Adore Ch 44 (Patreon)

“Frank.”

“Mr. Snifflesworth the First.” 

“Pepper.”

“Finley Ash Owen.” 

“Tomtom.” 

“Hokage Hubert the Bold.” 

“Nibbles.” 

It was readily apparent that Bastian and I had wildly different naming conventions. All of his were grandiose and mine were superior in their simplicity. We’d been back and forth, on and off all afternoon and passed dinner. Our adventures had set us back, and I’d pushed us a bit hard to make up for it - still, the sun was fading fast, and we were going to barely make it back before night fall. 

“If we name him Mr. Snifflesworth the first,” I countered, bringing back an earlier name, “Can I call him Sniffles?” 

The capybara chuffed. 

“See,” I exclaimed, “He doesn’t mind.” 

The capybara chuffed a second time, and then closed its eyes contentedly. The creature probably didn’t even notice my question for what it was, but that didn’t stop me from using its well timed noise to prove my point. 

“That’s Mr Sniffles,” Bastian replied. It seemed like we had finally come to an agreement.

“It’s probably best not to name the creature at all, since it will be going back soon,” Lish pointed out, the maid riding behind us. 

“I’m throwing my earlier plan out the window.” I announced, “Even I’m not cruel enough to send the brothers into that mess.” I added as an aside, “Besides, they’d probably abandon the capybara and go off chasing the Golden Goose by themselves.” 

“Not true, miss,” Lish countered, “We both know that Herb would get stuck sitting with Mr. Snifflesworth the First, while Bark ran off to join the search.” 

She was right. 

“Either way,” I said, “There’s no sense trying to return Mr Sniffles now. I’m sure my father will be too distracted with other things to pay him any mind.” 

Like a tall armor-clad drakin come to ask for my hand in marriage.

“We’ll see about that.” Lish said ominously. I ignored her and turned to Bastian, who was otherwise distracted.

“Do you hear that Mr Sniffleworth the First?” He spoke softly to the content capybara, scratching the creature behind one ear. “Your adventure continues! Let’s see if the Fern’s have any delicious tubers for you.”

“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of snacks ready,” I smiled freely at the sight, “You can see Fern in just a second, when we round that corner.” 

I pointed down the path where the road shifted from packed dirt forest path to city road. Sumbrian’s lived in the trees of the great forest - and it was hard to know when one area of the forest met another, unless you were familiar with the quirks of each noble family. Maple likes to add woven branch fences to the sides of the roads. The Oak elves carefully swept fallen leaves off the paths to protect the bugs and butterflies that nested in the fallen foliage. Fern was known for having decorated cobblestone streets, paved to help wagons carrying produce to Arbutus Ridge Port on the west coast. 

Each white stone in the territory was engraved with fern leaves. They were beautiful, and a welcome home that made me choke up to see them. 

Unfortunately, the road wasn’t the only thing that was white today. 

“... Does it usually snow in Fern?” Bastian asked with a polite voice, showing only a hint of concern.

“No.” I stated, nudging my horse into a gallop, “I think something's wrong with Father.”

Worry pushed me forward, leaving the two behind in my race towards home. 

The snow fall was delicate and slow, but everything was covered in an inch of powder. It had been snowing for a while. 

My fears solidified when I reached the clearing and saw Oak Lilly on the hill. The open area was used to cultivate vegetables and medicine for the county, but no one was out caring for gardens in this weather. 

Oak Lilly She was the oldest tree in the area, situated on a small rise, her thirty large roots stretching out protectively. The people of Fern lived in homes built in the space between her limbs, while my home magically wove through the upper tree itself.

Frost covered Lilly in a layer of ice crystals that gleaned gently in the fading light. 

“Countess!” The head butler, Malory, hurried down the outdoor main staircase, meeting me on the ground between two of Lilly’s roots. Lanterns with hanging glowing orbs lit up the path up to the stairs. “Thank the gods you’re safe!” 

“What’s happened?” I asked, dismounting and abandoning my horse to rush past him up the stairs, “Where is my father?” 

“I’ve sent Magenta to inform him that you’re here,” Malory said, following me back up the twenty paces to the main entrance, “it’s been–”

“Peregrine!” Count Valin burst out the front door in a panic. There were tears in his eyes when he saw me. Then my father, the calmest, the stoic, the most stiff elf in the Queendom, burst into tears and swept me up into a fierce hug. “You’re home.” 

The snowfall stopped and the sky cleared, the last orange rays of sunset bursting over few remaining clouds before the whole clearing was bathed in the shadows of dusk.

“Father–” I tentatively wrapped my arms around him, and he squeezed me harder, taking away my breath. It took a second to draw breath again and ask, “Father, what’s happened? Are you alright?”

“Me?” He ground out, finally pulling away and racking his eyes over me. “What about you? How did you escape? Quick, we should get you out of sight before– too late. By the Blessing of the Undergrowth Shade, [Conceal].” 

The spell wrapped around me, hiding me from sight so that any who looked my way would only see the shadows of Lilly’s root. It was a limited ability, requiring that I remain inside the shadows to stay hidden, but I could move freely without detection if I stayed in the darkness. 

Bastian and Lishinia were riding up the path, slower to account for Mr Sniffles. 

Father frowned, “They have Lishinia. Go, and I’ll deal with this.” 

“But–”

“Trust me, sweetpea.” He cut me off, and startled me when he added my childhood nickname “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. Now go, before more of them arrive!” 

The snow that had disappeared only a moment before magically came back as my father turned on Bastian and Lish and released the full force of his aura their way. 

“This way, miss!” Malory tried to hurry me, even as my father stepped in front of me.

“Halt!” Father’s voice boomed out over the clearing, the force of it coupled with an [Aura] blast that hit a tall ice shield Bastian summoned to protect the capybara. Any cold from Bastian’s ability was better than the blast. [Aura] was used as a warning for most people, but Mr Sniffles could have been hurt. 

“Wait–,” I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling my father back around to face me. “No one else is arriving! There are no pursuers." I felt my cheeks flush as I stated, loudly. “That’s Knight Commander Bastian of Peldeep… my fiance.”