The morning air was cool and sweet with the lingering scent of baked bread. The echoes of last night's festival had faded into the quiet of daily life, returning to the village. Liora stepped outside the inn, her long silver hair pulled into a loose braid. Aria and Tessa were still inside finishing breakfast with Marna.
She had asked them for a little time alone this morning, there was something she needed to say that only someone from her old past would understand.
Saria leaned against a post outside the guild hall, arms crossed, watching the village stir to life. Her weathered cloak danced lightly in the breeze.
"You're late," she said with a smirk.
Liora gave a light shrug. "Some of us have children now."
Saria let out a warm chuckle as they walked side by side, heading toward a quiet bench overlooking the central fountain.
"I still can't wrap my head around it," Saria said, glancing over. "You. A mother."
Liora exhaled slowly, resting her sword against the bench as they sat. Her fingers brushed the hilt with instinct, though her eyes softened.
"It wasn't planned. None of it was."
She looked up toward the sky as if trying to recall every detail exactly.
"It started about a year ago. I was on a gathering quest, nothing special. A routine herb collection in the South Glen." She paused, her voice quieter. "And there she was. A little girl… barefoot, hiding under the roots of an old tree, scared and starving."
Saria blinked. "Alone?"
Liora nodded slowly. "She didn't say much at first. Just clung to me like I was the only solid thing in the world. No one in the village recognized her. No family came forward. Days passed… and something in me just… couldn't let go of her."
Saria's expression shifted, serious now. "So you took her in."
"I fed her. Got her warm. Watched her smile again. And then one day, on another quest, I got scratched up by a forest-stalker. It wasn't serious, but she saw it. Ran to me crying, called me 'Mommy.'"
Saria let out a soft breath. "That's heavy."
"I didn't know what to say at first," Liora admitted. "But that night, I held her while she slept and realized… maybe I needed her as much as she needed me."
Saria glanced toward the ground, thoughtful.
"And Tessa?" she asked.
Liora smiled faintly. "That came later. I met her at the guild. Rookie adventurer, young, rough around the edges. She asked to come on a quest with me, and I thought, 'Why not?' Turns out, she was just like I used to be, tough on the outside, but hiding a whole lot underneath."
Saria leaned forward slightly, intrigued.
"She got kicked out by her family at thirteen," Liora continued, voice heavy with empathy. "No school. No home. Adventuring was her only choice. However, on that quest, she began to open up. Listening. Learning."
She paused, then added, "She heard Aria call me Mommy. That night, she asked if we could keep questing together. Said she wanted to stay with us. Slowly… she started seeing me as something more. Not just a mentor, but someone she could rely on. Maybe even… a mother."
Saria stared for a long moment, then let out a dry laugh. "You really did go and build a family, didn't you?"
"I didn't mean to," Liora said. "But… I don't regret it."
There was silence between them for a while. Not an awkward one, just the kind between two people who had seen war, walked separate paths, and now sat at a quiet crossroads of peace.
"I never thought I'd see this side of you," Saria finally said. "But I'm glad I did."
Liora glanced sideways at her. "Do you think less of me for choosing this life?"
Saria scoffed. "No. I think more of you."
She stood up and stretched. "You fought more battles than anyone I know. You survived things we never talked about. And now you've found something worth protecting that isn't just your own skin. That's real strength, Liora."
Liora stood beside her, expression unreadable but heart full.
"Thanks," she said.
"Besides," Saria added with a smirk, "maybe one day I'll visit again and see how your little family of strays is doing."
"You'd better," Liora said with a small laugh. "They'd like you."
As they parted ways, Saria headed toward the guild to take a new quest, and Liora back toward the inn. Liora realized something she hadn't dared say out loud.