[1772] – Y07.272 – Nightval is Overbearing II

It was upon this month, in which the snow continued to fall within the Iyr, the half elf approached the business, where he found a young fellow, a boy of ten, who stared up at him in surprise. He was still soft in the face, missing a tooth, his hair cut fairly short that morning.

“How time has flown, young Omer,” Adam called, reaching out a hand, allowing Omer to low five, and as he held out his fist, the two bumped fists. Adam held young Omer’s gaze for a long moment, the half elf let out a soft sigh, the heaviness in his chest threatening him.

“You are well, Executive?” Omer asked, peeking up at the half elf, noting how he was slightly paler than typical, and if a man was so devoid of colour he must have been sick, or worse, Aldish.

“I am well, Omer, well, it’s just, thinking about how you are almost a man, it wounds my heart, for should you not remain small and cute forever, this nephew of mine?”

Omer smirked, and he sat a little taller, as the eldest of the children from Aswadasad, those who called Bilal their uncle.

“I hear you’ve been training well, but you are still a child, so don’t go too far. When you’re a little older, this ahm of yours, he’ll take you out, along with young Ali, and he’ll turn you into an Expert at least, and he’ll make sure you have some magical equipment, and a few pouches of gold, alright?”

“Thank you, ahm.”

“Executive,” Bilal corrected, causing little Omer to flush, and the half elf to huff.

“Since ahm Bilal… ah, right, now that I think about it, isn’t ahm Bilal older than me? I can’t exactly be your ahm either? Except most of you are younger than my children? Except, ahm Bilal, he was…” Adam wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to say, or even if he was remembering their story correctly, so he raised a hand and dismissed the air. “Either way, enjoy your birthday.”

“Yes!”

Adam winced lightly, but he turned towards Dunes, who carried a long case, and within it, a longsword, formed of fine steel. “I will entrust this sword to Manager Dunes, who will keep it safe for you until you are older, and maturer, and once you are ready, I’ll be sure to have it enchanted.”

Omer’s eyes sparkled. “Executive, can I play with it?”

“No!” Adam huffed, reaching down to pick him up by his pits. “A sword is dangerous! You can’t play with it! I’ll let you hold the sheathed sword to show off in front of everyone under the Manager’s guidance, but then you must put it away, okay?”

“Okay!” Omer flushed lightly as the Executive picked him up with such ease.

Adam stepped away. He trusted Dunes to watch over the boy, feeling the burn in his arms. ‘I can’t believe that little effort is making my arms tremble so much. Ah! I forgot to give him the gold…’

Adam could feel the weight of it all now. The other children, too, were roughly that age too. It wouldn’t be long before they would all begin to step out, though he hoped the business was adventurous enough for their liking, so they would remain within his arms forever.

Vonda reached out to pinch his cheeks, having waited for him, even when he mentioned he would remain for another hour to create a few more items, as he did most days. “What is it?”

“I’m too weak, aren’t I?” Adam replied, feeling his head begin to pound, and his tears threatened to slip down his face. “How am I going to protect them? They outnumber me almost a hundred to one, and even if you include the others, we’re still outnumbered, aren’t we? How are we going to protect them? What happens if someone attacks them? What happens if they’re killed? I can’t go around killing everyone who dares to attack them, can I? You’ll be upset, and then whoever is related to them will get revenge on them against the other children? Plus, what if I don’t raise them properly, and they’re the ones who cause trouble? I won’t be able to step forward, even if the others would, even when they’re in the wrong…”

Vonda wrapped her arms around her husband’s shoulders, pressing their cheeks together, and as she rubbed along the back of his head, she stared out towards the wall, with the understanding the half elf was currently suffering from the stress of Awakening so many Iyrmen. Her warmth spread through the young man. She pressed her cheek against his, rubbing along his back.

“You will train them to become Experts, and you will request they remain until they are in their twenties, and by that time, they will marry, have children, and they will value the security you provide, and if there are some who will not, will they be as numerous as those will wish to stay?” Vonda whispered into her husband’s leaf shaped ears, trying to deal with the awkwardness within his heart.

As Vonda spoke, Adam clutched at her even tighter. Adam let out a soft sigh, the weight within his shoulders beginning to flow away. Yet, even then, the anxiety filled his heart, plaguing his mind, and within his heart, the thorns struck deep.

“I should just make an Order…” Adam thought, wrapping his arms around his wife, and with that, the shame of being so pathetic in front of her flooded through his body, and he leaned in to plant a firm kiss against her neck. ‘What the hell am I doing?’

“Is the business not its own Order?” Vonda teased, brushing along his hair tenderly, and as her eyes fell down to his face, she leaned in to plant a firm kiss on his.

“Sorry, dear,” Adam whispered, holding onto his wife, whose weight atop him comforted him, glad she had pinned him within her arms.

“There is no need to apologise,” Vonda said, with the understanding she needed to do this, otherwise he could walk down the wrong path. She leaned in to kiss his neck in return, easing his heart.

PATREON FOR 30+ CHAPTERS!

Sometimes, it's just like that.