Rose Catherine ran to tell the others that we needed to leave – now. Abby was very sick, and we needed to find Grayson. While I waited for her to return, we heard a commotion outside and shouting from one of the guard towers.“Oh my gods, Rose,” Cat burst into the room. “Come with me!”I ran after her out of the building. We skidded to a stop as soon as we set foot on dirt. When I saw what the commotion was, I almost fainted. “Grayson?” It was Grayson, but he was a mess. His clothes were torn, and parts of them looked burnt. His hair was a mess and filthy, as was his face. “Rose?” He sounded terrible. “Yes?”“Help,” he said and immediately passed out, falling to the ground. “Grayson!” I yelled, running toward him. I knelt next to where he lay and started to shake him. “Grayson! Gray! Wake up!” I shook him harder. “Come on! You can’t do this! Wake up! Abby’s right inside!” I started crying. “You’re so close! Please wake up! Grayson, please!” I put my head down on his chest, sobbi

Catherine Grayson was back, and Abby and the babies were healthy and beautiful. Any fear we had about losing any of them was gone. We all felt more relaxed than we had in a long time.Rose was in heaven, helping with the babies and making sure Abby was okay and healing. She loved snuggling with them both and could often be found doing just that. Abby called the twins her sunshine. Laurie said they were as sweet as honey.One afternoon, about two weeks after they were born, I found Rose holding Olivia while Abby slept. Grayson was holding Samuel, smiling brightly. He had been so wonderful since their birth, moving between the babies and Abby, making sure they all had everything they needed. He had jumped head first into being a father and seemed to be thriving, which didn’t surprise me at all.“How is the happy family?” I asked, kissing Rose.“Happy,” Rose responded. “Very happy,” Grayson said.I took Olivia from Rose and snuggled her, “Hi little bean.” Olivia regarded me seriously.

Abigail The next morning, we attacked the castle. Lord Patel was correct that there weren’t many men stationed inside the castle. Unfortunately, he was also correct that there were other things in the castle. “Fliers! Overhead!” I heard a soldier yell. I took aim with the other archers, Grayson and Aryk nearby. They had been placed in the back with us because they both had powerful ranged attacks. Our division took out many of the giant bats and their riders.After taking out many of their fliers, we started launching flaming arrows over the walls, and could see several more monsters inside the walls take hits.“We need to get inside, Gray,” I shouted. “I have a very bad feeling about the twins.”He nodded and signaled to Aryk. “Let’s move.”The plan was to clear out as much of the first wave as possible. While most of the king’s defenses would be distracted by the attack, several of us were going to sneak in through a tunnel in the wall meant to let out ocean water from the high

Grayson Our first Withergreen in Odel was beautiful. I had never seen such colors in my life. Abby took great pleasure in showing me all of the beauty of the changing seasons, despite my argument that nothing was more beautiful than my wife. Our family had also changed. We welcomed Theodore Arthur - who we called Teddy – at the end of Sunswell. Abby had been so relieved to only have to carry one baby, she said this pregnancy was a dream. Anna came from the village to deliver Teddy, too, which was a blessing. He was perfect – 10 fingers, 10 toes, his mother’s face, but my eyes. And curls for days. He had a full head of curls the moment he arrived. I didn’t think it was possible to love as much as I loved my children and my wife. One morning, Abby came up behind me as I stood at the window watching the sunrise. She wrapped her arms around me as she laid her head against my bare back. “Are you happy, my love?” she asked, as she did every morning. I turned to face her and kiss

Abigail We didn't have to wait long for the new trouble to begin. Trolls began invading Alderei within the month. We were called to the castle to make a plan of attack. We left the children at home. Odel was far enough away from the border that they would be safe. The wet nurses had stayed with us throughout the years, so we left them in charge of the children, knowing they would protect the little ones with their lives. It was so hard to leave them behind. We both cried the whole way to the castle. Fortunately, we were greeted with a lot of hugs and understanding. "Thank you all for coming," Queen Sarah began. "A new foe is threatening our borders. We have the advantage this time of knowing who they are, at least, but not what they want." "Grayson," I said. "They want my husband. Or, more specifically, his powers." Rose sighed. "Then he shouldn't be here. He should be in hiding." Grayson looked at Rose, surprised and a bit annoyed. "Where would I go, Rose? If I go h