***I self-edit and admit editing isn't my greatest skill. I apologize in advance for anything I missed. ***

CHAPTER 31: Dreams and Lovers

* * *

Rachel fought very hard to remain asleep because the dream that she had been having was so wonderful. In the dream, she had married Ethan and then Alana had held her hand during their first kiss. Later, when the redhead was nervous during her wedding night, the wood elf had come in and not only helped her calm down, but also kissed her forehead tenderly right before she'd had her first real orgasm. Then she'd fallen asleep between the two people she loved most in the world. She wanted so much to stay asleep and remain in the dream instead of waking up in the same old hammock alone...

...then she felt warm breath on the back of her neck.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw a beautiful collection of chocolate brown hair with the prettiest ears in the Ten Kingdoms poking out of it. The newly risen sun was streaming in through the window and cast the loveliest light on her best friend.

She blinked.

She closed her eyes firmly, shook her head slightly, and then opened them again. She couldn't help but smile as she saw that the chocolate brown hair was still there. That's when she became aware of the rest of her body. She was naked -- completely naked -- and spooning with the two people she loved most in the whole world. She could feel hundreds of soft, smooth scales on her back and the warm tanned skin of the wood elf against her front.

Alana was naked too.

Rachel couldn't see her body because of the sheets, but she could feel her bare skin.

She sighed.

*Finally awake?* She heard a masculine voice, but not with her ears.

*Yes my lord.* She thought to him, surprised at how natural the title now felt. "Am I doing this right? Can you hear me?*

He brushed his fingers over her side, making her shudder, before responding. *I can hear you, and it's wonderful to finally hear your voice. Your mental voice that is.*

*Yeah.* She nodded with a smile as he ran his finger gently through her hair. *Yeah, it's pretty great hearing you too.*

They both sighed at the same time and he wrapped his arm tighter around her.

*What do you and your other wives usually do in the morning?* She asked as she also put an arm around Alana. For some reason, it just felt right to. She loved having her best friend this close to her.

*Talk mentally until everyone is awake, then usually talk aloud. On a not-infrequent basis, at least one of us is feeling frisky, and that usually snowballs to the others.*

She wiggled her butt slightly and found that he was indeed hard. *Should I... um, I mean...*

*Not if you don't want to, but I'm game if you are.*

She looked at him over her shoulder and he flashed her a grin.

She blushed.

She blushed even harder at the thought that ran through her mind. She was pretty sure his other wives had used their lips on him, and she wanted to be their equal in every way. The idea wasn't exactly unappealing, but something about it seemed very... subservient? Submissive? Something like that. She didn't know how to feel about that; that went double because she didn't think that aspect would bother her anymore.

She wasn't sure why.

*What's going on in that beautiful mind?* He made a thoughtful sound, then mentally sang. *I'm on your magical mystery ride, and I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright.*

*Huh?*

*It's from a song on my...* He stopped. *Let me correct myself: it's a song from Earth, which isn't my world anymore; this is.*

*Yeah?*

*Yeah, it is. Anyway, part of the song's chorus goes like this.* He thought, then mentally sang again. "All of me, loves all of you; all your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.* As he said the last bit about 'perfect imperfections', he traced his finger over her birthmark.

She stiffened slightly.

*It's true, what it says about 'perfect imperfections'.* He said kindly. *I don't care that you have a birthmark, just as I don't care that Alana does too. In fact, I think it's kind of neat.*

*You do?*

*Yeah; I do.*

*I'm glad.* She relaxed. *Though when I said 'yeah', I was talking about you calling the Ten Kingdoms your world. You really think of it that way?*

*I'm starting to.* He replied. *Taloni's bad reaction to being on Earth for just a few seconds pretty much closed the door on me returning for more than a short visit. Plus Alana doesn't tolerate it well either, and certainly couldn't live there. Other than my parents, I don't miss much.*

*Not even your 'TV' thing and the... intraweb?"

*Internet. Yeah those are nice, but I really like the slower, simpler pace here too. And other than a certain father-in-law, this place is pretty great.*

She sighed thinking about her father. *Yeah, I'm sorry about him.*

*Well, I can't completely hate him; he does make pretty good daughters you know.*

*Thank you.* Rachel chuckled, and Alana started to stir at the noise and movement.

"Hmm?" The wood elf mumbled.

"Morning princess." Ethan said good-naturedly.

"Good would be Rachel here with us." She mumbled sleepily as she yawned.

"Good morning sweetie." Rachel said with amusement.

The wood elf flipped around at lightning speed. She stared at the two of them for several seconds, then rubbed her eyes. "I didn't dream last night?"

"That's what I thought when I woke up too, but no; it wasn't a dream." The redhead replied. Curiously, she didn't feel very self-conscious about being naked around Alana right now. She supposed that made sense as the wood elf had literally held her hand while she'd orgasmed in her lap.

Well, actually...

The redhead blushed slightly as she realized that Alana kissing her forehead had triggered the orgasm as much as anything that Ethan had done. She really had no clue what to make of that.

None whatsoever.

She knew that Ethan's wives tended to get more sexually... um, 'flexible' after marrying him. Alana had told her a little bit about her experience with Beth, plus the redhead had an active imagination, but hadn't really thought it would affect her. I mean, she'd never been attracted to a woman before, even the lovely Alana who was practically the most perfect woman who'd ever lived. She definitely wasn't attracted now, so then why...?

She came back to the present to see a highly amused smile on Alana's face. Suddenly, she felt a little embarrassed about her nakedness again, though she couldn't figure out why.

"What?"

"You get caught up in your head so easily." The brunette chuckled. "It's adorable."

For some reason, Rachel liked the idea that Alana thought she was adorable. Plus, she'd surely meant it in a completely friendly, non-sensual way, so it wasn't weird.

"Well, I'm hungry." Ethan announced as he abruptly sat up and hopped over the two of them to land upright on the floor. "Why don't you ladies stay here and have a lie-in. I'll make sure they save some breakfast for you."

And with that, he left without another word, but with a strange sort of amused grin.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked her bedmate.

Alana's eyes were staring into space for a moment before she turned back to her friend with an embarrassed smile. "That was just my husband--" She smiled broadly. "--I mean 'our' husband being who he is."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning we should have a lie-in." The wood elf laid her head back down on the pillow facing the redhead. Her body was covered by the sheet, but the thin fabric did little to hide her lovely figure.

"Is that bothering you?" Alana asked. "I could put my dress on."

"No, it doesn't bother me at all." Rachel replied, possibly a little too quickly. She added another question to cover that up. "Does it get weird with all Ethan's wives being naked in here at once?"

"Well, it was at first. However, once we started..." She faltered. "Um, once we had... uh..."

"Once you had... 'kissed'?" Rachel offered, knowing full well that a lot more than kissing had happened.

"Yeah, once we 'kissed' it seemed silly to be embarrassed around each other."

"Hmm. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable 'kissing' Beth or Taloni, or even being naked around them." Rachel mused.

Alana bit her lip.

There was an awkward silence for several seconds. That's when Rachel realized that she hadn't said that she wouldn't be comfortable 'kissing' or being naked around Alana. She had no clue why she hadn't included the lovely and adorable wood elf though. Maybe it just slipped her mind?

"You know what this reminds me of?" Alana finally asked.

"What?"

"The night of Taloni's wedding, and the hammock."

"Yeah." Rachel sighed. "Except that I don't feel lonely right now, but I did then."

"Aww." The wood elf got a look of both sympathy and adorable happiness. She reached forward to give the redhead a hug, which she gratefully accepted. She had always loved hugging the wood elf. She found herself slightly annoyed that the sheet had ended up between them, but otherwise it was perfect.

Somehow, the hug never quite broke.

Rachel laid back down, slightly pinning the wood elf's arm, but she didn't seem to mind and ended up half leaning on the newlywed. They laid like that for several minutes in companionable silence. Rachel closed her eyes to enjoy it and heard Alana yawn next to her. As the redhead yawned in response, it occurred to her that a dozy, sleepy, morning lie-in sounded great. It was made even better by the wonderful, beautiful, and absolutely lovely wood elf next to her.

With any luck, she thought that they might even get a chance to doze together, like the morning after Taloni's wedding.

They both nodded off soon after, each holding the other in her arms.

* * *

"Where are Alana and Rachel?"

Ethan smiled at his youngest wife's boundless curiosity as he took another bite of breakfast. It was mostly biscuits and oatmeal, which didn't have enough meat for his liking, but they weren't bad. He'd found his appetite for meat had skyrocketed since becoming a dragon. Beth, Taloni, Selene, Anthiel, Serif, and Raklan were all sitting around the breakfast fire, which was suspended above the wooden decking in an iron firepan.

"I told them they should have a lie-in." He responded once he had swallowed.

"A lie-in huh?" Selene said with a knowing look.

"Good for them." Anthiel added with a similarly knowing look, and Serif looked slightly amused. Raklan had a leering look as he got up, leaving his food unfinished. He never left his food unfinished.

"I'll be in my bunk." He said as he adjusted his pants and then went below decks.

Ethan growled quietly after him.

"I'll let him know your feelings on the matter." Serif said, getting up and following the large crewman. Ethan's two youngest wives looked at each other and then at everyone else.

"What am I missing?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, I don't understand." Taloni said.

Ethan stopped staring daggers after Raklan and turned to them. "Well--" He started, but was interrupted.

"Ow! What was that for?" Raklan's voice came from below decks. Something told him that he'd just been the victim of a slap upside the head, courtesy of Serif.

Good man.

"Serves the creep right." Selene looked at the other ladies. "Seriously, how do you put up with him leering all the time?"

"He doesn't leer at Ethan's wives." Anthiel said delicately. "He's not stupid, and both Serif and Ethan aren't oblivious."

"Ugh, okay." Selene nodded. "Well, if you ever feel like extending that courtesy to me, I wouldn't cry."

Beth and Taloni giggled.

"Not that courtesy." Selene rolled her eyes.

Ethan chuckled as he took another bite. The Brazilian woman was drop-dead gorgeous, but he already had his hands full, not to mention his bed. Apparently, he had another three wives coming at some point and had no idea who they would be. He would bond to them of course, but he found himself wondering who in the world he would feel comfortable bonding to...

"Ah shit." He breathed.

"What?" Beth, Taloni, and Selene all chorused at once.

"Remember that Illuminar said I was going to have seven wives?" They nodded, so he continued. "Well it just occurred to me that Kendra might actually end up being one of my wives; we're bonded remember. I have no idea why I didn't think of that before."

As he thought about it, he realized why it hadn't occurred to him. Kendra was probably the last woman in the world -- either world -- that he would've considered for a wife. Taloni somehow managed to look like a kid on Christmas morning while also looking disappointed in him. "Master that's wonderful, but please don't be upset. Kendra really is a lovely person."

"Yeah, maybe." He sighed. She had apologized for trying to kill him all those times, and she'd been very helpful during their escape and return to the Argo.

"Master, you being married to Kendra will be wonderful. She really needs a good husband like you."

"I actually agree with Tee, Dominus." Beth added. "She seemed so lonely when she first visited the Argo, but she looked much better yesterday, and the night before too. I think I'd really like having her as a fellow wife if you could draw her out of her shell a bit. She was actually nice yesterday while we were all telling stories, and she seemed to really enjoy the company."

"And master, she did apologize to you even though she hates dragon, doesn't that say something about her?" The Fey said as her wings fluttered slightly in anticipation.

"It does." He admitted.

Knowing where her hatred of dragons had come from had given him a new perspective. For her to get past the fact that a dragon had burned her parents alive in their house before her eyes at a young age... It was impressive that she could get over that and actually apologize to him. It spoke volumes about her character. Plus she had experience fighting dragons, which could be useful against Lord Delmar and the Black Dragon.

He frowned, and then noticed Selene giving him a strange look.

* * *

Selene couldn't believe her ears, though she supposed that she should be used to it by now. Beth and Taloni seemed like they were actively rooting for Ethan to have another wife.

Why?

There was no universe in which she could possibly understand how they tolerated their husband having sex with another woman. None. Of course they were free live their lives how they wanted and that was fine with her. As her father liked to say: 'not my circus, not my monkeys'. However, she simply couldn't understand it and wouldn't ever want it.

"What?" Ethan asked, apparently noticing the look on her face.

"The multiple wives thing; I don't get it."

"It works for us." He shrugged and then turned his attention back towards his food and wives. He didn't ignore her, but mostly talked with them the rest of the meal.

She wasn't sure what to do with that.

She was pretty sure she was being somewhat self-absorbed, but it was actually strange for her to not command the attention of a man without trying. She certainly wasn't trying to get his attention, but she genuinely didn't know how to react around a man who simply wasn't interested in her. Just about every man remotely close to her age always had been, plus many far from it; why not him?

Her mind drifted back to that clearing where his portal to Earth had opened. Most especially, she thought about how he had looked at her after shocking her with his hammer. He had looked at her like she was beneath his notice, and that behavior had partially carried through to the present day. He hadn't been rude at all, but he certainly hadn't paid much attention to her since she'd gotten to the Argo. For some reason, she started getting a bit horny whenever she thought about that.

Was something wrong with her?

Back in the portal clearing, the dragon had looked at her like he was sizing her up to see if she was worth his time and attention. For some reason, she'd gotten the distinct impression that the dragon didn't think that she was worth either. She had gotten the distinct impression that she was lacking some quality that he was has looking for and that made her somehow 'lesser'.

That made her horny too.

It was stupid, but true.

All her life people had treated her very well, probably because of her beauty. Now, she'd finally met a man who seemed truly uninterested in her. Not did she not know how to react to that, but for some reason that bothered her. She had found herself comparing herself to his other wives trying to figure out what it was that they had that she lacked.

She couldn't figure it out.

She didn't want to be self-absorbed, but if you combined the best physical assets of all his other wives and compared them to her -- even her on a bad day -- she didn't think she'd suffer by comparison. She might even come out on top physically. So she figured it must be something non-physical. Some aspect of her personality perhaps?

What was she missing?

What was wrong with her?

It even occurred to her that she might be a bit too self-absorbed, and she didn't like that thought at all. In fact, she rather hated it. A little self-reflection made her think it could be a problem of hers that she'd need to work on.

That realization stung a bit.

"I heard you've been training like mad; wanna spar?" Ethan asked after he'd finished his breakfast.

"Sure!" She replied instantly, not sure why she was so happy that he had asked her.

He retrieved the training weapons from the hold and threw a shield and practice arming sword to her. "First strike which would be debilitating or lethal."

"Agreed." She smiled.

"I just deactivated my enhanced reflexes." He called. "Begin."

Selene raised her sword and shield, ready to defend. He was using a spear without a shield, and she usually did pretty well against Serif and Raklan with that matchup. Well, she usually lasted longer anyways.

Ethan leapt forward, driving his spear tip towards her face. She slightly raised her shield and moved it out, blocking the spear strike while retaining her field of vision. She started forward to attack after taking the centerline. However, he retracted his spear lightning fast and thrust it out again towards her torso. She readjusted her shield to cover the torso, then aimed a counterblow as she stepped forward.

He grinned.

He adjusted the training spear to block her strike, then stepped in closer, dropped his one hand, and grabbed her exposed sword hand in his. He jerked her arm forward, pulling her out of position as he deftly choked up on his spear so he was holding it near the point, and brought it around to stop it close to her neck.

"Touché." She admitted as he pulled his blow so he didn't hit her.

They reset.

"Begin." He called.

This time she went on the offensive, charging forward to get past his spear point. He took a step back as she aimed a downward diagonal slash. He twirled his spear, deflecting her sword's path with the butt end of the spear while he thrust the point down toward her legs. She moved her shield to block his spear point, but he grabbed her shield and pulled it up, forcing her sword arm into an awkward position and opening up her legs for the spear strike that lightly tapped her leg moments later.

"Touché." She sighed.

It went like that the entire time.

She rarely landed a blow. Even when she did, they were so light and glancing that she thought he might be calling them hits just to make her feel better. He also started helping her by pointing out flaws in her defenses or technique. His pointers where spot on and delivered in helpful manner without condescension, but that made her feel even more inferior anyway.

But worse was the look. At some point, she'd noticed him getting slightly dragonish during their sparring. Then suddenly, she was losing even worse. She got the distinct impression that the dragon was toying with her, much like a cat might toy with a mouse. While he wasn't more violent and still pulled his winning strikes, the look on his face did change.

The dragon -- not necessarily Ethan -- but the dragon looked disappointed in her.

For some reason, that stung.

It really stung.

When they finished, Ethan seemed to come to himself a bit. "Wow, you're improving really fast. It took me weeks to get to the level you're at."

"Thanks." She replied, trying to sound cheerful even though she wasn't.

Eventually, Ethan wandered away to say good morning to Rachel and Alana after they emerged from the captain's cabin. Both women were looking incredibly happy and were almost glowing, and both greeted their husband with a kiss. They then started working on making his new suit of dragon skin armor with Serif.

Selene mostly watched or sparred with Raklan when she could, but her heart wasn't in it. Ethan had been genuine in his praise, but she still felt like she had been schooled like a white belt sparing against a grand master.

Oddly, that made her loins itch a bit too.

* * *

Sarah leaned down to look at her newest herb plant, glad to see her prune from earlier in the week had helped it. It was still growing beautifully, but at a slower and healthier pace.

She smiled.

Satisfied that her plants were all doing well, she stood and started walking back towards the inn. As she did so, her mind went back to her dream with Gabriella. The angel's promise that 'everything will be okay in the end; if it's not okay, it's not the end' had been very comforting. Her other promise that Sarah would help 'bring great good' and get a wonderful husband in the process almost seemed too good to be true.

She couldn't help but wonder if maybe it had just been a normal dream.

She looked up to the sky. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be you -- thank you for the dream. Um, I really want it to have been a real dream, a dream from you I mean. So please make it so it was." She finished, then looked up again. "And please make me good."

She got back to the inn and walked into the kitchen. The stew she'd started earlier was still slowly cooking over the bed of coals she'd made. She picked up the poker to rearrange the coals and felt her shoulders slump when she realized it was the same poker that she'd bent the day Selene had started working at the inn.

She really missed her friend.

Not long after, she heard the front door open, which was odd since travelers usually didn't enter until late afternoon or evening and it was still mid-morning.

"Hello and welcome." She said as she left the kitchen and entered the main room.

The man jumped slightly.

He was probably around sixty and looked like he had lived a hard life. His right leg appeared to end at the knee because he had a pegged leg poking out the bottom of his rough pants. His face was weather-beaten and his skin was closer to leather than most. He had a scraggly stubble of a grey beard, which matched his grey hair.

The man's face went a little pale when he saw her, but he didn't move.

"Can I help you?" She asked, all too familiar with the reason for his fear. To be honest, she was a little scared of her problem too.

He regarded her for a moment. "Is this..." He looked around. "Was the dragon really here?"

"No." She shook her head. "But two of his wives were, about four days ago."

He nodded, apparently considering. "Is he likely comin' back?"

"I hope so." She replied. "My friend Selene went with them and she promised to come back for my wedding if she could."

The man nodded again, then narrowed his eyes and looked at her carefully.

"You're the girl, ain't you?" He said suspiciously. "The one that's got all them priests and travelers scared."

She swallowed hard and then nodded, not able to meet his eye.

"Is it true what they is saying about you?"

She nodded mutely.

"Hmm. you don't look like you've got a... well, a 'you know what' hangin' onto you."

"I try to serve Illuminar and my... my problem comes and goes." She replied, surprised that he had said that much her problem. People stopped doing that a year or two after her problem surfaced. It seemed they were worried they might 'catch' her problem if they spoke of it. He seemed like he was from far away though, so perhaps that was why?

He made a thoughtful sound. "Do you know what makes it come?"

"When I'm scared." She replied.

This was one of the strangest conversations that she'd ever had, and certainly the longest conversation she'd ever had about her problem since her father had taken her to all those priests. It was also the longest conversation she'd had with about her problem with any visitor. They usually stayed far away from her and didn't ask when they knew.

"So as long as I don't go scaring you, you gonna stay you?"

She nodded.

"And you think the dragon might be back?"

"I hope so." She replied honestly. "My friend is really nice and I know she wouldn't lie to me. She said she'd try to come back. She traveling with him now, so..."

The man considered her for several long moments. He made a thoughtful grunting sound and stroked the stubble on his chin, then nodded. "Okay, then I'd like a bed for as long as it takes until he comes back, or your friend does."

"Why do you need to talk to the dragon?" Sarah asked.

"I'm from down southeast near the mountains; things is getting bad down there."

The girl gasped and covered her mouth. She glanced at his pegged leg and she could feel her skin getting clamy and cold. There was only one thing in the mountains that would give a man a pegged leg and yet he could live to tell the tale. They were the villains of every horror story in Ivernia, more than a few cautionary tales, and some of the darker nursery rhymes. Some of those stories were so scary her parents had refused to tell them to her until she was older.

If they were getting out of hand, that didn't bode well.

"Orcs?" She whispered.

He nodded.

* * *

"You know it's weird." Ethan said as he watched the land of Ivernia slowly fade into the distance as they crossed over into the land of the wood elves again. They'd taken a break from working on his armor, and since they were about to pass out of Ivernia, they had decided to take that break on the quarterdeck to watch the verdant countryside fade into the distance. "I've spent so little time there, but something about it just feels..."

"Like home?" Alana offered.

"Yeah." He turned towards her, leaning on the rear railing of the Argo's quarterdeck with all four of his wives beside him. "Anyone else feel like that?"

"Um, not quite like that Dominus." Beth replied. "But it's really pretty country and I like it. We were only there a few days, but... I don't know. I feel very comfortable in Ivernia."

"I agree master." Taloni's wings fluttered.

"Yeah I agree to. It's a shame about Lord Farbrottan though." Rachel added. "Never has a prettier country had a more unfortunate lord."

"Oh?" He asked.

"Yes my lord." She replied, then paused. "It's really weird now natural that feels now; calling you 'my lord' I mean."

"It's weird hearing you say it, but... I don't know; I kind of like it too."

"Me too my lord." The redhead replied with a half embarrassed smile.

"So, Lord Farbrottan isn't such a good guy?" He asked.

She shook her head. "He's a petty tyrant. Keeps the land in an iron grip and punishes any dissent or criticism harshly."

He looked back out over the beautiful countryside. "Shame, something about Ivernia just feels..." He looked at Alana. "Yeah, like home."

She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Yeah."

*Master, I think Selene wants to say something.* Taloni thought to him. *She's standing near the stairs looking a little unsure of herself.*

Ethan took a last look at the Ivernian landscape, then turned towards the Brazilian woman. "Something up?"

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about two things. First, -- given how taken you are with Ivernia -- I thought you might want to do something about Smithbond and him establishing a base here with the portal."

"Yeah. We should talk about that; we'll finish the armor later." He groaned, though not at her. "What was the second thing?"

"It's related: I'd like to go home, if possible." She replied.

"Okay, let's sit down and talk about it." He said, not really wanting to add another thing to his plate, but recognizing that it was past time to start thinking about that particular situation.

* * *

Selene listened as Ethan summarized what they'd discussed on the topic for the last few minutes.

"So, Smithbond is working with Gonorran, they have a portal and are setting up a base here, and just destroying the portal isn't enough because Gonorran could create a new one."

"That's about the size of it." The Brazilian woman nodded, then looked at Rachel. "I'm assuming that he could create a new portal."

"That's a safe bet." The redhead replied. "He created the one that we used, and he's a necromancer so mana isn't a problem even on Earth."

"So that begs the question; how do we destroy the portal and--" Alana paused. "Hmm. What do we do about Gonorran?"

Everyone looked at Ethan.

He looked pensive for several seconds. "My dragon side thinks he'd be better six feet under, and I'm not sure I'd disagree."

"Wait, did you say six feet under?" Beth asked.

Selene nodded. "Yeah, that's how deep we bury the dead."

"Oh; we do seven feet here, because seven is the number of Illuminar."

"It is?" Ethan and Selene said at the same time.

Alana chuckled.

"Master, did you notice that the temple of Illuminar has a seven pointed star on it? And so do the stars on a Luminar's robes?"

"Not really." He replied. "I obviously noticed the star, but wasn't really counting the points."

"Anyway, I'm inclined to agree with the dragon." Rachel interjected. "Gonorran has killed a lot of people, kidnapped a lot of people, and I'm not sure there's anything else we can do to ensure that he doesn't start sending men from Ethan's world here."

"We could capture him bring him back here." Beth suggested.

"Yeah, but then he'd be a problem here." Ethan countered. "I'm all about giving a person a fair trial, but something tells me he'd end up killing one of us before we hauled him before a court here."

"He's pretty dangerous." Alana agreed.

The ex-FBI agent frowned. "You do realize that you're talking about murder, right?" She was rather surprised by their casual flippancy on the topic. It bothered her, especially considering her former chosen career.

"You weren't there." Rachel said quietly. "He casually suggested murdering children."

"Plus he's a necromancer." Taloni said. "The Book of Light says that all necromancers shall be put to death."

"Well that's not right." Selene exclaimed.

"Anthiel, could you come down here for a minute?" Ethan called to the high elf, who was on the quarterdeck near the ship's wheel as usual.

"Yes captain?" She asked when she arrived.

"Could you please tell Selene the same story you told me about what happens when someone turns to necromancy."

The high elf nodded. "I once knew a fellow who turned to dark mana to save his village from an attack. He was a kind, caring soul too; a truly good man who only wanted to help people, He used it used it out of desperation, but it thoroughly corrupted him even though his intentions were originally good."

"What happened to him?" Selene asked.

"He went on a rampage and killed a dozen men before he was killed by the guards."

Rachel nodded. "No self-respecting mage who cares about others would even consider using it; the corruptive effects are too strong. In the entire history of the Ten Kingdoms, there's not one soul who used dark mana who didn't turn evil."

"Dark mana?" Selene asked.

"Mana pulled from something that has just died." Alana explained. "It's negatively charged, unlike all other mana, which is positively charged. It erodes the soul."

"That's the definition of necromancer; a mage who uses dark mana." Rachel added. "Though they usually end up delving into the area of magic with -- confusingly enough -- is called necromancy, which involves reanimating the corpses of people or animals."

"And this guy uses dark mana?" Selene asked.

"Liberally." Ethan replied. "He murdered one of his own men to power the portal. He's ruthless."

Hmm.

Selene pondered that for a few moments. She suddenly wasn't as opposed to ending him, but still thought he deserved a fair trial. The presumption of innocence was the bedrock of justice and she certainly thought that everyone -- even terrible people -- deserved a fair trial.

"Regardless of if he needs to die or be captured, how would we get to him?" She finally said. "He's deep in the bunker."

"Through the portal?" Beth suggested. "We could wait until he opens it and go through."

"Wouldn't work." Selene shook her head. "I'm virtually positive they'll have the portal room heavily guarded. Even if you subdued the camp outside, they'd shoot you on sight if you entered the base."

"Well, there is one person they probably wouldn't shoot on sight." Ethan looked at her pointedly.

"Yeah, I know." Selene sighed.

"It gets worse though." He continued. "Have you thought about what'll happen if you destroy the portal and deal with Gonorran? How Smithbond will respond?"

"They won't be happy; I know that." Selene admitted. "I've been hoping that I could get back to Earth and my life there, but with the portal and Gonorran..." She shook her head. "...I'm not sure that's realistic now."

Ethan shook his head. "No, they'd just keep forcing you to work for them if they didn't outright kill you."

"I hate that you're right." She sighed.

"Selene, I think your life on Earth might be kind of over." Rachel said gently. "If half of what Ethan has said about his world and their governments is true, you'll never be a free woman again. Not on Earth anyway."

The ex-FBI agent felt her shoulder slump.

They were right.

"So I'm not really going home." Selene said glumly. "I'm going on a one-way mission to assassinate a necromancer and destroy a portal." She looked around at them. "I suppose that's not the worst way to go."

"It doesn't have to be one-way." Alana pointed out. "We could open our portal so you could come back once you were done."

"But how would you know when I'm done?" Selene countered. "We're talking intergalactic distances here. There's literally no way to communicate that far."

Ethan and all his wives looked at each other and then back at her.

"I wouldn't say there's no way..." Rachel said.

"What do you--" Selene started to say, then realized. "Oh, yeah I forgot about that."

Several of Ethan's wives looked at him, and the caramel-haired woman was beginning to recognize the signs of a telepathic conversation happening.

"No, I'm not interested." He said aloud after a few seconds, then turned to her. "No offense, but I already have four wives -- maybe five if you count Kendra -- and I really don't need another one."

She didn't take offense, but that comment stung.

It stung a lot.

She hoped that she wasn't being terribly self-absorbed to think this, but she simply couldn't understand why he was so adamant about not being interested in her. It would make sense if their personalities didn't click, but they seemed to get along well enough. Also, he already had four wives and she certainly didn't want his attention. But she was a bit confused why he had zero interest.

Maybe less than zero interest judging by his comment.

Everyone seemed to think that she was pleasant enough, and she was certainly attractive. Plus she was a smart, capable woman who managed to earn her masters by twenty two and been accepted as an FBI agent and passed the academy by twenty three. She'd achieved that through hard work and never giving up, so there couldn't be anything wrong with her, could there?

She was shaken out of her reverie when Taloni spoke up.

"You're right about wives master, you don't need another one wife." The Fey teen said with a mischievous smile. "You need another two wives."

"Don't remind me." He groaned, then looked around at everyone. "So any other ideas on how to get Selene back here?" Taloni opened her mouth, but he was faster. "Obviously setting that idea aside, because I'm sure it doesn't appeal to Selene either."

She suppressed a wince.

Ouch.

Not only did she not appeal to him; he was sure that she didn't appeal to him.

That really stung.

"One of us could go with her so we could talk to you." Rachel suggested to Ethan. "But it would have to be me or Beth; Alana and especially Taloni certainly couldn't go."

"That's a bad idea." Selene said. "If they even suspect they have a Ten Kingdoms native on planet, they'll stop at nothing to find her. If she was caught, she'd never see the light of day again."

"Here that girls, you're staying here." Ethan said firmly.

"Yes Dominus."

"Yes my lord."

He looked back at Selene. "Hmm, well we'll have to come up with something. We've got some time though. I don't imagine they can do too much too fast; it is a government operation after all."

"True." Selene admitted.

"Let's stew on it for a little while and see what we can all come up with." He said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

The drop-dead gorgeous woman's mind checked out almost immediately after he said that. She had never met a straight man who didn't show at least a passing interest in her. He had clearly stated that he wasn't interested and she couldn't figure out what was so wrong with her that he 'was sure she didn't appeal.' It couldn't be her looks; she was sure of that, so it had to be something else. She'd often gotten compliments on how nice she was thanks to her father's insistence on good manners, so she didn't think it was her personality.

Maybe it was her smarts?

Maybe he was a sapiosexual fellow who only liked smart women? She thought she'd qualify, but a nagging voice of doubt in the back of her mind started question that assertion. Virtually all of her college professors had been men, and her marks had actually been lower from the few female professors she'd had. Maybe she really hadn't gotten where she was on hard work and grit. People had told her all her life that doors just opened for her because of her looks.

Could they be right?

Was she really just a pretty face?

She shook her head; 'Selene, get ahold of yourself.' She said to herself. Of course she was a smart, competent, savvy woman. She must be, to have gotten where she was at such a young age...

Right?

* * *

"Okay, all done. Try it now."

Ethan nodded at his first wife, who had just finished enchanting the first piece of test armor. He finished enchanting two spots on his right forearm that exactly corresponded with the twin spots Alana had just finished enchanting on a non-dragon leather test piece. There was just enough room in the regular leather for a summoning enchantments and a sticking enchantment, but no room for anything else. That was despite the fact that it was apparently very high quality enchanting leather. No matter, it was only for testing anyway and didn't need to work like armor.

Ethan took a deep breath, raised his arm, and tried to summon the piece of leather.

It didn't move.

Alana chuckled. "You forgot it needs some of your deep mana to finish the enchantment."

"Right." He chuckled at himself, being so used to his hammer obeying his thoughts that he'd forgotten that step. He walked over to the piece, pushed a tiny drop of deep mana into it, and then took a few steps back.

"Okay, second time's the charm." He took another deep breath, then tried to summon the armor test piece.

It shot onto his arm.

Fast.

It moved far faster than his hammer or spear had ever done, which he guessed was down to the lighter weight of the leather. Then he activated the sticking enchantment on both his arm and the leather.

It worked.

The leather was still floppy because it was just a test piece and didn't have a hardening enchantment. However, it stuck fast to his forearm, having been summoned to exactly the point he desired.

A wide grin split his face as Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and Selene all clapped.

"How hard does it stick?" Beth asked.

"Try to pull it off." He replied.

The blonde walked up, grabbed the leather, and gave it a good hard tug. It shifted slightly, but stayed attached to his arm. The slender blonde wasn't exactly the strongest member of the crew though. His other wives tried, but had much the same result. Finally, Serif nudged Raklan forward. The hulking crewman gave it a hard yank with one hand and it shifted quite a bit, but didn't come off. Then Raklan grabbed it with both hands and put some muscle into it and the piece came off in his hands.

"Heh." He smiled holding the piece up.

Ethan shrugged, and then summoned it again. It leapt out of Raklan's loose grip and onto his arm again where he locked it onto his arm.

"I'd say it works." He said. "Raklan had to use a fair bit of force and I can always just return it."

"Let me try." Serif said, who didn't look nearly as strong as Raklan.

"Be my guest."

The slender crewman grabbed it with one hand and jerked hard; it shifted, but stayed attached. Then he grabbed with two hands and put some muscle into it, which did the trick.

"So a strong man could pull a plate off, but he'd need to get a good two-handed grip." Ethan observed.

"Yes, but he probably won't be able to get a good grip most of the time." Rachel said with a smile. "And like you said, you can always summon the armor piece if it does come off."

"Yup." Ethan summoned it back to his arm, stuck it, and then deactivated the sticking enchantment so the piece fell to the wooden decking, then summoned it to his arm again. "Damn, that's pretty cool." He said grinning ear-to-ear.

"So now that we know it works, I suppose the next step is to enchant the other practice leather pieces with sticking and hardening enchantments so we can make sure you can move in them." Alana said. "You won't be able to summon them, but this way we'll know that the armor will fit properly when we start on the dragon leather."

"Agreed." He nodded. "I'd rather get the whole thing made in regular leather and get everything sorted before we cut into the dragon leather."

"Well, I'll get enchanting." The wood elf said, then turned to his other wives. "You ladies up for donating regular mana to help speed things along."

"Yes." They all chorused as one.

"You know, it'll be pretty cool riding into battle with armor that was enchanted with mana from all my wives." Ethan observed. "It'll be kind of like you're all there protecting me."

"Smooth." Selene said at the rapturous looks on his wives' faces.

"I try." He winked.

"Everyone donating mana will make it go a lot faster." Alana said, still grinning ear-to-ear. "It took me a few days to do the shafts for your hammer and spear, but with all of you helping with mana, it'll go a lot faster."

"And meditating to regenerate mana." Taloni piped up. "We can all do that and your armor should be done in no time master."

"Oh, your right!" Alana exclaimed. "Plus, the hardening and sticking enchantments we'll need for the mock-up take far less mana than a summoning enchantment. We should be able to finish the mock-up in just a day or two."

"That works, because I'll need to start enchanting the hard points on my body for the sticking enchantment." Ethan mused. "It'll take me a while, so I'm not quite ready for the real thing yet anyway."

"You know, we only need to mock-up the major large pieces, and only half of them to start." Rachel mused. "We can just mirror image the ones for the other side of his body."

"Perfect!" Ethan rubbed his hands together. "Thank you so much, O' wise redhead."

Everyone except Selene laughed; she looked confused.

"Inside joke; remind to explain some time." Ethan explained.

"Oh."

"Actually." Alana looked at the sky, which had plenty of daylight left in it. "If we all hustle really hard, I bet we could get half the large pieces done before bed; especially if you're willing to stay up a bit."

"Are you willing to do that?" Ethan asked.

"To protect you, yes sir!"

"Absolutely Dominus."

"I'd love to master."

"If it'll help keep you safe, nothing would make me happier my lord."

He sighed. "You're all the most wonderful women in the world, you know that."

They mobbed him in a group hug, then separated to begin their work.

"They all seem to adore you." Selene observed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky."

"No, no one is that lucky." Selene shook her head. "There must be something else going on here; some reason they all adore you so much, and you them."

"Why Miss Dawson, are you saying an average, unimpressive guy like me couldn't get four beautiful, lovely, sweet, kind, and caring women on charm alone?"

She raised her eyebrow.

"Fair point." He replied. "It must have something to do with the bonding." He shrugged. "I'll think about that later; right now I've got a ton of enchanting on myself to do."

For some reason -- he wasn't sure why -- but he got the impression that Selene would be thinking about it much more than he would.

* * *

"Here you go." Sarah said as she set the roast mutton and biscuits in front of the man with the pegged leg. Since they had almost no visitors, she'd prepared some food that could feed their only guest without wasting leftovers.

"Thank you kindly." He said and tucked in with gusto. "It's good." He said after the first bite. Well, actually in the middle of chewing the bite.

"Thank you." Sarah beamed.

"Go ahead and ask." He said as she hesitated.

"Ask what?"

"About the leg; everyone does."

"Did you lose it to orcs?"

He nodded his head. "Yup, a couple of them little ones -- goblins -- took a bite outta' me leg, but my buddies helped me get away from the bigger ones: orcs. The doc had to amputate so I didn't lose it to gangrene."

"I'm sorry." She said as her face fell. She couldn't imagine what it must've been like to go through that.

"Me too, but there's nothing fer it now."

"You think the dragon can help?"

"I hope so, elsewise we ain't got much hope."

"I hope for your sake he comes soon then." She said. "I'll say a prayer to Illuminar that he does."

The man made a thoughtful sound. "You pray? With your condition?"

She nodded. "I am a precious daughter of Illuminar, and He loves me very much." She recited, remembering Gabriella's words. "Besides, it's not the well who need a doctor, but the sick."

"Been reading the book of Light I see."

"Something like that." She replied not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to admit that she couldn't read.

He nodded and went back to his food.

Sarah retreated to the kitchen, then into her room. She sat down on the bed and looked up. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be you -- please help the dragon to come here soon so he can help our guest. And please make me good."

She looked around to room, missing Selene. She had really liked having the other woman here and was half tempted to ask Illuminar to help her come back quickly, but felt like that might be selfish. She lay back on the bed, her mind drifting to the dragon, and Selene, and Rindrin her betrothed. He really was a good man, just...

Her mind drifted to her often imagined fantasy that the dragon would visit and fall in love with her, and being a prophet of Illuminar, be able to get rid of her problem. Then he would marry her and...

And...

She thought about Alana and Beth, and couldn't imagine what she could possibly have that they didn't. She really couldn't see any reason why the dragon fall might in love with her, not when he already had such wonderful wives.

* * *

Rachel stifled a yawn as she started walking towards her hammock on the lower decks out of habit, only stopping when Alana called her name.

"Rachel, where are you go... go..." The wood elf yawned. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, right." She smiled and turned to follow the brunette into the captain's cabin, where Ethan, Beth, and Taloni were already flopped on the bed. Outside the large window which covered the entire rear of the captain's cabin, night had well and fully fallen. Everyone else in the room was flopped down on the bed and either yawning or looking like they were dozing.

"Well, we did it." Alana announced as she too flopped onto the bed.

"I'll start working with Serif to make sure we can get all the pieces we need out of the dragon hide." Rachel offered.

Ethan raised his hand and gave her a thumbs up, but didn't respond. He looked wiped; utterly exhausted. He had spent a fair bit of time training after he had finished enchanting himself for the sticking enchantment, which accounted for his exhaustion.

"I never realized enchanting was so exhausting." He said after a minute. "I've only got about half the spots done today."

"Yeah, it can take a lot out of you." Alana agreed as she lay with her knees hanging off the bed. "Though sparring with Raklan afterwards probably didn't help."

He grunted in agreement.

Rachel smiled.

They were all laying haphazardly in various positions indicating just how tired they were, but also how close they were. It seemed like everyone was touching everyone else and it looked so natural; like they had been born doing this. The only trouble was, she wasn't sure where she fit in.

"Okay beautiful, spill." Ethan said without opening his eyes or turning his head.

"Who do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"Fair point, you're all beautiful." He said. "But I meant the one wife who's standing slightly awkwardly by the bed and feeling somewhat unsure."

"Guilty as charged." She admitted.

"Come here." He tiredly as he beckoned her with his hand.

She smiled and crawled onto the bed with him. There really wasn't a lot of room though, and she ended up climbing over Alana and laying right next to the wood elf's head.

"I'm just not sure where I fit." The redhead admitted once Ethan put an arm around her.

"Right here with us." Taloni said, moving a bit and flopping her upper torso over Rachel's legs in an undeniably affectionate way. "You fit right here with us perfectly."

"Aww, thank you."

"She's right." Beth said, and then flopped one of her arms so it also was touching the redhead.

"Agree one hundred percent." Alana added, then scooched up so her head was touching the newest wife's stomach.

Rachel was surprisingly comfortable as her eyes got slightly moist at their response. She was surrounded by Ethan and his other wives, and they were all making her feel so welcome.

She sighed happily.

"Marrying you was the best decision I ever made my lord."

"Hear, hear." He said.

They all laid like that for several minutes before Ethan made a thoughtful sound.

"Mmm?" Alana stirred slightly like she'd just woken up from a miniature nap.

"What are you thinking?" Beth asked him sleepily.

"Actually, I was thinking about Kendra." He replied.

"You were master?" The Fey popped her head up.

"Yeah. I just got to thinking about the insane amount of loneliness I felt from her when we bonded. I was wondering if something like this would help her with that."

"I think it would master, and I'm glad you see it that way."

"Yeah." He nodded and then yawned. "Anyway, we should sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Yup, we should arrive at Nalatia around noon tomorrow." Taloni said after she finished a mirroring yawn.

"Someone's probably going to get more docking practice." Ethan said, patting the Fey on the arm.

"I could definitely use some 'docking practice' master." She said, then blushed.

"That would require moving." He pointed out.

No one moved.

"Okay, 'docking practice' for everyone in the morning then." He announced.

They all sighed.

"Okay then, we should probably all get into some semblance of order to sleep." He said after a minute.

Again, no one moved.

Rachel smiled as her eyelids fluttered closed seemingly of their own accord. She figured she'd rest her eyes for a few minutes and then move so they could all lay like civilized people on the bed, instead of a tangled mess of very tired spouses. That was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep, touching all the people she loved most in the world.

* * *

Kendra laid down on her little airship and looked up at the night sky, which was filled with stars. It was a great view, and one she'd taken comfort in on many a lonely night.

Not this one though.

Her mind kept dragging itself back to breakfast the previous day when she'd sat around the breakfast fire with Ethan and company. It was the nicest breakfast that she could remember having since... since... maybe ever? Certainly since her parents had died. She had loved it; truly loved it. For some reason, that gaping hole of loneliness in her heart hadn't seemed so deep during those precious few hours.

She felt a smile creep unbidden onto her face as she remembered them.

Ethan had even said that she was welcome to visit his ship any time. No one had ever done that for her before. Well, no one who knew who she was. It had happened while she was undercover, but usually it was men who were only trying to get her into their bed.

Ethan wasn't trying to do that, yet he still offered.

She smiled.

She still didn't like the dragon himself of course because, dragon; but the wives and Selene were good company. She still hated that she was bonded to him, but maybe she could just avoid him. The ship was decently sized and it seemed likely that she could stay mostly out of his way. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe she could stay on the Argo for a few days once she'd returned from Arcanum.

She smiled at that thought.

* * *

Rachel drifted back to consciousness, vaguely aware that she wasn't in the same position as when she'd fallen asleep. She could feel someone's naked skin touching her and naked arms wrapped around her. Somehow she knew it was Alana. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew it in her bones. Her own arms were wrapped around the wood elf, but she didn't feel any scales touching her. She sighed, supposing that she couldn't have Ethan all to herself. The other wives wanted him just as much as she did, and it wouldn't be right to deprive them.

Besides, Alana was there.

The redhead allowed herself to doze for a minute before she realized that the 'blanket' that was covering her didn't feel like cloth. She peeked and smiled as she saw that it was Ethan's wing. He was laying with another wife in his arms; Taloni perhaps, and beyond that was probably Beth. He was facing his two youngest wives, but still had his wings around herself and Alana.

Rachel smiled as she looked at the wood elf, whose back was snuggled up against her husband and her arms were around the redhead. Something felt so perfect with her there. The redhead readjusted slightly to be more comfortable -- and closer to her -- and felt their naked skin rub together. It was a wonderful feeling, but of course she wasn't getting turned on by it.

That would just be weird...

Right?

It would be incredibly strange to be turned on by your naked best friend snuggling with you. Besides, Rachel wasn't interested in women that way at all. She zero interest; none whatsoever. She readjusted her hips, feeling a slight itch in them that must be coming from... uh... from not having sex with Ethan the previous night? Yes, that must be it. It certainly couldn't be because Alana's soft thigh kept gently brushing her mound as they both breathed.

That wasn't it at all...

Was it?

Alana adjusted herself in her sleep, and somehow her cheek ended up between Rachel's breasts.

The redhead froze.

The lovely wood elf breathed deeply in her sleep and the exhale made warm breath pass over Rachel's nipple. It almost instantly firmed up, sticking out of her chest like it was reaching for her best friend's lips. Rachel caught her breath and suppressed a sigh.

It felt good.

Really good...

...too good.

Alana continued slowly breathing in her sleep, obviously unaware of what the simple act of breathing was doing to the redhead. There was a slow, steady stream of air passing over her nipple now. Cooler when she inhaled, warmer when she exhaled. Her nipples had long since become hard.

Rachel lay like this for several minutes, trying to ignore the tantalizing sensations the wood elf was unknowingly inflicting on her body. It almost felt like torture; they were strong enough to stimulate her, but not nearly strong enough to give her any real satisfaction.

In the back of her mind, she remembered what Alana had previously told her about kissing Ethan's other wives on both sets of lips; upper and lower. The moment the idea occurred to her, she felt a slight burst of arousal and became aware that her slit felt moist. She reached down to discover that she was wrong. It wasn't moist; it was actually, legitimately wet.

She blushed.

It must be because Ethan's wing was touching her...

Right?

There was no other explanation, was there? It certainly couldn't be because the lovely, beautiful, and kind Alana was snuggled up against her and seemingly perfectly content. No, no that couldn't be it...

Could it?

* * *

Alana was dreaming that she and Rachel were holding each other in bed with Ethan. It was wonderful to be held by the redhead and she completely relaxed into her best friend. It took a while for her to realize that she was slowly waking up, and the dream world was perfectly synchronized with the real world.

She could help but smile.

As she did so, she realized that her cheeks were pressed into a part of Rachel that had rather a lot of cushion. Being quite slender and toned, the redhead didn't have many of those except... Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by the sight of a very cold -- or possibly aroused -- nipple. She blushed and moved her head away, finding the marvelous blue eyes of her newest co-wife as she did so.

"Morning." She yawned.

"Morning." Rachel replied. She looked perfectly and incandescently happy, but there was a sensual hunger in her eyes too; not blazing on the surface, but simmering in the background.

Alana started stretching, only realizing after she started that stretching like that it would allow the redhead to see her naked for the first time. She had a hint of nerves about that, but it was too late to stop now without being obvious.

Rachel averted her eyes anyway.

"I don't mind if you see me." Alana mouth ran ahead of her brain when she had finished stretching. "You're going to anyway and you're my best friend; I really don't mind."

Rachel looked down at her face, but appeared to be determinedly keeping her eyes there.

Alana raised her eyebrow and again, her mouth started speaking before her brain had the sense to stop it. "You might as well look now so it's not awkward later."

Rachel seemed to freeze.

The wood elf sighed, then arched her back to put herself on display for the teen mage. The redhead looked down, apparently not able to stop herself as she slowly took the wood elf's obdy. Rachel's pretty blue eyes slowly traveled down her body and then back up to meet the wood elf's rich hazel eyes.

"You're beautiful." Rachel whispered hoarsely.

She blushed. "Thank you; so are you."

Without thinking about it, she leaned in for a hug, which the redhead accepted mutely. The wood elf felt like her heart was glowing at her best friend's praise, and she very much wanted to--

A shadow passed over the bed, which was strange because they were in the Argo's captain's cabin. She glance down and it looked to be the shadow of another airship. She assumed they were getting close to the Nalatia docks.

Moments later, Ethan growled.

No, the dragon growled.

He leapt up from a seemingly sound sleep and spread his wings so they covered nearly the whole window, preventing any potential onlookers from the other airship from seeing in.

"Get Dressed!" He thundered, both mentally and audibly.

He was angry.

Very angry.

Rachel and Alana froze as Beth and Taloni seemed to be startled awake.

"CLOTHES! NOW!" The dragon thundered again as he continued covering the window with his wings.

The girls were frozen for a moment, and then there was a mad scramble for each one to locate her dress. A minute later they had succeeded and were all dressed, if hastily and frumpily. As he retracted his wings, the dragon growled out the window at the airship that had dared to cast its shadow into the room.

"Master, are you okay?" Taloni asked tentatively as she finished tying the halter top of her dress.

He whipped his head around to look at her, and for a moment Alana didn't even recognize her husband. He seemed fully dragon in that moment; like Ethan was gone. She'd seen him like this before, and there was only one way she knew to snap him out of it.

*ETHAN!* Alana mentally shouted at him with full force.

He almost physically recoiled.

He released a few growling snorts before he shook his head and seemed to relax a bit.

"Master?" Taloni said tentatively.

"Yeah honey, I'm okay. Well, now I am." He said to the Fey teen, who looked a bit unsure. His shoulder slumped and he sat down on the bed; a kind caring man once again, if a bit ashamed of himself.

He looked at Alana. "Thanks for snapping me out of it."

"Any time." The wood elf replied.

"I'm sorry Tee."

"I forgive you master."

"What happened?" Beth asked. "I've never seen you get so... so angry so quickly."

"I don't know." He said. "I was asleep and I think I felt the shadow of that airship and I remember my dragon side becoming enraged that someone besides me might see you girls." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry for snapping at you all."

"We forgive you." Alana said, speaking for everyone else, and they nodded in agreement before she continued. "But we really need to figure out why this is happening. You've had the dragon locked down pretty well for weeks now and he's suddenly coming back? That's not good."

"It's not like it changed." Ethan sighed. "I charged a dozen men in a rage the first night I was here."

"But it's worse lately." Rachel shook her head as everyone sat down on the bed again. "There must be triggers; what are they?"

Taloni -- wonderful, fearless Taloni crawled forward and onto his lap, almost like a small scared child might. "I know it hurts you master, but we're here for you no matter what."

He folded the tiny Fey in his arms, holding her tightly as he appeared to get choked up. "I don't deserve you girls."

"No one can deserve someone else Dominus -- Gabriella told me that -- but Illuminar did put us together for a reason and I trust His wisdom. Do you?"

He shrugged.

"What sets the dragon off?" Rachel asked again.

"When any of you is in danger, or someone wants to take my gold." His voice lowered to a growl as he said it, his dragon side peeking out again.

"Ethan, we're yours." Alana said, knowing how important that was to both man and dragon. "All of us are yours completely and forever. We'll never leave you and no one will take us from you."

He seemed to come to himself a bit.

"Okay, try this." Rachel said, and Alana could almost see the wheels in her head turning at the problem in front of them. "You've had the dragon pretty much under control for the last few weeks. When was the first time you felt that way? The first time you felt like the dragon wasn't trying to interfere?"

"Um, it was before we went to Earth." He replied, closing his eyes and cocking his head. "I'd just taken Alana and Taloni to bed for the first time, and they had both..." He frowned. "Actually, it was the first time I had slept with all my wives since coming to the Ten Kingdoms." He cocked his head to the other side. "Huh."

Rachel gave him a piercing but amused look. "You're saying that the dragon goes dormant when you have sex with all your wives?"

"Maybe." He nodded. "I remember talking to Gonorran the next day. It was like my dragon side was asleep and didn't want to be bothered. It only woke up when Gonorran said he wanted my gold."

"I'll bet it's more related to your..." The redhead's cheeks got slightly pink. "...your testicles my lord. They would've all been empty if you'd slept with all of your wives, right?"

"Yeah." Ethan nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I think you might be right."

"But all your wives are here." Beth pointed out, looking around at the four of them.

"Kendra." Alana said. "I know you don't feel married to her, but you have a testicle for her, don't you."

He nodded.

"So..." The Fey teen's wings fluttered slightly as she looked up at Ethan slyly from his lap. "...if you want to get the dragon under control, you'll need to marry Kendra properly and take her to bed; won't you master?"

He groaned. "Damn, you might be right."

"That explains Ithlan." Beth mused aloud.

"Huh?" He replied.

"Remember that carving of Ithlan's story that we saw near the wood elven palace?" The blonde asked. "How he took a ton of wives and eventually went mad?"

"Vaguely." He nodded.

"Well, if we assume that he needed to sleep with all his wives like you do, then that explains a lot."

"It does." Rachel nodded. "One man-- er, dragon could reasonably take seven wives to bed. But the seventy or more that Ithlan had? That seems harder."

"How long after bonding with Kendra did it take before you felt the dragon gaining strength?" Alana asked.

"Maybe a week or so?" He mused. "I felt him get stronger before that I suppose, but it seemed like a week -- maybe a bit more -- was a bit of tipping point."

"Well, now we know how to beat your dragon." Alana said. "I suppose we just need to figure out how to get Kendra on board with the plan."

Ethan laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, it'll be a cold day in hell before she lets me touch her, and I sure as hell won't force her."

Taloni made a thoughtful sound.

"What?" He asked.

The Fey gave him a pensive look. "What if she asked you to?"

Everyone stared open mouthed at her.

* * *

Kendra knew this was a dream. She knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. There was no possible way that this was happening in the real world, and she was both very glad about that and terribly sorry about it at the same time. She wanted to fight and run as hard as she could to get away, but literally nothing in the universe -- possibly even Illuminar Himself -- could've made her want to leave.

She was naked and Ethan was holding her.

Not holding her down and not restraining her; just holding her as a lover might as they lay on a bed. She had never felt so exposed, vulnerable, and powerless as she did now. She didn't have a stitch of clothing on, not even her strength-enhancing vambraces. There was nothing she could do to protect herself if something went wrong, and there was a dragon right next to her. She could've done nothing to fight him if he attacked...

...but it was Ethan.

He gave her a gentle and affectionate squeeze and she snuggled closer to him while her brain screamed to run. Everything she knew about dragons and all her training was screaming at the top of its lungs for her to run.

But she couldn't run.

She didn't want to run.

She didn't want to run because right now she felt the one thing that she'd been chasing her entire adult life. What she'd been chasing since her parents had been killed.

She didn't feel alone.

She felt safe, loved, and cared for.

She sighed.

She could almost sense the four other women around her. She was pretty sure that Alana, Beth, Taloni, and Rachel were also on the bed but she didn't care. Right now she didn't care that he had other wives. She didn't care that she had to share his affections or time. All she cared about right now was this wonderful, indescribable feeling of not being alone.

She could barely remember a time when she felt like this. She only had vague memories of this feeling from before her parents had died. She held onto those memories, but they'd faded with time despite her best efforts. She could barely remember ever feeling how she felt right now.

She sighed again.

* * *

Ethan blinked at his second youngest wife, and certainly the most innocent one. "Come again?"

The Fey teen looked at him with no doubt in her pretty lilac eyes. "She's a dragon huntress master. She hates dragons, but she really wants to be one of us; I know she does. She really wants to be one of your wives, she just might need some help getting over her hatred of dragons."

"I'm not into forcing anyone to have sex with me." He said firmly.

"But what if she really wanted you to master?" She replied earnestly. "I know Kendra wants to be married to you properly. I can see it in her eyes. What does your dragon side say?"

"Why?" He asked.

"Because didn't Illuminar say that your dragon side would know what your wives needed?" Taloni reminded him. "And didn't He say that your wives' needs must come before what you were comfortable with?"

He just stared at her in disbelief.

"So, I'm not agreeing with Taloni..." Rachel began.

"Thank you." He said, thankful for the support.

"...but." The redhead looked slightly guilty she continued. "But didn't Illuminar also say that your fifth and sixth wives would need things in bed that would make you uncomfortable? And didn't He also say that they would need your dragon side more than your human side at first?"

"I am most definitely not going to force Kendra to do anything against her will." Ethan said firmly. "And that goes double for sex. Now, I appreciate that you all want to help, but I'm not doing it -- period -- and that's the end of this discussion."

He made eye contact with all of them and they all nodded in assent except for Taloni.

"I won't bring it up again if you don't want me to master, but I think it's what she both wants and needs. I know you care for your wives, but is it possible you're putting what you want before what Kendra needs?"

"You ladies are welcome to bring up anything with me whenever you want, even this." He clarified. "But I'm not making anyone do anything against their will."

"That's just it master; what if it isn't against her will?" Taloni pressed. "What if she really wants you to, and she just can't bring herself to admit it?"

"My lord, I needed your help to relax on my wedding night." Rachel added.

"Yes, but you asked." Ethan countered. "That kind of makes a difference."

"Fair." The redhead nodded.

Ethan shook his head, barely believing that he was even having this conversation. He could sort of understand where Taloni was coming from, IF that's was Kendra really wanted. But there was no way he was going to use his compulsion on someone that way.

Ever.

* * *

Kendra awoke to the early morning sun, the wonderful feeling of being held slipping away from her as sleep slipped from her brain. She groaned and pulled her covers over her head, wishing the dream could've gone on forever, yet also wishing that it had never happened at the same time.

Her stomach finally woke up and reacted to the thoughts in her brain.

As her stomach woke, the rest of her brain cleared the cobwebs and she realized what she'd been dreaming about.

She shuddered.

Not that it hadn't been nice -- it had been -- but with a dragon?

Never.

Never ever.

Even Ethan, who was the best dragon she'd ever known and arguably the best man period, wasn't enough for her to get over the idea of actually sharing a bed with a dragon. She shuddered, dry heaved again, and tried to think about something else.

Anything else.

She tried imagining that Ethan was a man, and that idea didn't upset her stomach nearly as much. He wasn't a man though, although she found herself a bit disappointed by that. Good men were hard to find. She supposed that if there was some way that she could get over him being a dragon... some way to be forced over that obstacle... some way that she wouldn't be disgusted by the mere thought, then maybe...

She shook her head.

That was a silly wish. She didn't hate dragons as much as she had when she'd first met Ethan, but she was a long way from not being disgusted by the idea of one merely touching her, even Ethan. But regardless of what her head said, her heart she wanted that dream.

It wanted it so, so much.

The rational part of her brain told her that it was silly because he was a dragon. Frankly, she wished that it was anyone but a dragon in that dream, or that Ethan wasn't a dragon. However, she had literally never heard of anyone who was that kind to his wives. She didn't want the dragon, but she wanted what his wives had.

She sighed. "I suppose I can't have my sweet roll and eat it too."

* * *

'What I wouldn't give for a cinnamon roll.' Selene thought to herself, then added. 'And some black coffee. That sounds perfect.' She loved how sugar in the cinnamon roll provided enough sweetness to balance the bitterness of the coffee, so the coffee didn't need creamer. It was a great combination and one she'd been missing of late

She looked out over the wood elven city of Nalatia in near disbelief as her palate craved some comforts from home. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Still though, the sight before her was an excellent distraction. She'd never seen a city consisting of thousands of incredibly sophisticated tree houses before. It was utterly foreign and utterly captivating at the same time.

"Selene, do you have a moment?"

She turned to see Ethan and his wives standing behind her.

"Sure, what's up?" She replied.

"You were FBI, so I assume you took some law courses in college, right?" He asked.

"Yup."

"Well, I've been thinking about my upcoming meeting with the wood elves and I wanted some legal perspective on an idea that I just had. There's some really messed up elements of their culture, and I think with some legal perspective I might be able to help set things right." He paused. "Okay, maybe not 'right', but perhaps less wrong."

"I'd be happy to help." She said, smiling brightly.

She had no clue why she was so thrilled that he'd asked, but she was. Even better, she finally had a way to help so she didn't feel like a useless addition to the crew and a drain on resources. She hated feeling like she couldn't help, and it sounded like she would finally have something to contribute.

It felt good.

* * *

The wood elven king stood at the dock as the dragon's airship slowly lowered itself into its berth. He spared a moment to look around the docks again, still surprised that the normal docks looked like this. They were so different from the docks that housed the royal airships, or the airship docks owned by the great houses. Comparatively speaking, the docks for commoners were rather crude. Functional and efficient yes, but crude.

It made an interesting contrast.

"Your majesty, is this not irregular?" The high priest of Illuminar asked another variation of the same question for the... Hmm. He had lost count of the number of times. It was a dozen at least.

"Plesius, a king should hasten to hear the words of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- which includes his prophets."

The shorter elf stood there rapidly changing facial expressions as he surely tried to figure out how to respond. "But how do we know that he's a prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He. Would a true prophet refuse to reveal what was said to the high priest?"

The King resisted making a comment about that depending greatly on the high priest, but resisted. It would not be proper to shame him in front of so many of his court.

He decided not to answer.

The King glanced at Nevaro Nalfigar, whose presence The King had specially 'requested'. A request like that from him was always honored, as tradition dictated was proper. He hoped his presence would put the dragon's first wife in a good mood, and therefore perhaps the dragon also. Navaro was a good elf who could be a potent ally in several decades when his father began to take a step back from managing House Nalfigar. Not the least because The King had reunited him with his daughter, which surely bought him some goodwill.

The dragon's airship finished docking and two crewmen dropped the gangplank into place. The dragon and all his wives, plus Lord Delmar's disgraced daughter, were standing next to him. In the background, he noticed another woman whose ethnicity was hard to place. She was certainly beautiful though, even near the level of his own queen which was impressive.

Very impressive.

"Welcome honored dragon." The King said, and inclined his head as tradition dictated was proper. Were he confirmed as a prophet of Illuminar, a full bow would've been appropriate.

The dragon stepped onto the gangplank and something about him seemed different. He seemed a little less settled and more aggressive; more dragonish. It made a dramatic contrast to the calm dragon with whom he'd walked in the hanging gardens ten days ago.

"I'm honored to be greeted by the king himself." The prophet said. "I don't imagine you do this very often."

"Never before, honored dragon." The king replied. "Your meeting with Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has been on all our minds of late."

Plesius cleared his throat.

Both dragon and king ignored him.

The dragon met the king's eyes, then flicked his eyes towards his wives. There was something quite predatory in his gaze that demanded a response.

"Greetings wives of the honored dragon; you are most welcome in Nalatia." He said, walking the tightrope of decorum between not ignoring the dragon's request, yet not addressing his dishonored wives directly. Word of the dragon's statement to the guards had spread quickly. Apparently, the dragon thought that any dishonor directed towards his wives would dishonor the dragon himself, and the king had no desire to dishonor him, especially in public.

The dragon seemed to relax a little and became much less predatory. "Would you care to join me on my airship? I realize it's not much compared to your palace, but it's the best hospitality that I have to offer."

The king considered.

Obviously that was far outside decorum, but then prophets of Illuminar had a way of behaving that way. Not one prophet in the Book of Light behaved as decorously as most wood elves would prefer.

"I shall gratefully accept." The king said with another small incline of his head.

He stepped onto the gangplank and walked onto the airship. It was nice, if rather small compared to most royal airships, and even those of the great houses. The deck was only five meters wide, though made from quality timber. There were small scorch marks on part of the decking, and they seemed like dragon's fire had made them.

Curious.

"I didn't say you could come." The dragon sneered as Plesius had tried to follow The King.

The high priest of Illuminar looked like you could boil an egg on his forehead. "I must insist honored dragon! I am the high--"

"I don't give a flying fuck who you are." The dragon hissed. "You insulted my wives. You're not stepping one toe onto this airship until you apologize. And I mean giving each and every single one of them a direct apology which is directly addressed to each one..." He leaned forward slightly. "...using their names."

Plesius look stunned.

"But... but..." He spluttered, knowing that addressing a shamed person directly was absolutely unthinkable for a high priest of Illuminar.

"But what?" The dragon spat, standing up to his full height and towering over the shorter wood elf. "Go ahead, say it."

The cowardly high priest shrank back and stepped off the gangplank muttering under his breath.

The King resisted reacting.

It was absolutely unthinkable for anyone -- even the king himself -- to treat a priest of Illuminar that way. It simply wasn't done. The public shame the priest would undergo if the dragon was confirmed as a prophet would be unbearable for any normal wood elf; much less the high priest of Illuminar.

"However." The dragon said turning to the king and seeming to calm down a bit. "If it please your majesty, I would like to request the presence of someone from both House Nalfigar and House Kalon join us; your choice who."

With the dragon standing at the gangplank and the king on board the Argo, the dragon's back was facing The King's delegation. Ethan gave him a significant look, which he took as a request to have Navaro join them. The king smiled inwardly. He wasn't sure if the dragon had good political instincts or he was getting lucky, but that had been a shrewd move.

The king nodded his head respectfully at the dragon and then chose. "Halvaer house-head, and Navaro house-heir; we would have the honor of your company."

"I would be honored." Halver replied.

"I would also be honored." Navaro replied with a bow, having waited for the elder elf to reply first, as was customary among those of differing age.

* * *

Ethan took a good long look at the elder of the two elves that had just been invited aboard the Argo. Halvaer Kalon was definitely older than Navaro, and probably older than the king as well. He was a golden-haired elf with some grey about his temples and looked quite perceptive. One look made Ethan think that the elder wood elf knew exactly why he was invited on board. Halvaer's quick sideways glance towards Navaro revealed an only-slightly concealed distaste for the man.

The older elf himself had a very close family resemblance to Alana; anyone who saw them standing side by side would probably correctly assume that he was her grandfather. His blonde hair was cut close in an almost military fashion and his clothes were likewise cut in a way that made Ethan think of a US Marine in full dress uniform, though the colors and clothing were different, the effect was the same. There was also something in his bearing and demeanor, a certain level of discipline perhaps, which screamed ex-military.

"I am Halvaer Kalon, called 'house head'." He said with a bow that could've come straight from a military manual as he stepped up to the gangplank. "Renowned dragon, you do me and my house great honor with this invitation."

"No, the honor is mine." Ethan replied, remembering all the coaching that Alana and Rachel had given him that morning.

The elf smiled.

Apparently, even stern military men had a sense of levity. The elf stepped on board and Navaro came up next, with a bow that could best be described as grateful.

"I am Navaro Nalfigar, called 'house heir'." He said as if they'd never met, which technically they hadn't as far as anyone knew.

"Honored." He replied, trying to figure out how to give Alana some time with her father. He hated all the political maneuvering required that was necessary to do that, but hoped that someday it could be done in the open. He absolutely intended to do what he could to make that happen over the next few minutes.

"Anthiel, please bring our guests some refreshments; the best in the ship's hold." He called, just as Rachel had suggested.

"Aye, aye captain." The high elf bowed, and then moved quickly to go below decks.

"Would you gentlemen care to join me on the quarterdeck?" He asked the three elves.

They all nodded, so he led them up there. The Argo's gangplank was situated about halfway up the weather deck on the hundred-foot-long airship. By going up to the quarterdeck, they put nearly fifty feet in between them and the delegation. He figured that was enough for a semi-private conversation. Alana's elven ears were beautiful, but like all elves she couldn't hear much better than a human.

They had barely arrived before Anthiel returned and handed them each a glass of mead. They all thanked her, and then the high elf took her leave with a respectful bow.

Ethan took a sip of his glass before he spoke. "So, you all know why I'm here right?"

"You wish to convince us that you are a prophet of Illuminar." Halvaer said. He spoke slowly and carefully, pronouncing every syllable of every word carefully and clearly.

He also sounded very skeptical.

"So here's the deal; I have no idea if I am or not." Ethan said honestly. "Illuminar was there at the top of Mount Ianis, we had a great conversation, and I've been thinking about it a lot since it happened. He told me a couple things about me -- some personal guidance for my life -- but that's about it. I didn't remember to ask about the whole 'being a prophet' thing and He steered the conversation. So I talked with Illuminar and He gave me some guidance about my life, but not about anything else."

Halvaer regarded him pensively and then took a small, almost nonexistent, sip of his mead. "You speak without attempt to glorify yourself." He said matter-of-factly.

"I try." He replied.

The older elf savored the wine as he looked at Ethan. "And you are wed to the adopted daughter of the Tarihowen family; may Illuminar -- blessed be He -- rest their souls."

"I am, and grateful to be so." Ethan replied thinking that he truly was among the luckiest men alove to be married to Alana.

"That is good." Halvaer nodded, though his face was unreadable. "Since their passing prevented her adoptive father from choosing her husband, I have feared that she herself wouldn't choose a good man." He pasued significantly before adding: "Some of my female descendants don't have good taste in men."

Navaro set his jaw at the thinly-veiled insult, but remained silent.

"Oh my God." Ethan shook his head, and then remembered Selene's solution to a similar conversation on Earth. "Okay, so let's say -- hypothetically -- that Navaro was Alana's father. Now, I would understand if you were upset at him; hypothetically speaking."

"You have no daughters honored dragon." Halvaer replied. "Therefore, you cannot understand my feelings towards Navaro; were he responsible of course."

"Actually, Alana is currently pregnant with my first daughter." Ethan smiled. "I may not understand as you do, but I've got a real problem with an aspect of your culture which makes understanding your perspective real bloody hard; where's the forgiveness? Where's the grace?"

No one answered.

"Look, I'm not a very religious man." He said honestly. "I didn't even believe God existed until I had a conversation with Him. I'm not well versed in the Book of Light, but I can tell you this: Illuminar isway more willing to forgive than you guys are."

All three elves looked incensed.

"Do you know what Illuminar told me?" Ethan pressed. "He told me that the worst man alive -- the most depraved soul ever to walk the land -- needed only to acknowledge Him, repent, and turn from his wicked ways; then Illuminar would be that man's friend."

"That's blasphemy!" A squeaky voice shouted from the docks below.

Ethan walked to the quaterdeck's railing and looked down to see that Plesius had crept down the dock to be near enough to the Argo that he could hear their conversation.

"Shut him up, or I will." Ethan growled to The King, feeling the dragon starting to rise again. His draconic side seemed to be on a hair trigger lately, and he had a job of a time controlling it.

"I will not be silenced!" Plesius shouted. "I am the high priest of Illuminar himself -- blessed be He -- and I demand--"

Ethan leapt onto the railing so he was crouching as a Spiderman often did as he called his hammer to his hand. The moment he did so, Plesius fell silent. The dragon started charging his hammer as he growled at the spineless man.

"You demand... what?" He growled.

Plesius remained silent, moving his mouth wordlessly.

"Well, I'm waiting." He growled as his hammer approached full charge.

The elf didn't say anything, so Ethan extended his hammer and aimed it right at the elf. He went white. Ethan gave a low growl as he released the charge.

CRACK!

Plesius jumped as the lightning bolt passed right in front of him on its way to the ground.

"Next I'll have to demonstrate raising someone from the dead." He snarled. "Care to volunteer?"

Plesius seemed rooted to the spot.

"Then shut the fuck up." The dragon hissed.

The elf scampered off.

*Ethan.* Alana's voice came gently in his head. *That's my father, my grandfather, and the wood elven king. You might want to relax.*

*Thank you.* He replied shaking his head and focusing on pushing the dragon back. It had been so easy for weeks, but had gotten harder recently. He supposed he either needed to un-bond from Kendra or take her to bed. Surprisingly, he didn't find the latter option as distasteful as he thought he would, not that she'd ever be interested.

He hopped off the railing, dropping his hammer to the deck and turning to face his guests. "My apologies, I can't always keep the dragon under control."

"We all have dark impulses that we can't control." Navaro glanced at Halvaer. "And unfortunately they can hurt those we care about the most."

The older elf didn't reply.

Halvaer Kalon seemed impassive as Ethan returned to the small group, but that might've just been him being intentionally unreadable. He got the impression that the older elf was a pensive man who thought first and spoke later, only after much thought.

"You were speaking, honored dragon." The wood elven king said.

"Right." He nodded. "Why the hell is it so damn hard to be forgiven with you guys? If Illuminar can forgive the worst man imaginable if he repents and 'turns from his wickedness', then why the hell can't you?"

"I do not know this word 'hell' honored dragon." Halvaer said.

"Ignore it; it's swearing for emphasis anyway."

"Notice that even Illuminar -- blessed be He -- require repentance." Halvaer said. "Without that..." he shook his head.

Ethan turned to Navaro. "Hypothetically, if you were Alana's father and you wanted to apologize to Halvaer, how would you do it?"

"Hypothetically?" Navaro asked, letting the word hang for a moment before turning to the older elf. "Honored Halvaer, I..." He paused, apparently searching for the right words. "I made a grave error. I acted foolishly and impetuously and let the passion of my youth defile the most wonderful part of my life. I committed a grave sin against Illuminar -- blessed be He -- and against you, and against Kalaya."

The king and Halvaer seemed visibly shocked that he spoke her name. Ethan had to admit that 'Kalaya' was a very pretty name.

The younger elf swallowed hard. "I should have spoken up from the time it happened; yet I had been sworn to secrecy by a rash vow to your daughter, and couldn't betray her again; not after what we did. I crave your forgiveness, and please know that your daughter is still precious to me. My fondest wish is to undo the events of that night. Yet since I cannot, I would still take her hand -- despite what it would do to my name -- to rectify the grave wrong that I did to her. I must beg your forgiveness, though I have done nothing to earn it."

"Hypothetically." Ethan added.

Navaro opened his mouth, probably to agree, but no sound came out.

Halvaer seemed to consider, then looked impassively at his would be son-in-law. "You would make yourself an outcast."

It wasn't a question.

Navaro nodded. "Were I not bound by an oath, I would have done so long ago."

Halvaer looked at Ethan. "You say that Illuminar -- blessed be He -- can find it in His heart to forgive even the worst man alive if he repents and turns from his wickedness?"

"That's what He told me."

Halvaer turned to the younger elf, still impassive and completely unreadable. "And your wishes and intentions towards my daughter have not changed?"

"No sir; not since... not since long before we were of age to be married."

"Yes, I remember the day you two met." The corner of Halvaer's mouth twitch upwards slightly. "She was as taken with you as you were with her."

"I'm honored to hear that." Navaro replied, probably too nervous to actually smile.

"You demanded an audience the day after she became of age, breaking all proper protocols in your haste." Halvaer said pensively, then looked at the younger elf again. "Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine the dragon had not wed my granddaughter, but rather that she had been seduced by a man who'd impregnated her and then refused to take responsibility. How would you respond?"

Navaro swallowed, then nodded slightly. "I don't believe that I would have been as charitable as you have been sir."

"Good, then you understand." Halvaer said impassively. "I shall consider your words." He glanced at the dragon. "Hypothetically speaking of course."

"Thank you; I'm grateful." Navaro said, and he looked it.

Silence fell, and some of the tension between the two men seemed to have dissipated slightly. Certainly not completely, but slightly. He took that as a good sign and decided not to push. From what he could tell, that was a lot progress on that front for a single day. However, there was definitely another font that needed addressing, and right now.

He took a deep breath.

"Now, let's talk about Alana herself." Ethan said. "As I understand it, the Book of Light requires two or three witnesses to a crime in order to convict someone, correct?"

"That is true honored dragon." The King replied.

"And I assume that Illuminar doesn't allow someone to be punished for a crime until they have been convicted, right?"

"Again, you speak the truth honored dragon." Navaro said, and there was a note of hope in his tone.

"So here's my question: where are the witnesses to Alana's crime, and when was the conviction?"

The elves stared at him.

"Anyone?" He pressed.

"I don't understand." Halvaer said. "She was born from a defiled woman, and thus she is shamed."

"No, that's not what the Book of Light says." Ethan corrected. "You just agreed that you couldn't punish someone without a conviction, and you couldn't convict without two or three witnesses. Since you are obviously punishing Alana by not allowing her into the palace, not speaking to her directly, and not saying her name, then I want to know: when was the conviction, and where are the two or three witnesses? Hell, I'd like to hear the crime she committed too."

Navaro looked at Ethan confused for a moment, and then his confused look slowly morphed into a large smile. "That's brilliant."

"I would need to confer with the high priest of Illuminar, but you appear to have a point." Halvaer conceded.

"You said you weren't a prophet." The King chuckled. "You are certainly behaving as one; upturning customs and bringing trouble to long established traditions." He seemed amused by this rather than upset though. "I also shall consider your words; they bear much weight and have the ring of truth."

"I do have one more thing that you particularly might be interested in." Ethan said, turning to him with a smile on his face.

The King cocked his head to one side.

"Illuminar asked me a lot of questions." He stated matter-of-factly.

The elves stared at him.

"I hate to sound like Plesius honored dragon." Navaro said with a bit of nervous hesitation. "But that does sound like a blasphemous assertion. Wouldn't that imply that Illuminar -- blessed be He -- doesn't know something?"

"Have you ever asked a question to make a point, even though you already knew the answer?" Ethan replied with a sly smile.

"Of course, I--" Navaro stopped as comprehension dawned. "Very clever honored dragon."

"Hmm." The King nodded. "Clever indeed."

Ethan looked at The King, and saw a small smile slowly spreading on his face. He gave Ethan a small, almost imperceptible nod of the head; probably in thanks.

Ethan returned it

"Now, one last thing." He turned to Halvaer. "I would like my wife to meet her mother."

"To parade her shame by inviting visitors would be the height of dishonor." Her grandfather said shaking his head.

"Doesn't the queen visit her?" Ethan replied.

Halvaer gave him a piercing look. "Honored dragon, that is an allowance we make for the crown alone, and only because of the enormous benefit to House Kalon. What benefit would your visit provide to outweigh the shame?"

Ethan smiled as his father's favorite scene from Star Trek, The Next Generation came to mind. Trying hard not to slip into Captain Picard's voice, he spoke softly. "The only benefit to House Kalon would be my gratitude."

"Your gratitude?" Halvaer looked skeptical.

"If you are unable to grant this small favor, then I shall be forced to look to the other great houses in the future." He glanced at the young Nalfigar elf then back at Alana's grandfather. "And then they would have my gratitude..."

That got Halvaer's attention.

* * *

Selene was listening to the conversation on the quarterdeck with Ethan's wives as they all stood near the stairs up to the quarterdeck. She found herself rather impressed by the way he'd handled himself; dragonesque outburst notwithstanding. She was glad her legal advice had helped. She still felt rather useless to assist in other areas, but was glad to be able to help in this one.

"I am so going to rock his world when they're done." Alana said quietly, and the Brazilian woman wondered if she'd realized that she'd spoken aloud. The wood elf's eyes were hooded with lust and she was taking slightly shorter, shallower breaths.

"Oh I know." Rachel replied. She didn't look quite as ready to jump him as the brunette did, but there was no mistaking the way she was subconsciously running her tongue subtly over her upper lip.

"What?" The wood elf asked after seeing the ex-FBI agent shake her head in amusement.

"You ladies have it bad." She chuckled.

"If you were one of the lucky women that he'd already married, you'd understand." Beth said with absolute confidence.

"Master is amazing in bed." Taloni agreed with a sigh.

"He can't be that good." Selene rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes he can be." Rachel said with a smile that spoke of both fond memories and absolute confidence.

Selene didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. A part of her could believe it though. That incident in the clearing on Earth had been the single most electrifyingly erotic experience of her life. No exceptions, and he hadn't even touched her. Second on that list had been the audio surveillance where she'd overheard him making love to Beth and Alana. She smiled wryly as she realized that 'coming back from the dead sex' could be added to the various types.

Apparently, it was amazing.

She wasn't 'dying' to find out, but she was certainly curious. Not curious enough to be interested in a man who was already sleeping with four other women though, especially since he would apparently be adding three more to the list.

Not long after, Ethan and the three elves came down from the quarterdeck. Selene shook her head, having been so lost in thought that she didn't even know what they were talking about.

"I appreciate the offer, but that's really too much." Ethan was saying.

What offer?

What had she missed while she was daydreaming?

"Nonsense; I'm honor-bound to present them to you." The King replied. "When an elf's guest is attacked, the host must furnish him with the best weapons and defense at his disposal in recompense. Honored demands nothing less."

"It's symbolic of the host's commitment to protect his guest." Navaro added by way of explanation.

"And since you were accosted; I must provide them." The King continued, then added genially. "You would shame me by refusing them."

"So actually, I have..." Ethan started to say, but then paused. Selene recognized the telltale signs of a telepathic conversation before he spoke again. "I have been honored by your presence, and I'm honored to receive your presents."

All his wives groaned.

Navaro chuckled.

The King and Halvaer looked amused, but didn't laugh.

"Come, I shall personally escort you to the armories where you will be fitted for the finest sword, shield, and armor in the kingdom." The King said.

"Ooo." Selene breathed; what she wouldn't give to see that! She loved the hand-to-hand combat, but martial arts weapons had fascinated since she was little.

The king turned to her and gave her a respectful nod of the head. "Any friend of the dragon is a friend of mine, and any friend of mine is welcome in the royal armories.

"Thank you." She beamed, then added hastily. "Your highness."

He gave her a respectful nod of the head, then turned to leave. He hadn't made it three steps before he stopped again. He cocked his head to one side and then turned to Ethan. "Honored dragon, the armories are outside of the palace and as such, no one who accompanies us will be denied access."

Ethan looked at him for a moment before raising one eyebrow, then glancing toward his wives.

The king gave a barely perceptible nod of his head.

Ethan broke into a wide smile and turned to them. "Ladies, how about a field trip?"

They all stared at him looking confused.

"Honored dragon, the armories aren't located in a field." The King said.

Selene and Ethan laughed before the latter spoke. "It's a figure of speech. I mean to invite my wives to join us."

All of them beamed.

It was somewhat amusing to see the dignitaries making an effort to stay close to The King while also trying to stay far away from Alana, Taloni, and Rachel. The Brazilian woman had a perpetual grin as she watched them jockeying for a more favorable position the entire trip. Mostly the girls stayed quiet or talked amongst themselves while Ethan and the King spoke on the route. It was easy to see that each enjoyed the other's company somewhat, especially The King. He didn't seem so straight-laced and rigid as she had been expecting.

As it turned out, the royal armories were right next to the palace.

The entrance was guarded and the King dismissed all but the Argo's crew when they arrived. Many of the dignitaries quickly escaped the association with the shamed women, though Navaro was the last to go and he surreptitiously gave Alana a smile as he did so. This didn't escape Halvaer's notice, though the older elf seemed more intrigued by it than upset.

The armories themselves were impressive.

Once inside, the king led them through several ornate halls to the main weapons storage. The room was incredibly large; as large as a small supermarket. There were rows and rows of weapons of every type imaginable. There were spears, and halberds, and glaves, and billhooks, partizans, pole-axes, and many more weapons that she didn't recognize. There were also an enormous variety of swords, enough chainmail that there was probably millions of rings, and several bits of plate armor.

"Wow." Ethan breathed as he looked around at the rows of weapons. Then he grinned and looked at Selene, then said in a passable imitation of Keanu Reaves: "Swords; lots of swords."

She chuckled.

"It's something from my world." He explained at everyone else's confused looks.

Selene let out a low whistle as she looked at all the swords. Every single one of them was both beautiful in form and deadly looking in function. She could definitely see the wood elven design aesthetic, though they still looked like traditional medieval blades in overall form.

"Honored dragon, you and your wives may each choose a weapon of your choice, or the armorers can fit them to each of you."

"I vote on being fitted by the armorers." Ethan said, and his wives all nodded.

"I shall summon them." The king said. "You shall not be disappointed."

* * *

Sarah set a small lunch out for the inn's visitor. He had been remarkably quite for his stay so far, pegged-leg while he walked notwithstanding.

"Thank you kindly." He said nodding at her. He took a bite. "Mmm, you is a good cook."

"Thank you." She smiled.

She especially liked that he didn't seem scared of her much anymore. He'd quickly stopped being jumpy around her and regarded her much like any regular person would regard any other regular person.

It was nice.

"So, you mentioned it was getting bad with the orcs." She said tentatively. "How bad?"

"Bad." He said after he swallowed. "Lord Kalus occasionally sends a detachment to help, but Lord Farbrottan doesn't much like other lord's soldiers on his lands, so he does it on the sly. Anyway, Kalus' troops help, but since our fuckin' lord won't do shit, we is getting killed and them orcs is just getting bolder."

"I'm sorry." Sarah said as her face fell. "I do hope the dragon can help."

"Yeah, me too. I'm sick of losing my friends and my friends' sons to them animals." He grimaced.

"I thought orcs were intelligent?" Sarah replied.

He grunted. "Yeah, the big ones -- orcs -- can even speak and make weapons and such. But them little ones -- goblins -- they ain't got nothing going for them except hunger."

"I'm so sorry." The girl said, feeling her heart break for him and those he knew. She couldn't even imagine what that would be like, nor did she want to.

He gave her a strange look. "You've had a hard life, haven't ya?"

She nodded slowly. "How'd you know?"

"None is more compassionate than them who've been deeply hurt; unless they go the other way and become raving lunatics that is."

Sarah averted her eyes.

"Oh don't go being upset; I meant you're the former not the latter."

She gave him a half smile and then retreated to the kitchen. She liked the old man; he was kind to her and didn't flinch when he saw her anymore. However, there was no denying that everyone else saw her the latter way. Well, not everyone. A faint smile appeared on her face as she remembered Selene and then the dream with Gabriella.

She had hope.

For as long as she could remember, she didn't think life could get better for her. Now she did. She couldn't describe how wonderful that was. All she needed to do was hold on until what the angel had promised happened.

* * *

"Dude; like dude." Ethan said as he hefted the elven kite shield that was now strapped to his arm. It was made of several layers of thin-ish leather and quite large, being about four feet tall and nearly two feet wide. It was almond shaped and as light as a feather. Seriously, he doubted that it weighed half a pound. It must've been enchanted to achieve the weight.

"How strong are these?" He asked as he hefted it around easily, finding it hard to believe that something so light could offer much protection. Though, he could tell it had significant mass even though the weight was magically reduced.

"Honored dragon, it would protect you from a volley of orcish archers." One of the armorers said proudly.

"Seriously?" Beth's eyes went wide. "A leather shield that can stop an orcish warbow?"

"You can't be serious." Rachel added.

"We are honored lady." The armorer said proudly to Beth.

"Um, what's so special about an orcish warbow?" Selene asked, and Ethan was glad that she asked so he didn't have to.

Everyone stared at the Brazilian beauty.

"I keep forgetting you're not from this world." Beth said with a smile. "Typical warbows for humans, elves, and most other races are in the 100 to 125 pound range, though some get up to 150. A weak orcish warbow starts at about 150 pounds, and 200 pounds is more normal."

"A 200 pound bow?" Selene's jaw dropped. "How strong are they?"

"Very." Beth replied. "And they tend to be taller than men too."

"Yeah, and orcish arrows are about three-quarters of an inch in diameter and quite heavy." Alana explained. "Think about a three-quarter inch arrow with a steel head coming off a 200 pound warbow; now imagine how hard that would hit.

"Ouch." Ethan winced, then looked at the shield in his hand. "And this can stop it?"

"It can indeed honored dragon." The elven armorer said proudly. "And if it can stop that..."

Ethan grinned. "I'd imagine that there's not much that it can't stop."

"Dragon fire?" Beth suggested.

"Not so, honored wife of the honored dragon." The armorer corrected. "The outermost layer is skived dragon-leather, enchanted to be even more flame resistant than dragon leather is naturally; it will stop dragon's breath."

"Damn, it would've been nice to have this when we fought Kyrupto, or Havorleth." Ethan said grinning ear to ear as he looked at the paper-thin outer layer.

The shield was primarily made from three thin-ish layers of leather, though there was a fourth layer that was near paper-thin on the outside face. Seriously, it was impressively thin; literally almost paper thin. He couldn't imagine how much time and skill it took to slice leather than thin. With as thin as it was, he could imagine getting ten or twenty layers that thick -- maybe more -- from a single piece of dragon leather.

Damn, it was a nice shield.

"Honored dragon, I offer eight of these shields to you -- one for you and one for each of your wives, present and future -- as recompense for the assault upon you in my city while under my protection."

"I'm honored." Ethan replied, and he meant it. Suddenly, he was very glad the total number of his future wives had come up on the walk here.

The King gave him an acknowledging nod of the head and a smile. If Ethan didn't know better, he would've said the King might've given him all these things anyway.

"And you haven't seen our swords or armor yet." The King said with a smile.

If the shields were impressive, the swords were no less so.

Not one bit.

"Wow." Beth breathed.

"Holy shit!" Selene looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

Ethan looked at the free-hanging bit of parchment which had just been cleanly cut by a single light stroke of the elven steel blade. The bit of paper was as thin as newsprint, and was only held by two tiny bits of thread at the corners, yet had barely moved when the elven armorer had cut it. The cut was perfectly clean too.

"The blades are enchanted to be self-repairing honored dragon, so it will always be this sharp." The armorer said. "Should you strike it against steel or stone, the edge will return to this sharp in short order. Also, it will never rust. There is no room in the elven steel for another enchantment, but why would you need another?"

"That's brilliant." He replied, thinking that since self-repair worked with clothes and leather, why not with elven steel?

The blades themselves were typical arming sword size, being double-edged, one-handed swords about three feet in overall length. The blades were wide enough for an effective cut most of the way up, and then tapered to a wicked looking point. The cross guards were fairly simple, had a gentle curve towards the tip, and were etched with subtle intricate patterns. The disc-shaped pommels were likewise simple but elegant.

"These are amazing." Selene breathed as she carefully waved one around experimentally.

"Hear, hear." Ethan agreed.

"And our chainmail is also enchanted to be self-repairing." The armorer said, pulling up a chainmail hauberk. The hauberk had long sleeves and hung down to about knee length. The area below the waist had a split in the center -- both back and front -- so you could move properly.

It looked like any other chainmail that Ethan had seen, with riveted rings interlocking in a 4-in1 pattern. However, there were thin strips of leather woven into the chainmail in intricate, graceful patterns. It was very elven looking, and there was no doubting the artistry.

"The leather is enchanted to be self-repairing, and more importantly to have negative weight." The armorer continued. "So just like an airship's ballast logs, it makes the chainmail feel quite light."

Ethan took the offered chainmail and it did indeed feel quite light.

"That's really smart." Rachel said approvingly. "A full suit of chainmail can weigh forty or fifty pounds, so lightening it is a good thing."

"These weigh only ten to fifteen pounds depending on the size." The armorer said proudly.

*Ethan, you wouldn't be able to use your wings if you were wearing chainmail.* Rachel thought to everyone.

*Neither would I.* Taloni added. *But it is pretty; I like the leather."

*True.* He agreed. *But maybe we could cannibalize bits of the chainmail and add it to my armor?*

*Doubtful.* Alana replied. *If the rings are self-repairing, it would take an insane amount of work to take it apart and reassemble it. By the time you've split two rings in a clean way, the first ring you broke would've already started to repair.* She paused for a moment. *Though, we could disenchant a row of rings to take it apart and use the removed portion.*

*I like that idea.* He was thinking of all the gaps that his armor would have. None were large and he was pretty well protected from cuts, but there was definitely room for improvement.

"Is there a problem honored dragon?" The armorer asked.

"Huh? No, why?"

Selene shook her head. "No, no problem. He was just talking telepathically with his wives."

"About how amazing these weapons and armor are." Ethan added. "I'll feel a lot better knowing my wives are protected."

"And there'll be a lot of them." The caramel-haired beauty said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, the bed on the Argo is already getting crowded." Alana said, then went beet red.

"I could assist there honored dragon." The King said. "It would take only a morning for our artisans to craft and install the finest bed that you have ever slept on, in a size to fit all your wives; both present and future. I shall send them to your ship in the morning after you rise."

Ethan and the girls all looked at each other before he spoke with a huge smile. "Yes please!"

* * *

"Copper for your thoughts?"

Rachel turned to see her lovely best friend had come up beside her in the armory. The redhead had been looking at all the weapons, but didn't really see anything that fit her properly.

"Magic." The redhead replied. "I can definitely see a shield being useful for protection, and a sword as a backup, but I can't hold a sword and effectively wield magic at the same time."

"Hmm, good point." Alana nodded. "An arming sword would make a great backup, but not a good primary weapon for you."

"Yeah, I wonder if they have magical staves here." Rachel mused.

Alana shrugged, then thought to the group. *Ethan, could you ask about a magical staff instead of a sword for Rachel? We'd ask, but... you know.*

*Right. Yeah I'll ask.* He replied with a touch of annoyance in his tone. Not at them, but at the customs that made his asking necessary.

Rachel gave her a halfhearted smile. "We shamed women have to stick together."

"I could never believe that anything about you was shameful." The wood elf replied sincerely. There was a moment's pause and then her cheeks turned a bit pink.

"Thank you." The redhead felt her heart flutter slightly and she had the strangest impulse to give the lovely elf a peck on the cheek as additional thanks.

That was weird.

Well, not that weird, right?

It was normal for best friends to kiss each other right? Not on the lips of course. She hadn't really been thinking about kissing Alana's soft, full lips. She'd been thinking about kissing her cheek. She had beautiful cheeks and they probably tasted--

She stopped, pushing that thought far from her mind. There was no reason to speculate about how good Alana's skin might taste, and even less reason to wonder how her lips tasted. She thought that they must taste good though. How could they not, with the rest of her being so delightful?

Alana chuckled. "You get lost in your head so easily."

"That's fair." She nodded, not mentioning the first thought which had come to her mind, which oddly was a wish that the lovely wood elf would be there with her.

She wasn't sure why.

"How's this?" Ethan asked a few minutes later as he walked up to her. He had a smile on his face that was some combination of mischievous, knowing, and anticipatory.

He held a staff out for her that was about five feet long and just slightly tapered. Around the top and bottom was a small steel band held in place with a single steel pin. The staff itself was nearly unadorned, but the moment Rachel touch it, something about it felt... good. Something about the staff reminded her of her best friend, though she didn't know why.

Alana gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "That's one of mine, isn't it?"

Ethan nodded, his smile getting wider. "Yup. It seems they had one left that hadn't been already enchanted."

Rachel felt her mouth curve into a broad smile as she remembered that Alana had previously grow staves for enchanting. That had been her living, and her adopted family's staves were renowned throughout the Ten Kingdoms for their quality. It made perfect sense for the royal armies to have a few, she just never thought she'd be holding one of them.

"May I?" Alana asked.

The redhead handed it over and the wood elf closed her eyes as she ran her hands along the wood. "I remember this one, it was one of my best." She smiled as she handed it back. "I'm glad you'll have it."

"Me too, but you'll have to enchant it; I'm rubbish at enchanting." The redhead admitted.

"I'd love to." Alana smiled. "Standard self-healing throughout, hardened outside, and mana storage core?"

"That would be perfect." Rachel beamed.

"Wait, mana storage core?" Ethan asked.

Alana nodded. "Yeah. You can enchant wood to act as a reservoir of additional mana. You need to fill it, but once filled it can hold extra mana so she can cast spells longer in a fight. Plus, you can channel spells through a staff that's been enchanted to hold mana."

"Basically, I can have the shield in one hand and the staff in the other and still use spells." Rachel explained.

Ethan grinned with a twinkle in his eye. "That's going to be hot."

"Mmm." She replied, looking forward to--

"My lord the king!" Delabor the herald said as he entered.

"Approach Delabor." The king replied.

"I beg your pardon, but may I convey a message from the honorable Halvaer Kalon to the honorable dragon?"

The herald turned to Ethan after the King nodded. "Honored dragon, the honorable head of the House Kalon says that you and your first wife might meet her mother tomorrow at midday when she arrives by airship."

"Thank you. We'll be there if someone can guide us." Ethan replied.

"Delabor can guide you." The King offered.

"Thank you." Ethan replied, then turned to his wood elven wife. "You're going to meet your mother tomorrow."

Alana nodded mutely as she swallowed hard.

"You okay?" Rachel whispered.

The wood elf turned towards her, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I think so? I hope she likes me."

"I can't imagine anyone not liking you." Rachel offered, then felt her cheeks get a bit warm as she realized how that sounded. Thankfully, her comment seemed to have gone unnoticed.

"Judging from what your father said when you met him, she'll be overjoyed to see you." Ethan added.

The wood elf nodded and took another deep breath. "We'll find out tomorrow."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

***There will be a slight change of the publishing schedule, though not the frequency; I'm still doing one chapter a month. Currently I submit on Wednesdays so the chapter usually lands on the last Friday or Saturday of the month. I'm instead going to start submitting on the first Wednesday of the month. To make the transition easier, I'll submit the next chapter on the last Wednesday of March, so it will probably drop on April 1st or 2nd. (and no, this isn't an April Fool's joke.) The next chapter will be submitted on May 4th, then the first Wednesday thereafter. Wednesday submissions usually go live on Friday or Saturday after the review process. If a chapter is late, you can check my profile and I'll have a reason and expected publishing date.***

***I'd also like to extend a very special thanks to someone who didn't want to be credited by name, so "Anonymous", (you know who you are) thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it. ***

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean