Within a week, a sea of black makes its way to the cemetery after hearing the horrible news. The deaths of William and Melody on their minds. Everyone from the guild to the rest of the kingdom are among the crowd to pay their respects to the famous mage and his wife. Even Gwen, Seamus, and their red-haired quintuplet children arrive to pay their respects.

Sindy almost loses her balance before her dwarf husband catches her. He holds her up with all that he has, knowing the pain she's feeling. Their daughter, Nerdeani, takes her hands and helps her continue to walk.

Bumva walks with a heavy heart while carrying two bouquets of bluebells and other flowers in her hands. Every day since has only brought her pain and tears. She would wake up the next day, thinking it was just a nightmare. That her husband and sister would be outside her room waiting for her. The reality keeps hitting her in the gut. The paperwork, another reminder of that.

The process leaves her as the head of the mansion while Esmerelda and Tuzah have claims to the farm, leaving Gash, Hector, and Will Jr as recipients to the wine business with Jaime leading it. Luis would be the head of the estate after her time has come. The money that Will, her, and Mel had saved up is now accessible to all of their children with Bumva giving approval first. 

Jr places a hand on her mother's back to comfort her while carrying Soran in his arm. She looks back slightly to see her eldest son's face flowing with tears. She throws an arm around him as they keep walking. They finally made it to the cemetery and walk directly to two gravestone markers. One has the engraved symbols of music all over it.

"Here lies William the Brutal Bennett-Ramirez, the bard savior of Engla, husband to Bumva the Brutal Bennett and Melody Ramirez, and father to their children."

The other gravestone has engraved bottles of wine. "Here lies Melody Bennett-Ramirez, former hand maiden to the Skeleton Queen, wine entrepreneur, wife of William Bennett, and beloved mother to her children."

Bumva continues to hold the bouquet as the lead cleric gives the eulogy. Tuning out the words is easy to her as her mind keeps replaying that horrible night. Claude and Tiffany play music throughout to lend their support. Their heart beats in every strum of the strings.

After the cleric finishes, everyone in the guild that knew him offers some words of respect for them. 

"Will, I'm glad you became Nerdeani's uncle. You didn't hesitate when I asked you to take up that role. You helped me withstand the pressures of life by just being you. Thank you for being my friend," Sindedrid the dwarf says her peace before being gently walked away by her husband.

Nerdeani approaches the stones. "Thank you for all the flowers you brought me. I was always excited to get one from you on every mission. I still have the bouquet of flowers you last gave me. They're...still beautiful. Like you used magic on them," she almost chuckles. "I love you, uncle. And Tia Mel, you were the brightest flower he ever brought back."

She lays a flower on each of their graves before walking back to her family.

"I'm going to miss you, friend. No more pranks or jesting with each other. It won't feel the same. Mel and Will, I'm proud to have taught your daughter. She has your spirit and courage that I see in her and all of your children. Me and Ai will help look after them all," Yang promises with her by his side.

Yarlg the Terrible lays down small ornaments of an axe on the grass before walking away.

Cara kisses her palm and places it on both of the markers to convey her love. She stands by Claude's side afterwards.

All ten of his children came up together with their respective spouses. Esmerelda is silent as Javier embraces her from behind. Gulak steps forward with a piece of paper.

"We all came together for this speech. Our dad was amazing. He treated each of us as our own person. He supported our dreams no matter how small they were. He taught me how to play the mandolin..."

He shakily exhales. Ghulnea squeezes his right hand to lend her support while their daughter coos. Tiffany and Claude play a rousing song to give him courage to continue.

"Which helped me grow as an half-orc. I got married to the love of my life and we have a beautiful daughter. I'm grateful that he got to meet her before he passed. Even though Melody wasn't my biological mother, she treated us like her own children."

Tuzah and Esmie can't speak from the heartbreak of it all. Javier clears his throat.

"I'm their son-in-law, Javier. Tuzah and Esmie were taught how to farm since they expressed that as children. They earned their dirty hands thanks to Will's parents, James and Dorothea. Not only did they learn farming, but they also learned about love from seeing their father's love for their mothers. 

I'm fortunate for that part since Esmie and I fell in love at first sight. They never fought against me for that. They welcomed me into the family without hesitation. I was an only child, but I gained siblings as a result of their love." 

He kisses the top of her shoulder to conclude their part.

"Mom and dad. They never looked down on me for not wanting children," Emilia opens up. "I was expecting them to be angry, but they weren't. They just wanted me to be happy. It...still doesn't feel that they're gone."

Tears cascade down her face. Gash pulls her in for a strong embrace as Jr steps up.

"I will always appreciate father for helping me embrace who I am. Human, orc. Those things make me up, but it doesn't stop there. That's what he taught me. I also learned how to be a warrior from him, mom, and Melody. They were so proud when Gash and I passed our initiation rituals. He and Mel....were great grandparents to Soran. I will tell him every memory I had with them so he will never forget."

"I told him when I was young that I wanted to be a knight. He had me learn from the best to help me start my path. Even then, I learned my code from them. How they treated all of us without forgetting our differences. They were the best parents to me," Hector inflects with pride.

Luis and Nanka step forward.

"We both learned our love for magic from our father's teachings. He encouraged us to fight him with our best. We could never beat him until recently. Even then, there was so much more I wanted to learn from him. Every time I see a sweet roll, I think of my mom."

He can't find the strength to continue. Nanka latches onto him for a hug. 

"I also got to drink with our dad. I wish there were more moments like that," she then sobs into his shirt.

Jaime and the others embrace them tightly as one. Jaime lets go to say his piece.

"Mom, dad. I'm glad to have made you proud before you...died. Mom, you scolded me, but it was out of love. I learned so much about wine because of you. Dad, you helped me become a man by just listening to my problems. We thank you for what you did for us," he concludes.

The siblings embrace again and walk back to their seats. Bumva walks up and sets the flowers down. She is silent as there's nothing else for her to say. Her final words that night were sufficient. She finds some peace that they still loved her despite her rant.

The service concludes with several mages performing fire magic that shoots up in the sky. Outlines of Will and Mel's faces are seen before vanishing.

-----

The guild occupies the mansion to give the family much needed company. Several trays of food are brought so they won't have to cook for a while. Some people are talking about the times they spent with Will and Melody, not knowing the truth about them.

Bumva is heading to her room until Hastrabena stands in her way. Dull eyes stare at each other.

"Can we talk?" She whispers.

The orc nods and they enter her room. Bumva lifts the dwarf onto the bed and sits by her side. Hastrabena strokes her hands with her thumbs to console her.

"It must be rough for you," she empathizes.

Bumva only nods for her response.

"I saw how happy he made you. He truly loved you."

The orc's hands tremble from the truth.

"He's special like that. He knew how to make a person feel good about themselves. Me included," the dwarf tells her with a wink in her voice.

A chuckle escapes her friend's mouth. "He was a perverted bard, but with a good heart."

"He was. I think I caught feelings for him afterwards, but his heart was with you. I'm...glad I was cheated on. He reminded me that I was a woman that deserved love. And I found a husband who loves me dearly."

Bumva kisses the top of her head.

"I also miss Melody. She was so sweet. You know, I could have sworn she was royalty from how she conducted herself. But I remind myself she was close to the queen of Albarino."

A lot closer than you think, Bumva thinks.

The dwarf stands up to kiss her cheek. "Just know that I'm here for you."

"Thank you."

"Come, let's get you something to eat. Even if it's small like me."

Bumva laughs again from her joke. She helps her down and Hastrabena leads her to the food.

During the next week, Sindy, Nerdeani, Yarlg, Yang, and Ai help out with the daily upkeep of the mansion. Clean dishes are stacked properly with fresh linen in the closets.

Luis can't find the strength to drown himself into his studies. The magic just reminds him of his parents. He rests on the bed with tired eyes to get some rest.

Soran's crying irritates him, but he lets it go.

"Shh. Shh, my son," Ohgamesh tries to quiet her son after feeding, burping, and changing him. Jr rocks him from side to side at a sluggish pace from the lack of sleep.

"Let me watch him for you. Maybe a walk outside will cheer him up," Jaime offers with stretched hands.

"Make sure you have-"

Jaime already threw the baby bag over his shoulder and attached the bjorn to carry him. He puts on a baby winter coat to keep his nephew warm.

"We appreciate it," Jr smiles.

"We're family after all," Jaime slightly grins before placing his nephew. "Let's go for a walk, sobrino (nephew)."

"Gwahh!"

"Alright. Right away."

He briskly walks past the rooms and notices Emilia practicing with her dummy. With a swipe of her hands, cuts appear on the dummy's face and neck. The sunlight dances on the silver wires in her hands.

"Be right-"

"Just don't use Soran to flirt with women," she interrupts him.

"Got it."

He checks on Esmie whose asleep while being cuddled by her husband. He motions to the awake Javier that he will be out of the house for a bit. Javier waves back.

As he makes his way to the door--

"Can I come with?" Hector walks towards them in his suit of armor. Jaime simply nods his head so they can all get fresh air. The trio walks out of the mansion on a crisp, wintery day.

Jaime leads them down to the center of the city to see the decorations. Several citizens offer their condolences upon seeing them again. Jaime talks for the two of them to keep things running smoothly.

Soran's blue and green eyes dart around from seeing the large tree littered with different ornaments. He reaches out with his small hands to touch them.

"Now, now. I can buy you one," Jaime tells him. He looks at Hector whose eyes are staring at the ground while walking behind them. "Did you eat anything before we left?"

"I have," before his stomach betrays him. Jaime goes to tell a joke, but he bites his tongue. He buys a Warhammer ornament and jingles it in front of Soran who giggles with glee. He could have sworn Hector smiled from their baby brother's laughter.

The eldest brother buys sweet, toasted chestnuts with sausages for him and Hector. Hector forces himself to take a bite to not worry his family.

Soran keeps reaching out for the food to taste.

"Can I even feed him solid food?" Jaime asks Hector if he knows.

"I...don't know. Does he have any teeth besides those two?"

Jaime tickles Soran's belly to get his answer. Small baby teeth are inside the orc's mouth.

"So...probably not. Don't worry, you will be old enough to eat this stuff. My treat," he promises.

"Gwahh! Gwahh! Gwahh!" The baby finally relents from the information.

"Very expressive," Hector compliments.

"Do you want to walk some more or head back?"

"You decide," Hector delegates. Soran rubbed his eyes multiple times to signal his sleepiness.

Jaime takes out his pouch and returns to the vendor. He brings back bags of nuts and wrapped sausages for the rest of the family. He hands some to Hector to carry before heading back.

Stomach growling.

That noise stops them in their tracks. Soran is fast asleep. Jaime looks at Hector who only shrugs his shoulders. The sound repeats against the owner's wishes. It isn't threatening to the trio, just strange as they look around.

"I think it came over there," Hector points to an alley before the corner. Jaime carefully hands Soran over to him before taking some food to the hungry person. At least they can be warm on this cold day.

The crunching of bootsteps head towards her. Her nostrils take in the close smell of sausages and sweet nuts. She wishes the person would just leave her alone so she can die. She blames her stomach for betraying the peace she wanted to obtain.

The woman from Chin is unable to move a muscle from the days of starvation. She lowers her head and closes her eyes to pretend sleep. A familiar scent makes her look up.

Magenta meets golden as snow passes by. Jaime gasps from seeing the woman who captured his heart. He smiles upon seeing her again. That smile turned to concern for her.

"Miss? Would you like some foo-"

"S-S-Stay back!" She shivers while trying to move away on her hands.

"Let me help you," he goes to help her up. She refuses his help, thinking she's unworthy of it.

"L-Let me-"

Her eyes widen as icicles begin to fall above him. Something kicks inside to protect him at all costs. From behind her, five white appendages shoot out to cover him while the other four pull him in. The sharp icicles break upon contact with her tails as her headdress falls off. She continues to hold onto him and waits a moment.

After some silence, she realizes she's still holding onto him. She jumps back from him with a crimson face. His mouth is frozen in a dropped expression as he takes her in. Nine white tails with two white pointy ears from the top of her head.

"Hermano?" Hector calls out.

She goes to run, but her body collapses from the overall fatigue. The nine tails shrink away from sight. He approaches her.

Just let me go, Jaime. It's bett-

Her thoughts are interrupted by a warm covering wrapping around her body. She feels his soft hands zipping up his jacket around her before losing consciousness. He covers her head before checking her pulse. 

Faint heartbeats.

He quickly picks her up over his shoulder while getting the food.

"Hermano?!" Hector questions him as he's carrying a woman.

"Get Soran home! I need to get her to my place!" He urges while running past them. Hector sees his footsteps have a life-or-death purpose behind them. He takes Soran home with his belongings while wondering what's going on. 

Jamie zips around the corners to avoid the crowds of people up ahead.

Don't you die on me! I can't lose you too!