Elidys stubbornly kept his mouth shut as the evil horror before him approached with something that looked like a straw, but it was thinner and had a longer stick poking out of it.

“Ok, Eli. Do you know the story about the bear cub that lost its mother?” Asked doctor Forgo. He had dealt with the other three boys in such a manner. The oldest one had braved out the check and had gotten off with a tooth brush with softer hairs.

The one they called Lucy had his tooth removed, and he asked him, or tried to ask him, questions the whole time. Rael had the healthiest teeth of the bunch, and doctor Forgo had given him a piece of sugarless candy as a reward.

But this one. Eli, was proving to be a tough nut to crack. He had tried with asking the boy his name and received silence. Then, he tried tickling, nothing. So, now he was taking out the heavy weaponry.

Elidys shook his head. As doctor Forgo expected. That story was something he himself created, after all.

“Once upon a time, there was a bear cub that woke up during the winter and wandered off,” the boy seemed to divide his attention between the story and his tools. A tough nut indeed. “And then it found a raven with a piece of cheese.”

“Tasty cheese?” Asked the boy, and doctor Forgo put the tool within the boy’s mouth without waiting even for a second. Thanks to the tool, he opened the boy’s mouth and began looking around.

Young Elidys looked betrayed. Ironically enough, the raven lost its cheese because of speaking too. Doctor Forgo wanted to see the reaction of the boy once he told him that.

“Now, the bear cub was starving. He could eat the entire cheese. But the raven was not going to give it to him, or share. The bear cub got angry. His mother had always told him to share his food with his brothers so that he can be a good boy and get presents for Yule.”

“Eli good too!” Came from the boy with a lot of spittle. Doctor Forgo grinned and continued the story.

“Yes, and so, the bear cub decided to be tricky. He asked the raven a riddle. What walks in the morning on four legs, on two at noon and on three in the evening?” That was a fairly known riddle, and he was confirmed that the toddler had heard it too because he smiled brightly and jumped in his seat.

“A human…or an elf or an orc or an ogre or…” Doctor Forgo let the boy list all the races in the known world as he looked around. The teeth looked healthy enough. The boy will lose his baby teeth in a year. They looked straight, too. But the dentist didn’t like the smell of the toddler’s breath.

He checked the gums for blood and found a little. Didn’t that boy live with a healer? He must not be specializing in dentistry to not see that the boy had bleeding gums. Well, he’d prescribe him less acidic toothpaste and a kiddie brush. Honestly, first time parents sometimes used an adult brush for even toddlers, then wondered why their gums bled.

“…or a dwarf!” finished Elidys just as doctor Forgo was taking out the tool from his mouth. “Are we done?”

The dentist smiled at the hopeful question and nodded. He received a hug from the toddler and the boy ran off screaming that he was saved. Doctor Forgo sighed. Why was it that people were afraid of him? He wasn’t a bad man.

He picked up a prescription paper and jotted down all that Mister Hollow needed to buy for the children. Then he signed it, stamped it and folded it. Exiting the room, he saw the warrior with all the boys hiding behind him. It appears that they have forgotten who left them to doctor Forgo in the first place.

“This is all you need, Mister Hollow. Have a nice day,” doctor Forgo turned around and went back to his room to wait for the next patient. Hoping beyond hope that they won’t be afraid of him.

Daniel reviewed the paper and nodded along. Toothpaste, three different kinds. Some weird toothbrushes. Cleaning water and floss. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Now that the boys had their checkups, as they had left the dentist for last, they could head over to the herbal shop. There was one right next to the clinic. The bell over the door chimed as they entered and there was a round checked woman with a braid behind the counter.

“Oh, hello. Do you have a prescription?” Daniel had three. One from the dentist, one from the nutritionist and one from the ear-nose-throat doctor. He pulled them out and placed them on the counter.

“And we’d also like some black tea, if you have any. For me,” he added hastily when the clerk was about to scold him for giving black tea to children.

“Certainly. Let us see, eye drops. Mint bonbons. Toothpaste and toothbrushes and floss and cleaning water. Standard things. Here you go,” she handed him a bag with all that he wanted, and he saw the note with the price tag. Eleven gold coins and fifty-one silvers. He pulled out the needed amount and watched as the clerk placed lollipops in the bag.

“A little something from me. They were really brave, going to a dentist,” the clerk winked at him and Daniel puffed up his chest. Then, the four did their little duckling routine and the clerk chuckled.

“They are adorable. Your wife must be a happy woman,” Daniel shook his head.

“They are not mine, and I don’t have a wife. Their father just can’t go out in the sun,” the eyes of the clerk shone at that, and Daniel could see that she was considering something.

“Is he single then?” Well, there went all hopes for Daniel to get a date.

“No, he has a husband,” the clerk blinked and the squealed. By the end of the day, the rumor of a healer being married to another man spread, as some people have seen the children with Edwin and had put two and two together. Edwin had been so unamused, he made him bean soup for dinner and glared at him as he ate. Daniel found that it had still been worth it.