They reached the Druid camp in the predawn hours after a few days of hard riding. The bandits kept on their trail, but they always lost them. Em felt himself choke up when he saw the oh-so-familiar thatched hovels and village green. They had been intercepted by two guards who were alerted by the group passing a magical barrier. Once they determined Ruadan and his students were not foes, they welcomed the party warmly.
"Take me to Emerald," Ruadan said immediately, and so they did.
Em thought he could burst with excitement when they dismounted and went to knock on Emery's door. He heard quiet murmuring in Druidic inside—
"Whoever could be knocking this time of night?" Aunt Maud wondered.
"Whoever it is, they bear bad tidings," Cedran grumbled as he moved closer to the door. He yanked it open. "By Nature! Ma, Móraí, it's our Em!" He seized his younger cousin in a tight hug. He did not let go for a good forty seconds. When he finally did, he gripped the boy's shoulders. Emery and Maud appeared in the doorway behind him. "Why are you here, Emrys? You don't complete your training for another year or so."
Ruadan cleared his throat. Emery frowned. "What brings you here, Ruadan?"
"Bandits attacked us. We managed to lose them, but not after an ugly skirmish," the Dragonlord said gravely. "I came here looking for shelter. I promise they did not follow us."
"I know you wouldn't have come if that were not the case," Emery said. She wrapped her arms around Em. "You poor children. Let's get you to bed."
"I want to see my parents and my siblings, Móraí," Em protested.
"It's half-past three, my dear. Sleep now and you can see them in the morning. Your young friend there is asleep on her feet." Indeed, Freya leaned against Alvarr for support, blinking tiredly. "I have extra blankets in the back room. Cedran, see them to bed."
"Yes, Móraí," Cedran said, rolling his eyes. "Just back here. Follow me." He ushered them inside and into the back room. Indeed, there were a mess of blankets on the ground. Em grabbed one and wrapped it around Freya's shoulders. The little girl yawned widely. She curled up next to Alvarr when the older boy lay down. They were asleep in seconds. Adelina cocooned herself in a couple blankets and soon crashed as well. Em just stared at his cousin.
What's wrong, Em? Cedran slung an arm over Em's shoulder.
This reminds me of when we first came here. I spent my very first night among the Druids in this room.
That is kind of ironic, isn't it? Cedran agreed. Don't trouble your mind too much, cousin. Go to sleep, you'll feel better in the morning. He pointed to an open patch of ground on the floor. Wrap yourself up and sleep there. I'll be nearby, if you need anything.
Okay. Em grabbed a blanket and lay down. He didn't even care he had nothing to pillow his head with. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the ground.
Em awoke to the sounds of hushed, excited voices in the front room—
"You gotta let us see Em, Móraí!" Was that Mordred? His voice sounded a lot deeper than it had when he was seven.
"He needs his sleep, he's been terrified out of his mind for days—"
"We have a right to see our child, Emery." That was his mother. She spoke with steel in her voice.
"As a healer, I can say a long rest in the best thing for Emrys's and the rest of the children's mental health right now. You can talk to him when he wakes up."
At that point, Em got to his feet. He had missed his family like crazy these past two years. Iseldir came to visit every three months or so, and he always sent messenger birds back and forth, but it just wasn't the same as seeing and talking to them every day. He tiptoed around a sleeping Alvarr, Adelina, and Freya. He drew aside the ragged curtain that hung in the doorway. His parents, Maud, and Emery sat at the table, drinking mint tea. All five of his siblings sat on the floor nearby, fidgeting anxiously. Judging by the dim light coming through the shutters and the smoke hole, Em guessed it was barely after six. Ruadan had taught him to estimate the time using the sun.
Everyone rose to his feet when he walked in. All at once, seven people came charging towards him and wrapped him in a giant hug. Even tiny Daegel wrapped his arms around Em's legs. That made his older brother's heart swell—Em had worried his baby brother would not be affectionate towards him, as he had left home when the boy was under a year old.
Sefa and Hunith started to cry, and Em thought he saw Will's eyes get a little misty.
Mordred stared up at him in awe. "Are you a Dragonlord now?"
"No, not until Da dies, which won't be for a very, very long time," said Em. "I just learned all the stuff I need to know when I do become one."
Balinor stared at him. Em thought his da looked tired and aged. A few gray hairs had started to appear in his thick black hair, and his face had a lot more lines on it. He seemed too young to be the father of a two-year-old boy. When his father embraced him, Em tried not to cry.
Em heard a low bark. He looked at the ground and saw a sleek shepherd dog wagging its tail furiously. "Bandit!" he cried. He knelt on the ground and wrapped his arms around his pet's neck. "I've missed you too, boy."
"That's one heck of a dog you brought back with you, Em," Gilli said. He was now fifteen, and practically a man. He was almost a head taller than his younger brother.
"Bear? He's not really my dog, he's Ruadan's. I am fond of him, though."
"He as big as a miniature horse," Balinor said with a shake of his head. "Bear's a good name for him."
"Where's Ruadan?" Em asked.
"Sleeping at Iseldir's. Didn't want to wake you kids up. He cares for you a lot, Em, I can tell; he told me about how you four helped him fight off bandits, and you could just hear the pride in his voice."
"He's a good man," Em said a bit thickly.
"Em fought off bandits?" Sefa exclaimed. "Tell, Emmy, tell!" She hugged his legs, and Daegel joined her.
Those two are as thick as thieves, Balinor told Em. He smiled.
So Em, Will, and his parents sat at the table, while his other four siblings sat on the floor. Em told the story with dramatic hand motions. Daegel and Sefa tried to reenact it using wooden spoons as swords. Sefa shot a spark out of her palm, which led to Hunith and Balinor telling her off. Even after two years, they fell right back into the same old routine again. Em hadn't realized how much he had missed his family.
Em realized their carrying on must have woken up his friends, because Alvarr drew aside the curtain and walked out, followed closely by the girls. Freya shyly waved. Adelina, the most extroverted out of the trio, went up to Hunith and shook her hand. "Hullo! You must be Em's ma. He's told us all 'bout ya!"
Hunith's eyes widened in surprise momentarily, but she quickly recovered and shook Adelina's hand. "That's right, dear. I'm Hunith. It's very nice to meet you."
"I'm Adelina," the girl replied.
"I have to ask, Adelina—do you hail from eastern Camelot? I am from there, and I recognize a hint of the accent in your voice."
Adelina's eyes sparkled with delight. "Why, yes, I am. A little camp called Raven's Crest in Common. I ended up with Ruadan after the Purge, so that I could study fire magic."
Hunith clasped her hand. "We will have to talk more about this later; I haven't been to my birthplace in nearly twenty years."
"Nor I in six, but I will try my best," Adelina promised.
Alvarr went up to Balinor and shook his hand. "I am Alvarr, sir."
"Em's wrote to us about you in great detail, son. Call me Balinor," Em's father insisted. He turned to little Freya. "You must be Freya, Finnlagh and Declan's daughter! Your mother is a childhood friend of mine."
Em raised his eyebrows in surprise. Freya had told him a lot about her mother, but he had never realized Finnlagh had known his father.
"That's right!" Freya chirped. "Mama's off on an assignment I'm not allowed to know about and Da wants me to stay safe so I have to stay with Ruadan."
"She's a very brave woman, and dedicated to her people. I'm sure she's serving Nature to the best of her abilities, wherever she is," Balinor said kindly. Freya grinned widely.
Em had a feeling his friends were going to fit right in with his family.
Ruadan surfaced mid-morning. Em spent the rest of the time catching up with his family, telling them about everything he hadn't managed to squeeze into his letters. He promised to teach Mordred to read Dragonic, and to show Gilli some of his sword-moves. Alvarr and Gilli made a pact to spar every morning for as long as Alvarr was in Sábháilte.
Ruadan came into Emery's hut without knocking. Serenely, he nodded to Balinor. "Hello, Ejred," the younger man said to his fellow Dragonlord.
"Greetings, Ruadan. I prefer Balinor when I among my mother's people."
Hunith stood up and shook the man's hand. "We meet at last. I am Hunith, Em's ma. Thank you for looking after my son."
Ruadan grinned. "He's been a pleasure to have as a charge. All of them have." He turned to his students. "In fact, I need to talk to them. Would you mind if I borrowed them for a few minutes?"
"Of course," Hunith said.
"Thank you. Come with me, now." Ruadan gestured to his students. Exchanging bewildered glances, they followed him. The other Druids eyed them with a mix of curiosity and suspicion; the Purge had made them all wary of strangers. Ignoring them, Ruadan took his students into Iseldir's hut, which was empty. They sat at his table, and Ruadan folded his hands.
"I have to leave," he said.
Alvarr's jaw dropped. "Pardon?" he said.
"I have to leave," Ruadan repeated.
"Why?" Freya's eyes well up with tears, and Ruadan reached across the table and took her hand.
"The Dragonlord Elders have wanted me to return to the order for a while. They think I've played Druid for too long. When I scried them this morning, they said now was as good as a time as ever to leave."
"You aren't playing Druid, you bear our mark!" Em cried.
"Emrys, you know as well as I do that I am a Dragonlord first. I may not know why, but my brothers need me. I depart in the morning."
Adelina started to cry. "Who will take care of us?"
"Em's kin has promised to look after all of you, my sweet Lina," Ruadan said. "They're good, kind people."
"We can go with you," Adelina begged. "Please don't leave."
"Lina, you know I love you as a father loves his daughter; as your parents should have loved you. But, ultimately, you belong with the Druids, just as I belong with the Dragonlords."
Alvarr stared at his hands. "You can't just abandon us."
"I'm not abandoning you, Alvarr. I'm leaving you in the care of a very loving family."
"You're our family, you dolt!" Alvarr yelled. Ruadan recoiled, shocked. "And you're leaving us."
Em was shocked by his friends' reactions. He knew they loved Ruadan, but he had not realized how devoted to him they really were. It made sense, though. Adelina's parents had abandoned their daughter; they feared her power. Alvarr had no family left. Freya's parents had been gone for three years. Em loved Ruadan fiercely, too, but he also had a very supportive and loving family. The other three did not have that consolation.
Em thought he saw the Dragonlord blink away tears. The man never cried. "I have to leave, Al."
Alvarr sighed in resignation. "You'll come back?"
Ruadan leaned across the table and hugged him. "Yeah, son, I will."
He departed early the next morning. After embracing each of his charges, and giving Bear a good scratch, he said his goodbyes and galloped off into the forest. The girls cried and cried and cried, and Alvarr refused to talk for the rest of the day. Em made them mint tea, and Hunith released Sefa and Daegel on them. The pair's antics were silly enough to make anyone laugh.
That night, they ate dinner in Em's hut. Bear, Iris, and Bandit cuddled together on the floor. As Alvarr, Adelina, and Freya ate their pottage, Balinor folded his hands. "Alvarr, Adelina, and Freya, can I have your attention?" he asked.
They all looked up, and Balinor's heart broke at their miserable expressions. "As you know, Ruadan has left you three in the care of my wife and myself. I just wanted to let you know you are now as much a part of the family as Will, Sefa, or Em. You're stuck with us."
Adelina suddenly sprang to her feet and wrapped her arms around Balinor. The man laughed and ruffled her hair. "Welcome to the family," he said.
A/N: Woo, we've reached 20k words in just over a month. I want to personally thank for everyone who has followed, favorited, and left lovely reviews on this fic. Reviews seriously make my day. Much love :)