Uru'en led me over to a stack of large, wooden bowls and bone-handled spoons. I copied her, taking one of each. She moved toward the far corner of the hut where a massive hearth roared.
Standing before it, wielding a ladle the size of my forearm, was the tallest and most broadly built barbarian I had seen yet.
He had the shoulders of a draft horse and arms thick with corded muscle. Yet, when he turned at Uru'en's call, his face broke into a wide, gentle smile that seemed to soften his entire formidable presence.
"Dad, two for us! As usual!" Uru'en called out cheerfully.
'...Well, that was unexpected.'
I kept my expression neutral, but inwardly I wasn't that surprised.
Uru'en had clearly inherited her striking, almost delicate beauty from her mother. While her powerful build and sheer physical presence came straight from this man.
The giant chef's gentle smile shifted to me as I approached. His voice was a low rumble, like stones grinding together.
