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Rayla grinned at Tio as they entered the market. The markets in Katolis were usually one of Tio’s favourite places but Rayla knew she would be especially enamoured with the winter solstice market. In truth, even Rayla herself had been blown away by the spectacle of the festival market her first winter in Katolis.
They passed under a large arch decorated with pine branches, holly and bright shiny berries. Candles flickered and glowed, softly illuminating the various stalls that had sprung up to service the townsfolk. Delicious smells wafted through the air, scents Rayla now instinctively associated with the season; ginger and spices, mulled wine and hot chocolate.
Tio looked around, mouth agape, momentarily stunned silent and immobile by the fantastic scene.
Glancing behind her, Rayla grinned to find Callum watching them intently. “Come here, dummy.” She rolled her eyes, stopping, and waiting for him expectantly.
Callum grinned, strolling up to her. “I have to commit this to memory.” He smiled at Tio, adjusting her bright red crocheted cap, a gift from Opeli.
Tio pulled at the garment, trying to rip it from her head, but only succeeding in pulling it over her eyes.
Snorting, Rayla adjusted it again. “As if you ever need to commit things to memory.” She teased.
“There’s a lot to take in here!” Callum laughed, exasperated. “Even my memory isn’t quite that good.”
“Uh huh.” Rayla chuckled, adjusting Tio on her hip as the little one began to fuss. “It’s not even Tio’s first market.”
“True.” Callum took the toddler, instinctively hoping she might settle with a change in parent. “But it’s her first one where she can walk. It’s going to be infinitely cuter.”
“And more stressful.” Rayla grinned, rolling her eyes as Tio continued to struggle, clearly no longer content to merely watch the action.
Callum let her down, and they both immediately began running as Tio took off as quickly as her little toddler legs could take her. They shuffle-ran after her, Rayla (still the more swift of the two) attempting to get ahead of Tio lest she trip and fall, while Callum remained behind her in case she elected to suddenly change direction.
This was a dance they had performed many a time since Tio had learned to walk.
Almost predictably, Tio made her way to a puppet show being preformed for a stunned group of children, most mesmerised by the brightly coloured marionettes and high-pitched voices of the actors.
Tio stopped suddenly, nearly tripping Callum up. She stood watching the antics, her mouth wide open. Rayla chuckled at her, sighing at the momentary peace.
“Keeping you on your toes, I see.”
Rayla turned to find Ethari standing just behind her, a cup of steaming mulled wine in hand.
“Hi Ethari.” She stepped forward to hug him, trusting Callum had his eye on their wild daughter. “Enjoying the market?”
Ethari had arrived late the previous night, the new tradition of spending the festive season with them in Katolis established once Tio came on the scene. The solstice was more of an event for Moonshadow elves and Rayla and Callum had often travelled to Xadia to spend the holiday with him. Since Tio had become part of the family, however, such long trips were no longer easy and so Ethari had elected to spend the solstice with them in Katolis.
He had told them he would meet them at the market, insisting he still had some gifts to buy before tomorrow.
“It’s wonderful.” He kissed her cheek, peering around her to glance at Tio, still standing motionless. “Better than last year, I think.”
“It gets better every year.” Callum opined. “Especially now more elves are setting up stalls.”
“That smells amazing.” Rayla nodded at Ethari’s cup.
“It is.” He replied, offering her a taste. “I heard that Earthblood gløgg is truly the best and, well, I’m not sure I disagree. The stall is on the other side of the market, by the bonfire.” He gestured behind him.
“Maybe we’ll grab some on the way around.” Rayla nodded in appreciation as she handed the mug back to Ethari.
“You two go for a wander around.” Ethari, stepped closer to Tio. “I’ll watch Tio.”
“Really?” Rayla asked, a little unsure. “She’s a bit of a handful at the moment.”
“You were a constant handful. I have experience, remember? And it’ll give me an excuse to work off all those jelly tarts Ezran keeps insisting I eat.” Ethari grinned, crouching down next to Tio. “Hello little one.”
She took a moment but eventually glanced in his direction, her face lighting up when she realised who was speaking to her. Giggling, she rested her head against his knee, slapping his leg affectionately. Ethari laughed, ruffling her bobble hat.
“Honestly, go, enjoy yourselves.” He glanced up at Callum and Rayla, smiling softly. “Think of it as my festive gift to you.”
Callum took Rayla’s hand, shrugging. “It would make shopping for her presents a little easier.”
“True.” Rayla agreed as she knelt down in front of Tio. “Mummy and Daddy are just going to go for a little while, ok honey? Grandpa Ethari will stay with you.” Tio paid her no mind, not so much as looking away from the puppets. Snorting, Rayla stood back up. “Well, I guess she’s not too worried. Maybe we’ll see you in about an hour? At the central platform? There’s hourly performances and we promised Tio a moonberry surprise.”
“Perfect.” Ethari smiled at them. “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Ok, if there are any problems, I’m sure we’ll be easy to find.” Callum smiled as he guided Rayla away.
“We’ll be fine.” Ethari insisted, waving them off.
“Ok, no matter what Ethari says, Tio will have him worn down in about twenty minutes, so let’s do this quickly.” Rayla dragged Callum behind her.
“And you want to spend that time shopping?” Callum teased, pulling her gently back.
“Oh? What exactly do you have in mind?” Rayla grinned, turning to face him.
“Well, not that-” Callum snorted, stepping close to Rayla. “Its a bit public, don’t you think?”
Rayla blushed, smoothing the creases from his worn scarf. “Didn’t worry you at the Solstice festival at the Moon Nexus.”
Callum flushed crimson, his eyes darting around. “We were young and stupid then.”
“Then? Hmm, I agree with young... stupid, well, that’s still up for debate.” Rayla stepped forward, kissing him softly but with just enough of a hint of restrained desire. “Anyway, we’re way too busy for that now.” She smirked, stepping back as Callum moved to kiss her deeper.
“Aw.” Callum whined childishly.
“Quit, whinging.” Rayla teased as she began dragging him along again. “Tio will be worn out by all this. She’ll be out like a light as soon as her head hits the pillow.”
Ethari was keeping a cautious eye on Tio watching the puppets, chuckling softly at her exaggerated reactions when she was suddenly set upon by a slightly older child. The little blond boy caught her around the neck, hugging her awkwardly.
“Fionn! What have we said about hugs?!”
Ethari turned to find an almost comically stern looking Soren frowning at the boy, an eyebrow raised, and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Sorry Dada.” The little boy, Fionn, it would appear, stepped back from Tio, and looked at Soren.
“Don’t say sorry to me, buddy. Apologise to Tio.” Soren nodded at Tio, who looked wholly unconcerned. “Remember, ask first.”
“Sorry Tio.” Fionn bent over, his face right next to Tio’s.
For her part, Tio was clearly still more interested in the puppets, pointing at them, and babbling to Fionn.
Ethari chuckled, taking a sip of his mulled wine.
Soren sighed happily, standing next to Ethari. “Sorry about that. Still learning about personal boundaries, I’m afraid.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Ethari smiled at the children, both now transfixed by the show. “Tio doesn’t seem too upset anyway.”
“True.” Soren considered. “Babysitting for the evening?” He glanced around, presumably looking for Callum and Rayla.
“Aye.” Ethari nodded. “Well, for a little while anyway. Mum and Dad are doing some last minute shopping apparently.”
“Dada, the puppets stop.”
The adults looked down to find Fionn frowning, a large pout on his lips. Tio was distracted by the other children getting up, looking around her happily.
“Sorry kiddo.” Soren knelt down next to his son. “I’m sure they’ll be back. How about we find you that gingerbread man and come back after?”
“Okay!” Fionn bounced up and down happily. “I gonna get a gingerbed elf!”
“Want to join us?” Soren asked as he stood back up. “What do you think, Little T?”
“Oh, I’m sure a little gingerbread elf would go down a treat.” Ethari bent down to Tio. “What do you think, young lady? Treat?”
Tio grinned immediately, recognising the word. She stomped her feet happily, making a noise that sounded more or less like ‘treat’.
“This way.” Ethari gestured after Soren, a hand on Tio’s back to get her moving.
“Come on, Tio.” Fionn grabbed her hand and began dragging her in the direction of what Ethari assumed was the gingerbread stall.
“Gentle hands, Fionn!” Soren commanded as he took off after them.
“So, the elf dolls as well as the paints, really?” Callum asked sceptically.
“What? She gets your lame art stuff. She’s definitely getting something I want to get her.” Rayla counted out coins for the elf smiling benevolently at them. “They’re styled like her family! Every elf kid had a set growning up.”
“Fine.” Callum chuckled, watching Rayla write down the particulars of their order. “I never would have thought of you as a doll kid.” He smiled softly, a hand on the small of her back.
“Thanks. We’ll be back in ten minutes?” Rayla smiled at the doll maker, before she took Callum’s hand making her way in the direction of the bonfire and, presumably, the gløgg Ethari had raved about. “And I was a doll kid, its just all my dolls went on big adventures killing evil pirates and goblins.”
“Okay, that sounds about right.” Callum grinned, embracing her from behind. “No humans?”
“Na,” Rayla smirked back at him. “Gotta give Doll Rayla a challenge.”
“Good?” Soren asked the kids as they sat side by side on a bale of hay, happily munching on their gingerbread elves. Fionn nodded enthusiastically, while Tio only had eyes for the confection. “Enjoying your time in Katolis so far?” Soren blew on his hot chocolate, glancing back and forth between Ethari and the children.
“Aye, though I only got here late yesterday. I stopped at the Moon Nexus with some items for the Moon Mage and ended up getting talked into staying for dinner.” Ethari smiled.
“Ah, Lujanne.” Soren smiled fondly before starting. “Uh, you know it’s all worms, right?”
Ethari shrugged. “I do but well, it didn’t look like a grub nor taste like one, so…”
“Right?!” Soren nodded. “I don’t know why everyone freaked out! They insist on bringing our own food every time we go. If it looks like bread and tastes like bread, it’s bread, my friend.”
Ethari laughed at Soren’s reaction, glancing back to the hay bale only to find it empty. His stomach dropped as he looked around for the children. Soren seemed to follow his eye line instinctively, spilling his hot chocolate as he craned around looking for Fionn.
“Fionn! Tio!” He bellowed, as he shoved his mug onto one of the makeshift tables and jumped onto a hay bale so he could get a better view. The courting couple on the bale looked thoroughly unimpressed, though Soren paid them no mind. “Damn it!” He jumped down, looking to Ethari for help. “Where could they have gone?!”
“Let’s split up.” Ethari looked around the bustling area. “They can’t have got far.”
“Okay, circle around and meet you back here in 5 minutes.” Soren confirmed, rushing away, his head snapping in various directions.
Ethari immediately took off in the opposite direction, looking all over for the wayward children.
“So, how is it?” Rayla asked over her steaming cup.
She and Callum were sitting side by side on a hay bale, Callum’s arm around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Perfect.” Callum kissed the space between her horns, sighing happily. “And the gløgg is pretty good too.”
Rayla chuckled, rolling her eyes. “What, over ten years and you’re still sappy as ever.” She leaned back to grin at him, her eyes sweeping over his face.
“Yeah, and you secretly still love it.” Callum grinned, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers.
“I guess its ok.” She sighed, closing the small distance between them and pressing her lips against his.
He tasted like wine and spices, warm and inviting. Even after all these years, experiences, trials and tribulations, he still gave her butterflies...
The bonfire flickered invitingly beside them, its warmth relaxing and inviting.
Rayla pulled back, smiling happily at Callum. “Hard to believe how much has changed in ten years.” She sighed, her eyes wandering around the market briefly, taking in the happy mix of elves and humans.
The uneasy stares and awkward conversations of the early years had mostly given way to a relaxed coexistence.
“True.” Callum sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. “Its nice to have a little peace for a change.”
Ethari frowned as Soren came back into view, the blond man clearly unable to find the children either.
“Damn it!” Soren swore as Ethari approached. “I was really hoping you’d have them.”
“Me too.” Ethari continued to scan the crowds.
“Hey guys!”
They turned to find Ezran, flanked by his guards. All of them were happily munching on festive treats.
“Are you ok?” Ezran’s smiled dropped quickly as he took in their panicked faces.
“We lost Fionn and Tio!” Soren proclaimed, still looking around the crowd.
“WHAT?!” Ezran looked back and forth between them.
“I know, I know!” Soren grimaced. “Annabelle is going to kill me.”
“Not if Rayla doesn’t kill you first.” Ezran added unhelpfully. “Okay, everyone, search the market for Tio and Fionn.” Ezran turned to the guards.
“Your Highness, what about your protection?” One guard asked, concern evident on her face.
“I’ll be fine with Soren.” Ezran held up a hand. “The children are more important. Hurry.” He didn’t wait for an answer from the guard, turning back to Ethari and Soren. “Where have you looked?”
“Around this food section.” Ethari gestured behind him, as Soren appeared to be growing increasingly hysterical.
“Are there any… birds or mice you could talk to?” Soren asked Ezran, hopping up on a table and scanning the crowd, much to the clear annoyance of the elf selling wares from the stall behind it.
“It would probably make more sense for me to help you guys.” Ezran looked at Ethari.
“I agree.” Ethari took a deep breath against the anxiety clawing at his throat. “Why don’t we split up again and search a wider area?”
Rayla sipped her gløgg basking in the gentle warmth of the bonfire and relaxing in the ambiance of the market.
A trio of musicians played close to the fire, one of them singing softly. A few brave couples were dancing to the tune, they cheeks red and steps a little clumsy. It was an incredibly pleasant way to spend an evening.
“Do you think it’s been ten minutes yet?” Rayla asked, reclined against Callum.
“Maybe?” He sighed, squeezing her a little tighter. “We could wander back and check.”
“I guess.” Rayla sat up straighter, finishing her festive drink, now a little cooler than she preferred, though still delicious.
Callum grinned, narrowing his eyes at her. “You miss Tio.” He poked her in the side.
Rayla wrinkled her nose, poking him back. “Maybe… but so do you!”
Callum laughed openly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close against him. “I do and I’m not afraid to admit it, like some people.”
Rayla rolled her eyes, slipping an arm around his back. “We’re supposed to be making the most of grown-up time.”
“This is not my preferred method of making the most of grown-up time.” Callum teased, laughing when Rayla ruffled his hair. “You know it’s generally considered a good thing when you like your child, right?” He leaned forward, kissing her softly.
“Yeah, but we should be able to go twenty minutes without seeing her.” Rayla stroked his jaw.
“Well, she should work on being less cute then.”
Ethari raced around the market, his eyes scanning the areas around knee height for any sign of Tio. Every childish giggle caught his ear, every red hat his eye. Too quickly, he found himself back at the beginning of his search. Ezran and Soren were already there, the King appearing to try to console Soren.
“No luck then?” Ethari asked, his stomach in knots.
Ezran shook his head, his eyes darting back and forth between Soren and the crowd.
“What are we going to do?!” Soren looked around frantically. “What if they’ve been kidnapped?! They’re both a million times cuter than any of these other dumb kids!” He ranted, glaring at the various children near him with the audacity to refuse to be Fionn or Tio. “CORVUS!” Soren screamed, pushing past Ethari and Ezran and racing across the market.
Ethari followed him, noticing Corvus and Opeli trying to duck away from Soren’s hot pursuit.
“CORVUS! OPELI! STOP!” Soren screamed and the two seemed to recognise defeat. They gave up hurrying away and turned to face Soren.
“Yes, Soren?” Corvus sighed, sounding unimpressed.
“The kids… gone!” Soren bent over, gasping for breath after his sudden sprint. “MISSING! Help… tracker!” He pointed aggressively at Corvus.
Corvus looked utterly confused, glancing at Opeli, and then Ezran and Ethari as they caught up.
“My King?” Corvus looked to Ezran for guidance.
“Tio and Fionn snuck away from us.” He explained. “We’ve been searching for them but with no luck.”
Corvus and Opeli’s unimpressed demeanour instantly changed, both of them beginning to scan the crowd too.
“How long have they been missing?” Opeli asked as she looked around.
“HOURS!” Soren seemed on the verge of tears.
“Maybe fifteen minutes.” Ethari corrected. “But it feels like hours.” He added when Soren looked hurt.
“All right, lets split up.” Corvus took charge. “Was there anything that caught their eye in particular?”
“You’re going to help us track them?!” Soren took Corvus by the hands, appearing more than a little overwhelmed.
“I don’t think I can do much tracking here, but we’ll help you look.” He replied, trying to pull his hands from Soren’s.
“They both seemed to really like the puppets.” Ethari elected to answer Corvus’ original question.
“Ok, lets spread out and search while making our way to the puppet show. Its by the main entrance, correct?” Corvus began walking backwards away from Soren.
“Yes!” Ethari called out as he began to hurry down a row of stalls.
Once again, he looked around for any sign of the children. All too soon he found himself back at the puppet show, again full of happy children. He ran to the front, scanning all the faces, his stomach dropping as none appeared to be Tio and Fionn.
Looking up, he saw Ezran approach first, the various people present giving him strange looks, though Ezran paid them no mind. From another direction he saw Soren approaching, his face pale almost beyond recognition.
“No sign of them?!” Soren asked, panic evident on his voice.
“No.” Ethari spoke softly, his mind a tangled mess. What to do now?
Soren sunk to his knees, paying no mind to the dirty melted snow.
“Oh no. Oh no no no! What are we going to do?! I’ll be killed.”
Ethari and Ezran knelt by him, Ezran putting a calming hand on his shoulder.
“No luck, I suppose?” Corvus joined them, Opeli appearing out of the crowd just after.
Ethari shook his head.
“Perhaps we should start looking for Callum and Rayla?” Opeli offered. “Callum could search from the air and Rayla could probably cover a lot of ground if she were to scout from the stall roofs.”
Ethari sighed, it was a good suggestion, but he was not looking forward to telling Rayla and Callum he had lost their daughter. He exhaled, running a hand over his face when something caught his eye. Dropping to his hands and knees on the cobblestone floor, he peered into a small wooden building. A number had been set up in the children’s section of the market as a sort of diorama series, depicting various scenes from Katolis’ history. This one portrayed Zym meeting his mother for the first time, a tiny wooden dragon nuzzling the head of a much larger dragon (though still nowhere near scale, Ethari noted).
Looking entirely out of place in the tranquil scene was a bright red hat.
Ethari crawled towards the cubby house, intent on investigating. Lying back against the large dragon, was Fionn with Tio curled up in his lap. Both appeared to be sleeping soundly, Tio sucking idly on her thumb.
“Soren!” He called out, looking back to find Ezran and Soren watching him intently. “They’re here!” He yelled manically, crawling right up to the little building.
Soren crawled after him, though Ezran got to his feet and ran.
Confirming they had indeed found the children; Soren began to laugh almost hysterically. He grabbed Ethari in a hug, gripping him tightly. “Thank you.” He gasped. “Thank you so much.” He sat back; eyes wide as he looked pleadingly at Ethari. “Please don’t ever tell my wife!”
Ethari chuckled before he realised Soren was serious. “I’m sure she’ll forgive you, Soren.”
“No! She won’t. EVER!” He grabbed Ethari by the hands. “She will hold this over me FOREVER.” He seemed to mull things over. “And do you really want to tell Rayla?!”
Ethari winced, not looking forward to that conversation. “We can hardly keep it from them. Ezran, Opeli, Corvus and all the Kings Guard know. It’s best to be honest, Soren.”
“What about all that Moonshadow stuff about white lies and illusions? “ Soren asked hopefully.
Ethari raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure this qualifies as a white lie.”
Soren sighed, shoulders slumping. “You’re right, I suppose… but tomorrow?” He looked hopefully at the older elf.
Ethari exhaled softly, seeing some of the merit on holding off.
“What are you doing?”
He and Soren looked up to find Rayla and Callum grinning at them. They were both loaded up with gifts and parcels, an impressive feat considering they had not been gone long.
Soren’s face somehow managed to drop even more. He looked horrified at Rayla and Callum, then at the sleeping children. “Uh… kids… sleeping.” He pointed at the cosy scene.
Rayla raised an eyebrow at his unusual antics, then bent down to look at where he had pointed. Callum carefully placed his parcels on the ground and followed suit.
“Aw!” Rayla smiled softly as she focused on the sleeping children.
Callum rested a hand on her shoulder as he peered inside to get a look. He inhaled sharply, his face positively melting. “Oh, okay. That’s the cutest.” He grinned at Soren, then frowned in confusion. “You okay, Soren?”
“Yeah, uh, I’m just worried about how hard it’s going to be to get Fionn to sleep tonight now he’s had a late nap.” Soren looked at Ethari, who nodded softly, silently agreeing to leave the truth until the morning.
“Oh, good point.” Rayla shuffled forward, appearing to assess how best to extract the children from their cosy nest. “Have they been napping long?”
“Uh… not too long.” Ethari answered noncommittedly.
“Well, maybe she’ll stay sleeping.” Rayla said optimistically. “Its way past her bedtime.” She shuffled forward and gently extracted Tio from Fionn's arms. Tio barely reacted beyond yawning as Rayla passed her to Callum. The sleepy toddler settled against Callum’s shoulder, one arm swinging lazily by her side. “See, exhausted.” Rayla smiled, adjusting Tio’s hat slightly.
Soren knelt by Rayla, heaving Fionn onto his own shoulder. The slightly older boy stirred a little, looking around blearily.
“Hi Dada.” He mumbled quietly.
“Hey kiddo.” Soren smiled softly at him, taking Ethari's offered hand and standing up.
“Sorry we snuck away.” Fionn mumbled, his eyes closed. “Tio wanted to see the puppets again.”
“Shush.” Soren rubbed his back, eyes darting between Callum and Rayla.
“We got really scared when we couldn’t find you.” Fionn yawned loudly. “But we knew Zym would take care of us.”
Callum and Rayla both narrowed their eyes, identical expressions passing over their faces as they listened intently to Fionn.
“Okay, what happened?” Callum hissed, a hand over Tio's ear as he scowled at Soren.
Soren sighed, shaking his head in defeat. “Fionn, I cannot believe you ratted me out.”