The t could only watch, mesmerised by the se. He held his bde ahead of him, but he couldn’t dare to step forward. The t had fought in a number of wars, gathering so many medals, had he not been a t, he wouldn’t have been able to afford a room to store them all. The t had fought beside Iyrmen too, many of them among some of the best he fought alongside, not that he wished to admit it.

  Even so, he had no idea what was befalling in front of him.

  Even though the knights, the pair Masters, and still fresh to fight, both focused upon the crippled Iyrman, the old man refused to fall. It wasn’t just that he refused to fall, even with the pair entirely focused upon him, it was that he was still fighting, and pg down such heavy blows that the knight he was fog had begun to step backwards. One of the Masters finally turned his attention to defending himself to the horcish Iyrman, who he could no lnore.

  The t could see with his eyes, but ohied were the sounds that mao push through his pulsing ears. He could hear the sound of steel against steel. The sounds of r, grunting, and groaning.

  One was a knight by the name of Majestic Bde, whose bdework was almost like a dance. Yes, the majesty of his bde was well known, to the point that his bde could csh against some of the best within the various Orders across the nd.

  The other was a knight who equalled the Majestic Bde, Gentle Heart, they called him. His sister was more famous, as one of the few who breached the top thirty of the Three Hundred Bdes, but should he want to, he could have certainly pear his sister.

  The grunting and groaning only came from his knights.

  The t knew war.

  War was simple.

  This?

  He did not know this.

  Another pair were also watg the fights, with their rge, i, amber eyes.

  “Halt!” came the shouts. “Halt! In the name of the w, halt!” Whistles blew, but were drowned out by the sounds which hypnotised the t.

  The guards rushed to the se, wearing their long cloaks of deep red, their shields in front, while some drew their bdes, and others held out their longspears from behind their panions up front.

  “Halt!” the guards shouted, noting the t, so instantly they turheir ons to those who were no doubt the cause of the mess.

  The Captain blinked. ‘Oh, Divines…’

  Majestic Bde panted, uo see through his blurry vision, holding up his bde desperately, swinging randomly, before finally dropping to a knee. Gentle Heart fared slightly better, holding his bde in front of him, but that was only because he was uo feel his arms s. Meanwhile, the pair of Iyrmen towered before them.

  The Iyrmen before them had stopped their onsught as the guards appeared, though the guards didn’t step forward, waiting for their Captain, because even they khey shouldn’t find any ce for heroics against the half dying old men.

  The two Iyrmen spoke in their own tongue, which cut through the near stunned silence, and the ragged breaths.

  “I should kill them,” Jarot said.

  “You ot.”

  “I have to send the message.”

  “You ot.”

  “ you stop me?”

  Raji out a sigh. “Jirot, yreatfather wishes to kill, but your mother will be upset.”

  The gasp caused the old Jarot to gnce back, seeing the pout upon the girl’s face, who had no idea she had been seds away from death had they failed.

  “What is this? I will not kill them!” Jarot decred.

  Meanwhile, a figure in the shadows fell against the wall. ‘Did they teach the goblins the Iyr’s tongue? Are they Iyrmen? I didn’t hear anything about that!’

  “We have kept them alive for the sake of tess Redoak,” Rajin said. “You may sider it our weakness.”

  The Aldishmen remained far away, even far away from the horcish Iyrman who carried the children, who were either horcs oblins, but that was pletely irrelevant. These random old men, who looked like they were half dying, had mao defeat six warriors that beloo t Westmoon. Not just any warriors either, but the likes of Majestic Bde ale Heart, while being outnumbered.

  One of the guards, whose spear poiowards the earth, stared at the crippled old man who wore a particur set of tattoos. ‘Blue circle. Blue diamonds?’ It was then the memories came to him from a few years ago, back when he had tried to apprehend another Iyrman.

  ‘If you wish to disarm me, it will be only after you pluck my shield and axe from my cold, dead hands.’

  ‘There’s no way he knows of me, right?’ the guard thought, his heart beating in his chest. ‘No, ’t be, no way!’

  “Babo!” Jarot called, reag up his hands to be lifted by the old man. “So cool! So ‘mazing!”

  “So good at fighting,” Jirot firmed, cuddling up beside the old man, feeling the sweat against his skiing some of his blood upon her clothing. She brushed his sweaty brow. “Oh dear!”

  “Babo! I call mummy! She is help you.”

  “Yes! Mummy is so good at helping! I also good at helping, babo.”

  “Yes, your mother help me, but is your babo not strong?” the old cripple asked.

  “Babo s!”

  “S!”

  “That is right!” Jarot almost roared. “No one harm you while I am alive!” The old man embraced the children close to his chest, his face twitg as he tried his best not to fall into ane. Even bloody as he was, he held his greatchildren close, pnting firm kisses on their cheeks.

  ‘What am I meant to do in this situation?’ the Captain thought.

  “You may inform the tess we are staying in the Wiseman’s Oak,” Rajin informed.

  The Captain, an older man, tipped his helmet, letting out a sigh. Even in all his years, he hadn’t had to deal with a situation like this. ‘I don’t get paid enough for this.’

  It wasn’t long before Adam stormed into the inn, seeing the old men being teo by the workers at the inn, while his twins sat opposite them upoable, ughing and cag away.

  Jaygak caught Gangak’s eyes, her body still tense, ready to fight, but as Gangak smiled, Jaygak rexed.

  “Alright, are you going to expin to me now?” Adam asked, having no idea what happened, since Jaygak was too focused on running here. He had somehow mao keep himself calm the entire way through, even though his mind had run rampant. He had even looked to the sky to see if the inn had caught fire, but that had been a foolish delusion.

  Adam remained silent as everything was expio him, and though fshes of heat filled him, he remained calm, seeing as how his twins were behaving so normally.

  ‘I should have been there,’ Gangak thought.

  “Thank you both so much,” Adam finally managed, clearing his throat.

  “We did what was expected of us,” Rajin stated.

  “Did I do something that o be thanked?” Jarot asked, feeling the needle slip through his skin.

  “Jirot, Jarot, did you thank your babos?” Adam asked.

  “Thank you!” Jirot said, tapping her , her twin brother following a moment ter.

  “Good, good…” Adam said, grabbing the end of the table as he calmed himself. “So… what happens now?”

  “We did not kill any,” Rajin expined, uanding that Adam was worried about the noble’s sequences, but not the Iyr’s. “If Westmoon wishes to press the matter, Elder Peace will speak with them.” He caught the looks of the other Iyrmen, who weren’t sure that’s how it would work.

  “What’ll happen if he does press the issue?” Adam asked, knowing it was going to happen, because it was him.

  “The Iyr will…” Rajin threw a look to Sonarot.

  “The Iyr may issue a small war to deal with the Westmoon family,” Sonarot said, knowing that probably wouldn’t happen. “If it does not, we of the Rot family will deal with the issue. Sihey did not harm the children, we will allow them to live if they surrender.”

  “Do you think our family will not fight?” Gangak asked, crossing her arms, trying to deal with the annoyance building up within her.

  “We would fight too,” Otkan said.

  “How they try to harm our Jirot and Jarot?” Citool asked.

  “I will stretch my legs too,” Rajin said.

  “Will you guys be able to win?” Adam asked.

  “If the Duke does not assist, it will be a simple matter. If we are to war with West Aldnd, it will be more difficult. If it escates, the Iyr will ehe fray, and if it escates to the ey of Aldnd…”

  “They must pay pensation if they wish to escate,” Jarot said. “I will gift his head to you, my greatchildren!”

  “Why do they need a t’s head? Just take all his money and magical items. Jirot, do you want all the shiny things, or the head?” Adam asked, barely able to joke.

  “Shiny!” Jirot firmed. “All the shiny.”

  “Okay,” Jarot replied, already resolving himself to rob the t.

  “Won’t the t want you to pay to stop?” Adam asked.

  “It is our terms for peace,” Sonarot replied, as though the families could truly take on the t’s family, or West Aldnd.

  “What if the King demands pensation?”

  “If the King demands pensation I will give it to him,” Jarot said. “I will take all the shinies for my greatchildren, and I will give the King all the heads of the Westmoons!”

  ‘I fet how hardcore you Iyrmen are,’ Adam thought, only just realising they were all talking seriously.

  “Daddy?” Jirot called.

  “Yes, my dear?” Adam asked, reag up to brush her cheek.

  “We are goblins?”

  Adam’s brows raised in arm for a moment, and Jirot gnced upwards towards them, the girl smirking slightly. “You’re… my children, you smelly girl.”

  “You are so smelly, daddy!” Jirot decred, pointing up her fi him. “Daddy!”

  “Yes, right, of course.”

  “They do not like?” the little Jarot asked, his ears drooping slightly.

  “No. They’re, you know, they’re not niot all.”

  “Not ol,” Jirot firmed.

  “Yeah,” Adam said, brushing Jirot’s cheek.

  “Daddy?” Jarot called. “You love me?”

  “Of course, you smelly boy,” Adam said, pulling his son onto his p, the boy almost making to cry, though he stopped once he was within his father’s arms.

  “Who could not love you, my boy?” Jarot asked. “Hmph. ime, I will kill them all, and you will see how much you are loved!”

  ‘So he fought two Experts and a Master?’ Adam thought. ‘He looks fioo, the old geezer. How the hell you be this strong?’ Adam was fairly certain there was no ce he could defeat two Experts and a Master with just his martial abilities.

  “You were uentle Heart?” Rajin teased.

  “You took too long to defeat Majestic Bde for one who has both arms and legs,” Jarot joked back.

  Raji out a small chortle, leaning over to rest his head on his fist. ‘I o longer say the Mad Dog has lost his bite.’ Rajin uood why Zijin had asked him to e watch over Jarot, the Elder, in his wisdom, uood that there was only one way for the old man tain his bite, and if that happened, someone like Rajin would o keep him in check, or at the very least, try to keep him in check.

  “Babo, I have it,” Jarot said, raising both his arms. “You have!”

  “I do not need your cute little arms.”

  “Not cute! S, babo, s!” Jarot huffed, raising up his tiny chubby arms, g his fist into the air.

  “They are so cute!” Jarot pulled his greatson onto his chest, causing the worker to tut, before she focused ba bandaging his wounds.

  “Babo…” Jarot hugged his greatfather with both of his arms, having no idea the pain he was causing the old man, who refused to let out the hiss in the middle of his throat. “I love you.”

  Jarot tensed up for a moment, and in that moment, the others thought they’d o pin him down. “I love you too, my Jarot.” The voice came out choked, the old man pinning the boy to his chest, refusing to let him go.

  “Babo!” Jirot called.

  “Yes?”

  “I love daddy!” Jirot cackled.

  “Do you love me?”

  “I… love daddy!” She cackled once more.

  “You smelly girl, you love babo too.”

  “I love babo?” Jirot asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I love daddy?”

  “Yes.”

  Jirot blinked, furrowing her brows. “I ?”

  “Of course. What about nana? You love her right?”

  Jirot looked down, shyly gng towards her grandmother. “I love nana…”

  “What about papo Jurot?”

  “No!” The girl cackled.

  “Why not?”

  “Papo does not pick up! Does not carry me!”

  “That’s because you’re always so scared because he put you to sleep.”

  The girl’s eyes darted around to try and find Jurot. “No! No! Not time for sleeping!”

  “That’s right.” Adam ruffled her hair, feelihid curly hair within his hand. “You have to love papo since he named you.”

  “Name?”

  “Yeah, my little Jirot. It apo Jurot who named you.”

  “Papo give me name?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Papo Jurot loves me?”

  “Of course he does!”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “No!” Jirot cackled with delight, g her hands.

  How dare they aim their bdes towards our children!