[898.4] – Y03.198.4 – Heart of Ice IV

[898.4] – Y03.198.4 – Heart of Ice IV

The next morning, Jurot took Adam’s children with him and Pam. Unfortunately, Larot had been claimed by Mulrot for the day. He had noted the way she had looked at them, and he did not like it.

“Papo Juroh,” Jirot said, fiddling with his collar while he carried her.

“Yes?”

“You are so big and stuhrong.”

“I am not strong.”

“No?” The girl furrowed her brows, tilting her head slightly.

“No.”

“Nana is big and stuhrong?”

“Yes.”

“Stuhronger you?”

“Yes.”

Jirot gasped. “Yes?”

“Yes.”

She gasped towards her twin brother, their eyes wide, their brows raised in utter shock. “Wow! Nana is so stuhrong! I love nana!”

“Yes?”

“Yes! I love nana, and I love daddy!”

“I love nana and daddy too!” Jarot added.

“What of me?” Jurot asked.

“No!” Jirot cackled.

Jarot cackled too, before he stared up at his uncle. “Papo?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Jurot’s heart throbbed. “I love you too, Jarot.”

“Papo! I love you too!” Jirot claimed, grabbing her uncle’s face before kissing his cheek.

Jurot flushed slightly, and he wondered if the Iyr would allow him to leave to kill a hydra. “I love you too.” Jurot kissed his niece and nephew atop their foreheads tenderly.

Pam glanced towards them, her eyes wide. ‘They really are his niece and nephew? Does he think they’re...’ She glanced around, noting the horcs and devilkin about, though she would never dare call Iyrmen such.

“Papo?” Jirot called, reaching up to his hair, brushing it gently with her tiny green hair.

“Yes?”

“You ah small?”

“I am big.”

“You ah small and now you ah big?”

“Yes.”

“You have daddy?”

Jurot paused for a moment. “Yes.”

“Baba?”

“Yes.”

Jirot blinked at her uncle, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Where is baba?”

“He is missing.”

“Missing?”

“Yes. He is missing and we cannot find him.”

“Baba is big and stuhrong?”

“Yes.” Jurot thought back to his father, who had quite some time before he had left the Iyr to adventure. He thought back to all the expeditions he had taken in the Aldish lands. “Baba is stronger than nana.”

Jirot gasped. “No!”

“Yes.”

“No?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my gosh!” The girl exclaimed breathlessly. She stabilised herself with a hand against her uncle’s shoulder before sitting up taller, pointing to her chest. “I am stuhronger than baba!”

“Adam, your children were bullying me!” Jaygak huffed.

“You probably deserved it,” Adam said, holding out his arms, causing his twins to squirm towards him.

“Wait until I have children of my own!”

Adam nuzzled against his twins, glancing to the side to see Pam peeking towards them, though her eyes darted away. ‘You’re going to have to get used to it.’

The last day of the festival arrived, with no Konarot in sight.

However, another guest appeared.

“You are to marry?” Morkarai asked, his eyes wide. “To who?”

Adam motioned a hand to Vonda. “Lord Morkarai, Ray Vonda. Ray Vonda, Lord Morkarai.”

“We have met,” Morkarai said, bowing his head to the Ray.

“It is always a pleasure,” Vonda replied, bowing her head.

“I thought Ray Vonda was the most obvious choice, so I thought you would marry another.”

“Who do you think I’d marry?”

“Lucy, Mara, Kitool. I thought Jaygak, but she has spoken of her love for horns, and you are not blessed with such. I would have thought perhaps a Demigod would come to marry you.”

“Eugh,” Lucy said, before quickly sipping her wine. “I would never.” She flushed slightly. ‘It should be fine to tease him a little?’

“...” Mara replied. She sat tall and strong, her eyes slowly scanning towards the half elf who she owed a great deal towards.

“I couldn’t marry any of them,” Adam replied, narrowing his eyes towards Lucy for a moment as he sipped his own wine. “I mean, Lucy’s my friend, same as Mara and Kitool. In terms of Demigods... Well, I don’t really like nobles.”

“Was Vonda not your friend?”

“Well, yes, but, you know...” Adam flushed, sipping again “Anyway, you’re coming to my wedding, aren’t you?”

“I will if you are inviting me.”

“Of course.”

“When is the wedding.”

“Uh, I think the end of next month?” Adam glanced over to Vonda, who nodded. “Oh, and Dunes is marrying too, you should go to his wedding.”

“When is it?”

“The end of this month.”

“I will come if I am invited.”

“I’ll ask him now, if you want.”

Morkarai nodded.

Dunes wasn’t sure why Adam was trying to give him a heart attack from the contents of the Sending.

‘He may. I hope you are enjoying yourself. Please inform me when Konarot has recovered.’

Adam glanced around to his friends, who were all calm in her matter, more worried for Adam. ‘I guess it is the Iyr...’

“I have heard your daughter is being treated by the Iyr.”

“Yeah. They’re taking out the, uh... Arcarius Gem?”

Morkarai blinked. ‘...’ He blinked again, before glancing aside to see the Iyrmen were judging the way he had taken the news. He sipped his fire wine. “Of course they are.” ‘Of course it is your child who possesses such a gem.’

Morkarai understood his chances of leaving the Iyr alive had decreased substantially. He reached up to rub his forehead. “I wish you had not informed me of that matter.”

“Why not?”

“It is a dangerous matter to know.”

“Why?”

“It is one of the Gems of Jiad.”

“The what?”

“The gems which Ajax the Immortal possesses,” Jurot stated, having just realised Adam had no idea what they had been talking about. They had already spoken about it previously, but it had been some time. ‘Adam truly is terrible with names.’

History Check

D20 + 3 = 6 (3)

“Who?”

“Ajax the Mouse, also known as Ajax the Immortal, has collected the Three Gems of Jiad,” Morkarai began. “Each gem is worth an entire’s city’s blood. Any with the gem is a target, even for the likes of dragons, and not even dragons are exempt. They say some of the gems are in the possession of dragons, but even if they can grant great powers to even dragons, they may not accept such a boon for the target upon their back would be too great to bear.”

“Oh.” Adam inhaled deeply, realising what the gem meant. “Oh fuck.”

“Oh fuck,” called a little voice.

Adam turned his head to see Jirot blinking up towards him innocent from beside him, holding her bottle of milk in her tiny green hands. He sighed. ‘Oh fuck.’

Mistakes were made...