“Oh, Papa.” She giggled. “That’s silly.”
Step one accomplished. While she was in a better mood, I held up the blue to her hair. “Doesn’t the red look better in your hair?”
She considered the two and finally nodded. “Yes, Papa, but I like the blue better.”
I set her down and wrapped the blue ribbon around her wrist. “If I put it in your hair, you can’t see your favorite color. Now you can see it all day.”
Her face lit up, and she gave me a big hug. “Thank you, Papa!”
I would never get tired of hugs and kisses.
“It's scratchy,” Ailpein complained from across the room. He tugged at his shirt collar. “Why can't I wear my normal clothes?”
“Grandma Aileen and Grandpa Malachy are having a special celebration at the castle because you two are five years old,” Rod explained patiently. “You don’t want to disappoint them by not being dressed up, do you?”
His face scrunched up slightly, and then he shook his head. “No, Daddy. I don’t want to make them sad.”
He caught my eye and winked. It was a familiar dance—Rod playing the reasonable one with Ailpein, while I found little ways to appease Adelais without letting her get her way. So far, it had worked well. Time would tell if we could keep it up.
“Will Great-Grandpa Hollen be there?” Adelais asked, taking her eyes off her blue ribbon for a moment. “He's funny and he can make candy come from his ears.”
“Yes,” Rod said, trying not to laugh at his grandfather’s antics. “Great-Grandpa Beornraed will be there with Great-Grandma Esmerelda.”
“Uncle Gund’s coming today too, right?” Ailpein asked earnestly. “He showed me how to roar like a dragon yesterday and said we could do it together at the castle.”
It still amazed me how serious beings could devolve into juveniles when dealing with kids. “He will,” I said, fixing my gaze on my son. “But remember your promise to him—no roaring except when he says it’s okay.”
“But if he says it’s okay?” Ailpein pressed, his amber eyes serious as he searched for loopholes.
“If he says it’s okay, then yes,” Rod said.
“Make sure we talk to Gund before we leave the island,”Rod said.“He needs to adult up until Mom and Dad get their family moment.”
“I want Mr. Snuggles," Adelais announced, breaking free to retrieve her stuffed unicorn.
"I got my mage stone,” Ailpein said, pulling out the child-size imitation diamond Owen gave him for his birthday the day before.
“Funny how of all the gifts he got yesterday, that’s the one he loves most,”Rod said.
It wasn’t surprising. Ailpein wanted to be like his daddy. The real shock was no one thought of it before Owen and Lysandor.“He’s his father’s son.”
“We need to leave in ten minutes,” Rod announced to the children. “Make sure you have everything you need.”
The children scrambled around the room getting things they “needed” but weren’t going to make the trip. “Five years,” I said softly. “I still can't believe we made it.”
“Made it?” Rod raised an eyebrow. “This is just the beginning. Buckle up, firebird, the ride’s just starting.”
The western dock had expanded since we'd first arrived on the island. The lone berth for our small boat had grown to accommodate twenty vessels of various sizes. Today, most of the slips were filled, as our siblings gathered for the journey to the castle.
“The weather’s perfect," Bart observed, his son Eaghan sleeping peacefully in the carrier on his chest. Even at this age, I could see his elven nature. “Much better than the downpour last time we were here.”
Cael held their three-year-old daughter Katarina’s hand as they stepped onto the dock. The little girl's blonde hair was nearly white in the sunlight, and her blue eyes had the same glint Bart’s had even when he was relaxing.
“A’pein!" Katarina called, spotting my son among the crowd. “I wanna ride with A’pein.”
Ailpein looked to Rod and me for permission, his expression serious beyond his years. At our nod, he extended his hand to his cousin. “You sit with me and Adie,” he said, helping her carefully onto our vessel.
“She's got him wrapped around her finger already,” Bart noted with amusement. “Reminds me of someone else I know.” He glanced meaningfully at me.
