Completed When Given the Night

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Choosing a spot out of the sun, Mabbon settled down to wait as Kaira's tears began anew. Though he could not claim to know her pain, he understood it well enough. Can't imagine what it would feel like to lose my parents, he thought, his expression grim as he listened to Kaira's sobs echo around the courtyard.

He thought about going to her, then. To comfort her. To draw her into his arms the way he did his mother and father and sisters whenever he made it back from his adventures.

Adventures. Oh, how romantic they made his life sound!

Smiling sadly to himself, the shadow-bearer leaned back against the wall he was sheltering under, closing his eyes as he did. If Kaira needed him, all she had to do was call out, and he would be there by her side. To help, if he could.

Somehow, he doubted it.

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

It seemed to be hours to her, not lost minutes of her sobs and grief filling the courtyard. Her Stone seemed to emit a sound, low and unheard to her until she tired and caught her breath. She lifted her head, searching for Mabbon as he was not immediately at her side.

Not yet able to bring herself to speak, she simply reached a hand towards him, wanting his presence and comfort like he had inside the exhibition room. Her eyes, reddened and slightly puffy from the tears, looked to him.

"Please, I just..." Kaira did not know how to explain how she felt then, but she knew he was a comfort she needed most now. She could no longer picture herself being consoled by her grandfather anymore, and Lyta was nowhere near here. She doubted Villam to be the coddling type, but Kaira knew with all her Faith that Mabbon was the support she wanted most.

Was it so bad that she enjoyed his company, and being near him?

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon was there in an instant. Sitting close to Kaira, he drew her into his arms like one would kin. I suppose she is at that, he thought, hushing her gently as he stroked her hair in an attempt to settle her spirit. Red-eyed, weepy, she was nothing like the woman he had laid eyes on during her addresses to the public and the proselytising that followed.

Smaller, yes, and broken like the rest of them.

Mabbon wanted nothing more than to protect her. 'You keep this up and I'm bound to start crying,' he laughed, his voice betraying him. Holding her, hoping for the tears to end, the half-orc began to rock Kaira gently from side to side. It was a foolish impulse, made all the sillier by how he looked, but in that moment... it felt like the right to do.

'Look at us!' He remarked after a time, sitting back so as to see her eyes. 'What a sight we must be!'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

He had gotten a laugh out of her and her arms tightened around him.

"Please, do not tear up those eyes of yours. I think I will anger the Ancients for such a crime." She lifted her head and rested it at his chest. His heartbeat. She could hear it and she allowed herself to sit there and listen to it. Kaira began to soften her breaths, trying to calm it and her own heart until it fell to match.

After she had collected herself, she made no move to be away from his arms, finding him a comfort... or perhaps it was the draw of two Stones together?

"They always said that the Guardians of Faith began to loose their sense of empathy after experiencing such loss... and that they sought to serve only the Ancients that took away that pain. I..." Kaira sighed, a shuddering breath giving her pause. "I don't want to forget the people of Valenntenia... the people I befriended and care about. I am glad I got to feel the grief today... because that tells me I am still myself..."

She lifted her head slowly and turned her teary face towards him.

"Dorian would want me to learn how to refuse them. Why don't we go test their patience by going to the city gates?"

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'If you're sure?' Standing, Mabbon offered Kaira his hand. He may not have known Dorian well, but the Guardian clearly hadn't lacked for wisdom. 'The Ancients... I imagine living up to their expectations can feel like quite the burden.' His Stone talked to him, too, though not in the voices of those come before.

No, the Stone of Darkness preferred to use the voices of those yet living. Family, friends...

Kaira's. He could hear her now, in his head, telling him things he had no wish to hear. He knew from the Tower records what it was trying to do... How it influenced the bearer, shaped their psyche into something much more palatable. And dark.

'I will help you, if you'll let me.' That was what friends did, right? Helped one another. 'Just tell me what to do!' Smiling, Mabbon supported Kaira as she rose to her feet. The tears had left marks running down her cheeks. Wiping the last traces of her grief away with a gentle hand, the half-orc offered Kaira his arm.

'I will forge us a path,' he promised, glad to be out of the sunny courtyard and back inside. The Vanguard officer who had spoken to them earlier was still there, accompanied by a half-dozen armed escorts. They bowed respectfully as the Guardians passed them by.

'Do you wish to bring them along? Only, I think we'd stand a better chance of blending in without this lot glaring like Villam on a bad day.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

"No, just us two..."

She never truly needed any help parting crowds, when the people rarely swarmed her. Kaira spent so much of her growing up and career as a Guardian surrounded by people recognising her. With Mabbon by her side, they dared not approach her. Kaira took a moment to peer up at him, hand at the crook of his arm. She never understood why the greater population of their city gave him a wide berth, even when he and his family were here years before his appointment. They all knew the Dreiergs, and what the family did for the city.

It was not because of his mixed heritage, not when in the Province, there were more mixed races and beings other than human.

Kaira smiled up at him, squeezing his arm to alert him of her staring. "At least the sun is setting. It will be darker the closer we get to the city gates."

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon smiled sadly. 'Don't you go worrying about me, Kaira. A little bit of sunlight won't kill me, though I do burn easily.' And ain't that the truth, thought the tall half-orc, grateful of the company he kept. Pulling his hood up as they left the gallery behind them, Mabbon led her through a series of turning, twisting streets towards the city gates.

Men and women, smallfolk and city-folk of all shapes and sizes passed them by. Many, upon recognising the familiar face of Kaira, reached for talismans and prayer beads.

'Ancients bless you, my dears!' An elderly human with thinning hair said, bowing as far as his aged body would allow.

Mabbon paused only long enough to return the gesture, making sure the old man was well before walking on with Kaira. He sensed more than saw a number of smiles in the crowd, now. And scowls.

'What does he think he's doing, cosying up to the Faith Guardian?'

'Manipulating her, no doubt, like the last Dark-one did us! What was 'is name again?'

'Emilio Matthias Soren.' Mabbon answered, silencing the whispers and driving fear into the hearts of the two men. Valenntenians. People who should have known better than to doubt him or the High Priests who had chosen him in the first place.

Shaking his head, Mabbon glanced at Kaira, concern and shame in his eyes.

'Sorry you had to see that,' he said, as if it were his fault.

Emilio Matthias Soren. Always him.

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira regarded the men with hurt, shaking her head at their short sightedness when it came to the Stones. When they were well clear of the men, Kaira turned her saddened face to meet his gaze. "It happens often, doesn't it?" And she was sure it would not be the last.

Their pairing made sense in Kaira's eyes, if they were admit such a thing between friends, but many saw the Gaurdians for the Stones they represent. Where she knew adoration and worship, Mabbon was subjected to generational distrust for his Stone.

Kaira hugged his arm, leaning her head at his shoulder as they walked. "They don't know the Mabbon I know. The one who became my friend, the one who is there when his colleagues need him. Never mind the people, Mabbon. One day, their tune will change. I will be sure to make them see it." And she smiled, promising that to him.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'Almost make it sound like a threat.' Mabbon smiled, a deep surge of gratitude welling up in his chest. Patting Kaira's hand reassuringly, he pulled his arm free of hers. He missed the physical contact almost immediately, but... it was for the best. Or so he told himself as they kept walking.

'How well do you know me, really?' He asked after a time, staring dead ahead. 'How do you know they're wrong about me? Before today, we were... what, exactly? Comrades? Acquaintances?'

He tried the words on, found they didn't fit. Sighing, he stood aside to make way for a man and his family. They regarded him warily, noting the drawn hood, the weapons at his side. When he met the man's eyes, he nodded, a certain acceptance washing over him.

It happens often, doesn't it?

'Forgive me,' he said, turning back to Kaira. 'I am... tired. And rude.' His eyes met hers, guilty, and full of shame.

What's done is done. He could not take his words back... any more than he could stop the sun from setting. But he could try to make up for them, just as he had been trying to make up for the actions of his predecessor these past seven years.

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira frowned as he extracted himself, and she hid the hurt that threatened to show on her face.


"I do not need my Stone to reiterate what I already know of you, Mabbon. Despite the Stone you carry, you are not beholden to no Darkness seen and heard by Generations of Guardians. We all have Darkness in us, and some of us are too weak to fight it. Some are too scared to deal with it. Others too guilty to feel it." Was that what happened to her in the Gallery? Succumbing to her emotions and mourning?

"You are strong because you have not fallen slave to the Stone that may very well eat you alive..." She wished he had not tried to decipher what they were to each other. Not when she could not think of the appropriate title to... this.

She bit her lip, averting her gaze to her shoes as her hands fiddled with the scarf dangling at her front. "You don't need to apologise." Was she wrong to think he was different from what those who did not know him thought he was? Their assumptions to be regarded as the standard truth?

"If... If you're tired, I shouldn't waste your time with anymore nonsense. You should retire, I have kept you out in the sunlight too long." Still, she did not look to him, keeping her eyes on her boots taking a step before her.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Nonsense. Nonsense? 'I'm not tired, Kaira,' the half-orc replied, shortening his steps so he could walk by her side. 'Tired is just the excuse I used to justify my truly shitty behaviour.' She had told him that there was no need to apologise, but he knew she was just being kind. He could hear the hurt in her voice, see it in the way she wouldn't look up when he turned to regard her.

What kind of man was he, to take such a perfect moment... and turn it sour?

'I'll retire once we're outside the city walls. My parents have a vineyard, remember?' Feeling a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Mabbon surrendered to the emotions burning him up. Kaira had hit the nail on the head by saying the Stone would eventually eat him alive. But until that day came, he would fight it.

Every step of the way.

Taking her hand gently in his own, the half-orc grinned. He could sense the Stone's influence receding, pulling back into the dark parts of his mind, like a cancer. Chances were it would never be excised. 'Would you come with me, tonight?' He asked. 'All going well, I mean. When I said my family would like to meet you, well... I may have been downplaying it, just a touch!'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

She softened once he pried her hand from her skirts and held it, her gaze following to catch his grin. Kaira's heart did that lovely thing where it swelled, captured in his good heart she was so lucky to see and experience. Could he blame her for taking a step closer to him now, beaming at his words.

"Unannounced? You would invite a lady you call a friend to dinner with your family? My, my, Mabbon." She grinned, bumping into him lightly. "What would your poor mother say when you bring home the Guardian of Faith? The Daughter of Valenntenia." How quickly he brought her happiness back, and she radiated with it.

The gates neared now, and her hand began to tighten around his unknowingly. Her Stone tried to feed her unease, to instill anxiety at her close proximity to the gates, but with his Stone singing to her own, their presence quietened the protests the Ancients thought would keep her within the safety of the walls.

"Promise me then, that one day you will sit with me and my grandfather for dinner? He had work with the last... Guardian of Darkness before... well, I am sure his mind could serve well if you needed to discuss anything. Would love to have some back up in keeping him from talking about the other Somners." She stifled a snort, only to fail and succeed in the delightful sound. "But, I would love to meet your family."

And now they stood feet away from the outside of the gates, large and tall, protected with Vanguards on duty. There were watchtowers down the road from the city, ready to alert of anything amiss.

Kaira took in a breath, her other hand going to cup their joined ones. She turned to face him, looking up at him one last time.

"I feel... ready but, at the same time, not at all."

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'My dear Kaira, those are the exact same words I use every time I wake up in the morning.' Grinning, Mabbon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. A little light humour never went amiss in situations like these, he felt. From the way she kept glancing at the gatehouse, one would have thought her deepest, darkest fears were locked away inside, just waiting to break out.

'It'll be over in moments, trust me. Just stroll on through... and we'll have the answers you seek.'

He knew he it made it sound easy, but that was the point. If Kaira wanted to visit the Ancients' Dwell -and she most certainly did- she would have to face her fears, and address the concerns regarding her Stone.

Mabbon had promised her his help. And he would help her, one way or another.

'Come on, I'll walk you through. Hells. I'll carry you, if needs be!' His grin grew a fraction wider, his eyes turning mischievous in the fading light. 'Don't think I will? All right.' In a heartbeat, Mabbon had scooped her into his arms. He recognised the dread she harboured inside her chest. Had entertained it himself, once or twice.

The sun setting behind them, Mabbon strode into the shadows of the gatehouse, his Stone thrumming with newfound energy. He began to feel better, stronger, more confident. The guardsmen on duty stared in disbelief as he wandered by, a fellow Guardian in his arms.

'It's okay,' he said, smiling now. 'Even if word does get out about what they've seen here today, no-one will ever believe them.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira had not time to even call his bluff before he scooped her up into her arms and strode out towards the boundary of the Valenntenian walls.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck, cheeks heating up with warmth and red as she could not believe Mabbon had plucked her up effortlessly and went on ahead as if this were a normal occurrence, that the Guardian of Faith belonged in those arms.

"Mabbon!" Kaira squeaked, lifting her head to turn and see that they now strode from the boundary she never could cross before. Even when she had set out on her own to assist Lyta in the retrieval of Dorian's body, she struggled getting past the gates without an incredible weight at her shoulders and chest.

But with Mabbon, she felt his strength, his strive. Her own Stone recognised the Guardian, had accepted him as a tie to Valenntenia. It was the theory she ran with on the conditions of her being outside of the walls, one she also tested when visiting the Carvyre Estate and feeling renewed once Villam, Vazia, and Mordred were present.

"You are not carrying me the whole way are you?" She was mortified, but made no real attempt to be let down to her feet either.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'Depends. Do you want me to carry you the whole way?' Stifling a grin with some difficulty, Mabbon's gaze flickered between Kaira and the road ahead. There were suburbs, outside the walls of Valenntenia. The first stop for many, it was made up of businesses and stone townhouses not unlike those found in Old Town. The sinking sun reflected brightly from angled roofs, red and orange above shades of black and grey.

It was there, in the lee of a tall building, that Mabbon finally let Kaira down.

'How're you feeling?' He asked, checking for any visible signs of distress. Apart from the beetroot hue of her face, all appeared normal. 'If you want to go back, just say the word. I'd rather not risk your health.' His Stone pulsed in rhythm with her own, sharing its master's concern for a change. A boon... as much as a curse.

'We can rest a moment,' he said, leaning against the warm stone, the shadows clinging to him now that they were out of the sun. He beat at his chest, willed them to disperse. Glancing at Kaira, he smiled encouragingly. 'Think my mum will throw a fit when she sees you. Not every day their son brings a woman home,' he paused. 'She's quite devout, y'know. They all are, really.'

Mabbon looked away, letting the quiet afternoon bustle take over for him.

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

"I feel fine... truly." Kaira was happy to have her feet back on the ground, but the entire experience of being in his arms had not been all too awful. Not that she would reveal as much to him. "I think you keep the anxiety away... but it is most definitely your Stone giving mine strength to be away from the city."

She had recalled meeting the Dreiergs, but she had been younger then too.

"What are they like, your family?" She asked quietly, moving to sit in on the ground and look around their new surroundings. "You have sisters, do you not?" It must of been lovely to have siblings. Kaira only had her two cousins but never grew up alongside them either.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'Yes. Three, all younger.' Mabbon nodded. He had not expected Kaira to show any interest in his family, but the simple fact that she had filled him with a subtle warmth quite unlike anything he had felt before. 'You'll likely get to meet Calandra and Calliope, assuming we make it to the villa,' he shrugged, a guilty smiling making his lips curl upwards.

'I have faith.'

Remaining on his feet, the Guardian took a look around. He did not notice the shadows as they began to deepen. Nor how they grew colder. The Stone he wore over his heart hummed with latent power, extending its protection to Kaira willingly, as if sensing the connection they shared. He did not have to intercede on her behalf. The Stone simply... did.

'My father... he was a Captain in the Vanguard. My mother served, too. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to regale you with the story of how they met over dinner.' Mabbon smiled. 'Doesn't matter how many times they tell it, I never get tired of hearing it.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira looked up as Mabbon spoke, a small smile pulling at her lips as she heard about his sisters, his parents. She could imagine younger sisters giving him a hard time, and such a thought made her grin wider.

"I cannot wait to hear it." Kaira offered her hands to him, silently asking for his assistance in helping her back onto her feet. She had just sat down, but felt a need, a pull, to be standing with him.

"Perhaps your father knew mine. Or your mother, too. They say he was well on his way to becoming considered a General... but Odhran Carvyre held the title for so long..." Kaira, when stood, would take Mabbon's hand and begin to walk with him. She stuck to the long shadows of the buildings, until the sun dipped below the horizon.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon could not say why Kaira took his hand, just as he could not say why he let her. But it felt... right, the way her fingers interlinked with his, preventing escape. Not that he wanted to. 'Maybe,' he replied, guiding her through the suburbs and out into the farmland surrounding Valenntenia.

'My mother was a part of the scout cadre. My father, now, he served with the cavalry. They used to rile each other up something fierce when I was a kid,' he revealed, grinning from ear to ear.

'Funny how love works.' Smiling to himself, Mabbon found his attention back on Kaira as they walked. The setting sun framed her in a perfect halo of light, dark hair pulled back, away from her face. Mabbon had always thought Kaira pretty. Now, he was certain of it.

'Why don't you ask them?' Mabbon suggested, blinking, his eyes narrowed against the dying light. 'They like to reminisce of an eve. Sentimental, like their fool of a son.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Hearing about his parents only brought her mind to remembering her own mother and father being so caught up in each other. As a child, she loved to watch them embrace and take a moment at the end of the day before insisting she join them. Without fail, the three of them would be present to talk about their day, and she knew the happiest of childhoods.

She blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay, looking towards the fading light to help quell them. "I used to dream about having the greatest love like my mother and father. She was a traveler, so was her family. She came to Valenntenia to see the Tower."

Kaira grinned, relishing the last grasp of warmth the sun had to offer as it neared the horizon. "My father tried to explain to her the Tower was closed for the day to the public, but they had a language barrier. He figured enough to convince her for a drink to get her away from the gates leading to the Tower." She laughed. And her mother made a home in Valenntenian since that day. A year later, she had been born.

"He used to tell me that he would fight for her no matter what. He knew he was to love her forever." Her smiled waned, her hand tightening slightly around his. "He was killed by a mage while escorting some Somners to Dornoch." A Somner had picked a fight they could not win. Syera, her mother, was inconsolable, and Kaira had been passed along many families in Old Town while her mother grieved. Her grandfather came to collect her one day, to tell her it was time to place her faith in the ancients. Kaira tended to her mother, prayed for her, and accompanied her on walks at night.

"I miss them. Every day." She squeezed his hand again before turning to look up at him. "But I know they are together." Even if the Ancients only show her her mother, she knew deep down they had each other in the land of the Ancients.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Kaira turned to look up at him, sad tale told. Mabbon didn't know what to say, and so he said nothing as they left the city behind them. To lose one's parents so young was a tragedy, yes, but it was so much more than that. It stunted growth, put paid to so many opportunities and experiences.

If he could've shared even an iota of his own childhood with Kaira, he would have.

'I can't even begin to imagine what it's like,' he said, giving her hand a squeeze. His throat felt dry, his chest tight. 'I love my family. To lose them...' He shook his head, unable to bear the thought, let alone entertain it. 'I would give my life to see them safe.' The Somners frowned upon self-sacrifice. The Stones were the first and foremost priority, always. Preservation of life came a close second. 'Your parents... if you say they're together, then they're together.'

Glancing at Kaira, Mabbon nodded resolutely.

'And don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise.' Turning back to the road, Mabbon focused on the land ahead. Passing through vast tracts of arable land, past farmsteads and hamlets, the half-orc pointed to where a low run of hills curved around the city. Row upon row of grapevines could be seen stretching down the slopes towards them. And at the very top...

'The Dreierg family estate!' Smiling, Mabbon turned to look Kaira in the eye, his face a veil of shadows. He could still sense the sadness lurking beneath the surface. Somehow, he doubted it would ever really go away.

'Nearly there now. Before we go, how're you feeling?'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira's free hand came to squeeze his arm just as her hand interlaced with his tightened. "I am grateful that the people of Old Town were there for me towards the end, and still look to keeping an eye on me. I lost my family and gained a city full of them." The Daughter of Valenntenia. She paid back their love shown to her with the kindness of serving the people.

Her eyes blinked, then saw straight to the magnificent view of the estate.

"Crickets, it is beautiful!" Faith gasped, lifting her head to stare at Mabbon in surprise. "Oh, goodness. I feel compelled to frolick along the vineyard." She laughed in answer to his question. All saddened thoughts and emotions ebbed away, replaced with this new nervous feeling getting closer to his family's home.

"You know... I never have been invited to visit a man's family home before." She teased, digging her elbow into his side. "If this got back to the older ladies in Old Town, they will be marching over here to knock on your door and ask when you are going to marry me." She snorted. On two occasions the mother's residing in Old Town took an interest in her love life, presenting their sons to her. "I don't know, I think seeing this is convincing me to consider." She grinned wickedly at him.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'Mmm. My plan is working a treat, then!' Caught off guard, his collar suddenly far too tight, Mabbon directed a smile at the ground as Kaira revealed her true colours. In truth, seeing her happy made him happy, though he wished she hadn't made such a... "suggestion" out loud. 'You're lucky there's no-one around to hear you say that, y'know! All those old ladies of yours might get a touch jealous, should they find out you made an honest man of me.'

Deciding the best course of action was to roll with the punches, Mabbon went along with Kaira's jest.

Glancing at her, he smiled, shook his head. 'Crickets!' He laughed, partly at himself, and partly at how she had managed to turn the whole morbid situation on its head with so little effort. But then she was the Faith Guardian for a reason.

Taking a breath, the half-orc cleared his throat, gave himself a slap.

'Alright, enough jests. Let's go introduce you before I start crying.' Offering Kaira his arm, Mabbon fought to keep his face in check. A smile kept tugging at the corners of his mouth, threatening what scant composure he had left.

'Ceremony's planned for after dinner, by the way. Just so you know!'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira grinned up at him, mischief well in play as it danced in her dark hazel eyes. She adjusted her hold on him, now wrapping her fingers over the crook of his arm and followed his lead.

"I hope what I am wearing now is appropriate for the ceremony. Perhaps your sisters can help with my hair to make up for it." She snickered, warming all over at the thrill of the thought. It was becoming clear to her she held such feelings for Mabbon, but his ability to joke along with her and have a good time was the main thing for her. It made her feel normal in terms of not being a Guardian, that she was just a citizen living a Valenntenian life.

"Oh, Ancients!" Kaira sighed, breathing in the scent of a dinner being cooked wafting through the soft breeze. "That smells divine." And now, nerves began to settle in her. She was all too aware that she was about to be introduced to his family, and that they had wished to meet her on many occasions in the past. Her appointment as Guardian had brought out many invitations, but she soon became overwhelmed.

Kaira had tried to visit the Dreiergs, even going to the lengths of writing a letter to signify how deeply saddened she was that she could not attend physically, but now, she was minutes away from their door.

"Oh, I am nervous." A shaky laugh left her as her hold on his arm squeezed for a moment.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'You look fine, Kaira. Don't sweat it.' Honesty. Just a little. Mabbon had been raised that way, by parents who had been raised the same. Strange, how he of all people should have ended up Guardian of the Stone of Darkness. But then again, the Stone he carried needed someone of integrity to wield it... Was he?

Leaving the main road, Mabbon led Kaira up a dark path between rows of grapevines towards the house.

It was dark, here, but Mabbon saw clearly the way ahead. And he took extra care to make sure Kaira did not trip. The smell of something cooking found them on the breeze. Mabbon smiled. 'It does indeed!' His mother and sisters loved to cook, the former becoming something of an expert now that she didn't have to worry about the Vanguard or her young children running amok.

When Kaira said she was nervous, the half-orc laughed.

'Me, too!' He smiled, nudged her playfully with his arm. 'Cal and Calli are going to give me so much shit, it doesn't bear thinking about.' Mabbon reckoned their jaws would drop once they recognised just who he had brought home. His one advantage, that.

The rows of vines came to an end. Leading Kaira towards the front of the house, Mabbon paused only long enough to steal two roses from the garden. One, he offered to Kaira. The other... was for the first most important woman in his life.

'Ready?' He asked, a hint of nerves in his voice.

Kaira Yehven