Walking over to Merlin's house, we looked like an eager little group, ready for a Christmas carol or something. Well, it did feel like it, and that made me smile even more because looking at the snow-covered city that we had built over these decades, with the glowing lamp posts and the stone houses... All of it had the just-right amount of modernity. The perfect touch of... style. And decor. It had life, really. Much more than the cities in my old memories, with blocky, glass buildings devoid of decoration, only the utilitarian nonsense. Although planned, for me, walking through my Avalon felt like living in the nineteenth century with a touch of... extra. Mostly the touch of magic.

I'm not sure if others felt similarly or if it was just for me, thanks to my previous life experiences. But I loved the atmosphere we managed to create. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself, watching the warm light spill from Merlin's windows, painting the snow golden colored before us, and for once, I let myself stop thinking about monsters and war machine designs and possible dangers coming from beyond the third pass.

Life was good. And it was thriving.

Sasha was the first to get to the door, and she knocked gently, though she didn't wait for a reply before stepping in, the rest of us following with arms full of gifts. It wasn't much, more like... necessities that Merlin probably forgot to buy. We brought enough bundles to clothe a regiment of babies and toddlers, mainly from the old clothes of our kids, along with a lifetime's supply of diapers. After Sasha was in, Mikan led the way for the rest of us, already babbling excitedly when seeing Elena sitting in the living room, holding her newborn son. I was next while Luna peeked around the back of me with a grin, amused by the fact that Merlin, for once, wasn't jumping around, just sitting silently, lost in marveling at his own son. Finally, it was Yuri who closed the door behind us while she carried a basket filled with stuff that would make an excellent dinner for Elena. To... recover some strength.

Inside, the air was warm, just like back in the castle, and I knew many of the families in my city were enjoying it just the same right now. Merlin was sitting next to Elena, his hair more unkempt than usual, and this time around, the dark circles under his eyes were there for a different reason, not for staying up for days on end working on a new magic circle or something similar. Still... he was smiling with a stunned kind of joy. From what I learned later, Elena had been in labor for about the whole previous night and a bit more, making Merlin panic more than once. No wonder he looked even worse than his wife, huh?

Well, as I saw it, everything turned out well in the end, as she sat propped up on the cushioned sofa, her face a bit pale but peaceful, holding the tiny, swaddled bundle in her arms.

"Aw..." Sasha exhaled softly beside me. "So small…"

"Yet it hurt like hell pushing him out," Elena looked up at us, chuckling. "Come on, sit down! Don't just stand there like it's a funeral. Quite the opposite!"

We moved all at once, of course. The hugs came first from my wives, followed by all of our congratulations. Then came some jokes from Luna that made Elena laugh and wince at the same time, describing how hard it was for her to push Galahad's big head out... This was then corroborated by Yuri, who began quoting her exact words when giving birth to my son, but she didn't get far as Sasha held her mouth shut. Good catch... No need to let the newborn learn all of her curse words on day one, after all.

"He looks really healthy~!" Mikan said with a shine in her eyes, beaming with genuine happiness.

As they talked, I glanced at Merlin, who tried to look dignified but kept glancing down at his son as if checking whether he was still real or not. Duh. It was a real kid. One that you helped to make. Good thing I forced you to lose your virginity, eh? Hehe... You are already better than your previous incarnation. Eventually, Elena pulled back the blanket more for us to see the newborn's face in full, latched onto her nipple, hungrily suckling while sleeping. Of course, it was red-cheeked, with a surprisingly thick patch of dark hair and with a tiny fist curled under his chin.

As if realizing we were there, he finally let it go, trying to open his eyes, looking towards the source of the noise and new voices. I bet he didn't see much of us yet, but he didn't look frightened either, as he didn't start to cry.

"May I?" Sasha asked softly.

"Of course," Elena said, handing him over with a mother's care, smiling proudly.

"Hehe," Mikan peeked over her shoulder. "He looks like Merlin, doesn't he?"

"Poor child," Luna teased.

"Err..." Merlin flinched, wanting to say something, but for the first time ever, he had no words.

"He's pudgy," Yuri whispered, poking his face with a finger, and for some reason... Sasha passed him gently to me.

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Luckily, with five kids, I was a pro at handling a newborn by now. Huh... He was lighter than I expected. Or were my kids too heavy? Well, they had Mikan to help them feed... Thinking about that, I stared at the tiny little boy, and for a moment, the war maps in my head stopped moving. I'd held my children like this once... I remembered the feeling well and how much I enjoyed it... Damn. Was I thinking about wanting another child? Well... looking up at my wives, the light in their eyes was... pretty obvious. O-oh... My back began tingling already.

"What's his name?" I asked, gently handing him back to his mother, pushing back my thoughts and trying to dodge my wives' gazes.

After taking him, Elena looked at Merlin, who straightened a little, cleared his throat, and tried to speak like a scholar, but his voice wavered way too obviously.

"His name is... Percival."

My dear boy... I wanted to say while smiling. It seems he took the naming convention we had been using for a few decades seriously, and I wouldn't blame him for it. I did tell him about the legends, after all.

"Good." Sasha nodded immediately. "A strong name."

"A proper Knight material," Yuri added, her lips curling upward. "Nice."

"A bit dramatic, but it suits him," Luna chimed in, though she smiled warmly at the new parents.

"He could still be a mage." Mikan reminded us, "It would show in a few weeks if that is the case~!"

While they were talking, I looked down at the little one again. Percival, hm? Well, there goes one of the names I cannot use if I have another son. Oh well. There should still be enough to pick from!

In the end, we spent another hour or so there, just talking and laughing, eating bread and cheese, and sipping warm cider while Yuri and Sasha whipped up a proper meal for Elena. As they did so, Mikan made the newest mother of the group promise to let her babysit when needed, which was, of course, agreed to. Not that I would make the two work and forgo their role as parents.

Eventually, thinking about that part... I stepped outside with Merlin for a quick talk. The wind had picked up, so the cold bit through my coat, but I didn't care; it was a good feeling for a brief moment.

"You want to come with me," I said, without preamble.

"It is my job to be with you on the Camelot," He stated without hesitation, "Of course I do."

"I know." I shrugged, shaking my head.

"The Camelot will need—"

"Merlin," I cut in, turning to face him. "You just became a father." He looked away, pouting, knowing where this was going. "I know you think it's a must to fight, especially with the early winter and all. To support me as you always did. You came with me as a kid when we went to get Yuri... Heh. I remember it well... But that was then. Now it's a bit different!"

"It isn't..." He grunted, his pouting intensifying.

"It is. Your place is with Elena and Percival."

"They'll be safe. Avalon is guarded—"

"I don't mean protection. I mean presence, Merlin." I explained it, cutting him off a second time. I expected another grumpy comment... but he said nothing. "Look... I'm not asking," I added more gently. "If I have to, I'll order you. Stay with them."

"..." Merlin flinched like I'd slapped him, but then exhaled, closing his eyes as I saw them move behind his eyelids. When he reopened them, his expression was calm, and he was wearing a slight smile. "Yeah... Yeah... I know... You're right."

"Of course I am!" I nodded, slapping his shoulder and squeezing it. "I am a dad, after all."

"And now I am, too," He looked back toward the entrance to his home. "He's so small."

"They always are. But they grow! And when they do, they'll need their father there."

"I do hope he grows... He has to be taller than me!" He added, shaking his head and turning back to me.

"Well," I teased him, "You know how it goes... Like father, like son!"

... .... .....

Only three days later, the Camelot was ready for its longest tenure, probably spending the rest of the winter traveling between the two passes, wherever it was needed the most. I was stretching, still feeling a bit sore between my legs from what happened in the previous two days... I was drained. Completely. I even wondered if it would work anymore... Nah, it will be fine. It must be.

Ignoring the numbing sensation, I stood at the base of the ramp, overseeing the final supplies being loaded, when I heard footsteps. By the crunching of the snow... There were four sets of them.

When I turned, I saw Sasha, Yuri, Luna, and Mikan standing in a neat line, cloaks drawn close on them, bags packed and ready.

"You're not serious," I said, raising an eyebrow at them.

"We are," Sasha exclaimed with force.

"You're all staying in Avalon."

"No," Yuri corrected me just as sharply. "We're going with you."

"I need you here. Sasha, the Council. Yuri, logistics. Mikan—"

"We have already delegated everything," Luna said with a wave of her hand. "Efficiently and all those things."

"But the Princess–" I started, being cut off by Yuri.

"We will bring it along. You can deploy me then whenever needed."

"What about my boats?" I tried pushing, but now Sasha was the one shooting it down.

"I looked it over and sent it down to the corresponding department. They are good and capable. They can build something like that without our supervision. You raised good people, Leon. They can handle it."

"What about the kids?!" I tried my last resort, my final approach, but with little success.

"Arthur and Leyla are still away, as you asked. They are working to ensure that all other Union members are stable. Lancelot is with your Dad. Galahad is where we are going... And Morgan is keeping Meyli company while Louise looks after them." Mikan beamed, explaining everything. "Everything is smoothed over."

I opened my mouth to argue but... stopped. Looking at the four of them, I knew I had lost already. But true... everyone was doing their own thing... Even the girls from Khulman. Seltana was also coming with us on the Camelot, along with Oleg, as she had become his full-time assistant by now.

"Fine," I sighed. "But don't blame me when the beds are cold and the food starts to taste like military rations. I am not planning on returning to the palace for the foreseeable three to four months! I don't want to hear moaning about little stuff!"

"We'll bring the spices," Luna winked.

"And do the moaning under you!" Yuri added as the two grinned at me.

"I will make sure they cause no trouble," Mikan promised, making me sigh with a smile.

"Sure... then this will be a family trip." I raised my hand, giving up, "The longest winter cruise we have ever done!"

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