Sigrid was absolutely baffled. "What?! What in the world are you little ones talking about!?"
She looked at the mothers again, who promptly looked away as though they had nothing to do with this entire affair.
The pony named Nella pressed on.
"Like I've said, Big Sis, we're going to challenge the Hero! All of us together!"
She gestured grandly at her companions. "We're going to defeat him and take down the evil villain who dared to sit on your back!"
The other children chimed in with their own impassioned declarations.
"Yeah! That's right! No one gets to bully Big Sis Sigrid!"
"She taught me swordsmanship! She gave me treats!"
"She's going to be our commander someday! And we have to protect her!"
"No one is allowed to hurt our Big Sis! Not even the Hero!"
Their tiny, pipsqueak voices rose in a chorus of adorable fury, and Luca found himself genuinely charmed despite the fact that they were apparently planning his defeat.
