Katerina couldn't help but chuckle despite their dire situation. "She's not wrong, you know. You've been quite the guardian angel."
Jolthar's face flushed red, a stark contrast to his usual stoic demeanour. "I... that's not... I mean..."
His flustered response only made Yanna giggle, her earlier distress forgotten. "Funny papa," she declared, snuggling closer to him.
Katerina's laughter joined her niece's. "Well, it seems you've been drafted into the family, 'Papa' Jolthar."
Jolthar felt flustered hearing a grown woman call her papa.
Jolthar grumbled good-naturedly but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. It had been a long time since he'd felt such simple, uncomplicated affection.
As they neared Stormholme Keep, Jolthar's expression grew serious once more. "Katerina, you and Yanna will be safe here for now."
Katerina nodded, her own expression filled with gratitude. "Thank you; we won't stay for much longer, and I will leave as soon as I hear from my sister."
The imposing gates of Stormholme Keep loomed before them, a promise of temporary sanctuary in a world that had suddenly become far more dangerous and complex than Jolthar had ever imagined.
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The next few days at Stormholme Keep passed in a whirlwind of activity. While messengers were discreetly sent to contact the Blue Rose Seraglio, Jolthar found himself in the unexpected role of protector and playmate to young Yanna.
Despite his initial awkwardness, Jolthar found himself warming to the child's innocent affection. Yanna, for her part, seemed to have decided that Jolthar was her new favourite person in the world.
One sunny afternoon found them in the keep's gardens, Jolthar attempting to meditate while Yanna clambered all over him like he was her personal climbing frame.
"Papa Jolthar!" she squealed, hanging upside down from his arm. "Play swords!"
Jolthar cracked open one eye, trying and failing to maintain his serious demeanour. "Yanna, I'm trying to focus."
Yanna's face scrunched up in concentration, clearly trying to mimic Jolthar's meditative pose. She managed to stay still for all five seconds before dissolving into giggles and launching herself at him again.
From a nearby bench, Katerina watched the scene with a mixture of amusement and melancholy.
"She's never had a father figure before," she said softly. "It's good to see her so happy, especially after everything that's happened."
Jolthar, now resigned to being a human jungle gym, nodded thoughtfully. "She's a remarkable child. I've never seen anyone so resilient."
As if to prove his point, Yanna chose that moment to attempt a somersault off Jolthar's shoulders.
He caught her just in time, swinging her around and eliciting peals of delighted laughter.
"Papa strong!" Yanna declared, hugging Jolthar tightly around the neck.
Jolthar felt a warmth bloom in his chest, a feeling so foreign and yet so welcome that it almost scared him. He had spent so long focused solely on honing his skills, on becoming the perfect warrior, that he had forgotten what it felt like to simply be... human.
The feeling that little one's life depended on him made him terrified, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of purpose and fulfilment that he had never experienced before. Seeing Yanna giggle around him raised a question in his mind: Will he be able to have a family of his own in this world?
Right from the moment when he decided to live as Jolthar, he abandoned the thought of family and feelings; he solely focused on the sword and the training, and it helped him tremendously.