Moving Mountains

26

.^^ Sir Beaumont ^^

— Vanya —

"The Atrium is through here... I think? Aha! Sorry, the layout has changed a few times, as Josef adds new stuff." I chuckled, showing Miranda and her little gaggle of children into the orphanage's Atrium, a massive room just under the Anthracite field, filled with different areas they'd made themselves.

One of the children popped her head up out of a stone fort she'd built without help, making the bricks and mortar herself. "Halt! Pay the Toll!" She grinned wickedly, and a small bucket on a string descended from a pulley.

I laughed and tossed a piece of copper into the bucket, then looked at Miranda. "This one is Sasha, daughter of a Mason. She built this little castle with her own hands. Sasha, this is my cousin, Miranda, and her children."

She peeked over the wall quizzically. "Wait... all of them?!?"

Miranda laughed. "Yes, all of them. Greetings, little one."

"Hmmmmmmm..." she stared at us suspiciously, then yelped when one of the girls leapt cleanly up into the turret with her, a twenty foot leap.

"Hello!" She grinned down at the smaller girl, and sat on the wall. "Decent view, eh?"

I chuckled. "Come down, we've a few more things for you to see, then you can meet Josef, alright?"

She shrugged and hopped out, flipping prettily and landing on one foot at the bottom, until one of her brothers shoved her mischievously, ruining the perfect landing, and prompting a wrestling match.

I sighed and patted Miranda's shoulder in solidarity. "Well! On to the dining hall!"

The youngest of the children, barely three, grinned happily. "Food?!?"

The eldest child, who was holding him on his back, chuckled. "You ate an hour ago, Dusty."

The little one pouted, and I smiled, walking towards the walled-in portion that held the kitchens. The dwarven woman, Mara, was currently serving stew to a few of the children, and she smiled widely when she saw the small crowd I'd brought with me. "Oh! Vanya! You always bring me such wonderful gifts!!! Hello children, I am Mara, are you hungry?" She asked swiftly, and began setting out more bowls.

Miranda smiled and nudged the children forward. "Eat, babies. We can explore a bit more later, just remember your manners." They grinned and rushed the table, thanking her swiftly and digging in.

"Mara, this is Miranda, my cousin, she'll be staying with us for a while. These are her children... I do not know all of their names." I chuckled.

"Neither do I, most days." Miranda muttered, and Mara grinned.

"Yes, I can see how that would be difficult. Greetings, young one. The others are on the surface, I believe, so you may meet them whenever you wish. As for now, have some food, relax, and then I'll show you where you can rest your head. There's plenty of space to choose from." Mara nodded, and plopped Miranda down in a chair, sliding a bowl of vegetable stew to her.

After we ate, Mara showed them to the section of the hall that the kids were staying in, giving them a set of five rooms that were all under the close eye of the main room, meaning Miranda could keep watch over the children without too much trouble, and they couldn't leave without her knowing.

Once that was settled and the younger children were set down for the night, Miranda and I went in search of Joseph. "This man must be quite the oddity, creating something like this..." she commented as we walked the long hall that connected the two halves of the arch. She swept her hand over the wall, which was decorated with murals and depictions of great battles from legends, all carved from the stone with perfect acuity, and amazing craftsmanship.