Rumors flew, but they reached Porttown without incident. A rather dazed ship's captain was convinced by the captain of the guard, and by a generous payment, to leave port ahead of schedule, and Aidan and Damien were on board and on their way the very next day.

The crossing didn't take long, in only a few days they were disembarking at Snowcap. It was mid day, and Aidan considered stopping there, but they were so close to home! "Do you want to stop and rest, or should we go on?" he asked Damien. "We can probably clear the pass today if we fly, and we'd be home by tomorrow night."

"Let's go on," said Damien. "Flying would be nice after sitting in that ship."

Aidan smiled. "Indeed. Well, we have all we need already, I think, so no reason to delay." They took to the air. By this time Damien could get aloft without any assistance from Aidan, a fact that he was quite proud of. They winged their way over Snowcap, and over the cleared fields that surrounded it, rich and green now during high summer, though the air was still cool this far to the north. The fields soon gave way to forested hills, and the thin thread of the road below began to climb. It was a mere track compared to the trade road through Aerievale, but it served to guide them as they flew. By the time the sun touched the horizon they were passing amid towering peaks, and as twilight fell they crossed over the high pass, where even in summer there was a little bit of snow on the ground. They landed just on the far side of the pass in the gathering dark. Damien was obviously tired. Aidan picked him up again and smiled. This once more he would carry him through the night, and by morning they should be nearly out of the forest and on to the tundra plain. Damien rested his head on Aidan's shoulder and slept, a contented smile on his face.

The boy stirred as the sun rose, and Aidan set him down. They had just passed beyond the trees, and the light caught the spire of Coppertop in the distance to the west. He looked around. "You live near here?"

Aidan nodded. "Yes. It's going to be quite different from living in Stonewood, I'm afraid. The only people north of the mountains are my family and the dwarves in Coppertop." He gestured to the western spire.

"Do... do you think your family will like me?" asked Damien, suddenly uncertain.

Aidan smiled. "I'm sure they will. It may take them a little while to get used to you, but I know they'll like you." He gave Damien a reassuring hug. "You up to flying again? We can get there before dark if we go by air."

"Sure."

They landed in front of the low hill with it's dark square in the side while the sun was still high in the sky. Damien looked nervous again, but Aidan put his hand on his son's shoulder. He squeezed gently and said, "Whatever else might happen, you know that I love you, Damien."

A little of the tension went out of him at that, and he nodded, facing this new thing as bravely as he'd faced everything else this past month. Aidan smiled, feeling as proud as it was possible for a father to be.

With his son by his side, Aidan stepped forward and opened the door.

The End.