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The Swoop was finally in sight, and George gave an inward sigh of relief. No more parties and grand dinners, and making nice with noble folk who hadn't really forgiven him for the Lower City accent that he couldn't always keep out of his voice, while he waited for Jonathan to have a free moment so that he could deliver his report. Of course, he didn't always try as hard as he could to squash that patois. Nothing wrong with shaking folk up a little from time to time. Besides—he was showing solidarity with the Lord Provost. Them of the City should stick together, after all.
But none of that mattered right now, because he was home. He slowed his horse to a walk and pulled to a stop just inside the stable, and tossed the reins to one of the lads there. Ordinarily, he'd have cared for Cardamom himself, but he'd been away for what seemed like an age, and he was anxious to see how the little ones were getting on. It had only been a few weeks, and the boys were well enough, but Aly was turning into a spitfire.
Like her mother.
George sighed a little as he made his way toward the keep. Alanna would be gone for a few weeks more at minimum, dealing with the mess at the Scanran border, and he missed her sorely. He knew she was home as often as she could be, but that didn't make her absences any less difficult to bear. He almost laughed at himself. It was a hard thing when the love of your life was almost as important to the rest of the world as she was to you.
There was a flurry of motion at the door to the keep and a bright figure raced toward him. He put out his arms just in time to catch his youngest and only daughter as she threw herself at him.
"Da!" she shrieked happily as he swung her around. "You're back! It's been ages and ages since you left and me an' Alan an' Thom all missed you so much!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a loud kiss in his cheek before pulling back to smile sweetly at him. "Is Ma coming home, too?"
"Sorry love," he said with a little smile. "Your ma won't be home for another few weeks."
Aly gave a heavy sigh and nodded solemnly while her brothers and Maude came out to greet him at a somewhat more reserved pace. Thom and Alan broke away and ran the rest of the distance toward him, wrapping their arms around him. He smiled and shifted Aly to one arm so that he could put the other around his boys' shoulders. "Have you three been behaving yourselves?" he asked, his voice mock-stern.
"We did!" Alan said cheerfully. "Maude said so! She said we were really good!"
"Is Ma home, too?" Thom asked hopefully.
Aly shook her head, looking down at him. "Da said not for a few more weeks."
"She's all right, though, isn't she?" Alan asked, looking up at George.
He smiled a little and nodded. "Yes, she's just fine. You know your ma."
All three children grinned. "She's the Lioness," Alan said proudly. "Nothing can hurt her."
And how often did George wish that were true? He ruffled the boy's hair, deciding to let the words stay. Alanna was a hero, after all—to the rest of the land, as well as to their children. Let them go on thinking she couldn't be hurt for a little while longer, though… he saw in Thom's eyes that he knew better. And so he should. He'd have more memory than the younger two of the injuries his mother had come home with sometimes.
"Did you bring us anything?" Aly asked hopefully. "I finished my book ages ago, and I've been so bored, Da!"
George looked at Aly in surprise. "So soon?"
"She finished it yesterday morning," Maude said dryly. "She's been at it nonstop since you left for Corus."
"Well, I'll have to check over it then, won't I?" he said, setting her down again. He eyed his three children thoughtfully. "Presents, is it? I don't know. Have you three been good enough to deserve presents?"
"We have!" Aly insisted. "Maude said! Right, Maude?" she said, turning to look at the older woman. "You told Alan we were good, and he told Da, and we really were good, right?"
She laughed and reached to muss Aly's hair. "Yes, love. You really were good."
George smiled down at them. "Well, if you really have been that good, I suppose you might've earned your presents." He unslung his pack from his shoulder and reached in to pull out three wrapped parcels. One was long and narrow, and this he handed to Alan. The other two were smaller, square, and flat. He handed one each to Aly and to Thom.
Aly and Alan each tore the wrappings away from their gifts in their excitement to see what George had brought them, while Thom carefully unfolded the paper that covered his own present. His eyes lit up when he saw the cover of the book within. "Thanks, Da!" he said, folding up the paper and tucking it away in a pocket. He started flipping through the history book George had brought him, already lost in its pages.
Alan, meanwhile was making a few clumsy passes with his new—small, barely more than a toy—practice sword, while Aly puzzled at the book she had unwrapped.
Finally, she looked up at him in confusion. "I don't get it, Da. The words don't make sense."
"It's in a code, Aly. You have to learn the code before you can read the book."
Her eyes lit up. "Is there a key, or do I have to work it out for myself?"
He smiled. "You work it out for yourself. Like a puzzle."
"I love puzzles!" She beamed at him. "Thanks, Da!" she said, and threw herself at him again to hug and kiss him. Her brothers followed suit, giving him their own thanks and hugs.
"You're welcome, all of you," he said, laughing. "Now you three run along and let your old Da get cleaned up, all right?"
"You'll be at dinner, though, right?" Thom asked, disengaging himself from the ring around his father.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Now get. Finish your afternoon lessons, and let me wash the dust from the road off. I'll see you at dinner."
Thom beamed, and Aly gave him another quick hug round the middle before the three ran back toward the keep with their gifts. Maude turned to follow them, and paused to give George a quick smile. "They really are glad to have you home."
"I'm that glad to be home." He followed her toward the keep, letting out a small sigh. Home. In all the world, there really was no place like it.