Chapter Text
In their tent in the garden the children were feasting on cake. Ordinarily their father made sure their meals were healthy and nutritious, cooking them himself.
Varla had asked her Mamae about that once, she had been helping to pick herbs. Varla did not have much experience being rich but she knew that the Master of the House did not usually cook.
"Cooking is your Papa's way of showing how much he loves us."
Tonight that love came in the form of three massive cream cakes. Each had a chocolate and strawberry filling and all three of them got as much on themselves as in their bellies. Their tent was softly lit by a ball of magelight Mamae made appear with a wave of her hand.
She had no idea what time it was except that it must have been way past their bedtime. Verrel had just been showing off, making shadow puppets with his hands like Ophelia, Mamae's teacher, taught him.
He made shadowed bats and spiders and nugs appear on the canvas walls.
Varian whispered that they should startle Mamae one day as she was scared of nugs and they all collapsed into fits of giggles at their planned mischief. Their laughter echoed through the garden, joyful and innocent.
---
Tav sat on the floor by the backdoor, guarding the children for his Mistress. Clara had not even offered to stay up with him which made him laugh.
"I like riding you sweetling but not enough to miss my sleep."
He liked the ease of their relationship. She loved sex and had absolutely no interest in a romance of her own ("that's what books are for"), he loved sex but was hopelessly devoted to their Mistress ("like some chivalric Knight but with more masturbation").
They enjoyed each other's company. Respected one another, and had fun together.
Still his duty to Mara came first and that extended to the ever growing flock of her babies.
---
Varian gently chewed on Eggy's ear as Varla told her story. He wished Toast was with them but he was having a sleepover with Uncle Chance's mabari and might have puppies.
"And then the Gloom Howler snatched all the baby griffons away!"
Verrel gasped. They all knew this story but still it never failed to scare and delight them.
"Mamae stood up with her bow and shouted that she would not stop until Assans brothers and sisters were safe! The Gloom Howler made an evil laugh and said 'You? What hope could you possibly have to stop me?' Papa and Uncle Davrin stood at Mamae's side. They were scared but Mamae laughed and told her 'you'll find out.'"
"Papa was not scared!" Varian insisted.
"Was too."
"Was not. "
"Was."
"Not! Papa is brave! He doesn't get scared!"
Varla rolled her eyes at him. Only three years older but certain that she was never such a baby.
"Being brave doesn't mean not being scared it means doing it anyway."
Both boys blinked at her in confusion. "ANYWAY. Where was I?"
Verrel stopped sucking his thumb to reply, "The Loom Hoor took Assans family."
"Right! So Mamae, Papa, and Uncle Davrin tracked her to a huge dark hole in a castle. They were all so scared but Mamae led them forward with her special dagger and they were brave."
---
The three of them were sound asleep in their tent. Varian's foot was shoved up near Varla's head and her elbow was on Verrel's back but they were totally down for the count.
At least until the noise started. In the stillness of the garden every sound was amplified and made terrifying. Most they recognised, the croaking of the frogs, the cawing of a crow, the hoot of an owl.
Then there was a scream, high pitched and shrill and the three of them startled awake.
"Did you hear that?" Varla whispered.
"What was it?" Varian replied sitting up and kneeling by his big sister.
"The Loom Hoor," Verrel whispered in terror.
The sound came again and they squeezed together, Varla put her arms around her brothers. Varian she had known less than a year but that did not matter. They were family.
The noise was closer. A shadow, twisted and distorted by the magelight on the outer wall of the tent. Hunched and crawling closer before letting out another scream.
Verrel's lip started to tremble. "Varla, I'm scared."
She squeezed his hand. "Remember the story."
Both boys nodded. "Do it anyway."
"Count of three."
"One."
"Two."
"Three!"
The three of them jumped out, the boys gripped the sticks they had played swords with earlier and Varla grabbed a nearby stone.
"You leave my sister alone!" Varian shouted as he lunged forward, 'sword' extended, held securely but loosely, just like Papa taught him.
The dim magelight reflected over a fox that had been snuffling around and startled he ran off into the brush.
---
Tav woke up from his doze on hearing the children's voices and ran into the garden. He was one of three people with a key to the secret entrance but the doorway had been left open for the children.
He ran into the garden with his dagger, ready to end anyone who threatened them. A stone flew and hit him in the eye, a stick snapped in half against his knee. A tiny figure jumped on to his back and punched his shoulders.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
"Uncle Tav!"
---
"That was some good teamwork." He told the abashed children in the kitchen.
"Sorry that I hit your eye Uncle Tav," Varla said, her head ducked down.
"Hey," he tilted the small dwarf girls head up to face him. "Never apologise for looking after each other. You three ambushed and drew blood from a Crow. A Qunari one at that. Be proud. Now do you want to go back camping or do you want to come in for the night?"
The children huddled together in a whispered conference.
"Camping." They agreed.
---
Mara tried not to laugh, really she did. She sat at the table the servants had placed outside for the family to have breakfast together. Amalia and Violet were both nursing from her, Amalia sat on her lap supported by her arm, and Violet was cradled with her small hand at her breast.
Lucanis walked over with a large serving platter of hot breakfast foods. He kissed his girls, and popped a slice of Orlesian toast into Mara's mouth. Nursing required a lot of fuel he had learned.
"Tell us again what happened after the near fatal pebble attack?" Lucanis asked, hiding his smile.
Clara giggled as she carried out two full pitchers of fruit juice and Tav hid his face in his hands.