Chapter 33: Love at first fight

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

* * *

Rachel could feel the change in the air at Alana's suggestion that they 'try out' the new bed, and it was almost a palpable change. Selene had already excused herself, and the redhead could see Nalatia starting to fade into the distance through the enormous bay window that covered the rear of the captain's cabin.

Standing near the door, the teen mage was in a perfect position to observe just how interested her fellow wives were, especially Alana and Beth. It occurred to her that besides the night that Ethan had returned to the Argo, Alana and Beth hadn't slept with him in well over a week. Her one experience in bed with him had been amazing, but she had no idea what it would be like with his other wives there. She bit her lip, not exactly sure how one does something like this.

"Problem beautiful?" Ethan asked while Alana gently kissed his neck, Beth slipped her arms around one of his biceps, and Taloni slid onto his lap.

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she looked down. "Um, no?"

Alana stopped her kissing to chuckle and the rest of his wives also stopped, all looking amused and somewhat sympathetic. Rachel suddenly felt like she had just been pushed onto a stage and expected to know her part perfectly, despite only having found out that she would be an actress a few seconds ago. She glanced up to see that Alana had slipped down to sit next to Ethan, Beth was on his other side leaning on him, and Taloni was sitting across his lap. All looked cozy, but the sexual tension in the room seemed to have dissipated slightly.

"Sorry." She said, leaning against the closed door.

"Sorry for what?" Alana asked.

"For um... I mean you all were so..." She looked at them, then down again. "...and now you're more... uh..."

Taloni chuckled, then her wings became a blur as she hopped off of Ethan's lap. Her feet never touched the ground as she floated over to the redhead to give her a big hug. "Don't worry Rachel, I used to be super nervous in bed too. I promise we won't do anything that would make you uncomfortable." She let go of the redhead as she lowered herself to the floor and turned to Ethan. "Right master?"

He nodded. "We wouldn't dream of it."

The newest bride noticed that Beth's cheeks had gone slightly pink, and Rachel glanced at her. "What?"

"I was just thinking about the first time that Alana and I... Um..." The blonde's cheeks went a bit pinker. "You know, I'm not really sure how say it."

"Had smokin' hot sex?" Ethan suggested grinning ear-to-ear.

"Yeah." The wood elf's cheeks were red, but she was also smiling as if at a fond memory. "We'll go slowly and you'll be fine."

"I'm just not sure..." Rachel hesitated. "I um, I just feel like..."

She paused, not sure what she felt like. For some reason, the idea of being naked with anyone other than Ethan and Alana just felt too... too... Something. She wasn't sure what though. She looked at the wood elf for help, silently pleading with her eyes.

"Don't worry; we won't push." Alana hopped off the bed and stood next to her, slipping her hand into the redhead's and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"It's just, I mean, I never really..." She took a deep breath. "I'm not used to being, um, naked around anyone. I never even let my handmaids help me bathe, so..." She bit her lip. "And it was nerve-wracking with just Ethan and Alana, so now..." She glanced at the bed.

"Ah." Ethan nodded, then cocked his head to one side. "You woke up naked with everyone the past couple mornings." He pointed out.

"The first morning was the one that you ordered us to put our clothes back on after that airship's shadow." Rachel pointed out. "We were all scrambling so much I didn't really think about it. And the second..."

"...and the second you were clutching the sheet to cover yourself the whole time." Ethan nodded. "Okay, I didn't realize that would make you uncomfortable."

"It doesn't." Rachel said hastily. "I love it, I really do. It'll just take me a little while to get used to it, that's all." She looked down. "I hope that's okay."

"Perfectly okay." He said kindly.

"Master, I have an idea that wouldn't require Rachel to take her clothes off." The Fey teen smiled slyly. "Do you remember the trip back to the Argo? Rachel said something about the tongue..."

"Oh?" Alana looked at the redhead and raised her eyebrow.

"Um, yes?" The redhead felt her cheeks grow downright hot.

"What did you say?" Beth asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I said, um..." She gulped.

"You glanced at his hips, and then you said..." The Fey prompted.

"Um... I said, um..." She hesitated until Alana gave her hand another gentle, comforting squeeze. "I said that... that 'great communication requires the proper use of the tongue'."

Ethan whistled.

Rachel blushed.

She also couldn't help but notice that his very large... 'thing' was out and erect. In fact, it was pointing in her direction and seemed to stiffen even more after she'd repeated what she'd said on that trip.

"I think someone likes that idea." Alana said.

Rachel had already licked her lips before she'd realized that she'd done it.

"How about this?" Alana whispered into her ear. "How about you take care of him with your tongue, and the rest of us will take care of the rest of him?"

The wood elf pulled back and looked into the mage's eyes. Rachel couldn't help but notice that she had the prettiest eyes; a rich hazel color that seemed deep and passionate, but also warm and sensual. Her eyes were so captivating and so wonderful enough to get lost in that she could see someone -- not her of course, she wouldn't want to get lost in the wood elf's gorgeous, incomparable eyes -- but someone else might never want to be found.

"Do you want to try?" The brunette asked after several seconds, her grin becoming slightly lopsided.

"Sure." Rachel replied almost automatically, without really thinking about it.

Then she realized what she agreed to.

She swallowed hard.

Alana bit her lip, then leaned forward to whisper into her ear again. "Yeah, he likes it when we swallow."

"I've never done anything like this before." She whispered back.

"I know, and I'll bet you a thousand gold that he loves that."

"Do you?" Rachel looked at him.

He had been tenderly kissing Beth while Taloni was gently massaging his shoulders. The look of tender devotion on the Fey's face was heartwarming, as was the bliss on the blonde's.

"Do I... what?" He asked after breaking his kiss with Beth.

Alana smiled slyly. "Like that she's never had her lips around another man?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said firmly, and there was a strong note of draconic possessiveness in his voice.

"Come here." Alana gently took the redhead's hand and led her over to Ethan.

Rachel had an image flash through her head of how she wanted to do this, and she felt her loins grow warm as she thought about it. It would be so... so submissive; subservient; a show of deference that at once shocked her in its abject admission of subjection... yet at the same time it also made her yearn to feel that with him. To have him literally standing over her as she...

She blushed.

"Speak." Ethan -- or maybe the dragon -- instructed.

"Um, my lord could you please..." She faltered. "I mean, can I... with my lips and tongue?" Her cheeks felt almost hot and she couldn't meet his gaze.

"You may. Any other requests?" The dragon replied, as if he knew there was more.

"Please my lord, could you..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Could you please stand while I do?"

"Stand?" The dragon replied impassively.

"Yes my lord, stand... stand over me while I do... it."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his other wives give each other looks of both surprise and intrigue. The dragon regarded her for a moment, then Beth hopped off his lap and he stood. He was taller than she was. Not by much, but by an inch or two. She could've easily looked into his eyes, but didn't.

Despite the room being warm, she could feel herself start to shiver slightly.

"What's wrong?" Ethan's caring voice came; the draconic element receded, but didn't disappear altogether.

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, holding herself slightly as she bit her lip. "I..." She looked into his green, cat-like eyes. There was warmth there, and love, and caring.

Still...

"Are...?" She hesitated, then looked. "Are you still okay with me? Am I still...?" She trailed off, not exactly sure what she was asking.

"Still a wonderful woman who I love deeply? Yes." Ethan said, pulled her gently into a hug, and then thought directly to her. *I promised I would never intentionally betray your trust Rachel, and I meant it; I still mean it. I'm pretty sure I know what you have in mind, and I'd love it. But I won't push.*

*Thank you.* She thought back, then bit her lip. *I know you won't push, and honestly the fact that you won't makes me want to do it even more. But I'm nervous, and sometimes I could use a push though...*

He let go of her, smiled, and then spoke firmly but gently. "Rachel, kneel down."

"Yes my lord." She breathed a sigh of relief. It was sometimes easier to let someone else take the lead because it gave her brain a break, and usually a desperately needed one. She'd never been able to do that before because she hadn't trusted anyone enough. But here and now with Ethan, she felt safe enough to let her guard down like that.

Alana dropped a pillow right in front of the redhead and she slowly sank to her knees, putting her face about level with his... his 'equipment'. She was vaguely aware that both Beth and Taloni were in the room and could see her, which made her cheeks feel hot. She was sure her cheeks were approaching the shade of her hair roots, instead of resembling the tips like normal.

"How do I...?" She asked, looking at the enormous thing in front of her. She had really never seen it this close before, since she'd been so nervous on her wedding night and been distracted.

"It won't bite." Beth said from the bed behind Ethan. "Just be gentle and no teeth."

"Yes, please no teeth." Ethan nodded with a grin.

The redhead nodded.

Taloni hopped off the bed and gave the redhead a dazzling smile. "You can do this Rachel. Maybe try just touching it first."

"May I my lord?" She looked up at him.

"I wish you would." He grinned.

She nodded and returned her attention to it. It was huge. It seemed to approach the size of her forearm, but she thought her brain might be playing tricks on her. The large head was bulbous and slightly pointed; all the better to penetrate a woman she supposed.

She reached a hand out, but stopped it just before touching it.

* * *

"Go ahead." Alana encouraged her best friend as she knelt down beside her.

She almost wanted to laugh at the redhead's trepidation. She was probably the most fearless woman that the wood elf had ever met. But when it came to anything intimate, she was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. It was actually kind of cute.

She was really cute.

Rachel was slightly frozen, her hand a mere inch from Ethan's very large and very wonderful cock. A tiny part of her wanted to be in Rachel's position, but the redhead looked like she wanted this, no matter how nervous she was.

The wood elf reached out and settled a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, it's impossible to screw this up unless you use your teeth. He loves you, you love him, and you'll both enjoy this."

"Okay." The redhead nodded, took a deep breath and then gently touched it with her finger.

* * *

It was warm; very warm.

Rachel didn't know why that surprised her, but it did for some reason. She hadn't been expecting that, but it made sense. It was extremely warm, though not quite hot. It was the only part of him not covered in scales, and the warm skin was soft and smooth. It pulsed slightly as she touched it.

"Okay, now feel a bit more." Alana suggested.

She did.

She ran her finger down the length of the shaft and back up, marveling at how natural it felt to do so. She added her other fingers, and then reached the head. The head looked like it was an overfilled water skin; like it was straining to get to her.

She liked that.

"I do recall hearing something about tongue..." Taloni said mischievously from the bed.

Rachel blushed. "How..."

Alana put an arm around her. "It's actually not that hard; simply tell him how you feel, just don't use words."

Abstracts.

Rachel hated abstracts.

"It's a bit like kissing, only he doesn't kiss you back." Beth said a bit more helpfully.

Rachel looked up to see her husband towering over her. For some reason, he seemed like a towering pillar of strength from this angle, and she felt like an insect before a giant. From this position, he was literally standing over her and looking down on her with undisguised desire. It made her feel...

Feel...

Beautiful.

Wanted.

Sexy.

Yet at the same time it also made her feel small, but not in a bad way. She felt like bit of driftwood caught in a mighty storm, or a rider being carried along by a mighty steed. She felt so caught up; so passive and submissive, like he was a force of nature and she was kneeling before him because that was the only appropriate response.

She liked it.

She couldn't believe it, but here she was literally kneeling at his feet while he was literally standing over her and she loved it. She loved the strange combination of empowerment and submission that she felt. She felt like he was a force or nature that had captured her completely, but at the same time he'd been hopelessly captured by her beauty and his desire for her.

It was strange.

Good, but strange.

* * *

Ethan watched as Rachel slowly leaned forward and then stopped, her lips less than an inch from his now throbbing cock. Her touch had felt heavenly, and for some reason her hesitation and general nervousness made this all the more special. She was fighting through her nerves because she wanted to do this. He wasn't actually sure if she wanted it more for her own sake or for his, not that it mattered.

It was amazing to watch.

Not to mention pleasurable.

The redhead gave him a nervous smile, and then leaned forward a bit and planted a gentle, tender kiss on the head of his cock.

He growled in pleasure.

She glanced up at him, smiled, and then did it again. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Oddly, the best part of it wasn't really the sensation; it was the fact that Rachel -- his headstrong, independent, and assertive wife -- had asked to do this; asked to kneel before him.

She wanted to do this for him.

He loved that.

"Okay, now try kissing the shaft, maybe the underside." Alana suggested.

The redhead pulled back slightly and glanced up at him, as if asking for confirmation, or perhaps permission.

He nodded.

She lifted his cock gently, holding it like it was a treasure and kissed the sensitive underside where the head meets the shaft. He shivered in pleasure. Apparently emboldened by his reaction, the redhead continued kissing down his shaft, and then around the sides too. She did this for nearly a minute while his other wives watched. Beth and Taloni seemed fascinated, Alana seemed entranced.

"Now, about that tongue..." The Fey teen finally said.

Rachel nodded, hesitated for several moments, then with her lips mere millimeters from his cock, slipped her tongue out and gave it a small lick. He had never noticed before, but she had the cutest tongue. It was slender and a bit pointed, as well as smooth and silky.

He again growled in pleasure.

"There you go." Alana encouraged.

Unless Ethan was much mistaken, he thought he heard a quiet, soft, and simultaneous moan coming from the two blondes on either side of him. Rachel apparently took all of this as encouragement, and ran her tongue up further on his shaft, ending just below the head.

"Wow, my tongue gets dry fast doing that." She said, as she looked up at him. She looked a bit pleased with her daring.

"Then perhaps something a bit more... all encompassing?" His wood elven wife suggested with a sly grin.

Rachel gulped.

Ethan was about to say something to reassure her, when the redhead found her courage again. She looked him in the eye, grasped his shaft with one hand, and then guided it into her mouth... or at least that had been her intention. She was still looking him in the eye and apparently misjudged, because the head of his cock bumped into her upper lip just below her nose. Undeterred, she glanced down, course corrected, then locked eyes with him again as she took him into her mouth.

It was heavenly.

Not just the sensation, but the eye contact too. She slid up and down, clearly having a touch of difficultly fitting him in her mouth. She looked at him as she slowly bobbed up and down. There was a question in the redhead's eyes, asking if she was doing a good job. He reached down and gently stroked her cheek.

"Beautiful." He said, using both his nickname for her and a perfect description of the lovely sight before him.

* * *

Alana couldn't tear her eyes away. Her very best friend, the woman that she was in love with, was making love to her husband with her lips and tongue while she watched. There was a hesitancy and vulnerability to the way she did it too. It was more than just a physical thing; they had a connection that she couldn't deny and found it incredible.

*Care to join her?* The dragon's thoughts came directly to her so none of his other wives could hear.

She froze.

*You on one side... Rachel on the other... Your lips so incredibly close to each other...* The dragon continued.

She could picture it and couldn't get the image out of her head. It was like someone had glued it to her psyche or the inside of her eyelids. You could've knocked her over with a feather. She shuddered in anticipation and pleasure, yearning for that; longing for it.

*Not yet.* The dragon thought to her. *She isn't ready for that... yet. But it will happen.*

*Yes please sir!* She thought back.

The wood elf turned her attention back to the sight at hand. Rachel was moving her head in a slow, deliberate fashion. She wasn't in a hurry, but seemed to be enjoying herself and savoring the experience.

*Am I doing this okay?* She asked everyone mentally while her lips were otherwise occupied.

"Perfectly." Alana sighed in response, amused at how nervous Rachel was in the bedroom compared to how she was everywhere else.

"Rachel, it couldn't possibly be better." Ethan said gently.

The wood elf could see the redhead's lips curve upwards as she continued her tender ministrations. It wasn't long before Alana recognized the tell-tale signs of their husband about to cum. She leaned over and whispered in Rachel's ear. "Get ready, and don't be afraid to swallow. He likes that."

* * *

Ethan could feel his cock tense up as the redhead's tender devotion, and especially the look in her eyes, drove him right to the edge. Alana had warned her, and in response the redhead had picked up her speed just a little. The wood elf whispered into her ear again, and moment later he felt her tongue gently massage the sensitive underside of his cock, just where the head met the shaft.

*Marrying you was the best decisions I ever made and I'm so grateful to be your wife.* The redhead thought to him. *I love you my lord... my Ethan.*

Rachel fastened herself around the head of his cock and sealed her lips, then looked up into his eyes. She had such beautiful blue eyes. Right now, they were so incredibly trusting. All of her walls were down and she looked up at him from her kneeling position like he was the only man in the universe. Even without what she'd just said, he could see how much the redhead truly loved him.

He came.

With a long groan, he came and she gently sucked as he released into her waiting mouth. Her cheeks puffed out slightly, but she caught everything and he even felt her swallow.

The entire time, she looked him in the eyes.

When he'd finished, he took a moment to recover. When he had, he let out a low whistle. "Damn Rachel, you weren't kidding about the 'proper use of the tongue'."

She grinned sheepishly as she slid her mouth of his cock. Her lips followed the contours so there was no 'pop' sound. Instead, she slid off, hesitated a few millimeters from the head, and then gave him a tiny, little tender kiss.

It was really sweet.

"I kind of enjoyed that." She said looking very embarrassed, but also quite pleased with herself.

"I can tell." He replied, and gently stroked her cheek. "I did too by the way."

"I can tell." She echoed.

He offered her his hand, which she took and he helped her to her feet.

"Being married to you is nothing like what I thought it would be." She said with a small smile.

"Worse?"

She shook her head. "Better. Way better. Thank you for being a wonderful husband, and for being patient with me."

"Thank you for being a wonderful wife, and tolerating my dragon side."

"It's my pleasure." She grinned, then glanced at the three other women in the room. "Speaking of pleasure..."

"Are you going to join us?" He asked indicating the bed.

"Yes, but not today." Rachel replied. "I might watch, but I'm not sure I'm ready for..." She paused for a moment as she touched her dress. "...for that. Not now anyway. Is that okay my lord?"

"Of course it is." He smiled. "I'll look forward to the day when you are ready though."

He could've sworn that her eyes flicked towards Alana for a micro-second before she replied. "Me too."

* * *

It had taken Kendra about a week to reach Arcanum from her former position. The wind had been good, otherwise it would've taken another day or two and she was grateful. She lashed her ship to the Arcanum docks, pulled out the satchel in which she'd stashed the dragon scales, and then went to pay for her berth. The dockmaster smiled when he saw her, no doubt hoping for another gold coin like the first time.

She rolled her eyes.

Men.

Graflex's shop wasn't too hard to find. It was just south of the Boar's Head Tavern, and she saw a tiny sign for a blacksmith's shop about a block south of it. Curiously, there was someone wearing an official Arcanum messenger outfit sitting across the street looking very bored.

She walked up to the shop, surprised to find it looking almost abandoned. It certainly had seen better days. The sign was faded and the chains on which it hung on were rusty. The windows were so filthy that she couldn't make out much inside by looking through them. She opened the door to discover the hinges made a creaking noise that sounded like they would fall off with much more use.

The inside of the shop wasn't much better.

Given the state of the windows, it was fairly dark with no other lights supplementing the daylight. Even in the dim light, she could see racks of weapons lining the small shop. She couldn't tell their quality in the low light though because her eyes hadn't adjusted yet. His reputation was stellar, though you'd never guess it by the look of his shop.

"Who's there?" A slightly grumpy voice came from the back of the shop. She heard the sound of him sniffing the air, then he spoke again. "You brought dragon steel."

"I did." She nodded.

A grizzled Dwarf with salt and pepper hair and an even grayer beard shuffled out from the back room. Like most dwarves, he was about four feet tall and powerfully built. This one seemed stronger than most though, and he looked like he could out-wrestle an ox. He eyed her and seemed to contemplate something.

He glanced at her sword. "Dragon steel there too, unless I miss my guess."

She nodded.

"You lookin' to get some things made for a fellow called Ethan?"

Kendra didn't let her surprise and alarm show on her face, but did casually lower her hand to rest near the hilt of her sword. "How did you know?"

"Some woman named Gabriella came in here to place an order for pickin' up by someone that Ethan had sent."

"Gabriella?" The dragon huntress raised an eyebrow.

"Yup." He shrugged. "Gimme them there dragon scales and I'll get started."

"You don't even know what he wants."

"Nope, but I know what he's going to get." Graflex replied.

"What's that?"

"These." The dwarf pulled out a roll of parchment and rolled it out for her to see.

She looked at it. "He didn't ask for those, and definitely not the war hammer head. He wanted a spear."

"He'll get a spear; damn near two." He indicated the center design and then pointed to the rear end.

"Huh. That looks like a normal..." She cocked her head to the side. "That's pretty clever. That one addition pretty much changes everything." She cocked her head to the other side. "Huh. And you say that someone named Gabriella brought these designs in?"

Graflex harrumphed in answer, which she took to mean 'yes'.

"Could you describe her?"

"Human, twiggy, blonde or white hair, and she made me feel a bit less grumpy."

"That sounds like her." Kendra conceded.

If Gabriella was bringing designs for weapons, then it was a pretty good bet that Ethan would need them. The only other people who knew that she was coming to see Graflex were on the Argo anyway, so clearly this was either from Gabriella or Ethan. Either way, that was fine with her.

"Here you go." She handed him the satchel of dragon scales. "What's this going to cost?"

"Whatever dragon scales are leftover when I'm done making these three will suffice." Graflex said as he hefted the satchel in his hand as if measuring it. "Come back the day after tomorrow, around noon, and I'll be done."

"That fast?" She asked skeptically.

"I've had days to set everything up in advance." Graflex replied grumpily. "Why in Illuminar's name should it take longer?"

"Okay, I'll see you the day after tomorrow." Kendra nodded.

Graflex harrumphed and headed towards the forge without another word. She shrugged and headed outside, not sure where to go next. Maybe an inn for a few nights, or maybe a tavern to listen in on the latest news? That probably wasn't the best idea though. Magistrate Haglath was still probably pissed at her, so maybe she should keep a low profile.

"Excuse me, is your name Kendra?" Someone asked. It was the man wearing an official Arcanum messenger outfit, but you could never be too sure.

"Who's asking?"

"I have a message from Elder Goman for the raven-haired woman who drops something off to Graflex's shop. However, you must answer the challenge question first: who is number four?"

"Number four?" Kendra thought for a moment, then realized. "Oh, Rachel?"

The man nodded and then handed her a letter that was sealed with wax. It read:

+ + +

Kendra,

We were forced to leave Nalatia early. Elder Goman volunteered to use his own personal portal to send you and your airship to our location when Graflex has finished. If you're not comfortable with that, please meet us twenty miles due west of Gralden as soon as possible. Either way, send a message to Elder Goman so we know, and he'll get it to us.

Thanks in advance,

Ethan

+ + +

Kendra grimaced.

If Ethan was going to Gralden, then... she shook her head slowly. She well remembered the conversation that she'd had with Lord Borden. He'd been extremely displeased to learn that Ethan had married other women after Beth. Very displeased indeed. She doubted that he would need his weapons in Gralden, but he might if Lord Borden was angry enough.

It was unlikely, but possible.

The messenger spoke again. "Elder Goman also wishes you to know that he has prepared a small apartment for you to use during your stay here."

She considered.

Sleeping in her airship wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't luxury living either. An inn would be more comfortable, but it more likely she might be noticed and reported to Magistrate Haglath. Frankly, the hammock on the Argo would be her preferred option.

Hmm.

She looked at the letter again. Portalling would allow her to get back to the Argo much sooner. It beat sailing another week to meet them near Gralden anyway. And it looked like he could use the portal to move her airship too. That was probably only possible because her masts folded, but still; it was a good offer.

She suppressed a smile at the thought of being back aboard the Argo.

Sure, Ethan being affectionate with his wives made her stomach roil, but everything else was really nice. The company, the comradery, plus the lessening of the crushing burden of loneliness she always felt. Plus, hugs from Taloni...

"Okay, lead on." She told the courier.

* * *

Ethan leaned on the forward railing of the Argo, looking out over the bow of the ship and trying not to make every breath come out as a growl. It had been four days since they'd left Nalatia, and his dragon half had gotten ever more prominent and annoying. He could feel it seething at Kendra's absence, and the fact that his testicle for her had never been emptied.

Ever.

It was a travesty. She was his. She belonged to him and--

He shook his head, trying to clear it. This was becoming a serious issue and there was no end in sight. He took a deep breath and let it slowly.

It came out as a growl.

It felt like the dragon was straining against some invisible bonds that tied him down, and winning. It had been so close to the surface, especially the last few days. Even sleeping with his four current wives didn't help; the dragon wanted Kendra. Even sleeping with Rachel didn't help, which reminded him... He made a mental note to bring up what they'd discovered about the redhead's birthmark and possible draconic lineage to her. She had kept herself pretty covered when his other wives were around, so he kept forgetting to bring it up.

Kendra.

He scowled, or maybe it was the dragon. Either way, that dragon huntress really needed--

Someone cleared their throat behind him.

"What!" Ethan nearly snarled as he whipped around to see who it was... and then he froze.

It was Taloni

She was standing there frozen, looking shell-shocked at his tone.

Fuck.

Oh fuck.

"I'm sorry Taloni, I didn't mean to snap like that." He said feeling like a complete idiot; an absolute and unmitigated moron.

"I forgive you master." She said, but still looked shocked and a bit hurt.

He wanted to kick himself. She had done absolutely nothing to deserve the snap and now she looked... He didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold and comfort her, but since he had caused the hurt...

The Fey teen looked at him for several moments and then took a deep breath. "I'm okay master, really I am. I know your dragon side is showing up more."

"I'm really, really sorry." He said hanging his head.

She came up to him and gave him a hug. Oddly, that made him feel worse. She was being so incredibly nice and he had just been... he mentally kicked himself again.

"I forgive you master, and I know you weren't mad at me."

"Thank you." He said, but he didn't feel like he deserved to be forgiven. She'd done absolutely nothing wrong. She'd been a perfect angel the entire time that he'd known her. Damnit, why couldn't he keep his dragon side in check?

He let his shoulders slump.

"Master, you're heavy." Taloni grunted under his weight.

"Sorry." He stood up again.

"I just came to tell you two things." The Fey said. "First, Elder Goman sent a letter this morning. Kendra arrived in Arcanum yesterday and it looks like she will be able to portal directly to the Argo when Graflex is done, which apparently will be tomorrow." She smiled. "We'll see Kendra tomorrow."

"Thanks." He said as kindly as he could. "What's the second thing?"

"We're about twenty miles from the inn that Selene wanted to visit, so we've struck the sails."

"Okay." He nodded, remembering that he'd promised to fly her there when they were this close.

"I'm going back to the quarterdeck master; you'll be okay, right?"

"You're worried about me?"

"Always master." She smiled.

"Thanks." He gave her a half smile. "It's nice to be cared for."

Taloni gave him a pointed look. "I know exactly how that feels." The Fey gave him one last smile and then headed back towards the quarterdeck.

He was still kicking himself.

* * *

Selene took the bit of leather cord that Alana offered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The wood elf replied. "I thought you'd like to know because my hair was a rat's nest after the first time I rode Ethan."

Selene quickly braided her hair into a French braid and tied the bottom with the leather cord. She could've done a regular braid, but she thought the French would be more secure and besides, she thought that it looked better on her.

"That looks really nice." Beth said examining it. "How'd you do it?"

"It's called a French braid; I'll teach you sometime." The Brazilian woman replied while snugging the knot.

"What's a 'French'?" The blonde replied.

"It's a nation on Earth." Selene chuckled as she snugged up the knot a bit more. Apparently, the inn might be being watched by Lord Delmar, Lord Farbrottan, or that Lady Ekthros person since the Argo had been there before. So Rachel had suggested that only she and Ethan fly in, just in case it was being watched. And speaking of...

"Hey, where's Ethan?" She asked.

"He coming." Beth said, though she looked a little down.

"Is he okay?"

"He's having trouble with his dragon side again." Alana explained. "He snapped at Taloni and is still kicking himself for it."

"Oh." Selene sighed. She definitely noticed him becoming a bit more draconic over the previous four days since they left Nalatia. "Are they both okay?"

"Taloni was a bit shaken for a moment, but she says that she'll be fine." Beth said. "But Ethan will be kicking himself for the next few days unless someone can snap him out of it."

"Speaking of, I need to show him something." Alana said, then headed towards the door to the lower decks. She returned a minute later with something that looked like a flat backpack. It had thick leather on the part which touches the back, and grey canvas on the other side. It looked like it was packed with some white leather or something like that.

"What's that?" Selene asked.

"A way for Ethan to carry his armor with him in case he needs it." The wood elf replied. "It's a bit crude for now, but should work well enough until we can find something better. If the inn really is being watched, I'd hate for him to be without it." She turned towards the Argo's bow and her eyes went slightly unfocused for a moment.

A few moments later, Ethan turned and started walking towards them.

He looked tired.

World-weary.

"What's up?" He asked when he arrived.

"I made this for you." Alana showed him the backpack and explained what it was for.

"Cool." He said, though there wasn't much conviction in his voice.

"I have a sticking enchantment on it." The wood elf continued. "You'll need to enchant a small part of your shoulder for it to stick to, and then probably drop it when you summon your armor so it doesn't get in the way."

"It might even make a good saddle." Selene said wryly.

"Fair." He shrugged, then closed his eyes for a minute before attaching it to his shoulders. It hung there snuggly, but she could still see his wings, so it looked like he would still be able to get them out and fly.

He turned to the Brazilian woman, shoulders still slumped and tone still lethargic. "You ready to go?"

"Don't forget your war hammer." Beth suggested, then took a few steps and opened the captain's cabin door.

Ethan summoned his war hammer to his hand, dropped it in the canvas backpack with all the armor pieces, and then turned to Selene. "I figure I'll fly low once we get close, and we can walk the last half mile or so. I'll be disguised, so hopefully we won't attract any undue attention."

"Sounds good." She replied.

"Okay, let's ride." He sighed, getting down on all fours.

Selene put on the weight reduction necklace that Alana had previously handed to her and went to climb onto Ethan's back. It was strange, and rather like trying to climb onto a large dog given his height when on all fours. She managed to get semi-comfortable and then wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Just make sure you don't choke him." Alana said. "And you'll be more secure if you hook your feet under his tail."

The Brazilian woman did so.

"Here we go." Ethan said, then crouched and leapt into the air, spreading his wings as he did so. For as spry as he was, it didn't look like he felt any better.

* * *

Ethan touched down on the road about a half mile away from the inn that Selene had indicated. He landed much more gently than usual owing to his passenger, who slid off as soon as he landed.

"Thank you." She said, standing up and straightening her dress.

"No problem." He shrugged, also standing up. He couldn't get his mind off of Taloni though.

That girl was so incredibly wonderful and he couldn't believe that he'd snapped at her. His dragon side was starting to get out of hand, and the only solution that he knew of wasn't a realistic possibility, or even one he was interested in. He trusted that Kendra wouldn't try to kill him again, but there was a large difference between that and sharing a bed with someone.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Selene asked.

"I snapped at Taloni." He said with a sigh. "I feel like such an ass for it."

"I understand that, but it seems like she's okay."

"Yes, but she shouldn't need to be 'okay'." He countered. "I'm her husband and she's done absolutely nothing to deserve being snapped at."

"It seems like your dragon side has been getting out of hand lately." The ex-FBI agent observed. "Any idea why?"

"Yeah, but there's no real solution." He replied because he didn't feel like going into it. "Come on, we should start walking."

He double checked that he had switched his disguise gem from an eagle to a man and set off, Selene right behind him.

* * *

They fell silent as they walked, and Selene couldn't tell if they weren't clicking or he was just absorbed in thought. They had walked almost all the way to the outpost before Selene had a thought.

"You know, it's about noon and Sarah likes checking on her herb garden around this time because there's never anyone staying at the inn during the day. I think I'll cut through the woods here and surprise her."

"Okay." He nodded and looked around. "I suppose I can just wait here."

"You could go into the inn too." She suggested. "I know she'd love to meet you and then I won't need to track you down."

"Yeah well, I really don't want to meet anyone right now."

Selene frowned. "It might do you some good to hear how people see the 'prophet of Illuminar'. Seriously, I couldn't believe how much the people here in Ivernia love you."

"Easy to love a celebrity that you don't know." He pointed out.

"It's up to you, but Sarah has had a rough go of it, and I think you could really help her, or at least brighten her day." She'd heard that he simply couldn't resist rushing off to help people, and thought him meeting Sarah could do him some good. Besides, she wanted to see if it was true that he couldn't resist.

"Fine, whatever." He shrugged. "I'll meet you at the inn."

Selene suppressed a smile as she saw that it was indeed true. "Okay, I'll see you there and I'll bring her."

He shrugged, his mind clearly elsewhere.

* * *

Ethan pushed the inn's the slightly worn door open and surveyed the inside. It looked much like the rest of the outpost. It wasn't dirty, unkempt, or seedy; but it certainly had seen better days. The hearth fire was burning low, the rugs were a bit threadbare, and everything looked like it was being kept in service slightly past its prime. There was a man with a peg-leg sitting at a nearby table, and he looked to be on the verge of falling asleep sitting in his chair.

He sighed heavily and sat down at the nearest table. With any luck, Selene would be the next person to walk through the door and he could escape without interacting with anyone. He couldn't get over how prominent his dragon side was becoming, and he needed a solution that didn't involve bedding Kendra, and soon.

Like, now.

He turned his mind towards Taloni and checked their bond. The delightful Fey girl seemed happy, but it was a more subdued sort of happy. She was normally exuberant, but seemed slightly less so right now. He considered talking to her to try and clear things up, but had no idea what he would say.

None at all.

He knew that she wouldn't hold it against him; she was too wonderful, caring, and loving for that. He knew she would forgive him, and probably already had, but that wasn't the point. She shouldn't need to forgive him; he should never have put her in that position in the first--

"Excuse me?" A feminine voice said from nearby, shaking him out of his reverie.

He turned to see a girl that was about an inch taller than Beth's, making her about 5' 4". She had brown hair that looked healthy enough, but not vibrant. Her clothes were clean, but well worn. She was very average in terms of attractiveness, though her brown eyes looked caring.

He got a good vibe off of her.

The dragon didn't.

His dragon side seemed to bristle at her presence. Well, not quite her presence. Something about her clearly bothered his dragon instincts; something that he couldn't sense or even discern. He had no idea what it was, but his dragon didn't like it all. He had the sudden impulse to flee, and his dragon side had never wanted to flee from another living being before.

Ever.

Not even when he had nearly died fighting Kyrupto.

"Can I help you with something?" The girl asked. She wasn't being rude either; she was genuinely asking if he needed help with anything.

"Nah, I'm just meeting someone here." He replied.

"Oh." She looked confused, like that was strange or unusual. She looked at him for another moment or two and then cocked her head slightly to one side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He lied.

She looked at him for another moment. "I don't mean to pry, and I'll go away if I'm wrong, but are you sure? You don't look okay. You look..." She cocked her head to the other side and got a look of deepest sympathy on her face. "...you look sad."

He sighed.

"Yeah, well..." He looked at her and shook his head. "I snapped at my wife earlier and I feel like shit for it." He admitted. "It's not the first time either."

Her face fell and for some reason he could tell that she really, truly, and genuinely felt sorry for him. "I'm sorry. Is she okay?"

"I think so." He shook his head. "I apologized and she forgave me." He gave the girl a half-hearted smile. "She's good that way, but I still feel like shit."

The girl smiled. "It's good that you care about her enough to say something right away. I'll bet she appreciated that."

"I hope so."

There was a brief pause before the girl gave him another look of utter sincerity. "I realize that I can't help much, but could I pray for you?"

Ethan felt his throat get slightly tight at her offer. He didn't really believe in prayer, but judging by her tone this girl certainly did. Having met Illuminar, he supposed it couldn't hurt if someone occasionally prayed for him. It probably wouldn't do anything, but it couldn't hurt.

"Sure." He shrugged.

He had been expecting that she would just pray for him whenever she usually prayed, but instead she sat down in a chair near him, reached out her hand, rested it on his arm, and bowed her head. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be You -- please help this man and his wife. Please heal his tendency to snap and let his wife know that he really cares about her, and help them to have a wonderful marriage. Amen."

She lifted her head and opened her eyes. "There, I hope that will help."

"I appreciate it." He replied, again nearly getting choked up. Again, he didn't think that prayer mattered, but she obviously did. Her prayer had been incredibly genuine and heartfelt too. His dragon side was bristling at her presence, but he smiled at her.

"Thank you." He repeated. "I can't always control my actions, and it can be so incredibly hard when you want so desperately to do one thing, but end up doing another."

The girl swallowed and blinked her eyes a few times, not quite meeting his eyes. "Yeah." Her voice cracked slightly. "Yeah that's really hard."

She swallowed hard.

He knew -- he wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew -- that this girl was speaking from experience. Something about the way she said it; perhaps the tilt of her head, or perhaps the slight crack of her voice, or the way that she couldn't quite meet his eye.

She knew what it was like.

"Hey, it's okay." He said gently.

She gave him a slightly pained smile. "Sometimes it is."

"You know, our problems don't have to define us." He said kindly.

"What?" The girl didn't appear to understand his meaning.

"We can't always control ourselves, as much as we'd like to." He explained. "And while I lost my temper, that's not all of who I am. I'm more than just a guy with a temper. I'm more than someone who snaps at my wife. My wives constantly tell me that they love me and that I'm a good man, I just have a hard time seeing it sometimes because I feel like I mess up all the damn time."

"Yeah?" The girl had leaned forward in her seat and appeared to be on the edge of it. Her eyes were shining with a flicker of something; hope maybe.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I gather you can understand a little bit. Just remember that your problems don't define who you are. Yeah they're something to work on, but you are more than your problems. We all have problems, but they don't need to define us."

The girl smiled.

It was a pained smile, but a genuine one.

"No one's ever said something like that to me before." She said softly.

"Maybe they should." He said. "You seem like a truly nice girl; don't let your problems define who you are. They might be a part of you that you need to work on, but they're only one part of you. They certainly don't need to define you, or define who you are."

"My problem doesn't need to define me." The girl said softly, almost experimentally; as if to see what it sounded like coming from her own lips.

"Yeah,." He nodded. "Don't forget that."

She smiled again, and it seemed much less pained this time. "Then, speaking as a woman, I'm sure if you sincerely apologized to your wife that she won't hold it against you." She paused for a moment, then continued. "You said your wives know that you're more than your temper. It sounds like maybe you need to be reminded of it right now too."

"Hmm, you're probably right." He nodded slowly.

She gave him a caring smile, and in response he felt his heart doing something it rarely did for anyone other than his wives.

It skipped a beat.

* * *

Sarah felt her heart skip a beat.

She couldn't believe how much better she felt. This man -- whoever he was -- had just explained how to look at her problem in a way that no one ever had before. He didn't try to sweep problems away or brush them under the rug though. He acknowledged that they existed, and that they were something to work on, but said that someone didn't need to be defined by his problems.

She didn't need to be defined by her problem.

She looked at him and felt her heart flutter slightly. She'd never really felt that before. She'd heard it described in stories before, but never felt it herself. This man was... it seemed like he really and truly understood her. He was kind and gentle about it too, not like Rindrin.

Rindrin...

She felt a pang of guilt.

She could feel herself falling hard for this man, but she was already betrothed. Illuminar was clear that a betrothed woman should be just as faithful to her betrothed as a married woman to her husband.

"Okay, it's my turn to ask." The man said. "Are you okay?"

She gave him another pained smile. "Speaking as a woman, I can tell you that if I had a husband who felt as bad as you do for snapping at me, I could never hold it against him."

"Thanks, that means a lot." He smiled at her, and he blinked. It might've been her imagination, but his eyes looked slightly watery as he looked at her. His expression was strange, and one she'd never seen before. He looked... intrigued?

Her heart fluttered.

This was bad.

Very bad.

She wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon talking with him, but didn't think that would be wise. She was betrothed, and knew that the longer she spent with this man, the harder she would fall for him. That wasn't fair to Rindrin.

"I hope things work out for you, and I will be praying for you." She said as she rose from her chair.

"Thank you; just remember that your problems don't need to define you." He said kindly. "They are a part of you and we all need to work on our issues, but they don't need to define who you are."

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "Thank you so much, I... I can't even begin to explain what that means to me."

"I'm glad I could help." He smiled.

He had a great smile.

She turned and walked into the kitchen, hoping she didn't come off as rude. She was glad that her father and Rindrin had gone into town earlier to pick up supplies. She wouldn't want her father to see her leaving customers that way, and she was glad that he hadn't seen her interaction with the man.

She smiled despite herself.

Her heart was beating slightly faster than normal and that wasn't good. She decided right then that she would try to think of him as little as possible. It wasn't fair to her betrothed and she was determined to be an exceptional wife to him... even if her heart fluttered for a different man.

* * *

Ethan watched the girl leave, not sure what to make of her. Something told him that she might understand his dragon side in some way. Something about the way she spoke of her 'problem' -- singular -- made him think that she might have an idea. He got the impression she might understand in a way that his wives didn't.

That girl did.

Or at least, she seemed to. And not only did she seem to understand, but she said that she would've forgiven him if she had a husband who'd done what he had done.

He smiled.

For the first time since coming to the Ten Kingdoms, he felt like someone might understand and sympathize with his predicament, and she had said that she would forgive him. For someone to say that when she might really understand what it was like... He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

It felt good.

He sat at the table for another ten minutes before he got antsy. He felt much better, though not perfect, and he wanted to move. Sitting was killing him. He got up and left the inn, figuring he'd pace outside on the road. It was a nice day, and the sun had broken through the clouds to shine down on the little outpost.

He hadn't been pacing long when he noticed Selene reemerging from woods about where she'd entered them. He walked over to her. "Problems?"

"I apparently didn't know that section of forest as well as I thought." The caramel-haired woman admitted. "I completely missed Sarah's garden and realized if I went too far I might get lost."

"Ah okay. Speaking of, what's this Sarah girl look like?" He asked.

"Um, a bit taller than Beth. Brown hair, brown eyes, kind and caring."

"Hmm. I think I met her." He said realizing. "Didn't you mention she had some kind of problem or something?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I can't figure out what it is for the life of me."

"I wonder." He mused.

"You could always use that Jedi mind trick on her that you use on your wives." Selene rolled her eyes.

He gave her a wry grin, then waved his hand like a Jedi. "You don't want me to use my mind trick."

"I don't want you to use your mind trick." She echoed while suppressing a smile. "Besides, I'm not sure it would work on her anyway. I thought it only worked on your wives."

Ethan chuckled, then said in his best Darth Vader imitation. "I find your lack of faith... disturbing."

He raised his hands how the Dark Lord of the Sith usually did when force-choking someone. Selene played along, and grabbed her throat like she was actually being choked. She was a pretty damn good actress too, and if he didn't know better he would've thought that she was actually being choked.

Huh.

Hidden talents appar--

"NO!" Someone screamed from behind him.

Who...?

He turned to see the girl from the inn standing there, shaking with rage and fear.

"WE WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!" She shouted with an unearthly voice. It didn't sound like one person speaking, but like two speaking in near perfect sync.

It was chilling.

Something about her changed. It was subtle -- body language mostly -- but it was definite. The change reminded him of himself when he went into dragon mode, except the eyes. Something about her eyes changed. The warm brown eyes became cold as death and not nearly as merciful.

The girl snarled at him.

Actually snarled.

She sounded like some kind of wild animal, but he seriously doubted any animal -- even a dragon -- could utter a sound that full of unearthly rage and hate.

She charged towards him.

She charged at him moving far faster than it was possible for any human to move. She wasn't at Kyrupto levels of speed, but damn; she was fast. He raised his hands in a defensive posture while his dragon side screamed for him to run.

"No, Sarah he's not an enemy." Selene said loudly, but it was like the girl couldn't hear her.

Every fiber of Ethan's being was telling him that such a small girl couldn't be a threat, but every ounce of his dragon side wanted to flee in terror. Abject terror. He had never felt that from his dragon side before.

Ever.

The girl reached him and pushed out with both of her hand as if to throw him. His own arms blocked hers... or at least tried to. Her hands impacted his arms and he went flying. It was like being hit with an air ram and he counted himself lucky that his arms hadn't broken under the powerful push. He was thrown bodily into the air, righted himself and flapped his wings to gain control as he clicked off his disguise gem. He hoped that would be enough to deter the girl because he didn't want to hurt her.

It wasn't.

The girl reached down and grabbed a fist-sized rock and threw it at his wing.

Not him, his wing.

"OWW!" He roared in pain as the rock punched through the membrane of his wing. It left a large rent and he tumbled downwards, tucking in his wings and twisting in mid-air to land on all fours...

...just in time to dodge a punch that she had aimed at him.

* * *

Selene watch in disbelief as the kindest, sweetest, and most caring girl she'd ever met viciously attacked Ethan. There was an inhuman -- near unearthly -- ferocity and rage behind her movements. It was like watching a force of nature; as if a tornado could attack with unholy levels of spite and malice.

She was relentless, dogging Ethan's every move and following his every evasion. Finally, Ethan leapt backwards into the air to get some space and she saw his backpack fall as the armor pieces flew out of it. It was like watching a scene from Iron Man 3, where Tony Stark suits up with the Mark 42 armor.

It was amazing.

The pieces flew from the backpack into the air, swirling slightly as each zeroed in on their own respective body part. Someone had changed the color and instead of looking like untreated leather, they were pure white. The greaves snapped onto his lower legs, the sabatons did the same for his feet, the cuisses for his thighs, the vambraces for his lower arms, rerebraces for the upper arms. A large plate snapped onto his chest, and paldrons snapped to his shoulders. At least a dozen chevron shaped plates attached themselves to his tail, still allowing it to move but giving it excellent protection. Finally, the helmet locked onto his face. It conformed to his head perfectly, looking almost like a second skin on top of his scales, only white.

Each piece locked into place, curling and forming to create an impressive suit of armor around the dragon. He looked like a cross between The Mandalorian and that 'Master Chief' character from that Halo 2 game that her younger brother had played so much. However, his steel gray scales made a great contrast with the pure white armor.

He literally looked like a knight in shining armor

Well, a dragon-knight anyway

Ethan landed in a half-crouch and looked up at the girl, letting out a powerful roar as he did so. She didn't seem to notice or care; she didn't even slow down. She charged forward and started raining down blows with unearthly levels of strength and malice.

* * *

Ethan winced as a single punch that he'd failed to block impacted his torso armor... and caved a small dent into it. Underneath, he felt one or two of his ribs break. Without the armor, she might've punch a hole into his ribcage.

The girl had no fighting skill or style, but she was so fast and so strong that it almost didn't matter. He leaned back, narrowly avoiding a haymaker that might've taken his jaw completely off. The only thing keeping him ahead was his improved reflexes. The pain in his wing and chest was getting to him, so he started trying to heal them.

"I don't want to hurt you." He said loudly as he leapt backwards to avoid another attack.

She ignored him and kept on swinging.

It was as if some unearthly force had possessed her, granting her not only great speed and strength, but also a singular mind bent on destruction.

Specifically, his destruction.

*Ethan are you okay!* Alana's voice rang out in his head.

*Yeah, I'm just--*

The girl connected.

Her fist impacted his left shoulder and it blossomed in searing pain as he was thrown backwards. He barely managed not to tumble into the ground, landing on his three remaining legs. His arm felt like it had been dislocated and it sent a burst of agony whenever he moved.

The girl kept coming.

*Ethan!* Beth shouted to him.

*Ladies, not now; distracting.* He grunted as he leapt to avoid another one of her blows, wincing at the pain from his dislocated shoulder.

She wouldn't stop.

That's when Ethan realized he might be in serious trouble. Using his good arm, he swiped at the girl with his claws.

It did nothing.

Even his incredibly sharp index finger on his right hand -- which he'd enchanted to be beyond razor sharp while captured -- barely scratched her skin. It shredded right through her dress leaving a slit on the sleeve, but the arm itself was nearly untouched. He summoned his war hammer and used that to block one of her punches. Her fist impacted the elven steel head and he nearly lost his grip on the hammer. It didn't even slow her down; it didn't even leave a bruise on her fist. He got the distinct impression that the war hammer would break before she did.

He started charging his hammer as he considered his options. Flying was out with his damaged wing, and with an arm down there was no way he could outrun her. His only option was to fight, so he focused on charging his hammer to the Nth degree before releasing it.

CRACK!

The lightning bolt sizzled through the air and struck the girl mid-torso. It left a small, sizzling hole in the stomach of her dress, but the skin underneath seemed completely unblemished. She seemed stunned for barely a moment, and then resumed her attack.

"WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, SERVANT OF ILLUMINAR!" The girl shrieked, though it wasn't the girl anymore. Gone were the echoes of her sweet voice. In its place was a raspy, wispy voice that sounded like what Beth had described when...

Shit!

Holy fuck!

Or rather, 'unholy fuck'. He realized what was going on just as another one of her blows connected.

* * *

"SARAH!" Selene nearly screamed as the girl landed another blow on Ethan, knocking him to the ground.

He looked winded and the girl jump on top of him, flailing her fists down on him in a completely uncontrolled, random rain of blows. She had no technique, no training, and was leaving herself wide open to counter-attack. However, with her strength, speed, and apparently superhuman durability, it didn't seem to matter. Ethan raised his good arm and was trying to ward off her blows with his vambraces, but was being only marginally successful.

"Fuck!" Selene sprinted towards them.

She wasn't sure what she could do, but she needed to do something or Ethan was going to leave behind a lot of widows. The only thing that occurred to her was a tackle; Sarah might be freakin' Supergirl, but she had terrible balance in her current position and she doubted that the girl also had super weight.

Selene dived at her just as the girl managed to break through Ethan's defenses and land a blow on his head. Ethan seemed dazed and the arm he had been using to defend himself faltered and was knocked out of the way.

The Brazilian beauty slammed into Sarah just as she was about to land another powerful blow. They went flying in a tangle of limbs. Selene had spent two decades in Brazilian Jiujutsu -- ever since she was three -- and knew exactly how to get Sarah into a joint lock. Unfortunately, they apparently didn't work when the subject of the joint lock had superhuman strength.

Sarah twisted around, ignoring all proper form and balance, but she was so fast and strong that Selene found herself on her back anyway. The girl raised her fist to strike and Selene tried to move, but she was too strong.

She closed her eyes and waited for the blow to fall.

It didn't.

She opened one eye and saw Sarah frozen there, fist raised ready to strike... but not doing so. She seemed to be locked in an internal struggle.

"Sarah it's me; Selene." She waited with bated breathed for several seconds.

Finally, the girl started lowering her hand as the blazing fury behind her eyes began to abate. She looked confused for several seconds as the warmth slowly returned to her eyes.

"Sarah, are you okay?" Selene asked.

The girl's lip began to tremble and tears started forming in her eyes. She raised her hand to her mouth, covering it and looking at Selene in abject horror. She started trembling and her eyes were wide as tears started streaming down her cheeks.

"I... I..." She tried to speak but didn't seem to be able to get more than that out.

"Hey, it's okay." Selene said, still pinned underneath of her. She started to move and Sarah -- apparently realizing she was on top of her -- jumped off as if Selene was a live wire. The innkeeper's daughter started slowly backing away as the tears continued to fall.

She was still covering her mouth.

Selene picked herself up, and then glanced towards Ethan. Sarah did too, and the girl's her expression turned from one of shock and guilt to one of abject horror and deep despair. She moved her mouth soundlessly, seemingly not believing her eyes.

"I'm going to check on Ethan." Selene said, trying to process what had just happened, but also knowing that first aid came first.

"Ethan?" Sarah whispered hoarsely as she looked at the near unconscious dragon. "Ethan Ejder, the prophet?"

The Brazilian beauty nodded.

Sarah sank to her knees and started hyperventilating.

"Stay right there." Selene said as she rushed to Ethan's side. She reached to check for a pulse, and then realized she had no idea how to do that with a dragon. She put her hands in front of his nostrils and could feel him breathing anyway though. He groaned, maybe semi-conscious.

He was in bad shape.

His armor had been cratered in several places and she was virtually certain that the bones underneath were broken. His face, right arm, and most of his torso that she could see were puffy and swollen. She imagined it would be black and blue if the scales didn't cover the wounds.

He didn't seem to be in immediate danger though, and she had no idea how to help if he was, so she turned towards Sarah. The girl had slumped to the side a bit, clearly lightheaded and dizzy from her near continuous hyperventilating. Selene rushed over to her and put her arms around her shoulders.

"Breathe Sarah, just breath slowly." She urged.

The girl was shaking; trembling.

Her cheeks were drenched with tears and her face was frozen in a look of absolute shock and horror. Her breaths were fast; too fast. God, Selene wished that she had a paper bag to help with the hyperventilating right now.

"Sarah, look at me." Selene said.

The girl did, and the look in her eyes was absolutely heartbreaking. Selene took the girl's hand and put it on her own upper chest.

"Follow my breathing Sarah; breathe when I breathe. Inhale when I inhale, and exhale when I exhale."

The girl nodded, and she seemed too distraught to do much more than follow the instructions that she was given. The girl's breathing slowly returned to a normal pace. As it did, she looked more and more distraught.

"Breathe." Selene instructed again.

"I... I killed..." She broke down and a fresh burst of tears started flowing as she wailed in utter anguish.

"He's not dead." She replied firmly. "He's hurt, but not dead."

Sarah started weeping and sobbing even harder. Not sure what else to do, Selene held as she sobbed in the Brazilian woman's arms. Her lament was filled with bitter sorrow and great anguish. Selene didn't even have the words to describe the pitiable state the girl was in.

She looked around and saw that a semi-conscious Ethan was looking at them from the ground.

* * *

"Faster!" Alana urged.

"All the sails are deployed." Anthiel replied. "But I can't make the wind stronger."

"Shit!" Alana ran towards the bow of the ship to join Beth, Taloni, and Rachel as they watched.

"Rachel, we need some wind." She called as she ran up. The redhead turned and a powerful gust of wind hit the sails. The wood elf knew that the mage couldn't keep it up for long at all, and she might need the mana to annihilate whatever was attacking their husband, but they needed the speed.

"I hope master is okay." Taloni said as she wrung her hands.

"If he isn't..." Rachel had fire in her eyes.

"He must be." Alana said, and then thought to them all. *You can all hear me right?*

They all nodded.

"Then he's alive and we're coming." She said firmly.

* * *

Ethan groaned.

His entire body felt like it had gone through a meat tenderizer. His entire torso and especially his left shoulder felt like someone had thrown fire ants on him before using him as a punching bag for a heavyweight champion in his prime. His wing didn't feel much better. He tried to focus on healing them, but it was hard to concentrate through the pain.

He opened his eyes, squinting at the bright sun above. As he looked, he saw an airship float into view. A beautiful girl jumped from the airship and seemed to float down directly towards him, falling far slower than a person usually should.

"Taloni." He mumbled as the girl landed next to him.

"I've got you master." She said, and then he felt two hands touch him gently and his wounds began to mend. It took rather a long time before he felt like moving.

"All done." Taloni announced as the last of the actual pain faded.

"Thank you." He groaned. Magical healing dealt with pain, but it left all kinds of soreness in its wake until you got a good night's sleep.

"Master, did you fight a troll?" The Fey asked. "I've never seen bruises like this, nor ones made through such thick armor."

He sat up as the rest of his wives finished climbing down the Argo's ladder and rushed over to him. They all nearly tackled him right there on the dirt road.

"Who did this to you?" Rachel said with fire in her eyes and venom in her tone once she'd finally let go of him. "I'll roast him alive."

"Not a him; a her." He groaned.

"Selene helped her into the inn." Taloni volunteered.

Instantly Alana and Rachel leapt up and started towards the inn.

"Wait." He called.

"For what?" Alana asked as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it to her bowstring.

"Me." He struggled to his feet, his limbs still sore and his shoulder still dislocated. "Any of you know how to pop this back into joint?"

Alana and Rachel made to help, and between the two of them got it back into joint. He applied a little mana which finished putting it right. It was still sore, but no longer injured.

"Now, I think I need to talk to someone." Ethan said.

"Who?" His wives chorus almost as one.

He hesitated before speaking. He had been planning to say 'the girl who did this to me', but he didn't think that was right. She really hadn't. In fact, if their previous conversation was any indication, she'd had as little control over herself then as he had when the dragon took over. He knew exactly what it was like to be in the passenger seat as his body did things he didn't want it to do.

"Another victim." He finally said.

Rachel gave him a piercing look, and Alana didn't look fully convinced either.

"You've seen me go dragon right?" He asked

They nodded.

"I think she's the same. Not with a dragon, but with something else."

"With what?" Beth asked.

He took a deep breath and looked at her. "You remember how you described the voice of the demon you met on the Astral Plane?"

She nodded.

"She said something weird. She said 'we won't let you hurt her' just before she attacked, referring to Selene. It sounded exactly like you described; the same type of voice, like more than one person was talking at once in perfect unison."

Silence.

No one spoke.

No one breathed for several seconds.

"Master, are you saying that she's..." The Fey girl looked fearful. "You're saying that she has a demon?"

He grimaced. "It sounds far-fetched, but I've talked to angels and God Himself; I suppose it was only a matter of time until I met the other side."

All four of his wives looked fearful.

"I need to talk to her." He said.

All of his wives had identical looks of incredulity on their faces.

"You want to talk to the demon-possessed woman who just nearly killed you?" The redhead stared at him open mouthed.

He nodded. "Yes. I think..." He started to say, and Alana finished his sentence.

"...that she needs help." The wood elf nodded. "You're worried about her, even though she nearly killed you by the looks of it."

"That's just it, I'm not sure that she did." He replied. "I saw her when she 'woke up' from whatever it was that possessed her. It reminded me of... well, frankly it reminded me of when I get out of 'dragon mode' and realize what I've done."

Rachel still looked ready to roast someone alive over a spit... as slowly and painfully as possible.

"You didn't see her." He added.

Alana gave him a strange look. She wasn't upset, but she was looking at him in a way he'd never seen before and couldn't place. She did this for a few moments and then nodded.

"Go talk to her." The wood elf said.

"What!?" Rachel exclaimed.

"He needs to." Alana said with conviction.

"Why?" Beth asked.

"I don't know." The brunette frowned. "But he does."

"May I come my lord?" Rachel asked seeming apprehensive about the idea. "I can air-ram her or fry her if she tries anything."

"Air-rams are fine IF she attacks." Ethan assented, then added sternly. "No frying."

"Yes my lord." Rachel replied looking slightly disappointed.

"I suppose we should go to the inn then." He turned to look at it as he clicked his disguise gem back on.

* * *

Sarah couldn't believe it.

Her insides felt like they'd been scraped out with a dull, rusty knife and then masticated. How could she have done that? How could she have attacked...? She closed her eyes, trying to remember how it had started. She'd taken something out for the chickens and then seen the man from earlier and Selene. It looked like he was hurting her and she'd just reacted.

He'd been so nice, and he was the prophet of Illuminar.

Oh God.

She'd attacked a prophet of Illuminar.

She buried her face deeper into the quilt on her bed, not even trying to stop the tears from falling.

"Sarah, he's okay." Selene said. "Taloni started healing him as I helped you in here. He'll be fine."

She nodded, but it didn't matter.

Attacking a prophet of Illuminar was as good as attacking Illuminar Himself; just like attacking an ambassador was like attacking the country he represented. She thought back to Gabriella's promises, sure she'd just ruined any chance of them ever coming true. Her problem -- the thing that had plagued her for so long -- had finally done something unforgivable.

Knock! Knock!

"Who is it?" Selene asked, resting her hand on the pommel of her sword.

"It's Ethan; I need to talk to her."

Sarah froze.

* * *

"It's Ethan; I need to talk to her." Ethan said, and then waited. Rachel was right behind him at his elbow, and Alana behind her with an arrow nocked to her bowstring. He'd warned them not to attack her, but they weren't taking any chances.

He wasn't sure he blamed them.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Selene's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Trust me, it's a good idea." He said.

There was a several second pause, and then the Brazilian woman spoke again. "I don't think she wants to see you."

He frowned.

He didn't want to push, but he had a very strong feeling that he needed to talk to her. He mulled it over for a few seconds before deciding to take the middle road.

"Sarah." He called through the door without opening it. "Remember; your problems don't have to define you."

Silence.

He waited for almost a minute before the door opened and Selene's drop-dead gorgeous face appeared with a confused expression. She stared for several seconds, then stepped back so he could see inside.

The room was very small. It was square, about six feet on a side, and was probably a converted pantry or something like that. The bed was similar to the rest of the inn and the outpost at large; nice, but worn past its prime. He could see some flowers on the sill of a tiny window.

The girl herself wasn't looking at him.

She was laying on the bed on her stomach with her hair obscuring most of her face. The little bit of her face that he could see was red and puffy like she'd been crying her eyes out. Judging by the wet spot on the quilt, she probably had been.

*Ethan, There's something odd about her appearance.* Rachel thought to him. *It reminds me of a disguise gem, but the effect is very minor. It's not enough to make her look like someone else, but it might be tweaking her appearance just slightly*

*Okay, thanks.* He thought back to her, and then stepped inside the tiny room and knelt down by the bed.

*Hello, I don't think we've been properly introduced." He said softly. "My name is Ethan."

She sniffled.

"What's your name?"

"I..." She said in the smallest voice possible and then fell silent, seemingly not able to speak

"I hear it's Sarah, is that right?" He asked, more to start a conversation than anything else.

She nodded.

"Well, Sarah, I want to tell you something if that's okay."

She tensed up.

"It's not about you; I want to tell you something about me. Something that I don't usually talk about. Is that okay?"

She nodded, but remained tense. She still wasn't looking at him and her hair was still hiding her face.

"I'm not quite what the stories make me out to be." He admitted. "My dragon side is..." He paused searching for the right words. "...is rather like your problem."

The girl moved her head enough to glance into his eyes for just a moment. He had never seen a pair of eyes so filled with pain.

Ever.

She looked similar to how he felt whenever his dragon side royally screwed things up. She looked like how he'd felt right after Beth had died, only something about it made him think that her problem had been going on for a lot longer.

"The first time I really lost it was in Gralden." He continued. "Through my carelessness, Alana almost died. The next time was as we were leaving Gralden; someone hurt her and I snapped and ripped a couple of men apart with my bare hands-- err, claws. Then I lost it in Arcanum, and Beth did die."

"I met her though." Sarah said, finally speaking.

"Yeah, thank God we got her back, but my problem killed my wife. Not long after, it permanently scarred Rachel here--" He indicated her. "--and frightened my third wife, Taloni, so badly she that she was scared of me for a while."

Sarah glanced at him, her eyes still looking painful but now also filled with sympathy. He could tell that she got that completely.

She understood.

She really, truly understood.

She understood exactly what it was like, and understood it in a way that none of his wives did; a way that none of them ever could. Her situation was much the same as his, and so she grasped what he'd been through in a way that his wives didn't; that they couldn't.

She looked at him for several seconds. Then she opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally spoke. "But you're so good."

"I try to be, and sometimes I succeed. But other times..." He shook his head. "...other times I screw up like anyone else."

"Oh." Sarah seemed surprised by this. "But..." She looked down. "...but Illuminar chose you."

"Yeah He did, but do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"I met Him, and He flat out told me that He didn't pick me because I was special, good, or noble. We're all human and we all screw up, but our screw ups don't need to define us." He looked at her pointedly. "You are more than your problem."

"Why are you being so nice?" She asked after several seconds. "I attacked you and I..." Her voice broke and she looked down again.

"Yes you did, and you damn near killed me." He replied. "But tell me, is that what you really wanted to do? Hell, was it even really you who attacked me?"

She hesitated. "I was afraid that you were hurting Selene."

"That doesn't answer the question."

She bit her lip, then finally shook her head slightly.

"So I forgive you." He paused for a moment, then repeated. "I forgive you for attacking me, Sarah."

She looked at him eyes wide and mouth open.

* * *

"You... you forgive me?" Sarah looked at the prophet of Illuminar in disbelief.

Why?

Why would he do that?

She had beaten him badly, and probably would've killed him if Selene hadn't intervened. Yet here he was. He'd come to talk to her, he was being kind to her, and was undeniably trying to console her.

Why?

Why would he do that?

"Yes." The prophet nodded and spoke kindly. "I do forgive you because I know exactly what you're going through. I know it's exactly what it's like, and I know exactly how..." His voice cracked slightly. "...how awful it is to go through that."

She looked into his eyes and realized something. Something that she found nearly impossible to believe given who he was, and who she was, but she believed it nonetheless.

He understood.

He really, truly understood.

He understood exactly what it was like, and understood in a way that no one had ever understood before; in a way that no one ever could've understood before. He understood the struggle that she'd gone through, the guilt after it happened, and how much she dearly wished it wouldn't happen.

He understood.

She could feel herself starting to tear up for quite another reason as this realization hit her.

"Thank you." She gave him a small smile, which he returned. "You're not how I expected you to be."

"Sorry to disappoint." He winked.

"No." She shook her head slowly and sincerely. "Not a disappointment at all." Her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't know if they were sad tears or happy tears. There were too many emotions swirling inside of her and she couldn't make heads or tails of them.

There was a slightly awkward silence at this pronouncement.

She looked down, bit her lip, and then looked back at him. "You... you really forgive me?"

He nodded. "Yes, I really do."

She looked at Selene. "And... and you don't hate me?"

"Of course not." The Brazilian woman shook her head with a smile. "I'm gonna try like hell not to scare you, but no I don't hate you."

"No one's ever done that before." She thought aloud, then added at their confused looks. "I mean, no one I've hurt has ever not been scared of me, and none of them has ever forgiven me."

She sat up and let her legs hang down, tears still coming down her cheeks, but they weren't sad tears anymore and they were drying up. "It's nice."

* * *

Ethan cocked his head to one side. "No one?"

She shook her head. "Everyone left the outpost when they found out."

"Their loss." Selene said.

Sarah started tearing up again as she smiled.

"So, I don't mean to pry, but what happened?" Ethan asked. "For that matter, what exactly caused..." He glanced towards the road where the battle had taken place. "...that."

"I um..." She looked down and swung her legs slowly. "I was kidnapped many years ago, and I guess they wanted me for some ritual, maybe a human sacrifice? I'm not really sure. They were trying to contact one of Saidow's minions to get..." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "...well to get what ended up in me. The first time I lost control I..." She swallowed hard. "...well no one was left to stop me from going home."

Ethan winced. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." She gave him a pained smile, though it was more pain than smile. "I've never had anyone ask because they cared."

Ethan winked. "I don't care, I'm just concerned for your well-being."

Selene and Rachel rolled their eyes, Sarah made a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sigh.

"Do you have any idea how to get rid of it?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I was hoping the prophet of Illuminar would know."

"Sorry, I'm way out of my depth when it comes to exorcisms." He said, wishing it wasn't true. He somehow doubted that the few movies he'd seen on the subject were anything like accurate. He really did feel for the girl though. He knew what she was going through, or at least had a good idea, and he would've liked to help.

There were a few moments of relatively comfortable silence.

"Thank you." Sarah finally said softly, then added. "For being understanding I mean. No one else has really understood it."

He smiled at her. "It's kind of neat to meet someone who understands, isn't it?"

She nodded.

Another comfortable silence fell, and a wry smile came to his face as he realized something.

"What?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"Irony." He shook his head slightly. "The person who most understands what I'm going through is a demon possessed girl, and they call me a prophet of Illuminar."

"Blessed be He." Sarah finished, then a look of realization crossed her face and she cocked her head to one side.

"What?" He asked.

"Like you said, the person who most understands what I'm going through is a prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He." The girl echoed him. "I never thought... Hmm. I never thought that would be the case."

He chuckled. "The demon-possessed girl and the prophet; what a pair we make."

She got a radiantly happy smile on her face for several seconds, then she looked almost guilty. She looked down for several seconds, but despite the look of guilt she didn't seem to be able to stop smiling.

"Can..." She bit her lip. "Can I make lunch for you all? It's the least I could do to say thank you."

"Ladies?" He looked back towards his wives.

There was a general chorus of agreement from them, and especially from Beth, though Alana seemed slightly subdued. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Oh." Sarah said as if she'd just remembered something. "There's someone here at the inn that you need to meet. He's been waiting here for many days just in case you returned."

"Sure, lead on." He replied.

* * *

Kendra had never enjoyed being in one place for too long. While she'd only been in Arcanum in Elder Goman's apartment for barely more than a day, she was already starting to feel antsy. Old habits die hard, and a stationary target was a vulnerable target.

She paced the room, trying to kill time until the next day when Graflex would be done with Ethan's weapons. Sadly, that did little to pass the time. She considered roaming the city, but Magistrate Haglath was probably still holding a grudge, and she didn't want to press her luck. So here she was, bored and--

Knock! Knock!

"Who's there?" She asked.

"Luminar Kossel."

She frowned; what was he doing here?

She opened the door to see him standing there so she waved him in, closing the door behind him. He had a smile on his face as usual and he was definitely older -- maybe late fifties or early sixties -- but also clearly in very good shape. His slightly balding head was covered in a small round cap and the long white robes that he wore had a blazing sun on the front.

"Hello Kendra, how are your new friends?" He asked after looking around the small apartment. It was only a single room, with a bed, a table, and two chairs, but it was enough for her.

She smiled as she realized the significance of his words.

"My friends." She said the phrase experimentally, partially to see how it felt on her tongue.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Kossel said as he took a seat.

"It is." She smiled, then looked at him. "What brings you here?"

"Actually, I've come to call in two favors." He replied. "One from you, and one from Ethan."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I gave Ethan sanctuary and kept you out when you wanted to storm in, which saved his life. I also helped him marry his first wife. I have no doubt that he would consider himself as 'owing me one'. I'd like to cash that favor in, and ask the same thing from him as I do from you."

"Which is?"

"Lady Ekthros." He said.

"Done." She nodded with a smile. "She's as good as dead."

He shook his head. "You misunderstand me. I don't want her dead; I want her alive."

The dragon huntress narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"That is my business."

"Do you know what that bitch did?"

"My dear girl, I'm not senile yet." He gently chided. "I know that you, Ethan, Taloni, and Rachel were captured, and I can tell that you're now bonded to someone, I assume him. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she threatened Taloni in some way to force you to bond."

"Yeah, she threatened to have Taloni be repeatedly raped unless I did." Kendra hissed. "That Saidow spawn needs to die."

"And I'm sure Ethan feels the same way, which is why I'm calling in favors." Luminar Kossel replied. "I know that she's incredibly dangerous, and I know that in battle you might very well need to kill her."

"Damn straight we will!"

"But..." He shook his head. "...but as a favor -- as a 'you owe me' -- I ask this: if at all possible, spare her life and capture her instead of killing her. I understand that she's an arch mage, and so it might not be possible to capture her. But on the slim, remote chance that it is possible; I would ask that you not kill her and instead capture her and bring her to me."

Kendra at him stared in disbelief.

She stared for several seconds before the only pertinent question on her mind found its way out. "Why?"

"Again, that is my business."

"Fine, then why her?"

"I don't deny that she's a wicked woman if that's what you're thinking, though she wasn't always that way." Kossel said heavily and seemingly with great regret. "She has done terrible things, and threatened to do worse. Yet my request still stands, and I need you to convey this request to Ethan as well."

She narrowed her eyes. "She's an arch mage."

"She's more dangerous than most arch mages too." He replied. "I have reason to believe she has some skill in telepathy, so make sure your mental fortresses are up to par before you attempt to capture her."

Kendra scoffed. "Even if we wanted to capture her -- which we don't -- we would have no way of holding her."

Kossel reached into his robes, pulled out a strip of leather, and offered it to her. "Now you do."

"A slave collar?" She raised her eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"A modified slave collar." He corrected. "It will prevent her from using magic or intentionally hurting anyone around her. It can also be attached by anyone, and removed by anyone except the wearer. It won't compel her to obey, but it will make her mostly harmless."

"Mostly?"

"You know better than most that a caged or cornered animal is very dangerous."

"You're really not going to tell me why, are you?"

"No." He shook his head.

"A favor from a reputed prophet of Illuminar is an incredibly valuable thing." Kendra pointed out. "Are you sure you want to waste it on this?"

"Yes." He said simply, but didn't explain further. He seemed calmly resolute too, and she got the impression that nothing short of divine intervention would change his mind.

Hmm.

Interesting.

* * *

Ethan looked at the man with the pegged leg who was sitting at the inn's largest table with himself and his wives. Sarah had disappeared into the kitchen with Selene after making introductions, since the Brazilian beauty had volunteered to help her make lunch. He had already deactivated the disguise gem as proof that he was the dragon.

He looked at the man. "So, I hear you wanted to talk to me?"

He nodded. "It's an honor Mr. Prophet Sir."

"Thanks, but it's just Ethan."

"It's an honor Mr. Ethan sir." The man corrected himself. "I don't know if ya'll have all heard, but down in the southeast mountain range, we've been dealing with a bit of resurgence."

"Resurgence...? Resurgence of what?" He asked.

Everyone stared at him.

"I'm from another world remember." He said. "I've only been here two months; well, almost three months."

"Orcs Mr. Ethan sir." The man replied, then cocked his head to one side. "Wait, you've only been in these here Ten Kingdoms for a few months? From where do you hail?"

"It's a long story, and I don't have a lot of time." Ethan replied. "You were telling me about orcs."

"Right, well it's like this. Them orcs is all up in the mountains. Now, usually it ain't no big problem 'cause Lord Farbrottan used to keep a regiment near enough to protect the townsfolk and the mines."

"I take it he doesn't anymore?" Rachel asked.

The other man shook his head. "Nah, we started trading with Lord Kalus to the southeast 'cause he gives a fair price, not what that Saidow spawn in Melkor offers.

"Melkor?" Ethan asked.

"Ivernia's capital." Beth volunteered.

The other man grunted in agreement. "So anyways, Lord Fatbrat pulled the protection back 'cause we started selling to someone else. He'd rather let us be eaten alive than be allowed sell to someone else."

Ethan suppressed a chuckle at the nickname "Lord Fatbrat", but his amusement died with the last sentence. "Wait, did you say 'eaten alive'?"

* * *

Selene finished chopping the veggies and put them into the bowl that Sarah indicated.

"Thank you." The innkeeper's daughter said, and she was humming a little tune as she worked. She hadn't done that before, at least not that Selene recalled.

"You seem like you're in a good mood." The Brazilian woman pointed out.

"Huh, I guess I am." She said with a smile.

"Any particular reason?" Selene said with a knowing tone and a glance towards the living room where Ethan currently was.

"No, I'm not interested in--" Sarah blushed. "Okay, the Book of Light says we shouldn't lie, so I can't say that. But I'm betrothed to Rindrin."

"Interesting how your mind went right to marriage..." The Ex-FBI agent suppressed a laugh.

Sarah went beet red. "No, I didn't mean that... uh, I just meant to say that... uh..."

Selene did laugh at that. "Relax, I'm just teasing you."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced at the main room and let out a rather different kind of sigh.

"You know." Selene said. "Apparently Illuminar told Ethan that he was going to have seven wives. He only has five right now, but the slots are filling up quickly. He only had three when I originally met him. There might still be room for you in the final two."

Sarah shook her head sadly. "No, I'm not nearly as pretty as his wives. Besides, why would he want to marry a girl like me anyway, especially with my problem."

"Sarah, I've seen men fall in love; it looks exactly like your conversation with Ethan earlier."

"Really?" Sarah asked, looking hopeful. "Even after what I did? Even with my problem?"

Selene nodded. "Even with. Actually, probably because of your problem."

"Oh?"

"Ethan's other wives are completely delightful, but too sweet to really understand his dragon side. Hell, I barely understand it and I've seen plenty of movies with split personalities. You do understand it. You get him in a way that very few people could. I think he likes that about you."

"He does?"

Selene nodded. "I think so."

Sarah looked ecstatically happy for a moment, then her face fell. "Even if that was true, I'm betrothed to Rindrin."

"Surely you can get out of that." The Brazilian woman pressed.

Sarah shook her head. "No, betrothal is nigh unto a marriage, thus ending a betrothal requires the same as ending a marriage. Only Rindrin can dissolve it, and only if I--" She hesitated. "Do one of a few things that I would never do. Besides, a prophet of Illuminar would never marry a divorced woman."

"That's why this whole 'fathers selling daughters into marriage' thing is bullshit." Selene said shaking her head.

"I would've said yes if Rindrin had asked me." Sarah said quietly. "Because of my problem, I would've said yes if any decent man had asked me, so it wouldn't make a difference; I'd still be betrothed. Actually, I'd probably be married now."

"It's still not fair." The Brazilian woman pointed out.

"No, no life isn't fair; thank Illuminar."

"Come again?"

"Well think about it." Sarah replied. "Think of all the horrible things I've done because of my problem. If life were fair, I would be dead."

"Dead, why?"

"Ethan's not the only person I've ever attacked." Sarah bit her lip, then looked down. "And sometimes there wasn't someone like you around to bring me to my senses. None of them were good people, and it didn't usually go like that... but it did sometimes." She finished quietly.

"Oh." Selene said, the enormity of what the girl had just said sinking in.

"It's not fair that that my father continued to take care of me after I cost him everything." She continued. "It's not fair that Illuminar -- blessed be He -- loves us even though we sin. It's not fair that an angel visited me even though I have my problem. It's not fair that the soldiers haven't already come for me because of what I've done. No, the world isn't fair, and I'm really grateful that it's not."

Selene stared.

She really couldn't think of a reply.

"Okay, but you should at least get to choose your own husband." She finally said.

"If I could have, I would still be betrothed to Rindrin, or more likely married right now." Sarah countered. "It's enough to know that the dragon might like me. I'm glad, but I will be faithful to Rindrin because he's my betrothed." She looked down. "I really like the prophet, I mean Ethan." She got a contented smile on her face for a moment, and then it faded. "So please don't bring this up again; it's kind of hurts to talk about it."

Selene choked back a few choice words about the culture in the Ten Kingdoms. However, she couldn't fault the girl for wanting to be faithful. She certainly had a few things to say about Rindrin, but didn't think that would help.

"Okay, I'll drop it." She finally said.

"Thank you, and thank you for coming back." Sarah said, her face brightening. "I'm really grateful and I'm really glad you did."

"Me too." Selene replied, but resisted adding that Ethan was probably just as glad as either of them were, and likely more so.

* * *

"So, you're saying that orcs eat people?" Ethan felt slightly sick to his stomach.

"They eat almost any meat." The man with the peg-leg replied. "They just like us 'cause apparently we taste better or something."

"And Lord Farbrottan abandoned you to their mercy?" Ethan said, not quite believing someone would be that cruel.

"Yep." The other man nodded. "Lord Kalus has sent a few troops on the sly to help, but can't send more or Lord Fatbrat might think it was an invasion and respond in kind."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Didn't you kill over a hundred men in The Arena?"

"No." He shook his head. "That story has certainly grown in the telling. There was maybe thirty, and a half dozen of them sided with me and killed about as many of my attackers."

"That's still well over a dozen; a feat few warriors could match." The man replied. "We need Illuminar's help; we need your help."

"I'm not Illuminar." He said grimacing. "I'd like to help, but I'm not sure how much help one man -- even one dragon -- could be."

The other man shook his head. "Not just one man, or even one dragon; one prophet of Illuminar. With Him being on your side there, how could you not prevail?"

*Ethan, what about the grenades?* Rachel thought to everyone. *That could make a huge difference; just the fear factor alone could help dramatically, and might scare them away.*

*Hmm, you've got a point.* He nodded to her, then turned back to the man. "I can't promise anything, but I can try."

"Thank you very much." The man looked up to the heavens. "Blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." All his wives echoed.

Not long after, Sarah and Selene came out with the lunch. It was pretty good too; sautéed veggies with some kind of wine sauce and some beef pieces mixed in.

"This is really good." Beth exclaimed after taking a bite.

"Thank you." Sarah beamed.

"Why don't you sit down and eat with us?" Alana offered, and then did something that Ethan didn't expect. The wood elf stood and offered Sarah her chair... which was right next to him.

"Oh no, I couldn't." She said.

"Please do." Alana insisted.

The girl hesitated, so the wood elf turned and grabbed another chair from a nearby table, which Selene had also done only moments ago. Everyone scooched a bit at the already crowded table so there was room for one last additional chair, and Alana sat down on the new chair, leaving only one empty seat for Sarah: right next to Ethan.

"You should sit next to your husband." Sarah said gently, but firmly. "Besides, I'm already betrothed and it wouldn't be proper."

For some reason, Ethan felt his heart sink slightly at the news that she was betrothed. He thought Selene might've mentioned it at some point, but he'd forgotten. As one, all his wives glanced at him, probably feeling his emotions at that.

"Sarah, I can sit next to him all day, every day if I want." Alana said, then added in a tone that brooked no argument. "Sit down."

The girl smiled sheepishly and did so.

As she did, Ethan's dragon side bristled. It still didn't like the girl's presence, or probably more accurately the demon that was possessing her. He vaguely wondered how his dragon side knew, but had no idea. Regardless, he didn't mind her sitting next to him.

Not at all.

"Anyway, Sarah has a really nice herb garden." Selene offered to get the conversation going again, then looked at the girl. "Why don't you tell them about it?"

Ethan couldn't care less about herbs or gardens, but found himself riveted anyway. The girl seemed to light up when she spoke about them, and the effect on her features was pronounced. Sarah was a fairly plain girl and not especially attractive. She wasn't ugly by any stretch, but even calling her 'pretty' might be stretching things slightly. However, he didn't care. Plus, the smile on her face as she talked about her garden did wonderful things to her countenance.

He found himself wishing that she wasn't betrothed.

It was silly.

The girl literally had a demon, and he already had four wonderful wives, possibly plus Kendra too. He knew that Illuminar said he'd have seven wives, and a part of him wished that Sarah could be number six or number seven. Alas, it couldn't be because she was betrothed. As much as he was starting to like her, he wouldn't ever do anything because he knew exactly how awful it was to have a fiancée leave for someone else.

After lunch was over, Rachel spoke up. "Ethan, I hate to cut things short, but we shouldn't tarry too long here. We really need to get to Gralden, and there's a good chance that this inn is being watched by either Lord Farbrottan or Lord Delmar." She cocked her head to one side. "Actually, Lady Ekthros is in charge of intelligence, so she might have people watching the place."

"Good point." He nodded, then turned to the man with the pegged-leg. "I have to travel to Gralden, but if you'll give the location of your mine to Taloni here--" He indicated the Fey girl. "--then I'll try to make my way there to help."

The man did so and they all walked out of the inn. Sarah followed them out, and she had a contented sort of smile on her face.

"Thank you for being so understanding about my problem." The innkeeper's daughter said to him as they all walked to the rope ladder hanging down from the Argo.

"No problem." He replied, then added with a wink. "We people with problems need to stick together."

She laughed.

She had a great laugh.

A really great laugh.

* * *

Selene couldn't believe the transformation in the innkeeper's daughter. She seemed almost like a different person with Ethan around. It seemed that something of her conversation with Ethan had sunk into the girl's ears and she didn't seem so down on herself anymore. She had hummed while making lunch and was laughing now. As Selene thought about it, she wasn't sure that she'd ever heard the girl laugh before.

She had a great laugh.

It was also amusing to see her and Ethan fall for each other, and they had; hard. It was patently obvious to everyone except perhaps the two of them. Sarah had been smitten with the idea of the dragon before, but she was absolutely head over heels in love now. Selene frowned at the expression 'head over heels'. Wasn't the head always over the heels, at least when standing?

Anyway, they were perhaps 'heels over head' in love with each other.

A tiny part of the Brazilian woman felt slightly jealous. Did Ethan fall in love with every woman he met except for her? She knew it was stupid, and self-centered, and selfish, and frankly she didn't want him to fall in love with her because she didn't want to share a husband.

However...

She sighed.

Once again, she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with her. Ethan treated her well and was respectful, in fact he was a great example of a friend with no romantic attraction. But she didn't understand why there was no attraction. What was she missing that seemingly every other girl in his life had?

What was wrong with her?

Was she so self-absorbed that her personality was repelling him? Given her current train of thought, she thought that might be part of the problem. Really, what kind of woman is annoyed that a man isn't falling in love with her? She knew she was being self-absorbed, but she couldn't shake that question: what was so wrong with her?

She wanted to figure it out because she did want to get married someday. She supposed that she would have to find a husband in the Ten Kingdoms somehow. You know, one who didn't try to buy her from her father, and wouldn't want to sell any future daughters into marriage, and who acknowledged her as being fully his equal and partner in everything.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

* * *

Rachel watched the goodbyes happening below her from the weather deck of the Argo. She'd said good bye to Sarah first and then climbed the ladder to see how things played out. As she'd guessed, Ethan and Sarah were doing that thing people did when they liked each other but didn't want to let on. They were maintaining a slightly too respectful distance and smiling seemingly at random times.

She chuckled.

"Copper for your thoughts?" Alana asked as she finished climbing the ladder and walked over to her.

"Our husband is funny." She replied, and then saw the expression on Alana's face fall slightly. "What?"

The wood elf sighed as she joined Rachel at the railing, looking down at the 'couple'. "He really likes her, doesn't he?"

"I'd say so." The redhead replied glancing down. Everyone else was making their way up the ladder, and Ethan had a hand and a foot on it, but was still talking to Sarah.

"Is that a problem?" Rachel asked.

Alana hesitated, then shook her head slowly. "No, not really."

"So, 'yes' in other words. What's wrong?"

Alana looked down and watched their husband chatting with the innkeeper's daughter. "It's stupid."

"Sweetie, nothing that's bothering you could possibly be stupid." The mage said kindly.

"Thank you." Her best friend blushed slightly. She leaned on the railing with one arm and looked at Rachel. "He fell for her even faster than he did for me."

"Oh." Rachel said nodding.

"I know it's stupid. He has three other wives and he loves all of us. I just always felt like... like..."

"Like you two have something special?" Rachel offered. "Beth and Taloni know that he loves them, but they occasionally say that you and he are soul mates. Are you feeling less like that?"

She grimaced, but nodded. "Does that make me a bad wife?"

Rachel shook her head. "You offered to give Sarah your chair knowing this, right?"

The wood elf nodded. "It's just that she understands him in a way that I never can. I can never be the one who understands what his dragon side is like; she can. I'm happy for him, I'm happy that he's finally found someone who truly understands. But it's not me, even though I'd like to be that for him. It's just..." She hung her head slightly. "I don't know."

"You're talking like they're already married." Rachel pointed out.

Alana gave her a look. "Did you see them together? It's only a matter of time."

"She's betrothed."

"And betrothals can be annulled." Alana pointed out.

"Only by the groom-to-be, and only with cause." Rachel countered. "Sarah doesn't strike me as the type to sleep with another man or publicly expose herself. So, I'm not sure her betrothed will ever have the grounds to divorce her."

"I just have a feeling." Alana said. "I'm not sure why, but it's like the feeling I had about you marrying him; I knew that you were going to marry Ethan. I just knew it in my bones."

"You're saying that you have the same feeling about Sarah?"

"Well, no." The wood elf admitted. "But did you see them together? They..." She looked down at them, still at the bottom of the ladder and still talking to each other like they never wanted to stop.

She sighed heavily. "They're perfect for each other."

"Come here." Rachel opened her arms and Alana leaned into them.

The brunette sighed. "I'm happy for them, and frankly I think that Ethan needs someone like that; someone who really understands his dragon side. I just wish it could be me."

"Do you feel like you're being replaced?" Rachel asked as their hug broke.

"No." She shook her head. "Ethan loves me right down to his bones. He'll never leave me or replace me. Ever. I don't think he could even if he wanted to, and I know he doesn't want to. I know he'd be horrified at just the thought of losing me. But I feel like I'm failing him because I can't be the one who understands his dragon side, but Sarah can."

"Neither can Taloni." Rachel observed to make a point. "Is she failing him?"

"Of course not. She's such a dear, and I think he needs that too."

"Or what about Beth?" Rachel pressed. "Is she failing him too?"

"Of course not, each one of us--" Alana stopped mid-sentence, then gave her best friend a piercing look. "I see why he calls you the 'wise redhead'."

"I try." She grinned.

"You're saying that we can't all be everything to Ethan, and that I don't have to be either."

Rachel nodded. "He once told me that he likes the fact that each of his wives has a distinct personality. You have a part of him that none of the rest of us have, and we each have a part of him that you don't have, because we're all different. If he marries Sarah -- and that's a big 'if' -- then her part of him might be more visible than yours, but that doesn't make yours less important."

"Okay." Alana nodded. She didn't exactly look cheerful, but didn't look downcast anymore.

"Besides, now you know how the rest of us feel." Rachel winked.

"What?"

"He loves and adores all of us more than life itself, but he has something extra special with you." Rachel replied. "I don't think that Beth and Taloni are wrong when they call you his soul-mate. I might occasionally get a bit jealous of how deep your bond is."

"Really?"

"A bit, yeah." She nodded. "Our resident blondes told me that you made him orgasm by just looking at him."

Alana smiled sheepishly. "Well, it takes more than just that, but okay; point taken."

"And by the way, you simply must let me in on that particular secret." Rachel said as she felt her cheeks get slightly warm.

"I'd love to." The wood elf grinned.

* * *

"Ethan?"

"Hmm?" He said, not really paying attention to anything except the small inn that was slowly fading into the distance behind the Argo. More accurately, he was remembering his conversation with one of the most delightful women that he'd ever met, and that was saying something. She was certainly the most delightful woman he'd ever met who he hadn't already married. He glanced towards the voice and saw his youngest wife looking at him knowingly.

"She'll make a great wife." Beth smiled at him.

"Yeah she--" His brain caught up with his mouth and he stopped. "Who will?"

"Sarah of course." The blonde said brightly. "She seems really nice. Well, as long as you don't scare her."

"Yeah, but she's someone else's girl, and I won't mess with that. Ever." He said firmly, not quite able to keep a note of sadness out of his voice.

"Well, I'm sure you'll see her again." She said. "Selene wanted to return for Sarah's wedding, and she's located pretty centrally in Ivernia, so I'm sure we'll pass nearby again."

"Maybe." Ethan suddenly had a mental picture of Sarah wearing a white wedding dress and standing at an altar with another man. He scowled. That was an image he didn't want to see in real life. Ever. She was betrothed and he wouldn't ever do anything to mess with that -- not after what his ex had done -- but that didn't mean he wanted to watch her marry someone else.

"Anyway, did you want something?" He asked.

"Yes, I was just wondering what the plan was." The ever-curious blonde asked.

"As far as...?"

"Well, I know we're going to see my father in Gralden." Beth said. "I was just wondering what we're going to do after that, since now we have an orc situation on the horizon."

"Yeah, things do seem to be piling up, don't they? Let's get everyone together and talk it out." He replied, glad for something to think about other than Sarah marrying someone else.

He scowled.

Not long after, Ethan, Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and Selene were all assembled in front of the captain's cabin where they usually ate breakfast.

"Okay, so we have a couple of things that we need to deal with." He said. "We're going to Gralden now obviously, but after that we have a couple of options." He ticked them off on his fingers. "First, there's dealing with the orcs at that mountain range. Second, there's the situation with Selene's old boss. Third, there's the situation with the wood elves in Nalatia, and especially Alana's parents. Thoughts?"

"As much as I hate to say this, I don't think Nalatia is as pressing as the other two." Alana said sadly.

"I agree." Rachel nodded, though she gave the wood elf a sympathetic look. "Orcs can be pretty horrible, but an invasion from your world might end up being more devastating."

"How did we get here?" Ethan shook his head with a wry smile. "We're sitting around calmly trying to decide which is more urgent: fighting the cannibalistic orcs or stopping a planetary invasion by a black ops government organization."

"Wow." Selene slowly shook her head. "Is life always like this on here?"

"Not usually." Alana chuckled. "My life was pretty quiet until a certain dragon crashed it." She looked at him fondly.

"I was a Lord's daughter." Beth said. "My biggest excitement was meeting the newest suitor for my hand."

"Same here." Rachel agreed.

"There were occasional dragon attacks at the mine, but otherwise my life was pretty boring unless Prayla dragged me into one of her schemes." Taloni offered.

Everyone looked at Selene.

"I just started as an FBI agent, but... Hmm." The caramel-haired beauty paused for a moment, and then got an odd look on her face.

"What?" He asked.

"It's..." She hesitated. "...it's nothing." She shook her head. He guessed that something had occurred to her, but she didn't look ready to share, so he didn't ask further.

"So, cannibalistic orcs or planetary invasion?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I have an idea about how we might fight the orcs, but how would we fight the invasion?" Beth asked.

"I think our primary targets would be Gonorran and the portal." Ethan replied. "If we can destroy the portal and neutralize Gonorran, then the threat is ended because they can't get here anymore. The trouble is, how do we do that?"

"Someone would have to go to Earth." Rachel replied after a moment. "There's really no other way to deal with either the portal or Gonorran since both are on Earth."

"Could we destroy the portal in the ruined temple here in the Ten Kingdoms?" Beth asked. "Would that help?"

"I don't think so." Rachel replied. "From what I understand, another portal just creates a more convenient way to target a portal's endpoint. They've already targeted the Ten Kingdoms, so destroying the portal here wouldn't make much difference since they could open the endpoint somewhere else in the Ten Kingdoms."

"Plus, even if that did work it might be a bad thing." Selene added. "From a tactical perspective, it's much better to know where the enemy will be. If Rachel is right, then destroying the portal here means the portal from Earth could open anywhere on this world. It's better if we at least know where they are going to arrive."

"Good point." Ethan said. "So we need to deal with Gonorran before the portal. So, who wants to go to Earth?"

No one replied.

"Yeah, me either." He nodded. "I get the feeling that they'd love to have a dragon to dissect."

"I'll go." Selene said, raising her hand with a sigh. "I'm the obvious choice. Anyone who's guarding the portal will have seen a picture of me because I went MIA with the first group, so they're much less likely to shoot. I can almost guarantee that they'll take me straight to Smithbond, so I can get close to Gonorran."

"That might be a one-way trip though." Ethan pointed out. "You seemed to think that Smithbond wanted you in his agency whether you wanted to be or not. Plus, they might just throw you in the brig."

"You're not wrong." Selene sighed. "I don't have much of a plan, but we can't do nothing."

Ethan looked at her with a newfound respect. It wasn't often that you meet a person who was willing to potentially throw her entire life away for a slim chance of success in a noble cause. It really was quite impressive that she offered and didn't need to be convinced.

"It doesn't have to be a one-way trip master." Taloni said. "We could bring Selene back to the Ten Kingdoms with the portal near Arcanum."

"Yes but, how would we know when she's ready to come back?" He countered.

"She could always just tell us master." The Fey said with a smile that was somehow both innocent and sly at the same time.

"Considering the problems I'm having with just one..." He paused searching for the right word.

"Wife who's not here?" The Fey suggested.

"...other woman I'm bonded that's not here, I'm pretty sure that bonding to Selene and sending her half a galaxy away would be a colossally stupid move."

"Besides, I'm not interested in sharing a husband." Selene said firmly.

"Okay, but then your journey back to Earth will be a one-way trip." Rachel said.

"I was born on Earth, and coming here wasn't exactly what I wanted." The Brazilian woman replied with a shrug.

"You sure you're going to be okay on Earth?" He asked. "I mean, you'll survive and aren't walking to your death?"

The gorgeous woman hesitated.

"Here's one thing to consider." Rachel said. "How will we know if Selene is successful if we can't communicate with her?"

"Oh." Ethan frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, there would be no way to know..." He grimaced. "We really need to know for sure." He said finally.

"Plus, what about the men they already sent here?" Taloni asked. "They would be stranded here and what if they have families?"

Ethan clapped his hand to his forehead. "I hadn't even thought of that."

Selene shook her head. "I doubt they'd send men with families on this kind of mission because they might be stranded, and wouldn't want them to be distracted by that. But another point; do we want those men, weapons, and equipment from Earth here in the Ten Kingdoms?"

"Yeah, that's a lot of tech and weapons that really shouldn't be here, meaning we'd need to think of a way to get them home as well." Ethan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Wow, this is turning into quite the undertaking."

"And it will likely only get harder the longer we wait." Rachel pointed out.

"True." Selene nodded.

Ethan groaned. "Well damn."

"Yeah." Alana sighed. "We need a plan if this is going to work."

"A good, well thought out one." Ethan agreed.

"Back to the original question then: how about orcs first?" Rachel suggested. "We can use the time it takes to get there and back planning and brainstorming."

"Not a bad idea." Ethan nodded. "Does everyone else agree?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"Okay, orcs first then." Ethan announced.

"I do have a suggestion." Selene offered.

"Yes?" He replied.

"We can't be too far from the portal; it might be a good idea to do a little recon now while we're in the area. That way we know what we're up against."

"Good idea." He nodded. "I'd rather not put the Argo in harm's way though. I'll fly out and see what I can see."

"Please be careful master." Taloni said with a nervous flutter of her wings.

"I'll fly high and use the disguise gem. They'll only see a large vulture looking for a meal."

"So, it just occurred to me." Selene mused. "What else could you use that disguise gem for? It seems like a pretty OP thing to me."

"OP?" Beth asked.

"Sorry, it's video-game slang for 'Over-Powered'." Selene explained. "It certainly seems to be that."

"Not really." He replied. "Anyone who tries can tell when it's on. The guards in Nalatia did the moment they checked. I don't know if they could see through it, but they could definitely tell there was a disguise enchantment."

"There are more powerful ones though." Alana added. "Elder Goman had a disguise enchantment that I assume must stand up to scrutiny from all kinds of powerful mages. Ethan's is pretty noticeable by comparison, at least if you're looking for it."

"It's noticeable even when you're not looking if you've been around one enough." Rachel added. "I noticed that Sarah had something similar going on with her, though it seemed much, much smaller in magnitude."

"Wait, Sarah has a disguise gem?" Selene asked.

Rachel shook her head. "I don't think so, and the effect was pretty small. It might tweak her appearance slightly, but only slightly. It was a pretty subtle effect and probably wouldn't change her appearance much at all. She may not even know about it."

"Huh, interesting." Ethan mused.

"I wonder if it's coming from her demon." Selene added, then shook her head. "Wow, I'm casually talking about demons now. Does this place ever get less weird?"

"I'll let you know." Ethan chuckled. "I got all the crazy spread out over two or three months; you're getting it much faster."

The Brazilian woman laughed. "Fair."

* * *

Ethan soared through the sky as he searched below for the ruined temple that Selene had described. He was rather high up and didn't see anything that looked like it. He'd started near Sarah's inn and gradually flown in ever wider circles trying to find it. He might've spent a fair bit of time glancing towards the inn to see if Sarah went outside too, but no such luck. Alas, he was too far away for that now. As he thought about it, he decided he might not admit that particular fact when asked how the recon went.

*How long does Selene think that she was unconscious?* Ethan asked his wives.

There was a short wait, then Alana replied. *She isn't sure, but she thinks it wasn't more than a couple hours.*

He frowned. *I don't see anything that looks like what she described, and I can see for miles up here. I've done a few loops, covering maybe a hundred square miles.*

Another pause, the Rachel chimed in. *Does the phrase 'aerial camo' mean anything to you? Selene says it should.*

*Yeah, that would be smart of them.* He changed what he was looking for. Instead of looking for a clearing and a building, he started looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. A repeating pattern, a lack of trees, a change of the usual tree color, or anything else out of the ordinary.

It occurred to him that since he was so far out, the only logical thing to do was start searching at the beginning again. You know, over the inn. You know, just to make sure that he didn't miss anything. It only made sense to be thorough, right? Purely for the sake not missing the base of course. He knew he was rationalizing, but a part of him didn't care.

Alas, he didn't see what he was looking for when he arrived, so he started making wide circles looking for a ruined temple covered by aerial camo again.

An hour later he saw something.

His wings were just beginning to tire of his ever widening circles when he noticed a spot in the trees that just looked... odd. There was a strange rise-and-fall shape almost like a tent and the colors were a bit too regular. He got a bit closer, but didn't need to get too close. Dragons have excellent vision and he was over a thousand feet in the air as he passed over.

It looked to be some sort of aerial camo netting that had been draped over a large area. It was hard to see through, but he could just make out movement under the canopy with his dragon eyes. He even thought that he saw the glint of steel a few times. It looked like they'd opted to cover the ruined temple, as there was a high spot in the camo cover.

*I think I found them, but the camo cover makes it really hard to see much of what's going on.* He announced.

*Where master?*

He looked around. *Um, about five miles nearly due East of Sarah's inn.* He said, and then the girl crossed his mind again.

He couldn't help but smile.

*You're really smitten, aren't you master?* The Fey asked, probably because she felt his emotions over their bond.

*She's betrothed.* He replied simply. *It doesn't really matter what I feel; I'm not messing with an engaged woman.*

He let his shoulders slump slightly because of that, though he kept his wings rigid so he didn't drop like a stone.

He soared over a dry grain field and felt the warm air bearing him aloft in the rising thermal current. He slowly circled above the field for several minutes gaining altitude. He hadn't flapped his wings in well over an hour, not since he'd discovered that certain types of ground produced warm updrafts in the afternoon sun. He'd been using them to stay aloft, and it was a lot less work that flapping all the time.

*I'm heading back to the Argo.* He announced once he'd gained enough height.

*What does it looked like?" Beth asked, curious as ever.

*I'll explain when I get back so Selene can hear.*

*Master, you wouldn't need to wait if--*

*Tee.* Beth interrupted with amusement. *He's crushing on Sarah right now; maybe mention Selene later?*

*You girls know that I can hear you right?* He chuckled.

*I know...* Beth replied, and he could almost hear her mischievous smile and the cute way her cheeks dimpled when she did so.

He laughed.

A while later, he landed on the Argo. When he did, he rolled his wings around a bit to work out the kinks. Turns out that holding them in one position for a couple hours could make them a bit crampy. Plus, they were still sore from the beating he'd taken earlier.

"And?" Selene asked.

"I couldn't see much." He explained. "It looked like there were at least a dozen people moving around, but I wouldn't be surprised if the real number was double or triple that. I saw some metal too, so I'd guess that they have a fair bit of equipment moved already."

"Anything that looked like weapons?" Rachel asked sounding apprehensive.

"I couldn't see very well, but I'm sure there's some." He replied. "Given the presence of airships here, I'd guess they have an Anti-Air emplacement or two."

'That would make sense." Selene nodded. "The question is, what do we do about it?"

"For starters, I think I'm going to change my self-enchanting strategy." He mused as an idea occurred to him.

"Oh?" Alana asked.

"Yeah. Remember a while back when I mentioned Spider-Man from Earth, and how he could sense danger before it struck?"

"Yes." Beth replied. "Didn't you say that he had a 'Jedi-sense' or something like that?"

Selene and Ethan laughed before the latter spoke. "Spider sense. I realized while I was fighting Sarah that reacting faster wouldn't have helped. I think I'm at the point where improving my reflexes won't help much unless I can actually move faster. So unless I start improving my speed, more reflexes don't seem like they would help much."

Selene started humming the Spider-Man theme.

"Exactly." He grinned.

Everyone else stared, so he explained.

"Do you really think that'll work?" Rachel asked looking skeptical. "Predicting the future is up there with telepathy, telekinesis, and transfiguration as the most difficult of all magical arts. Most mages say it is the hardest of all magical arts."

"I'm not sure, but I'm definitely going to find out." He said with a wide grin. "Besides, you once said it got harder the further out you were trying to predict. I'm only thinking of looking a second or two, so it can't be that impossible, right?"

"Maybe?" Rachel looked skeptical. "But like I said, it's up there with telepathy, and transfiguration as the hardest magic to do."

"I'll find out soon enough." He shrugged. "Speaking of transfiguration, at some point we need to all sit down and talk about Lady Ekthros and her trying to turn men into dragons. I think we'll need to eventually do something about that too."

"Agreed." Rachel nodded. "She's a powerful arch mage, though funny enough she keeps that pretty quiet. I don't think all my father's advisors know. Anyway, she's incredibly devious and knows more about the happenings in the Ten Kingdoms than most people."

"Really?" Beth asked. "I didn't realize."

"She's my father's most trusted advisor, and is in charge of the intelligence gathering; I wouldn't be surprised if she knew more about what's going on in the Ten Kingdoms than he does, and he's incredibly well informed." The redhead turned to Ethan. "Take our visit to pick up Selene; I bet she knows about that, which is why I suggested keeping the Argo far away when we returned earlier."

Ethan frowned. "So we should be careful if we want to return there again."

"Absolutely." Rachel agreed. "She likely had people watching the place and thus might already know that we were there earlier today; she's that good. Plus, she's not only good at collecting information, she's also good at sharing it in such a way that she can get most people to believe anything she wants them to believe. She could sell water to a sea elf, and have him happy about the purchase."

"So basically, don't trust a word she says because she'll twist your head about. Got it." Ethan sighed, glad they weren't likely to run into her again. At least not for a while. However, he could see a reckoning coming eventually, and wasn't looking forward to meeting her again.

He pitied anyone who did.

* * *

Sarah took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

She couldn't believe what a runaway-horse-ride the day had been. First there had been meeting Ethan while he was disguised and the flutter that her heart had developed. Then the fight with him, her breakdown afterward, and how nice he had been. He'd come to comfort her after she'd attacked him, and even helped her to see that her problem -- her demon -- didn't need to define her. He'd been so nice, and he had seemed like he enjoyed talking with her because he'd lingered before leaving.

She couldn't stop from smiling.

He'd been so nice.

He was so different than what she'd been expecting from a prophet of Illuminar, but so much better than she'd ever imagined. She couldn't believe that he -- the prophet of Illuminar himself -- struggled in much the same way that she did. That was just...

Just...

There were no words.

She felt sorry for him that he had to struggle, but if Illuminar could do good with someone else who struggled with a problem the same way that she did, then maybe there was hope for her too. She was really glad that they'd met each other, and glad that they understood each other so well. It was a dream come true. Literally a dream come true. It hadn't played out anything like she'd imagined though.

It was better.

Her smile faltered as she remembered Rindrin.

She was determined to be the best wife that she could be to him. And given that he couldn't break their betrothal without her doing one of two things that she would never do, it didn't matter. She belonged to Rindrin, not the dragon. She would've been lying if she'd said that she wasn't sad about that, but she was glad that the prophet of Illuminar didn't think that she was a terrible person, even after she'd attacked him.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Her father asked from his fireside chair. "You get up to something special while I was in town earlier?"

"Something like that." She smiled back.

"Well don't keep it in, let's hear it." He replied, and he actually seemed to be in a better mood than normal.

"Well, earlier this morning--" She stopped as the door to the inn opened and a woman walked in.

She was tall, just over six feet and looked to be in her late forties, though she guessed that she looked very young for her actual age. She was wearing a simple but elegant dress that was suitable for a wealthy woman who was traveling. Her face had sharp, angular features and while she didn't look unpleasant, there was nary a laugh or smile line to be seen. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Hello." Sarah said brightly. "Welcome to the inn."

"Thank you." The woman nodded with a smile. "I'd like a room."

"Um, we only have a communal sleeping area. Sorry." She replied apologetically.

The woman frowned, but nodded and pulled out a coin purse.

"It's one silver for you and your husband." Sarah offered.

"Husband." The woman scoffed good-naturedly. "That's not likely; it's just me."

"Then ten coppers."

The woman pulled out two silver coins. "I'd like my own bed."

"You have to give them to my father."

The woman did so, and Sarah smiled slightly. A customer who paid extra would put him in an extra good mood.

"I might stay here for a few days. I'm planning to meet my lord nearby and this appears to be the closest inn." The woman said looking around, and then looked at Sarah herself. "Plus I'm hoping to meet someone else here too."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like." She replied brightly. "My name is Sarah, what's yours?"

"Ekthros." The woman replied. "Lady Ekthros."

TO BE CONTINUED...

***For (hopefully) obvious reasons, this is one of my favorite chapters and I've been looking forward to publishing it for a long time. Also, thanks to a scheduling issue that I couldn't have foreseen, you all will have to 'suffer' through getting the next chapter a week earlier than usual. I'll submit on the last Wednesday in May, so it should drop on the 27th or 28th (after the review process); that's only three weeks. I might have to move future submissions to the last Wednesday of the month due to the same issue; I'll let you know next chapter.***

***I'd like to extend a very special thanks to two of my patrons who've been enormously helpful, one of whom didn't want to be credited by name. So "Anonymous" and Joseph: thank you so much. I really appreciate it. ***