A bed was pulled out from the room and made up close to the fireplace where Anna rested, but not isolated from us like she would have been up in her room.
Zephyr was sitting on the bed with his back to the wall while Anna enjoyed some jam buns, listening to her father's explanation of her newest doll.
"...See? You can change the dresses on her. Like this one... I suppose... it's a night dress? And this one is the exact same just in red?" he asked, holding up tiny but well-made dresses.
She had enough of his clumsy explanation and turned to Ciren. "The white one is a tunic, and the red... called a kirtle, maybe?" she said, only half sure. She was giving surprisingly accurate names to these miniature, but very adorable, little dresses.
Zephyr left them to undress and redress the doll. "Dropped him off at his house. He reports to Mai and does some of his work, if needed," he explained.
Mother was sitting silently, looking at me. "That snake doesn't trust him. He never did."
"Aye. He couldn't get close enough. The cockroach is smarter than he looks." Zephyr tapped his knees with an inviting smile.
Thank you very much. It was always more comfortable in his arms.
"Tell me, son, he is not in danger there, is he?" Mother asked with a worried expression.
"...He is careful, Seline," he answered.
I understood. He didn't want to lie, but Mother visibly paled.
"Don't forget, Seline, Mai needs him more than Carlos needs him. People blessed with combat-oriented abilities are rare... much more than I initially thought," he said with a reassuring smile.
We all knew that. In my twenty years on this earth, I had never seen one in person until Zephyr. They mostly lived in luxury as some Lord or King's bodyguards or generals. Imagine being a regular soldier and seeing Carlos mowing people down, slicing and dicing them with water, or some fellow with fire or lightning. It's terrifying.
"What I mean is, there's no need to worry. He should be back by the time our new residents arrive." He patted Mother's hand and nudged me a little, asking for a kiss.
"I'm going now. Got to talk to Ceron. Want to come with me?"
I looked back at Anna. She was busy resting while Ciren read to her, and Nifa and Cintia were close by. Mother was too distracted.
"Yes."
We left for the main hall, passing some running soldiers along the way, led by Lucian doing their own training.
"You miss it... martial arts training?" he asked.
"...I do. It was much more demanding. Archery and knives are an entirely different game..."
"Stop the games. Focus on one thing, love," he bumped me with his hips. "You're spreading yourself too thin. Pick one and stick to it."
I couldn't respond. He was right. In a short time, I learned martial arts, sword fighting, and archery, and now my new obsession was those throwing knives. I wasn't particularly outstanding in any of them. I did alright, but I couldn't say I mastered or even achieved an advanced stage in any of them.
"...Look at you. You can't decide on anything," he shook his head in disbelief.
"Enough with the witty banter, idiot. We're here."
Some performers saw us from afar and went inside to inform Ceron.
"Are you going to personally build their houses as well, ohh great builder?" I asked, teasing him.
"Hush, you. I hope I never have another title. The answer is, I'll help them like I've been doing now." He had an air of self-righteousness around him, like all those helping others for nothing in return. I both hated it and was very attracted to it.
He was back to his exhausted self from autumn, working from dawn to dusk. Being named our leader changed nothing. He still did the work of twelve.
Inside the hall, most of the actual Monroes were present.
"Lord Zephyr, how was your trip?" Ceron asked. He shook my husband's hand and bowed a little.
"I'm... undecided," he said, glancing at me first. He was willing to confuse these poor people just to take another stab at me.
"Oh... w-well, I hope it will sort itself out very soon," Ceron said, sounding unsure.
"You and me both. Now, please tell us the reason you wanted to meet."
The hall served as home for the almost twenty members, so only two chairs were there. The rest sat on the floor. My awkwardness was for nothing since Zephyr sat down as well and pulled me to the ground, placing me in his lap.
They just smiled. It took them some time to understand he wasn't much for decorum. He was more down-to-earth than others in his position. After we all disregarded the chairs, they settled in a circle.
Veila and her sisters were smiling happily. Maybe it's time?
"Lord... my lady, we—"
"Can we drop the... title shite? I'm just Zephyr," he said quickly, cutting him off. He kept repeating it without losing his temper. I barely even noticed it myself. My Lady, Lylly, Sissi, Love, Sweetheart—I had a multitude of names and nicknames.
"Apologies. The reason for today is to ask you formally and request a longer stay," Ceron said, exchanging some looks with his family.
"How much longer?" he asked immediately.
Ceron checked with his family first, and after some approving nods, he said, "We would like to stay for good... if that's okay wi—"
"Excellent!" Zephyr extended his hand. "You're all welcome to stay as long as you wish, of course."
They waited until my little nodding before letting out a long, nervous sigh.
Ceron shook his hand. "You won't regret it... Zephyr."
"Well said. We have something to celebrate, but let us hold on. Soon enough, Emet village's newest residents arrive. May I suggest talking to Metill Emil? He is in charge of overseeing our building efforts."
I had to help. His explanation was lacking. "...to pick a piece of land and build upon it. Metill will know the smaller details, and of course... my builder of a husband will help."
"Ah, thank you. Zephyr, my sons, and some of the others also wanted to ask about your demonstration last night and wish to learn more of it," he said, looking mostly at his sons.
"Absolutely. My brother and sister-in-law are master and assistant master, respectively." He looked directly at Hectos and Neily, who were ready to start today if needed, from the looks of it. "Talk to them. You'll be in good hands, I promise."
The others who heard the good news came inside to thank us personally. I sat beside the Monroe girls.
"I'm glad you decided to stay. With your lifestyle, it must be hard."
"Thanks, Lylly. A lot of people wouldn't understand. We loved the life we lived, and it's hard to just give it up," said Aim with a sad smile.
"So... why did you?" I asked them.
"Because both Father and my uncle believe war is coming. Besides, this place is special. Not one, but four blessed living here. Led by a charismatic and powerful man who cares... that's special."
We did have four... well, now with Veila, five blessed. Even the king only had two, but to be fair, it was only because he found them the most useful. Some had blessings simple and useless to him. My guess was that some just preferred to stay hidden, far removed from the court intrigues. I believe all those powers given to normal humans one day will show its worth... one way or another.
Looking at you, my love... his was perfect. I saw a figure in the light from the fireplace, casting his long shadow on the wall... Wait... did the shadow just move?
I shook my head and returned to the girls.
How could his shadow move on its own? It's absurd... or is it?