Adam spent his ms pying with the children, from his six adorable children, to his adorable cousins. The days he spent enting the ons, which would pay the saries of all the figures within the business. In the evenings he would tinue spoiling the children, feeding Gurot from his hands, reading to Inakan, allowio show him all the pictures, and following Kavgak wherever she led him, usually just to o or the , which Gimon had begun watering. The businessfolk had bee used to Adam’s antics of being a fool of a father, especially with his you daughter, who loved to bully him.

  “Smelly boy! I am feeding mummy!” Jirot stood tall and proud, g her fists to the side.

  “Daddy wants to feed mummy too…”

  Jirot inhaled deeply and leaned back slightly, pumping out her chest. Her eyes dared her father to say more.

  Adam closed his eyes. ‘How I defeat you when you’re this cute? It’s impossible, impossible! Not even for a trillion XP!’

  While his daughter bullied him, Adam had no idea the plications he brought to the Iyr. Already, there was a small issue of the young cousins spending their time at the fort, for they could not spend too long. However, it was teically sidered an outing, so it wasn’t that big of a deal, however, the request to take not just the Iyr’s children, but also his own children out of the Iyr, brought greater plications.

  Teically, Adam did not o ask for the Iyr’s permission to take his children out of the Iyr.

  Teically, the children, in the eyes of the Iyr…

  Zijin stared down at the paper, uo finish the thought. He tapped his finger oable, thinking back to the small pebble the little goblin girl had brought to him while her father was out.

  ‘Elder Zijin, I give it to you, okay?’

  There was no doubt the half elf had no idea, sihe girl had already fotten it, he was certain of that much, but he had not. Indeed, for though the half elf adored his children, there were things about his children only the others knew.

  ‘They are behaving as though the childreruly children of the Rot family.’ Zijin smiled slightly. It wasn’t that they were behaving in such a way, it was that in the eyes of the Rot family, Adam’s children were no different than even Jurot’s future child. At such a level, the Iyr’s hands were tied, such was the freedom afforded to the Rot family, to all the families of the Iyr. Zijin thought of Gangak, and the other two families, the Ool and Kan family, who no doubt treated the children in such a maoo. The Elder smiled wider, writing dowes of sideration for su outing.

  The Elder thought of all those who would be willing to leave with the children. It was a simple enough matter for the children of the Iyr. They would wo for each of the families, one for each of the children leaving. They would o se Experts, plus a Master and a Grandmaster. However, there was also the sideration for the six other children, meaning another six Experts would o be assigned. Whereas the Iyr could tap into the entire pool of Iyrmen for the eight children, for six of the children, the pool was far smaller. It was easy to ask someone like Litol to assist iing for someone like Lanarot, sin the Iyr, it was pletely irrelevant for one family who had nothing to do with ao assist in proteg a child of the Iyr, it was the Iyr’s greatest w, the w whiderpinned everything about the Iyr. If not for a child of the Iyr, what did an Iyrman have to fight for?

  Yet, would Litol do the same for Jirot?

  ‘If I asked, he would sider it,’ Zijin thought, but he leaned bad thought of six names who would go. ‘Jarot. Gangak. Otkan.’ These three names came to him easily, but what of the the rest? ‘Mulrot ot, she is the Family Elder. Zirot? No, she has to stay too, siarot is still training. I could send Fakrot…’ Zijin frowned. ‘Si is dangerous for those six in particur, I should sider those who are stronger.’

  As an Elder, Zijin had to sider all manner of politics within the Iyr, but not just the politics of the Iyr, but also the politics of the heart. ‘I should not send those who the children are unfamiliar with. There is also the matter of appearance for the children.’

  Towards the end of the day, having thought of the matter deeply, as one would have expected from him sihe matter dealt with the children of the Iyr, the Elder made his way towards a particur set of extended family estates. First he decided to speak with the estate which had shown promise for this particur matter. The children all stared towards the Elder as he approached one of their eldest family members.

  The older Iyrman bowed his head lightly, and when Zijiurned a bow of his own head, the old Iyrman stood. He did not wear his armour, but his trusty bde, the same bde that was his name sake, red as blood, hung at his side. The pair stepped away to one side in order to speak privately.

  “What is it that you require from this old man?” Shasen asked.

  “There is an outing pnned froup of children,” Zijin said. “Your niece, Sonarot, wishes to take her grandchildren out to Red Oak.”

  Shasen narrowed his eyes slightly. He bowed his head slowly, allowing the Elder to tinue.

  “Would you be willing to sign yourself to go?”

  “Which child will I escort?”

  “One of the triplets.”

  “Okay,” Shasen replied.

  Zijin raised his brows, having not expected the Iyrman to accept so quickly. He held out a slip for the Iyrman, who read the dates of the trip, and sig, before handing the slip back to the Elder. Zijin stared at the slip for a moment, before turning to leave.

  Shasen escorted the Elder back, before Zijin stopped.

  “Why did you accept?”

  “Is there a reason for me to refuse?”

  “You know why I ask.”

  “You know it is a stupid reason to ask.”

  “Is it?”

  Shasen frowned, feeling his heart sink upon the Elder’s words. “Do you wish for me to speak with Dogek?”

  Zijin smiled, tinuing on his way. “He is a Family Elder.”

  ‘Ah,’ Shasen thought, exhaling in relief. ‘He is a Family Elder.’

  Ziji a moment waving at the children, and after spending a few minutes allowing them to chatter at him, the Elder excused himself. He made his way to another estate, one he was more intimately familiar with. He first stopped at a particur tree, reag out to brush along its bark. When he was a boy, the tree was so much thinner, but after a geion, it had wide least a fistful.

  “It seems much bigger now,” the Elder admitted. “When I was a boy, I’m sure I thought it was bigger than it was.”

  “Yes,” came the voice, a near whisper. He was tall and thin, and his goatee had grown longer, reag down to his chest. He reached over to the tree, which he had grown alongside even when he was a boy. The old man waited, uanding the boy, the Elder, had e to speak with him.

  “Sonarot wishes to take her grandchildren on an outing to Red Oak.” After a moment of silehe Elder sighed. “I wish for you to escort little Jarot.”

  “Mad Dog will not appreciate you calling him little.”

  Zijin chuckled lightly, shaking his head, his eyes glued to the tree. He felt the bark against his fiips, including along one part of the bark he had chipped as a boy, something which had brought him into so much trouble as a child. “Mad Dog will escort his greatdaughter, but I wish for you to escort his greatson, sihey are always a pair.”

  “I am a Family Elder,” Rajin replied. It was not so much as a refusal, but a remio the Elder that he could not.

  “Bloodbde has accepted.”

  “Bloodbde is not a Family Elder.”

  “It has to be someone from the Jin family, and I could only think of you,” Zijin said. “It only be you.”

  Rajin remained silent for a long while. “We, as Elders, have responsibilities to the Iyr, to our families.”

  “I am not asking as an Elder to a Family Elder, but as a o his uncle.”

  Rajin reached up to his beard out of shock from the sheer audacity of his nephew’s words. They could only speak as Elders, an Elder of the Iyr and the Elder of the Jin family. ‘Is this so important that you would break vention and ask me to step down from my position?’

  There were many reasons as to why Zijin wanted Rajin to go.

  Rajin was, as the Aldishman might call, a horc. It wouldn’t look out of the ordinary if he was with the twins, and so there was a first yer of prote. This yer was needed, especially due to a partioble’s presehin Red Oak.

  Rajin, who held the title Bearded Dragon, was also extremely strong. He had gained such great renown, he was sidered Drakebane’s rival, in not just strength, but also for the position which Drakebane held. Though he had stepped back from the position and what was expected of him, and though there was a joke that he had bee the Family Elder for access to greater fruits for his wines, he hadn’t shirked away his position from the Family Elder. No one could deny that he wasn’t the best Jin for the role, the Jin family uhe guidance of the best hand.

  Zijin had to sider him too. Mad Dog. If Jarot became too rowdy, Rajin could certainly temper the old maher causing him to stay with his words, or with his bde. These were the siderations the Elder had to make.

  However, there was one more reason, and it erhaps the most important reason.

  Zijin hadn’t expected the Sen family to take the matter so seriously, for Bloodbde to accept the matter so easily to escort one of the triplets. It had been a simple matter for him to move for Lanarot’s sake, since Sonarot was essentially Bloodbde’s niece due to the fact she was born and raised in the Gek family, raised alongside the Sen family. However, for him to move for the triplets, it had sent a message to the Rot family, and to the rest of the Iyr.

  ‘The Gak, Rot, Ool, and Kan families have officially accepted the children. Some from the Gek and Sen families have also accepted the children, though not quite as officially…’

  The Jin family was close to the Kan family, two families which were heavyweights in every era of the Iyr thus far. Zijin did not doubt that there was already a feeling of acceptance from the Jin family, especially since Adam had assisted them. Adam had brought back Timojin’s sister’s remains, and he also trained Uwajin. However, if Rajin stepped up now, then Zijin wouldn’t o worry about the childre came to their p the Iyr.

  “Have you spoken to them?” Rajn asked.

  “No.”

  “It must have been a difficult decision.”

  “It had to be done.”

  Raji out a long sigh, standing beside his nephew as the darkening sky basked them in its gentle light, the shadows growing longer. Rajin remained deathly silent, slowly ruminating on what his nephew was asking him, and why. He uood the difficult position Zijin was in, especially since he was given such great authority over matters ing a particurly foolish half elf, who stantly stressed the Great Elders with his antics.

  “You are w too hard.”

  “Are you saying that as the Family Elder, or my uncle?”

  “I only speak to you as the Family Elder.”

  A sad smile formed on Zijin’s face, and he gently bowed his head.

  The report made its to the Chief. It was expected for the Chief to share the report with the rest of the Great Elders, with Elder Gold and Elder Teacher both holding quite some influence when it came to outings. However, the Chief stared at the report.

  ‘Elder Zijin…’ The Chief read the report thhly, reading through Zijin’s reendations, and the reasons behind them. The report was several pages long, which was fairly typical, except there were two es upon the back the Chief read with a tentative heart. ‘To think you would go this far.’

  Chief Iromin leaned ba his chair, reag up to rub his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should share the entire report to the Great Elders, since Zijin had gone above and beyond his station. Of course, not rep it wasn’t an option, sihat would only make things worse.

  Chief Iromin wasn’t sure if he was gd Rajin had refused, or if he should have hoped that the Bearded Dragon should have accepted. ‘Are you gd you are not in my position, Rajin?’

  Teically this should have been an interlude, but since our dear Jirot bullied her father, how could it not be a main chapter?