Roy and Letho came out of the forest with a pair of naked children in their arms. The children were drenched in blood, and their faces were drained of all color. They were curled up in the duo’s arms, but their eyelids kept trembling, as if they were having a nightmare.
The children fainted the moment Alan’s blood was splattered across their backs, so they hadn’t seen the moment their father was decapitated. That was one silver lining in the tragedy, perhaps.
“We have a Child of the Sun here. If only we knew how to make the antidote… Alan wouldn’t have had to die.”
“Don’t think too much about it. That was his fate. He reneged on his promise, so he was punished with death.” Letho looked calm about it, as if he were talking about lunch.
Roy agreed with him, but he still felt sad when he saw the latest record in his character sheet.
‘You killed a cursed one — Alan the Werewolf. EXP +200. Level 4 Witcher (800/2000).’
The EXP he got didn’t sit well with him. He was conflicted about it. Alan wasn’t innocent, since he did go back on his promise and repaid Rachel’s help with betrayal, but at the same time, he truly loved his children and was a good father.
“Don’t feel sad, boy. He chose salvation.” Letho sighed. “And you should have noticed he’d wanted to die for a while.”
***
Most of the search team had come back to the caravan. They were covered in blood, especially Kantilla. She was caressing her blade languidly, looking as satisfied as a beast who’d just feasted on its prey.
When the duo came back, everyone was surprised about the kids they were holding. The women quickly cleaned them up and covered them with blankets. Then they warmed the kids up near the bonfire.
“We killed some drowners in the swamp, but no signs of Alan anywhere. What happened, Letho? Where did these kids come from?”
The duo looked at each other. They’d debated about it on the way back, but in the end, they decided to do as Alan had told them to, even if that’d draw some flak. “This is what really happened, but please brace yourselves for it.”
The troupe members received the news differently. Some thought the duo murdered Alan, some started fearing for themselves at the mention of curses, cults, and werewolves, while some slowly accepted the story after the initial shock.
Fortunately, the main troupe members chose to believe the duo. They’d noticed Alan’s weird actions over the years, though they’d never confronted him about it.
“I always thought Art and Arri were too close to Alan. Their collaboration was seamless. I see, so they’re his kids, the only proof of his existence. Alan was a good father, but he worried too much. We’ve been friends for years now. He could have told us about it.”
“He probably didn’t want us to feel sad about it. Alan’s always been that way. He puts everyone else first. His nightly hunts with Arri were also his way of keeping us safe.” Kantilla gritted her teeth and sighed. “So what if he’s a monster? Zerrikanians don’t care about that as long as they’re our friends.”
Then Amos suddenly spoke up. “Alan had been acting weird, but he never harmed the troupe. He was a great captain, but I don’t trust the witcher.” He glared at the duo. “Witchers are cold-blooded animals who would kill any monster they come across. I don’t believe you’d actually help Alan if he were a werewolf. You must’ve lied to him and killed him when his guard was down!”
“We killed him because he wanted to free his children.” Letho threw him a cold look. “He saved his soul and his children by giving up his own life.”
“Y’know, I knew something was wrong with you here ever since I played Gwent with you.” Roy pointed at his head. “You say this is just a story we’re making up to cover our murder, but what about the kids? We aren’t gods. We can’t just snap our fingers and make them appear out of thin air.”
“Um…” Amos was at a loss for words for a while. When he was about to retort, Eveline shot him a dirty look, forcing him to swallow his words.
“I trust them.” She sighed. “It’s just like Alan to do this. The most important thing now is his funeral. We can’t let him rot in the wilds.”
“His body’s still there.” Alan had turned back to his human form after the decapitation. “I’ll take you guys there later. But he wanted you guys to burn his body right there and collect his remains. Spread his ashes in the Newi if you ever travel to Rivendell. His wife was sent off the same way.”
The troupe members were surprised to hear that.
“Alan wouldn’t tell that to anyone,” Eveline decided. “So now we know they aren’t lying.”
“Thanks for understanding.” Roy sighed. “Alan’s been suffering from the curse for a long time now. He wanted to see Sheena again, but he held on for the kids.”
***
The troupe stayed around for a couple of days to retrieve Alan’s remains. They burned his body with normal fire and Letho’s Igni for a long time, but eventually, they managed to turn Alan’s remains into bones and ash. They collected everything.
The caravan’s mood was gloomy as everyone mourned for their late captain for a while. Many of the members were tearing up too.
“Right. Alan’s probably reunited with his wife in Melitele’s kingdom now. First things first. What should we do about Art and Arri?”
“We take care of them, of course!” Kantilla thumped her chest.
“And we need a new captain as soon as possible. Preferably someone charismatic!” Amos quickly voiced his opinion, only getting everyone’s glares in return. He shut up.
“Alan said he wanted Eveline to take his place.” Everyone was surprised to hear that from Roy, but most of them accepted it. Not Amos though, but a single vote was useless.
Collins was huddling with Ferroz as usual. Ferroz took a deep breath and put his hands together to plead. “So Collins and I have been dating for years, but we can’t have any children of our own, and I’m sure you guys know why. We’ve been thinking about that for a long time.” Then his face was flushed with excitement. “Alan treated us like family, and we’re grateful for him. We’ve always wanted to repay our debt, but we never had the chance. Until now. If it’s fine with everyone, we’d like to adopt the kids as thanks to Alan’s help. And we’ll take care of them like they’re our kids. In a way, they’re our dream come true.”
“Yeah!” Collins quickly backed his lover up.
“Please, everyone!” They held their hands together and bowed to everyone deeply for the longest time.
“Um…” Everyone was taken by surprise. They never thought the gay couple was any different from other couples, but instinctively, they thought Ferroz and Collins were different from a heterosexual couple. They couldn’t let them adopt Alan’s kids.
And so, the members were in a dilemma. Eveline and Amos wanted to refuse, but they didn’t want to hurt them. Roy kept quiet for a while before stepping in. “Arri and Art are special, in a sense. Not anyone can adopt them. They’ve been living as a falcon and an owl for five years, so they operate differently from normal humans. Owls are nocturnal creatures who can get really active at night. They feed on frogs, insects, and other small creatures. On the other hand, falcons love to dive from high up in the air. Can you even imagine how Art would act? And besides, Alan wanted them to get adopted by the Temple of Melitele in Ellander. It’s a good place filled with kind, gentle souls.”
