Anyhow, how did you enjoy yift?”

  “Good,” Nobby replied. “Thank you, mister boss.”

  “Why are you thanking me? You should defihank the Enter.” Adam pat the young man’s shoulder, feeling how thick it was. ‘Damn, what the hell. Was he always this built?’ Adam thought back to when they first met. ‘Oh, yeah, he definitely was.’

  “Mister Adam,” Ted called, the older man wearing salt and pepper beard which hid the oning sed he had earned over the st few years.

  “Ted,” Adam replied, holding out his hand to shake the man’s forearm. “I see you’re doing well.”

  “Lale’s bounty is delicious,” Ted admitted, bowing his head lightly towards the half elf.

  “Lord Musa blessed you, eh?” Adam joked, fshing a wide smile, befng across towards both Annie and their daughter, Anne, nodding towards them. “How are you finding the business?”

  “Calm,” Ted admitted. “Nightval’s not got much work, outside of shovelling the snow to the side.”

  “How is Korin’s food treating you?”

  “A little hotter than I’m used to.”

  Adam smiled wider. “Well, that ain’t so bad during this time of year.”

  “’t say it is.”

  Adam gnced across towards the rest of the farmers and their families, some of whom he hadn’t met before. “I should greet everyone else before we get down to business and then personal matters.”

  “Didn’t mean to keep you.”

  “No, no, nothing like that,” Adam winked, before heading towards Rid John, and their families, as well as two more families he didn’t recall. “Rick, I see you’ve been growing out a beard too.”

  “Nightval’s too cold for a bare face,” Rick said, shaking the Executive’s fd the half elf had e to save him from his wife’s pierg gre.

  John fshed a smile, shaking Adam’s forearm. “I couldn’t deal with the itch as it grew, so I’ll stay cold and fresh.”

  “I’ve been shaving once a week too,” Adam admitted. “Nine months I don’t o bother with shaving, and then four months out of the year I have to shave a little.” Adam scratched the bit of hair which grew against his own jaw. “Thank god I’m not half dwarf, eh?”

  Rick raised his brows, stifling his ugh, while Joh out a burst of ughter, gng towards his own wife for a moment, before he quickly gnced back, trying to avoid her gre.

  “I presume these are your families and friends?” Adam asked, gng across the man, the women, and the children.

  “This is my wife, Harriet,” Rick said, motioning to his wife, who may as well have been called Jah how pin she was. She was as Aldish as any other woman on the road he had seen along his travels. Fair skin, dark hair, dark eyes.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You as well,” Harriet replied, with a gentle.

  “Lo, this is Executive Adam.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you,” Adam said, bowing his head towards the woman.

  “It’s our honour, Brother Adam.”

  “Please, if yoing to call me something like that, mister or Executive works better.” Adam waved his hand awkwardly, trying to brush past the title. ‘Where did they grab all those thick clothes and scarves?’

  “Harry, Laura, this is Executive Adam,” Ritroduces the pair of farmers.

  “Thank yeh kindly fer accepting us, Executive,” Harry said, bowing his head awkwardly.

  “Thank yeh, Eggsutive Adam! We’ll be sure ta work hard for tha oppartoonity,” Laura added, the woman bowing her head with greater force, causing even her scarf to drop.

  “That’s what I like to hear!” Adam chuckled. “As long as you work appropriately, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I trust Ri pig out some good workers for the business, and we’re gd to have you aboard.”

  “e here,” Harry called, motioning for his children. “Say thank you to the kind mister.”

  “Thank yah, mister,” the children all mumbled together.

  Adam let out a soft sigh, his breath c the air. “You told them a lot, huh?” Adam joked, winking at Rick. “Kids, you’re most wele. I hope you enjoy pying and learning with your family and friends.”

  The children remained awkwardly silent, unsure if they were meant to reply. Harry shuffled towards them awkwardly, reag towards their backs to ence them.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to your business,” Adam said, waving his fiowards the children. He spotted the other children too, waving towards them too. “I’ll introduce you all to my children soon too, but why don’t we prepare to eat some diogether?”

  Riodded, allowing Adam to leave. He swallowed, making his way indoors, before feeling the pierg gaze of his wife.

  “Goblins, Rick?”

  “Harriet.”

  “Don’t Harriet me, Rick! Why didn’t you mention that the Executive was so…” Harrier gowards her children, who were watg their parents fight. “Why didn’t you tell me he was so queer?” Harriet’s voice became soft and endearing, though her eyes pierced her husband.

  “This opportunity was not something I could dee.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Do you know how much gold I made?”

  “Yes, I know, one hundred gold more than usual.”

  “That is how much we received in our mutual fund.”

  “Yes?”

  “I opened an additional fund where I pced most of the . It will trickle into our main fund over the years.”

  Harriet furrowed her brows. “What are you talking about, Rick?”

  “Do you recall the tour st year?”

  “That’s how you made the one hundred gold.”

  “I made more than a hundred gold.”

  “How much did you make?”

  Riced to his children, who had gone off to py by themselves, before he leaned in. “It was a thousand gold.”

  “A thousand!” Harriet gasped, her eyes darting to her children for a moment before she leaned in to Rick. “A thousand?”

  “A thousand.”

  “We won’t ever have to worry about food again.”

  “We won’t have to worry about much, but here, that thousand gold isn’t worth much.”

  “What are you talking about? A thousand gold! We could buy a cart, and mules, and so much more. You could buy horses with a hundred gold, you could buy a…” Harriet spluttered, trying to think of a creature. “You could buy a gryphon with a thousand gold.”

  “We don’t o buy a gryphon.”

  “That isn’t the point.”

  “That is the point.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The Executive is queer. Most of the Executives are queer, but Adam’s especially queer. He’s…” Rick wasn’t sure what else to say. “A thousand gold is nothing pared to what we’ll gain here. The children, they’ll be educated. Manager Dunes and Manager-, Ray Vonda, they’ll be teag our children. If they’re any good, they’ll learn the priestly ways, they could bee Brothers and Sisters, Fathers and Mothers.”

  Harriet remained silent. Rick mentiohe Ray previously, but she had already decided to move to the business for him. “Do you really believe that? You’re not that naive, and I’m her.”

  “If you knew what I knew, if you saw what I saw, you would uand.”

  “What do you know? What did you see?”

  “I ’t tell you, it’s too dangerous.”

  “If you’re not going to say it, don’t mention it.”

  “I’m mentioning it because you should know there’s something we ’t tell you.”

  “How dangerous is it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You should tell me.”

  Rick sighed.

  How could she say this about our adorable children?