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Eadgyd sighed contentedly as she looked at her family’s home. It had been a long journey, but she was glad to be back.
She hoisted her pack and continued on the path, but before she reached the house, the door opened and her nephew emerged. He shouted with joy and ran towards Eadgyd, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Aunt Addy, you’re home!” Eadgar said as he attached himself to her legs.
“Good to see you, little cub,” she said, leaning down to hug her nephew. “I brought you a present.”
“A present!?” he exclaimed as he let go of her legs and rushed to open the door again. “Come in so I can open it!”
As soon as she was inside, another person rushed at her, squealing with excitement. This time, it was Frida, her youngest sister.
“You made it!” she cried. “I was so worried you’d be off chasing bandits that Theo and Dalla and I thought of postponing the wedding for a day or two, but you’re here!”
“Of course I am,” Eadgyd said, giving her sister a squeeze. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“I wouldn’t let you,” Frida replied, grinning up at Eadgyd. “We’d have waited if you had other business to see to.”
“No business is more important than my sister getting married,” Eadgyd said. “I’m sure my companions could’ve handled things without me for a day or two.”
Frida looked as if she wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Eadgar tugging at Eadgyd’s sleeve.
“I want my present!” Eadgar said, bouncing up and down.
A sigh came from the other side of the table as Hild set down her cup of tea and turned to her son. “I know you do, dear, but can you thank your aunt first?” she said. “She took time to bring you something even though she had lots of other things to do—what should you say?”
“Thank you!” Eadgar said. “You always bring the best things home.”
“Well, I hope you feel that way once you see what it is,” she said, sitting down at the table and opening her pack. “I have something for Anhaga as well—I take it she’s with Avina?”
Hild nodded. “They’re just in the bedroom—I’ll get them.”
“Excellent,” Eadgyd said as she fished around in her pack until she found Eadgar’s present. “There you are,” she said as she handed him the package. “You’ll need to be careful with it—if you toss it around carelessly, it’ll break.”
Eadgar nodded solemnly as he unwrapped the cloth surrounding his present. He gasped in delight as he saw a small mechanical bear within it.
“Here—wind it,” Eadgyd said, gesturing to a key on its back.
Eadgar did so, grinning with joy as the bear began to move and roar in an astonishingly lifelike fashion. “Mama, Vina, come here!” he called. “Aunt Addy gave me a bear!”
Avina and Hild emerged from the hallway a few moments later. “A bear?” Avina asked.
Eadgyd gestured to the mechanical creature on the table and her sister’s shoulders relaxed. “Heavens, I thought he meant a real one,” she said.
“Did you think I’d give him a cub without so much as asking you?” Eadgyd teased.
“Well,” Avina said jokingly, “you and your companions did bring back a pack of Warg pups one time.”
“Yes, but I didn’t adopt them personally,” Eadgyd said, carefully omitting the fact that several of her companions had been eager to do so.
She reached into her pack and took out another package, this one wrapped in brown paper. “And this is for you, sweetheart,” she said as she handed it to Anhaga.
Anhaga studied the package, turning it over in her hands as she tried to figure out what she was meant to do with it.
“Can you open it?” Avina asked, tearing away a small piece of the wrapping to show Anhaga what to do.
The child clumsily tore at the wrapping and, with her mother’s help, was able to open it, revealing a small plush bee. She squealed delightedly and clutched the bee to her chest, beaming with excitement.
Hild gasped with joy. “Anhaga, do you know what that is?” she said. “A bee! Bzzz, bzz!”
Anhaga looked up at Hild. “Bee?” she said hesitantly.
“Yes, dear, it’s a bee,” Hild said before leaning down to kiss Anhaga on the head. “Well done.”
“A bee!” Anhaga cried. “Bzz, bzz!”
Avina leaned down to kiss Anhaga on the forehead. “You’ve learned well,” she said. “Can you thank Aunt Addy?”
“Thank you, Aunt Addy!” Anhaga said as she thrust the bee forth, showing it off to Frida. “Look, Aunt Frida—bee!”
“So it is, dear,” Frida said, reaching over to ruffle Anhaga’s hair.
“Thank you,” Avina said to Eadgyd, reaching over to hug her sister as best she could with a child in one arm. “We’re all glad you made it home.”
Eadgyd smiled as she looked around the table, seeing a collection of smiling faces.
“So am I,” she murmured.