Adam embraced his sister tight. The girl, adorned within the Iyr’s typical attire, of a tunic with a sash around her waist, a set of trousers, and thick boots. Her forehead was dabbed with the vague shapes of her family’s tattoos for the day.

  “You smelly girl, how you grow up this quickly?” Adam asked, peppering her face with kisses.

  “Hehehe.” Lanarot squirmed bashfully, enjoying her brother’s affe, before he finally surrendered her to the rest of her family, after handing her a silver token.

  “Make sure you give your kako something nice, okay?” Adam said, queueing up his children so they could give her gifts, starting with the you, Larot, before each handed small bits of scales to their aunt. Lanarot embraced each of her nephews and nieces, kissing their foreheads too.

  Lord Morkarai stood awkwardly, feeling Adam’s intense gaze upon his skin. He had been io e to the shared estate in the m to give his gifts, though he wasn’t sure if that ropriate. ‘Sihe Iyr didn’t refuse, it must be fine.’

  Adam pat Lord Morkarai’s back, the fellow having gifted Lanarot a mundane on that had been fed well, well enough that it was sidered a Masterwork on. ‘That’s right, you shouldn’t give anything that outdoes either of her brothers.’

  Vonda wasn’t sure about her own gift, but Pam’s gift had eased her heart. A painting of the girl was great, though nothing pared to the items her brother and the Prince handed over, but with Pam’s gift of a pile of bread bringing the most joy of all, she smiled.

  ‘Should I have giveoo?’ Jurot thought. ‘No. Greatfather’s shield is good too.’

  Adam refused to surrender his sister that day, holding her during the family portrait, missing the old man’s gowards Sonarot, but not the coveting gaze of another old man.

  “No,” Adam said. “You’ll be able to py with her once we’re gone, so today she had to be within my arms.”

  “Baba!” Lanarot called, reag out for her grandfather.

  The betrayal pained Adam’s heart, but he surrehe girl. It would not be the greatest pain, as the m, his daughter hurt him ever more.

  “You ah going?” Jirot gred towards her father.

  “I have to go with Lord Morkarai. Daddy’s strong, so he o escort the Prince bae.”

  “Papo is stuhrong too,” Jirot said, pointing Jurot. “Daddy, you ot. Papo will go.”

  “Yes, but, if daddy doesn’t go, then how will I bring back gifts?”

  Jirot narrowed her eyes. “Papo, you stay.”

  “Papo has to go too since he’s s.”

  Jirot gowards her mother for support, pouting up towards Vonda.

  “I must go too,” Vonda replied, reag down to brush her hair.

  Jirot’s entire body jerked, as though she had been spped, her eyes wide. “Mummy is going?”

  “Yes.”

  Jirot blinked, stunned as though she had been struck by Kitool’s abilities. Jirot gowards her father in shock, before she then looked back to her mother. Her lower lip quivered before she hugged her mother’s leg. “Okay.”

  Adam’s heart ached from how quickly Jirot surreo her mother leaving. His eyes watered slightly. ‘Damn, we’re going to be in so much trouble when we leave. Are we going to e across some kind of crazy monster again?’

  Jaygak picked up her you sister, who wouldn’t e to see them off. Maygak was bigger thaher children around her, almost reag the size of her two year old sister. “You ot fet me.”

  Maygak smiled, g her haedly. “Kaka!”

  “Yes.” Jaygak kissed the girl’s nose, brushing her hand through her hair, rog gently.

  “Minool,” Kitool called, causing the girl gowards her elder sister. Minool smiled, before turning to dart away, only to find her sister already there, sweeping the girl into her arms. “You must behave for your elder sister.”

  Minool smiled ily, and Kitool wondered if instead of Jitool, it was Minool who remained beside the twins, for her smile was the same as Jirot’s.

  Amokan pinched his brother’s nose gently, causing the boy to twitd sneeze. “You will not remember me when I return, for I may not return for many years. You must remember within your heart I pyed with you often.”

  Mokan giggled, waving at his brother as he stepped beside the rest of his panions, sans the most obvious one.

  “What?” Adam asked. “You ’t do this to me, I’m about to leave.”

  “Murot should remain,” Mirot said, holding out her arms for her you son.

  “Murot,” Adam whispered. “You have to bully your mother a lot for stealing you away from me, do you uand?”

  Murot reached out for his miggling pyfully as she accepted him against her bosom.

  “Murot, I don’t have to worry about you, because you’re a good kid.”

  Murot gnced back towards his cousin, smiling ily towards him, as though he wasn’t reted to the Mad Dog.

  “Maygak, you have to stop with all the grabbing, we ’t afford all the stitches required.”

  Maygak sucked her thumb as she stared at Adam.

  “Faygak… I ’t say anything since you’re just like your older brother.”

  Faygak gnced around to try and find Saygak, who had goo be educated.

  “Mokan, what am I to say? I’m gd you’re wiser than your older brother.”

  Amokan wondered if he should beat Adam, but he o preserve his strength.

  “Alykan, since you py with your sensible twin siblings, I don’t really have to worry about you at all.”

  Alykan allowed Adam to brush her hair for a moment.

  “Minool,” Adam called, seeing the girl on her bottom, fog hard on nothing in particur before she gowards her cousin, who called her name. “No matter how much you run away, you ’t escape our hearts.”

  Lucy kept her mouth shut, doing her absolute best not to cause any trouble at all during this day. ‘Just for today, since he’s about to leave.’

  “Jazool…” Adam called out to the little girl, who sat beside Larot. “Since you’re Faool’s little sister, I don’t have to worry about you either.” Then Adam brushed Larot’s hair, staring down at the boy, w what he could say to the boy. “Daddy will be back soon.”

  Larot gnced away, while Jazool cuddled up beside him.

  The older children also said their goodbyes, before they went on their day for their own schooling.

  The older Iyrmen steered the two year olds through the Main Iyr, until they were at the gate of the Main Iyr.

  Adam embraced each of the children one by oarting from his cousins, before dropping to a knee before his children. “Konarot, you have to watch over them well.”

  “Okay,” the eldest daughter replied, embrag her father.

  “Kirot, you’re always so well behaved, and you help your sister so well.” Adam brushed her cheek with her thumb.

  “Yes.”

  “Karot…” Adam rocked gently as he embraced his eldest son. “You tinue being meek because your elder sisters will watch over you.”

  “Okay,” the boy replied, his tail swaying behind him.

  Adam sighed, gng towards his you daughter, who tio pout. “Jirot…”

  “Daddy…”

  “I’m only going to allow this once, so listen up.”

  Jirot’s leaf shaped ears perked up towards her father, though her lips remained a pout.

  “You’re allowed to bully babo as much as you want while I’m gone, okay?”

  “Okay,” the girl replied, rushing forward to hug her father.

  Adam was gd she was still so easy to trick, since he hadn’t offered her anything new. Adam kissed the top of her head. “Since you will cause trouble without me saying anything, I don’t have to worry at all.”

  “Yes!” the girl assured.

  “Jarot.” Adam lifted his boy up and stared into his eyes. “What I say to you other than you shouldn’t let your babo steal you from me, okay?”

  “Okay.” Jarot hugged his father tight, exging kisses on their cheeks.

  “Now say goodbye to your mother too.”

  Vonda squatted down within the brand new full pte armour Adam definitely didn’t fe that m having realised that his wife was ing along on a dangerous journey. Konarot didn’t want to embrace her, but seeing her father’s raised brows, she hugged the woman quickly, before retreating away. Kirot and Karot hugged Vonda a little tighter, but also left.

  “Mummy,” Jirot called out towards Vonda. “You must be safe, okay?”

  “I will,” Vonda assured, hugging the girl close, the pair rubbing their cheeks against one another. Little Jarot also climbed his way to hug his mother, the woman kissing the twiedly, embrag them for a long while.

  “Papa,” Lanarot called to Adam, after embrag her other brht. “Buhring back big, okay?”

  “You want a big gift?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  Pam and Jurot held one another for a long while. She rubbed along his strong back, feeling the ridges between his muscles. “You have to return back safely.”

  “Okay,” Jurot replied.

  Pam gnced up towards his face. She reached up, feeling along his strong wide jaw. “You ’t marry me and then die immediately.”

  ‘If I die now, it would give you a great story,’ Jurot thought. However, the words couldn’t leave his lips. “Okay. I will return safely.”

  “Since you’re not a liar.” Pam tried to quickly kiss his , though Jurot’s Iyrman reflexes allowed him to steal a kiss from her lips.

  “Kavgak,” Jaygak called, holding the girl up above her, feeling her weight within her arms. “I’ll leave the children in your capable care.”

  “Kaka,” the girl replied, reag out to grab at the woman’s armour, only to be pced down, causio squat after feeling her weight against her legs.

  “Katool,” Kitool called.

  “Yes!” The tiny Kitool stood at attention.

  “Jitool may cause some trouble because she loves to py with Jirot, and Jarot, but it is Minool you must watch over most.”

  “Yes! I am much quicker, because I am her elder sister,” the girl assured.

  “Inakan,” Amokan called, holding out his hand for the girl. As Inakan took it, he brushed his thumb against the back of her hand. “You will alset me since I will not return, but it is fine. When I return, I will tell you all the tales again, and all my ales.”

  “Papa,” the girl replied with a small smile, before they embraced together.

  ‘I uand why the Iyr o be s,’ Amokan thought, holding the small girl within his arms. Even at two years old, the girl was only slightly rger than her younger brother. He pnted a kiss against her forehead, rubbing his cheek against hers for a long while.

  Timojin held onto Majin’s hand. “I must go.” He brushed Majin’s hair, pressing his forehead against the boy’s. “When I return, I will bring many gifts.”

  “Papa…” Majin replied, pouting slightly.

  Nirot remained quiet for a long while. Eventually she picked up her little brother. She teically wasn’t leaving with the rest of them, but she was going to watch over the fort. Still, it meant she was in danger, and she could lose her life too.

  “Kaka…”

  “I will return, with the rest of your cousins.”

  The group stared at the expet eyes of the children before them. However, before the group were finally ready to leave, Jirot grabbed Lucy’s trousers. “Lucy, you must protect mummy and daddy, okay?”

  “What about me?”

  “You are stuhrong because you are Demon Load.”

  Lucy blinked. “You’re right. I’ll definitely watch over your mommy and daddy.”

  “Is mummy, not mommy,” Jirot said, huffing.

  “You’re right.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.” The girl watched as they all began to leave, with Lord Morkarai awkwardly following them ohey said their goodbyes.

  “e home safely!” the chorus began, the children shouting out as the gates closed behind them. Even as the gates closed, the chorus of shouts tio push over the rge walls, though were barely carried upon the wind. Evehe voices could not reach the leaving group, they tio shout.

  “Will you miss your father and mother?” Sonarot asked, brushing her granddaughter’s hair tenderly.

  “No,” the girl mahrough the spluttering sobs, her entire body shaking as she cried. “Huu! No!”

  The rest of the children also began to cry, their parents and siblings soothing them. They didn’t try to stop their children fr, however, si may have bee time they saw those who had left the safety of the Iyr’s walls.

  “We o be careful,” Adam said, his voice filed with a deeper seriousness. “Since our kids are so cute, it means the world is going to be even uglier.”

  Although his words were obviously a joke, they held a spark of truth within them. Amokan and Timojin gnced between one aheir stories almost unrivalled, but pared to the chaos which surrouhe half elf, they would o seek eveer heights.

  As the te afternoon fell across the Front Iyr, a pair stood opposite one another with many eyes upon them. Ashmir stared at his oppo, a young Iyrman who he had promised to spar. ‘What happeo you for your aura to bee like this?’

  ‘Did he always have a spear?’ Adam thought, eyeing up the Lion King.

  Amokan charged forward, swinging wildly as he always did, throwing all caution to the wind. Even though he knew he wasn’t going to wiill o give it his all.

  “Your bde has bee heavier,” Ashmir noted, easily dodging the young man’s bde, defleg the bde off of his spear tips.

  “Yes,” Amokan replied, swinging his bde so harshly, it threateo bisect the older Parago his bde was caught by Ashmir’s spear.

  “A lion cub is still a lion?” Ashmir teased, stepping forward to begin his ter attack.

  Jurot’s eyes remained focused on the bout, taking in any insights he could, while Jaygak drank with the Prince, and Kitool trated ohoughts.

  ‘As expected from the ohat mao beat the previous Elder Wrath,’ Adam thought, watg as Ashmir crushed Amokan with retive ease.

  “You must feel reassured with a Manager who has such a great father,” Vonda joked, rexing beside her husband.

  Adam let out a small sigh. ‘We marry and suddenly you’re full of jokes, eh?’ Adam pulled his wife closer to his side, nuzzling against her nose and neck. Though his heart still ached for leaving his children behind, her presence soothed his soul. ‘Everything’ll be okay since you’re with us. No wohey call you a Ray of Hope.’

  Jir makes me so sad.