“Oh my gosh! Isn’t papo Tanagek so amazing?” Adam asked, g his hands. “Papo Tanagek and papo Chosen are so amazing!”

  “So amazing!” Jirot called out and the twins cackled together with delight as they cpped their small hands, yet surely their appuse was the loudest.

  Tanagek blinked. He noticed the approving gazes of the Order members to the side, for his story was rather impressive. A group of Iyrmen who went northward and fought all manner of beasts and monsters, even the likes of a wyvern? He was only twenty four, like Jurot and Adam, and he was greater than an Expert, though not yet a Master. Even if he was just an Expert, he would be slightly youhan the average Expert, impressive in its own way.

  As Chosen began to mih the figures around them, keeping them busy with his charm, Tanagek’s curious eyes remained glued to Adam. He studied the half elf, who picked up his twins and bleberries into their stomachs, before the three fought with their affe.

  ‘What is it?’ Tahought. ‘What is it?’

  There rig of heat against the back of Tanagek’s neck. As he studied Adam, it grew. As he studied Jurot, it grew. As he studied Kitool, it grew. Then, wheudied Jaygak, as the woman stole away the twins from Adam, it reached a boiling point, and he realised what he o do.

  “You must tell me your tales,” Tanagek finally said, holding his cousin’s gaze.

  “Okay,” Jurot replied.

  “Brother’s tales are so good,” Lanarot said, smirking slightly at her cousin, who rubbed the top of her head, causio flush slightly.

  The children were finally taken away to the tral estate, though Adam’s children, along with Damrot, were taken to the third se of the fort, which held buildings for the Executives, as well as other, more secretive areas, which a select few were privy to.

  “Did you like listening to papo Tanagek’s stories?” Adam asked as he brushed his daughter’s hair before bed.

  “Yes! I love it so much! He is s, daddy, but not as strong as you, because you are first pce, and he did not fight iour, but you fight and you win, and papo Jurot win, and kako win, and kako Jaygak is s too.”

  Adam smiled, though he had noticed how talkative Jirot had bee retly. He kissed her forehead, before brushing his son’s hair, preparing them for bed. Jaygak helped Konarot, Kirot, and Karot, while Kitool assisted Larot, Virot, and Damrot.

  “Did you say goodnight to Blues?” Jaygak asked.

  “Yes,” Konarot replied, her tail swaying lightly, the girl smiling to herself. She had spent so much of her time with the bird, though even now she couldn’t speak with the bird.

  “Daddy, why did you not see papo Tanagek? He was so close!” Jirot asked, furrowing her brows.

  “Ah, well, I didn’t know he was iown beside us. If I had known, maybe I would have goo see him. It’s my first time meeting him today too.”

  “It is your first time?”

  “It is.”

  “Why?” Jirot asked, beginning the bombardment of questions.

  “Jibaby, do you think I don’t know what you’re doing?” Adam asked, lifting her up onto his legs.

  “What I am doing?” Jirot asked, her eyes gng aside with guilt.

  “You always ask hy whenever you want to stay awake,” Adam said, pnting a firm kiss on her cheek.

  “I do not! I do not, daddy!”

  “Kekeke,” little Jarot cackled while his sister tried to fight her father, the girl holding up her finger as she tried to trick the half elf.

  While the children prepared for bed, Jurot spoke the tale to Tanagek and Chosen. The trio had all left at the same time, months before he had met Adam. He spoke of the first year, the sed, the third, all the way to this year. For six years, Jurot had adventured. He had spent so much of it in the Iyr too, while the other two went out, but how many dragons had he e across? How many times had he fought in a tour? How many times had drawn his bde against legends, like King Merryweather?

  Tanagek followed along, uanding Jurot, for one reason or another, was omitting quite a rge portion of the tale.

  “You have been busy,” Chosen joked, also noting how much Jurot had left out, but with them being at the fort, surrounded by strangers and potential ears, he said nothing.

  Jurot nodded, before his eyes met Tanagek’s. Their goals were simir, each wanting to gai strength for the Iyr, and while Tanagek went with Chosen, Jurot had inally gone alone, but had joined his brother. The pair reunited, each experieng the loss of their family, and different men. Jurot, married, with children, and Tanagek, who came back to an Iyr that was so simir, a so different, as though looking through a mosaic.

  “Tanagek,” Chosen said, sipping the wine from his small cup, his cheeks flush with warmth. “The Iyr is the Iyr.”

  Tanagek let out a long sigh. As much as he disliked Chosen saying it so overtly, he had a point. The Iyr was the Iyr. Jurot was no lohe same boy he once was, nor were either of them, and the Iyr was different, but it was also the same. The same Iyr that, if his younger brother had died before he received his tattoos, would have brought him back, just like they did with the boys.

  “Little Jarot does ?” Tanagek asked.

  “He eats very little.”

  For a moment, it all made seo him how Adam could have so mufluence over the Iyr, but then, realising he held such sway before holding the knowledge of dealing with such a pressing issue that had pgued the Iyr sis iion, it no longer made any sense.

  It wouldn’t be too long before Tanagek would realise such a sensation was the norm with this particur half elf.

  “Fresh Snow Zephyr,” Jurot called, finally finding a ce to speak of it.

  Tanagek unstrapped his sword belt, handing the bde to Jurot, who drew the bde. It was white, like snow, with gentle engraviched into the bde, like rain falling through the bde. Jurot did not swing it, instead holding it tight in hand, feeling the weight of the bde. He recalled the greatest names whose hands this bde had passed through. The bde was Basihanced, but allowed oo move swiftly when battle began.

  “It is a good sword,” Jurot said, handing it back to his cousin.

  “You do not want to hold my bde?” Chosen asked.

  “I will hold it.”

  “No need. It is no Fresh Snow Zephyr.” Chosen smiled, sipping the rest of his wine, catg the air between Jurot and Tanagek. “I will leave you two to speak.”

  It was dark in the business, many having fallen asleep some time ago. Upon the walls, Bael y, sipping at his wine, for the return of the Iyrmen and the arrival of the Bear Mother was quite a day. The silence was loud within the fort.

  “I have a favour to ask of you,” Jurot whispered.

  Tanagek held Jurot’s gaze, seeing into those dark eyes. As boys, they would often py together, and though he wasn’t as close as Jurot was with Jaygak, or Kitool, or Amokan, they still were close enough for Jurot to ask a favour.

  “The children are different. My nieces and nephews. My sister. Your brothers too…” Jurot paused for a moment to gather himself. “His older children, they were adopted into the Iyr officially st year. The triplets are close with your father. I hope you will grow close to all the children, as their uncle.”

  “Is this a favour?” Tanagek asked.

  “It is.”

  “You did not o ask.”

  “Then I will ask you to watch over them.”

  “You did not o ask such either.”

  “I hope there will not e a day when you o remember my words.”

  Tanagek wondered what Jurot was so worried about. The Iyr had accepted the children as Iyrmen, no one could deny that now. As much as Tanagek was uain about Adam’s retionship with the Iyr, the children’s retionship was clear.

  Unless Jurot was asking him to go above and beyond?

  “I will remember your words,” Tanagek promised. Since Jurot had asked the favour, Tanagek engraved the promise within his heart. It was not a favour he could refuse, not from Jurot, since he would accept a simir promise. Whatever his cousin was afraid of, Tanagek would step forward if the time came to it.

  The pair drank, speaking of their past, before they finally made their way back to the estates, in the sed se of the business, where the children remaianagek he figure at the gate towards the third se, and he approached the young Iyrman.

  “Why are you standing here?” Tanagek asked.

  “I am waiting,” Chosen replied, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, his eyes closed, focused on his other senses.

  “Why?”

  “You will find out soon.”

  Tanagek did the same, mirr Chosen, the both as still as statues. Seds passed by. Minutes passed by.

  Then, upon the gentle breeze, they could hear it.

  It was quiet, near silent, but it was the unmistakeable sound of a cry pierg the air.

  Tanagek inhaled sharply, before stepping away.

  “Do you think she cries for her brothers?” Chosen asked.

  Taopped, turning slowly to face Chosen. “…”

  Chosen opened his eyes, meeting Tanagek’s gaze. A long moment passed between the pair, before Tanagek tio walk away.

  ‘You did not o say it,’ Tahought.

  ‘I know,’ Chosen agreed.

  Bael listened from the wall, hearing spoken words, feeling the unspoken words, and uanding that soon, words would no longer be enough.

  I kind of feel sorry for all the Iyrmen born in this geion sihey o make stories alongside Adam.