The children moved in the very next day. Theanore had a grant time showing them the grotto and a lot of them stopped by the pool cavern to fish. They let the fish back inside the pool after they caught them, thou.

Now that the dungeon grounds were an orphanage, the family petitioned the Emperor for protection. What they wanted was guards stationed at the entrance points of the forest of fireflies.

The forest of fireflies guardians also came to protect the forest and Theanore’s apple grotto. Larriel had been all but mobbed by girls wanting to become healers. It was a nice position in any party. A vital one. And so Larriel performed tests on the children to see which of them were good enough magically to become healers.

Some children were dejected, but a lot of them passed the test. Larriel was freed from guard duty to start teaching them. Brandon looked on as Larriel was surrounded by children and thought that it suited her.

The healer wore pink almost exclusively these days. Only when they rarely went out on a mission did she put on her healer’s blue and white garb. But it couldn’t be helped. It was the professional thing to do.

Jasper also had his share of attention. The youngest children, Theanore included, wanted him to teach them archery. Theanore for a skill and the other children because they wanted to either become adventurers or hunters.

Theanore had the builder ants make bows and arrows without an arrowhead, and they spend the day practicing with the bows. One of the boys, a three-year-old, managed to hit a squirrel, thus scarring it. He ended up crying and apologizing, as Jasper did everything he could not to laugh.

Lena was pickier with whom to pick for the position of a mage. She picked the children who were only two years from leaving the orphanage. They seemed to be mature enough in her eyes to not blow something up for laughs.

And Lysandrus did his duty and patrolled the forest for threats. He felt it would be better not to teach any children, thank you very much. He had never been good with children. That is why he had been happy to let Larriel do the talking when it came to their business partner.

That night, everyone gathered around a massive bonfire with a plate in their hands. The worker elves had cooked the meal for everyone. Now that the pixies did the weaving and clothes making, the elves had a lot of time to themselves. They had not minded becoming chefs.

The food the children ate here was much better than what they received at the orphanage, even after the donation was made by Crassus. They were even allowed seconds and thirds, which was something they never got to do at the orphanage.

The matron feared that it would be all over soon. That this family would force the children back in the old gray building with its peeling paint and leaky roof. She moved closer to Crassus and poked his shoulder.

“Mister Crassus, Sir, can I speak to you in private?” Asked the matron, and Crassus stood up.

“Miss Claudia, just call me Crassus,” said Crassus. Claudia nodded.

“Then drop the formalities, Crassus, and call me Claudia.”

Claudia was a young widow. She had lost her children shortly after their birth. They had been triplets and the joy of her life for the little time they had been alive. Then she had lost her husband to a nasty fall and a head injury. She had taken to the orphanage to fill the emptiness that her family had left behind.

“Crassus,” began Claudia as they were far away enough not to be overheard. “Why do you do this? You must know that these children are not simply playmates for your daughter.”

“I know. They are my children now,” said Crassus with a certainty that surprised Claudia. “You see, I can’t have children. When Theanore appeared, I was overjoyed. I finally could become a father. Well, I am quite young still. I don’t even have thirty years yet. But you know, when the healers tell you that you can’t have children, and you suddenly have one? It is pure joy.”

“What do you mean your children? Will you keep them here even after the legal time for a stay in an orphanage?” Asked Claudia, not daring to hope.

“I’ll make sure to teach them a trade,” said Crassus, staring the matron in the eyes. “I know that some have only until New Year to stay in the orphanage. I won’t send them away. Not until they are ready to be let go.”

“You could have adopted before. Why adopt so many now?” Asked Claudia, looking for hidden intentions that could harm her children.

“I am a simple merchant. All the money used to pay for the orphanage and everything else are Theanore and Marinus’. I have savings, and my children give me quite the cut of their enchantment and four-leaf clover business, but not the type of money to do much good. But now, with Thea’s support, I can have as many children as I can. I will not abandon them to the elements, Claudia.”

Crassus had figured out he was being tested, and so he voiced Claudia’s greatest fear. The young widow smiled brightly at him then and extended her pinky towards him. He grinned at the childish act, but he indulged her.

They returned to the bonfire and told the children it was time for bed. Many grumbled, but the older kids picked up the younger ones and carried them to the houses in the camping site.

It had been decided that in each house there should be four younger children and two older ones. At least in the beginning. This place was new for the orphans, and no one wanted them to be spooked during the night.

The forest of fireflies guardians also remained close to the camping site, but they slept near the bonfire. It would be a good training opportunity, Lysandrus had said.