It begins with a knock on the door, early one morning.

     At the knock on the door, Lanthal looked up from his start on a late breakfast. He turns and heads for the door with one last glance at the pot; hardboiled eggs would be fine on their own for awhile. Still dressed in only loose sleep pants and an open shirt, he opens the door curiously, not sure who would be calling here, and at this hour.
     Kat stands there, in Official Blood Knight Armor and Tabard no less. "Good morning. I've brought you a message," she says very stiffly, handing him the very formal missive.
     Lanth blinks at this and, despite his very informal clothing, almost instinctively assumes the same stiff posture and formal tone, "Thank you, Commander." He accepts the missive from her with a short nod.
     And as soon as it's out of her hands, she practically melts back into her normal demeanor, leaning forward. "Open it, open it! I'm dying to know what's in there! I think this is the first time I've ever gotten to do something like this!" She'd be bouncing on her toes, but the armor kinda weighs her down.
     Lanth lets out a sigh, his posture relaxing somewhat, and shakes his head, "I do not think I have ever seen you actually act like that, you had me worried, Commander." He steps back from the door, one hand gesturing, "Come inside? We're still working on it, but the kitchen is finished, we can sit there."
     "Oooh!" she squeals. "I'm dying to see what you've done with the place! I've only been here the once, when I got the deed, to see what sort of shape it was in!" She steps in and looks around eagerly.
     Lanth smiles faintly, pushing the door shut behind his commander and leading her through to the kitchen. There's a small table where Lanth and Lando have been taking their meals tucked to one side and currently there's a fire going in the hearth, a gently boiling pot of eggs over the heat, and the ingredients for possibly pancakes laid out for cooking, though he clearly hadn't gotten to actually mixing them yet. He checks the eggs and then takes a seat, examining the very formal missive curiously, "I've never seen one like this before. Not even our posting orders come like this."
     Kat oooh's and aaah's over the kitchen and takes what's normally Lando's chair. She crosses her arms on the table in front of her and leans forward again. "I know! It came with a really official looking thing too, telling me to deliver it to you right away. I had to take a little time to dust off the old armor though; it just didn't seem right to show up in civvies and be like, 'Here, this came for you'."
     Lanth smiles a little and shakes his head, "I thought someone had died, with you showing up like that." He digs one finger into the edge of the thick envelope and carefully eases the official wax seal open, "You are enjoying this far too much, Commander."
     She leans back in her chair, grinning. "I didn't mean to scare you. Now hurry up!!"
     Lanth just rolls his eyes and slides the letter out of envelope, letting it fall open and scanning over it, fingers absently tapping against the table. His brow puckers in a frown as he reads, deepening the further he gets into the letter. As he draws near the end of the letter his face suddenly blanks and his fingers halt. He blinks and then backtracks, reading over that section again with widening eyes. He's gone very pale.
     Kat's grin fades and she reaches across the table to rest her hand on his wrist. "Lanth? You okay?"
     Lanth swallows tightly and reads through the entire letter again before shaking his head, "I... really don't know."
     "Here, let me see that..." She reaches for the letter.
     He relinquishes the letter without comment, folding his hands and staring silently into the fire as she reads, clearly trying to think.

To: Lanthal Truesight

I regret to inform you that Fana Swiftwind, a person of your acquaintance, I am given to understand, has perished in the line of duty. As per her instructions, I, [Name], the executor of her last will and testament, am writing to you.

Ms. Swiftwind is survived by her daughter, Faelyria. Her will states that, in the event of her passing, her daughter should be placed with her father if at all possible. This letter is to notify you of this placement.

Please write back immediately as to your intentions regarding your daughter. If you are not willing to take her, we will have to find a suitable orphanage for her at once.

Sincerely,
[Name]


     "Oh my...." she says as she gets to the part about Fana. Then she stands so abruptly she knocks the chair over. "YOUR WHAT?!" She lowers the letter to look at Lanth. "I take it this is news to you, too?"
     Lanth flicks his eyes over to Katalya, not even flinching at the yelling and chair-falling, and nods mutely.
     "Holy CRAP." She re-reads the letter. "I mean, that's what this means, right?"
     Lando comes skidding into the kitchen in just his underwear. "What happened?!" he asks. He double-blinks at seeing Kat there. "Uh...good morning...Commander?"
     Kat looks over at Lando briefly and then back at Lanth.
     Lanth licks his lips and looks up at Lando and just shakes his head, still unable to form words. He looks to be in shock.
     "Do I have to tell him then?" Kat asks.
     "Tell me what? What's going on? What was that cra...oh the chair fell over." He goes to pick up the fallen chair. 
     Lanth just looks helplessly between them for a moment before he stands and moves to take the letter from Katalya. He manages to find his voice, enough of it to weakly speak up, "No, I'll... I'll tell him." He clears his throat softly and starts for the door, "Just... give us a few minutes please, Commander." He tries to tug Lando along after him.
     Kat lets go of the letter and gets out of their way, nodding. "I'll just...stay here and keep an eye on your eggs." She smiles faintly.
     Lando is easily tugged because as he wakes up more and more, he's starting to get the impression that all is not happy and fluffy in Lanth-land anymore. "What's going on, Lanth?"
     Lanth keeps tugging Lando all the way to their room upstairs, speaking as he walks and still holding the letter in his other hand, "The commander came over here this morning to drop off a letter. It came through official channels in the Blood Knight Order. It's from Dalaran." He lets go of Lando's hand as they enter the bedroom and turns to plop himself down on the bed, one hand rubbing over his lips as he shakes his head.
     Lando's brow furrows and he shuts the door behind them. The bed's still unmade, of course, from Lando's recent and very hasty exit. He walks over to sit next to Lanth and slides his arm around his shoulders. "Is it bad news? What happened?"
     Lanth swallows harshly and offers Lando the letter, watching him worriedly. His shoulders are tense under Lando's arm.
     Lando takes the letter and reads. He rubs Lanth's far shoulder when he reads about Fana's death, and then stills entirely as he reads the rest of it. 
     "You have a daughter." It isn't a question. He re-reads it. "You have a daughter by Fana." He lowers the letter and looks at the wall. "... Huh."
     Lanth winces, tensing up even more as Lando finishes reading. He whispers softly, "I didn't know..."
     "I know you didn't," Lando says gently, turning to kiss Lanth's temple. "I know." He rests his head against Lanth's.
     Lanth wraps an arm around Lando's waist and sits quietly with him for a long moment before his eyes drift back to the letter and he squeezes his eyes shut, speaking quietly, "How could she never tell me? To find out like this..."
     "I don't know." He rubs Lanth's back. "I guess we won't ever know." He sighs.
     Lanth scrubs at his face with one hand, "I'm not ready for something like this, Lando. I never imagined... but I can't just leave her to go to some orphanage. She's my..." he swallows harshly but continues, "My daughter."
     Lando nods. "My gift has good timing then. Can you imagine trying to raise a young girl in the Steelbound manor?" he asks, smiling lightly and hoping to pull Lanth out of his shock a little more.
     Lanth just shakes his head, "I can't even imagine -me- raising a daughter, or any child. I don't know anything about this." His voice drops lower again and he stares at the floor, "Maybe she would be better off with someone else."
     "I don't see how." He rubs Lanth's back again. "No one knows how to be a parent when it happens; do you think instruction manuals come out along with the kid? 'Cause I asked my mom that once, and she said they don't."
     Lanth squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head again, "But... I mean, I just have no idea what to do. She doesn't even know me, I don't know if Fana ever told her anything about me. The girl's just lost her mother."
     "Which is all the more reason she needs her father. Lanth, now that you know about her, you can't just walk away from her." This isn't a question or a demand or anything except a statement of fact. "And I'll be here to help you." He smiles reassuringly and kisses Lanth's cheek.
     Lanth swallows tightly and manages a faint smile, turning his head to look at Lando, "You won't... I mean, I know this is completely unexpected for you, too. And you're right, I can't just walk away from her." He clears his throat and speaks up a little louder, "You're okay with this?"
     Lando exhales shakily and licks his lips. "I'm. Half-convinced I haven't actually woken up. But I'm not...um...NOT okay with it? Does that make sense?" He rests his head against Lanth's. "She's your *FAMILY*. And you know how I am about family." He forces a sheepish chuckle.
     Lanth smiles weakly and tightens his arm around Lando, "I need you for this, love. I don't think I can do it alone." He laughs weakly, "You at least had little sisters, right?"
     "Two. I might be a little rusty though; it's been awhile." Lando wraps both arms around Lanth for a good, tight hug. "And you will never have to be alone again. Remember that."
     Lanth sniffles quietly and hugs Lando just as tightly in return, "I try to."
     Lando pulls away enough to kiss Lanth's cheek again. "Well. I guess we'll have to start fixing up the other bedroom then, hm?" 
     Lanth nods, loosening his hold on Lando but not letting go altogether just yet, "Yes. And everything else we haven't done yet, too."
     "I'd better get dressed and get it at then." Something occurs to him. "...the Commander saw me in my underwear." He groans and drops his head to Lanth's shoulder.
     Lanth smiles and pets Lando's hair, carding his fingers through the silky locks, "I should go down and talk to her, she is probably getting impatient."
     "And I will make myself decent before anyone else sees me again." He turns to nuzzle Lanth's throat and jaw briefly before regretfully straightening up.
     Lanth lets out a soft sigh and pushes himself finally, unfortunately letting go of Lando as he does so, "I guess I'm taking a trip to Dalaran soon."
     "Yep. Make sure you write them first, so they know that you're coming to pick her up. Um. I guess we don't know what her favorite color is..." He thinks a moment. "Okay, I can work with this."
     He nods as he turns to change out of his sleepwear, tossing his shirt and pants over the back of a chair and pulling on leather pants, "Yes, I will. I... don't think it will take long to get everything worked out?"
     "I'll start on her room first thing, then get to work on everything else. Maybe the dining room after that." Lando stretches then gets up to pull on some clothes. "I should at the very least have a decent place for her to sleep by the time you're back."
     Kat knocks on the bedroom door. "If you two decided on wild monkey sex in order to break Lanth out of shock, you should've at LEAST told me first!" she huffs from the other side of the door.
     Lanth pulls on a shirt and rakes his hair out of his eyes, pulling open the door a few inches so Kat doesn't get another view of Lando clad only in underwear, "Apologies, Commander. We were having a discussion on our course of action."
     Kat cocks her head. "Everything okay? You seem reasonably back to normal."
     Lanth nods, "Yes. Everything is okay. Lando is going to start on the extra room and I have a letter to write and mail."
     Kat's face lights up. "You're taking her in then! Wonderful! Oh, Lanth, you're a daddy! You..." Pause. "Oh. My. GODS. Arad's a grandpa." She focuses on Lanth's face, intent and serious. "I will pay you at least 2000 gold if you will let me tell Arad this."
     Lanth frowns faintly at this, looking hesitant, "I... had not thought of telling him yet. Shouldn't I be the one to do that?" He regards her warily, "What are you planning?"
     "I was just gonna invite him over for a chat. Make some tea or coffee, y'know." A grin is starting to bloom on her face. "And then wait until he's drinking to just spring it on him unawares: You're a Grandpa now! Congratulations! And see how far I can get him to spittake coffee." She starts giggling.
     Lanth eyes Kat carefully for a long moment, "I... guess you can." He glances over his shoulder to check on Lando's progress with getting dressed.
     Lando's completely dressed now; he's brushing his hair in preparation to pull it back out of his way while he works.
     Kat beams. "Thank you! I'll send the money right over!" And she dashes down the stairs; she's awfully zippy for someone wearing so much plate.
     Lanth calls after her, "I don't need the money!" He sighs as she dashes out of sight and looks back at Lando, "She definitely had her coffee this morning."
     Lando chuckles lightly as he gets his hair pulled back. "Y'know, my more mercenary sensibilities suggest accepting the money; we have a young girl to take care of now, and she'll need clothes, and fresh linens, and more food..."
     Lanth runs one hand over his face with a groan, "I hadn't thought of that. She's going to need all sorts of things."
     "Toys and books and things, hm." He pauses. "How old is she? I don't think the letter said..."
     Lanth blinks, "I uh..." He frowns and does some math in his head, "Three-ish? I'm not sure. She must have been pregnant when we... broke up." He swallows harshly.
     Lando wraps his arms around Lanth and gives him a quick kiss. "Okay, so around 3 then. That'll be good for me to know."
     Lanth nods faintly and clears his throat, one hand wrapping around Lando as he buries his face in the man's neck, his voice muffled, "This is surreal."
     "You're telling me." 
     Lanth takes a deep, calming breath before straightening up and kissing Lando's cheek, "There are hardboiled eggs in the kitchen. I should go check and see if the commander took them off the heat before coming up here."
     "Ooo, hardboiled eggs!" Lando grins and heads for the door, grabbing one of Lanth's hands and hauling.
     And yes, down in the kitchen, the eggs have been taken off the heat.
     Lanth follows along after him, speaking as he's hauled along, "I will head out to mail the letter after breakfast. Then it's just waiting for a response."
     "Ask them what her favorite color is. Otherwise, I'm just going to find her a rainbow blanket."
     "Right. Her favourite colour. And maybe her foods, too? Animals? I... I don't know anything but her name."
     Lando nods. "Favorite color, food, animals, um...books? Toys? Whatever we need to know."
     "Right. I'll put it in the letter?"
     Lando nods. "And then write me a letter before you head out to Dalaran letting me know what to pick up."
     Lanth nods, "Right. I can do that. Are you alright taking care of the house on your own?"
     "Sure, I'll be fine." He reaches for a mostly-cool egg. "It'll be quiet, but I'm sure that'll be fixed when you bring a 3 year old in here." He grins.
     Lanth nods faintly, not making a move for the eggs, "Yeah. I'm sure." He smiles nervously.
     Lando looks over at him and then smiles. "You'll be a wonderful father, Lanth."
     Lanth rubs at his temple and shakes his head, "We will see, won't we?"
     Lando's smile widens. "We will. I have no doubt I'll be proven correct." He turns to roll the egg on the counter to break its shell.
     Lanth swallows tightly, "I'll uh, I'll get going then. I'll write you."
     Lando looks over his shoulder and purses his lips in a quick air-kiss. "It'll be fine. Really."
     Lanth nods, "Yes. Of course it will be." He ducks in to give Lando a quick real-kiss and a soft, "I love you," before heading for the door.
     "Love you, too!" Lando calls after him as he begins nomming egg and trying not to think about the sudden surprise of this morning.



As Lanth goes to pick up his new daughter, Katalya invites Arad over for tea...


     Arad is visiting; Talya had invited him for tea and some catching up so now here he was, stirring sugar into his tea and wondering if his son was about to make an appearance.
     Kat smiles. She has, of course, guided him to the comfiest armchair and has seated herself on the couch. She stirs her own tea and asks, "So, you knew that Lando and Lanth have a house of their own now, yes?" Clink clink clink of the spoon against the ceramic.
     Arad smiles, tapping his spoon gently as he pulls it out of his tea and sets it gently down on the saucer, "Yes, Lanth wrote me about it. I tell you, he seems much happier now than a year ago, and he says you just handed Lando the deed to the house, too."
     "Well, of course, I did! Not like I had a use for it, and it makes two of my guildmates happy."
     Arad smiles at this and nods, taking an experimental sip of his tea, checking if it's sweet enough, "I hope they've thanked you for it."
     "Of course they have. Well, Lando did, profusely. I haven't seen Lanth much since they moved in." She titters. "How's your tea?" She is all smiles and innocence.
     Arad grins a little at the comment of not seeing Lanth much, having a fairly good suspicion of why his son has been preoccupied. "It's delicious, Talya, a new flavour?" He takes a deeper drink of his tea now that it's passed his taste test.
     "Well, I wanted something special for the announcement that you're a grandfather now." Full-on BEAMING smile.
     Talya's timing is truly impeccable; not only is Arad's mouth full of tea, but he's also partway through swallowing some of it. The resulting spittake bursts from his mouth and nose, and the jerking of his hands also spills the tea in cup into his lap. Most of the coffee table gets splattered, the farthest droplets reaching nearly seven feet.
     She jumps up and applauds. "Woo, look at the distance!" She looks at how far the tea flew, grinning, then looks back at Arad. 
     Arad looks decidedly less than amused with this and he glowers up at her with his face dripping and his lap soaked with tea. He growls out, "Talya, that's not a funny joke."
     She picks up a cloth napkin and starts mopping at his face. "It's not a joke. I delivered the news to Lanth myself, via official correspondence from Dalaran." She hands him the napkin so he can dab at his crotch. "Fana died and left behind a three-and-a-half year old little girl. She's Lanth's."
     Arad blinks, processing this for a moment before pushing himself to his feet, "She what? She had a child and never -told- him?" He holds the napkin from his lap fisted in one hand and he scowls around the room, "What was the point in leaving him with those parting words then?"
     She shrugs. "I'm assuming she didn't know she was pregnant when she left."
     Arad growls faintly again and scrubs at his tea-stained pants with the napkin, "That woman.... How is Lanthal doing? He has this child now?"
     She nods. "He went to pick her up." She pulls out a helpful map she had drawn up. "Here you go, here's how to get out to their house." 
     The maid brings a new pair of pants and shirt over as Kat adds, "And I made sure to have a change of clothes ready for you, just in case you decided to head out there." The maid eyes the SEVEN FEET OF TEA SPLATTERS disdainfully.
     Arad accepts the clothes with a polite nod and then eyes Talya again, dawning realization in his eyes, "You devious woman, you did this all intentionally!" He gestures to his wet clothes and the impressive range of tea splatters.
     The full-on beam is back. "And before you go ranting at Lanth, he didn't write to you about it himself because I paid him not to. I wanted to be the one to...share this special moment with you." She bats her eyelashes, beam back into grinning now.
     Arad grumbles and lets out one last outburst, "Meddlesome minx!" before turning and stomping off to find somewhere to change.
     Kat guffaws whole-heartedly and returns to her seat to finish her tea. "I'll clean up the tea," she tells the maid, "if you'll go finish the care package, 'kay?"
     The maid curtseys and heads to the kitchen.



The Executor's Office near the Violet Citadel, Dalaran


     A receptionist makes Lanth wait for nearly half an hour for seemingly no reason, then leads him back to the executor's office. The executor, in turn, requires proof of identity and the signing of various papers stating that The Child is now in the legal custody of Lanthal Truesight and absolving the City of Dalaran from care for The Child hereafter, etc. etc. legalese blah.
     The executor seems at least as bored by these proceedings as Lanth probably is (or would be if he weren't so nervous).
     Lanth is indeed nervous about all this, but at least it keeps his boredom at bay. Blood Knights also have a high threshold for boredom, which also helps greatly. By the time they're done with all the paperwork, the drudgery has edged some of the nervousness away.
     After Lanth's finished signing the 15th document in triplicate, the executor traces a sort of sigil in the air; it could be dismissed as an odd hand gesture were it not for the executor's economy of movement in all other ways. A few moments later, the receptionist walks in with a young girl in tow.
     She's about 2.5 feet tall, and her hair is unmistakably the same tint of blonde as Lanth's. Her ears are not out of the ordinary for a blood elven child, and her currently wide eyes are distinctively fel-tainted. This is just about all that can be made out of the girl at the moment; she's peering over the top of a lavender-colored stuffed rabbit that's nearly as big as she is. Her free arm is wrapped around the bunny tightly, just under its floppy arms. Its oversized legs dangle in front of her own; fortunately its sky-blue ears are flopped forward in front of its face, or she might not be visible at all. She stares at Lanth with quiet intensity.
     Lanth swalllows harshly as his child is led into the room, eyes widening slightly for a moment as he picks out features that are clearly his, others that are clearly her mother's. He licks his lips unconsciously and kneels down a few feet in front of her, not wanting to crowd the girl. Down at eye-level with her, he gives her a nervous smile and is careful to keep his voice soft, "Hello. You must be Faelyria, but who is this you have with you?" He nods at the stuffed bunny.
     She looks up at the receptionist and then back at Lanth. Her voice is barely audible when she says, "Lord Malcom Bunnyton the Third Exquire but I call him Snuggle." She tugs her hand away from the receptionist and wraps it around the bunny toy, too. She continues to just Stare at him.
     Lanth smiles a little wider at this and nods seriously, "It's a pleasure to meet Lord Malcom Bunnyton the Third Esquire and his little miss." He clears his throat softly, "Do you know who I am?"
     "They said you're my daddy."
     Lanth swallows tightly as he nods, managing to keep his voice soft and calm and not the least bit tight, "I am. I live in Eversong Forest, in Quel'thalas." He pauses a moment before adding, "Would you like to come stay with me?"
     She looks up at the receptionist, who is leaning in the doorway, bored, then looks back at Lanth. "Will I be dead too then?" Even the bored receptionist and executor have to pause and blink at that.
     Lanth blinks at this, eyes widening slightly as he realizes exactly what she'd said. He shakes his head and tries to reassure her, "No, no you won't be. Why do you think that you would be?"
     She hugs Snuggle tighter. "Mommy is dead. Mommy left and can't come back. Not even for a visit." She looks at the executor briefly, then back at Lanth.
     "Yes, she did, but you're not. You can come back here and visit if you'd like, your mommy's gone a lot farther than we can easily go."
     She considers this, mostly by looking at the back of her bunny's head for a moment. When she looks at Lanth again, she's not staring so much as doubtful. "Is it nice there?"
     "I think it is. It's a little like Dalaran within Silvermoon city, and outside the gates the magical forest of Eversong spreads out. My home is in the forest, not too far of a ride from the Tranquil Shore and the sea."
     "Escuse me," she says, and pads off to a corner of the office. She eyes the executor briefly like she doesn't trust him, but he's gone back to doing paperwork. She turns her bunny around and lays her head against Snuggle's forehead and closes her eyes. She stays like this for about 30 seconds before opening her eyes and turning to look at Lanth again. "Lord Bunnyton says okay but only if you have carrots. An' strawberry ice cream."
     Lanth smiles, part relief and part amusement, and he nods in agreement, "Of course, those are very good sticking points. We can even plant a garden for Lord Bunnyton's carrots, and he can have ice cream, too."
     "Noooo. Ice cream is bad for bunnies. Ice cream is for me." She offers a hesitant smile but hugs her bunny closer all the same. The receptionist just goes to get The Child's bags.
     Lanth's mouth forms an O and he nods, "Of course, my mistake. You can have ice cream then, and Lord Bunnyton has his carrots."
     Faelyria comes over and whispers to him, "Okay but I have to eat the carrots for him. He doesn't have a mouth."
     Lanth nods seriously, "Okay. I won't tell on him."
     And for the first time, she beams at him. Outright, with no hesitation, full-on beam.
     The receptionist brings two suitcases out, shoving a small, yet apparently heavy box in front of her with her feet. "Clothes, books, toys," she says in a monotone. "We can have them portaled ahead to Silvermoon, if you like." It's...supposed to be a question?
     Lanth smiles at her, barely sparing a nod for the receptinist, "Portaling would be best, thank you." He's still smiling at Faelyria, "Now, are we all ready to go?"



     Faelyria pesters her new daddy with questions the whole way back: are there other kids there for her to play with? are there other bunnies there for Lord Bunnyton to play with? does she get her own room? what's the tankil shore like? can she help grow the carrots for Lord Bunnyton? are there toys? are there books? can she have a cookie? are we there yet? She seems to have gotten over her initial shyness a bit now that Lanth has been approved by Lord Bunnyton.
     Lanth answers all of her questions patiently, smiling warmly at her and never seeming irritated. He askes her a few in return; her favourite food, her favourite colour, Lord Bunnyton's favourite food and colour. He also tells her that he has someone for her to meet when they get home.
     It turns out that her favorite color is purple and Lord Bunnyton's favorite color is carrot. Strangely enough, this turns out to be his favorite food, too. HER favorite food turns into a long list, starting with "strawberry ice cream" and ending with "cookies" and running the gamut between snacks and junk food to healthier things like sketti and toast. She perks up when he says she's going to meet someone. "Is it a kid?"
     When they reach Silvermoon, Lanth has his horse saddled and he swings himself and Faelyria (and Lord Bunnyton) up into it, placing Faelyria in front of him in the saddle and keeping an arm around her.
     She falls silent again, intimidated a little by the big horsie. After a little bit of riding, she giggles a little and pats the horse's neck. "IS it a kid at your house? Is it a boy kid or a girl kid? What's her name?" because apparently she's decided it's another girl.
     "It's not a kid, or a girl. He's actually older than me, but I hope you'll like him anyway. His name is Landoriel." He keeps the horse at a canter, not wanting to go too fast with a three year old in his lap.
     She considers this, hugging Lord Bunnyton to her. "Is he YOUR daddy?"
     Lanth laughs and shakes his head, giving Faelyria's middle a light squeeze, "No, definitely not my daddy, but he'll want to meet you soon." 
     "Ooh! Ooh! Is he an unca? 'cause, Mariel has an unca and he is nice and gives her candy all the time!"
     "No, not an uncle, but he's probably got candy stashed somewhere."
     "Oooooooooh." She goes quiet again and starts looking around. "Are we there yet?"
     "It's not too much farther."
     Faelyria slumps against her new daddy for most of the trip through the woods. Sometimes she'll point things out to Lord Bunnyton. She's half-asleep by the time they get to Dawnfield.
     Lanth draws the horse to a halt and shakes Faelyria gently, his voice quiet, "Hey, we are here."
     "Nmm," she protests at first but then she opens her eyes and sits upright. "We're here!" She looks around at everything from her spot on the back of the horse.
     Lando hurries out, still buttoning up his shirt. There's still some dampness on his forehead, and he's wearing his work pants and no socks or shoes, but he's got a big smile on his face. "Welcome home!"
     Faelyria pulls Lord Bunnyton in front of her again, peering at Lando over the top of her bunny's head.
     Lanth smiles at Lando and gives Faelyria what he hopes is a reassuring pat, "Faelyria, this is Landoriel, he lives here, too. Lando, this is Faelyria Swiftwind and Lord Malcolm Bunnyton the Third Esquire. He likes carrots."
     "Well, who doesn't?" He bows. "I'm pleased to meet you both. Your things are already here, Faelyria, but you might want to check to make sure I put them in the right places."
     She peers at him over Lord Bunnyton's head and then looks up at Lanth briefly before looking back at Lando.
     Lanth tries to smile reassuringly at her, "Would you like to go with Lando to see that while I stable the horse?"
     "I have some surprises for you, too," Lando offers in an attempt to lure her down.
     "...is it candy?" she asks quietly.
     Lando looks at Lanth warily. "I can't answer that while Lanth is here." He grins at Faelyria.
     She stifles a faint giggle in the back of Lord Bunnyton's head.
     Lanth eyes Lando carefully, "You are going to spoil her dinner, aren't you?"
     "Noooooooo, no, no. And anyway, only one of the surprises is candy." He lifts a hand to his mouth as if he didn't mean to say that. "Oops."
     Faelyria giggles again and squirms to try and get down.
     Lando hurries over to help her get off the horse without injury.
     Lanth relinquishes his daughter and only half-heartedly adds, "Try not to completely spoil her appetite?"
     "I promise." Lando picks up Faelyria and Lord Bunnyton and sets them down next to him. "C'mon, let's go inside, hm?"
     She nods and holds one hand out at him expectantly. Lando smiles and accepts the hand in, then calls back, "Hurry in, Lanth; one of the surprises needs your attention, too."
     Lanth urges his horse that really needs a name off towards the stables, calling back, "I won't be long."
     Lando can be heard saying to Faelyria as they go in, "So...books go under the bed, right? Or did I do that wrong?" and the little girl giggling in response.
     Lanth exhales in relief and continues on to the stable to take care of the horse. 
     In the backyard, on the closest tree to the house that had a suitable branch (and visible from the stables), a simple swing has been hung: one of those "board with two holes in it, and rope through each hole" affairs.

     Around fifteen minutes later, after having made sure the horse was fed and watered and the briding and saddle were properly stowed away, Lanth heads into the house to check on Lando and Faelyria.
     "NO NO NO!" Faelyria is exclaiming. Her voice is overloud but, fortunately, so are her giggles. "That's not right!"
     "So...bunnies don't go on heads?" Lando has Lord Bunnyton flopped on top of his head. Faelyria is jumping up and down trying to get at her toy. In the middle of the living room, on a large piece of tattered cloth, is a wooden toy box. It's made of very light colored wood and is simple, uncarved, but sanded.
     When Fae sees her new daddy come back in, she rushes over to him. "You tell him!" she demands. "You tell him bunnies don't go on heads!"
     "I could've sworn they did..." Lando replies in mock-befuddlement.
     Lanth tries to hold back his laughter but a snort does escape him at the sight of Lando with Lord Bunnyton on his head. He shakes his head with a light grin and informs Lando, "No no, Lando you have it wrong."
     "Oh. My mistake." He pulls Lord Bunnyton off his head and offers him back to Faelyria. She dashes back over to reclaim her friend. "But now that you're here, you can help with the surprise. Well, maybe not RIGHT now..."
     "Why not?!" Fae demands.
     "Well, we might be able to get Ann'da Lanth to make cookies," he explains. Her mouth opens in an O of hope. "But first, why don't you explain to him what the box is?" He points at the toy box.
     "Oh!" She grabs Lanth's hand and tugs towards the toy box. "C'mon!"
     Lanth allows himself to be tugged over by his daughter, shooting Lando a small smile, "Well then, what do you keep in the box, hm?"
     "It's for toys but we can't put toys in it now. It needs to be pretty first!" She looks up at him as if that explained everything.
     Lando comes to rescue, walking up behind the two of them. "I told her that her daddy was a very good artist and so maybe he could help her make the box pretty."
     Lanth smiles wider and nods, "That's a lovely idea." He crouches down next to Lyria, running one hand over the box, "You'll need to decide what you'd like on it first."
     "It needs to be purple! and have flowers! and carrots! And...and strawberries!"
     "I think someone's hungry," Lando murmurs.
     "We can put anything you want on it, but we can do that later. Have you seen your room yet?"
     "YES! It's pretty! But he put everything in the wrong places!" she pouts and then leans in to whisper to Lanth, "Are you sure he's older than you?"
     Lanth grins and whispers back, "Mostly, but I think in his head he's still a little kid."
     "If Ann'da Lanth wants to make us some food, we can go straighten your room out. Or go see the 3rd surprise! You didn't see that one yet!" Lando grins.
     "Oh!" She scrabbles back over to Lando. And since I forgot to mention it before now, she's wearing a canary yellow jumper over a white shirt with pink ruffles on the sleeves. There are pockets on the jumper; they used to be empty, but one pocket is bulging now. A lollipop stick pokes out of said pocket, giving a hint to what's in there.
     Lanth glances up at Lando with one brow arched, "You have been busy, haven't you?"
     Lando nods and mouths, "You have NO idea." He takes Faelyria's hand and leads her back towards the back door. "This one is outside though."
     Lanth rises after them and takes a moment to watch Lando lead his daughter to the door, smiling fondly at them, before following after them.
     Lando leads Faelyria out and points out the swing to her. She squeals and runs to it, but rather than get on it herself, she flops Lord Bunnyton down and pushes the swing hard. Of course, the stuffed toy falls right off. She pouts...and fortunately gets out of the way in time before the swing hits her in the nose.
     Lanth's eyes widen and he jerks slightly, starting forward to try and catch the swing. Even after the swing soars harmlessly over Faelyria's head he keeps going, catching the swing before it can make another pass and trying to calm his breathing. He holds the swing's ropes in both hands and looks helplessly over at Lando.
     Lando shrugs apologetically at Lanth then comes over to Faelyria, who has picked up Lord Bunnyton again.
     "He doesn't stay on!" she pouts.
     "Well, no, bunnies don't do well on swings. Swings are for little girls to sit on and have their daddies push them," he informs her.
     She eyes the swing as if it had somehow lied to her.
     Lanth swallows harshly and releases the swing, lowering it first so there's no risk of it bumping into any little girls. "Lando is right, bunnies just are not made for swings, but little girls are."
     She looks up at Lanth. "Can we paint the swing, too?"
     He smiles down at her, "Of course we can."
     "Okay." She smiles and snuggles Snuggle (aka Lord Malcolm Bunnyton the Third Esquire). 
     Lando exhales in relief. "Why don't you go show Ann'da Lanth your room, hm?"
     She nods and holds out her hand for Lanth.
     Lanth takes her hand and mouths a quick, "Thank you," to Lando.
     Lando nods and smiles and purses his lips in a quick kiss.
     Faelyria tugs Lanth back towards the house. "I have my own blankies and a bookcase and a dresser and a window and a fireplace and a rug..."
     Lanth smiles and lets her lead him as she chatters on about her room.
     She points at the door. "This is MY room," she tells him proudly, as if he didn't know. She opens the door and leads him in. The fireplace has been swept out, with fresh logs put in. The fireplace tools, which had been on a stand next to the fireplace, have been hung on the wall instead - far, far out of her reach. The bed, over by one of the windows, has a quilt on it that is predominantly purple and white, though there's green and yellow and pink from flowers in the patterns of the fabric. The fresh linens are white and crisp. There's a dresser (investigation will show that the lowest drawers of it have already been filled with her clothes) and room for the toy box once it's painted (far from the fireplace). And a small, two shelf bookcase sits by the bed to act as a nightstand of sorts. New lanterns with fresh oil were brought in (as Lando judged the open flame of candlesticks to be a bad plan around a 3-4 year old).
     Lanth smiles as he looks around the room, "It's lovely. You like it?"
     She nods. "Yes! It's pretty! But I had to fix it. He had the books under the bed and the clothes in the bookcase!" She laughs. "He is silly."
     Lanth laughs softly and has to agree, "Yes, he is. I'm glad you're here now to help him out."
     She tilts her head a little. "Can Lando spend the night? I want him to tell me my bedtime story." She's giving Lanth the big puppy dog eyes.
     "He'll stay every night; Lando already lives here, honey."
     She considers this. "Is Lando also my daddy?"
     Lanth considers this as he leads Faelyria over to the bed, swinging her up onto it by her arms and then settling down beside her, "If you want to call him that, I'm sure he won't mind. Lando and I are... like a fairytale couple." He mentally cringes at his poor childspeak translation, but it's too late to fix it.
     She gives him a disbelieving look. "That can't be right 'cause neither of you is a princess," she informs him in no uncertain terms.
     "No, but we are in love. You don't have to be a princess to be in love."
     She thinks about this, hugging Lord Bunnyton to her, then looks up at him. "I thought you loved Mommy."
     Lanth barely stops himself from wincing at the question. He answers her quietly, "I did, but we... we didn't get along very well sometimes. And it was easier and better for both of us to go our separate ways."
     "Is that why you didn't live with us?"
     "Yes, but I wish I could have known you sooner." He pauses a moment before asking, "What did your mommy tell you about me?"
     "She said you were nice but you couldn't live with us 'cause you were busy." She looks at Lord Bunnyton. "And that you were a pallydin and the pallydin leaders are all buttheads so that's why you were busy all the time."
     Lanth's lips twitch a little at this and he nods, "They are, but you shouldn't ever tell them that, they won't like it. But I was very busy. If I could have visited you, I would have been there every chance I got." He leans over to plant a kiss atop her head.
     "So I get to stay here now and Lando gets to stay here now and I can have TWO daddies?" She makes it sound like she's getting all the presents ever!
     Lanth smiles now in relief and nods, "Yes, of course you can. I'm glad you like it here. Does Lord Bunnyton like it, too?"
     She starts nodding and then stops and puts her head against the bunny's before straightening up again and announcing, "He doesn't know yet 'cause he hasn't had any carrots."
     Lanth gasps a little and jumps up, offering his hand to Faelyria (and Lord Bunnyton), "That's right, he hasn't! Well, we'll have to get him some for supper. Carrots for Lord Bunnyton and what will the rest of us have?"
     "Cookies?" she asks hopefully as she takes his hand.
     Lanth smiles at this and pretends to consider for a moment, "How about we have cookies for dessert?"
     "Okay!" She pauses a moment, then giggles. "Ann'da Lando rhymes."
     Lanth smiles at this and starts leading her to the door to head down to the kitchen, "It sort of does. It's close enough."
     "I want to help with dinner."
     Lanth grins and he swings his daughter up onto his shoulders, wary of the ceiling and any nearby doorways, "Of course! I'm not sure I can cook it without help, so you have a very important job, missy."
     She squeals happily and hugs his head, squishing Lord Bunnyton between her chest and the back of Lanth's head.
     Lando is at the bottom of the stairs, grinning at them. "Everything squared away?"
     "Ann'da Lando! I get to help with dinner!"
     Lando blinks at being called 'ann'da', then smiles widely. "Oh then I'm sure it'll be even tastier than usual. And that's hard to do, y'know; Ann'da Lanth is a very good cook. I'm sure with you helping, it'll be PERFECT." Faelyria beams.
     Lanth smiles at Lando as he descends and stops to lean in and give him a peck on the cheek, "And cookies for dessert."
     "Alright! High-five!" He holds his hand up and Faelyria slaps his hand with her own as hard as she can (which is barely enough to sting Lando, of course). 
     Lanth grins as he ducks into the kitchen, taking care that he's low enough so Faelyria isn't going to hit the doorjam.


Not long after Fae's arrival


     Faelyria toddles up to Lanth one morning as he's finishing getting ready to report in. "Ann'da, where're you goin'?" She pouts over the top of Lord Bunnyton's head.
     Lanth smiles down at Faelyria and finishes straightening his tabard. "I have to report in for duty; I have an important job as a healer, so I go help people get better when they get hurt."
     Faelyria clutches her bunny tighter. "Can I come?"
     Lanth's smile softens and he crouches down to draw his daughter into a brief hug, holding her at arms length after, "Maybe some day, when you're older. Maybe you'll be a healer or a mage, like your mother, but today you're still a little girl, and Lord Bunnyton and Ann'da Lando need their little lady right here." He pushes gently on her nose with one finger.
     "...You promise to take me with when I'm older?"
     "When you are old enough, and trained enough, I will take you with me. But that day is years off yet, remember."
     She thinks about this. "So...can I go with when I'm 5?"
     Lando strolls in; he hasn't buttoned his shirt yet, nor brushed his hair; he's heading straight for the coffee and yawning. "I'll be ready in 10 minutes, really..." he mumbles.
     "Mm, how about when you're five decades, I think."
     She pouts. "But that's FOREVER!" she whines.
     "What's the problem?" Lando asks, reaching for a mug.
     Lanth glances up at Lando and says as lightly as he can, "When Faelyria will be old enough to see where I go to work."
     He stops, mug in hand to think about this. "Listen to Ann'da Lanth, little rabbits," referring to both Fae and Lord Bunnyton, of course.
     She frowns and snuggles her bunny. "Are you goin' 'way, too?" she asks Lando.
     "Not today," he replies. "But someone's coming over."
     The surly mood is instantly gone. "Is it a kid? I hope she's nice! Will she play with me?"
     He grins as he pours coffee. "She's not your age, but she IS nice and she might play with you if you ask her nicely."
     "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" she shrieks at sudden high volume, running out of the room in glee. Lando winces briefly at the loud, high-pitched noise, but just sips his coffee.
     Lanth seems immune to the high volume shrieking and he smiles gratefully over at Lando as he straightens up and smoothes out his tabard again, "Does five decades sound old enough to you? Maybe by then the fighting might even be over?"
     Lando snorts. "Fighting'll never be over with Garrosh and Varian running the show. But that puts her close to adulthood, at least. And by next week, she may not even remember it."
     Lanth sighs softly and runs a hand over his face, "Maybe. One can hope that by then the fighting will be over regardless."
     "We can always hope." 
     Faelyria comes back in and throws herself at Lando's legs, wrapping her arms around his thigh. "When will she get here? What's her name?"
     Lando rests a hand on her head. "Her name's Deiana, and she's a little shy, so you have to be Extra Nice to her, okay?"
     She nods earnestly, not letting go of Lando's leg.
     Lanth lightly ruffles Faelyria's hair as he leans in to give Lando a quick kiss on the lips, "I shouldn't be too late tonight, I hope."
     Lando loops his free arm around Lanth's waist to pull him in for a somewhat longer kiss. It's not fierce or possessive, just more like, "hey, wait, I want more of that." He smiles and kisses Lanth's cheek immediately afterwards and loosens his grip on him. "Be careful. I should be back out there to protect you in a few weeks." He grins a little at his "protection" remark.
     Faelyria looks up at her ann'das. "Why does Ann'da Lanth need protexion?"
     Lando lets go of Lanth entirely to squat down so he can look Fae in the eye. "Because Ann'da Lanth has to wear a dress sometimes to heal better, and people want to hurt him because they're jealous of how pretty he looks in it."
     She frowns. "That's Not Fair!" she exclaims. She looks up at Lanth. "You should wear the prettiest dress you want! They're just being meanies!"
     Lanth opens his mouth to correct Lando, or perhaps even scold him for the unnecessary commentary on his wardrobe, but then Faelyria pipes in and he just sighs and can't bring himself to correct her, "How well it amplifies my abilities is not reliant on how pretty it is. It's the magic in it, not the look."
     "You still shouldn't let 'em beat you up," she pouts, hiding behind Lando's leg now. (She is still holding Lord Bunnyton; he's squished up around Lando's leg as well.)
     "That's why I normally go with, to make sure no one hurts him. But I'm going to stay with you for awhile, okay?"
     She looks up at Lando. "Does that mean Ann'da Lanth'll get hurt?" Her lower lip starts to tremble.
     Lando immediately shakes his head. "No, no, no. There are other people with him; we have a guild we belong to, and we have friends who'll look out for us. He'll be fine." He tousles her hair affectionately, and she beams in relief.
     Lanth smiles reassuringly and nods, "I'll be alright; your Ann'da Lando isn't the only one that knows how to protect others, and I'm pretty good at staying out of trouble by myself, too."
     Lando snorts but just drinks his coffee rather than say anything. There's a knock at the door, and it sets Faelyria off squealing again. She runs for the door (which is far too heavy for her to open on her own). Lando just looks at Lanth. 
     "You wanna sneak out the back so Dei doesn't see you and blush herself unconscious, or shall you be bold and go out the front?"
     Lanth arches one brow, "Going out the back would be kinder to Deiana, woudn't it?"
     "Ohhh, probably."
     "OPEN IT OPEN IT OPEN IT..." Faelyria is chanting, bouncing up and down by the front door. Lando takes another swig of coffee and heads for the door.



[And thus Faelyria meets her usual babysitter; for some reason we just stopped this there.]

Later that night...much later than intended

     Lanth trots his mount into the dark stables, taking a short while to put away the saddle and briding and make sure the over-sized bird is comfortable, fed and watered before heading to the house. His armour is covered in patches of the fine black ash of the Firelands, the odd nick here and there that he'll have to tend to in the morning. There's more ash in his hair, staining the pale blonde locks gray, as well as a few smears of it on his face. All in all he's alive and in one piece, but likely on the sore side. He steps as quietly as he can up to the house, trying not to stomp in his heavy plate greaves, and he turns the knob, pushing the door open slowly, not wanting to wake anyone. He expects Lando has long since retired given the hour.
     Lando practically tackle-hugs him as he comes in, though given that Lanth's in plate, he's unlikely to topple over. Lando hugs him as tightly as the armor will allow and says nothing.
     Lanth blinks in surprise and, after a moment, wraps his arms around Lando out of habit and nuzzles his nose into Lando's hair, murmuring softly, "Sorry I am so late, love." He brings up one hand to card his fingers through Lando's silky hair.
     Lando kisses Lanth's sooty cheek before straightening up to look him over. "Are you hurt? What happened? Is everyone okay?"
     Lanth smiles faintly at Lando and leans just a little into him, "Everyone will be alright. It was... a decidedly rough night though. No serious injuries though, just bad luck and stubborn elementals and more of those damned firelizards."
     Lando brushes some ash out of Lanth's hair. "I'll go start a bath for you while you look in on Fae and see if you can get her to go to sleep."
     Lanth frowns faintly, "She's not asleep yet?"
     "I had a hard enough time getting her to go to BED, let alone sleep. I think my worry was contagious, especially for a little girl who just had her mommy walk out the door one day and then not come back."
     Lanth winces a little at the reminder and he nods, leaning in to brush his lips gently over Lando's before murmuring, "I'll go look in on her."
     "And I will get you some water. And maybe the massage oil." He smiles faintly.
     Lanth groans softly as he turns away, "Light, a massage would be so wonderful right now."
     "Go do your fatherly duties first, and then you can have massages all night, okay?"
     Lanth smiles gratefully and replies before heading for the stairs, "I just might hold you to that."
     Lando snorts as he goes to get a bucket. "You think anything less than our little girl would get me to get my hands off you, you are terribly mistaken."
     Lanth manages a soft laugh as he heads upstairs, still smiling at Lando calling Faelyria -their- little girl, and goes straight for his daughter's room.
     She's squeezing Lord Bunnyton tightly - it's a surprise his head hasn't popped off - but she's sitting on her bed, in her nightgown, with the window open a crack. Her eyes dart to the door when it opens, and when she sees it's Lanth, she practically launches herself off the bed, across the room, and throws her arms around one of his legs. "Daddydaddydaddydaddy!" 
     Lanth bends down to scoop her up, forgetting how sooty his armour is for the moment, and holds her so one arm is supporting her bottom and the other is wrapped around her back, careful not to squeeze too tightly since he's still in his plate. He hugs her close and speaks softly, "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm home now."
     She loops her arms around his neck and hugs him for all she's worth. "I don't like it when you're gone so long!" she sniffles.
     Lanth rubs his hands in soothing circles on her back and shushes her gently, "I know, sweetie, but I'm back now, no need to worry."
     "Don't go away again!" she demands.
     "I won't be for a couple days, but I will have to again. It's my duty, to help and heal others in need of it."
     "But...but I don't want you to," she pouts, with another sniffle.
     Lanth pulls away slightly, his arm moving to cup her cheek and his eyes searching for looming tears in her eyes, "I know you don't, but it's not fair of me to ignore my duty, to not do what's right." He tries to smile gently, "Ann'da Lando doesn't like it either, but he understands that I have to."
     "Why can't OTHER people do that?" Her eyes are a little moist.
     "But other people do. We all have to help out in our own way." He crosses over to the bed and settles down on it but continues holding his daughter, "I have a gift for being talented at healing, but it doesn't help anyone if I keep it all to myself when I could be using it to help other daddies get home to their own little girls."
     She ponders this in an unhappy way. "But I don't want you to be dead like Mommy." She sniffles as just one tear breaks free.
     Lanth bites his lip and runs the pad of his thumb gently over her cheek, catching the tear and rubbing it away. It takes him a moment to find his voice and, when he finally does, he has trouble keeping it level because of the growing tightness in his throat, "I won't be, I promise I won't."
     She looks up at him, wide-eyed and trembly-lipped. "PROMISE?"
     "I promise." He pushes her hair back and presses a kiss to her forehead before repeating it, "I promise."
     She sniffles once and then nods before yawning. Lord Bunnyton is face down on the bed behind her (where he got abandoned during her mad rush to hug her daddy again).
     Lanth shifts on the bed, turning so he can lay her gently down on the bed and making sure Lord Bunnyton is snugged up to her side, "You need to get to sleep now, okay? It's too late for even me to be up, let alone little girls and their bunnies."
     "Okay," she mumbles sleepily, snuggling up to her bunny. "G'night, ann'da." She starts to open her eyes again. "I forgot to say g'night to Ann'da Lando..."
     Lanth smiles down at her and pulls the covers up to her chin, making sure she's tucked in, "I'll go get him, okay?"
     "Okay." She yawns again.
     He plants another kiss on her forehead and doubechecks that she has Lord Bunnyton close and is tucked in properly, all snug and warm. "I'll be right back with Ann'da Lando."
     "Love you," she murmurs sleepily.
     Lanth replies without missing a beat, "I love you, too." He blinks, hesitating a moment before standing looking down at his young daughter. He blinks again rapidly, trying to fight back another swell of emotion in himself, and then turns to tiptoe out of the room.
     In the bedroom, Lando's got the bath ready to go with Lanth's favorite salts. He's also shirtless and readying the massage oil. He looks up. "She asleep?"
     Lanth nods and clears his throat quietly, "She wanted to say good night to you, but I think she was out before I reached the door."
     Lando smiles. "I'll go check on her again, to be sure." His smile falters a little. "You okay, love?"
     Lanth smiles faintly and nods again, glancing back at Lando after a moment, "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He smiles a shade wider and steps a little farther into the room.
     "Okay. You better be in that bath when I get back." He kisses Lanth's cheek as he steps close.
     Lanth takes advantage of Lando being close to him and he wraps him in a sudden hug, burying his face in the hunter's hair again and inhaling deeply.
     Lando blinks and wraps his arms around Lanth. "You're not okay."
     Lanth keeps his face buried in Lando's hair, his voice muffled when he speaks again, "I promised her I wouldn't end up dead, like her mother."
     Lando winces, since Lanth can't see it. He tries to add some levity to his voice when he replies with, "Oh, sure, you'll promise HER that but not ME?" He forces a smile.
     "How can I promise something like that? To anyone? But she was so scared something had happened to me, and she's so young."
     "It'll be fine," Lando reassures him, petting his hair. "She's too young to have understood anything else you could have said."
     Lanth nods faintly and squeezes Lando tightly, "I know." He hangs on another moment before loosening his arms a bit and straightening up again, "You should go check on her, I need to get out of this armour."
     "Yes. And quickly. You're overdue for a bath." He eyes Lanth up and down as he straightens up and then realizes his pajama pants have some soot and ash on them. "Did you hug her in that armor?" He arches an eyebrow.
     Lanth eyes the soot on Lando's pants somewhat guiltily admits, "Yes."
     Lando sighs. "I'm going to have to wash her nightgown AND the sheets and probably give Lord Bunnyton a bath tomorrow." He steps away and shoves Lanth lightly (and ineffectually) towards the full bathtub. "Go! I'll go see what a mess you've made of her room." He smiles at Lanth briefly though before returning his face to Stern Daddy mode.
     Lanth shuffles his feet a little and manages a sheepish little grin before marching over to his armour stand and beginning to divest himself of his sooty armour.
     "You're cleaning that armor off tomorrow, too," Lando comments. "OUTSIDE." He heads out to see to Fae.
     Lanth just sighs and continues hanging the filthy plates up, muttering quietly once Lando's left, "Like I have the energy to do it tonight anyway." Once his armour is assembled on the rack and his dirty clothes are tossed sqaurely in the hamper he gladly sinks himself into the hot bath, groaning softly at the heat and leaning his head back to rest on the lips of the tub, eyes closed.



[Note: My bad in timing here. Kat tells Arad that Lanth left to go pick Fae up. She gives Arad a map and a change of clothes and sends him off with the care package. That all reads like he's going straight from the Manor to Dawnfield on the first day of Fae's arrival. That clearly doesn't work with what's written, so I will assume that Arad went home instead and then came out another day.]


The next morning

     It's mid-afternoon when Arad arrives, trotting up on his 'strider and dismounting easily, one hand keeping a hold on the reins as he looks around at his son's new home. After a few moments of this, he spies the stable around the side of the main house and he heads that way first to tie off his 'strider, handing it an apple out of the saddlebag (and taking care he doesn't get his fingers nipped in the process), and heading for the door with Talya's care package.
     A large dragonhawk swoops up and puts itself between Arad and the back door. It screeches loudly at Arad and hovers warily.
     Arad stops dead and looks warily back at the dragonhawk; it doesn't look as liable to try and cook him as his sister's, but he still doesn't fully trust it. He smiles faintly and offers out a friendly, "Hey there, just a friendly visitor, I promise."
     The door opens behind it and Lando comes rushing out. "Whoa, whoa, Duskwing, what's..." He stops when he sees what's riled the 'hawk. "Arad!" He grins and comes over, hand extended. He's in a blue cloth shirt and black leather pants, barefoot and with his sleeves rolled up and hair pulled back. 
     Arad grins and he accepts Lando's hand in a firm shake, "Lando, how have you been? Good, I hope, if you're sequestered away here with my son." He adopts a rather stern look suddenly, "And what's this about a granddaughter?"
     Lando's smile widens. "She is ADORABLE. You have to come meet her. Her name's Faelyria, she has Lanth's hair, she's so precious." Duskwing decides to fly off again now that her master's okayed the stranger. "She'll introduce you to her bunny herself. She's a little shy but she really does like meeting new people; she warms up to them real quickly..." Ah, the babbling of a proud father.
     Arad grins widely and gestures to the little care package he's brought along, "I'm eager to meet her, and Talya has sent along a care package for you three."
     Lando holds the door for Arad. "I'll be interested to see what's in it."
     Inside, in the middle of the floor, sits little Faelyria, cross-legged, with her stuffed bunny in her lap. She's in a green dress with purple flowers on it. She is coloring with wax crayons on paper and is surrounded by finished drawings: flowers, a drawing of Lord Bunnyton (with a carrot), and, currently, she has a picture of the house and she is drawing stick figures inside the house to represent her family. She looks up when she sees Lando come in and immediately drops her crayons and hugs her bunny when she sees there's someone else with him.
     "Don't worry, little bunnies; this is Ann'da Lanth's ann'da." He smiles. "His name is Arad. Arad, this is Faelyria." She peers over Lord Bunnyton's head up at Arad.
     Arad smiles warmly and crouches down to see Faelyria from her own level, "Nice to meet you, Miss Faelyria, how are you this fine day?"
     She considers him over the top of her bunny's head. "You're Ann'da Lanth's ann'da?" she asks quietly, rather than answer the question.
     Lando shuts the door and goes over to the bucket of water by the washtub filled with sheets (and a nightgown). He has them in the room not far from where Fae's sitting.
     Arad nods and smiles a little wider as his granddaughter reminds him of his son at that age, "That's right, I am. You know you look a bit like him when he was your age."
     "What was he like when he was a kid?" she asks, still quietly.
     Arad plops himself down on the floor beside her, getting comfy, "He was shy when he was about your age, very quiet. He'd left his mother to come live in Quel'thalas, and even had to learn our language, so he was sometimes very confused. He'd get very quiet when that happened, and he'd hide behind this stuffed fox he had, he carried it everywhere with him."
     She lowers her bunny enough that Arad can see her wide smile. "What was the fox's name?!" she asks, on the edge of giggling.
     Arad grins at her and replies, "Sir Wilhelm Foxton, Knight of the Silver Hand, though sometimes he'd just call him Squiggles. Not sure why; he wasn't a very squiggly-looking fox." This last part said in all seriousness.
     Fae dissolves into giggles, stifling them in her bunny's head. She looks up at Arad and holds the bunny up towards him so he can get a good look; she also extends one of the bunny's "paws" towards him. "This is Lord Malcolm Bunnyton the Third Exquire. I call him Snuggle but you can't call him that," she informs him solemnly.
     Arad solemnly shakes the bunny's paw and greets him, "Nice to meet you, Lord Malcolm Bunnyton the Third Esquire, whom I may not call Snuggle."
     She giggles again.
     Lando, washing sheets, smiles over at the two of them. "Lanth should be home soon; he had to get his armor taken care of." 
     Arad glances over at Lando with one brow arched, "I see. He never could get the hang of mending his own armour."
     Lando shrugs. "I can only repair my own because I've worked hard at learning it." He continues laundering. 
     "Do you want to color?" Faelyria asks Arad.
     Arad smiles and looks down at Faelyria's crayons, "Sure, what colours do you like using? I've always been fond of greens and golds myself."
     "I like purple. And. Um. ALL of them." She squeezes Lord Bunnyton to her. "You can't be green 'cause Ann'da Lando is green." She points at her picture. "Ann'da Lanth," drawn in pink crayon. "Ann'da Lando," drawn in green. "Me," drawn in purple, and "Lord Bunnyton," drawn in orange. "He's orange 'cause he eats carrots and 'cause I was already purple."  
     Arad smiles a little and picks a red crayon, "How about red then?"
     "Um." She looks at her crayons and picks up yellow. "I can make you gold 'cause you said you like gold. I'll put you over here, by Ann'da Lanth. He is pink 'cause Ann'da Lando said he should be."
     Over at the washtub, Lando snickers to himself quietly.
     Arad smiles widely and nods in agreement, "Yellow would be lovely, dear."
     "It's GOLD," she insists, and starts drawing Arad into the picture. 
     Lando gathers up the wet sheets. "I'll be out back, hanging the laundry. Will you be okay with your grampa, Fae?"
     She nods. "Yes. We are coloring!" she asserts without taking her eyes off the paper.
     Arad grins and nods his agreement, " Gold it is then. He slides a blank piece paper over to himself and uses the red crayon to start sketching out a bird of prey in flight. It's not particularly good, but it's... mostly recognizable.
     "Whatcha drawin'?" she asks, peering over at his paper (because stick figures don't take long to draw).
     Arad ponders his little doodle critically, "A falcon. It's a type of bird."
     "Is it pretty?!"
     "I always thought so. They have very good eyes, the Truesight family uses them on the family crest, in gold with a green background."
     "Ooohhhh." She watches him draw. "It should be pink too, then!"
     Arad chuckles at this and he finishes his little doodle by circling the falcon and setting down the crayon, "It can be whatever colour you'd like."
     "Pink! and Purple!" she insists, reaching for those crayons. She pauses for a moment and looks up at Arad. "Ann'da Lanth is a pallydim and Ann'da Lando's a hunter. What do YOU do, Grampa?"
     "I'm a Spell-breaker, a special type of elven warrior. Most of us are stationed on the Isle of Quel'danas, with the Sunwell."
     "The Sunwell?" she pipes up, forgetting the picture for a moment, though the hand not clutching Lord Bunnyton is firmly gripping crayons. "Is it pretty? Can I see it?"
     Arad smiles and reaches over to ruffle Fae's hair, "Maybe I can get you in to see it sometime. It's very pretty, very bright. A naaru named Mu'ru helped to light it again a few years ago, doing a great service for all Blood elves."
     "Ooooooooooooooooooooooh! Mommy told me about Naaru! Do they REALLY sound like windchimes?"
     Arad chuckles at this, "I always thought so. They even sort of look like them as well, I think. They're incredibly powerful, benevolent beings. They helped our people in our greatest hour of need."
     "Oooooohh. They are GOOD windchime-people."
     "Indeed they are."
     "I want to see one!"
     "I think you will someday. Your father has a few friends out in Shattrath still, maybe next time he goes out there he'll bring you."
     "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she shrieks with joy. She turns to color in Arad's falcon. "I wanna see ALL the things: the Naaru and the Sunwell and the Dragons. And I wanna tell Deafwing to stop being such a poopy-head!"
     Arad winces a little at the shrieking but smiles nonetheless, "There are a great many people that want to tell him just that."
     "Ann'da Lando says Garrosh is a bigger poopy-head than Deafwing but he says Deafwing is evil and mean and wants to hurt everyone. So maybe I'll tell Garrosh to stop being a poopy-head first 'cause I'm only still a little girl."
     Arad smiles at the mental picture of this tiny little girl telling the warchief just what she thinks of him, "Garrosh is far away from here though, in the orc city of Orgrimmar. That's a long way for a little girl to go."
     "I will get Ann'da Lando to take me," she says confidently.
     "Just be sure to ask him nicely, dear."
     "Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"
     Lando comes back in with an empty washbasket. Fae scrambles to her feet and over to him. "Ann'da Lando, I wanna go to Orcrimmar and tell Garrosh to stop being a poopy-head but I need you to take me and Grampa said to ask nice so pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaassse?" She is all smiles.
     Lando blinks at her, then returns the smile. "You can't go to Orgrimmar, little bunny."
     Her face falls. "Why not?" she pouts.
     "Because there are no cookies in Orgrimmar. But there ARE cookies here, that Ann'da Lanth made the other day. And also carrots." He picks her up and tosses her over one shoulder.
     She shrieks in surprise then squeals and laughs, kicking her little feet ineffectually. "Cookies! Cookies! And carrots for Lord Bunnyton 'cause he has been a very good bunny!"
     "Yes, yes he has." Lando stops by Arad. "So, what's in the package from the Commander? Or should I wait until certain young bunnies are in bed first?"
     Arad laughs at this and starts gathering up the crayons spread all over the floor, "That's very important; little girls need their cookies to function."
     Lando carts Fae off to the dining room, gets her situated with cookies, carrots and milk, and then comes back to help Arad clean up (though by this point, it's probably mostly done). "Thank you for looking after her while I got the washing done."
     Arad has indeed finished cleaning up, he's just finishing shuffling through Fae's drawings when Lando returns, "My pleasure. She reminded me a little of Lanth at first, but she's much more outgoing than he was." He smiles a little, "He wouldn't have put the stuffed toy down at all."
     Lando smiles. "I told you she warms to people quickly. So, what'd the Commander send us, and is it something I have to hide from little girls?" he asks, nodding at the package.
     Arad shrugs and places the drawings on an end table, "No idea. The maid finished packing it, I believe. I'm just Talya's delivery boy."
     "Hrm." Lando sneaks a quick peek over his shoulder back towards the dining room, then goes to open the package quickly, before curious little girls can ask about its contents. "Um, I'm sorry you had to find out from the Commander. Lanth wanted to write to you, but I convinced him to take her up on the offer. She was offering a rather outrageous sum just to be able to tell you first, and...well, we have a little girl to look after now."
     Arad just sighs and shakes his head, "She's a terrible, meddlesome woman, I swear. She only wanted to see if I'd spit out my tea when she sprung it on me."
     Lando tries to keep a straight face as he inquires, "Did you?" 
     "That is neither here nor there, now what is in this package, hm?"
     Lando snickers, considering that his answer. He opens the package.
     There's a tin of loose tea (the same flavor Arad spit halfway across the room, actually), some assorted flavor scones (wrapped in cheesecloth), a stoppered vial of pink bubble bath, a rubber ducky, and a paper-wrapped package that has tops and bottoms suitable for a 4 year old girl: three shirts (a white one with a rainbow embroidered on it, a lavendar one with a pink and white butterfly, and a blue one with the Steelbound logo on the front and back, large and in white), two pairs of cloth pants (one black and one brown) and a pretty purple skirt. There's a note:

Dear boys,

Thought you could use some of these. Dei made the Steelbound t-shirt, 
so your little girl could be part of the guild, too. Also try the tea; 
I'm sure Arad can tell you what a nice flavor it has.

~Katalya

     "Very child appropriate, it would seem," Arad observed.

[And that is where that ended. There is, of course, more of Faelyria being adorable, but this is all the Relevant-to-Fae's-Arrival stuff I could find!]