I. The Mother

Sick of travel, Nino and her six-year-old sons arrived in Araphen with an hour to sunset. The green-haired woman had but one immediate destination in mind. Clutching Lucius's letter, she picked her way through the crowds, holding her boys close to her as they walked.

She wiped her brow, squinting at the street signs and the fading sun. Nino glanced at the letter for directions and then at Lugh and Rei, to soothe her aching nerves. Rei glared at her, but Lugh just looked tired. Nino tucked the letter away and took Rei's hand.

"We're almost there," she reassured them.

Nino tugged the two boys along. After a short skirmish with a particularly aggressive street-vendor, the small family approached a rickety wooden building squashed between the Araphen Tactician's Guild and the Beggars' Guild. A small spiky haired child burst forth from the door, followed by a gentle eyed monk with a rather cross expression.

"Chad, if you don't get back here!" Lucius demanded.

With a practiced hand, Nino reached out and nabbed the end of Chad's passing cloak. He fell backward and Nino released it in the interest of retaining her own balance. Lucius took the two or three seconds Nino had bought him to swoop down on the boy.

"Thank St. Elimine," Lucius intoned, raising one hand vertically in respect to the dead Hero as the other gripped Chad's hand firmly. "And you too . . . Nino? Nino, is that you?"

"Yes," said Nino, smiling.

"Ah, come in, rest," Lucius insisted immediately. Nino pushed Rei and Lugh up the front porch.

Lucius's accommodations for them comprised of a wash bucket and a clean bed in the far corner of a long room. The room was filled with children who were pretending to sleep while watching the two newcomers. Nino ignored them in favor of putting her own children to bed, something they didn't seem too keen on.

"Nino," Lucius said to her, after quieting the other children. He gestured to the door. "If you would, could I speak with you in the kitchen . . .?"

"Of course," Nino said. She followed him out.

Nino consciously noted how clean everything was. And warm. There was a distinct aura of warmness that didn't truly exist, not in a physical sense. The kitchen was clean and warm, too, without actually being warm. There were dishes in the sink, although someone had made a valiant effort to clean them. Lucius sat down a wooden table and closed his eyes for a moment. Nino pulled out a second chair and sat down too.

"Well, little Nino, it has been quite a while," Lucius frowned. "No, that's not right. You aren't so little anymore."

"I'm still short," Nino grinned, feeling a bit of her younger self peek through. "And I can only just read small words."

"That's not what I meant," Lucius replied, a smile returning to his face. "You've grown in other ways as well. You're a mother."

"Of two very different little boys," Nino reminded him.

"Just like those brothers you used to tell us about?" Lucius asked. "You are going to Bern so you can visit their graves, correct? But why leave behind your two sons?"

"I've heard rumors . . ." Nino trailed off. She began anew. "I mean . . . there's someone . . . who's there . . ."

"Oh?" Lucius said gently. "Would this be . . .?"

"Yes," Nino closed her eyes. "Jaffar is in Bern. Or at least, he might be. I want my sons to know their father . . ."

"Very well," Lucius stood up, a stern expression on his already creased face. "I shall watch over your sons until your return. Upon this one condition."

"What is that?" Nino asked.

"Tell them one last bedtime story before you leave," he said simply. Nino brightened.

"Of course," she agreed with a smile.

Lucius led her back up the stairs into the long room with the beds. She walked softly, although no child was actually asleep yet. Lugh and Rei were currently fighting over the blanket, but ceased as they saw their mother approach. She kissed them both on the cheek.

"Okay . . . let me think a story for you two," Nino said, closing her eyes in thought. The rest of the room suddenly leaned in to listen.

"Got one yet?" Rei asked impatiently.

"Yes," Nino said finally, opening her eyes. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived happily with her mother, her father, and her two brothers . . ."