"Go to sleep, Doran," says his sister, "You are starting school tomorrow, and Ms. Yara will be cross if you're sleepy." Doran is restless and fearful about his first day of school. What if Ms. Yara is mean? He gets up from bed and calls to Daddy. His younger father comes in a few moments later with an unusually stern expression. "What is the matter, Doran? Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asks. Doran is four, and still suffers from occasional nightmares from the trek to Haven, so Kel constantly reminds his husband to be patient with the boy. In contrast, their daughter is seven, and despite the trauma she experienced in losing her natural family and in the attack on Saroton four years ago, she appears to have adjusted remarkably well since her adoption. 

Kel picks up his son and sits him down on his lap, on the armchair between the childrens' beds he built himself. "What is it? Are you nervous about tomorrow? Remember what Papa always tells you, Doran. Fear is just the absence of knowledge. You have nothing to be scared of; your sister has told you what to expect from school. Ms. Yara is a wonderful teacher and a dear friend to our family. You already know a lot of the girls and boys you will be in school with. Tomorrow you begin to learn, and what does knowing do, Kit?" His daughter recites Larch's frequent mantra, "Knowing chases the fear away, Da." Kel carries his son into bed and tucks him into his quilt. At his son's request, the quilt has been embroidered with the images of the stars and moons. His daughter's quilt, in contrast, is a simple pattern of lavender and pale green hexagons. "I will sit with you until you fall asleep, Doran." Doran is still a little nervous and says, "But Ms. Yara is so big." Kel sighs, and says, "And her husband is even bigger, Dor. But when Healer Brum comes over to speak to Kit, I don't see you cowering in fear. I seem to recall you always chasing him around, begging him to play Hexstones with you." Kit speaks up, "We don't do that, Dor, you know this. We don't judge people on what they look like." Kel rubs his son's head gently and asks, "What is this really about, son?" Doran says quietly, "I'm scared, Da. What if I'm no good at school?" 

Understanding, Kel says, "I know what it's like to be afraid that you're not good enough, Doran. Would you like me to tell you a story?" Doran's fear seems to be suddenly forgotten and he perks up, "Can we hear about the dragon? No, the ogres!" Kel just smiles and says, "I believe that you have heard the dragon story from Aunt Sera more than enough, son. And Papa tells the ogre story better than I do. I was thinking that I would like to tell you about how Papa and I met." Kitrina is suddenly excited now, despite her tiredness. "Oh yes, Da, please!" Kel smiles. In spite of her young age, their daughter is already thrilled by stories about romance. Kit would spend every afternoon she could at the inn or at Kenzie and Sera's home, begging for stories about Earth princesses and the woman named "Meg Ryan". 

Doran is clearly disappointed. He loves both of his parents dearly, but prefers it when his older father tells him stories about his military service and tales from the road. But Papa is out on another trading trip, so he tries to sound enthusiastic, "Okay. Tell us, Daddy!" Kel laughs in that grown-up way he does when Doran is showing off something he made with his blocks, or when Kit talks about some silly story Aunt Kenzie has told her. "I will tell you. But you will close your eyes and try to sleep, okay son?" Doran agrees, and closes his eyes. 

"It was eleven years ago. I grew up in a kingdom many, many miles to the north of Haven, near the coast." Kit practically shouts, "It was Northport!" Kel says, "That's right, sweetie. I was a skinny and awkward young man of seventeen. Now, I have told you children that my own parents were…not nice people. My father - your grandfather - he, um, didn't like some of the choices I made, and he forced me to leave home. Your grandfather wanted me to follow him into his mercantile business, shipping goods from the continent back and forth from the outlying Islands. All I was interested in doing back then was painting." Kel looks at the painting he made for the childrens' room, an stylized depiction of the heroes of Haven, after defeating the evil forces that kept the lands forbidden for centuries, standing outside the once broken castle that now serves as the capital. Of course, now that he knows these people personally, most of whom were founders of their new home republic, he knows that the scene is not historically accurate. "So grandfather made me leave home, and I had little more than a bit of money, my clothes, and a bag with my painting supplies." Not for the first time, Kel deliberately omits the real reason he no longer sees his parents. There was a terrible fight when he vehemently refused a match with Fela Luxon, whose wealthy parents were trying to sell their daughter into the good favor of a powerful merchant family. Fela was a dear friend, but he refused to force her into a dishonest life. When he shouted to his father that he preferred men, Callas Hiram exploded and kicked him from the only home he had ever known. If it were up to Kel, his children would never know a world with such intolerance. Of the two, Kel knows that his husband is the better storyteller. But he does his best to share their story with the children. 

*******

I stayed for a night with my painting tutor, Hazel. She wasn't able or willing to lend me money, but she gave me some extra brushes, charcoal, and paints. I stayed for a few more nights with my friend Sagan. You'll meet him when he visits at the end of the summer. Sagan gave me a few silver, I sold some of my things for a few more, and I had enough for a coach ride south to the Seward Republic. I had been there a number of times in my childhood, traveling with my father for business. I knew it to be a much friendlier place to live for…artists. Hazel had given me the names of decorators and artists in the city who I could try to seek an apprenticeship with. Back then, children, I was not the man I am now. I was an anxious and quiet young man, and I was constantly afraid of telling people my thoughts and feelings. I had developed feelings for boys in school, but I never had the courage to ask one out. When I got to Seward, I was a nervous wreck. 

I spent the first several days there, running back and forth to different artisans, begging them to take me on as an apprentice. It was the late autumn, though, and everyone I spoke with were either already fostering apprentices or had no means or interest to do so. All the while, I was in constant fear that I would run through my remaining silver at the shabby inn I was living at, and be forced on the streets within a span or two. One afternoon, I stood in the city square, painting. There was a company of soldiers in the city from the kingdom of Eastern Juphin, accompanying Queen Varela on a diplomatic visit of some kind to the republic. I watched the soldiers in their rigid lines, and something about the bright colors of their livery and their gleaming steel chainmail armor struck my attention, so I began to sketch them. As I finished my outline, I was upset to hear their captain call an 'at ease', and the soldiers began to make their way away from their lines. I hadn't even taken out any paints yet, so I hoped they would be in the city long enough for me to depict the colors correctly. I was finishing up with the charcoal when I heard a voice from behind me ask, "What's that you're painting?" I turned around to see the most handsome man I had ever seen. He had beautiful green eyes, and when he removed his helmet, his hair was brown and tied in a long tail that reached the top of his back. Your Papa, back then, was already a man grown, past 25. He looked at my canvas and said, "Wow, you have an incredible eye for details." When he smiled at me that first time, children, my heart started pounding like a war drum. "My name is Larchmon. Larchmon Everdine. What's your name, artist?" I was so nervous I didn't think I could get the words out. "K-Kelvim Hiram. It's nice to meet you, um, corporal?" He smiled again and said "Sergeant, actually. Are you a resident here in Seward, or just passing through?" I said I was new to the city, looking for an apprenticeship. I asked your Papa how long his company would be in the city, and he said that they would be there for just two more days. I was so disappointed to hear that, children, because finding an apprenticeship was now the last thing on my mind. I almost asked him to dinner right then, barely considering the fact of my dwindling purse, but instead, I asked, "Where can I see the full company tomorrow? I really wish to get the colors right." Your Papa smiled again, and I felt the quake of nerves in my belly. He said, "We will be assembled in the morning outside the Senate. Do you know how to find it?" I said I did. It was the largest building in the republic, and I had passed its stone walls many times in my frantic attempts to find a master. I rolled up my canvas, took down my easel, and started packing my things. "Tomorrow morning, then," I said. He said, "Wait, Kelvim. This is my only free night in the city. Would you like to join me for dinner?" I was again nervous as a field mouse. I couldn't invite this beautiful man to the shabby inn I was staying in, and any silver I spent was several days closer to being put out into the streets. Even then, your Papa knew how to read me. He said, "Come to my inn. The Azure Moon. It's my treat." I agreed to meet him there, just after sundown. I immediately ran back to the Hitching Post and into my room. I had already sold the nicest clothes I brought with me from Northport, so I scrambled to find something suitable for my first ever date. I found a shirt that wasn't too shabby looking, and my trousers with the least amount of paint stains, and I spent the remainder of my afternoon trying to calm my nerves. As I told you, children. I was often fearful back then. What if I was just imagining this man could be interested in me? What could a handsome and confident soldier like him like about a thin, nervous boy who could barely grow facial hair? 

Still, I met your Papa that night as planned. He was out of uniform, in casual travel clothes, and somehow that made him more dashing in my eyes. We talked about small things, but much of our first real date is lost from my memory now. I spent so much of the evening worrying about whether Larch could truly be interested in me, that I wasn't present enough to enjoy our time together. When he walked me out of the inn, I worried that I had ruined everything with my nerves. He wished me good-night, and placed his hand on my cheek, but I didn't have the courage to kiss him. Not then. I didn't see him the next day, but I finished my painting of the Juphim soldiers assembled outside the Senate. I still have that painting today, it was one of the first gifts I ever gave to Papa. I decided later to change the face of the soldier in the center to his; by then I knew it by memory. I ran to his inn the following day, as his company was preparing to leave. Even though I felt like our dinner had not gone well, Papa smiled wide when he saw me coming. "Well met, Kelvim! I'm happy to be able to give you this in person instead of leaving it at your inn." He reached into the bag at his belt and handed me a small piece of parchment. "It's, um, my address. In Juphin. If you ever make your way southeast and want to look me up. I'll make you dinner." With a surge of courage I didn't know I possessed, I said, "I will find a way to see you again, Larch. One year. You will see me one year from now, and I expect wine with that dinner." Your Papa laughed with that big belly laugh of his and said, "It's a promise, Kel. One year. Don't be late." I held his strong hands and kissed him on the cheek before saying farewell.

I have told you, children, I am not an impulsive man. But that day, with renewed motivation, I went to nearly every artisan in the city to find an apprenticeship, regardless of the craft. I would learn anything if it would pay me the coins to travel to Eastern Juphin, anything at all. I found a master in the southernmost neighborhood of the city, a carpenter named Cliven. His work wasn't particularly good, and he mainly made low-quality furniture, but he was willing to provide me with room and board for nine cycles, along with a silver bit every other cycle in stipend. It wasn't much, but it was enough that I could visit your Papa in the south, and hopefully find something better. I made it six cycles with Cliven before I left. He was a cruel man, and a terrible instructor. I wouldn't learn proper carpentry until years later when we settled in Saroton. I packed my things and booked passage with a caravan trading to the south. No, son, this was a while before Papa and Aunt Katlin met, he was still serving in the army then. 

When I got to Eastern Juphin, I didn't even think about accommodations or finding work, I went straight to Papa's house. He wasn't at home, so I made my way to the palace. I asked the door guards if they knew Sergeant Everdine, but they didn't, instead, they sent me to the barracks to ask for the commander, Major Wray. When I found the barracks, it was a scene of chaos. Soldiers were gearing up all around, and an older officer was shouting commands. I walked up to this man and asked him if I could speak with Major Wray. "The major is at the palace, meeting with her majesty. I'm Captain Grove, I'm in charge here, what can I help you with? I'm afraid you'll have to make it quick, son, we're mounting up in an hour." I said, I'm looking for Sergeant Everdine. I'm, um, a friend. I just got into the kingdom. He's expecting me." He looked at me with serious eyes and said, "You're the young man Larch won't stop talking about, aren't you? The artist from up in Seward?" I admitted I was, and he put his arm around my shoulders and led me to a quiet spot. The captain said, "Look, son. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Sergeant Everdine's squad was captured by a group of bandits while on maneuvers in the west. Her majesty does not negotiate with criminals, so that's what we're gearing up for. An entire company under my command will be marching west to rescue our comrades. I am confident that Sargeant Everdine is alive, and I will tell him of your arrival in the kingdom." I said to him, "I'm coming with you. I will tell him myself." He said, "Out of the question. Despite our numbers, this is still a dangerous mission we're undertaking, here. I'm not escorting a civilian into combat…" I interrupted him and said, "With all due respect, Captain. You're not keeping me from Larch. If I have to follow your company from a distance, I will do so." Captain Grove looked at me for a long time with a frown. He finally said, "Fine. But you will stay at my side until I say otherwise, and if you can't keep pace, I will leave you behind. You will follow my orders, and under no circumstances are you to do anything rash. Do you understand me?" I agreed, and despite the fact that I had an almost empty purse, no lodging in the kingdom, and no prospects for work, I said, "I am ready to march at your command, Captain." He gave me a slight smile, and had me follow him into the barracks, down the hall, and into the armory. "I don't take unarmed men into combat. Kel, is it? Have you ever handled a crossbow?" he asked. Children, at that point in my life I had never touched a weapon of any kind. He handed me a heavy military crossbow and showed me how to load and wind it. This bow was far heavier to wind than the smaller one your Papa bought me years later, and I hoped I would never have to use it. Captain Grove said, as if reading my thoughts, "When we reach the bandits' stronghold, I will be commanding from the rear. There should be no reason for you to fire. I cannot anticipate any reason for you to do so. But no offense, Kel, you don't look like you can carry a spear for six miles, so this is the only solution I can see." He showed me how to carry the bow over my shoulder, and gave me a few bolts along with a canteen and some travel rations. "I cannot imagine this mission taking any longer than one night, but if there is an extended siege, you will be fed. We will rescue our comrades, and you will see Larch again, I promise." 

It took every bit of my strength to keep pace with a highly motivated group of soldiers marching at full speed for six miles. When we stopped at an old inn, located almost equally between Eastern and Western Juphin, I was sweating and out of breath. Papa's squad was thirteen men, including himself, and the Captain estimated that the bandits had to number at least triple that, in order to take a trained squad by surprise. Captain Grove's company was over 100, plus support, and so they calmly assembled at his command, while he and his staff discussed their plan. They were unaware if there were any casualties, and had to do all they could to ensure the safety of Papa and the other captives. Captain Grove took his sword off of his belt and said, "Lieutenant Cadmin, you have the command. Kel, you will stay with the Lieutenant. I will attempt to negotiate with the bandit leader. Perhaps we can avoid much bloodshed. They have to be aware of our numbers by now." I watched as the officer slowly approached the inn, hands raised, holding a white flag of parley. At the window, I saw two men appear, one of them an ugly scarred man holding a large blade, the other was your father. Papa had been hurt a little, but you know, of course, that he was fine. The scarred bandit put the blade at Papa's neck, and I felt myself walking towards the inn, only to be stopped by the lieutenant's armored hand on my shoulder. The captain and the bandit argued for some time, but I was too far away to hear what they said. When they came to some kind of an agreement, Captain Grove marched back to his command post. The lieutenant said, "Captain?" Captain Grove looked angry but said calmly, "The swine is not happy, but he accepts that there will be no ransom. He's agreed to let the hostages free if we allow the bandits safe passage to Western Juphin. Lieutenant Cadmin, you are to inform the rearmost guard, let's say, four squads of your quickest men, that you will be following the bandits after they have gone no more than half a mile. Take as many alive as possible; her majesty is displeased and wishes to make an example of these criminals. However, you will not execute this command until we have assured the safety of all our men. Lieutenant Sorkeene, you will order the troops to allow the bandits passage. It is on your command to assure that the men and women do not leave their lines. Do you both understand your commands?" Both of the men said, "Aye, Sir," and moved at once. Captain Grove said to me, "Kel, I will watch as the bandits make their exit. About half the bandits will leave, followed by the men of Larch's squad, then the remaining bandits. The spokesman for them, that scarred fellow who held a knife to Larch, has agreed to walk him out last, after the remaining bandits." I asked, "How many bandits?" Grove said, "He claims 30. I didn't get the impression that this was a particularly well-trained group of criminals. The reason why Sergeant Everdine was in such a shape, and the reason I have to write a letter tonight to a family in Frostjarl to tell them their daughter is dead, is that your friend and Private Darstena were able to kill the actual leader who originally made the request for ransom." I felt a surge of anxiety, knowing that if not for his rank, I might have lost your Papa forever. "Do you believe him? I asked the captain. He said "Son, at the end of the day, my most important job is to ensure the lives of the men and women who report to me. I have no reason to believe that scum, but I will do whatever necessary to make sure I don't lose another soldier." 

Children, I became interested in art as a child myself, when I would spend long hours just watching the world outside my home. I taught myself how to take in the details of a scene, to capture the little things for my drawings. While the soldiers watched the bandits sneak past their lines, and the Captain took a headcount, I was watching the whole inn. It was called the Midway, and it had obviously not been in business for some time. The roof was clearly in disrepair, and long weeds and grass surrounded the building. I saw a small flock of birds take flight from the back of the inn, and as I watched, I could see rustle of tall grass on the eastern side. To this day, I don't know what came over me. I dropped my bag and took the loaded crossbow from my back, and I started to run towards the rustling grass, around the eastern edge. I heard the captain shout my name and curse, but I just ran, crossbow held at my chest. When I reached the edge of the woods, the scarred man was dragging your Papa, his arms chained together. I called out, "Stop! By the gods, I will shoot you!" The man sneered at me and held the blade to Papa's neck again. "I will kill him!" he shouted. I tried to calmly reason with him. "You can't escape. The captain is coming with a full squad and you'll die before he lets you go. You should have left with your companions. Don't make your situation any worse." Larch saw me and said, "Kelvim? What are you doing here?" I lowered my crossbow, and told him, "I'm a bit early for our dinner. I hope you don't mind." The bandit seemed to realize his situation was dire, and lowered the blade. Your Papa, gods bless that brave man, swung his fists and knocked his captor out. The bandit was arrested with the others and brought back to the queen's justice. At dinner that night was the first time your Papa and I kissed. We were together ever after. And that, my loves, is how Papa and I met.

******

Kel sees that his children are asleep. He sighs and rises from the chair. Tomorrow will be a particularly busy day. After taking the children to school and posting a letter to Larch, his workload for the day is already packed. The clinic is expanding and needs new beds, new tables for the Breezeway, and that cabinet for Lucia he's been promising for over two spans. Tomorrow is the first day of the cycle; he has to review the books and distribute invoices, and the apprentices need their stipend. His work is gratifying but since he opened the shop with his partner Abi last year, there has hardly been time for him to pursue more creative projects, including the new bow he is working on for Larch for their anniversary. Haven continues its growth, even now, as the tumultuous events of the last few years have started to settle down.

As he reaches the door, he hears Kit say quietly, "Da?" He sits down on her bed and rubs her black hair. "I thought you were asleep, princess. What's the matter?" She asks, "Is that how it really happened, Da?" "Every word is true," Kel lies. Besides glossing over his parents, he didn't share the extent of Larch's injuries on that afternoon outside Juphin. Larch had a huge cut on his forehead bleeding into his blackened eye, his arm was broken, and his ribs were cracked. Kel also spared his children the true ending: the bandit had not surrendered. The man raised his blade and ran at him, and Kel fired a single bolt into the man's chest. The bandit was dead before Captain Grove and two other soldiers burst out of the inn. To this day, it had been the only man that Kel had ever killed, and years later, the experience still kept him awake some nights. The rest of the story was accurate, to the best of his recollection. 

"Da?" Kit asks again, "Will you tell me about your wedding again?" He smiles at his daughter affectionately and says, "You were there!" She says, "But Da, I just want to hear you tell it." Kel says, "Tomorrow, sweetie. It's a promise. You need your rest. You may go visit Aunt Sera at the inn after school if you like. Just mind your brother. " Kel kisses his daughter on the cheeks and forehead, three pecks, the way he always does at bedtime. "Sweet dreams, princess. I love you, three times three times three. " 

Kel has become restless after telling that story to the children. He hoped they would never need to hear the full truth of it. They knew that Larch had been a soldier and needed to be armed on the road, but let them grow up in a world where they have one parent who isn't a killer. A world where they don't need to fear the future. Kel sits down at the desk and decides to get a fresh start on his letter to Larch. He knows he now needs to warn his husband that he shared their story with the children; it is likely that little Doran will press his Papa for more gory details upon his return. He begins as he always does, as he has since the first time they were separated in Juphin:

"Dearest One"