“Asorot, e,” Jarot called, embrag the boy who had been adopted into his family. “Have you been well?”

  “Yes,” Asorot replied, sitting beside his grandfather.

  ‘What’s he doing here?’ Adam though, returning back from enting for the day. Then he go the side, noting anure who hadn’t spent much time here either.

  “Hey, Wazool,” Adam said, noting the boy for the sed time that year. ‘Even worse than Filliam and Tariel, I almost fot about him.’ Adam gnced aside to Jurot, who seemingly had finished work early that day, and ending his time with his grandfather at the shared family estate.

  “Adam,” the boy replied.

  “Cousin Adam,” Katool stated. “You ot say such things, cousin Wazool.”

  Wazool let out a long sigh. The little girl was the sister of the one who had ma him to the Iyr for safety, so he had to be careful with his words towards his beors.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Adam said, gng between the boy, who now had sun kissed hair and blue eyes. He swore the boy had looked differently st time, but couldn’t quite put his finger on why. He looked vaguely familiar too, and while he was trying to ect the dots, he cut them off. ‘This feels like dangerous knowledge, so I probably shouldn’t peer in too deeply.’

  Konarot snoozed beside her greatfather, before she she air, noting her father had returned. She forced herself to wake up, and sat upright, blinking away her sleepiness, before she stared up towards the Half Elf. Seeing that he was thinking, she leaned over beside her greatfather, and then fell back to sleep.

  “Adam,” Jurot called, sipping on some wine from opposite his grandfather, with the twins only slightly beyond him, also snoozing lightly. “The war is sidered over.”

  “It is?” Adam asked, sitting opposite his brother, accepting a small cup of wine.

  “The iations for peace have begun, the Order of Life’s Rose has sent some of their warriors to assist.”

  “So an order from East Aldnd is trying to iate peace between its try and…”

  “Floria,” Jurot stated.

  “Floria?”

  “It was the old name given to the southern nds, before the time of Kal Bkvatr,” Jurot stated.

  “What was that, more than two thousand years ago?” Adam asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Damn. So he’s trying to ihe name of the kingdom when they were free st time? King Merryweather isn’t messing around. I’m surprised he mao end the war quickly, no matter the reason.”

  “Floria and Aswadasad have formed a union, the Union of Bd Green,” Jurot said. “Bck for the Aswadian Shendom, and Green for the Kingdom of Floria.”

  “Feels a bit racially charged,” Adam joked.

  “…”

  “Nothing.”

  “The bck is for the name of the shendom.”

  “Oh?”

  “The Bck Dragon Shendom.”

  “Oh. I feel like I khat, actually.” Adam narrowed his eyes. “End of the war, eh? Didn’t st very long.”

  “It was not expected to st long,” Jurot firmed. “It is a rge blow for King Bckwater and Shen Asad.”

  “Asad?”

  “Shen Hussun Asad,” Jurot stated.

  “Oh, I didn’t realise that was his name,” Adam admitted, realising he hadn’t asked for the name of the Shen this eime. He always just khe figure as the Shen, and that was that. “So, what do you think is going to happen?”

  “There will be a tentative peaany years,” Jurot said. “King Merryweather will increase his fleet, and will focus oing a defensive force for his kingdom. King Bckwater will reanise his army, si was so iive during the war.”

  “I thought he was doing well?” Adam said.

  “King Merryweather aimed for a single rge victory from the beginning,” Jurot stated, thinking about how the war had developed. “With Lord Asa, there was little ce the Aldish could defeat the Florians by nightval. Lord Asa had whittled down the Aldishmen’s forces, and sihe Aldish had only begun f their soldiers, they were caught unaware by such a great foe.”

  “Didn’t the Iyr tell them about him?” Adam asked. “Wasn’t he kig it in the Iyr?”

  “We promised to assist with a hundred warriors,” Jurot said, a it at that.

  “Right.” Adam remained quiet for a short while, thinking about what had happened. “It’s a good thing we didn’t get caught by the war.”

  “It would have been a good fight.”

  “I’d rather not faeone like Asa,” Adam admitted. “Once is enough, for now. Maybe when I’m a Paragon or something, then I might want to have a go, but even then…” Adam thought about how both Okvar and Rasam, both great warriors even in the Iyr, barely were able to scratch Shama before he the pretty much all of Adam’s panions. ‘Maybe I o be strohan a Paragon?’

  Jurot thought about how his grandfather had so eagerly faced Asa before losing his leg to the Blood Knight. Had it not been for the fact it was a sneak attack, his grandfather surely would have been fine. Jurot closed his eyes, falling into thought.

  ‘Stronger,’ the Iyrman thought.

  “So, Aldnd’s going to accept all that loss of nd?” Adam asked.

  “They have gaihe isnds, which seem to hold rare resources,” Jurot said. “The Aldish care for their nd, but they care more fold. Sihe onfolk have not suffered from a tragedy, they will not rebel, and we will not o assist in quelling the rebellions. The Aldish will twist the victory in their own way, or use it to galvanise greater support for their new army.”

  “Right, I guess you’re right,” Adam said, slowly nodding his head.

  “The Aldish lost?” Wazool asked.

  “They did.”

  “What of Western Aldnd?” the boy asked, gring up at the pair.

  “They lost sihe Aldish lost, though I’m not sure if their warriors were defeated?” Adam looked to Jurot.

  “During the st push, they were defeated, but they did not suffer heavy losses.”

  Wazool remained silent, full of mixed emotions. Finally, he inhaled deeply. “They should have been killed, the traitors.” He stormed off.

  “He really doesn’t like the Florians, eh?”

  Jurot decided not to inform Adam that he wasn’t speaking of the Florians, si was something only few Iyrmen knew.

  Gurot tugged on Adam’s pant and stared up at him expetly, sug on his dummy. Adam lifted the boy up and sat him on his p. “Yes, my Gurot?”

  Gurot began to mumble against his dummy, befoing back to sug his dummy, staring at the Half Elf expetly.

  “That’s really iing, actually,” Adam said, slowly nodding his head, brushing the boy’s hair.

  Gurot ughed through his dummy, before he hugged his cousin, squealing quietly. Adam smiled and tio brush the boy’s hair, before leaning in to nuzzle his cheek.

  “Gurot,” Jurot called.

  Gurot spun his head towards Jurot, blinking towards him. He smiled and hid his head bato Adam’s chest once more.

  “You ot steal him from me,” Adam said, chug lightly.

  “Gurot, e.”

  Gurot looked back towards Jurot, blinking again, before he smiled and held out his arms, almost falling, though Adam grabbed him by his waist. Jurot took the boy from Adam, who whispered to himself quietly about the betrayal, yet he had already five his young Cousin.

  Jurot brushed the boy’s hair too. The boy who was his cousin, his aunt’s son. She had four sons now, Turot, Asorot, Gurot, and Murot. Turot he uood, for Turot could speak, and even Jurot could tell when the boy was trying to hold in his excitement or a question. Gurot, though? He was too young. Jurot didn’t uand why the boy’s eyes lit up every time he saw his older cousin, or what his blustering babbli.

  “Gurot,” Jurot said.

  Gurot replied with a questioning grunt through his dummy, sug on it lightly. The boy remained waiting as Jurot thought deeply about what he wao say. However, he did not say a word, instead Jurht the boy’s head to his chest.

  “Hugging,” Lanarot accused, pointing at her older brother.

  “That’s right,” Adam replied, before opening his arms out towards her. The girl smiled and rushed up towards her older brother, almost tag him as they embraced tightly. “You’ve bee so big now, Lanarot.”

  “Yes,” the girl replied. “Big girl.”

  “Big girl, that’s right,” Adam whispered, slowly rog from side to side as he held his sister.

  ‘Big girl,’ Jurot thought, staring at his siblings. Then his eyes fell down to Gurot, who had been staring up at the older Iyrman still. “Big boy.”

  Gurot smiled once more, and squealed, slowly boung on his feet, which were firmly pced on Jurot’s thighs.

  “One day, you will grow up, Gurot,” Jurot whispered. “You will be as strong as me.”

  Gurot cackled from under his dummy, before he grabbed Jurot’s shirt tightly, boung more excitedly.

  Jurot tio brush the boy’s hair gently. Jurot could not recall any memories from when he was as young as Gurot was now. ‘He will not remember.’ Jurot pulled the boy closer to his chest, and leaned in to his ear. He whispered a phrase no Iyrman should whisper, and hoped that, even if the boy did not remember anything, he would at least remember that.

  Adam was the only one close enough to hear, and he smiled, sadly. He looked down to his sister, who was reag up to grab his jaw, squeezing it gently. She could feel the light hair that begun growing, due to the fact it was nightval. “You’re not allowed to, either.” Adam kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, papa won’t allow it to happen.”

  “Papa,” Lanarot firmed, ing her arms around his o embrace him tightly.

  Jarot sighed, staring out towards his grandsons who sat nearby. He brushed Asorot’s hair, uanding that the boy must still feel out of pce here. “Adam,” Jarot called.

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you made Asorot an axe and shield?”

  Adam blinked. “Not yet.”

  “You must.”

  “I will,” Adam assured, smiling at Asorot. “Axe and shield.”

  “Axe and shield,” the boy whispered.

  ‘Right, I spoil him too,’ Adam thought, smirking slightly.

  Even the brat Wazool has given up to the Iyr.

  Our Lanababy is way too big now! Why is she growing up?

  Right. Adam spoil Asorot too, 't he?