On a Thursday night in a cozy and charming treetop home in the Elven city of Mythwood, Gehmorin the Elf was doing his very best to get his daughters ready for bed. He knew he was doing his best, and he didn't think of himself as a stupid or incapable elf, but he also felt close to defeat, and had no idea why.

"Come on, girls, its bedtime now, and I'm serious this time!" he repeated. But two year old Valoria was completely failing to take him seriously. It might have had something to do with how — not half an hour earlier — he had been being a very un-serious fire-breathing dragon. They'd both been having great fun as he swooped with her in his 'claws' all around the bedroom before landing her in her bed and attempting to tuck her in. She had then leapt straight out of the bed again, disinclined to let go of that idea of being a dragon just yet.

"ROAAAAR, I'm a baby Dragon" she'd shrieked as she flapped her chubby little arms and attempted to dash past him and out the bedroom door, yet again. Unfortunately this time, as he side-stepped to block her escape she crashed into his leg. Bouncing off it, she hit her head on the side of the bedside table on the rebound. Tears erupted.

Gehmorin sighed as he picked up the now-wailing Valoria for another round of cuddles. That was one way to end the game, he thought. He paced the room rocking her until her sobs tapered off into hickups, and then silence. Once more he tucked the over-tired toddler back into her bed, and stood up.

Almost as if she'd been waiting for the moment (although surely this was just coincidence), six year old Elysia suddenly remembered she'd forgotten to go to the toilet before bed, and needed to climb back down from her bunk above Val to go right now.

Grinding his teeth, Gehmorin begged his eldest to stop shaking the bunks as she climbed down, but it was to no avail. The drowsing Valoria came back to full wakefulness, and realised she needed to go to the toilet again, too. And, she was also thirsty.

Gehmorin was close to panic now. Sure that it was the wrong decision, but not sure what the right thing to do would be, he released the two young elves from of their bedroom and marched them down the hall to the toilet. As he passed the living room, he didnt know whether to make eye contact with his wife, Mithradia, or avoid it. He opted to avoid it, but nevertheless felt her gaze on his back as he passed. It was her birthday tomorrow, and she had told him very clearly that she wanted to celebrate the last night before being officially another year older with some uninterrupted adult time and a bottle of moonberry wine. He'd gallantly offered to get the kids to bed alone, and suggested she get the wine out already and relax while he took care of the bedtime routine.