Duels, fights, and mock combat were not the reasons why Alton joined Braytons. He, like Zaniyah, was just as desperate to have a break. Unlike Zaniyah, he had some minor influence around here, and he was going to abuse it.

He knocked on Till’s door and immediately opened it without waiting for a reply. Till was currently in the process of melting into her desk. Usually, Stonetoe was the one who checked in on her to make sure she was eating and sleeping, but no one had bothered to take over that role after he had left. Occasionally Lady Marjoram, but she was oftentimes too busy with her own work.

“I’ve brought bottled tea from Lady Blu and a collection of foods from the kitchens that shouldn’t spoil right away.” Alton set a basket down on the edge of the table. “You should be good on snacks for the next few days.”

“Thank you, Mister Toval.” Her tone sounded polite, but Till didn’t bother to raise her head. Her voice was partially muffled by her desk.

Alton stared at her for a moment. She didn’t bother to move to see what was in the basket. “What happened to Sir Grimhawk wasn’t your fault.” Till remained unmoving. “Your squires are in need of missions.”

“I am the headmistress of these barracks. All that happens within these walls is my responsibility.” Till sat up with a long sigh and began to clean the dust off her glasses. “My ‘illustrious’ career has overseen the deaths of many knights and squires. I had my chance to stand up against the King’s court when they demanded conscription of squires and knights, but I rejected the thought of rebellion.

These barracks needed to be protected. The previous headmaster failed the children here, but I will work hard to restore Braytons to its former glory… But leadership is a game of push and pull. I must balance the demands of the crown with what is good for the barracks. I allowed them to place poison here and it took the death of Sir Grimhawk to finally expose the toxicity I had for so long ignored.”

“What happened with Bastardweed and Sir Grimhawk wasn't your fault.” Her shoulders twitched at his words. Till finally looked up. Her lips were drawn in a thin line and everything about her expression was disheveled. “Your squires are in need of missions.”

“Take a look at my career and tell me that I have any idea what I am doing. A squire on my squad died when I was an instructor, I married another squire who was under my watch, and I couldn't even protect you from having to defend yourselves against someone I employed

In my first year as headmistress, I allowed a villain to take charge. I spent decades under Sir Grimhawk’s care and it was my passive nature that allowed him to die. All of these deaths… They’re all my fault.”

“Sometimes mistakes happen, and sometimes people get by on lies. You can’t blame yourself for everything and then lock us up in an attempt to keep us safe. We squires need to understand what reality has waiting for us and these missions and experiences will help us survive in the future.”

She scoffed at his response. “Really? Are you capable of comprehending how many associates of mine have made their home with death? Every fortnight, I receive a report of killed or missing in action during this war.

A report listing any who have passed through these walls. My associates, my mentors, my students… The last I see of them is a brief notice of their passing. I don’t even have the energy or time to grieve each and every one. This is what happened with the Southern War. It will happen again. Training children to be knights is the same as digging their graves.”

On her desk was a mess of papers. Most were letters, but several had Braytons' insignia above a list of names. It was as though she had pulled out the reports she had gotten over the past year and was going over all of them again. Some were crinkled or smudged, as though they had been read many times over.

Next to those was another letter with Sybil's handwriting on it. Alton's eyes narrowed at that one for a moment before he looked up at Till. He, like Till, had to concentrate on what was best for Braytons.

“This is the year that my class is supposed to be starting their real assignments. Instead, we have returned to lessons and homework. It doesn't matter to me if the mission is something as mundane as picking up litter around Tilrey. Get us out of here. We are desperate for change.”

Till strained against her armrests as she made an attempt to get up. Alton quickly stepped around her desk to help her stand, and she waddled over to her filing cabinet. While she was distracted, Alton maneuvered back to the desk and quickly scanned the letter that Sybil had written. Now that he was getting a better look, there was no mistaking that it really was her handwriting.

She was doing well. Classes were going as well as they could, and she wanted some advice on popular authors she should read up on. No word yet on the project she was working on, but she was hoping for good news as soon as her friend showed up. Alton raised an eyebrow at that. He knew he shouldn't ask what Sybil was up to, but the question was always seated on the back of his mind.

“Were you aware of the excavation efforts at Volo Refuge?”

Alton straightened up with a nod. “Yes.” Tyrtain’s influence had greatly reduced miasma. Even the sickness that had been buried deep within Volo’s refuge for centuries had been purged. Ancient texts and weaponry had been uncovered.

“They need help with categorizing items as well as copying old texts. I had been debating assigning the first years to this, as they may learn something interesting. It’s a relatively simple, if not mundane task.” She pulled out the paper and held it out for Alton to take. “They promised to provide food and housing so you wouldn't need to travel back and forth at odd hours.”

That took care of Chickadee and Veximarl, but Alton didn’t want to cram all of the second years there. “What else do you have?”

“Mareth's guard commander has stated that they are open to taking in squires for extra city protection. Both Baron Whipple and Baron Marjoram are willing to take in squires to help with the Eatha Feast day preparations. It would be a shame to break tradition and not send anyone this year.

The only other task available that isn’t our standard patrols is Dewdrip’s annual fishing tournament. It’s a village two days north of Mareth, still within Baron Whipple’s territory but in the Valley of Lakes. They have asked if we will be able to offer assistance. Last year had a bigger turnout than they were expecting and they may wish for extra security.” Till pulled out a set of papers and held them out.

“Perfect.” Alton filtered through the papers that he was given. “Is it alright if I assign both the second year Bronzescale and Macestar to this one?” He held up one of them for her to look at.

“You will need to clear it with Mister Alder, but I don't believe he will view it as a problem.”

Alton smiled. “Thank you. I'll hand these out as soon as possible.” He gave her a grateful nod and let himself out of her office.

Obediently waiting for him outside the door was Chickadee. “Anything good?”

“Mhm.” He handed Chickadee the mission briefing. The mage's eyes lit up as he read it. “I knew you'd like that one and we'll be going with Baron. We’ll use them and Vex to handle the paperwork so you can play around as much as you want.” Pulling out his letter, he messaged the other squad captains to meet up in their usual spot.

Alton preferred to be up high, as high meant uncrowded in the barracks. Whenever he held meetings with the captains, he chose the eastern rampart corner. There were benches set up there and it overlooked the road coming in from Crimson Region. Chickadee sat down with him and nestled himself under his arm.

Being Alton's shadow was something he felt he needed to do. Sybil had chosen to abandon them. She had said she was going to keep them involved, but she ran away instead of asking for help. Chickadee didn't care if it was because she wanted to protect them, what she needed to do was to keep her friends with her. That is what she had promised when they all decided to apply to Braytons. That is the vow that she broke by leaving them behind.

Alton didn't show the pain he was in, but Chickadee could see it. He stayed out late at night so he could play the piano in the mess hall without anyone bothering him. It was just like he had done in Carapace, as though he were expecting Sybil to come in at any moment and tell him that she was home and safe.

No one disturbed Alton or said anything about it, but sometimes Chickadee would take a peek. Alton’s hands would be hovering over the keys and his head would be bent forward with his eyes closed. It was as though the music within himself had died. He would only call it a night once his wrists had started to cramp up.

Alton didn't even have the strength to fake a smile anymore. Instead, he was formal with others and avoided them when he could. Even with those within his own squad, he was short in his responses and never participated more than he had to. There was a job that he had buried himself in, and nothing else seemed to matter.

Maybe if Chickadee stuck close, Alton would light up again. Not as much as he had before, Chickadee knew that wouldn’t happen. He wasn't expecting Alton to fall in love or even stay by his side... All Chickadee wanted was to have the old Alton back. Both Veximarl and Zaniyah were too busy with their own problems. It was up to him to fix this.

“Here are the mission briefings.” Alton held out the three papers for Tish, Gwyn, and Emery to take. “Tish, you'll have Mila and Irving with you. You will be stepping down as captain for this mission and letting Evan take command. He’ll have control over Irving and Mila. The six of you will be acting as a single squad.”

“What? Are you sure?” Tish’s hands tightened about the paper. “I... I-I don't believe I've done anything to deserve a demotion... Is something the matter?”

Alton shook his head. “All of our squads are broken. One of mine ran away, Anais is still on medical leave, Vincent is shying away from all responsibility, Irving is going to have to learn to communicate without his letter, and look at Emery. Just look at him.” He pointed at the Moontear captain. Emery was glaring at Alton as Chickadee cuddled against the squire with the most content look on his face.

Veximarl leaned towards Tish so he could offer some advice. “You did say that adding Luca to your squad was only a temporary patch between yourself and Evan. Perhaps giving him the chance to take leadership will rebuild the trust between the two of you. He is more experienced in town guard duties than you are, and it will be a good place to put his skills to the test.”

Pouting, Tish looked off to the side. She didn't like the idea of being away from Veximarl for any length of time, nor did she want Evan to be rude to her just because she wasn't in command. “I will give it a try.” Veximarl put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. He started to whisper comforting things in her ear as the rest of the meeting continued.

“Emery.” Alton stared for a moment as Emery muttered hateful things under his breath. He clapped his hands together to catch his attention. “Take Basil and Peter to Dewdrip and have a good time at their festival, but make sure you take Gildenboot with you. One of them has a general as an uncle. They can give Basil advice. I’ll talk with Rebecca about it beforehand. She’ll definitely find a way to help him.”

A weary sigh came out of Emery. Basil was showing more of an interest in becoming a general. That would involve transferring to the barracks in Fogbloom and enrolling in the army there. He didn't like the idea of breaking up the team after they left Braytons, but if anyone could succeed at such a task, it would be Basil.

Gwyn scoffed. “And what about my squad? You want to put me in a stuffy temple and make copy records?”

“Yes. You’ll be with our squad. Anais will enjoy the reading, while Vincent will appreciate any religious lore he finds.” He pried himself loose from Chickadee so that he could lean forward. “You need a break from this too, don't you? Or maybe you want to help someone else take a break from this?” His eyes darted quickly between her and Veximarl. “Maybe Ivy or someone else who needs a break from all of this?”

Gwyn squinted at him. “What?”

“... You know.” Alton did a quick look between the Tish and Veximarl again before lowering his voice even more. “With so many of us going, no one is going to notice if a person or two disappears for a time to take the chance to sort out their-”

“Don't bother finishing that statement,” replied Gwyn harshly. “I am not going to take matchmaking advice from the man whose lover ran away from his constant temper tantrums.” Alton's expression hardened at her comment. “Especially when he's encouraging me to do the same thing.”

Tensing up his jaw, Alton's expression softened again when Chickadee took his hand. “Are you taking the mission or not?”

“Whatever. I'm getting bored of doing the same training every day. Even the fights are becoming dull. I don't even have much to do and my team always wins.” Gwyn folded up the paper and tucked it into her skirt pocket. “I assume you wish to move out as soon as possible so that Zaniyah has some time to mess around. I'll have my squad ready to move out by tomorrow morning.”

Alton was starting to think that Gwyn was a normal and nice person, but no. Gwyn was still an absolute bitch. An absolute bitch who was wasting both her potential and her chances at happiness. Alton scoffed in return and rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

“Whatever,” he mimicked the way she said it. “The other squads won't need to leave for a few days, but we can leave tomorrow since that’s what Princess Gwyn wants. Is there anything else someone wishes to complain about?”

“... Cart,” muttered Emery.

Emery was staring out at the road. Looking in Alton’s general direction was making him upset, and he was concerned in the way the cart was behaving. It had stopped part of the way up the road long enough for a girl to hop off. She gave the driver a polite bow before he turned the cart around, then she began to make her way to the barracks.

She had an ethereal appearance about her. Taller than most girls her age, which already made her stand out. She had thin features and looked as though she were a child from an upper-class Carapace family. Her outfit was the standard bell-shaped skirt of the city, made of sheer black material, and a short blue jacket with long pink and white ribbons tied in the front.

Everything about her, even the floating footsteps that she took, had a graceful and elegant flair. As she unwrapped the scarves that hooded her head, her gold-spun hair shined in the sun. It was still perfectly held in place with intricate glass bead hairpins of her own design. Her skin was lighter and smoother than her siblings, as though she hadn't seen a drop of sun or work in her life.

“Hello?” She held up a hand next to her mouth and used a bit of wind magic to make her voice carry upward “Am I allowed to walk in or is there some sort of procedure of introduction I need to follow?”

“Fairy?” Alton had met her once before, but it was only briefly as she was a self-declared shy type who stayed away from men.

“... Fairy.” Chickadee narrowed his eyes. He then jumped down from the wall, and Fairy braced herself as dust was kicked up by the whirlwind that softened Chickadee’s landing. She then went to hug him, but he instead pointed towards the distant mountains. “Go home.”

Shaking her head, the fourteen-year-old walked over and grasped her brother's hands. “Please Walter, you have to help me. I will not stand to be in such a backward, ignorant city for any longer.”

“Go home, Hester,” repeated Chickadee in a cold tone.

Alton didn’t like how tense Chickadee appeared to be. Someone really needed to step in before the magic started flying. “Hey, Vex? Seems like you should see what’s going on down there.”

He had witnessed Caitlin and Chickadee get into an argument about sword pins last summer. The result was half the forge catching on fire and a mild earthquake. Though Chickadee and Millie were on good terms, the occasional argument devolved into unarmed combat that had rocks flinging everywhere. There was no telling what sort of danger they were in now that the youngest member of the Cully clan had shown up.

“He is your boyfriend,” remarked Veximarl. He didn’t feel like shaking embers out of his robes today.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Alton spat back. He then flashed him a fake grin and outstretched his hands as a sign of compromise. “We'll let Zan deal with it.” Veximarl nodded at the idea. “As squad captain, it's your job to know where your members are. You go find her, and I am going to see how Gideon is coming along in his studies. Because that’s something that big brothers do.” Nothing screamed brotherly bonding like hiding from danger.

Below them, Chickadee was still arguing with Fairy. It wasn't going well because she had folded her arms in silent protest and refused to look his way. Hester was only something mother and father were allowed to call her. Chickadee was supposed to know that. Plus it was very hard to reach this place by herself and Chickadee didn’t seem to care about all the work she had to do.

Having had enough of her attitude, Chickadee stamped his foot on the ground. A stone lifted her upward and forcefully carried her into the barracks. If he couldn’t make her leave, he might as well make sure she ate something before he doubled his efforts to kick her out.

They made their way to the mess hall and he fetched then dropped a plate of vegetables and fruit in front of her. Once Fairy had had a few bites, she was slightly more reasonable. Millie had been summoned, and they were still waiting for Zaniyah to show up. Fairy had always found Zaniyah to be intimidating, and Chickadee was hoping that she could scare his sister off.

Instead, what they got was Commander Shaw. He would’ve preferred to help in the hunt for Zaniyah, but Millie had pleaded with him to go with her to meet her sister. After all, he was Zaniyah’s big brother, which made him family, and this was definitely a family matter.

Shaw didn’t particularly understand this family dynamic that Zaniyah and Chickadee had, but he did know that having three volatile elementalists under one roof was a bad idea. Naiov and Trenchall were positioned at a table on the other side of the hall, just in case something happened.

Fairy wrung her hands together underneath the table. “Everyone got so terrible after Millie left. I couldn't take it anymore.”

For most of her life, Fairy had lived outside of the core. Starsons was the only school she had known. She had several longtime friends among the outlanders, but she couldn't stand them after some of Dogfall's students stayed at the Starsons dorms last winter. They took joy in making fun of the core kids behind their backs. It made Fairy realize just how jaded they all were.

It was a little better after Felix showed up. She enjoyed his company as a friend, but then there was a fashion show towards the end of summer where he got a lot of recognition. Suddenly, he was the popular talented kid at school and Fairy didn’t believe he needed her to help him anymore.

“I want to go to Petalmist.” Fairy sighed and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. “I'm tired of how racist people are in Carapace. Fogbloom is where all the new things are happening. Art, literature, theater... They're all more modern and... And wonderful. I need to be a part of that. Plus, it's terrible being by myself at home. I miss you both dearly, and you two know that Caitlin and I have never been able to relate. It’s been difficult.”

Chickadee blinked at her. People from Fogbloom were just as biased as those from Carapace. Not against people from the core necessarily, but other things. Like poverty, or being ill-mannered, or wearing the wrong color during certain days of the week. He still didn’t get what was wrong with brown on Martday or why he should care.

Millie hadn’t caught on to Chickadee’s disapproval. “If you want to go to Petalmist, go to Petalmist. What's the problem with that? An outlander school is just an outlander school, after all.” Millie shrugged as Chickadee looked at her as though she were insane.

This whole dreamer philosophy wasn’t something he’d ever understand. He felt fortunate that the majority of his friends were mostly level headed individuals. His nose crinkled slightly as he turned his head to Shaw. He attempted to mentally project the thoughts into Shaw’s head. This Zaniyah replacement needed to scare Fairy off. Raise his voice, swing a weapon around, or something crazy like Zaniyah would do.

The paladin's cheeks puffed out slightly. Women were an enigma to him. In Fogbloom, neither gender had much interaction with each other. Each were held to greatly different standards. There were several misconceptions that he had formed as a result. He was partially afraid of Till having some sort of hormonal surge to adopt this poor child. That seemed like both a wrong idea to have and also something that could possibly happen. Thus, he needed to be careful about what he said.

“We could...” Shaw tilted his head to one side and thought about this more carefully. If they were going to force the title of family upon him, he might as well handle this like he would an argument within his own household. After all, Sena was a sister of his. He at least understood how that sister worked and Fairy seemed more like Sena than Zaniyah. “I wish to know what your parents think about this.”

Fairy reached into her bag and pulled out a letter. “This is the correspondence from my mother.”

Shaw took it and opened it up. It was indeed a letter from the famous blacksmith, Talwyn Cully. Her seal was on it and everything. Inside was a brief message written in crude handwriting, much too crude for a lady like Fairy to have forged it. He scanned it a few times before reading it out loud.

“Make sure she eats well. Love, mom.”

A grimace streaked across his features as he set the letter down on the table. Shaw had to take a moment. He needed a moment. “With your mission starting tomorrow, Cully... That Cully.” He pointed to Chickadee. “It may be difficult for Gwyn and Miss Nox to educate Miss Fairy on what Petalmist is like. We will keep her here under the other Cully’s care for the time being.

Rebecca’s squad has two members who are Petalmist alumni, but they are both men. The only other one that comes to mind is Amalfrieda, but she has a mission with Naiov starting tomorrow.” Behind him, Naiov’s hands tightened around his cup. “Men and women were kept separated and had different course work.. I could ask Amalfrieda if she could put off her mission for a few days so that Miss Fairy is well informed about her decision.”

“No,” replied Chickadee coldly. He wasn't fond of either of Amalfrieda and was also afraid of what sort of influence she would be. “Stop being a child. Go home” His eyes narrowed at Fairy again.

He was tired of those around him making childish decisions. Fairy had had an argument with her friends, but that didn't give her the right to run away from home. She should have sought to change their opinion or find new friends.

Millie wasn't doing any better. Playing Basil and Peter against each other for her affections and then dumping both of them when Elm showed up had ruined her chances of getting close with the other first years. She had developed a reputation for being cruel and fickle.

That was a simple mistake, but it wasn't the first time Millie had done that sort of thing. Chickadee did baby her, that was partially his own fault, but the cruelty that Millie experienced in the core made it so that she couldn't bring herself to have empathy for others. She only seemed to care about people she considered family. Everyone else was nothing.

Turns out Fairy might not be all that different either.

That sort of thinking reminded Chickadee of Sybil’s behavior, which left an even more bitter taste in his mouth. She had made arrangements to leave in the middle of the night. Chickadee was the only one who got to say goodbye. He was certain that it was only because he had fallen asleep in the forge again and she had spotted him on her way out.

Sybil had shaken him awake to make sure he hadn't fainted from exhaustion. At the time, he was still attempting to finish Gideon’s sword. It had been taking some time, as it kept being pushed back due to more important projects popping up, so he ended up passing out in the forge most nights just so he would have a chance to work on it.

“This is the fourth night in a row that you've slept out here. You're going to make yourself sick.”

He blinked a few times and then rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. How could Sybil be so certain? It had been days since he had last seen her. Sybil had moved some of her belongings into the Bronzescale room and hadn't been speaking to any of them. Not since Alton had muttered something about them breaking up to the rest of the squad. Whether it was out of pain or embarrassment, he didn't know. Chickadee didn't care either, not as long as Sybil was here now. As long as she was willing to talk, they could fix everything that had gone wrong.

What concerned him most was her outfit. Sybil was wearing a courier uniform. Her hair had been cut down and her breasts bound under a thick jacket so that she had a boyish appearance. There was also a horse nearby that wasn't Oyster. A large saddlebag had been placed on it. Large enough to hint that she needed enough to travel some distance away.

“... Leaving?” Chickadee stood up from his chair and grabbed her wrist. A slight shake of his head was given. Now was not the time for her to be going anywhere.

“Yeah, I know. It's stupid to leave now, but I need to fix things, Chickadee. I'm going to stop these attacks against me and... A-and then I can deal with everything else after that.” She took his hand off her arm and held it with both of her own. “I'm sneaking into Fogbloom. No matter what happens, I am putting an end to this madness.”

Once more did Chickadee give a shake of his head. “Are... A-are you going away to die?”

His father had told him stories about animals doing that. Pets would run away from home when they were feeling ill so they could die alone. It was done so their bodies wouldn’t lure predators to their home, a concept that broke Chickadee’s heart. From what his father had told him about his old tribe, he knew it was something people would subconsciously do as well. He would hate for such a thing to happen to Sybil now.

“No... No, of course not, Chi.” Sybil winced at her own statement. “Actually, I might be. I don't know yet. I'm torn between wanting answers and knowing that I don't deserve to keep going. Barcus and Grimhawk are both dead because of me. Paladin Buttonweed, Claire... The list keeps growing. Thinking about something like that or worse happening to any of you... I can't keep going like this.

Please don't tell anyone where I'm going. The others would come after me if they found out, and I can’t let that happen. The only reason I'm telling you is that I know you'll still let me leave. Plus, I need you to understand why I’m asking you to take care of everyone for me. So go ahead and hate me for being selfish or anything else I've messed up on over the past year, but would you please at least take care of Alton? I don't even know why I'm asking that, because I-I know he doesn't want to see me again but...”

Sybil's voice trailed off as she looked off to the side. Her hands fell limply to her sides and she had a deflated look about her. Chickadee studied her for a moment before putting his arms around her shoulders and pulling her in for a tight hug. Her fingers twitched for a moment before she squeezed him back.

“You'll be back.”

“Of course I will,” she replied weakly. “I love you, Chi.”

“Love you too, Sybil.”

As she left, all he could feel was a sense of defeat. Sybil had always tried to be there for her friends, but left her own problems to herself. This was wrong. He knew that everything about this was wrong, yet once again was he forced to go along with what she wanted.

Thinking about that moment put a lot of weight on his shoulders. Chickadee gave a distant sigh as he thought about his current situation with Fairy. Things couldn't be easy for her at home with him and Millie gone. He could understand that much. Hopefully, she would get bored and want to go home after a week.

“... Maybe she can stay for a short time,” he muttered under his breath. “Sorry. Need air.” He stood up and made his way to the exit, with Millie standing up after him. “Alone air.” She pouted, but sat back down afterward.

It was times like this where he missed Stonetoe. The knight had insisted that Chickadee had an issue with bottling up emotions, and they had had weekly meetings about it. Chickadee would sit on a couch, slowly nursing a dark ale that had been poured for him, and Stonetoe would sit there patiently, talking with Chickadee after the mage had loosened up. If not that, they would sit there and play a board game or two. Even if it didn’t seem like much, it had helped a great deal.

Even though he had several friends he could do that with, Chickadee didn't feel as though he could sit back and relax anymore. His troubles seemed so much smaller than the ones that plagued the others. He had to be strong and help all of them out. If he was worried or needed a peer to talk to, he had to ignore that urge and move past it. Now was not the time for weakness.

“Walter!” Lady Blu stuck her head out of the infirmary window as he walked underneath it. “Will you give me a hand? No rush, but I would appreciate it!”

Chickadee looked up and gave a nod. Lady Blu was still taking care of Simon. She wanted him to be at least a year old before he could be adopted by a family in The Den. The settlement was far from fully formed, and she needed to make sure Simon was eating solid food first. Unfortunately, Simon had a habit of setting everything around him on fire whenever he cried… Which was a lot, because he was a baby.

Having asked his mother for help, Talwyn had sent over some plans for a crib that helped control elementalist powers. Chickadee wasn't sure how well they would work. Though Tyrtain had stated that elementalist mages would be gaining more power at a slower rate, there wasn't a way to know how that would work on an infant. The child could have been born with extreme talent. Both of his parents were skilled in different forms of magic, and there was little reason to believe Simon would be any different.

Moving quickly to the infirmary, he wasn't surprised to see Blu slapping at the crib with a blanket. Flames were bursting out of it and she was trying to prevent them from spreading to the wall or any nearby furniture. Chickadee waved his hand through the flames so that they would part long enough for him to reach down into the crib. His fingers tickled at the side of Simon's neck, and the rest of the fire dissipated in an instant.

“Thank you, Walter. I swear that he only likes you and Zaniyah.” Blu let out a sigh of relief. “I have no idea what we are going to do with him. I know we'll figure out something soon. Everything... E-everything will work out.” The doctor inhaled sharply and began to stomp on an ember that was glowing on the floor. “Blasted-!” She took a slow breath to calm herself down.

“We will find him a good family.”

“That is what I am hoping for. It would be easier if he didn't shock all the wetnurses that tried to hold him. People are still sensitive from when Naiov zealously zapped the center of Tilrey.” Blu let out a nervous laugh. “Please don't tell Mister Furrow that I mentioned that.” She let out a distressed sigh as she moved across the room so she could rinse out a bottle. “Watch him for a moment while I get him something to eat?”

Chickadee gave a nod, leaning over the crib so he could get a better look at Simon. He was so little. Such a small thing, but capable of such large tantrums. His finger continued to tickle at the infant's neck until a cooing sound came out. Simon’s parents might not have been the best people, but the little guy was cute.

Behind him, Blu continued to mutter to herself. “At this rate, we might have to send him to the orphanage at Grand Temple. I know that they train talented elementalists there, but they are raised to be soldiers. Even if I have to wait years, I’m not going to take away Simon’s choice with what he can do with his life.”

“The Den?” He thought it was where Simon was supposed to go after he was old enough to be adopted.

Blu hesitated. “For all we know, it could be just a fad. There is no telling if they actually plan on staying there or if everyone will leave after a year or so.” She then looked around. “Ah, that’s right. I have to run to the kitchens for more food, sorry. It will only be a few minutes.”

She raced out the door and Chickadee stared down at Simon. No one at The Den, huh? Plus, Zaniyah was already saying she was planning on adopting Simon, but he didn’t know if that would be a good idea. Zaniyah was a bit… Maybe she was too overzealous to be a mother now.

“I could be your family,” Chickadee whispered in his quietest voice. A lot of people around him had issues he didn't know how to solve, but this was different. This made sense. As Simon beamed up at him, he understood that this was the correct choice. He lowered the scarves around his face and gave the child a smile back. “We'll always be together, until your old enough to fly on your own. I promise you that.”