Welcome back everyone. I'll try and make this chapter a bit longer. Enjoy and review.

The Father He Knew

Balor had grown knowing the only person he had ever called father. Balor's stepfather, a blacksmith named Niro, had been a good person. Niro treated Balor like his own son.

"I had once said that if a child was born I would kill it but a son needs a father and I will be yours." Niro had said this when Balor was an infant in the cradle. At first he seemed to have been vengeful about what Pwyll had done to his wife Erisordia. He had no idea who Pwyll was or ever what his name was but all that he knew was that he hated that marauder. When Balor had been born, Niro felt sorry for the child not having his father around and thus swore to raise Balor as his own son.

But eventually Niro died. Bitten by a poisonous serpent, Niro died with the young Balor by his side. Erisordia had kept Balor safe as long as she could after Niro's death.

Balor had been too young to understand why his stepfather had died. He simply did not understand. A child as young as him did not understand death any more than he understood life itself.

"Balor, you must understand that all that out of life comes death and out of death comes life. That is how the world works." Eirsordia had explained what death and life was to Balor but he only understood half of what she said. He only understood that all that lives must die and he wondered why it had to be his father that died.

Niro's death had caused Balor to wonder about things that a four-year old shouldn't wonder about. If all that lived must die then would he die to? And if so when?

Eventually this passed and Balor returned to thinking of his father. Until the death of his brother and later his mother, it had only been Niro the only father Balor had ever known that the child would think about.

When Balor had learned that Pwyll was his father and not Niro he had become shocked by this revelation. How could someone who was not Niro have been his father? It didn't make any sense. This was just not possible!

Even after meeting Pwyll, Balor still only considered Niro to be his father. Pwyll might have been his birth father, but it had only been Niro that Balor had known.

Niro was the only father Balor had ever known.

His one true father!

The father he had loved with all his heart.