First excursion with the children
“You did great!” boomed Tiberius happily.
Dahlia and Demi sat on the side of the road, dirty and spattered with blood. Both we're looking down at themselves and did not seem nearly as happy as their father.
“This wasn't like fighting you, Yout and Indigo in the yard,” said Demi. “This was … different.”
“But this was better! This was real. I saw you stab that one goblin right in the belly and he fell right over. And Dahlia, I saw you sneaking right behind that one goblin setting his tunic on fire. That goblin jumped so much he set the one next to him on fire too, and they both ran away screaming. Just wait until your mother teaches you some real spells,” Tiberius said.
Branwyn gave her husband a slightly exasperated look and sat down on the ground in front of her children. “I know this was hard, but your father is right; you both did very well. This is what combat is like and why I wanted to shield you from it for so long. It is messy and bloody and you don't know who may get hurt or worse.”
Branwyn took Dahlia and Demi’s hands in hers and looked at them intently. “Look at me and know this.”
They looked up at her slowly and cautiously.
“What we did today was a good thing. We were walking the lands in the direction of Skull Church and they came out at us. Goblins are nasty, evil creatures and are not to be pandered to or bargained with. If they would have caught you alone they would have either killed you or taken you captive and made you slaves. You would never have seen the sky again. At least until your father and I rescued you.’
“Winning this battle today saved lives. You saved lives today. If they had not attacked us, they would have attacked some gnomes in the area, pilgrims coming to Skull Church, or merchants or farmers passing by. Goblins don't care who they kill or take captive. It is just what they do. We fight to make the world a little better. A little safer for those who can't fight for themselves.” Branwyn’s voice softened a little. “You helped do that today. You are heroes, my loves. You should be as proud of yourselves as we are of you.”
Branwyn released their hands and stood up. Saying a few words and making a slight scrubbing motion with her hands, she cleaned the blood and dirt off of Dahlia and Demi. “Come now. It's best we be heading home.”
Tiberius smiled. “See! You look much better. We'll keep practicing and it'll get easier. I promise. And look! I happened to pick these up from the goblins we killed. Here's a gold coin for Dahlia. And one for Demi. And look at this! One of them had this very fine hat with a feather. Here you go Demi.”
Tiberius pulled a hat from behind his back and placed it on his son's head. “Very dashing. Indigo has a goblin sword and now you have a goblin hat. You can tell Indigo the story when we get home. Let’s go, family!”
And with that, the Branadarus clan headed back up the road towards the Manor House.
