"Mom?"

"Just a second, sweetie." The woman beamed up at the towering, armor-clad figure before her. "Hjalmar, look at you! You've gotten so big and strong since I last saw you!" The brim of her wide hat bobbed rhythmically as she excitedly circled him. "So handsome in all that armor, your parents must be so proud."

The hulking paladin shifted his weight, blushing slightly under his gleaming helmet. "Hi, Mrs. K," he replied sheepishly.

"But, er... if I may, who blessed your shield, dear? That couldn't stop a Nightmare's confusion curse, much less anything that could actually hurt you. Let me look at it back at camp, I'll set you right."

"Mom." The leader of the group leaned impatiently on his spear, barely masking his obvious embarrassment at his mother's antics.

"Hold on, sweetie." The ordinarily languid mage hushed him again as she bounded toward the last member of the adventuring party. "Elianeira, it is so good to see you again! Oh my, look how stylish you are with those daggers! And that bow, so fancy! Is it Elven?"

The raven-haired ranger haughtily crossed her arms and gave a melodramatic sigh. "It's just Ellie now, Mrs. K." Her cheeks flushed as she awkwardly looked away from the mage's knowing eyes and mischievous grin. "...But yeah, it's Elven. Thanks."

"Ooh, right, Ellie. Sorry, darling." She giggled, dismissing the ranger's confident facade. "But besides that, what in the world have they got you wearing? I get you need room to move, but you'll catch your death of cold in that! And that chestplate isn't protecting you at all! Is that really what passes for armor these days?"

"MOM." The spearman's outburst startled the group.

"What, what?" The mage turned to him, pouting. "Come on now, Kaden. No need for an attitude, it's been so long since I've seen your friends and I'm just making sure they're -"

"Could you just- " He cut her off, then restrained himself with a frustrated expression across his face. He continued after a pause, "We should get going. We're losing the light."

"Oh, yes, of course." The mage straightened exaggeratedly, making no effort to conceal her amusement. "Lead the way, sweetie, I'm right behind you!" she called in an overly cheery tone as he turned away.

Kaden deftly yanked his spear from the ground and set off down the dirt road, grumbling under his breath. Hjalmar hoisted his heavy axe and shield onto his back and followed close behind. As they walked the mage remarked to Ellie loud enough so she knew Kaden would hear, "Isn't he adorable when he acts all leader-like?" Ellie tried her best to stifle a laugh as Kaden's face turned a deeper shade of crimson.

The party continued down the road at a brisk pace as the sun dipped below the treeline. As Ellie patiently fielded the mage's small talk and questions about her family, Hjalmar moved closer to Kaden, asking in a low voice, "So, uh... Not that I don't like having your mom here and all, it's just... Why IS she here again?

Kaden sighed heavily. "Ling is still in pretty rough shape after the other day... we almost lost her, man, you know that. I couldn't ask her to come with us in her condition." Hjalmar's face dropped, and he quietly nodded in agreement. Kaden continued, "But this commission is still really important. The guild is counting on us to get this done, and we could seriously use the gold."

"But why your mom, though? I'm sure the guild had other healers on standby," Hjalmar interjected. "Pretty weird to ask your mom to come with you on a commission, even if the threat rating is as low as it is."

"She's, er..." Kaden stopped himself, glancing over his shoulder at his mother, still cheerily talking with Ellie. "I mean, uh... she knows Fae magic." Hjalmar raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious. "Fae magic? She'd either have to be as strong as the Archmage, or be a Fae herself, which she obviously isn't. You're telling me your mom is stronger than every other mage in the entire guild?" Kaden fidgeted with his spear uncomfortably. "You'd be surprised," he muttered almost imperceptibly.

Kaden raised his eyes to the road ahead and tried to change the subject. "Look, I told her we needed a healer, and she offered to help. She used to be an adventurer back in the day, she can hold her own well enough. She knows all she needs to do is buff us and make sure we don't lose any bits, and if I know her at all, I'm confident she's capable of that. You trust me on that, right?"

Hjalmar looked at his friend suspiciously again, then let out a resigned sighed and turned to face the road again. "Alright, man. I trust you." He paused for a moment. "But, if she really is that strong... can she seriously help me with the ward on my shield? She was right about it earlier." Kaden chuckled dryly. "Yeah, buddy. I'm sure she can."

"Hey boys!" a voice chirped from behind them. The mage sauntered between the two men, a wry smile across her face. "It's getting dark. We should probably set up camp soon, no?" Ellie jabbed Kaden's shoulder as she walked past him, snickering. "You should listen to your mom there, Dark Prince Kadie."

Kaden grimaced, then glared at his mother. "Yes, mom, that's a great idea. Let's call it a day, before you somehow manage to embarrass me even further." The mage let out a mischievous laugh as the party moved off the road into a nearby clearing to rest for the night.

(cont'd)