Chapter 170 The expected guest

Chapter 170 The expected guest
"It's nice to see the both of you again. The children grow so fast. The last time I saw them in real life, they were this big," Alesseja said, measuring the size with her hands.
"Last time you saw them, they were ten minutes old. They are almost two years old now," Irin pointed out.
"True. Koth, did you have a question?" the goddess asked.
"I have more than one," he admitted. The goddess smiled and sat down. Irin looked at her; there was nothing to sit on, so she sat on air.
"I have time. Ask what you need to ask, and I will answer, as long as it won't give you insight into the future," Alesseja told him. Koth nodded and took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"You once asked me if I had considered why you had taken an interest in me," he said. The goddess nodded and seemed pleased he remembered their conversation. "Why did you take an interest in me? I have never shown interest in any of the gods," he asked.
"Because of your mother, my boy. Your mother was one of my priestesses. I had my eyes on you since before you were born. Her prayers reached me, and I could do very little for her, but I have done my best to keep an eye on you. As has she," Alesseja said. Irin covered Koth's hand with hers.
"She is... on the other side?" he asked.
"She is. She is at peace on my green meadows. Her biggest fear never came true, and so her soul found a peace she never had in life."
"What was her biggest fear?" Koth asked.
"Are you sure you want to know?" the goddess asked. Koth looked at Irin. She tried to smile at him.
"I love you," was all she said. He kissed her forehead.
"Yes. I want to know."
"That you would become like your father," Alesseja said with a sad smile. Irin saw Koth frown. He understood just as well as she did. Orcs weren't usually a kind race.
"Thank you for answering my questions," he told the goddess.
"Was that all?"
"Yes," he said with a firm nod.
"Very well. I, again, give you and your family my blessing. I will stop by when I find a need for it or when I feel like doing so. If you want to see me sooner rather than later, you could always produce another set of cute twins or triplets," she told them, and she was gone.
"T-triplets?" Koth asked the air. Irin smiled. For a moment, they sat in silence.
"Does it change how you look at me, knowing who my father is?" Koth asked.
"No. I don't care who your adoptive father is; I don't care who your biological father is. I know who you are; that is all that matters," she told him.
"What if my blood one day changes who I am and I hurt you or the children?" he asked. Irin snorted in a very unladylike way.
"Please, honey. The children have you wrapped around their little fingers. You almost cried the other day when you had to put Elissa in time out because she was playing with those tools," she reminded him.
"She looked at me with those big, blue eyes as if I was killing her soul," he defended himself.
"Yeah, I think we don't have to worry about you hurting anyone in this family. Maybe with the exception of yourself, as you are twisting yourself into a knot trying to please the twins," she told him and kissed his cheek. "Seriously, Koth. There is not one single other person on this planet that I trust more than I trust you." He let out a deep breath and nodded. There was another long stretch of silence.
"Did you remember to send the letter to Jasper?" Irin asked.
"I did. And yes, I did say we would be happy to come and stay with them for a couple of weeks around Eliza's due date. I think both she and my brother would breathe easier having you there, both as a healer and as someone who has given birth to twins," he said. Irin smiled. It would be fun to be there. Jasper and Eliza had bought the land next to her father's, built a house there, and set up their business. They were buying the apples from the family orchard and making apple cider and other products that they were selling all over the country. It had been a big success, and Irin's father was very pleased.
"Good. The twins can stay with the family if I need to help out," she said.
"It will be nice to take them back there. It has been too long since they saw Garat and their cousins," Koth said. He had blended into her family as if he had been born into it. Keran and Elissa had a lot of cousins. Junior and Junia had their first son about six months before the twins were born, then a daughter only three months ago. Nenhir and Benara had a set of twins that were almost a year old. Benara's twin brother had married a local girl, and they had a son who was eight months old.
"Dad will be thrilled if we fill the house with babies and toddlers," Irin said. She paused.
"It's okay," Koth told her.
"Any news about your father and Mika?" she asked.
"Not really. They still refuse to talk to either me or Jasper. My sources tell me they are surviving. The family has lost a lot of ground, but they still have enough to keep the household going. As they are both in good health, I'm going to say we are safe," he said. She nodded. There was a swooshing sound, and Irin looked up at Noodle as he hunted moths. She smiled as he performed an impressive array of air acrobatics. Further down the hill, Maximus, Glima, and Raisin were grazing. They had a stable, but all of them preferred to roam in the fenced-in area.
"How about we take the children and Ayyan and pick blackberries tomorrow?" Irin suggested.
"That sounds terrifying; don't those bushes have thorns?" he said.
"They do," she agreed.
"How about we stay home and explore the sledding slope?" he suggested. Irin laughed. The first winter with the children, Koth had cleared one side of the hill, the one not facing the sea, of stones. It was now smooth and safe to sled down. It also made Koth more comfortable for the children to play in, as there were no stones that could hurt them.
"I think they need a change of venue, and think about all the delicious things I can make with the berries: pies, jams, wine," she told him. He grumbled a little.
"Maybe I can make it safe," he said.
"Koth. I love you, but if this is a repeat of the wool balls on the chickens, I will lose my temper," she warned him. "They need to learn how to be safe in the world. We are not doing them any favours by protecting them from everything. What if they, in the future, need to travel all over the country to protect its people against a cursed talisman? How will they survive if their dad puts wool balls on blackberry bushes?" she asked.
"We will just have to go with them," he decided. Irin laughed.
"I'm not doing that again. You will have to go with them, and I will be right here waiting for your safe return." Irin was smiling at him. Koth pulled her into his lap.
"You, my little wife, will stay by my side. Always," he told her.
"Always," she agreed.

Author's Note
This is where we leave Irin, Koth, and their family and friends. Thank you so much for joining their journey. I have loved writing every single sentence of this story. Something about this couple and their world has won them a permanent place in my heart.
In the near future, I will start my next story. I will see you all there. I hope you have a magical day and that the next book you read fills your world with wonder.