He refocused on the fight and they continued to fight, but if something didn't change soon then they would have to leave the city and hope to escape. And what of Lilly and the boy? They hadn't even named him yet. Then he heard the sharp tone of command issuing orders and out of habit repeated them. The orders continued and he continued to repeat them.

Soon not a single Gerrabella remained alive on the field. Adremedians were caring for the wounded and his cheek was healed. Funeral pyres were set up to burn the Gerrabella bodies. Then he left to find Lilly. She was lying in bed with their son asleep on her chest.

'Lilly, how are you?'

'Tired and still in a little pain.'

'Your cheeks have stopped bleeding.'

'Yes, they have. I see you're okay.'

'Thanks to someone's ingenuity and much needed orders.'

She smiled and he kissed her. 'Would you like to hold him?'

'Yes.'

Ever so carefully he took him off her chest and held him in his arms. The little boy was dressed warmly and wrapped in yet another blanket. James smiled at the little fingers that wrapped around his own and the bright blue eyes that looked up at him.

'What do you want to name him, Lilly?'

'What do you think of Peter?'

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'Peter?...I love it. Peter.'

Lilly smiled and closed her eyes. She felt James move off the edge of the bed then lie on his side, setting Peter between them before falling asleep. He woke and found Lilly sitting up and holding Peter. Her eyes were closed and tears slowly inched down the grooves on her face. Touching her cheek, she turned and looked at him.

'Are you all right Lilly?'

'Yeah. I'm still recovering from the noise.'

'Was it that loud? Even in here?'

'I wasn't in here. I was out there.'

'What?! Lilly!'

She held up a hand then checked to see if Peter was still sleeping. He stirred but didn't wake. 'The orders you heard and gave… that was me.'

'But… Peter….'

'Was still with me.'

'Lilly!' James sat up.

'Daddy, why so loud?' A small voice whined.

'Peter?'

'Mommy was… was….'

'It's all right Peter. We were all in a bad place, but now we're okay. We love you.'

'Love… too.' Then Peter fell asleep again.

'James,… Peter wanted to be near you. If anything happened to you, he wanted to know. By granting his request I was able to help you keep the kingdom from being overrun.'

James wrapped him arms around both of them. 'Then I'm glad nothing happened to either of you.'

'We're glad you're safe as well.' She kissed him and he kissed her back.

He held her for a while before he realized that the noise should have killed Peter. Pulling back the blanket, he studied Peter's face. It was healthy in color. How was that possible? When he caught Lilly's eye she smiled softly. Lilly moved Peter a little and though his features scrunched in discomfort he made no sound.

'Tell me more about Peter,' he said softly, as his arm sliding around her waist.

'Because of my pain he... was born without voice and deaf. I've not had to kiss him with my tainted lips.'

'How will he speak to others?'

'We'll figure it out later. For now, we'll teach him and love him.' She smiled softly.

'Has he gotten bigger?'

'Yes. He will grow like the Adremedians.' Lilly placed Peter in his arms and got up to leave the room.

'Lilly?'

'I need to get the Adremedian's report. I'll be back soon.'

James held Peter close. His face was very much like his own, before it had become hideously scarred from the previous war. If Peter had Adremedian healing abilities he would be the kind of healer they needed in their town. Still, Lilly had been sad that her pain had hurt Peter. Was it because she herself had been hurt when she was young as well? Lilly was gone a long time and he almost got up to look for her when she returned. Her dress was different. She now wore a top that revealed the cat print across her shoulders and a pair of pants.

Peter woke up and was hungry. So Lilly fed him then let him roll around on the bed. James was called away, which upset Peter, but James promised he'd be back. The few doctors that remained in town wondered why the Adremedians had left when they could have stayed and helped the ill. He didn't have an answer for them, though he wished he did. Disappointed, the doctors left. He returned to his room to see Peter starting to walk across the room.

'How fast will he grow?'

'Daddy!' Peter shouted, walking to him.

'Within a few days he'll end his growth spurt. Life will seem normal, according to Human standards, after that.'

'I see.… Lilly, about the others…. Why did they all leave? We still could have used their help.'

Lilly ran her fingers through Peter's hair. 'The few that remain have returned to their places to recover. The rest have returned to the dust.'

Peter turned to his mother and hugged her. 'Mommy, can I help?'

'You need to learn how first, and then...yes, you can help.'

'When do I start?'

Lilly pulled back the bandaging on James' cheek to reveal the graze. Instructions were given and Peter healed it flawlessly, not even a scar remained. When the healing was done Peter looked tired, but he still asked for something else. James helped Lilly explain why he needed to rest now and not do any more. Sapientiis story was enough. After that the three of them worked together to help the people in town. More often than not, James would go with Peter while Lilly worked in the forest or was recovering.

Peter grew to be a great healer and eventually married the young deaf servant. Together they created the deaf Adremedians who could heal during times of peace that James and others had hoped for.