#gavid bloodvein

[aquadestinyswriting]

Writing Share Tag

Thanks @aalinaaaaaa for the tag for this.

Tagging: @druidx, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @lexiklecksi, @philosophika

@the-down-upside-finch, @acertainmoshke, @pluttskutt, @duckingwriting

Have an excerpt from a cute post-campaign story I need to get back to at some point

“Down p’ease.” he stated, already leaning away from his mother in anticipation of his request being granted. Meredith huffed another sigh as she readjusted her grip and hauled the little man back towards her, “Not yet, Gavid.” she said patiently, “It’s busy, and I don’t want ye getting lost before we’ve even got to where we’re staying.”  Gavid simply pouted and grumbled some more, crossing his chubby little arms defiantly, “Not get lost.” he muttered, “I a big boy.” Meredith bit back her chuckle and hugged the little boy, "I know ye are Gavid, but folks round here are a lot bigger than back home. I'll let ye down when we get to where we're staying, aye?" All she got in response was a huffy ‘harrumph’ while her son sulked. Yoruk shook his head, silver and mythril clasps jangling at the motion, “Want me to take him for a bit?” he asked. Meredith shook her head, “No, he’ll perk right up once he notices who’s waiting.” she replied, jerking her head towards a massive throng of people milling around the dockside, grinning.

[aquadestinyswriting]

A Most Desperate Plea

Summary: Elowyn comes home from an errand only to be confronted by a desperate Yoruk, who is trying to get his wife to go to bed.

Words: 1,455

Tags: @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes, @ashirisu, @blind-the-winds, @philosophika, @the-down-upside-finch

Warnings: None. Domestic fluff is extremely fluffy.

Notes: This takes place less than a week after baby Gavid's birth. Everyone's a little bit stressed and sleep-deprived.

Elowyn winced at the noise that hit her the minute she opened the door to the house she was currently calling home. Gavid, bless his tiny little heart, was screaming his head off and the woodling could just about pick up Yoruk’s voice pleading in desperation under the din. Elowyn quickly pulled her boots off and grimaced at Aurianna, whose ears were currently flat against her head in an attempt to block out the noise. The paladin was just getting up to see what was going on when Yoruk exited the living room, his face screwed up in tired frustration. His eyes widened the moment he saw his wife’s guardian,

“Elo! Oh thank Moradin ye’re back! I’ve spent the last hour tryin’ to convince her to let me have Gavid for an hour or two so she can get some sleep, but she’s no’ havin’ it.” Yoruk’s voice was strained and he sagged as he placed his hands on Elowyn’s shoulders. Elowyn frowned, gently pushing the much taller man’s hands away,

“I thought your aunts Marla and Ristia were coming over to help out for a bit?” she asked, “Have they tried?”

Yoruk scoffed out an exhausted sigh,

“Aye, Auntie Marla gave it a shot half an hour ago. I’m no’ gonna repeat what Merri told her to get her to back off. She’s in a right state, and the bairn’s no’ happy about it, which is just making things worse.” 

Elowyn took in a deep breath and whooshed it out. She glanced at the golden kitten that was still sitting on her shoulder,

“Can you keep Yoruk company for a bit while I try to knock some sense into her?” she asked, wincing as the wailing from the living room reached an ear-piercing shriek. Aurianna launched herself from Elowyn onto Yoruk,

~No problem! I didn’t think babies could get that loud.~ the kitten replied in her head. Elowyn reached up and scratched her soul-bonded behind her ear,

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ll see if I can’t get her to hand Gavid over so I can calm him down.” she said. Yoruk nodded and took over petting the kitten. He picked up the bag Elowyn was about to abandon and sent her a tight smile,

“Good luck.” was all he said before he retreated further down the hall to the kitchen.

Elowyn poked her head around the door of the living room, her face falling at the sight that greeted her. Meredith was pacing around the room, her hair hanging limp and a muslin cloth thrown over one shoulder. Gavid, his little face beetroot and wailing, was laid over the cloth while Meredith patted at his back and gently bounced as she walked.

“C’mon, luachmhor, what’s wrong?” she pleaded quietly, her voice tight. Elowyn knocked on the door, stepping just over the threshold,

“You alright there, Merri?” she asked. Meredith spun around, startled. She instantly relaxed the moment she saw Elowyn standing in the doorframe. The dwarven woman was pale and the shadows under her eyes, that were seemingly ever-present, looked darker than ever. She smiled tightly,

“Aye, I’m alright. Jus’ tryin’ to get the wee pebble to settle is all.” she replied, wincing as the dwarflet in her arms screamed again. Elowyn nodded, stepping cautiously towards her oldest friend,

“Do you want me to take him for a bit? I mean, you were already up with him all night, you really look like you could do with a break.” She grimaced as Meredith’s grip on the dwarflet tightened and the other woman took a step back,

“I’ll be alright, hen. I’ll hand him o’er once I’ve got him settled.” she replied, smiling tiredly at the woodling. Elowyn sighed, clearly exhaustion had made Meredith even more protective than she already was. She glanced at the wailing infant, then looked back at Meredith. While it wasn’t the best of comparisons, the only thing she could think of that could help was to react as though this was a hostage situation. It wasn’t, of course, Elowyn knew Meredith would rather die than hurt her baby boy, but she did need to hand him off to someone else for a few hours. The woodling kept her stance as relaxed and open as she could manage and stayed where she was,

“Yoruk told me you’ve been trying to settle him for the last hour.” she pointed out, “If there’s nothing else he–” she was cut off as Meredith shook her head, glaring at her,

“He’s been fed, burped and changed.” she snapped, earning her another screech in her ear for her trouble. Elowyn held up her hands,

“So if there’s nothing else he needs,” Elowyn continued, as though she hadn’t been interrupted, “then, perhaps putting him down for a few minutes will help?” she suggested. She shook her head at Meredith’s glower, “I know you think you’re protecting Gavid by keeping a hold of him, but it’s not helping right now.” she pressed. Meredith’s glare held for another moment, before it finally relented into tired desperation,

“I’ve tried everythin’ ���Lo. I know I should let Yoruk take him after his feed, but I can’t do it when he’s like this.” she choked. Elowyn nodded, gingerly stepping towards Meredith again,

“Merri, you’ve had Gavid for less than a week.” she pointed out, “No one expects you to have it all figured out.” The woodling held out her arms, “Come on, you can’t help the sapling if you’re too exhausted to think straight.”

Meredith hesitated, her heart still unwilling to let her wailing infant son go. However, when he screeched even louder, she grimaced and gingerly brought him down from her shoulder and placed him into Elowyn’s waiting arms. She dithered, watching as Elowyn adjusted her grip and started bouncing the dwarflet and shushing him. The wail didn’t quite stop, but it did grow a little quieter. Elowyn smiled up at her best friend,

“Go to bed, Merri.” she insisted, “Gavid will be fine, I promise.” When Moradin’s High Inquisitor still didn’t move, she huffed a sigh, “Meredith, I will get Aurianna to drag you there and sit on you in dragon form if I have to.” she warned. The dwarven woman frowned, huffed out another sigh and grumbled,

“Ye’ve been hanging around Snotgrut and ‘Arry too long.” she mumbled, “Wake me in an hour or two. The wean’ll want feeding about then.” she added. Elowyn nodded,

“Sure thing.” she said. Meredith took one last longing look at her son before setting her jaw and forcing herself to turn around and walk out of the living room. Elowyn smiled as, within a minute of his mother leaving the room, Gavid finally started to calm down, settling into a small hiccough as he stared up at his faddri. She shook her head,

“There we go, that’s much better isn’t it?” she cooed, “Let’s go find papa and let you have some time with him while I go check in on mama, huh?” she said, continuing to bounce the baby dwarf as she walked through the door on the opposite side of the large room, which led directly into the kitchen.

As soon as Elowyn dropped Gavid off with his father and cooing great-aunts, Elowyn strode up the stairs and looked in on her clerical friend. Meredith was laid flat out on top of the crumpled bedsheets, clearly too tired to get around to taking off her housecoat. Elowyn shook her head and gently stepped inside the dark room and made her way over to the bed. She had just tugged the muslin cloth Meredith had been using earlier free, when the dwarf stirred,

“Time fer’nother feed already?” she slurred. Elowyn rolled her eyes,

“No, it’s been barely ten minutes.” she replied, “I was just grabbing the cloth in case Yoruk needed it.” 

Meredith mumbled a little, and squinted open an eye,

“Ma wee uan alright?” she asked. Elowyn nodded, sitting down on the edge of the mattress,

“He’s fine. He’s stopped crying and is being fussed and cooed over by Marla and Ristia.” Meredith heaved a tired sigh, letting her eye slide shut again,

“‘M glad. Sorry ‘boot earlier.” 

“It’s fine, Merri. Like I said, you’re too tired to think straight.” Elowyn said, “Go back to sleep, I promise I’ll wake you when the sapling gets hungry again.” she soothed.

Meredith mumbled something else, but not even the paladin’s sharp ears could make out what she said. A moment later, the soft snoring from before resumed. Elowyn smiled, sighed and pulled a sheet over the cleric, then headed back down the stairs. The Gods willing, Meredith would get enough sleep to at least be somewhat functional when she got back up.

[aquadestinyswriting]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals- Meredith

Thanks to @writingamongther0ses and @mariahwritesstuff for the tags. This is the first one of these out of two. Placing the rest under a readmore because it's going to get long. Oh and I'm nicking the idea of an extra-planar interviewer from @blind-the-winds because that will help me warm up the writing muscles for later. I'm answering these as of current fiction.

This is an open tag for anyone that wants to take part, but I will be tagging the people I know will be interested in the following responses

Tags: @druidx, @blind-the-winds, @mariahwritesstuff, @odysseywritings

[Fangthane, Titan. It's the middle of the afternoon in a small interview room in the Inquisitorial Headquarters across the street from the Cathedral of Kherillim. High Inquisitor, Meredith Bloodvein, is sitting across from a dark, shifting figure calling themselves The Interviewer.]

Interviewer: I appreciate your setting aside time out of your day to humour me.

Meredith: Aye, well, ye're lucky I had some time available. Now hurry it up, I've no' got all day!

1. Are you named after anyone?

Not as far as I ken. I asked my da about it once, he said something about having a feeling about the name once I was born and mum went along with it.

2. When was the last time you cried?

That's... a good question actually. I think it was when Gavid first started speaking. Hearing yer child say 'mammy' for the first time is not something ye can be adequately prepared for y'ken?

3. Do you have kids?

I just mentioned that I had one, but I'll humour ye. Just the one so far. No idea how many I'll end up with in the end, could only be two or three or upwards of five. We'll see how Yoruk feels about it once things have settled down some more.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

It's pretty much a second language 'round these parts. My folks tried to cut down on it when they started having children. By the time I came along, they'd pretty much given up on the idea entirely. It doesn't help when folk that aren't dwarves think ye're constantly being sarcastic just because of the accent when ye're speaking in Common.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

*taps the side of her head* These days it's usually the aura, I can't exactly turn that off anymore, but I can choose to ignore it. Generally speaking, it's the body language. Ye can tell a lot about a person by the way they hold and conduct themselves and make a generalised judgement afore they even open their mouths.

6. What's your eye color?

Dark blue.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

*once the concept of a movie is explained* Oh, then it'll be the happy endings. I've seen a wee bit too much in my life to want any more horrific things in it, never mind watching it play out for entertainment. I'm not even into my first century yet and I've experienced enough trauma to last several human lifetimes.

8. Any special talents?

Aye, I'm a Shaper so I can manipulate actual Creation magic. Not that I do it very often because it's difficult to properly control and there's not much of it around on the material plane. up 'til now I've only used it in any serious manner twice, almost thrice.

9. Where were you born?

Fangthane born and raised. More specifically, my mum had to be rushed off to the Cathedral's infirmary rather than having a home birth as with my older siblings. Apparently I got bored and decided I wanted to see what the fuss about the world was about two months too early.

10. What are your hobbies?

I don't usually have a lot of time to spend on hobbies, but I eventually took up embroidery so I had something to do with my hands when I was forced onto maternity leave early *mutters* godsdamned bloody cultists.

11. Have you any pets?

Pets aren't really a thing here. A few folk keep bats and we sometimes get rangers with their animal companions passing through, but most dwarves don't bother with animals.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

Aside from a bit of kickball when I was a wee lass, I haven't had time for sports since I started training as an acolyte.

13. How tall are you?

*grumbles* 3 feet 11 inches. No idea how, both my folks and my grandparents were of average, dwarven height (which is between 4'5" and 4'9")

14. Favorite subject in school?

I loved the combat classes during my training. Ok, so the drill were exceedingly boring, but I enjoyed having the opportunity to move around and to beat the crap out of the folk that teased me for bein' such a short-arse. I also enjoyed the history lessons, though the fact that ye have to sit still meant that it wasn't my favourite at the time, but I appreciate what I learned. Especially since it put a lot of what happened in the lead up to Ragnarok into context.

15. Dream job?

I'm lucky enough to be doing it now. Well, I hadn't expected to make High Inquisitor quite this soon, but I was certainly enamoured with the role of Inquisitor at a fairly young age.

Interviewer: thank you, again, for your time High Inquisitor. Your responses have been most enlightening.

Meredith: Aye, well, as long as ye don't use what I telt ye to stir up trouble. I ken you extra-planar types don't usually intend to, but I've dealt with enough of ye to ken that you usually do anyway.

Interviewer: Oh, don't worry, I have other places to be for the moment anyway. Have a nice day.

[The Interviewer leaves, by way of a Teleport of some kind, leaving Meredith to huff a sigh and grumble about paperwork]

[aquadestinyswriting]

15 Questions OC Edition- Yoruk

Right, so since I've received at least one more tag for this game, I'll be doing this for the other two options that were voted for in the poll I did for this game. Today will be Yoruk, next week his mother.

Once more: Tags are only for those interested in the answers to the questions here. I am not tagging for anyone necessarily to do this game (unless of course, they want to).

Tags: @druidx, @asher-orion-writes, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm, @mariahwritesstuff, @ashirisu, @thesorcerersapprentice, @blind-the-winds

All that said: Let's get into this for one of my favourite OCs.

A quiet corner in the back room of the Hammer and Anvil, Fangthane. Yoruk Bloodvein sits back in his seat, sipping from a small glass containing firewater, while a shadowy figure opposite him nurses a mug of Snorri Ironforge's finest ale.

Interviewer: Thank you for agreeing to see me, especially on such short notice.

Yoruk: It's fine, I'd heard ye were goin' around asking folk a bunch o' questions from Merri. She said ye might ask aboot me.

Interviewer: Ah yes, how is the rest of the family?

Yoruk: They're a'right, but I dinna have all day to chat, so if we ca get this done?

Interviewer: Of course.

1. Are you named after anyone?

I think I was name for one of my great grandpas on my da's side. The Copperheart Clan has a fine and storied history, and the man I'm named after was a hero of great renown at a time when evil was far more prominent in the world. I hope I've lived up to that legacy, despite only playin' a bit part during the whole Ragnarok fiasco.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Oh, that'd be right after Gavid wis born. I ken Merri did all the hard work, but the minute I got that bairn into ma arms, I started bawlin'. Honestly, it's a good thing Elowyn was there to see to my wife because I wis in a right state for at least a good half hour. I'm no' ashamed to admit to that neither.

3. Do you have kids?

As mentioned; I have Gavid. Merri and I do plan on more children eventually, but we're happy with just the three of us for now. He's no' long started moving around, so he's a bit of a handful.

4. Do you use sarcasm?

All the time, I'm fairly certain Merri telt ye it was basically a third language around here. I do try not to use it too often because it gets a bit tiresome to work out when folk are being genuine.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

The body language for sure. I had to get used to quickly working out when a certain birth giver was in a mood and to not bother her with "inane, childish chit chat", and that's carried over to pretty much everybody else. It's pretty helpful in my job, though, it makes working out when someone's bein' a bit shifty without having to rely on magical methods.

6. What's your eye color?

Amber, which is typical for dwarves born into noble families.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Oh Merri told me about those. Happy endings fer definite. We just got incredibly lucky to get our own happy ending and I don't much like the idea of gettin' stressed out for entertainment.

8. Any special talents?

I'm actually a right dab hand at embroidery of all things. One of my tutors from when I was a wee lad was a much aulder woman who liked to embroider her clothes and I begged her to teach me because I thought it made her clothes look beautiful. I taught Merri because she needed something to do while stuck at home during her maternity leave.

9. Where were you born?

Right here in Fangthane, in my father's house.

10. What are your hobbies?

Aside from embroidery, I enjoy a good game of cards or dominoes. We've got a rather serious dominoes tournament going on in the rec room of my chapter house right now. I've made it to the quarter finals of it so far and am hopin' that I can at least make the final.

11. Have you any pets?

Dwarves aren't big on pets, honestly. I used to like petting the miners' ponies when I was a wee lad, but those are working animals. I don't think Alistair, my mount, counts either since he's technically a divine beast who's agreed to carry me around when I need him to.

12. What sports do you play/have played?

I'm not big into sports as such. Most of my time as a lad was spent with tutors to make sure I had a decent upbringing worthy of a man of nobility. I did get into dwarven fencing for a little bit, but felt the rules were a bit too restrictive and gave it up pretty quickly.

13. How tall are you?

Four foot eleven, so one of the tallest dwarves in Fangthane. I think there's only two, maybe three others who are even the same height.

14. Favorite subject in school?

Ididn't attend a school, as such, as I mentioned before, I had personal tutors. I did enjoy learnings some of the finer arts though, having a creative outlet made life a lot more bearable while I was growin' up.

15. Dream job?

I'm pretty damn happy in the one I've got, honestly. It keeps me close enough to my family, and I'm constantly helpin' folk with various wee problems, and it doesn't hurt that the hours are consistent so I can look after my wee boy. I'm determined to be a much more present father than mine was.

Interviewer: Thank you very much for your time, Sir Bloodvein. Your answers were most enlightening, especially when taking the ones your wife gave into consideration

Yoruk: Eh, we had different upbringings despite us both livin' in Fangthane our whole lives. That was bound to happen.

Interviewer: Indeed. I had best be off, I have one more stop on this round and I have quite the journey ahead of me.

Yoruk: A'right, bye then.

The Interviewer backs into the shadows and vanishes with barely a wisp of smoke. Yoruk politely declines to point out that he can see in the dark. and downs the rest of his drink before getting up and leaving.

[aquadestinyswriting]

The Troubles of Meredith Gruksdottir

This is a masterpost of the fiction I've written specifically about Meredith Gruksdottir. The following are to be read in the order I've posted here and the series will cover her life from childhood until well after the events of the campaign titled Destiny's New Servants.

Other Characters

Yoruk Bloodvein

The Found Family

Meredith's Family

Ionah Copperheart

Gavid Bloodvein

Stories

The Trouble with Meredith (Prequel series for Destiny's New Servants)

An Unusual Discussion (during Destiny's New Servants)

Fight or Flight (during Destiny's New Servants)

Puzzle of the Heart (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Promise Kept (during Destiny's New Servants)

How to Resurrect a God (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Little Chat (during Destiny's New Servants)

Fangthane's Folly and the Anvil's Fall (wip series. During Destiny's New Servants)

Hell and Back (during Destiny's New Servants)

End Game / How It Ends (during Destiny's New Servants)

A Long Overdue Conversation (post Destiny's New Servants)

By Any Other Name (post Destiny's New Servants)

What's in a Name? (post Destiny's New Servants)

The Toddler's Adventure (post Destiny's New Servants)

A Promise to Break (post Destiny's New Servants)

Dion Mo Cridhe (post Destiny's New Servants)

Role Reversal (post Destiny's New Servants)

The Trouble with Cultists (post Destiny's New Servants)

Old Habits (post Destiny's New Servants)

Maternity Woes (post Destiny's New Servants)

A Most Desperate Plea (post Destiny's New Servants)

Sharing is Caring (Post Destiny's New Servants)

A Minor Diplomatic Crisis (post Destiny's New Servants)

[aquadestinyswriting]

Sharing Is Caring

Summary: This one is quite a bit later in the overall timeline. Gavid and Dagrun haven't figured out sharing yet and Aurianna and Hilde, Merri's older sister, are looking after them both.

Note: Gavid (Merri's son) is around 3-ish and Dagrun (her little brother) is about 6, nearly 7. Dwarves take a bit to get past the tantrum stage. Again wean (short for 'wee one') is pronounced way'n.

Words: 1,911

Warnings: small children being small children is about the worst it gets. In any case, let me know if there is anything I need to tag and didn't realise.

tags: @druidx, @strosmkai-rum, @homesteadchronicles, @warriorbookworm

“I wanna play wi’ bwock!”

“It’s ma block!”

“But I wantit!”

“Mama said not to snatch!”

Hilde rubbed her temple as the argument between her little brother and her nephew escalated. She had forgotten how...bratty the children of the Ironforge clan could be when they were this young. The head of a Woodling popped through the door, concern written over her features,

“Who’s getting kidnapped?” she asked. Hilde glanced over to her guest and shook her head,

“Nobody.” she replied shortly, “The weans are havin’ trouble sharin’ their toys.” At that moment, Gavid threw a toy cart that had been nearby at Dagrun, which hit the older child on the arm. Dagrun screamed at such a high pitch that Aurianna had to clap her hands over her ears. Hilde sighed, the last of her patience wearing thin,

“Alright, that’s enough, the pair o’ ye!” she snapped, striding over to the mat where the two dwarflets had been playing, grabbing Gavid’s hand before he could pick up another item to throw,

“Gavid! We dinna throw at other people!” Gavid squirmed in his aunt’s grip, and started screaming as well,

“Nonono!” Hilde ignored the younger of the pair and rounded on Dagrun, who was wailing loudly and holding his arm,

“And you should know better! The toys that have been left here are for ye both!”

“B… but I was use… usin’ it first!” he bawled. Hilde growled,

“I dinna care who was usin’ what first!” she snapped. She looked over to Aurianna, who was hovering in the doorway, “D’ye think ye can make sure that Dagrun’s arm’s alright, hen?” I’ve got ma hands full with this one.” she asked, nodding to Gavid, who was still squirming in his aunt’s grip and screaming his little head off at the restraint,

“Wanna play! Wanna play!” The younger dwarflet’s face was turning bright red and clashing with the strawberry blonde of his hair and fluffy scraps of beard. Aurianna nodded and strode over to Dagrun, gingerly taking his hand. The sandy-haired dwarflet sniffled and used his free arm to wipe his nose on the sleeve of his tunic as the dragon-come-woodling led him out of the sitting room and into the kitchen.

Hilde groaned, she was sure that babysitting hadn’t been this hard when she was younger and looking after Meredith and Dugal while they were still little. She yelped as she felt a sudden pinch in her hand and swivelled her head in time to see Gavid release his mouth from her wrist. His pudgy face was scrunched up in the unhappiest frown Hilde had seen yet, his eyes now turning slightly bloodshot because he had been crying so hard. Hilde took a deep breath through her nose, and closed her eyes,

“Kherillim, give me strength.” she muttered, before glaring at the two year old, “Gavid, no! We do not bite!” she said sternly. Ignoring the defiant scream coming from the dwarflet, she picked him up with her free arm, “Right, since ye canna play nice, we’re gonna go and sit on the step.” Gavid kicked and let out another scream,

“No step! No step!” he wailed. Hilde ignored him and carried the squirming dwarflet to the hall, sat down on the third stair up and plonked her nephew down beside her, keeping a firm hand on his arm so he didn’t just run off. Aurianna poked her head through the kitchen door,

“If you like I can sit with him.” she offered, “Dagrun was fine, he just got a scare.” Hilde nodded,

“That’s something, but aye, if ye could keep this one here while I go and have a chat with ma wee brother.” Aurianna quickly scooted to the stair and took a hold of Gavid’s arm to allow Hilde to leave. The toddler attempted to climb from the stair he had been sat on, and screeched when Aurianna picked him up and put him back on.

“Wanna play!” he cried, starting to hiccough as he did. As soon as Hilde was through the door, Aurianna sighed, concentrated and changed into a slightly smaller version of her normal self. The dragon curled around the screaming child and rumbled a deep growl that shook the floor,

“Auntie Hilde said you needed to come to the step, Gavid.” she told him patiently, “You can’t play until you calm down.” When Gavid simply screamed in protest again, the gold dragon laid her head near his shoulder and started purring. After another few moments, Gavid had finally stopped screaming and sat down heavily, hiccoughing and sniffling,

“Want mama.” he keened. Aurianna moved her head a little closer so the child could lie on top of it. She glanced up at him,

“I know, mama will be home soon.” she assured the little boy, “Do you want to have a nap?” she asked. Gavid nodded, hugging the dragon’s head tightly and gripping some of the scales a little too hard. Aurianna gently lifted her head and allowed the sleepy toddler to slide off before she gingerly picked him up in her teeth, stood and deposited him on her back. Gavid mumbled sleepily as Aurianna gingerly moved into the sitting room, purring quietly to soothe the toddler into a proper sleep. Hilde looked up from her book and Dagrun from his puzzle as the gold dragon entered the room,

“Tired himself out then?” the older dwarf inquired. Aurianna nodded as she lay down near the fire, curled up and deposited Gavid on the floor next to her side,

“Yeah. All that tantruming really did a number on him.” she replied quietly. Hilde sighed,

“The joys o’ small children.” she grumbled, “Ach well, at least he’s asleep for now. He should be better behaved when he wakes up.” Aurianna looked down at Gavid,

“You wouldn’t think that such a small child could be so…” she trailed off. Hilde chuckled,

“Intense? Dwarf weans are at their worst from aboot two through to aboot seven years old. They’re too wee to really have a handle on their feelings yet. You should have seen some o’ Merri’s tantrums at that age. Gavid’s a total angel in comparison.” Aurianna gave the dwarven woman a scrutinising look, then shook her head,

“I’ll take you word for it.” she said, “In any case, we have at least an hour before this little one wakes back up, so we might as well enjoy the quiet.”