Sorry for the late chapter. Fanfiction acted badly yesterday and it delayed my beta. Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait. Thanks for all the reviews and hits as well this week.

Now, onward to the chapter.

Chapter 3: Challenges

It wasn't too hard to find Frank's house. It was by far the biggest house in all of Iselia. While most houses in the village were ranch style, Frank's house was a tall two-story house built with brick instead of wood. Even the mayor's house was this fancy.

Dirk knocked on the door and waited patiently. Lloyd had calmed down, but he was still wiping his eyes and looking at the place where William had given him that shot. Maybe he would grow out of it in time.

The door opened and an old woman was there to greet him. The woman was fairly short by human's standards with a face winkled with age and experience. What made her stand out, however, were her Church robes, which were decorated in the style of a high priest.

"Dirk, Frank said you would be stopping by today." The woman said in a warm tone.

Dirk nodded. "Phaidra, it has been awhile."

Phaidra stepped aside so he could enter the house more easily. "Please, come in. No need to stand outside in this cool weather."

Dirk took her offer and walked inside the house. The main doorway merged into the dining room, which was very spacious and warm. He could feel the heat from the fireplace that came through another doorway that led to the family room.

Phaidra offered Dirk a seat, which he graciously took. He put Lloyd in his own chair, who was too busy looking around to fuss.

"So, this is the young man Frank was talking about." Phaidra said once she sat down across from the child. "Lloyd right? Doesn't he have a surname?"

"Irving." Dirk said. "The mother told me before she passed."

"Lloyd Irving, not a very common name." Phaidra noted. "I will tell the Church to keep an eye out for anyone with that last name. It may also be best to make posters of the boy."

"No!" Dirk yelled quickly. "That would be a bad idea."

Phaidra tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Dirk glanced at Lloyd before he turned back towards Phaidra. "You must promise to tell no one what I'm about to say, not even Frank."

Phaidra narrowed her eyes for a second before her neutral expression returned. "You have my word as a high priestess of the Church of Martel."

Dirk sighed. "We can't make posters because the Desians were after this boy's family."

Phaidra stiffen in her chair. "By the Goddess, that is terrible. Were they escapees from the Ranch?"

"Not sure." Dirk said. He didn't want to tell her about his suspicions. She wouldn't fully understand anyway since humans were generally ignorance on how exspheres were created. Heck, the majority of humans didn't even know what exspheres even were.

Phaidra frowned deeply in thought. "I can see why you would hesitate with this information. The people, especially the mayor, would have a fit if they learn the boy's origins."

Dirk had to suppress a growl at the mention of the mayor. The mayor was a cowardly man who would whether watched the suffering of others instead of risking his own skin. Regardless of his moral issues, however, he was extremely popular in the village and he was all but assured to be mayor until the day he died since he was one of the original people who made that treaty with the Desians.

"Which is why I didn't want to tell anyone, not even Frank." Dirk said.

"Dirk, you should know Frank would never tell your secret." Phaidra said with slight disappointment.

"Frank could get into trouble if something happened to this village and he knew. It doesn't help that most of the villagers don't even see him as the father of his own child and is therefore unimportant." Dirk stated. "Since you're one of the high priestesses of the Church, no one wouldn't dare challenged you."

"That is true." Phaidra sighed.

The door opened at that moment and a bundle of white and gold ran through the door. "Grandmother!" The bundle yelled before she tripped on the rug and fell flat on her face. The thud shook the entire room and rattled the dinner dishes.

Phaidra immediately got out of her chair and picked up her granddaughter. "Colette, how many times have I told you not to run in the house?"

Colette blushed. "Sorry, grandmom."

Frank ran through the door, completely exhausted and sweat running down his face. "That...that girl is fast. I can never catch her."

Dirk smiled as he walked up to the little girl. She was fairly small for her age with a round face that made her crystal blue eyes look even bigger. Her hair was a long gold and like her grandmother she wore a church's outfit.

"The lass have grown since the last time I've seen her." Dirk said.

"That's right, you haven't seen Colette since the day she was born." Phaidra said as she dusted Colette.

He honestly did want to see her knowing what fate held for her. Dirk had to admire both Frank and Phaidra's bravery in rising and loving Colette knowing her time was so short in this world.

"Hi, Mr. Dirk." Colette chirped.

Dirk chuckled. "Just Dirk, no need to be so former, Chosen."

Colette began to play with her dress. "Just call me Colette."

"Fair enough." Dirk smiled.

Colette started to look passed Dirk and stared at the table. Dirk followed her line of sight and saw that she was looking at Lloyd, who was trying his best not to make eye contact with her.

"Hi!" Colette exclaimed happily.

Lloyd still refused to meet her eye.

"Don't be shy Lloyd. Say hello." Dirk encouraged.

Lloyd lifted his head up and looked briefly at Colette. "Hello." He said in a meek voice before he turned his head away again.

Colette frowned. "Why are you so sad?"

"Colette, why don't you take Lloyd upstairs and play." Frank advised.

Colette brightened up at the idea and ran towards Lloyd. He yelped in surprise when Colette managed to pull him out of the chair. "Come on, I have plenty of toys!"

Without even waiting for an answer, she pulled Lloyd all the way upstairs to her bedroom. The poor boy was helpless to stop her.

Once they were gone, Frank turned to face Dirk. "So, the doctor said Lloyd was okay?"

Dirk nodded. "He's as fine as gold."

"Well, that some good news." Frank said. "I better go get those child care books I promise you. I'll be right back." He walked up the flight of stairs.

"Dirk, are you certain you want to do this?" Phaidra asked. "Caring for a child is a huge responsibility. Especially with him being a human."

"I am aware of that." Dirk said neutrally.

"Dirk, Frank and me can take care of the boy when and if his father is found." Phaidra said. "If the orphanage is what's holding you back, we won't send him unless it's necessary."

"Phaidra, I would prefer to try to raise the child myself first." Dirk said. "Besides, the villagers wouldn't like a scruffy boy like him being so close to the Chosen. They barely let their own kids near her."

Phaidra shook her head. "As long as he poses no threat towards Colette, I can see no harm in having him. Besides, my will outweighs public opinion."

Dirk frowned, not at all convinced.

"Well, where will the boy stay with you?" Phaidra asked instead. "You can't actually think he can live in that small cave with you. He'll out grow it before he reaches the age of ten."

"I'm aware of that too." Dirk said. "Which is why I'm planning to build a house for the lad."

Phaidra looked at him in surprise. "Dirk, your craftsmanship is beyond comparison, but have you actually built a house before?"

"No, but I can learn." Dirk said in a dismissive tone. "Phaidra, is it that odd for yea to think I can raise a child?"

Phaidra shook her head. "Don't take it personally, Dirk. I would have the same concern regardless of who they were. Child rising is serious and any move can affect a child for years. Lloyd will also be an extra challenge since he has been through so much already."

Dirk's face softened. "I see, but I still want to try. I want to honor his mother's last wishes and I feel Origin had chosen me to look after this child."

"If you feel you're being moved by an upper power, then it's not my right to questioned it." Phaidra said. "However, why don't you two stay here for a while until you've build your house at least? It would give you the chance to have an extra set of hands while you adjust to being a parent."

Dirk thought carefully about the offer. It was true that Lloyd needed a more stable home than a cave to stay in while he built the new house. There was also the problem with of the Desians. Who knows if they were still searching the forest? It would be safer to stay within Iselia for now.

Although, he really didn't want to stay with Frank and Phaidra. They were nice people and Colette was a dear, but he didn't want to be gawked at by the other villagers, despite Phaidra's assurances. And there was, of course, his general problem with the Church. Phaidra was a high priestess and would undoubtedly try to lure Lloyd into her faith. That wasn't a bad thing, just misguided.

"Phaidra, maybe we can stay in the old Jefferson's house instead." Dirk offered. "It is within the village and close by. Plus, we won't be imposing on you."

Phaidra tapped her cheek. "That could work. But, you'll have to ask the mayor for permission since that is his domain."

Great, he had hoped to avoid that windbag. "I'll talk to him now then. He shouldn't be too busy." On the account that he doesn't really do anything except live off the power of his position.

Frank suddenly came stepping down the stairs with an arm full of books. "Sorry for taking so long, but I wanted to make sure I gotten the right books."

Dirk's eyes widen in shock. "You have that many?"

"My wife and I wanted to make sure we were extra prepared when Colette was conceived. She is so special that we wanted to make sure we did everything right."

Phaidra rolled her eyes. "My son was just being paranoid."

Frank gave his mom the evil eye. "While, Dirk can use these books now, so it wasn't a complete waste."

"Sit them on the table." Dirk said. "I'm off to see the mayor about renting a house for a couple weeks. Do you mind keeping an eye on Lloyd for a bit?"

Frank shook his head. "Not at all."

"I should be back soon then." Dirk said as he walked out of the house.

The air was a little warmer outside since it was now early afternoon and more people were out. Some people gave him swift hello while most chose to ignore him. He didn't mind too much since he was not really a people person and didn't like being in crowded places. That was another one of the reasons why he left the Dwarves Kingdom, it was too crowded.

He stopped once he reached the mayor's house, which was on the other side of the village. It was a little taller than most of the other houses, but nothing really note worthy. He didn't bother to knock on the door as he walked in.

The mayor was doing paper work at his desk as Dirk came through the door. The mayor was a bulky man with dark purple hair with some gray combing through it. He had dark brown eyes and a thick mustache. He wore a common green sweater with blue jeans, which made him looked like 'one of the people'.

"Dirk, what are you doing here?" The mayor asked in mild annoyance.

"I'm here to ask if I could rent the old Jefferson's house for a couple weeks." Dirk requested.

"So, you've decided to come live here in the village?" The mayor asked in an amused tone.

"No, I just want to do some remodeling to my home, and I can't stay there while I'm doing work." Dirk said, ignoring the sly remark.

"Makes sense." The mayor said as he leaned back in his chair. "That place has been abandoned for awhile, so I don't know what condition it's in. There's also the matter of payment. Even to rent a house in this village will cost you, given its importance."

"The leech never stops to try to make a profit." Dirk thought in annoyance. "How about this? As payment, I'll fix the house up nicely and make it better than new."

The mayor's eyes lit up at the thought. If the house was repaired to its original condition, he could sell it for twice the price. "Fine, you have yourself a deal. However, I expect the house to look a certain way. Otherwise, you pay full price."

Dirk had to keep himself from snorting. "You know my work. You should know I don't half-ass anything."

"Just making my conditions clear." The mayor said as he got up. He dug through one of his drawers and pulled out a key. "Here." He casually tossed it toward Dirk who easily caught it.

"Nice doing business with yea." Dirk said as he left.

It seemed that ever since he left his home he had been breaking the Dwarven Vow number eleven more and more. It was nearly impossible to live in the human world without telling at least one white lie in a day. Especially with people like the mayor when telling the truth means saying a couple choice words in dwarven.

He had quickly learned that humans were not comfortable with him speaking his native tongue. It took him several years not to slip and say a word or a dictum in dwarven. Although the common tongue was taught to all dwarves, it was still a hard thing to make it his primary language. He actually envied humans who only had to master one language throughout their entire lives. Even when they did learn a new language it was often a dead one.

When he reached Frank's house again, he wasn't too surprise to see Frank waiting for him at the door.

"So, how did it go?" Frank asked.

"I have to fix another house up, but it went well." Dirk said.

Frank nodded. "Well, mom wants me to help you find some new clothes for Lloyd. The ones he has now are a little torn."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know what to look for." Dirk smiled.

The two men walked to a local store and browsed for any clothes that were Lloyd's size. Since it was winter, they gotten him several long sleeve shirts and thick pants. They also got him a winter hat and gloves just in case it really got cold outside, even though it rarely did in this area.

Frank also pointed out several cleaning produces that Dirk could use while bathing Lloyd. The soap he tended to use was too harsh for Lloyd's skin. He also found human's clothes to be very fragile and thin compare to the clothes he made himself. Then again, humans didn't tend to do the kind of harsh work he did.

"I think perhaps Lloyd may like red given the color of the shirt he's wearing, but it's impossible to say." Frank cut through his thoughts. "Has Lloyd told you anything about himself."

"Afraid not. He is such a meek lad that it's very rare that he talks." Dirk said as he looked over some clothes. "He was, however, in better spirits this morning when he thought he would find his father."

Frank looked down sadly. "I wonder why his parents were even in the woods. Normally people don't pass through there, especially with a Ranch so close."

"They could had been travelers and didn't know about the Ranch." Dirk said.

"But, this village is closer than the forest." Frank said as he bit his lips. "I don't know, but something just isn't adding up. If they were well-seasoned travelers, they should have been able to spot that storm from a mile away and took shelter. Anyone who travels knows that a forest is the worst place to be during a rainstorm because of all the low lands."

Dirk shrugged. "Who knows. Unless we do find his father, we'll never know."

"So true." Frank sighed.

Once they were done shopping, they made their way back to the house.

"Dirk, I've been meaning to ask you, what have you been feeding Lloyd?" Frank asked. "I remember reading years ago that dwarves actually ate rocks."

"We don't eat rocks." Dirk corrected. "We grind up the rocks and filter out all the minerals from them. We eat that along with a diet of food that is high with iron like beans, lentils, artichokes, egg yolks, and fish."

Frank kind of turned green when Dirk talked about grinding rocks. "You didn't feed that kind of stuff to Lloyd, did you? No offense, but humans don't eat anything from rocks like that."

"Well, I gave him some soup, but he complained about it tasting like metal." Dirk said. "Guess it had too much mineral for him."

"Do you know what humans usually eat?" Frank asked.

Dirk shook his head. "Not sure really. I know you like meat, salt, and sugar."

"Certain meats are better than most." Frank said. "For example, red meat like what you would get from cows and sheep are a good sources of iron too, but it should be eating sparingly because it can cause you to gain weight. Growing kids also need a lot of calcium in their diet. You can get that from dairy produces like milk and cheese."

"What about the sugar?" Dirk questioned.

"Sugar is not all that good for you." Frank said as he began to blush. "But, humans like anything that is sweet which is why we eat it. We tend to give sweets out as treats, but it is not something we should eat everyday."

Dirk shook his head. "Humans really are different."

"Which is why you need to read those child care books." Frank said. "They will tell you everything you should feed your child, what time is a proper bedtime, and many other things. Since you will be staying in the village for awhile, mother and me can help you with any problems you may have."

"I know Frank and I really appreciate your help." Dirk smiled.

Instead of going back to Frank's house, they decided to go to the Jefferson's house and get the place ready for Lloyd to move into. The place was indeed run down with water damage from the storm. They were also no furniture and the smell of mold was in the air.

"This place is not too pleasant." Frank said in a casually voice.

"The water is fairly recent and I can dry the place out by tonight." Dirk assured. "The mold also won't be a big problem since it looks to be all on the surface."

"Are you sure you will have it ready today?" Frank asked worriedly. "This looks to be at least a month worth of work."

"It's not a problem." Dirk said. "I have this place ready by the evening."

"Well, I guess I'll go buy the bedrolls and blankets." Frank said. "Don't want to leave you two sleeping on the floor."

"Just one bedroll." Dirk said. "I prefer to sleep on the ground."

Frank raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he left.

Dirk stretched his arms as he looked around. It was time to go to work.

Things are starting to look up and I hope you like young Colette. She was kind of fun to write.

accident prone, thank you for your praise and your review. I hope you continue to read and share your thoughts. I tried to keep Lloyd's trauma as realistic as possible without it becoming overbearing. Lloyd eventually has to turn into our cheery, idiot hero, after all. I also try to put a lot of thought into Dirk. After awhile, he all but writes himself, especially his ignorance on humans.

Kiomori, I have seen a story based on this time period to some extent and that is Kasan Soulblade's Tales of an Iselian Tiger. As I said many time in my stories, Kasan is a major point of inspiration to me and I would suggest anyone to check out her stories.

With that said, until next time.