Wilt waited outside of their dorm building. It was relatively early in the morning, and he had only just eaten breakfast. The first month was finally over, and he was free to return to the city. He had invited Stella to a dinner for the day, but she had also wanted to visit his father’s library. At first, he was hesitant, but took it as a good sign, and invited her to visit his family. Honestly, considering how much time they had spent alone together already, it felt like he was dragging his feet in actually proposing to her. They were both of age, and more importantly, he had the approval of her aunt. A simple proposal would do much to officiate their relationship.

He decided that he would make sure to do it before he set out on his mission. There was no doubt in his mind that his parents would love her, and his sister would too when she learned that Stella had helped him make her present. He currently had that wrapped and carried it under one arm. There was another similar one in his other hand, though that was a gift for Stella. It would be a bit faster and was a more subdued shade of dark purple. He had made that one secretly but had a feeling that she knew about it.

He spotted her leaving the building and walked up to her casually. At least that was what he attempted to do but seeing her in more casual clothing made him walk a bit faster. She wore a sweater that ran up along her neck but oddly had the shoulders cut out. It was purple and had thin white stripes running down exaggerated seams. As with every outfit she wore, it was unconventional but more than that it fit her perfectly. He looked down at his shabbier brown sweater and thought about grabbing something better when he was at home. Or he would buy something if he couldn’t find anything. Stella didn’t seem like the type to enjoy shopping, but she would probably find it amusing to dress him. His sister certainly enjoyed doing that.

“Hi, I got something for you.”

Wilt was excited to give her the device. In reality, she hadn’t actually seen the finished product yet, and this would be the first time she saw it. He had his own with him too, as he was planning to use it to play with his sister later. His was in a bag on his side.

Stella looked at the messily wrapped package and noticed the other underneath his other arm. She smiled a bit as she opened the present to reveal one of the “Roller Boards” he had made. It wasn’t a great name, but it got the idea across. She knew what the object was but still seemed happy about receiving it.

“Thank you but were you planning on riding it into town. Because I’m not sure if I can learn how to use it that quickly.”

She gave him a small hug as she took the gift, though it was awkward because of the things he was holding. Shaking his head, he offered to hold on to it.

“Here, let me put it in my bag, and no I was kind of hoping we could walk.”

She handed him back the board, and he slid it in beside his. They fit although it made his bag a lot heavier. He was even more glad about the time he spent doing exercise, as he had no problem carrying the bag. Before he could turn towards the institute's entrance, he heard Stella grumble something. A second later, she slipped her hand around his arm and started dragging him towards the gates. He kept pace with her and realized that he forgot about formal mannerisms. It was something he had been learning from books as he needed to get used to it. His position had raised his status significantly, and that was one of the things he had to tell his family.

There were a few conversations he was looking forward to, as his parents would certainly be angry about some of the information. They especially wouldn’t be happy to find out that he was going to head out for war. That was something he was afraid to talk about and would be glad to tell them that he would be accompanied by two councilors. That would hopefully be enough to reassure them.

He talked with Stella as they walked through the town. His house was a good distance away from the institute, and it took them a little while to get there. They got there well before lunch, and he was surprised to see that there were people sitting outside of the library. There were tables set up and several people were reading books there. His father had let people take books out of the building. It was done but normally a deposit needed to be made, and he doubted that all of these people had made one. There were almost twenty people outside, and he wondered what had happened for business to start doing so well.

Rather than entering through the crowded main entrance, he led Stella to another entrance. This one was on the side of the building and was connected to his house rather than the library itself. He pulled out the key from one of his pockets, and he heard a click as he turned it. Opening the door, he held it open for Stella to enter first.

“Welcome to my home.”

It probably didn’t compare to what she was used to, but his house was well decorated. The door had led directly into the living room, though he didn’t see anyone inside. His mother had a good eye for that kind of stuff and there were a few nice paintings on the walls. There were a few new ones as well. One was of the institute and another of the city as a whole. Honestly, he was bit amazed by how many things looked brand new, and he guessed that the library was doing really well.

He heard footsteps rushing down the stairs and saw his sister soon after. She bolted towards him in a sprint. She was only seven and was short for her age too. Her blond hair was loose and bounced as she ran into him hugging him tightly. She was still too young to enter normal school and had probably been lonely since he left. She would be the most disappointed to hear he needed to leave soon. His parents would be better at telling her and he just returned the hug.

“Hey sis, I got something for you.”

That got her to let go of him, and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had probably noticed the present already but was smart enough to wait for it. He also used this opportunity to introduce Stella and spoke as he handed her the gift.

“This is Stella and she helped me make the gift.”

His sister looked at Stella for a second and quickly hid behind him. She snatched the gift though.

“Thank you!”

Her voice squeaked a little as she said the words. His sister wasn’t used to meeting new people and wouldn’t be until she went to school. That’s how it was for him too. Stella responded smoothly; her voice kinder than Wilt had ever heard.

“It was nothing, though I do hope we can become friends.”

Despite how she talked, he thought that Stella seemed a little nervous. His sister looked at Stella for a moment, before her focus drifted towards the present. In an instant, she tore apart the poor wrapping and revealed the board. She didn’t seem very excited and only looked at him with a pleading expression. She had probably assumed he brought her something amazing like a magic weapon or something. He rolled his eyes and explained.

“It’s a magic device that we made. Set it on the ground and stand on it.”

She didn’t hesitate in the slightest and stepped on top of the small board. It slowly started rolling forward, and he caught her as she fell off of it. Her eyes were glowing, and he was sure that she would keep trying to use it. He would need to teach her how to use it but wanted to introduce Stella to his parents first.

“I will show you how to use it in a bit, where are mom and dad?”

“In the kitchen.”

He should have expected that. After setting his sister down, he grabbed the board and started walking inside. He gestured for Stella to follow. His sister walked behind him, partially hiding from Stella. She was staring at her though, and he knew that he would need to do something about that. Maybe he could teach them both how to use the Roller Board. Hopefully, that would be able to get his sister to open up.

His mother and father arrived before he had even entered the kitchen, and their eyes went wide. His mother’s turned into a glare as she noticed Stella, though his father gave him a smirk. That earned him an elbow from his mom and a glare from Wilt. His mother spoke easily, introducing the two of them.

“Hello young lady, I am Emilia Wilton, and this is my husband Leopold. I am sorry to say that I don’t yet know who you are. My son seems to have not sent us any letters. I wonder if he has even read any of those we sent.”

Wilt choked on a cough at his mother’s accusatory tone. Honestly, he had read the letters but hadn’t thought about sending his own. He had been busy and just forgot that he could send a letter back. It was a foolish notion now that he thought about it, and it was clear his parents weren’t going to let him off. Stella though was doing a good job distracting them just by introducing herself.

“Hello, I am Stella Soramore, and your son has begun courting me. He has spoken the world of his family, and I hope I am able to meet your standards.”

Those words seemed to make his mother happier, and he was glad for that fact. His mother noticed his still hiding sister and shot her one of her motherly glares.

“I do hope my daughter has introduced herself properly.”

My sister’s face was beginning to droop, but Stella covered for her.

“Yes, little Mary here was extremely nice.”

Wilt didn’t think his mother was buying it, but she let the matter drop. They had a lot of other things to talk about. After introductions were out of the way, the five of them spent some time talking, his mother asking Stella a plethora of questions. It lasted well into lunch, but he had somewhat ruined the mood when he told his parents of the war, and what he needed to do. They were a bit angry but couldn’t stop him. His mother seemed surprisingly happy to hear that Stella wouldn’t be running off to battle. Wilt had tried explaining that he wouldn’t be doing any fighting, but she didn’t seem to care.

It ended up with his mother heading to her own room, and his father chasing after her. He felt a bit bad but distracted himself by teaching his sister the functions of the new toy. She didn’t hear the conversation and would only find out later. For now, he taught her and Stella how to use the devices. This continued into the evening until his sister became too tired to keep going. She opened up a little to Stella. That seemed to make Stella genuinely happy, and she started following his sister around. Wilt noticed that she was intentionally making mistakes when his sister did but didn’t make any snide comments. His parents came down the stairs again, and his mother seemed much more relaxed now. She still wasn’t happy but seemed to accept his decision.

Finally, the time for dinner came, and his mother gave him some advice before he left. That was a bit surprising, but he was glad to hear that both of his parents liked Stella. Although he knew that would be the case. He led Stella through the dimly lit streets. The sun had already set, and the stars were their source of light for the night.

“You have a nice family.”

Stella’s voice was a little wistful. Her parents were gone, and she had been living with her aunt for her whole life. Wilt had been missing his family, and he had only been gone for a month, he couldn’t imagine what she was thinking. He did, however, repeat what his mother had told him.

“My mother wanted me to tell you that are welcome to visit them. Actually, she told me to tell you to come by once a week. Apparently, she wants you to watch my sister and claims it's one of her requirements, though she wouldn’t tell me for what.”

He walked slowly, and Stella just followed along quietly for a while. After a few seconds, she shook her head slightly and spoke with her usual enthusiasm.

“I would love to play with your sister, but first let’s get to dinner!”

With that, they picked up the pace. Wilt had a place in mind already and just hoped that she liked cheesy food.