They were a party who made a living off hunting down lower-ranked dungeons, so they basically lived most of their lives on the road in search of these dungeons, and only returned home when they happened to be within the kingdom.
Rakan nodded affirmatively, and then he and Ingrid began making their way down one of the winding streets.
Then Tam said, "I’ll be off as well, Alaric. Need to check on Old Esy."
"See yer around, lad," Alaric said, and Tam nodded. He then took one look at Aiden and said, "I hope this place treats you much better," before heading out down another street.
Aiden had no words except to watch as Tam rode out into one of the many winding streets, disappearing into the bustling evening activity of Xathia.
Alaric and Aiden rode through one of the winding streets until they arrived at a medium-sized house with an upper floor. The house was made of several stones and wood, this was Alaric’s own home.
"Welcome to me humble home, posh lad," Alaric said with pride in his voice.
They both dismounted from the horse, and Alaric pulled it by the bridle as he slowly walked into his premises.
Alaric’s home compound was quite spacious for a house in the lower end of the city. However, it made perfect sense given that he earned far more than most other common townspeople.
Both his daughters, no more than five years old, were playing with wooden toys when they saw their father enter. One immediately called out, "Papa is back!" with pure glee on her face and excitement in her voice.
They both ran toward their father with excitement written all over their faces.
Alaric went down on one knee and spread both arms wide for his daughters to fall into.
"My princesses!" Alaric said, just as excited to see them as they were to see him. Both girls fell into either side of his arms, and he lifted them up with a wide grin on his face.
"Papa, you smell funny," Mira said, wrinkling her nose as she pulled her head back slightly. Well, his outfits were still the same ones from the dungeon, so it made sense. Mira had curly brown hair.
"That’s because Papa’s been fighting monsters, right?" Kira said, looking at her father with wide eyes. Her black hair framed her small face perfectly.
"Aye, that’s right, little one. Papa had to see off some nasty beasts," Alaric replied.
Without waiting for more explanation, Mira asked eagerly, "Papa, how many of the beasts did you slay?"
Aiden watched quietly from behind with an amused expression on his face at this lovely sight before him.
"Your papa killed the strongest ones!" Alaric announced proudly.
His daughters squealed in excitement, and at this point, Alaric turned around toward Aiden and said, "Girls, meet me new mate. Lad helped us batter those monsters."
"Ooh! Did you use a big sword like Papa?" Kira asked excitedly, bouncing in her father’s arms.
"No, actually I used magic," Aiden said with a warm smile on his face.
Both girls gasped dramatically.
"Magic?!" Mira exclaimed, her eyes growing wide.
"Real magic?!" Kira followed immediately after.
Aiden nodded affirmatively, and it was as if their excitement had doubled instantly.
Alaric heard footsteps approaching from behind, which made him turn around while still holding both his girls.
These were both of his wives, Elara and Nessa, approaching with warm smiles on their faces. Nessa had blonde hair and Elara had black hair, and both had pale, beautiful skin.
Nessa was Mira’s mother, and Elara was Kira’s mother. Interestingly, Mira had inherited her father’s brown hair color rather than her mother’s blonde.
"Welcome home, husband," the taller woman said warmly, and this was Nessa.
"We weren’t expecting you back so soon," Elara added, her voice equally welcoming.
Alaric set his daughters down gently and walked over to embrace both his wives.