Ishgardian Waddle (Patreon)

It was a homecoming long in the making, if not one so drastic as when Adea had first been entrusted the task of bringing Tabhartas back to his family to face the inquisitors, but important nonetheless. For one, since he’d fled from the inquisition by assuming dragon form and flying off with Adea in tow, she’d married him. For another, she was having his children. And, of course, the changing tide of Ishgardian culture meant there was a chance this was finally a safe thing to do.

And so she bravely waddled forth slowly and awkwardly as pregnant as she was with however many half elezen, half hyurans had been wiggling around in her for the last seven moons, with her husband by her side and keeping her steady as she went, determined but terrified of facing the trials ahead.

Visiting each of their family homes and breaking the news. For Adea, having abandoned her duties as a lancer of Ishgard was its own level of shame she’d been afraid to face up to despite the outcome of the Dragonsong War, but to also rock up and say “Oh, hey, by the by your grandchildren are going to be half-heretic, isn’t that lovely?” That was a worry. And Tab had to show up to his family’s ancestral manor, introduce his beautiful wife that was supposed to be a subservient foot-soldier hunting him down, and ‘also don’t these draconic horns and tail make me look rather dashing?’

Honestly, she questioned what the point of this was. They’d made a nice home for themselves down in the significantly warmer climes of Thavnair, and the atmosphere was even helping to keep Tab’s affected ice aether imbalances at bay. So, why come here to what will most certainly be a painful, tearful, and altogether far too cold ‘vacation?’

It was the right thing to do, she ultimately wagered, so onwards she’d go, with her loving husband at the ready to keep her propped up.

Besides, perhaps it’d make the night later on by the fireplace in their inn room at the Forgotten Knight all the sweeter.