Chapter 1: Living at home

he freezing wind burnt against his nose, which was the only part that was exposed to the blizzard. His thick bearskin cloak could only do so much, even with its drawn down hood. He had coats under it, pulled up over his mouth so as to lessen the chance of frostbite. His snowshoes were treading on the top of the meter thick snow, but it still took all his effort to move forward step by step. The mile long journey to the springs had sapped away all his energy, and he hadn’t even been able to light a fire in the small cave. He had eaten the last of his dried meat, but had left the four fat rabbits untouched, since he had no love for raw meat. He had then left the cave, which was now at least five miles behind him.

Trudging along, with every step excruciatingly painful, he saw a small thin line of smoke coming over the large pine tree line. "Not long now," he muttered as he tried to imagine his small family: little Vero and Lirulin, along with his wonderful wife Anna. The large cabin that he had built with the help of Trey and Morr had been wonderful, and had kept them safe from nature and from the rest of Gondor. They had a small herd of dairy cows and sheep, which were needed for their products. Each winter, Morr and Trey went into the town taking wool and milk to trade for food, repairs and leather. They had gone a bit earlier than usual, at the time when blizzards were the norm, since they had hardly any meat left and dried beans had been used down to the last bucket.

The pair was expected back any day, but, getting sick of doing nothing and eating useless food, Huan had gone out hunting for anything available. That had been two days ago, and after having no luck he had been forced to kill tiny rabbits that had hardly any meat on. The wooden cabin came into sight as he cleared the last of the huge pines; the windows and shutters closed firmly, not even letting a ray of light out. Making his way up the stoned pathway to the front door, he saw the small stables that held Firedancer and a few other spare mounts, and the large barn that held their forty dairy cows and twenty sheep. The shearing shed stood next to it at the side, and then opened up into large fields covered in snow.

After he knocked on the thick wooden door, a little brown haired boy, covered head to toe in thick woolen clothes quickly opened it. His small nose and large blue eyes were visible, but his mouth was covered. "Daddy!" the boy exclaimed as he realized who it was, and jumped up into the man’s arms. Returning the hug, Huan looked around and saw Anna, who had a bow and arrow notched ready and a huge grin. Letting the boy down, Huan stepped over the threshhold and picked Anna up in a huge bear hug. "God, you scared me to death," she whispered, and dropped the bow and arrow to the floor. Little Lir came out from the kitchen to investigate the noise, then seeing who it was ran forward. Taking after her mother in looks and build, she bolted the length of the room and was quickly enveloped into a hug along with her mother. After a while he let the two down and let his bundle of rabbit’s fall to the floor. Little Lir and Vero go into the kitchen, leaving the rabbits by the fire. A short time later, the pair came out with a small bag of clay.

A while later, three of the rabbits, covered in clay, were roasting on the fire. The four of them sat down in front of it, happy to be all together again. The two twins, 6 years old now, were growing fast. Huan had started to teach them about weapons now, and both could use a sling well enough to kill small animals. He had asked Morr to buy him two small quarterstaffs, so that he could start teaching the twins how to defend themselves in case they ever needed it. The room was getting warm again after the wind had broken in when he had arrived. The high roof and size of the room made it difficult to warm quickly, even with the open fire, but they needed the size of it with seven people living here. Along with Dae when he came in, they find themselves with just enough room. The cabin was made of logs cut down from around the place, which had left them with a large glade for them to build it on. It had 6 massive bedrooms, three for each of the four adults and two for the kids, with the twins sleeping in the same room, while a spare room was left for guests. The kitchen adjoined to the family room, which they were in. A large storeroom was next to the kitchen, where they kept their winter supplies and also any money they had.

Standing up, Huan touched the clay of the closest rabbit. It was about to crack. Taking the tongs out of a barrel next to the fire, he took the rabbits and put them on the stone blocks that surrounded the fire. Picking up a small rock he cracked open the closest rabbit. The clay came off easily; taking the fur with it and leaving the flesh open and well cooked. After doing the same to the other three rabbits, Huan let them cool down while Vero ran into the kitchen and brought out four plates and forks. Taking the plates from the eager boy, he pulled of the flesh. First enough for him, and then the same for Lirulin, Anna and last himself. After all of them digging in greedily, soon no meat was left; and the four of them, stomachs full, relaxed by the fire. The two kids asked questions about their parents’ life in Minas Tirith and about the many quests and wars they’d been in. Finally, after the fire had gone down, little Lirulin was fast asleep on Anna’s lap, while Vero was just conscious lying in front of the fire. Realizing that he was sleepy himself, Huan sat up and lifted Lir up. Without waking her, he took her down the hallway and into the large bedroom. The two single beds were at the far end of the room next to each other with only a foot’s distance apart. Putting Lir on the purple covered bed he pulled up the covers, making sure she wouldn’t get cold. A tug on his breeches told him that Vero had followed him. Already in bed, the boy was waiting for him to pull up the covers for him. Giving a wide smile Huan pulled up the large blankets for the boy and walked out, blowing the candle out on his way.

Coming back into the large room, Huan saw Anna lay out tiredly against along the ground, enjoying the heat of the fire. Lying down beside her he put his arms around her, and together they both relaxed and enjoyed being in each other’s company again. "When do you think Trey and Morr will get back?" Anna suddenly asked. He shook his head. He really didn’t know. Normally the two took a week to get the supplies they wanted and waited for repairs to be done then it was a three-day journey back and forth. But in this weather he couldn’t begin to guess how long they’d be, with a wagon, oxen and three horses. "I wouldn’t know," he replied. "They’ve been gone for 3 weeks so they should be back any day now. Most likely will be tomorrow or next week, since there was good weather two days ago which they would’ve headed out in." Seeming happy with the answer, Anna got up and stretched. "We should go to bed. If they come back tomorrow then there will be a lot to do and we’ll have to do it fast or we’ll lose things." Nodding, Huan got up and followed her to their bedroom, where a large four poster bed was situated in the middle of the room, with large wardrobes containing clothes and old armour surrounded it. Taking off the large cloak and a few coats, he got into bed just as Anna came back from the small washroom that adjoined their room. Slipping into the bed next to him they held each other while sleep overcame them.

Waking up to rays of light, which were peeping through the tops of the shutters, it seemed that the blizzard was over as he opened them. The sunlight came in waking up Anna. "What time is it?" she asked, still trying to adjust her eyes to the light. "It’s a bit after dawn I think" was the reply. Getting up, Anna went into the washroom where splashing was heard, she came out with a large smile and took off a coat leaving her with just a woolen shirt and breeches. He himself only had breeches on, so he put on a cotton shirt from the wardrobe. Making his way to the door, Huan saw little Vero sitting down at the table while eating some fresh bread. Walking into the kitchen he saw that Lir was also eating some and that there was a bag full of supplies lying on the bench, which was filled with flour and other dry products. "Where did you get these?" Anna asked in surprise. "Morr Trey and Briyen came back today, only got here a bit after dawn." The little brown haired boy told them between mouthfuls. "And why on Middle Earth didn’t you tell us?" Huan asked sternly. Shrugging, the boy ate down the last of the bread. "Don’t be harsh on them Huan," came a voice from the door, "we made them not wake you since you two have been obviously been busy in the last couple of days trying to get food." Morrandir grinned at his last statement and plunked down more food. Trey shortly followed him with more and gave Anna a big hug while muttering about how she missed her.

The two men shook their heads and clasped hands while waiting for the two women to break apart. Realizing it wasn’t going to be soon, they went outside to bring in the supplies. "We’ve already gotten the horses and oxen fed as well as the cart cleaned, we just need to bring in all the sacks and bags of supplies now," the big man told him. Nodding, Huan went into the dimly lit stables. The stalls were almost full, with Shadowstar along with Morr’s big stallion and Briyen’s small white pony. Large sacks filled with essential dry food were stacked at the bottom of the cart. "We made sure we took all the salted meat in first and we put them in the cupboard." Morr told him as they both lifted up heavy sacks. It took them four round trips before everything was inside, and then they went back into the stables to make sure the horses had everything they needed and to close the door. Walking back inside they went into the kitchen where Trey and Anna were talking of the journey. "We had an easy time getting there," Trey was saying, "it’s just that we were bogged in for a week. When the weather finally cleared up we were able to get on our way, except then the bad weather came back. We had to take shelter in a cave for a few days, and Briyen became sick. Eru! I almost died of shock, since we had no medication or herbs with us." Shaking her head Trey took a seat. "Luck had it though, he didn’t get worse and when we came here we were able to give him some herbs that you have here, and he feel straight to sleep." Giving a supportive smile, Anna gestured for Morr and Huan to sit while Vero and Lir made some more bread, although making a small mess while doing it.

Only after Trey and Morr had given full accounts of the trading did they did they move onto new news. "Well the town didn’t have long supply lines so the news is old, but apparently the King tried to send soldiers into Rohan through Ithlien. But he was stupid enough to think that Elwing and Gilraen had no forces left after the siege of Derm’s Keep. They were able to ambush the forces, which were split up into smaller forces. I bet the King was mad when he found out, one of his best generals was taken hostage, according to a few in the village." Morr didn’t need to tell who the general was: the four of them knew the mole that had brought about the defeat of Ithlien. "Well," Morr continued, "After that there’s been nothing much but small skirmishes, but it was said that the King was raising an army at Dol Amroth under his first general Thorongil." Huan remembered the young Axeman who, after the Rangers was dissolved, was asked to stay and became an officer in the army. Shaking his head, he knew that he would use tactics from the Rangers, which would make this force one that could crush Ithlien. "But that’s about all they could offer so far," continued Morr. "I think I should go back after spring comes and the snow melts, to try and find out what’s happening, since the war could be all over soon." Everyone nodded sadly and knew that the rebellion against the King would fail. Sipping his peppermint tea, Huan remained silent, as all knew what he was thinking. Should they give up their safe life and help Elwing and Gilraen? He had already been far away when the rebellion started so he hadn’t known about it until the siege of Derm’s keep was over. What he did know though was that a former leader of the rangers had deserted the rebellion in order to save his own life, and had given the King everything he needed to know about their size and how well equipped they were. He then had given him plans as to how to enter the keep, which had turned any hope of victory into ash. Luckily, riders of Rohan had come across in force under Lorelei and had been able to give the besieged time to escape into the woods and safe havens. Shaking his head, Huan knew it was futile to join the rebellion. Rohan wouldn’t be able to send aid again, since they had countless hosts at Helms Deep and at the Isen. Hopefully they would be able to depart in small bands and create bands of outlaws that could damage any other force that would cross Ithlien, but he knew that, with their estimated men, they wouldn’t be able to stand against all of the King’s. He hoped that Gilraen and Elwing would be able to survive, along with the rest of the rangers that had joined with them. "Well," Huan said in the silence, "I think we could do with some spirits. Did you get the brandy?" he asked the pair. "Sure did," came Trey’s voice. "It’s been distilled for twenty years, which takes us back to before all this started so we bought three barrels full," she concluded with a satisfied smile. "Great, we can make a toast to the King," Huan added. Morr went into the cellar and came out with a small flask, which he poured into four glasses. Lifting up his glass Huan said: "To the King, may his reign be short and his defeat painful." All raised their glasses and drank deeply.

By this time, the sun was below the horizon and the youngsters were making dinner: a simple meal of beef with potatoes and peas. Huan took a spare plate and rose, walking down the hallway and into a room. Briyen, ten years old now, was lying down on the bed and was covered in large blankets to keep him warm, despite the fact that his face was white and had sweat coming down his forehead. "It’s ok Bri," Huan muttered as he put the plate down on a side table and took a seat next to the bed. "Won’t be long now, Anna is making another herb tea for you and with her old Elven powers she will make you all better." The boy opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. His black hair with dark eyes gave him an almost ghostly look with his pale skin at the moment, which was normally an olive complexion. The boy drifted off back to sleep after eating a little of the meat. Dae the shaggy haired wolf lay beside his bed occasionally whining sensing his master’s distress. Anna came in shortly with a little steaming mug of herbal tea. "How is he?" she whispered softly. "He’s ok. The medicine Trey gave him has given him some energy it seems, but he won’t get better for a while if you don’t heal him." Nodding, Anna stepped up to the bed, softly rousing the small boy. Seeing it was Anna, he gave a relieved sigh and let her pour the contents down his throat while she murmured in Elvish. After a few minutes the boy was sleeping again with colour coming back into his face. Anna, exhausted, slumped down in the chair. "He should be fine now," she whispered. "But you’re not," came Huan’s reply as he scooped her up in his arms and took her into the bedroom. Softly letting her down he drew up the blankets and blew out the candle. Trey was waiting outside Briyen’s room. "He’ll be fine now, Anna says. But you should let him rest for a while. Elvish magic makes the two people’s immune systems fight the virus so both are exhausted at the end," Huan told her. Nodding, Trey went into the room, then came out with the rest of the food and a small smile. "How’s Anna?" she asked. "Tired but fine," came the reply. The two walked back into the kitchen where Morr was cleaning up the twins mess while they were playing a name game together where they had to come up with names from Middle Earth, then the other had to say a name with the last letter of the previous word. The two were almost yelling the names as they battled to be heard over the clatter of dishes and plates. Smiling at the pair, Huan remembered the day he had taught them the game. After about a week, though, he was wishing he had never done it. The twins always had chores to do, with all the animals, and any free time was spent either picking the adults' memory or playing that game. Most times Briyen joined in as well but getting older, he only joined in after he was pestered. Taking up a clean cloth from the tabletop, Huan took all the plates and dishes, cleaned and dried them while Morr sat down after washing them all. Finishing the last of them, Huan sat down opposite Morr. The twins were now becoming stumped for answers. Morr occasionally stepped in and helped them, earning him glares from Trey. “You two better get to bed,” Huan told the pair. Moaning and grumbling, the pair left the room with Huan following. “But daddy, we’re not…tired,” Huan smiled as Lir yawned through her sentence. “Oh really. Perhaps you can tell me why you two are yawning every two steps?” He asked them. Put out, the pair walked on, pouting all the way. Opening their door the two went in and hopped into bed. “Night you two, and if I find you still up and playing that game you’ll have to clean the barns out tomorrow,” he told them with a grin. Kissing them both on the forehead he walked out, blowing the candle on the way. Closing the door he went back into the kitchen with a grave face. Sitting down again he turned to Morr and Trey. “How old do you think that news was?” Huan asked in a concerned voice. He had tried to shake it from his mind but it didn’t seem to budge. “Not sure, that town is behind the news about a month, and I think it would seem that news like it was, would’ve been kept secret for a while.” Trey nodded in Agreement to Morr’s answer. A grim smile crossed Huan’s face. “Do you think we should go back and help our country again?” Huan asked. The two, surprised by his answer, were silent for a while. He’d never asked what the others had wanted; only knowing that they had wanted to stay with him and Anna. “Some part of me says yes,” came a reluctant answer from Trey, “but then it would mean putting Briyen in danger again. We also haven’t fought for four years so we’d be rusty which would take a long while to get back. I know that we occasionally spar against each other every so often but we would’ve lost our instincts. It could leave the children orphans.” Morr nodded his head in agreement. “I know about all that, but what happens when the King takes control of Gondor? He could send men up to Rohan, which would easily destroy their hope at the North. With the South no longer a problem, The Wizard could then send all his forces against the Dale which would take out the last refuge for men.” Huan’s voice was tired with strain and anger. He knew there would be no point to going back, but somehow he knew it would mean he didn’t have to live through the tyrant King’s rule. “I see no way we can do it. I think we should just live our lives as we have, it’s been fine so far. We have plenty of hidden money from the selling of the estates so the children’s grandkids could easily be living well.” Morr’s voice seemed to be strained as well. Both had debts to lay at the King’s hand. “Huan don’t blame yourself if the rebellion fails. You couldn’t do anything, that army is probably at Ithlien’s doorstep at the moment so it would make even getting there impossible. And if we do go, four fighters won’t do much good, it might lift morale for you to be there but that’s all, nothing will change the tide of events.” Trey told him in a flat voice. “I’m sorry to be hard on you but it’s the truth.” She said as her voice changed to sympathy. “Oh but there is something that could.” He told them simply. “A week before the King dispersed the Rangers, El Sila came to visit us. She did a spell for me because it was obvious that the King would get rid of us. She made it possible for me to contact every ranger that was still loyal to me. I can only send one worded messages, but I could easily reform them within a week,” Huan told the two. With shock on their faces, Morr and Trey were silent. “What!” Trey finally exclaimed. “How did she do that?” Morr was white with shock. “I know it works since I tried it on you when we were hunting. They don’t hear my voice in their head but their subconscious gives them urges to my signal. “Why didn’t you tell us that, you should’ve told all the rangers about it,” Morr added. “I couldn’t, we all knew that the King would ask some people to work for him, and make them swear his stupid loyalty oath. That means the person would have to tell him about it and he’d find out about it,” Huan told the two. Nodding reluctantly, Trey asked: “Then why not us?” her voice growing concerned and strong. “I don’t know, I thought it would be best left unsaid until I needed to tell anyone," Huan replied. The two shook their heads and there was an uncomfortable silence. “It’s getting late, I’m going to bed.” Huan stood up and walked from the room. He knew he hadn’t done the right thing about not telling them, but he hadn’t wanted anyone else to know besides him and El.

Opening the door of the bedroom, he crept in and took off his shirt. Sliding in beside the sleeping Anna, he put an arm around her. She moved a little closer to him and asked, “I heard Trey’s voice rise then. What happened?” “I told them about you know what,” was the reply. Nodding her head she came closer to him, then feel asleep almost instantly. Laying his head back against the pillow, Huan thought about the days leading up to the dispatching of the Rangers. It was a sad day when the King had told us with almost hatred that he was getting rid of us. Elwing and Gilraen had tried to capture the King since he was losing control of Gondor. Now instead of his previous sympathy towards the battling peasants and landowners, he put up their taxes, which had caused a number of towns to be ruined in rioting. He had sent soldiers out with his orders to deal with them. The orders had turned out to be to kill everyone in the towns no matter who they were, including soldiers who had to kill everyone, no matter who they were, including soldiers who had been stationed there before the rioting.

In one of those towns happened to live the relatives of Farimer. Not sparing anyone, the soldiers had killed without mercy not caring who anyone was. The parents of Farimer, though, had tried to fight back, and they killed several soldiers before being captured and taken back to the citadel to face an unknown death. When Farimer had heard of his parents' capture he had left the city immediately, with his brothers and sisters who were living in the city, and had tried to ambush the column of soldiers which happened to be a hundred strong. Farimer had crept in at night, and after killing a few guards had freed his parents. While his four brothers and sisters had ridden in with torches and swords killing and lighting up the camp. Unfortunately the captain in charge of the men had been alerted about a possible raid, and had a small force of cavalry waiting by the woods. They had gone in at full gallop after the brothers and sisters who were attacked from behind with no mercy or honor. Of course Farimer had been able to flee the camp with his parents without knowing of the killing of his siblings, and had continued to go through the woods to a meeting point that they had decided upon previously. After three days he had realized something was wrong and had left his parents at a cabin in the woods while he rode to Minas Tirith. Upon reaching the city, Farimer had learned about the failure of his siblings by seeing their heads posted on the city gates. In a maddened rage he had rode to the palace and challenged the King to a duel. Of course, being no match for the King, he was disarmed in a short while, and the King stood above him with his sword touching Farimer’s throat. Eventually the King had called guards who took the Ranger away to the dungeons to face Nienna’s senior. No one could sleep in the palace while Farimer still lived. Huan, Gilraen and Elwing, along with the rest of the Rangers, had been on the Haradrim border after the soldiers had started raids on farms and small settlements close to the border. After hearing the news of Farimer, everyone had been in an uproar and most people had fled North, including Elwing and Gilraen who left with a small force of loyal soldiers. Elwing, still Princess of Ithlien, had raised her men to force open war. While the King’s army had marched out to meet them, they had crept past them and rode for the city. On reaching the city, a few men had gone in secretly and had made it to the palace. When they entered the palace they had been met by scores of armsmen and captured. The King had thrown a trial for the Ex-Queen and Princess, which had found them guilty of treason. Instead of giving the two, along with their men, the normal hanging he had sent them to the mines at Belfalas for life. Huan, though, hadn’t gone with the Princess when she had gone North, but instead had gone to a wood cabin in Dol Amroth where he and Farimer had sometimes gone for breaks. Here he found two elderly people, who he had met previously at Farimer’s graduation and at many medal awards. Luckily he had brought spare mounts, and along with the two he had ridden towards the Rohirim border. Huan's cousin and her family lived nearby, and had agreed to take them in which would put the two parents out of harms way.

After staying there for a few days Huan had returned to Minas Tirith to find Elwing and Gilraen prisoners and awaiting escort to the mines. After meeting with the King, he had offered to take the two prisoners along with their men, which reluctantly the King had agreed to. After almost reaching the Mines a force of Rangers and Ithlien armsmen had surrounded the small column, and taken the prisoners without protest. After Huan returned to Minas Tirith with the news, the King had been in a rage for days. In the end he disbanded the Rangers, offering a few positions as officers in his Army. Huan, along with his family, Trey and Morr, who had been lanced in the thigh while on the border fighting Haradrim, Huan had left the city after selling his pub. They had left for the country near the Rohan border, in the woods on the outskirts of Ithlien. Anna snuggling into him brought Huan back from his memories. Settling back down he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep, with the painful memories still nagging at his brain. Waking up to an empty bed, Huan lifted his head; sun was pouring through the open windows - Anna was already up. Sighing to himself he got out of bed and put on a fresh shirt from the wardrobe, then walked out of the room. Little Lir, Vero and Briyen were sitting around the table talking while Anna and Trey were standing against the bench talking in low voices. Seeing Huan enter, Anna smiled, while Trey slightly smiled reservedly, obviously still a bit annoyed about last night. “Where’s Morr?” Huan asked them. “He's out chopping wood I think,” came Anna’s reply. Walking out of the room, Huan put on a cloak from the rack by the door and walked outside. He heard the faint sound of grunts behind the stables. Walking behind the stables he saw Morr chopping wood, with a large pile of wood already in a heap. “Want any help there?” Huan asked. “Yeah might as well, be my guest,” Morr replied, stepping back and handing Huan the large axe. Hefting the large axe, Huan put a block of wood on the chopping board and brought the axe down. It went through the wood cleanly as the two pieces landed into the pile. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you Morr, I don’t know why I didn’t but it never seemed like the right moment to tell anyone,” Huan told the big man. “It’s alright I guess. It just hurt that you didn’t trust me or Trey enough to tell us.” He replied with a sour grin. “It wasn’t that, I thought it was better to keep it secret, I would’ve told you and was going to when we came here, but then there was all the work of making this place, and it went out of my mind until it was too late,” Huan said as he brought the axe down again. “I can understand I think." Morr went on. Trey and I talked last night and we both didn’t hold any grudges, but it would’ve been better if we had been told earlier,” he said with a shrug. He held out his hand and Huan gripped it warmly. “I was thinking about Farimer last night,” Huan said. Morr showed a bit of surprise, “it seems such a shame that the King could get away with that unpunished.” He finished. Morr nodded but a frown came. “He didn’t get away with it, he lost the Rangers for it and that weakened his army for ages. It gave his enemies a glint of hope about disposing of him, let them know that he wasn’t invincible.” Morr told him. Nodding Huan brought the axe down again. “He did pay for it, but not enough, I could join the rebellion just for that, I just can’t stand putting Lir and Vero in danger again. While I was in wars and battles all I could think of, was them being told that I had died. It almost tore my heart out whenever I was away. I don’t know if I could do that again no matter what the cause is.” Huan sighed, putting another log down; he brought the axe up and down adding another couple of pieces to the pile. “I sort of know how that feels. Even though you guys aren’t my relatives it seems like we’re family, even Trey and Briyen. You know he even calls me Uncle.” Chuckling he added, “Never thought I’d find a family but it’s great living with you, I don’t think I’d like it to be ripped away by war. I’m sure Trey feels the same way. I do miss the feel of battle and the grand welcome home after a victory but it didn’t give me the same sense of completion as I feel here.” He smiles to himself. “I think that’s enough wood now,” he added in after Huan had done another five logs. The two took an armful of logs and took them to the cabin. Dumping them near the steps they went back to collect the last of them. “I think maybe Vero might want to stack these,” Morr said with a wide grin. Nodding Huan added, “Yes it could teach him some important life values.” The two went inside the house with smiles. “Hey, Vero get out here, stack the woods and I’ll let you train with me and Morr tonight,” Huan called out. Immediately the Little youngster shot out of the kitchen. “The woods is outside stack it neatly and we’ll see about the training.” Huan told the boy sternly. The boy nodded and ran off outside with an eager grin. Anna and Trey had annoyed expressions on their faces. “Oh,” Anna started, “I guess Lir won’t be able to train with you because she’s a girl.” She told the two with a cross look. “She already knows she’s training with us today, she cleaned out the stables a week ago.” Huan told Anna. With a look of surprise the two women turned their backs while Morr was coughing which remotely sounded like laughter. Lir was beaming at Huan not understanding what had happened. “I think I’ll go watch Vero stack the wood,” she chirped up, “he always gets splinters from it and curses like a girl,” she added while giggling and walked out of the kitchen. Morr and Huan chuckled at her last statement, remembering how many times they’d heard the little boy curse in his high voice. Seeing Anna still not looking at him, Huan got up and went to the pantry. He opened the door, and took out a long, narrow tin box from which he took out a small bottle. “Champagne?” Huan asked Anna’s back. Her head shot around and looked at the bottle, which immediately brought a smile. Getting his knife, Huan uncorked the bottle which he poured into four glasses, and even the normally non-drinker Trey even had some. Sitting down, Huan put an arm around Anna who did the same as they sat there comfortably. “It’s getting late, perhaps we should start training the kids?” Huan asked Morr. Briyen, standing at the door nodded eagerly - he always enjoyed it because he never got hurt. “Yep for sure, don’t want to start in the dark,” he added. Nodding, Huan stood up and went into the storeroom. The clean room had boxes and bags on the floor and on stools, which covered most of the floor. Reaching down he picked up a long canvas bag, which he took outside. Morr and Briyen were waiting by the door, while Anna and Trey entered the shed. Huan looked at the pair then looked at Morr and Bri. Both shrugged so they went outside. Lir and Vero were sitting up against the logs, which were stacked rather untidily, while playing the name game. Huan and Morr both rolled their eyes, “Ok you two, go get your padded vests and come back outside,” Huan told the pair. They hopped up and ran inside, while Huan walked over to the shed.

Trey and Anna were both stringing bows and putting newly made arrows in old leather quivers. “What are you two doing?” Huan asked as Anna looked up. Trey stood up and grabbed a couple of short spears, throwing one to Anna, which she caught. “We thought we’d go and kill some of those wolves about, we’ve seen them get close to the sheds a few times so they should be put back in line,” Anna told him. They walked out of the shed with Huan following. Morr and Briyen were leaning against the cabin wall, and Lir came bursting out of the cabin with a thick padded vest on that covered her arms and torso. “Well you two be careful, you never know when wolves can be wargs,” Huan reminded the pair. Anna and Trey smiled at each other then looked at Dae who was walking towards the forest. Huan sighed a breath of relief and walked over to Morr. Vero came out of the house still putting on is vest. Lir was laughing and called out to him, “that means you owe me two of your gems now,” Vero frowned. “But you hid my vest no fair,” he said pouting. Lir had a triumphant grin on her face as Morr frowned along with Vero. “Now Vero, if you lost then pay up, even though some people can be cheaters and trick you, always keep your word,” Huan told him sternly but looked at Lir. Vero gave a small grin, while Lir looked down blushing, muttering “don’t worry about it.” Morr chuckled as he and Briyen walked over to a sparse of grass. Huan and the twins followed them with the twins eyeing each other.

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to be continued