***I finally found an editor, so hopefully you won't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :) ***

CHAPTER 32: A family Matter

* * *

"All done."

Ethan nodded to his first wife as she finished her enchanting work. She'd thrown herself into it with gusto when they'd returned to the Argo, and he got the distinct impression that she was distracting herself. He could feel her anxiety about meeting her mother, just barely held at bay by the work she was doing.

"Here you go." The wood elf handed the newly cut out and enchanted piece of dragon leather armor to him, and he took it.

Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and even Selene had seemed quite interested, so they had assembled in the Argo's captain's cabin for the first test. His wives were on the bed while the drop-dead gorgeous Brazilian beauty watched from just inside the closed door. Ethan didn't consider the wood elves enemies -- far from it in fact -- but he saw no reason to reveal his armor; hence the inside testing.

He poured a tiny drop of his deep mana into the newly enchanted piece of dragon leather and then tossed it to Selene. She caught it and looked confused. He grinned, then summoned it to his forearm.

It shot across the room, landing on his forearm where he activated both the sticking and hardening enchantments. Instantly it curved down and wrapped around his forearm, as solid as any piece of steel once in place. He could feel the sticking enchantments engage and moved his arm and hand experimentally. His new vambrace stayed put and didn't slide around, offering essentially complete freedom of movement while also perfectly protecting his forearm. He rapped on it with his knuckles and it didn't give; it felt nearly as strong as steel.

"Damn girl, you outdid yourself!" He said to the wood elf as he continued to move it around experimentally.

Alana beamed.

He deactivated both the sticking and hardening enchantments and the vambrace fell off his arm and to the ground, soft as any other piece of leather. He summoned it again, locked it into place, and then released it again and summoned it again before it had hit the floor.

Everyone clapped.

"Now, you just need to do something about the color master." The Fey said as her wings fluttered in excitement. "It's not very pretty."

"A good color scheme could help a lot, and it's not just aesthetics." Rachel agreed. "You should have some kind of symbol or sigil for yourself."

"And we could make a flag and fly it on the Argo!" Taloni said jumping up in excitement. Her wings became a blur as they held her in midair for a moment before she let herself down. Ethan didn't think she realized that she did it. It was wonderful to see her using her wings so instinctively.

"That would be pretty cool." He agreed as he felt the vambrace on his arm. "Damn, I feel like I just leveled up playing some RPG."

"Plus 10 armor to help with any good D20 rolls by your opponents?" Selene chuckled.

Everyone started at her.

"D&D?" Ethan asked.

She shrugged. "My little brother was into it."

"I didn't know you have brother." Beth said.

The Brazilian woman gave her a pained smiled. "I did."

As one, all of Ethan's wives got up, climbed off the bed and wrapped her in a group hug. She looked somewhat uncomfortable at the gesture, but also quite happy about it too.

"Anyway, how about that armor huh?" She said when they let go.

Apparently taking the hint, Alana nodded. "Yeah, now you just need to decide on what other enchantments you want on it. It currently has summoning, sticking, self-repairing, and then the enchantment which makes it harder, stronger, and stiffer; so four. I can fit one or two more enchantments on it, depending on what they are."

"I would suggest fire resistance." Rachel said immediately. "There's the black dragon to consider, and I'm sure Kyrupto will be around again eventually."

"Good idea." Ethan agreed.

"Agreed." The wood elf said. "Dragon leather takes a fire-resistance enchantment well, so there's room for one more; even a pretty big one."

"Strength." Ethan replied instantly. "When Lord Delmar ambushed us, Kendra was able to block and parry things so incredibly well because of that. I'd love the same advantage."

"Okay." Alana nodded. "Just realize that a strengthening enchantment -- or any other enchantment that increases physical attributes -- has limitations because each piece of armor with a strength enchantment interferes with the others. The more pieces enchanted to increase strength, the greater the interference, so there's a point of diminishing return."

"Oh?"

"Yes, it's like this." With her hand, Alana made a curve in the air that went up sharply at first then levelled off. "The first strengthening enchantment can add about half your original strength. The second can add about half that again, so about one quarter of your original strength, for three quarters total. The third only adds half that again, so only about one eighth of your original strength, and so on; halving each time. Two enchantments will increase your strength by about three quarters, four by over nine-tenths."

"About ninety-four percent." Rachel offered more precisely. "But it'll be very small increases after that, and you'll never quite get to double."

"Almost double still sounds pretty good to me." Ethan grinned. "But if it keeps halving from there, then yeah; I don't see a point in doing more than four."

"Still, nearly double is a huge advantage." Selene pointed out. "I've done martial arts my entire life and that's an absolutely massive advantage."

"And with the additional leverage of a spear..." He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Damn, I already can't beat you." The Brazilian woman sighed.

"Well, I don't see why we couldn't make a pair of vambraces like Kendra's for you to use." Ethan replied. "There's enough dragon hide left for that, so if you wanted to use a pair we could probably make them. You'd be welcome to use them as long as you're traveling with us."

The Brazilian beauty cocked her head to one side and got a confused look on her face. "Really?"

"Sure." He nodded. "It's a useful enchantment and the forearms are a target in combat, so why not? Besides, I'd feel better knowing that more people on the Argo are combat ready."

"Thank you." She smiled and Ethan couldn't help but notice that she also had perfect teeth. Geez, was any part of her body not flawless?

A giggle from the bed made him turn his head. Taloni had a strange sort of smile on her face and mischief in her pretty lilac eyes.

"What?" He asked her.

"When she leaves the Argo master?" The Fey had a sly grin on her face. "We all talked about how she can't stay on Earth, so she'll need to come back to the Ten Kingdoms. And she can't do that unless she can communicate with someone here to open a portal. And she can't do that unless..." The Fey gave him a pointed look and then glanced at the bed.

"Why Taloni Ejder, are you playing matchmaker?" Alana asked with a similarly sly grin.

Beth had a barely suppressed smile which was making her adorable dimples stand out. "Well, that only leaves one wife left to find."

Rachel was nodding with amusement written all over her face.

It took Ethan a moment to do the math. Alana, Beth, Taloni, and Rachel were his current four; Kendra might be five. That in turn -- if the Fey's logical observation did come to pass -- would make the caramel-haired beauty wife number six, indeed leaving just one left to find.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Selene asked wryly

"No." All of Ethan's wives chorused with identical teasing smiles.

The Brazilian woman rolled her eyes.

"Ladies, I'm sure Selene has some guy on Earth to get back to, so stop teasing her." Ethan shook his head.

"Actually, there isn't one." She admitted.

"Did you hear that master? She's single." Taloni said the word 'single' in a slightly sing-song voice, barely containing the laughter that looked like it was dying to get out.

"But maybe not for long..." Beth added, teaming up with her fellow blonde teen. Those two could be so adorable together that he found it hard to be annoyed at them.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He said, trying to take pressure off the ex-FBI agent.

Apparently it didn't work.

Selene got a strange look on her face for a moment that he couldn't place. She didn't look hurt, or confused, or blindsided, or unsure of herself, but there was a touch of all those in her expression. Her slightly annoyed amusement at the teasing had been replaced with something else, and something he couldn't quite place. As he thought back, he'd tried to take the pressure off of her similarly before and she'd gotten a similar expression on her face.

He didn't know what it meant though.

* * *

Selene tried unsuccessfully to keep her face neutral at Ethan's comment. In the back of her mind she knew that he was probably just be trying to help deflect his wives from teasing her, but the rest of her...

"So anyway, how about that armor?" She almost kicked herself for the unsubtle change of topic, but thought that comment would get the point across.

It did.

Ethan and all his wives started talking about which bits to finish first and the ideal color. She piped up after a few minutes had passed. "I'm going to go see if Serif or Raklan wants to spar."

She nodded to the wives and then casually turned and left. She thought she'd waited long enough that no one would think her exit strange and she didn't detect any odd looks. Out on the weather deck, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Troubles?" She heard a feminine voice from the quarterdeck.

"Not really?" She replied to the high elf pilot.

Anthiel raised her eyebrow.

Selene sighed, walked up the stairs to the quarterdeck, and leaned against the ship's wheel next to her. "Objectively speaking, I'm pretty attractive, right?"

Anthiel looked amused. "No, 'pretty attractive' would be a very large step down for you."

"Thanks." The Brazilian woman smiled. "And, I'm a nice person right? I mean to talk to? I can hold a conversation, right?"

"Yes."

"And I feel like I click with the people on the Argo well enough right? I mean, we get along?"

"Yes, you click and get along with Ethan just fine." Anthiel replied with a knowing smile.

"How'd you know?"

"I've been married over four times longer than you've been alive, and lived quite a while before that; you learn to pick up on things."

"Fair." Selene conceded.

"What set things off this time?"

Selene explained about their conversation and the high elf looked thoughtful. "You shouldn't take it personally. He has his hands full with four or five wives already, and apparently there are more coming."

"So, am I being jerk for being annoyed that he doesn't pay the slightest bit of attention to me?" She asked, feeling for some reason like she could trust the high elf.

"You tell me."

"Okay, I suppose I'm being a bit selfish." Selene conceded. "I really have zero desire to share a husband because there's no way I could deal with him cheating on me with his other wives."

"He wouldn't be cheating." Anthiel shook her head.

"Come again?"

"You were here for Rachel's wedding. Did you notice that the vows for Ethan were different than the vows for Rachel?"

"Yeah, she promised to obey him." The Brazilian woman frowned.

"Besides that." Anthiel replied. "Did you notice that Rachel's vows included the phrase 'committing to give yourself only to him' while Ethan's vows didn't contain a similar phrase about him exclusively giving himself to her?"

She thought about it for a moment and then cocked her head to one side. "No, I didn't catch that."

Hmm.

"It's not 'cheating' as you say if he never promised to do it." Anthiel pointed out. "Ethan's wives swore to never take another man to bed as long as he lives, but he didn't swear to never take another woman to bed. He isn't 'cheating' and he didn't break a vow."

Selene opened her mouth to object, but couldn't find a flaw in her logic. Her degree in criminal justice had covered some areas of law, including a little bit of contract law. If he didn't promise not to have sex with other women, then technically he hadn't violated his marriage vows.

Hmm.

"Besides, Illuminar allows men to take multiple wives." Anthiel continued. "Thus, a wife -- even an only wife -- has absolutely no right to expect her husband to confine his sexual activity to her, because he could always take another wife."

"We disagree there." Selene shook her head. "I don't care what Illuminar says; I don't want my future husband having sex with other women. Period."

"It's not as bad as you might think; Ethan's wives certainly don't seem to mind." Antheil replied.

"Yeah, well; you don't have any personal experience with it, so pardon me for being skeptical of your opinion."

Anthiel's eye twinkled. "What makes you think I don't have any experience with it?"

Selene cocked her head to one side.

Anthiel just smiled.

"You're kidding." Selene looked at her.

"Don't you find it odd that despite me having a husband, I've spent nearly two months on the Argo without seeing him at all?" The high elf asked.

"Huh. I hadn't thought about..." Selene frowned. "So where is he?"

Anthiel had an amused smile on her beautiful face. "He's on his honeymoon... with his new second wife."

Selene stared.

What.

The.

Fuck.

"...and you're okay with that?" She finally got out.

"Dear girl, I was the one who set them up." The high elf replied.

"How did I not know this?" She finally said. "How does no one on the Argo know this?"

"You didn't ask; no one has." Anthiel replied looking amused. "You know, my life didn't begin when I joined the Argo's crew. Ethan and his wives are incredible people, but they've been a bit too busy to peer into the personal life of the ship's pilot."

"Wait, go back to the part where you set your husband up with a second wife? Why!?"

"To put it bluntly, I've hit the age where the red beast has ceased visiting me."

"Huh?"

"The red beast. It comes bringing pain and leaves a trail of blood in its wake." Anthiel said in a mock-conspiratorial, then added in a light-hearted tone. "All women go through it."

"Your period?"

"That's such a mundane way of saying it, but yes." Anthiel nodded. "I've hit the age where it no longer comes."

"Ah, menopause."

"Exactly." The high elf nodded. "For well over a year now I've had almost no desire for my husband to bed me, and some pain when he did. He is..." She paused, probably for effect. "...very vigorous and my body took the red beast's permanent departure far more harshly than most. So I wanted a solution for him until my body returned to normal."

Selene stared, mouth open

"Why?" The ex-FBI agent finally got out.

"It's simple; he has a great desire and I couldn't fulfill it, so I found a younger elven maiden who could. My husband and I also couldn't have as many children as either of us wanted, which she can help with too. She's actually quite lovely, and less than half my age."

"Less than half...?" The Brazilian beauty couldn't believe what she was hearing. On Earth, the very idea of a husband sleeping with a woman half his wife's age was supposed to infuriate the wife. But for the high elf, it seemed the opposite was true.

"He tells me that she can keep up with him in bed and then some." Anthiel continued. "From the sounds of things, I'll likely have a step-daughter from her in the near future."

"The sound of things? When was the last time you saw him?"

"The night we left Gralden; but I talk to him all the time."

"How do you..." Selene trailed off as she remembered that Ethan communicated telepathically with his wives all the time. Could Anthiel also be...

Huh.

She'd never considered...

"Are you..." She tapped her temple. "...with your husband? I've never noticed."

"I've been married for just over one hundred years." The high elf replied. "You learn how to be more subtle than newlyweds. I'm not sure if you know this, but things work at a far slower pace without a dragon in the mix. It took us many decades before we could talk to each other the way Ethan does with his wives. Anyway, my husband is very happy with both me and his new wife."

"But... but what...?" Selene couldn't make sense of what she was hearing. "How could you even tolerate that?"

"Because I love my husband." Anthiel answered simply.

"That doesn't sound like love to me." Selene countered.

"Well, what is love?" The high elf asked in response.

"It's..." She faltered. "It's... Hmm. It's a feeling of attraction towards someone?"

"Does love always include attraction?"

"Oh, I guess not." The caramel-haired woman replied thinking about love in a family. "Okay, how would you define it?"

"Love is doing what's best for someone else regardless of what it might cost you." Anthiel replied. "And in this case, it cost me nothing and helped two people that I care about."

"Wait, two people?"

"His new wife is someone that I had mentored and care for deeply, especially after..." Anthiel paused. "...well let's just say she needed a good man in her life for a change. She was somewhat smitten with my husband, and he always liked her. I made a few suggestions, and..." She held up her hands as if to say 'that was that'. "Now they're both happily finishing his tour of service as newlyweds and I'm able to help Ethan and company. Everyone wins."

"Except you and her." Selene pointed out. "Your husband is cheating--"

"Ah." Anthiel interrupted. "It's not cheating because he broke no vows, and Illuminar allows it."

"To be blunt, I don't care what Illuminar wants. I don't want my future husband having sex with other women."

"No, you want your future husband to lavish all his attention on you -- both sexually and otherwise -- which is why I'm guessing that you've never had a serious relationship."

"Ouch." Selene winced. "Guilty as charged. How'd you know?"

"When I was your age, I was nearly as beautiful as you are now." Anthiel replied, and Selene had no problem believing it. She looked incredible for a woman who was apparently well over one hundred.

"I had men falling all over themselves to get my attention, but that was very unattractive."

"I get that." Selene nodded vehemently.

"My husband was the first man who didn't do that." The high elf continued. "He was actually interested in someone else, and I fell hard for him because he was a good man, confident, and he ignored me romantically until I grew up enough to realize that I shouldn't be the center of anyone's world. Sound familiar?"

Selene shook her head. "I don't want to be the center of Ethan's world though."

"I never said anything about Ethan." Anthiel's eyes twinkled. "It's interesting how your mind went right to him."

The Brazilian woman felt her cheeks get slightly warm. "That's not what I was saying. I was just saying that I'm not interested in a man who cheats--" She stopped as she saw Anthiel about to object. "--okay, not cheating. But I'm not interested in a man who has sex with other women. Just no. I'd kill him."

Anthiel gave her a skeptical look, then leaned in and lowered her voice slightly. "Or have an incredible orgasm. Unless I miss my guess, you get wet when you think about Ethan or him bedding his wives."

Selene froze. "What?"

"I was listening carefully when you recounted your story. I recognized some telltale signs when you mentioned watching their apartment, and again when Alana and Beth mentioned what they said just before jumping through the portal to return here."

"I wasn't... that's not... I mean, I wasn't talking about that." She spluttered.

"You could've just shouted 'yes'; that would've been just as clear." Anthiel said with a knowing smile.

"Okay, I'll admit that he sometimes 'gets my motor going', but not because of the other wives." She finally conceded. "The other wives thing is a huge turn off."

"Is it?"

"Of course it is."

Anthiel gave her a look that was both appraising and knowing. "Would you care to make that interesting?"

"Oh?"

"I bet you one copper that I can prove it turns you on despite what you think about it."

"And if you can't?"

"Then I'll owe you two coppers."

"Deal." Selene smiled; easy money.

"One copper says you're starting to get wet just from our conversation." Anthiel said with twinkling eyes and a knowing expression.

The caramel-haired beauty adjusted her legs just slightly to prove that she wasn't--

Shit.

* * *

Ethan kept a close eye on Alana over the afternoon, and especially after she'd thrown herself so completely into enchanting his armor. He appreciated her fervor, but knew it didn't only stem from her desire to protect him. As dinner progressed, she became a little more subdued and quiet.

*Hey princess, you okay?* He thought to her.

She seemed slightly startled as she looked at him. *Um, I don't know.*

*Worried about meeting your mother?*

She nodded.

He looked at her for several seconds before a plan formed in his mind.

*Rachel, want to help me cheer up Alana?* He thought to her.

*Absolutely.* The redhead thought back. *I'm sure her mother will love her dearly, but I'm not sure there's anything that we could say to convince her of that.*

*Agreed, but we shouldn't have to if you follow us when we go into the captain's cabin.*

*Will do my lord.*

*Thanks beautiful.* He nodded at her, so incredibly happy that they were finally married. The redhead was truly lovely, and he couldn't put into words how blessed he felt to have her as one of his wives.

He asked Beth and Taloni to wait outside and then extended a hand to Alana. "Come on, I've got an idea."

"Oh?" She asked as she took his hand.

"Yup." He smiled as he helped her up and then led her into the captain's cabin with Rachel in tow. The wood elf didn't resist his gentle pull and followed with a confused smile on her face. Okay, it was a small smile and tinted with her obvious concern for meeting her mother tomorrow, but a smile nonetheless.

"So, how much do you two trust me?" He asked them after the door was closed.

"Implicitly sir." She looked very curious.

"The same my lord."

"Good." He said, making sure to keep a straight face and not let a mischievous smile show. "Now, I'm going to ask you two to do something that you might find hard; harder than anything we've yet done. Are you game?"

Alana swallowed hard.

Rachel looked a bit alarmed.

They looked at each other, then back at him.

"Yes sir."

"Yes my lord."

"Are you sure? You don't even know what it is?"

"I know, but I trust you sir."

"You've been so good to me -- to all your wives -- I can't imagine you doing something that we would hate." Rachel said this, but he could see just a twinge of concern behind her eyes.

"Okay then what I need is..." He breathed heavily, still making sure not to smile. "I need you two to snuggle with me."

The two women looked confused for a moment and then the wood elf smiled as Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. He started laughing.

"Brat." Alana said with a smile as she shook her head. She seemed to have temporarily forgotten her nervousness though, so that was good.

"You are awful my lord." Rachel put her head on her hands.

"What can I say? I have enough wives that I need to keep them on their toes."

They started towards the bed but he held up his hand to indicate they should stop. "Hang on, there's one condition here that I must insist on."

"Oh?" Alana and Rachel said at the same time.

"Yes; take off your dresses before you come to bed."

They both froze.

They both looked like a deer in the headlights as they stared at him.

"Before?" Alana whispered.

"Dresses off?" Rachel echoed.

"Actually I want you both naked before you climb into bed with me." He said. He would happily snuggle with his wives fully clothed of course, but something inside of him -- his dragon side perhaps -- told him that they needed this.

There was an awkward silence as Alana bit her lip and Rachel averted her eyes. Identical red spots appeared on their cheeks, and then their upper chests moments later. He felt some arousal from each over his bonds with them. They both stood there for several seconds before glancing at each other. Their eyes met and they quickly looked away. He had to suppress a laugh; they were so smitten with each other it was adorable. With any of his other wives, the wood elf wouldn't have batted an eye at dropping her clothes.

With Rachel...

"You know, you've already seen each other naked." He pointed out. "Rachel, you literally orgasmed on Alana's lap."

The redhead blushed so hard that her cheeks approached the color of her hair.

He turned to his first wife. "Alana, I'm pretty sure you woke up naked next to Rachel this morning, so it's not like you haven't seen each other before."

The wood elf also blushed, though not as deeply.

Finally, Rachel nodded and reached down to the hem of her dress. Her fingers hesitated a moment, then grabbed it and slowly started pulling it up. Alana followed suit, and moments later a green dress and a red dress lay on the floor. His lovely wives stood there awkwardly, not looking at each other and subconsciously covering their breasts and slits from each other.

Not him; each other.

He almost rolled his eyes as his cock started to grow. "Now, Alana come here."

He skootched back so he was laying on his side facing them. The wood elf climbed onto the bed and laid down facing him.

"Hi." He said quietly.

"Hi." She smiled back.

"Roll over." He instructed.

She froze.

"Back against me." He said to her.

She rolled as instructed, the soft, smooth skin of her naked back feeling wonderful against him, though he couldn't help but notice that she was shielding her feminine bits from Rachel.

He looked at the redhead. "Do you remember me telling you about ice cream sandwiches?"

She nodded.

"Pretend Alana is the filling and come here."

Rachel bit her lip and he felt a small burst of arousal from her.

He could tell that his first wife was a bit too brain-fried -- or possibly too embarrassed -- to move, so he gently pulled her into a spooning position while Rachel climbed onto the bed. The redhead was obviously setting up to put her back to Alana, which wouldn't do.

"Rachel, face us." He instructed gently.

The redhead swallowed hard but slowly turned to face them, trepidation written all over her face. His two wives were laying down facing each other, but determinedly looking anywhere but at each other, and especially not down at the other's naked body.

"Skootch closer." He instructed, then added with a chuckle. "At least pretend that you like each other."

They both blushed.

Then Rachel did move.

He leaned up to watch and Rachel skootched closer so they still weren't touching, but were mere millimeters away from each other in so many places.

"Closer." He said, looking into the redhead's eye so she couldn't mistake his meaning.

Rachel bit her lip as Alana seemed to freeze.

Then the redhead scooted closer.

She moved her legs first, resting them up against the shorter wood elf's legs. Alana parted her legs seemingly automatically and their legs intertwined in an affectionate way, though it stopped just short of being sexual. Likewise their hips just barely touched as the redhead pressed herself against the brunette, but again it was shy of being sexual. Affectionate and intimate yes -- even slightly sensual -- but not sexual. Rachel continued her slow molding, pressing her flat stomach to Alana's toned one.

Then the breasts.

Rachel looked Alana in the eye as she finished slipping closer. The two women's nipples, both stiff and hard, pressed together and then slowly disappeared as their soft breasts pressed together, obscuring the nubs from sight. Rachel's larger breasts slightly enveloped Alana's smaller ones as the redhead wrapped her arms around her best friend.

They were laying facing each other, about as close as it was physically possible to be unless actually having sex. The tension in Alana seemed to drain away as Ethan held her from behind while her best friend held her from in front.

Ethan was under no illusion that they were even aware of his presence though. They were so entirely wrapped up in each other that as far as his wives were concerned, he might as well have been back on Earth. He smiled at their budding attraction.

"Hi." Rachel whispered softly, her lips mere inches from Alana's.

* * *

"Hi." Alana whispered back, not quite believing what was going on. Rachel's beautiful blue eyes were so close that she almost couldn't believe it. But more than that, her deep blue eyes were shining in happiness. Rachel was looking at her and her eyes were shining with happiness.

She sighed softly.

Rachel followed suit.

"Hi." The redhead said again.

"You already said that." Alana replied softly.

"Yeah, I guess I did." The redhead smiled and moved slightly, and a strand of hair fell onto her face. She tried to blow it out, but it didn't move. The wood elf slipped her finger up and brushed it out of her face.

"Thank you." The redhead had a strange sort of smile on her face.

They stared at each other for several moments while she wondered what the redhead was thinking. The wood elf herself was blissfully happy being cradled between Rachel and Ethan... Ethan. She felt slightly guilty as she realized that she'd completely forgotten that he was there. It took her a moment to realize that he'd done this for her. He'd asked Rachel to come help distract her from--

Her stomach knotted up again.

"She's going to love you." Rachel said gently but firmly. "I certainly d--" She swallowed and hesitated, then continued. "I certainly don't think anyone could not love you."

Alana's heart fluttered as the legion of butterflies in her stomach seemed to march in lock step. Rachel's eyes flicked towards Ethan and then her cheeks became incredibly red.

* * *

"I certainly don't think anyone could not love you." Rachel said, finding it hard to believe that the wood elf couldn't see how incredible she was.

*Does that include you?* Ethan thought to her. *I mean, you were going to say that you 'certainly do' love her, right?*

She blushed scarlet as her cheek got very warm.

*I didn't... I mean, I wasn't... That's not what I meant.* She thought back to him, spluttering slightly.

He smirked, his teasing eyes twinkling.

"What did I miss?" Alana asked looking between them.

Ethan chuckled. "I was just teasing Rachel; ignore me."

The wood elf looked at the redhead and raised an eyebrow.

"It was nothing." She shook her head trying to laugh it off. "He just asked me if I loved you too."

Alana bit her lip.

"Which of course I do; you're my best friend." Rachel continued trying to cover--

Hmm.

Cover what?

She obviously loved Alana as a friend, but only as a friend of course. It would just be weird for her to love the incredibly enchanting and captivating wood elf in any other way. She certainly didn't love Alana the way that she loved Ethan; that would just be strange. They were both women, so it would be weird and totally not something she would do. She just wasn't interested in Alana that way, no matter how adorable and lovely the wood elf was.

"Of course." Her best friend gave her a smile, but her rich hazel eyes looked slightly sad and disappointed as she nodded.

"That didn't come out right." Rachel's mouth said before her brain could stop it.

"Oh?" Alana looked... hopeful?

"I mean, you're a lovely woman and the best friend a girl could ever ask for. I'm so grateful we met and I wouldn't trade you for the world."

Alana smiled.

The wood elf closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly so their foreheads were touching before whispering softly. "I love you too Rachel."

The redhead's heart fluttered.

Suddenly she had a warm, almost hot, feeling in her stomach. She felt her cheeks get hot, and then a warm, comforting feeling spread throughout her whole body. She suddenly felt very warm and happy; like a sleepy happy that reminded her of the afterglow from having sex with Ethan for the first time... and Alana had been there too.

She smiled.

She couldn't understand why she liked that so much, but she did. She also distinctly remembered that the first time she'd orgasmed with another person was at the precise moment that her best friend had kissed her forehead. She had no idea what to make of that; none at all.

For now, she resolved to do something that she rarely did and didn't find easy; she wasn't going to think about it. She was going to try and make her mind rest and just enjoy the moment. It was among the most wonderful moments of her life and she didn't want to miss it being distracted by other things.

They laid like that for several minutes before:

Knock! Knock!

"It's Anthiel." Her voice came from the other side of the door. "Sorry to disturb you, but Lord Borden portalled a letter to Nalatia and a courier just delivered it. Ethan, you especially won't like the contents at all."

* * *

Taloni felt her jaw drop and wings quiver as Anthiel finished reading Lord Borden's letter.

"You're fucking kidding!" Master growled at the pilot. "There is no way I'm kicking all my wives except for Beth off the Argo so we can return to Gralden!" He clenched his hands into fists. "What the God damn motherfucking hell!?" Master snarled to no one in particular.

The Fey girl could feel his dragon side rising through their bond, and she was glad she couldn't feel the full force of it.

"Don't shoot the messenger." Selene suggested.

He shot her a withering glare and she backed down.

Taloni shivered, and not because of the weather either; it was quite warm. Master was so angry. She was too, but there was one thing that weighed even more heavily on her mind.

"Master, I don't want to be separated from you." She said.

"You won't be." Master snarled as he started pacing the deck furiously, his dragon claws out and making a clicking sound on the weather deck.

Taloni was standing near the captain's cabin with Alana, Beth, Rachel, and Selene. Anthiel Serif, and Raklan were standing a few paces from them towards the ship's bow. Master was pacing right in between them, alternately throwing murderous glances in the high elf's direction and possessive glances in his wives' direction.

"You all are mine." He hissed looking towards his wives and Selene. "You're mine, and no one will take you from me." The dragon growled as if to emphasize the point.

Selene got a funny look on her face, and the Fey girl couldn't tell if she was happy or sad to be included.

"Except Selene of course." The dragon said carelessly and without breaking stride or mood. The gorgeous caramel-hair beauty wasn't bonded to him, so that made sense.

Still, Selene looked almost hurt.

She concealed the emotion almost instantly though.

Taloni wasn't sure what to do. Master was clearly as mad as the dragon was, and she didn't know how to help. Usually it was a dragon's rage that made him act like this, but this was a different kind of anger. It was clearly coming from Ethan and being massively augmented by the dragon. Not knowing what else to do, she spoke her mind.

"Master, I'm scared." She admitted quietly. "I don't want to be separated from you."

The dragon looked at her, and it was like his anger started to fizzle out. He took a few deep breaths that started as half-growls but ended as regular breaths.

"Come here." Master said, the dragon seeming to have retreated slightly.

She ran into his arms and he held her. A moment later, Master's other wives wrapped her in a large group hug. She felt safe and loved, but only for a few moments until she remembered the problem at hand.

"I can't believe my father would do this." Beth breathed when the group hug broke. "That's just... just..."

She balled her fists.

Taloni hadn't let go of their husband though. She dreaded the thought of spending any time away from him, especially if he had to leave her behind.

"I'm fine returning to Gralden, but I am not leaving any of my wives behind." Master said firmly and with a hint of a growl. "I sure as fucking hell won't leave all of them behind except Beth." He glared at Anthiel, his dragon side returning slightly. "You won't like how that ends if you try."

"Permission to speak freely captain?" The high elf replied.

He growled at her, but nodded.

"You are behaving like a petulant child Ethan." She said firmly. "Yes, Lord Borden is demanding that we return to Gralden and forbidding any of your wives except for Beth to set foot on the Argo. But throwing a childish tantrum won't help anyone or anything, least of all your wives. If you want to help, then sober up and pull it together... unless you think your dragon side is going to fix the problem by brooding and throwing a hissy-fit." She finished, and then added in a fairly respectful tone. "With all due respect captain."

Master took several deep breaths and let the last one out slowly. "You're right."

He looked around at his wives, and tenderly kissed Taloni on top of the head. "I'm sorry."

The Fey teen smiled. "I forgive you master."

"And I sir."

"And me Dominus."

"Nothing to forgive my lord."

Everyone looked at Selene.

"What?" She said a little defensively and with an annoyed edge in her tone. "Obviously I'm not his, and I don't have a freakishly servile nickname for him either."

"Give it time." Beth said while suppressing a smile.

Selene gave her a look.

"Okay, the question is what should we do?" Master said changing the topic. "Can we just ignore him?"

"No." Anthiel replied. "Setting aside the fact that I have an oath to Lord Borden and I'm in his service, he's not someone you want as an enemy."

"Too late." Alana sighed.

"Yeah..." Master also sighed, then looked at the wood elf. "You warned me about this right after I proposed on the night we got married; remember?"

The wood elf gave him a smoldering grin. "I do remember that... sir."

"We can't get everyone to Gralden without the Argo." Rachel pointed out.

"And you can't show up to Gralden with Alana, Taloni, or Rachel on the Argo." Anthiel said. "Lord Borden could clap them in irons for trespassing."

"Master, I know another person with an airship that can hold four people." Taloni piped up.

Master shook his head. "Kendra will never go for it."

"I think she will master, especially if you ask nicely."

He frowned. "Maybe, but she's still on her way to Arcanum. She won't be back here for at least a week."

"And we need to leave now." Anthiel said. "These orders are quite specific."

"Now?" Alana asked quietly, and then bit her lip.

"Alana was going to meet her mother for the first time tomorrow at noon." Ethan pointed out.

Anthiel nodded, then turned to Serif and Raklan. "I understand you're having difficulty with the rigging, how much time do you require for repair?"

Serif opened his mouth, but Raklan spoke first. "There's nothing wrong with the bloody thing."

Anthiel gave him a reproving look. "Raklan, if we leave dock now, Alana will miss her meeting with her mother, and she might never have a chance to be introduced again."

"Could take weeks sir." Serif said evenly, though the corners of his mouth twitched up slightly.

"Thank you Mister Serif." Anthiel said and then turned to master. "Apparently our sails are inoperable captain, we will have to delay departure."

"A lie?" Selene said in a slightly strange accent as she raised an eyebrow.

Master grinned widely and responded in a different strange accent. "An error."

And then the two of them chuckled.

The Fey teen was completely lost and assumed it must be an Earth thing; probably from one of those 'movies' that he kept mentioning.

"That still doesn't solve the issue of getting us all to Gralden." Master pointed out. "I am not leaving anyone behind."

"Kendra master; I'm sure she'd be willing to help."

He shook his head. "We can't even contact her. She's got her mental fortress locked up tight and there's no way to get a message to her."

"Elder Goman could." Rachel suggested. "We could send him a letter through the portal stone, and ask him to contact Kendra at Graflex's shop to ask her to meet us near Gralden."

"That might work." Master tapped a clawed foot on the weather deck as he appeared to consider. "It's the best plan we have anyways, and I guess we'll just have to hope that she's in a helping mood. Okay, let's get a letter written."

* * *

Kendra smiled as she looked around at Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, Selene, and some other girl that she didn't know, recognize, nor even really see. She was sort of a vague impression of a person that she didn't know. The dragon huntress herself was sitting next to Ethan. He had his arm around her in an affectionate way as they all ate breakfast while the Argo sailed through the clear blue skies.

It was heavenly.

No, it was beyond heavenly.

They were chatting about... about... she wasn't really sure, but it was wonderful. They were basically talking about nothing at all, or at least nothing that mattered.

Except that it did matter.

It mattered a lot.

It mattered more than anything else ever. That enormous hole in her heart wasn't as deep or dark. It was filling, and filling quickly. She could even see the bottom and she got the impression that hole had been filling for quite a while. Before long, it might actually be completely filled.

Gone completely.

She sighed and snuggled deeper into Ethan's side.

* * *

"No... no not yet." Kendra whispered as the dream faded and she began to wake with the morning sun.

Several seconds later, her stomach caught up with her dream and she nearly lost the previous night's dinner over the side of her canoe-sized airship. She shuddered at the mere thought of touching a dragon like that.

And yet...

She sighed; that was the problem: 'and yet'.

She had a few days left until she reached Arcanum, 'and yet' she almost wished that she was already returning to Ethan. She hated dragons with all her heart, 'and yet' Ethan seemed to be a good one. She wanted so desperately to be rid of him, 'and yet' she would've given anything to be there at the breakfast fire as in the dream.

She sighed.

Ethan had said she was welcome to visit the Argo, and she did know a lot about hunting dragons and they were facing one. Perhaps... She frowned and shook her head. Ethan would never want her on the Argo; not long term. Not after what she'd done. Although, Taloni would advocate for her, and the Fey was so sweet that she was sure she could convince him...

If Kendra actually wanted that.

She thought back to that breakfast on the morning she'd left. She couldn't remember being that happy since... since... She got slightly choked up as she realized it might've been before her parents had died. In fact, as she thought about it, her only real objection was being bonded to Ethan. It felt amazing to be on the Argo, surrounded by genuinely lovely people who treated her well despite what she'd done to them.

Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, running an errand for Ethan wouldn't make them square. She still owed him. Rachel had said that sticking around him would give her plenty of chances to wipe out the red in her ledger. She didn't have to sleep with him, or even touch him. She could help him in other ways. It wasn't like she had a choice anyway. Death was the only way out of a bond and there was no coming back from...

From...

Hmm.

With Ethan around, death wasn't as final because he had brought her back from the dead before. And she knew from Beth's part of Ethan's story that death would break a bond. If she could convince him to strike her with lightning again so she would die, and then bring her back, that could break their bond.

She gasped.

That could work!

If she could break their bond, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad; maybe being around him wouldn't be so bad. Then maybe she could stay on the Argo, 'and yet' not be bonded to Ethan.

That could be the best 'and yet' of all.

* * *

Beth yawned as she woke and moved to stretch--

"Ahh!" She cried out as she nearly toppled off the bed. She tried to catch herself on the nearest thing she could grab... which unfortunately happened to be someone's hair. Rachel just about screamed as Beth tumbled to the floor, smacking her head on the bedframe as she fell.

Before she hit the ground, Ethan was up and his war hammer was flying towards his hand. His dragon side was on full display and he had a wild protective look as he whipped his head side-to-side searching for the threat. It took him a moment to realize that there wasn't one; only then did he relax a bit.

"Ow." Beth said as she rubbed her backside and her head.

She looked at the bed and saw that Rachel had somehow moved from Ethan's left side to his right side during the night. That normally wouldn't be a problem, but she'd landed in between Alana -- who Ethan had been holding -- and Beth, pushing the blonde to the edge of the bed.

"Rachel, what the hell!" Beth said to the redhead, who'd pulled the sheet up to cover herself.

Everyone stared at Beth.

"What?"

"You just said 'hell'; I must be rubbing off on you." Ethan chuckled. "Do you even know what it is?"

She put a hand on her head, where she could just feel a slight bruise forming. "No, but I know it's bad and probably reserved for redheads who push their fellow wives off the bed."

"I'm sorry." Rachel winced looking really sorry and she clutched the sheets tighter around herself. "Please forgive me."

Beth fumed at her for a moment before she realized it had probably just been a mistake. A painful mistake, but it wasn't on purpose. "I forgive you." She mumbled as her sleep addled brain contended with the throbbing headache that had formed.

"Here, let me help." Taloni said, her wings becoming a blur as she lifted herself off the far side of the bed to land next to the blonde. A minute later, the headache was nearly gone as the Fey healed her.

"Thank you." Beth hugged Tee, but glowered at Rachel a bit.

"Ladies, the wood elven king said that he'd set us up with a new bed this morning." Ethan reminded them. "So we shouldn't need to worry about this happening again."

"Thank Illuminar." Beth said under her breath.

"Agreed." Rachel replied frostily, rubbing her scalp with one hand, while still holding the sheets up to protect her modesty with the other.

"How'd you end up next to Alana anyway?" The blonde finally asked, her curiosity getting better of her annoyance at the redhead. Ethan usually slept on his right side with one wife in his arms, and his wings on his other wives. Last night Alana had been in his arms with Beth next to her. Taloni and Rachel were on his other side last night, meaning the mage would've had to climb over at least Ethan and Alana, and maybe Taloni too, in order to end up where she had.

Rachel shrugged. "No idea."

Ethan had a knowing smile on his face, paired with a very amused expression.

"What?" The blonde asked him.

"You'll figure it out eventually." He winked.

Alana -- who had arguably been the most displaced since Ethan leapt up from holding her -- sat up, pulled her knees up to her chin, and wrapped her arms around them.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Rachel said, sitting next to her and wrapping an arm around her, though she was still holding the sheet protectively over her body.

Near everyone else followed suit, though Beth hesitated a moment before letting her arms wrap around Rachel too. She hadn't done it on purpose, and the blonde didn't feel right holding it against her.

"Your mother is going to love you." Ethan said.

"But what if she doesn't? What if she isn't interested in me after getting to know me?" Alana bit her lip.

"I know you better than anyone else, and I love you because I know you." Ethan said, and then glanced pointedly at the resident teen mage. "Rachel does too, and she knows you nearly as well as I do."

"It's true." The redhead said, and Beth couldn't help but notice that her cheeks got slightly pink after that.

Hmm.

Why could that be?

"Okay." The wood elf said as the group hub broke, but she didn't look completely convinced.

"Master, did Elder Goman get back to us yet?" The Fey teen asked. "I'd hate to miss Kendra."

"Let me look." He climbed off the bed and pulled open the desk that was opposite it. "Yup he did. Let's see here." His eyes scanned the letter for several seconds, then got bigger and he glanced at his wives. "Wow. Didn't someone say that he's some kind of portal expert?"

"Yup." Rachel nodded.

"He is." Beth said, remembering that he'd actually written a book on the topic that she'd seen in her father's mage's library. She hadn't read it, but had always wanted to. Of course, that was the case for so, so many books that it was hard to keep track.

"Wow." Ethan said. "He said that he has a portal in his laboratory and can portal Kendra directly to us as long as we're out of the city."

"He can?" Rachel frowned. "How? How would he go about targeting it so far away?"

Ethan cleared his throat and then read. "And let Miss Delmar know that I can use the portal stone I gave you to ensure the portal opens in the right place."

The mage went slightly pink.

"But Dominus, how could Kendra's airship fit through a portal? Would the masts get in the way?"

"Apparently her airship's masts are designed to fold down." He said looking at the letter. "Elder Goman says that he's familiar with..." He looked a little close at the letter. "...Aldmiri? scout ship designs, which apparently all have folding masts." He looked up. "What the hell is an Aldmiri?"

Everyone shrugged.

Beth frowned. "I think I've heard that somewhere before. Maybe in one of the old history books?" She thought about it for a moment, but couldn't place it.

"Well, apparently he can portal Kendra and her airship directly to us."

"That would actually make sense master." Taloni spoke up. "Anthiel and I have been talking about all different kinds of airships during my sailing lessons, and she says that small airships are often designed with folding masts so they can be easily stored on larger airships. Sometimes they're used as escape vessels if the airship starts to go down."

"Like lifeboats." Ethan nodded. "That makes sense."

"I can't wait." The Fey said. "We'll get to see Kendra again a whole week early."

"If she agrees." Ethan countered. "She might not."

"Oh she will master." Taloni replied. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

Sarah laid in bed, looking up at the ceiling as the early morning light streamed in through the window. Other than the man from the Ivernian Mountains, there were no other clients at the inn today. The man liked to sleep in, so that meant she got to also.

She had just been daydreaming that the dragon had come to the inn and met her, just after her problem had been cured. He would be impressed with her virtuousness and piety, and would overlook how plain she was to marry her. Having met two of his wives, she thought they might be nice to her; even as nice as Selene was.

Selene...

Sarah looked over to the empty spot where Selene had slept for those few wonderful nights that she'd been here. She put her hand on the spot and sighed. It had been so nice while she was here. She was wonderful to talk to and had been so kind. It was just exactly what she guessed that having a sister would be like.

It had been wonderful.

Her smiled faltered as she remembered what Gabriella had said in her dream about Lord Farbrottan's men coming for her. She had already considered running, but she had no place to go and no food to get there. She wanted to leave, but didn't think it was wise. It didn't seem wise to stay where they could find her, but then again Gabriella had said that it would all be okay in the end.

Her smile returned as she remembered the other promises the angel had made. She would be able to do some good and get a wonderful husband. She said that it would all be okay in the end; if it wasn't okay, it wasn't the end.

She sighed; now she just had to wait.

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" Ethan asked Alana as they stood in front of the gangplank leading to Halvaer Kalon's airship. Her grandfather's airship was impressive, but he knew that's not what was making her nervous.

The wood elf swallowed hard. "I hope so."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was pretty sure that Alana's mother Kalaya would adore her daughter based on what Navaro had said. He couldn't be sure of course, but he was pretty sure.

"Honorable dragon." Halvaer called from the weather deck. "If you will come board, your wife's mother is below decks."

"Thank you." He nodded.

Alana looked up at her grandfather with a bit of pain in her eyes. He supposed that it was part of the elven culture that the elf couldn't acknowledge his granddaughter if she was shamed, but it still wasn't right. He thought about it for a moment before deciding to screw it and use his position to help right some cultural wrongs.

"Two or three witnesses." He reminded the older elf, before glancing pointedly at Alana.

Halvaer paused for a moment, looking at the dragon pensively. After several seconds he nodded slowly. He then was silent for several seconds more before speaking carefully.

"Honored dragon, I invite both of you aboard."

Alana smiled.

Halvaer still hadn't made direct eye contact with her nor spoken directly to her, but this was definitely progress. He decided to take the win and not push it further. He held his hand out to his first wife, which she took and he led her aboard.

"Thank you for arranging this meeting honorable Halvaer; I'm very grateful." He said.

The elf gave him a respectful nod of acknowledgement, then lead him towards the quarterdeck. Halvaer's airship appeared to have three decks, and the stairs down to the lower decks were located in the same place as the Argo's; under the stairs up to the quarterdeck. The head of House Kalon lead them below decks, and then to the door of a room that was directly under the captain's cabin. There was a somewhat grandmotherly-looking elf waiting there, and she was smiling ear-to-ear.

"This is my wife, Railen Kalon."

"Pleasure to meet you." Ethan said.

Alana's grandmother looked very much like her granddaughter. Though like all members of House Kalon, she had golden hair instead of the chocolate brown color that adorned Alana's head, and her eyes were blue instead of Alana's rich hazel color. Otherwise, the two looked a lot alike.

"I'm so happy you came." Alana's grandmother said. Ethan was under no illusion that she was referring to him, even though Railen -- like a good wood elf -- didn't look directly at Alana.

"My wife will join you in the room honored dragon, as propriety and tradition require." Halvaer said. "Now if you will excuse me, I have house affairs to manage."

He gave Ethan a respectful nod, then turned and walked back up the stairs.

"Shall we?" Railen Kalon appeared to be having a hard time not looking at Alana as they stood there. She had a pleasant voice, and something about her reminded him of Anthiel. The age maybe, and something about the mannerisms.

Alana took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Hey, you can do this." He reassured her, taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

She nodded, but bit her lip too.

"She needn't worry." Railen said with a smile, then turned and opened the door.

Ethan and Alana had just come down the stairs, and so they weren't in front of the door. Railen was, and she stepped through leaving it open.

"Mother, I'm so grateful that I'm allowed back in Nalatia." A voice not unlike Alana's came from inside the room. "But may I ask why?"

Ethan gave his wife a gentle nudge and whispered. "Go on."

* * *

Selene craned her neck trying to get a better view of the elven artisans who were working on the captain's cabin. They were working incredibly quickly and she was a bit shocked that they could work that fast while doing that good of a job. Of course, most of them had gray hair and being elves, they had probably been honing their craft for over a hundred years; maybe longer. She and Ethan's wives were far enough away to be out of the way, which also meant they couldn't see as well as they'd like.

"I wonder what they'll use for bedding." Beth mused as she tried to see too.

"I bet it'll be cloth springs." Rachel replied, then sighed. "Oh Illuminar, it would be amazing to sleep on a cloth spring mattress again."

"Cloth Spring?" Selene asked.

"Yeah, enchanted cloth." Rachel said. "They enchant it to be stiff, but it's so thin that it isn't very hard. The tops are flat though, and with the springiness and large surface area..." She sighed. "They are so comfortable."

"That sounds wonderful." Taloni beamed.

"Speaking of magic." Selene turned to Rachel. "Would you still be willing to help me learn?" She shook her head as she heard what she'd said. "I can't believe that I just said that in a non-ironic way."

"I can't imagine saying it in an ironic way." Rachel chuckled. "And yes, I'd be happy to. Are you free now?"

"Absolutely." She replied instantly. "I honestly feel a bit useless on the Argo right now, and I'd really like if I could contribute more than just my sword arm."

"I understand that." Rachel nodded. "Okay, basics first: do you remember what the Ether is?"

* * *

Ethan gave Alana a gentle nudge. "Go on." He said softly.

She froze.

"Mom?" The Alana-like voice came from the room. "I'm really grateful you've let me come back, but why am I allowed back now?"

"Your father wanted it to be a surprise." Railen Kalon replied from inside the room, then poked her head out and said to Alana. "Come on."

"Who's there?" The voice from the room asked.

"That's your mom." Ethan whispered into Alana's ear. "Go meet her."

She nodded mutely and took a step forward, then turned and whispered urgently to him. "I can't do this."

"Mom, who's out there?" Kalaya said from inside the room.

"Patience dear." Railen replied.

Ethan found himself glad that Alana's first meeting with her father had been sprung on her as a surprise. He didn't want to imagine what she would've been like meeting him too.

"Hey, I'll be right behind you."

She nodded, bit her lip and then -- with him gently pushing her forward -- they stepped around the corner.

The room was square like the Argo's captain's cabin, but since the House Kalon Flagship was wider, the room was much larger. It was about twenty five feet square, and the bedroom was richly decorated in a not-dissimilar style to the palace. It seemed like there was a subtle difference in the style of the carvings, but the overall effect was similar.

At the rear of the room, sitting on a large bed, was a stunning elf. She was the spitting image of Alana, except her hair was golden blonde -- just like her sister the queen and her mother -- and her eyes a stunning shade of brilliant blue. She was absolutely stunning. Alana had a more "girl-next-door" kind of beauty, while Kalaya Kalon could've easily been a model on Earth, if she had been more than an inch taller than her five foot daughter.

"Who is...?" Kalaya trailed off as she looked at Alana. She cocked her head to one side, then a moment later her eyes went wide. She covered her mouth with her hand as gasped.

"Alana?" She breathed. "Is that... is that you?"

Ethan could feel his wife tense up, but she managed to nod. Kalaya seemed too stunned to move for a moment, then her face split into one of the widest smiles that he had ever seen.

"Alana!" She cried for joy and ran across the room to embrace her daughter. He felt like he'd have more luck stopping a charging rhinoceros than the now-glowing elf. Kalaya flung her arms around Alana and pulled her into a hug so tight that the jubilant elf's arms almost went white.

"Alana." Kalaya got choked up and he could see her eyes getting watery. "Oh my sweet girl; oh, my beautiful girl." The elf readjusted so she could hold her daughter even tighter.

Alana started crying too and wrapped her arms around her mother for the first time.

*Can't breathe.* His first wife thought to him.

"Kalaya, she needs to breathe." He said gently.

Instantly the elf released her daughter and leaned back slightly, and looked Alana up and down. "You are such a beautiful woman." Her eyes were shining with happy tears. "I'm so sorry that I missed..." Her face became no less happy, but much more remorseful. "Will you ever forgive me? That I wasn't there to see you grow up?"

"From what I hear, you wanted to be?" Alana asked tentatively.

Kalaya nodded, then threw her arms around her daughter again.

"My husband had to sedate my daughter in order to take my granddaughter." Railen offered. "It took enough sedative to knock out a man twice her size before she succumbed." Judging by her tone, she didn't approve.

"Why did he take her away in the first place?" Ethan asked.

"A better life?" Railen sighed. "Halvaer thought his granddaughter might be happier if she grew up far from here. He called in a favor from the Tarihowen family, who'd always wanted children but never were able to have them."

"My grandfather wasn't ashamed of me?" Alana asked with her lip trembling.

Railen smiled. "He would regularly sneak into your room to hold you and sing to you when he thought no one would know."

Kalaya's mouth dropped as she loosened her grip on her daughter enough to look at her mother. "You never told me that."

Railen shrugged. "I thought you knew."

"Wow; maybe he's not as bad as I thought." Ethan thought out loud.

"And who are you?" Kalaya asked Ethan without letting go of Alana.

"My wonderful husband, who made this possible." His wife replied before he could.

"Thank you!" Kalaya let go of Alana and threw her arms around him, gripping him so tightly that it was hard to inhale.

"It was my pleasure." He said with a smile.

His wife was standing there looking a bit shocked and surprised, but definitely happy. She had a slightly dopey grin on her face and she didn't look like she could not smile.

Kalaya stepped back from Ethan after a moment with a slight frown on her face. She raised her hands and slowly moved them through the air, as if feeling something that he couldn't see.

"A disguise gem?" Kalaya said suspiciously as she narrowed her eyes at Ethan. There was definitely a note of protectiveness in her voice as she moved between her daughter and him.

"How could you tell?" He replied.

"I'm not just a pretty face." She said warily. "Who are you?"

Ethan couldn't help but smile. It was pretty clear where Alana had gotten her fierceness from, and Kalaya looked even fiercer right now in 'mama bear' mode.

"Your father didn't want me to scare you by meeting you with it off."

Kalaya didn't look convinced. "He knows I don't scare easily."

Ethan shrugged and clicked the disguise gem off.

Kalaya started, but recovered almost instantly. "You... you're the prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He." She turned to Alana. "You married..." Her mouth fell open as she looked towards her mother, apparently for confirmation.

Railen nodded. "This is Ethan Ejder, called Illuminar's prophet -- blessed be the God of Light."

Kalaya looked at her daughter and pulled her into another hug. "I've been praying every day since I found out about you that you'd marry the best man in the Ten Kingdoms." She looked like all her dreams had come true at once.

"May I ask you a question?" Kalaya asked Ethan while still holding onto her daughter.

He chuckled. "You just did, but seeing as we're family, I'll allow another one." He winked.

She let go of her daughter and then spoke hastily, like she had been waiting to say this forever. "Could you ask Illuminar when I'll be able to marry Navaro?"

Ethan didn't miss the subtle reaction that Railen had. Alana's grandmother pursed her lips slightly and exhaled in a forcibly controlled manner. He decided to screw it and call her on it.

"Something to add?" He asked her.

"A childish dream of something that can never happen." Railen replied sadly. "My daughter would be happier if she could let go of him."

"It will happen mother." Kalaya replied.

She wasn't insisting, nor trying to convince, nor hurt, nor offended, nor desperate, nor any other emotion that Ethan usually associated with the phrase 'it will happen'. Instead, it was a simple statement of fact. She said it with a firm but reserved conviction that someone might use when saying the sun would rise in the morning.

"How do you know?" Alana asked.

"Because I had a dream." Kalaya replied, ignoring her mother's obvious skepticism. "There was a kind woman dressed all in white so bright that she almost glowed, but the light was comforting too; like the warmth of a flickering candle."

"Hold that thought." Ethan held up his hand to stop her and then looked at the elder blonde woman. "Do you know this luminous woman's name?"

"Yes, my daughter told me." Railen replied.

"Was the name Gabriella?"

Railen's eyes went wide.

He grinned.

"How did you..." The grandmother stopped, then looked up to the heavens. "Blessed be He for sending a prophet who can even see into dreams and visions."

"No, I've just met her before." He explained, then turned to Kalaya. "Her name was Gabriella, wasn't it?"

Kalaya nodded excitedly.

"What did she say?" Alana asked.

"That Navaro and I had sinned, but that Illuminar had forgiven us because we'd repented. She also said that eventually, after a long time, I would be reunited with my daughter and become Mrs. Navaro Nalfigar."

"Really?" Alana breathed, looking like...

Like...

Ethan couldn't even think of a way to describe the joy on his wife's face. If you would've hung her in the sky, she could've substituted for the sun.

"Yes, that's what kept me going all these years." Kalaya replied. She still had an arm around Alana and couldn't quite seem to tear her eyes away from her daughter. She was gazing at his wife like she was the most precious thing in the world. Alana herself still looked shell-shocked, like she couldn't believe that all this was happening to her.

"So, can you tell me when?" Kalaya managed to tear her eyes off of Alana just long enough to ask. "I've been waiting over twenty years."

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you when. But if Gabriella said it would happen, it'll happen." He replied, then realized how those words sounded. Damn, he was starting to sound like a religious nut.

Kalaya beamed.

There was silence for a few moments before Kalaya gave Alana another quick, excited hug. "Now, you must tell me everything about yourself; leave nothing out."

Alana grinned sheepishly as she began to speak.

* * *

"Okay." Selene said as she remembered everything that Rachel had just said. "So, there's a barrier between our world and the source of mana, which is the Ether. And that barrier is slightly porous so some can leak through. All life needs mana to survive, and instinctively draws it through the barrier, taking everything they need to survive and a bit extra. Mages can collect the extra and use it to power spells."

"Yup." The redhead nodded. "You can also meditate to pull mana directly through the Ether, but that takes more work and isn't very fast."

"So how come no one of Earth figured this out?"

"Ethan said there's stories of magic, so someone probably did." Rachel replied. "However, the barrier is much thicker around Earth so you can't get enough mana fast enough to be useful. Now, are you ready to try and find the mana that's in your own body? That's the first step."

"Sure; how do I do that?"

"That's the hard part." Rachel said. "We're dealing with the mind, and everyone visualizes it differently. Ethan once told me he sees it like a cloud that gets less and less substantial the lower he is on mana. I see it more like water in a goblet, and I've heard of many other ways of seeing it."

"I see it sort of as a ball of water hovering in mid-air, which gets smaller the lower I am." Taloni offered.

"Hey, I see it the same way." Beth said smiling.

The two teens grinned at each other.

"So basically, you start by relaxing and trying to clear your mind." Rachel instructed. "You really need to focus on awareness of your body. However, it's hard to notice something unless it changes. Once you're relaxed, I know a spell that will slowly drain your regular mana as long as you don't fight the spell, because it's incredibly easy to block. That should help you isolate your mana so you can feel it."

Selene grimaced. "I'm really bad at abstracts."

Rachel gave her a sympathetic smile. "Me too, but I learned."

"Okay, let's get this party started."

* * *

Ethan couldn't help but smile as Alana and Kalaya talked. They had almost disappeared into their own little world as his wife's mother peppered her with questions on every aspect of her life. He actually found himself learning a lot of interesting tidbits about her too.

He was leaning against the door and Railen came and stood beside him.

"My granddaughter is a wonderful woman." She said matter-of-factly.

"You have no idea." He nodded.

"Is it true that you said she shouldn't be a shamed woman without two or three witnesses?"

"Yeah, and frankly that shouldn't need to be said." He replied. "She's done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing worthy of having her be 'shamed'. But even if she had, it takes two or three witnesses. Further, when was the trial to convict her of this?"

Railen smiled. "Prophets of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- have a reputation for upsetting the order of things. I see you are no different."

"Honestly, I'm not comfortable being called a prophet." He said sincerely. "But I talked to Illuminar once, and I don't see Him holding a person's misdeeds against him if he was truly sorry and changed his ways. Sure Kalaya and Navaro messed up, and sure there have been consequences, but I'll bet that the Book of light doesn't say they have to live in shame the rest of their lives."

"You speak with great wisdom honored dragon." Railen said, looking at him with what appeared to be a newfound respect. "I agree, and I would love to feel my daughter's name on my lips again after so long."

"I want to see Alana's folks get married." He replied.

"Halvaer would never agree." She replied sadly. "He's too angry at Navaro for hurting his daughter."

"Navaro apologized." He said, and then gave her an abbreviated version of that part of the conversation on the Argo's quarterdeck.

"And he was sincere?" Railen asked.

"Absolutely sincere."

She smiled. "My husband has never been able to hold a grudge after someone has sincerely apologized to him. Never. It will take a few days, possibly a few weeks; but if Navaro was truly sincere, Halvaer will forgive him. He might do it grudgingly, but he will."

"Then could Kalaya and Navaro get married?"

She shook her head. "No, while my husband might agree once he forgives Navaro, the head of House Nalfigar is more..." She paused, and then said delicately. "...more practical."

He got the impression that 'practical' was code for something worse, probably something darker, but he wasn't sure what.

"Navaro believes in duty, honor, and keeping his word. He swore an oath to his house, and he won't break his oaths." She continued. "He will need the permission of his father to get married because of his oath, for he is the house-heir and thus his actions affect his house greatly."

"So what you're saying is, I need to talk to Navaro's father next."

Her expression darkened. "If you do, be careful. Navaro is not like his father; the pomegranate fell very far from the tree."

"I will, thanks for the warning." He nodded.

"Ethan!" Kalaya called.

He turned towards her. "Yes?"

"You married a Fey?" She sounded both curious and impressed, though not like she had anything against Fey.

"Yup, and she's the most delightful girl too." He said, which reminded him of something. "Hey, what do the wood elves have against Fey anyway?"

"It's not all Fey; just the Unseelie Fey of the Winter Court." Kalaya replied. "The Seelie Fey of the Summer Court are welcomed. It's just hard to tell which Fey are part of which court."

"Oh?"

"All Fey are mischievous, but the Seelie Fey's mischief rarely causes harm." Railen explained. "The Unseelie Fey have no problem hurting or even killing. They don't usually do it out of spite, but neither do they care if it happens."

"Ah, okay. Are those two different races, or just different factions?" He asked.

"Kind of both, but not really either." Kalaya replied. "Alignment tends to run in families, and over time there are a few very subtle differences that have emerged, but they aren't a different species. Pretty much everyone is wary of Fey because the Unseelie Fey will sometimes pretend to be Seelie Fey and cause all sorts of problems. That's why Fey are never directly addressed or allowed into certain places until it has been conclusively determined which court they belong to."

"I suppose that makes some sense." He conceded, though he didn't like it, nor how unfair it was to Taloni.

Kalaya turned back to her daughter. "Now, tell me something that makes you incredibly happy."

Alana flicked her eyes towards Ethan. *Sir, may I please tell her about your daughter?*

*Our daughter, and yes.*

"Well..." She put her hand over her womb. "You're going to be a grandmother soon."

Alana's mother looked stunned for a moment, and then nearly screamed in delight as she threw her arms around her daughter again. "Congratulations!"

Railen smiled ear to ear, though she was a bit more reserved as she looked at him. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." He grinned back.

There were several minutes of baby talk, and then Kalaya turned to her mother. "My granddaughter should be blessed with the mark, right mother?"

"Mark?" Alana asked.

"Like yours." Kalaya pointed to Alana's shoulder, where her birthmark was.

"Blessed?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, surely your adoptive parents told you?" Kalaya said.

"They likely didn't know." Railen offered. "The birthmark that my granddaughter has is unique, and has been passed down through the Kalon women for centuries, though it often skips a few generations; I don't have that blessing."

"Why is it a blessing?" He asked.

"There's a legend that the wife of the first head of House Kalon was a daughter of Ithlan." Kalaya said. "The mark is believed to indicate that the woman so marked is a descendent of a dragon. The mark is only passed down through the women too, so no male has ever had it. It's never been passed through a man either."

Ethan and Alana looked at each other.

Wow.

"That makes so much sense." He finally said. "That's why you can resist my dragon side when it tries to compel you; because you're descended from a dragon."

Alana nodded, then thought to him. *Yes but Ethan, I'm not the only one who can resist you, nor your only wife with this exact birthmark.*

He stood there for a moment considering what that meant; was Rachel also descended from a dragon?

* * *

Alana's heart felt light as a feather as she followed her husband and grandfather back towards the Argo. She couldn't believe how well that had gone; how amazing her mother was. She had a dopey grin on her face that she probably couldn't have wiped off even if she wanted to. Her 'smile muscles' were starting to ache slightly and Ethan had told her that she was glowing several times.

She sighed.

"Pretty happy huh?" Ethan said with a similar grin on his face. She could tell it was mostly sympathetic happiness because of how happy she was, but she appreciated it all the same.

"Yeah." She replied dreamily.

He chuckled put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "Good, I'm glad."

"Me too." She turned to Halvaer. "Thank you so much for allowing me to meet my mother."

"The honored dragon didn't leave me much choice." Her grandfather replied. Interestingly, he wasn't looking at her, but he did directly respond to her.

That was progress.

"I would see my family made whole again." Halvaer continued. "Requiring two witnesses is lawful, though of course the high priest of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- must be consulted on such matters.

Alana's smile faltered just slightly as she looked at her husband.

*Plesius is such a dick that I have no idea how he became the high priest.* Ethan thought to her. *I get the feeling he'd resist the change just to spite me.*

She nodded, then thought back. *I hope not.*

*Me too, but I would put money on it.*

They walked the rest of the way to the Argo in a comfortable silence. She wasn't entirely sure why her grandfather was walking back with them though. She highly doubted that he would have any other business at the docks. Surely he could send someone else if he did, so why come personally?

When they reached the Argo, a few wood elven artisans were packing up what looked like the last of their tools. Near the Argo's gangplank, the wood elven king was standing with several bodyguards.

Halvaer stopped far enough from the king to be out of easy earshot and turned to face Ethan. "Please tell my granddaughter that I would very much like to speak her name, and speak to her directly. I hope this will be possible the next time you visit Nalatia."

Suddenly, Alana's eyes felt very moist.

She threw caution to the wind and threw her arms around him in a hug. He didn't prevent her -- which was probably a minor miracle -- but he didn't hug her back either.

"Thank you." She whispered.

She could've almost sworn that he said "You're welcome", but his voice was too quiet to tell.

She disengaged and stood next to her husband again, who stuck out his hand to her grandfather. "It was a pleasure to meet you Halvaer Kalon."

"Likewise honored dragon." The elf shook the offered hand. "I believe my granddaughter has found a worthy husband. May Illuminar -- blessed be He -- guide you in the path of light as you travel."

"And you."

Halvaer gave Ethan a respectful nod of the head, then turned and walked away.

Alana followed Ethan towards the king, who nodded respectfully at him. "Well met honored dragon."

"Well met." He replied.

Alana noticed something between them, but wasn't sure what. A mutual respect maybe, possibly the beginnings of a friendship. The King clearly regarded Ethan highly, and she doubted that it was only because he was reputed to be a prophet of Illuminar. There seemed to be more to it, but she wasn't sure what.

"I have a gift for you honored dragon." The King said, then took a small box from one of his attendants and offered it.

"What is it?" Ethan replied as he took it.

"Traditionally, gifts are opened to discover the present inside." The King said with a smile.

He flicked the catch open and Alana looked over his shoulder. It was a small metal disc about four inches in diameter with a one-inch hole in the center. The hole had a membrane in it that looked like water, but it undulated slightly like water in the wind. It also reflected the colors of the rainbow slightly. It looked almost exactly like another example that was currently in his captain's cabin, only with tiny lines etched into the surface that reflected the wood elven artistic sensibilities.

"A portal stone?" Ethan's eyes went wide.

"Yes honored dragon, so we can communicate." The King replied. "You would do me a great honor if you would accept this, and consider yourself a friend of the wood elves."

"I'm honored, and happily accept." Ethan replied.

"Then I shall hinder your departure no longer. May Illuminar -- blessed be He -- guide you on the path of light as you travel."

"And you as well." Ethan replied.

The King gave a small head bow, then departed with his entourage.

"Well that was nice." Alana said. "You do realize he was asking you to be more than just a friend to the wood elves right?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I think so. He seems like he could use a friend."

"You could too." She pointed out. "I know you're not lonely with all of your wives around, but men need other men as friends too. I love you, but I'd go crazy if I didn't have any women around to talk to."

"Fair." He nodded, then held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

She took it, feeling the smooth scales of his hand and smiling. "Yes please sir."

They walked on to the Argo just as the last of the artisans departed. They all gave him slightly awed looks as they left. Once they were gone, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and Selene came over.

"So, how did it go?" Beth asked.

"One moment." Anthiel interrupted before the wood elf could speak. "We're about to make sail and I'd like Taloni to take the ship out."

The Fey went white. "What?"

"My dear girl, I started teaching you how to pilot an airship weeks ago, and have you noticed that I've barely touched the ship's wheel since?" She paused. "Well, except for while you were captured."

"Yes but... but..." She looked at Ethan. "Help?"

"I'd imagine that leaving dock is easier than docking?" He asked Anthiel.

The high elf nodded.

He looked back at the Fey. "You've already docked, so why not try leaving dock?"

Taloni swallowed. "Are you sure master?"

He looked at Anthiel.

"She can do it." The ship's pilot said with absolute confidence.

Ethan gave Taloni a proud smile. "I won't make you, but I'd like to see you try. You're becoming so great as an airship pilot and I know you want to do it. Courage is...." He prompted.

Taloni took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "...it's being scared and doing it anyway. Okay master, I'll try."

Anthiel chuckled. "No, you'll succeed."

Selene nodded and said in a funny accent. "Do or do not; there is no try."

Ethan laughed out loud.

* * *

"Well done Taloni!" Ethan exclaimed as the Argo hit altitude after the Fey teen had set the proper course.

"Thank you master." She beamed.

He pulled her into a soul-searing kiss, which she returned with interest.

"So, we're on course for Gralden?" Beth asked.

"Not quite." Taloni replied. "Sailing directly to Gralden would take us over Lord Delmar's territory. Instead, we're going to swing south and travel over Ivernia, which is to the south of both Lord Delmar's lands and Lord Borden's lands."

"Okay wait." Selene said, closing her eyes and obviously thinking. "I'm getting lost in the names. Where is everything?"

"Okay, so let's pretend that this knot here is Alana's forest." Taloni pointed to a small knot in the wood on the decking of the quarterdeck. "And let's further pretend that toward the Argo's bow is north."

"Okay, knot is Alana's forest, front of the ship is north; got it." Selene replied.

"Ok, so here is Gralden." The Fey continued, pointing to a spot that was mostly east and a little north of Alana's forest, pretty close to Gralden. "Now, Arcanum is nearly straight north from Gralden." Her finger went straight up. "It's about a week's sailing time under normal wind, though it took two weeks the first time Ethan went there because the wind wasn't good. The mine where I grew up is just northwest of Arcanum; so close you can see the airships coming in to dock." She pointed again. "And Gonorran's camp is about a day's sail from Arcanum in a northeastern direction."

"Okay, I'm following so far." Selene said.

"Now, Gralden, Arcanum, and Nalatia form a nearly perfect right triangle, with Nalatia being almost due west of Gralden, and almost directly southwest of Arcanum. And again, Arcanum is almost directly north of Gralden." Taloni explained.

"Okay, then where is Sarah's inn?" Selene asked.

"About here." Anthiel indicated a spot that was about halfway between Gralden and Nalatia, but also significantly south of both of them.

"So, are we going to pass nearby?" Selene asked. "You said we're going through Ivernia right? I'd like to check in on her and see if she's doing okay if we won't be too far."

Everyone looked at Ethan.

"I have no objection." He shrugged.

"Okay, we'll just wait a little longer before turning from southeast to due east then, that'll put us pretty close." Taloni said confidently.

Everyone looked at her.

"What?" She said, suddenly becoming bashful.

"I love how comfortable and confident you're getting with piloting the Argo and navigating." Ethan said feeling his heart swell as his mouth split into a wide smile. "It does the heart good."

"Thank you master."

"A thought my lord." Rachel interjected.

"Yes, O' Wise redhead?" Ethan smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Lord Farbrottan and Lord Delmar have an alliance of sorts. Since the Argo has already been to that location once, one or both of the lords might be watching it. I would suggest that the Argo stays at least twenty miles away and then just Selene goes. Or to speed things up, she can um..." Rachel cleared her throat and then spoke delicately. "...ride Ethan in."

Beth and Taloni giggled; Ethan, Alana, and Selene rolled their eyes.

"I don't think that'll speed things up." Beth said as her face went red. "He can go for a long time."

The Brazilian woman blushed.

"I've been demoted to the butt of sex jokes and a transportation service." Ethan said laughing.

"Well, I'm only interested in one of those." Selene said shaking her head.

"So you want to 'ride him'? Purely to go see Sarah of course." Alana said, managing to keep a perfectly straight face while doing so.

Everyone laughed.

"This 'Sarah' is..." Ethan thought for a moment. "...she's the innkeeper's daughter right?" He knew that Selene had mentioned her, but she'd said almost nothing about her since her story had mostly focused on how she got to the Ten Kingdoms, not what happened once she'd arrived.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I would really like to see her again if that's okay." She adopted a mock-flirtatious tone. "I'm even willing to 'ride you' to get there."

"I would never." He replied in a mock-offended tone, then added more normally. "Sure, I can give you a ride."

"I admire your courage." Rachel said to the Brazilian woman.

"Huh?" Selene looked confused.

"I was pretty nervous on my wedding night." The redhead replied in a deadpan expression.

Selene went red and smiled, but something about her expression made him think this had gone on long enough.

"Okay, enough with the jokes." He said gently but firmly. "I'm not taking her to bed and there'll be no... ahem, 'riding' when I give her a lift. I'm not interested."

* * *

Selene was torn between gratitude that Ethan had told them to lay off, and confusion at his clear pronouncement that he wasn't interested in her. She didn't understand. She thought that they got along quite well and she knew she was beautiful; why wasn't he interested?

Deep down, she knew that she was being silly.

She knew there was more to attraction than merely getting along and physical beauty. However, every man she'd ever met that didn't share her last name -- and creepily one who did -- had definitely shown interest in her. Every single one without exception, even the married ones. Not all had expressed it openly, but all had definitely seemed interested.

Why not Ethan?

Why every other girl on the Argo and not her?

Hell, she'd seen more sparks fly between Kendra and Ethan, than Ethan and herself. His wives were all pretty no doubt, but they were all more a wholesome, girl-next-door type of pretty than the supermodel look. Maybe that was it? Maybe she was too pretty?

Then she mentally kicked herself.

Get a grip Selene, you're becoming one of those girls. She shook her head and pulled her attention back to the conversation at hand.

"Wait, how big did you say the bed was?" Ethan asked

"Huge." Rachel replied.

"Big enough to fit all your wives master." Taloni said excitedly.

"Well, let's go take a look." He said, creating a stampede of motion down the stairs from the quarterdeck, where they had all been standing to lend moral support to Taloni while she piloted the Argo out of the dock.

The Brazilian woman herself followed at a more leisurely pace and ended up right behind Ethan.

"Hey, I'm sorry they keep teasing you; they don't mean anything by it." He said.

"I know." She nodded.

"Good." He nodded. "Now, let's see how big this bed really-- wow."

Selene could see into the captain's cabin and had to agree.

The captain's cabin was a square room about sixteen feet on a side. There had previously been two large walk-in wardrobes that were six feet square on either side of the door, resulting in a thick "T" shape for the rest of the room. The bed had occupied the starboard side at the top of the "T", while the large desk and chair had occupied the port side.

It was totally different now.

The starboard wardrobe remained, but the port wardrobe had been moved to the lower decks. The artisans had disassembled it and reassembled it faster than she would've thought possible to make space in the captain's cabin. The desk had been moved to where the port wardrobe had previously been, leaving the entire back of the captain's cabin empty. That's where they'd put the bed; along the entire back of the captain's cabin.

The bed itself was sixteen feet wide and about seven feet tall.

It covered the entire back wall of the captain's cabin and nearly half the total area of the room. Removing the other wardrobe and putting the desk in its place meant there was still space to stand, plus there was a roughly three foot gap between the bed and the remaining wardrobe. That left a ten foot by nine foot area to stand, not counting the area between the bed and remaining wardrobe, of which the desk took a chunk.

"Wow; that's huge." Ethan breathed.

"Yes it is." Alana said in disbelief.

"And the artisans said that it has self-repairing and self-cleaning sheets too." Taloni said brightly.

"Awesome." He grinned. "Now, I'm going to see how it feels."

As one, Ethan and his wives all flopped themselves onto the bed, except for Rachel who remained near to the door, watching with an amused expression.

"Holy shit." Ethan breathed, then let out a sigh of relaxation. "This must be the most comfortable bed I've ever felt."

"It's perfect." Beth sighed.

"I think we should try it out.... sir." Alana said as she gave him a smoldering look.

"That's my cue to leave." The Brazilian woman said, feeling the almost palpable change of atmosphere in the room.

She closed the door behind her and smiled. She really was happy for them, but she missed sharing a bed with Sarah. That had been really nice and intimate without being sexual. It just had felt good to have someone that sweet sleeping next to her. She smiled about that too. She would get to see her again in about four days.

She smiled.

Plus Ethan was going to give her a ride, so he would almost certainly meet Sarah too.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

***So, I previously mentioned that I had another story planned after I finish ADT. Now I have more than just one. I have this idea of creating an immersive, interconnected world of stories that builds richness. So my future stories will often include cameos from previous ones, though no cameo will change/ruin another story's ending. (I hate when movies/TV do that.) So even when ADT ends, you'll have the chance to see glimpses of these characters again in some of my other stories; little snapshots of their future lives. As I write more stories, I hope the world will grow and build into a full-fledged and fleshed out universe. That's my plan anyway.***

***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