"Dad, I want a turn!" Eli shouted as he stood, impatiently, next to the fenced-in, grass-covered field where his sister rode their pony. Eli's ruddy, brown hair was just like his father's. And he had the same, stern, brown eyes.
"I'm not done yet!" Lyndra shouted back.
Ben suppressed a laugh and put on his stern dad-voice. "Lyndra, give your brother a turn." The girl of seven sighed and rode the steed over. Ben reached over the waist-high fence, helped her off, and then put Eli on the steed. He rode off and let out a whooping call as he rode around the field.
"Not fair!" Lyndra said as she crossed her arms with a pouty face. "I don't get to gallop!"
"When you're older, sweetie," Ben said as he put her on his broad shoulder. "You have to be bigger, so you don't get hurt if she bucks."
"Ben!" He heard the melodic call of his wife. "Would you mind coming over here?"
He set Lyndra down. "I'll tell you what. Go find Lawry and bring him to the house...I'll get you some iced sweet cream. Just you and Lawry. Okay?"
Lyndra buzzed with delight before nodding her head rapidly, her blonde hair and light-green eyes captivating Ben as always, a spitting image of his wife with his eyes. She dashed off towards their herb garden where his youngest, Lawry, would sit and watch the ladybugs in the mid-morning sunshine.
Ben chuckled as he watched her dash down the small dirt trail. He went up to his gorgeous wife and gave her a kiss as he cupped her belly. "What can I do for you, sweetness?"
Trisha giggled and pointed to the side of the house, "The roof. Something is leaking."
Ben looked up and nodded, "I'll take care of it. Do you need anything?"
Trisha shook her head, "Just your loving. Oh, and keeping an eye on the kids. I want to finish that anatomy report." She gave him another kiss before going inside the house. Ben went around the outside of the house and set up a trusty ladder, climbing onto the roof. Damnit, he thought. I patched that last week!
There was a bird that was nesting in their nearby orchard, and it had taken some of the roofing material for its nest. The gap was noticeable, and he sighed as he clambered down the ladder. Who would have ever thought we'd be living like this?
Ben was the Guardian hero. Trisha, the Healer hero. They had retired from the hero life once the Demonic Dragon was defeated and had three wonderful children with a fourth on the way. Trisha ran a school for teaching healing spells alongside actual medicine, and Ben ran the equivalent of a boxer's gym to train warriors from across the land.
In exchange for learning from two of the heroes, those warriors and healers would work the large, country estate in the heartlands of the kingdom of Trisk. It was a good life they had built. They were well-off, both stayed busy, but had plenty of time with each other and their growing family. Soon enough, the children would have tutors brought in to educate them. Not the same level as what Trish and Ben could teach them from their time on Earth, but the basics – since neither of them knew how to teach young children.
I should ask Thomas to come and stay for a while. He remembers everything. Poor bastard. The memories of the past still haunted the both of them from time to time, and Ben vividly recalled several near-death experiences having been on the front lines...but with Trisha's help and support, and his for her, they got through it. They had named their kids after some of the fallen heroes in honor of their deeds.
But, every time he saw Lyndra, he remembered the pact the heroes had made ten years ago.
"Strike her from memory," Cecily had insisted. "We need to make sure that no one remembers her. If they find out that we didn't kill the Demonic Dragon, and instead she did? We're fucked. We'll lose our credibility overnight."
Ben and Trisha joined Misty in wanting to exalt Lyn's deeds and promote her legend...but Cecily threatened to bring the wrath of a kingdom down upon them. They just wanted to retire and have a family in a time of peace and do what they loved...so they capitulated. Naming their daughter after her was the best they could do without risking the anger of that bitch.
Internal spells often took a toll on the body after they expired – hence, using new, unfamiliar, and unpracticed ones in combat was dangerous. The effects of the memorized, standard internal spells were well-known, so warriors could plan their movements and actions around the aftereffect. And some barely changed the body, like the simple muscle-enhancing internal spell she used when testing her core. But this? A brand-new spell? It's risky, but there's no real threat down here unless we trigger it. Internal spells used a lot more mana the more they changed the body, so the strongest internal spell effects were locked behind a lack of mana for most people. Looks like most Duskari have a very large reserve of mana compared to other races.
"Are you okay?!" Vael shouted.
Gael laughed weakly, "Yes! I am unharmed! Such a powerful, internal spell-"
"Look for a switch, handle, or something like that," Lyn shouted over him.
Gael stood slowly using the wall as a support. He looked at the door, and then to the walls around him, "Ah! Found something. It looks like a lever. Should I pull it?"
"Yes," Lyn replied as she impatiently tapped her foot. Gael threw the switch, and there was a purple thrum that surrounded the hallway before fading. Lyn threw her short sword down the hallway, and to her satisfaction, there was no scything, magical blade. "Vael, you in front of me, just in case."
Vael nodded and Lyn could see the fear on her face, but there was a resolve there as well. She took a few cautious steps forward before she quickened her step. Lyn followed a few steps behind, recovering her sword, and they were safely past the trap and on the other side of the magical hallway. Lyn glanced at the lever Gael had pulled. It was a simple iron rod that was inserted into a socket on the wall. I wonder what powers it? She thought about investigating further, but Vael opening the next door caught her attention, and Lyn reached over and grabbed the woman's hand. "Don't open doors without checking them for traps."
Vael's eyes went wide as she looked down at her palm. "Oh..." there was a tiny, teeny amount of blood. "I...don't feel...so good..." Vael collapsed into Lyn's arms, and she set her down gently.
"Vael! What happened to her?!" Gael asked as he knelt to hold his sister.
Lyn looked at the door and peered closely at the handle. Damn, that is one fine needle. She didn't even feel it break the skin. "Poison," she muttered as she looked back to see Vael beginning to seize on the ground, and Gael panicking. "You can manipulate water. Follow my words exactly." Gael gulped and nodded rapidly, holding a shaking hand over his sister. "No! Over her palm," Lyn ordered as she grabbed his hand and put it over her palm where the wound was. She looked up at Gael, "Look at me."
His red eyes met hers and she focused intently on him. "Repeat. I agar min I rhaw."
He nodded and repeated the phrase. "I agar min I rhaw."
"Edi eriol am I gwanath." Again, he repeated. "A gothron hain ned / na I rhach nin helw."
"-Na I rhach nin helw," he finished. Water pooled in his palm and surged into Vael's wound. Her arm distorted and amidst her spasms her face screwed up in a tight grimace. Moments later, the water surged out of the needle-hole to float above Gael's hand – and contained within the sphere of water was a brackish, green fluid. He laughed out of relief, "I did it!"
Lyn nodded, "Yes, you did." They don't know that blood is mostly water, or that it's a sub-type under water elementalism. There is so much basic shit I have to teach them. She patted Vael on the face, "Come on, wake up."
Vael took several deep, heavy breaths before opening her eyes as her body relaxed. "Thank you...my Lady."
"Don't thank me, your brother saved you."
Gael leaned down and hugged his sister, "I thought you were done for," he whispered just loud enough for Lyn to hear.
She had to turn away. The memories threatened to return and breach the barricade of here-and-now she had worked to erect. Just keep going. She used her short sword to push the door open. Huh. Interesting.