Istan’s POV

 

“Bay,” I called out from the floor, “I am sorry I missed your birthday.”

 

Through the barred door to her room I heard her biting reply, “You promised.” Her words cut me. But worse was the sound of a stifled sob.

 

“I know I did. I am sorry.” Guilt at breaking my promise wrenched at my heart.

 

“I don’t turn 22 every day you know!”

 

“I know. You have every right to be mad at me. But please look at the present I brought.” I pulled the cloak out of the bag and presented it to the still closed door of Bay’s bedroom. 

 

It seemed to work because the crying that I had been hearing from the other room stopped. 

 

After a moment the sound of her chair scraping across the wooden floor was heard. She opened the door a crack and peeked through the opening as I held up the carefully folded cloak. “That is just your old cloak. Why in all the forest would I want that?”

 

“It WAS my cloak. But I have not been using it during my travels,” I said, inching closer to her on my knees. “The Forest Mother has been wearing this cloak while we have been traveling. But she said that she would no longer be needing it and returned it to me. And now I want it to be yours.”

 

There was a pang in my heart at the thought of Forest Mother’s cloak getting soiled by such a young child playing in it. But my daughter’s happiness was more important than a cloak. And then a realization hit me. Forest Mother already said she would be mad at me if I displayed the cloak on my wall.  How did she know that I would miss my daughter’s birthday and need a gift to present her with? Especially when even I failed to keep track of this? I was grateful to the forethought of Mother Laurel. I shed tears in my heart thinking of her generosity. 

 

Upon considering my words, Bay’s eyes lit up. She opened the door wide to be able to examine the relic more closely. “This is Forest Mother's cloak?” Yes! This was working! She totally believed that I had planned this out from the beginning. “Wait! How do I know you are not just trying to weasel your way out of trouble?” 

 

How did she figure me out??? I looked up to my wife for help but she was just smiling slightly fiercely, as if she was enjoying the show. This was not good. Allana was upset with me too. She must also be angry that I missed Bay’s birthday. If I asked her for help right now no doubt she would only add fuel to the fire. 

 

Looking back to my daughter I stammered trying to find the words to say “I-I--”

 

“-You think I would just accept your story about the Forest Mother wearing this cloak for weeks She probably had it on for ten minutes at most.” I let out a relieved sigh hearing Bay’s words. She just didn’t think the cloak was really Forest Mother’s. I thought she was suspecting me of forgetting. 

 

“Here, come. Look for yourself,” I said holding it up to her. She slowly reached out her arm and took the cloak from me. “Look, the dirt from the trip has still not been cleaned off. This is not something that has just been worn for ten minutes.”

 

Her eyes began to glow once again. But they quickly darkened, “Are you just giving me your dirty laundry to wash?” She glared at me. “I will never forgive you if--”

 

I held up my hands to stop her, “No,” I practically cried. “The reason I did not wash it was because of the smell.”

 

“Why would I want to smell your sweaty clothes?” Bay said, glaring at me, pulling back her arm to throw the cloak at me.

 

“No. That’s not what I mean.” Tears were really falling from my eyes this time as I held up my arms to protect this treasured heirloom. Why was this going so badly? “Please give the cloak a smell and you will understand.”

 

She paused at my pleading, cautiously lowered her hand and held the fabric up to her nose and sniffed…. Silence filled the room. She sniffed again. This time deeper and longer. “...Bay and flowers?”

 

“Yes. That is the scent from Mother Laurel,” I explained. “That is why I could not wash it before.” Then giving her the best smile I could through my tears, I said, “Happy Birthday, Bay.”

 

Bay took a moment to process everything I just told her. “You mean that Mother Forest smells like flowers and laurel trees?” she asked. I nodded, and she excitedly buried her face in the cloak. I could tell that there was a smile behind the fabric. 

 

“So I am forgiven?” I looked up at my daughter’s face hopefully.

 

“This time.” The wide grin on Bay’s face belied her stern tone. Then she giggled. “What was the Forest Mother like?”

 

“She is really kind and caring,” I said, thinking about how wonderful it was to know my goddess. “She was also surprisingly humble.” That part made me frown internally. She was our goddess, yet she insisted on being treated like everyone else. 

 

Bay seemed really ecstatic to hear more about the Forest Mother and asked me more questions. But the longer we talked about Miss Laurel, the deeper Allana’s frown grew. Was the Forest Mother falling that short of her expectations as our goddess? After a few minutes she put an end to our conversation. “Bay, you should go take care of your present and I would like some time with your father too.”

 

Bay simply smiled as she clutched the cloak and disappeared into her room.

 

I heaved a sigh of relief and looked up to my wife. To my surprise she just sighed and rolled her eyes. Was she not impressed by Laurel’s cloak? “Well, I’m glad you and Bay have something else to fan your obsession with the Forest Mother.” That sounded almost like sarcasm. Was she angry at me? But Allana’s swift kiss on my cheek told another story. “I am glad to have you home, dear,” she said looking down at me. “I hope your journey went well. You must be tired. I’ll make some dinner and you can tell us all about your travels,” she said walking over to the cooking area. I started to rise from my grovelling position, joining Allana to help with preparations. 

 

“I will be happy to tell you about our travels. I saw so many amazing things. But compared to home, all adventures seem dull and drab. It is good to be home.” I took Allana into my arms for a brief embrace.

 

Allana smiled warmly up at me. “Your time on the road must have affected you. I didn’t think it was possible for anything to make you dislike adventures, especially in service to the Forest Mother,” she grinned a bit sharply as she pulled away. 

 

I was a bit confused by her distance, and by the hint of anger in her voice. “I was honored to be of service to the Forest Mother. It’s just that there was a great deal more of staring at a horse’s backside than I would have liked,” I offered. “Also a lot of rain.”

 

Allana laughed, and my heart tightened within me just as it did when we first met. “Well, I really am glad you are home, regardless. Will they give you some time off before you have to watch over the grove? I could really use your help getting the house ready for winter.” 

 

My heart froze within me thinking of how I would have to answer this question.