He spun her once more, faster, and Rosie's vine-hair whipped around her face as her giggles bounced off the mansion walls.
"Everything alright back home?" he asked, settling her against his chest.
Rosie didn't answer.
She pressed her cheek against his collarbone and curled there, small green hands gripping the fabric of his tunic, and the golden veins in the tree above pulsed in slow, warm waves that matched the rhythm of her breathing.
"Rosie is so happy Daddy came back home safe..." she whispered, eyes half-closed. "And that everyone survived..."
The courtyard went quiet.
Myrasyn's vision blurred.
Beside her, Isveth's hand flew to her mouth.
Quinlan held her for a moment longer, chin resting against the top of her head. Then the warmth in his expression shifted.
A grin crept across his face, beyond mischievous, and his eyes flicked toward the two weeping elves.
"Rosie."
"Hm?"
"I brought you fresh meat."
