The Axe of Welcome

“So, did you miss us, Elias?” Karen asked.

“Yes. Very much.” I answered with a stern look and firm confidence. After all, they were all I worried about. Having heard of their deaths countless times, it had broken me deeply. But now that they were here, alive and close, I felt as if I were in seventh heaven.

“Oh. I see…” Karen turned her head away, cheeks tinged pink, her teasing backfiring.

“Say aahhh.” Alice held out a grape. Out of habit, I leaned forward and ate it, a reflex born from Clara’s daily care in my past recovery.

Father gave me a sharp glance, then smirked. “I did not expect you to be such a player, Elias.”

“Father! What are you saying!?” I shouted, face red with embarrassment. Alice and Karen giggled at the remark, while Father only smiled warmly, watching his daughters laugh so freely.

“By the way, Father, where are you taking us?”

“Oh, that?” He turned to the window, a mysterious glint in his eyes. “That’s a secret.”

The rest of the journey passed quietly. Father scribbled through his documents until finally resting his head and dozing off. Relieved, Alice and Karen leaned against me, drifting into a peaceful sleep at my shoulders. Soon enough, I followed them into slumber.

"!"

The wyvern slowed, wings beating harder as it adjusted its descent. My eyes opened, and I caught Father’s nod. It was time to prepare. Alice and Karen still slept soundly, so I pulled them gently into my arms to keep them from hitting the carriage walls as we dipped lower.

Outside the window, a wide blue lake sparkled like polished glass, sunlight dancing across its surface. Tall evergreens lined the shores, their dark branches swaying in the breeze. Birds skimmed the water, leaving ripples behind, and nestled among the trees was a large wooden house, sturdy and quiet, as if set apart from the rest of the world.

“Here we are!” Father announced proudly.

I nudged Alice and Karen awake. They groaned, smiled in their half-dreaming state, and I whispered in their ears, “Alice. Karen.”

They jolted upright, blushes rushing to their cheeks.

“Elias! Don’t do that!” Alice scolded, covering her ears.

“Yeah, don’t, Elias. Not without our permission!” Karen added, flustered.

“Alright, alright…” I sighed, defeated. “It’s time to leave.”

“Great!” Alice latched onto my arm again, Karen onto the other, both smiling widely. 

We stepped down from the wyvern carriage. The fresh scent of pine embraced us, cool and fragrant. Alice and Karen ran ahead to the lake, kneeling to scoop water into their palms. They drank, faces glowing as they turned back toward me.

“Come drink, Elias, the water is good!”

I hesitated. Was the lake water really safe?

— And yes, water does have a taste, I don’t care what anyone says.

I knelt and tried it myself. Refreshing. Crisp. Like drinking pure morning air.

“Kids, time to head in,” Father called.

“Yes!” we answered together in unison, our voices overlapping.

"..."

As we drew nearer to the wooden house, the banners of Vandrelis came into view, fluttering faintly in the breeze. Another property of the Vandrelis Family? Just how many more were hidden across the land?

To the right of the house sat an old woman on a tree stump. Her hair was silver, but her face still held youthful sharpness, framed by strength rather than frailty. She wore boots, trousers, and a simple fitted shirt, an axe balanced casually across her shoulder. Piles of freshly cut logs were stacked neatly at her feet. Her arms were muscular, her posture unyielding, a woman carved from the same wood she split.

“Grandma!” Alice and Karen cried, dashing forward.

The old woman’s stern expression softened. She threw the axe aside, opened her arms wide, and caught them both in a firm, warm embrace.

"!"

Wait… that’s our grandma?

I turned to Father for confirmation. His jaw tightened, and he looked visibly uneasy. We quickened our pace towards her.

"..."

The moment her gaze locked on Father, her eyes narrowed. She rose from the stump, marched over and...

Smacked him squarely on the head with her fist.

“AGH!” Father winced, clutching his scalp.

“You foolish son of mine! Ten years without visiting me, and you dare to show your face now?”

“I—I’m sorry, Mother! Political affairs kept me busy, I swear!” Father pleaded, trying to calm her wrath.

So… that was Father’s mother. Our grandmother. But she didn’t resemble the frail old woman I had imagined. Living out here, chopping logs, muscles of iron, she was definitely someone no sane man would dare underestimate.

Then her eyes fell on me. Curious. Calculating. After all, she hadn’t seen Father in ten years, and I was only born ten years ago. It was likely that this was indeed the first time she had ever seen me.

“And who’s this fine young man?” she asked, glancing at Father. “He looks just like you. Which wife bore him?”

Father froze, unable to answer. Of course, neither of my stepmothers, Katherine nor Seraphine, had borne me. My mother was a maid, unknown even now.

Grandmother frowned, then smacked Father again.

“You irresponsible fool! You’d better take care of him properly.” She turned to me and bowed lightly. “I’m sorry, young man. Your father is as reckless as ever. Not how I raised him. But you...” her eyes softened, “...you are my grandson too.”

Warmth filled me at her words. Despite my birth, she accepted me without hesitation.

“AGH!” Father yelped as she struck him a third time. Alice and Karen burst into laughter, and even I joined in, seeing such a spectacle.

“Come on inside,” Grandmother said, gesturing toward the wooden house. The log walls gleamed with fresh polish, smoke curling faintly from the chimney. Despite the seclusion, there was a quiet strength here, as though the forest itself guarded her home. And judging from her physique and sharp presence, it was clear she didn’t need guarding. Instead, she guards you. 

Grandmother looked back at me. “So, little one, what’s your name? How old are you?”

Alice answered before I could. “He’s Elias, Grandma. My precious little brother.”

“Our dearest one,” Karen added, smiling.

“Ohoho, I see.” Grandmother chuckled. “You are well loved, aren’t you, Elias?”

“A-aha…” I scratched my cheek, smiling awkwardly.

“It’s a shame this foolish son of mine never invited me to your birth,” she said, giving Father a glare. “But seeing you now, it’s like looking at him when he was young.”

She opened the door, waving us in. “Right then. Let me offer you some tea.”