Chapter Text
"I love you - your knight, Balnor."
Hardwon lets his hands fall in his lap as Beverly and Moonshine soak the shoulders of his shirt with their tears; A few of his own escaping despite trying his damndest to keep those walls up.
The other patrons of the Hungry Trout let their gazes linger as three of the Titans of Bahumia sob next to the large hearth of the tavern. It’s not every day you see the party who took down a God and the Devil, who reshaped Bahumian society and brokered peace for the realm- let alone the rarity of seeing seemingly untouchable people whimpering and snotting all over a flimsy piece of paper, all three of them in a crumpled heap on the thick fur rug in front of the roaring fire.
After a few more hefty yet shuddering inhales, Beverly Toegold V, a lad of nearly 17, slaps his cheeks a few times and stands, holding a hand out to each of his friends.
“I think it’s time for a jam at the jamboreen,” he says, his throat still thick with unshed tears.
Moonshine Cybin takes his hand in both of hers and holds it to her cheek, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh.
“Young Bev, whaddaya think the chances are of you drawin another Knight card if I can find us a deck?” She asks, letting out a quiet chuckle.
Beverly shakes his head with a smile while Hardwon lets out a huffed bit of laughter. They all know the deck was a ruse and Balnor was predestined to be their knight- but Moonshine is always quick with a joke. Maybe something she picked up from Cobb, maybe an inherent trait of a Crick Elf, but a welcomed reprieve from their catharsis and grief filled tears.
Patting firmly on Moonshine's back, Hardwon moves to rise from the rug as he also grabs Beverly’s small hand.
“Yeah uh, I could definitely hit a block right about now,” he says. “Maybe even tap a few toes.”
Moonshine lets out a dramatic sigh, dropping Bev's hand and flopping back on the rug, Pawpaw taking the opportunity to scramble up her torso and immediately beginning to lick her tears off her face.
“Y'all, I don’t know if I’m in the fiddlin mood,” she replies, her throat raspy and swollen.
Lazily, she pets Pawpaw as he continues to lick the tears from her face, eventually ending up sticking his tongue in her nostril.
“Aw Pawpaw cmon, I love you but not THAT much,” she says as she pushes him off her chest and shifts up into a sitting position on her elbows, a little smile creeping on to her face.
“Oooh I see that smile Moonshine- you’re not in a fiddling mood?” Beverly asks cheekily.
“No, I’m not!” Moonshine retorts without making eye contact, her smile growing ever so slightly.
“Then why are you smiling?” Reaching over Bev pinches her cheek.
“I’m not smilin!”
“You’re very obviously smiling!”
“Nu-uh!”
Hardwon watches them banter, chuckling to himself. They’re very quickly going to devolve into a wrestling match, lest he do something about it and quick. Without much thought he reaches down and grabs Moonshine under the armpits and throws her over his shoulder, while grabbing Bev and holding him under his other arm. He gives a brief nod to the Barkeep who they’d already paid up with and began to head out of the Hungry Trout Inn & Tavern while Moonshine and Bev actively protest his manhandling.
It’s night now, and the Green Teens have long since retired to their tents, but it's early enough there are a few folks by the bonfire. Hardwon deposits his friends on a log and sits on the opposite side of Beverly before pulling out his woodblock and wiggling it in front of Moonshine.
“A’right, a’right, I suppose I MIGHT be in the mood to fiddle a string or two…” she says cheekily, elbowing Bev into Hardwon's side.
“Yippee! Okay let me get my fife!” Beverly says excitedly, running to the tent he and Erlin had been sharing this camping weekend.
Hardwon chuckles and shakes his head, leaning his elbows on his knees as he waits. Moonshine leans back and stares up at the stars, one more delicate tear trickling out. “You think he’s lookin at the same stars as us?” She asks, her throat closing with emotion, another fat tear threatening to break the dam.
Looking over at her, Hardwon takes a moment to appreciate Moonshine's heart. It’s been a year since they defeated Thiala, the world has been rebuilding and the people have begun to thrive again, but no matter how much time passes or how many accolades she receives… Nothing diminishes her grief. Not just for Balnor, but for her people, the realm, for heaven's sake the loss of her god as she knew her. Moonshine had suffered immeasurably over the course of their campaign against the Chosen and Thiala, much of it in silence. If he could have one wish, Hardwon would wish to take it all off her shoulders, the responsibility, the grief, the anger, all of it. But he knows her heart is more than large enough to welcome every emotion and to feel them fully.
“Yeah Moony, I think he is.”
She lolls her head over to make eye contact with him, both of their eyes mirroring each other's tears. She just smiles at him and they both look back up at the stars, imagining the kind of life little Bobby will get to lead with his grizzled, gassy titan of a father.
Eventually Bev makes his way back to them, his hair mussed more than usual and Moonshine gives him a sly smile.
“You get a lil more than that there fancy flute?” She asks, grinning cheekily and mussing up his already messy hair.
“Sh-shut up!” Bev says, batting her hand away.
“Someone got their kisses in,” Hardwon ribs in a melodic tone, elbowing Moonshine and giving her a wink. They both laugh as Beverly throws up his arms, huffing indignantly.
“A’right youngin,” Moonshine says with a chuckle. “You ready to get jammin?”
Beverly cracks a big, toothy grin and plops down between his two scout masters. “You betcha!”
Over the course of the next couple hours the three of them play their instruments while other folks either listen, dance or join in. By the wee hours of the morning a small sized orchestra forms, and someone from the town guard has to ask them to wrap up their performance, as the noise is traveling its way across the bay to town despite the campsite being far from the outskirts.
Hardwon scoops Bev up into a tight hug and Moonshine wraps her arms around both of them, a goodnight hug that would not come again for several years.
After defeating Thiala, Beverly made his way back to Hillholme. His mother, Martha, was elated to have her baby boy back, if not a little bit overbearing. The pivot from ‘my son is a hero of the realm’ to ‘Beverly has school in 2 months’ was astonishingly quick- most days, Bev swears his mom has completely forgotten that he’s no longer a normal Green Teen. He lets her though, he knows the doting and hovering is fear and grief given a different form. He misses him too.
Despite her promise of a Crickside Stump, Hardwon throws himself into the rebuilding of Irondeep. He knows his home is where his heart is, and his heart is with the Crick- but he still feels a sense of duty to his first people. King McGannis appoints Hardwon and Jaina Bronzebeard as council members, two esteemed dwarves who would bring the city back to glory- maybe not its former glory, considering the mountain crumbled, but a new type of glory.
Although constantly surrounded by her people, Moonshine feels a longing for her boys. Before meeting Beverly and Hardwon, Moonshine lived and learned for the sake of her people: to protect them, to make them proud, to make them welcome. And. Well. She did that. And now she’s back in her stump, throwing acorns at the ceiling while MeeMaw is off rubbing elbows with them hoity-toity elves in Gladeholme, Cobb’s practically got a summer home in Irondeep and Hardwon’s there with him. Bev is just a young boy, so she knows he has a responsibility to be a kid and learn and play but sometimes she wishes he could just be a boy here, with her. Despite being surrounded by her community this is the loneliest Moonshine Cybin has been in quite some time.