Day 30 - Morning
I woke to the familiar chaos of my expanded sleeping arrangements, "Nyx sprawled across my chest in dragonkin form, Kasumi wrapped around my left side like a very muscular barnacle, Yuzuriha somehow managing to look elegant while unconscious on my right, and Momo at the foot of the bed with her ever-present notebook.
Lira and Pip had claimed their usual spots in my beard, which had become less "temporary nest" and more "permanent fairy housing development."
But something was missing.
"Where's Dewdrop?" I asked, careful not to dislodge anyone while scanning the bed.
Through the bond, Nyx stirred slightly. Still asleep, but present enough to murmur: "Flew off an hour ago. Seemed upset."
That got my attention. "Upset? About what?"
"Don't know. She didn't say. Just... left."
I carefully began the complex extraction process, trying to untangle from five sleeping partners without waking anyone. Failed immediately when Kasumi's grip tightened reflexively.
"Training time?" she mumbled, still mostly asleep.
"Not yet. I need to find Dewdrop."
"Mmmkay. Wake me when it's stabbing time."
"We don't have stabbing time."
"We should have stabbing time."
I finally managed to extract myself and found my clothes, "or rather, the clothes Momo had laid out for me the night before in her systematic way. She'd even included a note: "Dewdrop was crying in the garden last night. Didn't want to say why. Check on her. - Mo"
My stomach dropped.
The Search
I found Lira and Pip having breakfast in the main hall, looking unusually subdued.
"Have you seen Dewdrop?" I asked.
They exchanged glances, the kind of silent fairy communication that always preceded bad news.
"She's in the lily garden," Pip said quietly. "But Knox... she asked us not to tell you where she was."
"Why would she do that?"
"Because," Lira said, her usual cheer completely absent, "she thinks you don't want to spend time with her anymore."
The words hit like a physical blow. "What? That's... why would she think that?"
"When's the last time you did something with just her?" Pip asked gently. "The last time you took her exploring, or read her a story, or just... sat with her?"
I opened my mouth to answer and realized I couldn't. Between fortress construction, training with Kasumi, strategy sessions with Momo, dealing with the Oni integration, worrying about Siraq, managing bear kin relations...
"Oh no," I said quietly.
"She's the smallest," Lira said. "The youngest. And she thinks that means she matters the least."
"She doesn't! She's... she's Dewdrop! She's..." I struggled for words. "She's one of the first beings who ever trusted me. Who saw me covered in mud in a swamp and decided I was worth keeping."
"Then you should probably tell her that," Pip said. "Because right now, she thinks she's been replaced by bigger, more important people."
I was already moving toward the lily garden, my heart aching in ways I didn't know were possible.
The Lily Garden
The garden was one of Momo's projects, "a small, enclosed space where water lilies bloomed in crystalline pools. It was peaceful, beautiful, and currently home to one very small, very sad fairy sitting on a lily pad with her knees pulled up to her chest.
Dewdrop was so tiny she could fit in my palm with room to spare. Her wings, normally a blur of excited motion, hung limp and colorless. She didn't look up when I approached.
"Dewdrop?" I said softly, kneeling beside the pool so I wasn't towering over her.
She didn't respond.
"Sweetheart, can you look at me?"
Still nothing. But I saw her wings tremble slightly.
"Dewdrop, Lira and Pip said you were upset. They said..." I had to swallow past the lump in my throat. "They said you think I don't have time for you anymore."
Her voice, when it came, was barely a whisper. "You don't."
"That's not true."
"It is true." She finally looked up, and her eyes, huge and shimmering with unshed tears broke something in my chest. "You're always busy. Training with Kas. Planning with Mo. Talking with Yuzu. Worrying about Siraq. And I'm just... little. Too little to help with anything. Too little to matter."
"Dewdrop, you matter more than you could possibly know."
"No I don't." A tear rolled down her cheek, far too large for such a small face. "Everyone else is big and strong and useful. Kas can fight. Mo can plan. Yuzu can do magic. Even Lira and Pip are bigger than me. I'm just... tiny. And you don't need tiny."
I very carefully extended my hand, palm up, offering. "May I hold you?"
She hesitated, then slowly flew over and landed in my palm, so light I barely felt her weight. I brought her closer, cradling her gently against my chest where she could hear my heartbeat.
"Dewdrop," I said softly, "do you know what I was before I came to Shadowfen?"
She shook her head against my shirt.
"I was broken. Completely. I'd lost everyone who mattered to me, and I'd given up on everything. I was just... existing. Going through motions. Waiting to stop."
"That's sad," she whispered.
"It was very sad. And then I came here, and I was lost and scared and had no idea how to survive. And do you know who the first person was to show me kindness?"
"Who?"
"You. Remember? I was trying to fix a trap, and you landed on my nose and told me I was doing it wrong."
I felt her tiny body shake with something that might have been a giggle.
"You weren't scared of me, even though I was this big scary demon with horns and claws. You just... decided I was worth helping. Worth talking to. Worth trusting."
"But that was before," she said. "When you didn't have anyone else."
"No, sweetheart. That was when I needed someone most, and you were there. You've been there for every important moment since. When I was building this place. When I was scared. When I didn't know what I was doing. You were always there, being brave for both of us."
"I'm not brave. I'm scared all the time."
"Being scared and doing things anyway is what brave means." I gently stroked her back with one finger, feeling her wings flutter weakly. "Dewdrop, I'm so sorry I made you feel like you didn't matter. That was wrong of me. You matter enormously. You're one of the most important people in my life."
"But I'm so small. I can't do anything to help."
"You help every day just by being you. Do you know what happens when I'm having a bad day?"
She shook her head.
"I look for you. Because seeing you smile makes everything better. Hearing you laugh reminds me why I'm building this place. You're not too small to matter, Dewdrop... "you're exactly the right size to remind me what I'm protecting."
She was definitely crying now, tiny sobs that shook her whole body. I held her closer, let her cry against my shirt, and felt my own eyes burning.
"I thought you didn't want me anymore," she whispered. "I thought the big people were more important."
"Never. You could never be replaced or less important. You're Dewdrop... "my tiny, brave, wonderful girl who saw a broken demon in a swamp and decided he was worth saving."
"I just wanted you to read me stories," she said, her voice so small it nearly broke me. "Like you used to. Before everyone else came."
"Then that's what we're doing today. Just you and me. No training, no planning, no fortress business. Today is for stories and spending time with my smallest, most important daughter."
She pulled back enough to look up at me with those enormous eyes. "Daughter?"
"If you want to be. You've been part of this family from the beginning. That makes you family. That makes you mine to protect and love and spend time with."
"Even though I'm not strong like Kas or smart like Mo?"
"Especially because you're you. Kas is strong, Mo is smart, but you? You're kind. You see people hurting and you try to help. You make people smile just by existing. That's a different kind of strength, and it's just as important."
She threw her tiny arms around my thumb, hugging as hard as she could. "I love you, Papa Knox."
Papa Knox.
The title hit me like a freight train of emotion. I'd been called Warden, mate, husband, partner. But Papa? That was different. That was a tiny fairy who'd decided I was worth that title, worth that trust.
"I love you too, Dewdrop. More than I can put into words. And I promise, from now on, we have dedicated Papa-Dewdrop time. Every day. No exceptions. Even if the whole fortress is on fire."
"Even if dragons attack?"
"Even if dragons attack. Though Nyx would be very confused about that."
She giggled, the sound like tiny bells, and I felt some of the tension in my chest ease.
The Day of Dewdrop
I carried her back to my quarters, where the other residents of my bed were finally waking up.
Nyx took one look at Dewdrop cradled in my hands and immediately understood. Through the bond: What happened?
She felt forgotten. I've been so busy with everything else, I didn't notice she needed me.
Nyx's presence wrapped around me warmly: Fix it.
Planning to.
Kasumi stretched, noticed my expression, and immediately went from sleepy to concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong anymore," I said. "But today, I'm spending time with Dewdrop. Just us. So if anyone needs me for anything that isn't an actual emergency...""
"We'll handle it," Momo said firmly, sitting up and immediately making notes. "I'll reorganize the schedule. You two take the day."
Yuzuriha smiled knowingly. "The smallest ones often need the most attention. Go, Knox. We'll manage the fortress."
Through the bonds, I felt their support, their understanding, their love. This was family... "recognizing when one member needed something and making sure they got it.
"What do you want to do today, Dewdrop?" I asked.
She thought for a moment, her wings beginning to regain some of their color. "Can we go to the waterfall? And have breakfast there? And then... can you tell me about Earth? The place you're from? You never talk about it much."
"We can do all of that. Anything you want."
Breakfast at the Waterfall
I packed a small basket with food, "honeycakes for Dewdrop (her favorite), some fruit, tea for me. We settled by the waterfall in the main hall, the one Lira had insisted on that now seemed like the best decision I'd ever made.
Dewdrop sat on my shoulder, nibbling a honeycake that was nearly as big as she was, while I told her about Earth.
"It was very different from here," I said. "No magic. No fairies or dragons or demons. Just... humans. Living normal lives."
"That sounds boring," she said around a mouthful of honeycake.
"It was, sometimes. But it had its good parts. Movies, music, "though not as good as fairy songs, "and books. So many books."
"Did you have a family there?"
The question should have hurt more than it did. "I had people I loved. But I lost them. That's why I was broken when I came here. I didn't know how to keep going after losing them."
"But you found us," she said.
"I found you," I corrected. "You found me, actually. Landed on my nose and told me my trap was terrible."
"It WAS terrible!"
"It absolutely was. But you showed me how to fix it. And that was the first time since arriving that I felt like maybe, just maybe, I could learn to belong here."
She was quiet for a moment, then: "I'm glad you came here. Even if it was because you were sad. Because now you're my papa and I love you."
"I'm glad I came here too, sweetheart. Even with all the chaos and the murder forest and the constant threat of everything trying to kill me, "I'm glad, because it brought me to you."
"Will you tell me a story? Like you used to?"
"What kind of story?"
"A happy one. With a princess who's very small but very brave."
So I did. I made up a story about a tiny fairy princess who saved an entire kingdom not through strength or magic, but through kindness and seeing what others missed. Dewdrop listened with rapt attention, occasionally gasping or asking questions, and by the end, she was smiling again.
"That princess sounds like me," she said.
"That's because I was thinking of you when I made her up."
"Really?"
"Really. You're the bravest person I know, Dewdrop. Being small doesn't make you less brave. Sometimes it makes you more brave, because you have to work harder to be seen and heard."
"I don't feel brave."
"That's okay. I'll believe in you enough for both of us until you believe it yourself."
The Afternoon Adventures
We spent the afternoon exploring parts of the fortress that Dewdrop loved but I'd been too busy to notice.
The secret fairy passages that wound through the walls. The garden where the smallest flowers grew, perfect for Dewdrop's size. The reading nook Pip had created, where tiny books were carefully arranged on shelves I could barely see.
"These are my books," Dewdrop explained, pointing to a shelf of volumes no bigger than my thumbnail. "Pip helps me read them. They're about adventures and brave fairies and happily ever afters."
"Can you read me one?"
Her wings buzzed with excitement. "Really? You want me to read to YOU?"
"Absolutely. I bet you're a great reader."
She chose a book carefully, settling on my palm, and began to read. Her voice was tiny but clear, sounding out words with the careful concentration of someone still learning. The story was about a fairy who befriended a dragon (clearly Nyx had been involved in the writing) and together they protected a garden from an evil frost giant.
I listened with complete attention, asking questions when appropriate, letting her explain the pictures, and feeling something warm settle in my chest.
This. This was what mattered. Not fortress defense or political alliances or training regimens. This moment, with a tiny fairy reading me a story with complete trust and joy.
When she finished, she looked up at me hopefully. "Did you like it?"
"I loved it. You're an excellent reader, Dewdrop. Would you like me to read you one now?"
"Yes! The one about the stars!"
So we traded off, taking turns reading, and the afternoon slipped away in the best possible way.
The Perspective of the Waifus
In the main hall, Nyx lounged on her throne, but her attention was elsewhere. Through the soul bond, she could feel Knox, "his complete focus on Dewdrop, his gentle patience, his love for the tiny fairy who'd captured his heart from the beginning.
"He's good with her," Kasumi said, settling nearby. She'd been watching through a window, not wanting to intrude. "Really good."
"He's good with all of us," Nyx said. "But there's something different about how he is with Dewdrop. She brings out something... softer."
"Paternal," Momo supplied, approaching with her notebook. "He's protective of all of us, but with Dewdrop, it's pure paternal instinct. She's small, vulnerable, and she trusts him completely. That combination triggers every protective instinct he has."
"It's cute," Yuzuriha added, joining the group. "And slightly terrifying. I've never seen him that focused. Even when we were doing the trials, part of him was always tactical. But with her? Complete presence. She's his whole world right now."
"She needs to be," Lira said, landing on Nyx's shoulder. She'd been subdued all day, guilt clear in her expression. "I should have noticed she was feeling left out. I'm her sister. I should have seen it."
"We all should have," Pip said quietly. "We've been so focused on integrating the Oni, worrying about Siraq, managing fortress business... we forgot that the smallest fairy might need the most attention."
"Knox didn't forget," Nyx said firmly. "He just got overwhelmed. But the moment he realized, he fixed it. That's what matters. He's spending the entire day with her, making sure she knows she's loved."
Through the windows, they could see Knox and Dewdrop in the garden, reading together, Knox holding a tiny book while Dewdrop turned the pages with careful precision.
"I want that," Kasumi said suddenly.
"Want what?" Momo asked.
"That. The way he gives complete attention. The way he makes whoever he's with feel like they're the only person who matters." She looked at the others. "We all get pieces of him. But Dewdrop? Right now, she has all of him. And watching it... I want that too."
"We all do," Yuzuriha said softly. "That's why we chose him. Because he has this enormous capacity to love, and he gives it so freely. Even when he's overwhelmed, even when he's barely keeping it together, he finds room to love more."
"He's going to burn himself out," Momo said clinically, but her eyes were worried. "He gives and gives and forgets to take for himself. We need to remember that. Need to make sure he's okay while he's making sure everyone else is."
"Agreed," Nyx said. "Which is why tonight, we're having mandatory family relaxation time. No planning, no training, no fortress business. Just us, being together, making sure he knows he's loved too."
"And tomorrow," Lira said firmly, "we all spend one-on-one time with him. Scheduled. So everyone gets their Papa Knox time, not just Dewdrop."
"He'll protest," Pip pointed out.
"He can protest all he wants. We're doing it anyway." Nyx's smile was warm. "He takes care of us. Time to make sure we're taking care of him."
Evening - Story Time
As the sun set, I found myself in my quarters with Dewdrop still on my shoulder, her tiny weight familiar and comforting. She'd asked for one more story before bed, and I'd agreed, settling into my chair with her cradled gently in my hand.
"Tell me the story about you," she said. "About how you came here. The real version, not the adventure version. I want to know about Papa Knox before he was Papa."
I hesitated. The truth was dark, full of loss and pain. But she was looking up at me with those trusting eyes, and I realized she deserved honesty.
"It's not a very happy story," I warned.
"That's okay. It has a happy ending, right? Because you're here now, and you have us."
"It does have a happy ending," I agreed. "Because of you."
So I told her. About Emma, about the loss, about the hollow year that followed. About waking up in Shadowfen scared and alone. About surviving because giving up seemed harder than continuing. About finding her egg, meeting the fairies, building a life from broken pieces.
Dewdrop listened with complete attention, occasionally making small sounds of sympathy. When I finished, she was quiet for a long moment.
"I'm sorry you were so sad," she said finally. "But I'm glad you came here. And Papa? You're not broken anymore. You're built different now. You're built from all of us loving you."
The simplicity and wisdom of it broke something in me. Or maybe fixed something. It was hard to tell the difference anymore.
"You're right," I said softly. "I'm built from love now. Your love especially."
"Good." She yawned, her tiny mouth opening wide. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
"Always. Every time you ask."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Dedicated Papa-Dewdrop time. Every day. No matter what."
"Even if the fortress is on fire?"
"Even then. I'll bring you with me while I put it out."
She giggled sleepily, then curled up in my palm, her wings folding carefully against her back. Within minutes, she was asleep, her breathing tiny and steady against my skin.
I sat there holding her, this impossibly small being who trusted me completely, and felt something settle in my chest.
Purpose. Not just an abstract purpose like protecting Ashenhearth or building something lasting. But an immediate, tangible purpose, "this tiny fairy needed me to be here, present, real. And I was. For her, I always would be.
The family arrived gradually, quietly. Nyx settled beside me, one wing draped across my shoulders. Lira and Pip landed on my horns, their presence warm and supportive. Kasumi sat on the floor, leaning against my leg. Momo settled nearby with her notebook set aside for once. Yuzuriha draped herself across another chair, her usual seduction replaced with simple affection.
They didn't speak. Just... were. Present. Supporting me while I held Dewdrop.
Eventually, I carefully transferred the sleeping fairy to Lira and Pip, who would return her to the fairy quarters. She stirred slightly, mumbling "Love you, Papa" before settling back into sleep.
"Love you too, sweetheart," I whispered.
When she was gone, I looked at my assembled family and found them all watching me with expressions I couldn't quite parse.
"What?"
"You're a good father," Nyx said simply.
"I'm not actually her father. I'm just... I mean, she called me Papa, but that's more like an honorific or..."
"Knox," Momo interrupted gently. "You spent the entire day focused on one tiny fairy because she needed you. You made her feel seen, valued, and loved. That's fatherhood. Biology is irrelevant."
"She's right," Kasumi added. "I watched you two today. The way you listen to her, really listen. The way you make her feel important. That's what parents do. What good parents do."
"I'm just doing what anyone would do," I protested.
"No," Yuzuriha said firmly. "You're doing what you do. What makes you Knox... You see someone hurting, and you fix it. You see someone needing love, and you give it. That's not common. That's rare. That's why we're all here."
Through the bonds, I felt their support, their affection, their absolute certainty that I was enough.
"Thank you," I said finally. "For giving me today. For understanding that she needed it."
"We'll always do that," Pip said from where she'd returned to my beard. "That's what family means. Taking care of each other. All of us. Even when it means rearranging everything."
"Tomorrow," Nyx announced, "we're implementing new family time protocols. Everyone gets dedicated one-on-one time with you. Scheduled. Non-negotiable. Because today made me realize we all need that sometimes. Need to be the most important person to you, even if just for an hour."
"That's going to be complicated to schedule," I pointed out.
"I'll handle it," Momo said. "I have seventeen potential schedule configurations already prepared."
"Of course you do."
"I'm Momo. Preparation is what I do."
"So is caring," I said. "Which is why I love you. All of you. For understanding. For supporting. For being family."
"You're going to make Kas cry," Yuzuriha teased.
"I'm not crying!" Kasumi said, definitely crying. "These are tactical tears! Completely different!"
"Sure they are."
The evening dissolved into warm chaos, the kind I'd learned to love. But throughout it all, I kept thinking about Dewdrop, about her tiny weight in my hand, her absolute trust.
I'd failed her by getting too busy. But I'd fixed it. And I wouldn't fail her again.
[DEWDROP STATUS: REASSURED, LOVED, HAPPY]
[PAPA KNOX PROTOCOLS: ESTABLISHED]
[FAMILY TIME: NOW MANDATORY]
[DEDICATED ONE-ON-ONE SCHEDULES: PENDING IMPLEMENTATION]
[KNOX'S HEART: FULLER THAN EVER]
Later that night, before sleep claimed me, I felt a tiny presence land on my nose. Dewdrop, who should have been asleep in the fairy quarters.
"Couldn't sleep?" I whispered.
"Wanted to make sure you were real," she said. "That today really happened."
"It really happened. And it'll happen again tomorrow, and the next day, and every day after. That's a promise."
"Good." She settled into her favorite spot in my beard. "Love you, Papa."
"Love you too, sweetheart. Now sleep. Tomorrow's a new day."
"A Papa-Dewdrop day?"
"Every day is a Papa-Dewdrop day. Some are just more scheduled than others."
She giggled sleepily and settled in, and I felt the familiar weight of responsibility settle too. But it wasn't heavy. It was right, "this tiny being trusting me to be here, to be present, to be the father figure she needed.
I wouldn't let her down.
Not again.
Not ever.
~-----------------------------~
Knox's Note to Readers
Hey there. Knox here, Warden of Ashenhearth, accidental demon chimera, and Papa to the world's most determined tiny fairy.
So apparently I'm supposed to ask for "powerstones" and "comments" because that's how this whole webnovel thing works. Honestly, I'm still getting used to the fact that people are reading about my life in the first place. It's weird. You're weird. I appreciate you.
Here's the thing: I built Ashenhearth from scratch in a murder-swamp while trying not to die. I collected a family of broken, beautiful disasters who decided I was worth keeping. Also, there is Dewdrop, who has decided that Papa Knox is invincible and therefore I have to actually BE invincible.
No pressure.
But you know what? Your comments would be helpful. Seriously. When you tell me what made you laugh, or which character moment hit you in the feels, or when you just keyboard-smash because Dewdrop did something adorable... that matters. It's like having an extended family cheering from the sidelines. And after spending a year on Earth being absolutely hollow, having people who care about this story? About these characters? About whether I keep my promises to a four-year-old fairy?
That's worth more than you probably realize.
So here's my request: Hit that powerstone button if you're enjoying the chaos. Drop a comment if something made you feel things (good or bad - I can take it). Let me know which characters you want to see more of. Tell me if my waifus are being sufficiently characterized or if I'm slipping into "they all sound the same" territory. Yell at me if I take too long to post the next chapter (Mo has a schedule, but I'm notoriously bad at following it).
And if you have suggestions? Fire away. This is collaborative storytelling. You're watching me figure out how to be Papa Knox, Warden Knox, and "please stop breaking the furniture" Knox all at once. If you see something that would make the story better, I want to hear it.
Also, Dewdrop made me promise to tell you that she's very proud of you for reading her Papa's story, and she thinks you're all very smart and have excellent taste. Her words, not mine. Though she's not wrong.
Thanks for being here. For giving a damn about an isekai'd disaster trying to build something good in a forest that actively wants him dead. For caring about Kas's enthusiasm, Mo's organizational chaos, Yuzu's hidden vulnerability, Nyx's possessive dragon energy, and Dewdrop's unshakeable faith.
You're part of this now. Part of Ashenhearth.
Welcome home.
~~ Knox Ashford Warden of Ashenhearth, Keeper of Promises, Papa Knox (most important title)
P.S. - Seriously though, powerstone the thing. Lira's taking bets on how many we can get, and I really don't want to find out what she does if we lose.
P.P.S. - Dewdrop wants me to add hearts. ❤️❤️❤️ There. Happy now, sweetheart? Yes? Good. Story time after I finish this author's note. I know, I know, I promised. Papa Knox keeps his promises.