Making Waves

After our discussion Kyle had decided that he would send word that we had found Princess Valkyria and wished to return her home. The letter would take 3 weeks to reach Melra. Of course it was sent through the kingdoms best courier service.

My worrying about enemies and hidden plans continued to bother me. But I soon pushed it aside with the understanding I would find out soon enough. I went to the forges for my normal stress relief exercise. The smell of metal and oil met my nose as the sound of clanging and banging filled the air.

The forge was always warm and welcoming to me it seemed. I found my workspace and began to work. My area was separate from the workers and was about three times the size. Every mineral and material that could be offered was present. A large anvil sat in the middle with a work bench close by. The Forge was made of a dark stone the dwarves called Fire Bane. It apparently never gets hot and will not melt no matter what you do to it.

My tools sat by the forge. There was quite the array of them. From small to large and Fine tuning instruments to blunt force.

I grabbed a large hammer and some gold ore before I began to work. I pulled out a sheet of instructions and a couple smaller tools for finer work.

I placed the gold ore into a smelting bowl and began to heat it. It took an hour to smelt the gold ore completely. I then began my real work.

I dipped my hands into the liquid metal and began to churn it. I pulled a large glob of it out and filled a mold to make several small metal sheets. I then poured the rest into a thinner but longer mold.

I nodded as I let the metal cool a little and solidify. "I hope she likes it." I sighed as I pulled out the metal sheets and the thin metal piece. I began to breath fire onto the metal as I beat it. The thin metal stick was being rolled onto a metal sheet. I bent the sheet into the stick to merge them somewhat.

As it turned red I would lessen the fire and continue beating the metal. And slowly but surely a flower head began to form. Petal by petal I formed it till there sitting on the anvil was a gold rose. I looked at the stem and took out a little silver to make a leaf. It was a simple thing to do. I bent and thinned the metal.

Cutting and shaping took finesse and time but it was well worth it. I finished the product and used my magnetism to force the silver leaf into the stem like it had grown from it. I placed the rose into a stone vase with a dozen others like it. "One of these days I'll give these to her." I sighed as I turned and dusted my hands on my apron.

As I entered my home through the tunnel to the smithy I heard a bell ringing. My ears perked at the sound as my eyes widened and I started running up the stairs. I burst through the door of the bedroom to find Sam beside the egg. The egg we had been waiting months to have the smallest crack. For something to tell us they were coming.

And there sitting on the cushion was an egg. A perfect line down the middle. Cracked in half. I felt a chill of fear and worry go down my spine. And then I felt them. Twin pulsing heartbeats echoing throughout the room till the shell exploded into dust, fire, and electric arcs.

The dust cloud swept through the room making Sam and I cough from the debris entering our lungs. And then we heard them. The cries of two newborns. I swept my hand forward forcing the air to part the dust cloud away from our newly hatched children.

And there they were. Holding each others hands as they cried. Two humanoid babies laying on the cushion. One had a red aura surrounding it as it cried. He had a human top half with a little pudgy belly. His face was covered in goo that steamed off of it like water in a heated pan. He had four tiny arms with one hand holding his brothers tight. His legs were a murky ruby red and ended in little gecko like nubs with tiny talons. His tail was a small nub wrapped in between his legs with a tiny bulb of bone at the end.

His brother had two scaled arms and was pure white. His aura was golden and seemed to crackle through the air. The hair on Sam's arms stood on end with the static. He was a little thinner than his brother but was taller in comparison. His legs were a white color with fish-like scales covering them. His tail ended in something the shape of a tuning fork.

Maids rushed in and quickly wiped off the children before handing one to each of us. The red one to Sam. And the white one to me.

I felt something shift in my hand as he baby began to cry. I moved the blanket a little and two tiny yellow wings stuck out from where they had been sitting very uncomfortably. I leaned the baby to my chest finding he calmed himself and his breathing steadied.

Sam had done likewise before looking at me.

"Its tradition in my family that the man names the boys. So I leave it to you." She said with a saddened smile.

I nodded before grinning a little. "Our red son shall have the first name Agni. After an ancient god of fire from my world. His middle name I will leave with you my dear. That is the custom of my family." I said as I held the white son and contemplated a bit.

(He bares the lightning element. But I didnt want to be too dumb or awkward with the name. Hold on...) I thought. As I began to remember something from a long time ago. I had once watched a cartoon as a kid where a hero called himself Barak because he used lightning.

"Our second son will be named after a great hero of the sky. From today you will be Barak!" I said as I raised him slightly. To see his still sleeping face. "I cant wait to see how you will both grow." I said as he cuddled in close again.

I looked at Sam. "Unfortunately I leave tomorrow to return Val to her home. seeing my own children I cannot help but think what would happen if one of them went missing." I said as I gently stroked Baraks small head.

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "It will be tough but I think I'll manage. I have all the help I could possibly need." She said with a small smile. "But you have to promise me one thing." She said with a raised finger.

I looked at her. "Very well."

"Come back as soon as you're finished. I would hate to think what would happen if I was to deal with our children by myself for too long. You wouldn't come home to a wife. Probably a lunatic in the worst case." She said with a small smile.

I couldn't help but grin. "After all these years of me driving you nuts. I think dealing with a couple babies will be a piece of cake." I gave her a kiss on the forehead and started to pick for the journey. I had a suit put together for the meeting when the time came and a few other things for the road. A quill, ink well, parchment, and finally a bird the color of night with little specks of white across its body.

It was a messenger bird. A twilight swallow the dwarves called them. They are incredibly fast, agile, and have a nifty little ability to camouflage as they move through the clouds.

Most dwarves used them for messengers for common mail and interactions. But the most important mail was always delivered by a courier dwarf. As we walked along the streets I saw one mount a large catlike creature. Its coat was covered in a leopard pattern but it was the size of a hippo. It's cropped tail wagged a little in the air as two saddle bags hung from it's back.

I couldn't help but stare as a feeling of wanting to pet it came to the forefront of my mind. Unfortunately Kyle tapped my arm and reminded me we had to be at the port shortly. I nodded as I sadly walked away from the big cat. My parents owned a cat when I was young. It was the best feeling in the world to pet that thing when I was stressed. And now I was stressed as much as ever.

"Might as well get the princess home right." I said to myself as I walked out the gates of the city after Kyle. I went on top of the carriage. It was a bit small for my liking and I liked the open air better anyway.

It took 5 days ride in a carriage to get to the ports. Some would ask why I stayed. I was the ultimate protection detail. A couple 6 legged horses pulled the carriage. They were normal size with the exception of being covered in muscle.

A couple lizards stuck their heads out of a rocky outcropping as we passed. My aura was suppressed and they didnt know what was coming. As we rounded a bend one stuck its head out further and let out a breath. A lump could be seen moving up its throat as a sharp brown object came up. It was a shard of rock it had eaten earlier in the day. It sucked in air and forced the air behind the shard. The shard shot out at the carriage.

I didnt even turn as I raised a hand and flicked it right back. The things head didnt offer any resistance. A hole went clean through the front of its skull and blood spattered the mountainside behind it.

The other lizards took that as a hint and went back into their burrows.

Three days in we encountered a bigger problem though. A rockslide had blocked the roadway. We came to a halt as the driver figured out the situation.

I released my aura and power into the surroundings feeling for anything being off. The rocks and mountainside felt normal. Not a single threat seemed to stand against us. This was just a normal rockslide. I let out a sigh as I motioned for the driver to come closer. "Hey!"

I said trying to get his attention.

He turned and came right back. "It would seem our path is blocked sir. Should I attempt to move it or perhaps should we take a detour?" He said politely.

I shook my head. "Since we are on a tight schedule I'll move them." I said as I held up my green arm. I felt the magic wrap around my fingers as I splayed my hand out with my palm to the ground. "Out of my way." I hummed out. A wave of power left me through the magic in the air and into the ground.

The rock and dirt began to rumble and shift away from the road. It rolled and roiled and jumped like serpents as the very ground shifted to give us passage. The driver saw his chance and got us moving through.

Once we made it I released the power over the rock. A rumble behind us told me they had fallen back to the way they were when we found them.

I smelled something in the breeze as we circled around the mountain pass. The smell of sea brine and smoke. I sat up a little and much to my relief the port city was okay. Smoke poured from chimneys and ships floated about the bay. A few were docked in the harbor being loaded or unloaded.

I let out a sigh as I relaxed a bit where I was and took in the smells. I then thought about where we were going. (Melra the continent of Waters. I wonder what mysteries you hold.)