Between the aroma of freshly baked bread and the warm notes of a steaming stew, Elmer sat at the head of the solid wooden table.
"Father, how have your duties gone?" asked the child, his voice breaking the silent crackling of the bread in his mother's hands.
Elmer, with a deep sigh, replied while chewing freely, "Badly, son. The harvests promised more than they've given, and the hands I have are not the ones I need. It seems even the land conspires against us."
The boy, his head bowed over the plate, sipped his soup carefully, fearing to interrupt with any inappropriate noise. His mother, sitting next to Elmer, watched him with a mixture of reproach and resignation.
"My dear, you should clean up before eating. I can still smell the sweat of the day on you," she suggested softly, though her eyes held a firmness that couldn't be ignored.
Elmer grunted softly with a hint of joy in his tone. "I'm eating now, woman. I barely have time for myself, let alone a bath. I'll have to go out again after."
The woman, defeated by his response, leaned back in her seat. Her silence was not acceptance, but a mute protest.
"And you, son," Elmer began after a sip of bitter beer, "how is your training with Zirael progressing?"
"Good, father. Although we try to master new skills, some prove difficult."
Elmer looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I was never fond of that kind of instruction, especially since I can't supervise you as I'd like."
"I understand, father. But don't worry, I do the best I can."
"It's not worry I feel, son," Elmer replied in a softer tone. "It's caution. At your age, I wouldn't have known half of what you handle. I just want you to be careful."
"I will, father."
Elmer nodded, pleased with the response, before adding, "And what about Aziel? Any news of him?"
"Aziel..." The boy paused, searching for the right words. "Zirael and I have tried to motivate him, teach him both in combat and in the arts of knowledge, but he seems indifferent. In fact, he hasn't shown up for days."
"It's only natural, son," Elmer replied, with a tone of pride. "As I said before, not everyone has the same strength under the same lineage; he shows you that respect and care because he understands it. It's like comparing a straw hut with a stone house; they both serve a purpose, but their strengths are different."
"Father," the boy replied with a glint of resolve in his eyes, "that shouldn't limit trust or friendship. True strength lies in the heart, not in the walls around us."
Elmer let out a dry laugh. "When you get Aziel to trust you as a brother, then I'll make you have another one."
The conversation was interrupted by a loud thud on the table. The mother, with a steely gaze, exclaimed, "Have you come here to talk or to eat?"
Father and son hurried to devour the food that had been served to them, and that is how this short story of this family ends.