The return trip to Asdarge took another two months after Leo proposed to Alice, in that time Jack managed to get a chi training regimen together for the new warrior recruits, Alice found several people who passed Felix's interviews to assist her in office work even after returning to Asdarge, and they started training people to use basic mana before officially trying to start training at Asdarge. Other changes were that Alice was noticeably happier after she officially became Leo's fiancé, and would try even harder to help him with anything he needed. Iris's belly had grown slightly larger as well, and she finally admitted that it was getting harder for her to move around so she needed to rest more. And finally, when they first reached the mountains to the south of Asdarge Natalie had to run off to empty her stomach, showing she too was more than likely expecting.
Not everything was going well though, as there were several more attacks on the caravan after the desert tribes. Thankfully however they were mostly scouting parties and not actual armies, meaning they were dealt with fairly easily. Leo's main concern though, was ensuring that his territory was stabilized before the conflicts became even bigger, and trying to establish contact with the elven and beastman peoples.
He was lost in thought when a large mass of fur appeared out of nowhere and tackled him suddenly, making Theos instantly alert, as he tried to figure out what got past his senses. He then rushed to ensure his king wasn't hurt, and to eliminate the large creature foolish enough to attack him. The others started getting ready for a fight as well, until Iris called out while trying not to laugh,
"It's alright, it's just Luna." Everyone was confused, until they heard Leo laughing, and a voice in their heads.
"All right Luna, I get you're happy to see me but can you get off please?" Leo said as a high wolf bigger than any of them had ever seen before assaulted him with its tongue.
'If I did then you'd leave again wouldn't you? I want you to stay a while!' Though she was fully grown as far as high wolves were concerned, Luna still acted as a child occasionally. Leo sighed at her words, as when he thought about it, it did seem he left her behind a lot. He then said,
"Don't worry, I don't have any plans to leave again for a while yet. Plus, I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's going to be a little one to take care of soon. I wouldn't leave even if the gods themselves tried to make me." Luna became curious at his words, until Iris stepped forward to see her. Luna's curiosity got the better of her, and she got off of Leo to investigate what Iris wanted to show her. She started sniffing her and looked at her belly, before saying,
'You can't hunt like that! What happened to you mama!' As she had never kicked the habit of calling Iris and Leo mama and papa, combined with Leo being a new type of wolf being, it now seemed as if Luna was his real child. He then had to explain to those gathered that that wasn't the case, while Iris explained to Luna about her having a baby soon. When Luna understood what was happening, she was quite excited to meet what she considered her new brother or sister. They then made introductions,
"Luna this is Theos, a werewolf like me, and this is Alice, my second wife." Luna sniffed Theos, and snorted, before saying,
'I'm Luna, lord of the high waves of the northern forests. While I'm here none would dare harm any of you!' As she introduced herself, Theos had no idea how to respond, and wondered if he would ever stop being surprised while following Leo. Luna then turned to Alice, who said,
"Nice to meet you Luna, I'm happy to meet one of Leo's family members! I hope we get along from now on." Luna was surprised Alice was eager to meet her, as she herself was aware of how unique her own existence was. After introductions were made, Luna accompanied them the rest of the way to Asdarge, as it would take another day roughly to get there.
When Leo saw the giant floating island the next day, his first thought was that he was home. He never thought of it like this before, but Leo realized that this was soon where his family will be raised, and where he would always return to. He then pulled Iris close and kissed her happily, confusing her until he said,
"We're home." When she heard him Iris also split into a wide grin, as she herself felt calmer the closer they got to their home. Leo then pulled Alice close with his other hand, so that he had them in each arm, and kissed her as well before saying,
"This is going to be your new home as well Alice, so I'll say it first. Welcome home." As Leo said those words Alice suddenly felt tears threaten to appear, as she tried to fight them down. Leo led the way to the palace, passing orders for someone to handle the arrangements for the refugees until permanent lodging could be established. He entered the palace with Iris and Alice on each side of him, Theos following closely behind him, Yvan, Felix, and finally Jack and Natalie bringing up the rear. Waiting for them was elder grandma and Hilda, both extremely anxious to see Iris. Hilda quickly walked forward as soon as she saw her and gently pulled her into a hug, saying,
"I missed you so much, how are you? Any problems? Are you eating alright?" She then tried to bombard her with several questions about her well being. Leo smiled at the scene, before he turned to look at elder grandma, and frowned. Though nothing was obviously different about her, he couldn't shake the feeling something was off, and he starts to feel a little worried in his heart. Before he could ask about her well being though, she walked forward and grabbed Alice's hands.
"Welcome to Asdarge dear, I'm pleased to finally meet you in person." When Alice saw her she smiled and said,
"I'm happy to meet you as well elder grandma." The two had actually talked quite a bit through the mirrors while they traveled, and got along pretty well event though this was their first actual meeting. Alice would later lament though, at how elder grandma always wore long sleeved clothes that covered her arms, and her brand.