Chapter 38: The devil you know...

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

* * *

Kendra sat alone in the dark on Ralgar and Anthiel's couch, still trying to process what had happened earlier that day with Ethan. She was almost sure that he had been mere moments from compelling her to have sex with him. She swallowed hard and tried to control her stomach's reaction to that. Ethan hadn't met her eye since it had happened, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to.

Then again, a part of her did.

She had heard of 'abject lust' before, but had never felt it herself; not with how detached and disciplined the Aldmiri had trained her to be. But what she'd felt over her bond with Ethan... That was something else. She shuddered every time she recalled it, and she couldn't tell if it was a good shudder or a bad shudder.

Her stomach lurched.

She drank down the last of the anti-nausea tea that Mirella had so kindly offered to make, but it only helped a little. And then there was the fact that Ethan had jumped between her and that mage to protect her.

Why?

He almost seemed to treat her like one of his wives. She had seen countless dragons defend their hoards before, even to the death. There was no doubt that Ethan felt that way about his wives and would die to protect them.

But her?

After what she'd done?

And yet she couldn't deny her eyes. He had looked exactly like a dragon who was ready to die defending his hoard; like Ethan ready to die defending his wives... and it had been for her. Obviously it must have something to do with their bond, but she still couldn't wrap her head around it.

The previous day she'd been wondering if the Argo's crew would fight for her. Now she knew they would. Or at least Ethan would, and she was sure his wives would follow his lead.

They were willing to fight for her.

She felt her throat get a bit tight and swallowed hard. She blinked several times as some extra liquid in her eyes threatened to make her vision blurry.

They were willing to fight for her.

She swallowed hard and blinked several times trying to clear her eyes. She had literally never had that before. Even her former squad mates only fought for her because she was useful to them; an asset. But it wasn't like that with Ethan and his wives. They were willing to fight for her. Not for what she could do for them, just for her as a person.

She didn't know what to do with that.

In fact, she--

She was shaken from her reverie by movement outside the door. There was the sound of scuffling and someone bumped into the door. Moments later, it opened. Ethan's disguise gem form came through the door, supporting Selene on one side while Beth and Alana were supporting her on the other side. The Brazilian woman's head was lolling slightly.

"S'up here? Back in the back place where the--" She hiccupped, then belched. Kendra could almost smell the whiskey on her breath from where she was sitting.

Ethan looked at her, and then averted his eyes. "Could we set her on the couch?"

Kendra got up and the movement appeared to draw the drunk woman's eyes. "Ken-ra. How doin' you?"

The dragon huntress rolled her eyes. "What happened? She doesn't seem the type to indulge in the sauce."

Ethan, Alana, and Beth lowered the caramel-haired beauty down onto the couch, where she appeared to pass out almost instantly. Even drunk-as-a-skunk and passed out from alcohol, she still looked amazing; far better than Kendra herself felt like she looked on a good day.

It wasn't fair.

"I have no idea why she drank so much." Alana turned to her. "I don't think any of us realized how much she was drinking until..." She blushed.

"What?" The raven-haired woman asked.

"Selene is really beautiful, but her voice is... less so." Beth explained wryly.

Kendra chuckled, then frowned. What had made her drink so much? Ethan and Alana were stone-cold sober, and Beth clearly wasn't even tipsy, but Selene...

Hmm.

Interesting.

"Hey, take the bed tonight." The raven-haired woman finally said. "Neither Selene nor I enjoyed waking up and having to avoid a peep-show."

"Are you sure? Because--" Ethan started to say, though he still didn't meet her eye.

"Trust me." She interrupted. "I'd rather not go through that again."

"Okay." He nodded.

There was an awkward pause, then Alana and Beth looked at each other before the former spoke. "We're going to bed." Both women said goodnight Kendra, then kissed Ethan, then headed towards the guest bedroom.

That was followed by an awkward silence.

Very awkward.

"Um, Kendra." Ethan said after several seconds.

"I forgive you." She replied.

He glanced at her. "What?"

"You were going to apologize right? For earlier?"

He nodded.

"Then I forgive you." She said. "I tried to kill you Ethan, more than once. I put you and your wives in danger too, and you forgave me. How could I not do the same for you? Especially since nothing actually happened."

"It almost did though." He replied quietly.

"Yes, but it didn't. I almost killed you a few times, but didn't. Trust me, we're square; more than square. You're so far ahead that I'll never catch up." She tried to keep a note of bitterness out of her voice on that last statement. She hated how much she owed him.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he ran his hand over the top of his head, exactly where his hair would be if he was human. "Can I be honest?"

"Please."

"My dragon side is getting stronger, and I'm not..." He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "I mean, if you keep traveling with us; if we get the Argo back and you stay on board, then at some point..." He trailed off, seemingly not able to finish the sentence.

Kendra's mouth replied before her brain had a chance to process. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Wait, what?

It was?

But even as she thought it, she knew it was true; it was a risk she was willing to take. She wasn't willing to part with her friends -- her home -- even if that was the cost. Some part of her brain, some tiny, long-neglected part of her brain reminded her of the abject lust that had poured over their bond. It teased that she might actually like paying that particular cost.

Her stomach roiled.

However, that same part of her brain reminded her that if she did go to bed with Ethan, she could have that indescribable feeling of waking up with someone else there.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked. "I can't always control my dragon side, and even less so lately. That meditating thing you showed me helped, but it's a Band-Aid, not a solution."

Kendra guessed what 'Band-Aid' meant from the context and nodded. "I'm sure."

He cocked his head to one side and looked at her with his mouth slightly open.

"You might want to catch up with your wives." She suggested after several seconds of awkward silence. "I'm sure they're missing you, Beth especially."

He stared at her for several long seconds before nodding his head slowly. "Yeah... yeah, okay. Good night Kendra."

"Good night Ethan." She replied, and even tried giving him an encouraging smile. Okay, it was a small smile and not terribly genuine, but she hoped it got the point across.

He gave her a pained half-smile back, and then headed towards the bedroom. He was gone for less than a minute before he returned with a large folded blanket, which he held out to her. "For Selene, since I'm guessing she'll sleep it off out here."

Kendra took the blanket and nodded. "Probably."

There was a slightly awkward silence for several seconds as the two of them looked at each other.

"What?" She finally asked.

"You're a pretty amazing woman Kendra, has anyone ever told you that?"

Suddenly, she felt a warm feeling spread across her body, like sitting by a fire with a warm blanket or having cup of hot tea with a friend.

"Thank you." She said as the warm feeling spread to her cheeks. "I don't think anyone has ever... or at least no one who really knew who I was."

"Well, you are." He made a thoughtful sound, then nodded. "You definitely are. Well, good night."

"Night." She whispered back.

For the tiniest split second, she almost wanted to follow him. She couldn't get the image of him jumping between herself and the mage out of her head. He had definitely guarded her, defended her; fought for her. Plus, he thought that she was 'a pretty amazing woman'. That warm feeling seemed to intensify a little bit, and she felt a tiny smile start to creep onto her face.

She sat down on the couch next to the Brazilian woman. The blanket was large enough for both of them, so she leaned back and covered herself with it too.

Ethan thought that she was an amazing woman?

For some strange reason, the warm feeling seemed to get a bit warmer around her pelvic region.

* * *

"Ugh." Selene moaned as her head did its best to pound itself into oblivion. Fuck, she hadn't drunk that much in... in... maybe ever? It felt like she was at a rock concert and someone had duct-taped her head to one of the speakers.

"You're awake." A feminine voice thundered at normal conversation volume. Kendra maybe?

"Not so loud." The Brazilian beauty groaned, covering her ears.

"You gonna be okay?" The dragon huntress whispered. She was still a bit loud, but tolerably so.

"No, I got blind drunk because life is fucking awesome." She groaned as she pulled the blanket over her head.

"Sorry, anything I can do to help?"

"Pull out some of that magic shit for this hangover." She mumbled.

"Sorry, magic isn't a cure-all." The raven-haired woman replied. "You'll need to recover the old-fashioned way."

"Well that sucks ginormous donkey balls; this God-forsaken world doesn't even have coffee." The Brazilian woman tucked her legs up and curled into the fetal position. She just wanted to sleep. She wanted this miserable day to end.

"I'll see if Mirella has anything that might help." Kendra offered, and then Selene felt her get off the couch.

She didn't move.

"Here, try this." Mirella's caring voice said from nearby a while later.

Selene's nosed filled with the scent of something vaguely tea-like that thankfully didn't make her want to puke, which was a minor miracle. It took her almost a whole minute to go from lying down under the covers to sitting up enough to drink. Mirella extended the small teacup towards her and she took it.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"Don't thank me yet; you haven't tasted it." Her high elf host replied. "It will help with the hangover, but you won't enjoy it, despite the smell. I apologize in advance."

She took a sip and instantly had to fight her gag reflex.

She almost spat it back out.

"If you drink the whole cup and have some water, you'll be much better within the hour." Mirella encouraged. "I'm really sorry about the taste though."

"Can I chug it?" Selene asked.

The other woman nodded, so she did... Then nearly emptied the non-existent contents of her stomach. Her mouth tasted like a combination of charred toast and how your mouth feels after licking rubber.

She shuddered.

Not long after, Ethan and his wives left their room. All of them looked a little... frustrated? No that wasn't right. Concerned? She wasn't sure. Clearly none of them had gotten laid that morning and it showed.

"Good morning, would you like breakfast?" Mirella asked them.

Ethan looked at Beth.

"I probably should eat something." The blonde said glumly.

"Are you okay?" Their high elf host asked.

"Yeah, I just..." Beth's shoulders slumped. "I need to talk to my dad this morning and I don't think it will go well."

"I'll say a prayer to Illuminar that it does." Mirella gave her a smile that was understanding, pained, and comforting. "When?"

"Probably right after breakfast." The blonde replied.

"Good." Selene thought out loud.

Ethan looked at her.

"I mean, there are people who need our help, and we can't help them without an airship to get there." She said, thinking of the miners who were having problems with orcs.

Beth sighed and then nodded. "Yeah, so after breakfast it is..."

* * *

Rachel sat at the kitchen table after breakfast with Alana, Taloni, Kendra, and Selene after Ethan and Beth had left, mostly in discussion about how the conversation was likely to go. The redhead enjoyed talking with them of course, but wished the topic was more pleasant.

"I really hope he changes his mind." The Fey said with a flutter of her wings, but she had a mournful look on her face and her tone conveyed skepticism. "Bee has been through a lot and we've gotten so close; I would love to see her happy again."

"Do you really think that'll happen?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, but I hope." Taloni replied, though again her tone was skeptical.

"Me too, I'm just not sure how likely it is." Alana said. "It's possible he could go the other direction and cause real problems for us. I'm not saying I think he will, but it's possible."

"I think it's more likely it'll be somewhere in between." Rachel offered. "Hopefully he'll stop fighting us, but I doubt things will go back to the way they were between Beth and her father in a single conversation."

"Fair point." The wood elf said as she looked at her.

Yet again, Rachel couldn't help but notice that Alana had the most beautiful eyes. Their rich hazel color was captivating and the depth of affection behind them was... was... well, as Ethan's mother might say: it 'made her heart happy'. The wood elf was beautiful inside and out, and that thought put the redhead in mind of her birthmark; the one they both shared.

She had successfully managed to block out thinking about hers for years before marrying Ethan. Well, not counting during the walk to see Graflex the dwarf in Arcanum a bit over a month ago; 40 days prior if her memory served her. She still had no clue where the birthmark had come from. Her father didn't have one, and her mother's side didn't have it either, not for at least ten generations prior to Rachel.

She'd even asked Lady Ekthros once before she knew what a snake the woman was. That's how she found out the devious woman was an arch mage, and had gone to great lengths to keep that fact hidden. Few in the court even knew that she could do magic, and only her father's inner circle -- and not even all of them -- knew that she was an arch mage. Sadly, she hadn't known anything about Rachel's birthmark either.

At least Ethan didn't mind.

She found it hard to believe that he wasn't turned off by such an obvious flaw, but apparently he wasn't.

"Rachel?" The most beautiful voice in the Ten Kingdoms broke into her thoughts.

"Hmm?" The redhead shook her head to clear it as she came back to the moment.

"I was asking if you think the fact that her father is a Lord might make him more or less willing to change his mind." Alana asked.

"Honestly, I think it makes him less likely." The teen mage replied. "Lords are used to getting their own way, and he's probably no different. Look at what happened with Selene yesterday."

Everyone turned to the caramel haired beauty, who hadn't taken part in the conversation yet. The Brazilian woman had her eyes closed and seemed to be trying to tune out the world. Rachel didn't blame her if her hangover was as bad as it seemed.

Still, the redhead thought something else was going on with her. She seemed abnormally quiet, and then there was the reason she had gotten so drunk in the first place; whatever the reason actually was.

* * *

"And you're sure you want to talk to him alone?" Ethan asked as he and Beth walked down the cobblestone streets towards Lord Borden's manor house.

The blonde nodded, though she was looking more at the ground than at him or where they were going. "Yeah. He's going to fixate on you if you're there. Besides..." She glanced at him with sad eyes and sighed. "He's my father, and if I ever want to have a relationship with him, I think I need to talk to him one-on-one."

Ethan couldn't help but remember the flighty, slightly selfish, immature teen that Beth had been only a couple of months ago, and contrasted that with the young woman walking beside him now. She'd grown so much in such a short time and he found a smile creeping onto his face despite the situation.

"What?" She asked after glancing at him again.

"I'm really proud of the woman you've become." He said as the smile spread across his face without conscious effort.

"Thank you." She smiled back and seemed to stand up just a little bit straighter.

"You can do this Beth." He continued. "I know it won't be easy, but you can do it. Consider all the things you've done in the past few months. You've gone through more things than anyone else on the Argo and come out stronger for it. I mean, after angels, demons, Dragos, and Elvin monarchs, you can handle talking to a lord; even your father."

"Huh." She cocked her head to one side. "You know, you're right. I have done a lot, and maybe I'm..."

"You're...?" He prompted.

"Maybe... maybe I've been thinking about this backwards." She made a thoughtful frown, then looked up. "We're here."

He looked up also and realized that they had indeed reached Lord Borden's manor house.

He looked at her. "You ready?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm scared." She looked up at him with quiet resolve in her eyes. "But I'm going to do it anyway because courage isn't the absence of fear; it's being afraid and doing the right thing anyway."

He smiled. "I love you, you know that?"

"I do, and I love you too." She glanced at the house. "I should talk to him alone, but..." She bit her lip. "Don't go too far okay? I'll feel better knowing you're outside."

"There's not a force in the world that could pry me away."

"Thank you." She smiled, then looked at the front door and sighed. "Okay, I guess it's time."

* * *

Selene didn't feel like her head was duct-taped to a rock concert speaker anymore, but she certainly had felt better. Mirella's tea, lots of water, and some breakfast had helped, but she still felt like someone had decided to practice their meat tenderizing skills on her brain.

She was sitting in the kitchen as Ethan's wives and Kendra continued talking about Beth and the upcoming conversation with her father. They were chatting like old friends, even Kendra, though she was a bit quieter. They all seemed to fit so incredibly well together and she was sitting there as an outsider. Almost literally, since she had chosen to sit at the end of the table to minimize the walking distance from the couch, and the women were sitting nearer the middle.

She could've joined in, and she knew they would welcome her. However, they had such a vast body of shared knowledge about this world which she lacked, so she ended up feeling like a kindergartener in a room full of college students; trying desperately to just follow the conversation, much less take part.

"Selene?" A gentle voice said from behind her.

The Brazilian woman turned to see Mirella standing there looking sympathetic. "I was planning to do some gardening this morning and could use some help. The sun might do you some good."

She glanced at Ethan's wives plus Kendra, who were debating the finer points of how growing up in Gralden might affect the conversation.

"Thanks, I'd love to."

The elven woman led her to the back door of the house and out into a small fenced-in yard with a flower garden in one corner. The high elf had a small hand-trowel, a one-handed garden fork, and a silk pouch in one hand, and she led Selene over to a patch of earth in the garden that was almost conspicuously bare.

"Planting seeds?" Selene asked.

The elf nodded. "I've been meaning to for weeks, but kept getting the feeling that I should wait for some reason." She looked at Selene. "Now I think I know why."

"Oh?"

Mirella smiled. "What's wrong?"

The Brazilian woman hestiated. "I'm uh..." She looked around at the area and noticed the warm air which felt like summer to her, possibly late summer. "Isn't it a little late in the year to be planting flowers?"

"Most flowers yes, but not these." She knelt down by the bare patch of earth and began using the garden fork to break up the earth. "These are mirella seeds, and they won't sprout until after a winter with a good hard freeze."

"Mirella seeds? Like your name?"

The high elf nodded. "I was named for them. Perhaps not coincidentally, they're my favorite."

"Why do you need a winter with a good hard freeze before they will sprout?"

"Let me show you." The elf pulled one of the seeds from the silk pouch and handed it to her. It was a half-inch sphere and was a bit... squishy. She gave it a little squeeze and it yielded under her fingers, a bit like a water balloon. It could yield so much that she could almost press her fingers together, but the skin felt incredibly tough; it would probably be nearly impossible to get through without a really sharp knife.

"You need a hard freeze to break the outer skin, so the true seeds inside can sprout." Mirella explained. "The freezing in winter produces the force necessary to make something beautiful grow from something harsh like winter."

Suddenly, Selene wasn't so sure they were talking about flowers anymore. The elf had a slightly pained, sympathetic look in her eye, though she had a genuine smile on her face too.

"I assume you've had a hard 'winter'?" She asked.

The elf nodded, but didn't elaborate.

There was a slightly awkward silence for a moment before Selene broke it. "How can I help?"

Mirella offered her the garden fork. "I'll dig up the earth and then you can break up the clumps with the garden fork."

The two women set to work, and the caramel-haired beauty found herself enjoying it immensely. Given her frustrations the last couple of weeks, it felt slightly satisfying to take them out on the dirt clumps. She hacked them apart with methodical precision, which felt good; cathartic. She felt even better because she was being useful.

"You know, it's funny." The Brazilian woman said after a minute. "I feel more useful now than I have since I joined the Argo's crew."

"Really?" The high elf asked as she worked to excavate a particularly hard clump of dirt. "I heard you helped with some legal advice for Ethan before he talked to Alana's father, grandfather, and The King."

"Yeah, that's true." She conceded. "Still, I've felt like I'm mostly in the way other than that."

"That's... that's not fun." Mirella gave her an understanding smile. "From what I hear though, Alana might be able to hear her relatives speak her name because of your advice."

"That would be cool." Selene nodded, and the elf's comment on names jogged her memory. "Can I ask a question that might be rude, but I don't know if it is rude because I really don't know the Ten Kingdoms very well."

"I might not answer, but feel free to ask."

"Well, I've noticed that all elves seem to have a descriptive title attached to their names." Selene said as she speared another clump of hard earth. "Like, Anthiel cloud-song, or Alana dragon-bride, or Halvaer house-head. I noticed that your husband didn't introduce you with a descriptive title like that, and I was wondering why."

The high elf gave her pained smile. "He was being kind."

"Oh?"

Mirella scrutinized her for several seconds before nodding like she'd made a decision. She looked down at the earth for several seconds before speaking again. "I do have a 'descriptive name' as you call it, but he didn't use it because he was being kind to me, because of what it is."

"Oh?"

"It's... well, there really isn't a good way to say it in the common tongue. It's only two words in elvish, and my formal greeting would roughly translate to 'Mirella Kiarien, called 'cautionary-tale-with-a-happy-ending'."

Selene stopped what she was doing and looked at the elf, her mouth falling open. "What? That's your name, err, title?"

The high elf nodded.

"That seems rather..." She fished around for the politest way she could think of to put it. "...demeaning."

"It's accurate." She replied quietly. "And it's actually better than what it was before. Before it didn't have a happy ending."

"Oh." Was all Selene could think to say.

"I um..." The elf looked at her with a pained smile. "I wasn't very... wise after my parents died. I ended up being... uh, I ended up with a man who made me..." She took a deep, calming breath. "Well, he forced me and afterwards said that no one would want me because I wasn't a virgin anymore. I believed him and stayed with him even though he wouldn't... he wouldn't marry me or bond with me."

Mirella swallowed hard.

"Hey, it's okay." Selene interjected. "You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

Mirella took another deep, calming breath, then looked at her. "I know I don't have to, but..." She paused and blinked several times, her eyes looking a bit watery. "That's why Ralgar doesn't use my title when he introduces me."

"But wait, I thought elves wouldn't speak your name at all if that happened?"

Mirella shook her head. "That's wood elves, not high elves."

"Oh, okay." Selene replied because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

They sat there for several seconds before Mirella took up her one-handed gardening trowel and halfheartedly started digging up dirt again. "That man, he wasn't very kind and..." She winced slightly. "Well, I got good at using magic to heal bruises."

"I'm sorry."

"Anthiel saved me." Mirella continued. "She put the fear of Illuminar in him when she realized what was happening, and she didn't even know me back then. I was just the girl who begged on the corner."

"Begged?"

Mirella nodded, bit her lip, and wouldn't look at her as she spoke quietly. "That man wouldn't let me do anything else."

"Oh." Again, Selene couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Anthiel made sure I was taken care of for a long time." Mirella continued. "She arranged housing for me, she hired me to re-do all her landscaping when she found out I like gardening because I needed the money, even though it already looked perfect." The mahogany haired elf blinked several times as her eyes got watery again, but this time there was a smile in them. "But more than that, she was my friend."

"Anthiel is pretty great." Selene nodded, her opinion of the Argo's pilot skyrocketing even though it was pretty high already.

"She is." Mirella nodded. "She invited me over to her home for dinner regularly, which is how I met Ralgar. He was so different than... than that man." She shuddered. "Ralgar was strong but kind, and he challenged me to be better but never berated me. It was nice." Her lips seemingly unconsciously pulled into a contended smile. "It is nice."

"Yeah, I could see that."

The high elf got choked up and smiled wider as her eyes got watery. "And now I'm married to Anthiel's husband and she arranged it. She literally arranged for her husband -- an admiral in Lord Borden's military -- to marry someone who was once a beggar on the street."

Mirella closed her eyes and looked up, seemingly letting the sun soak into her fair skin as she smiled. She looked so blissfully happy in that moment that Selene couldn't help but smile too.

"Anyway, I say all that because Ralgar has been teaching me something." She looked at Selene. "He's been teaching me that I have worth and value, even though I usually don't see it. That I'm worth more than I think I am."

"You are." The Brazilian woman nodded in agreement.

Mirella looked at Selene pointedly. "And if that's true of a beggar off the street, then how much more it is true of a woman who graduated her world's university with a master of degrees, and became a constable for her nation by the age of twenty three?"

Selene blinked.

She couldn't help but smile at the slight miswording, but maybe the elf had a point, and she certainly seemed to know how Selene herself had been feeling.

"How did you know?" Selene asked.

"I've been there; I've felt unseen and worthless before." The high elf replied with a kind smile. "I see your expressions, the slump of your shoulders, and the look in your eyes as you watched Ethan's wives while you have been with us."

"I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought I was." She grimaced wryly.

"I don't think anyone else noticed. I don't know you very well Selene, but I can see that you care about helping others. If Illuminar brought you into Ethan's life, I'm sure it was for a reason. Trust Him, and that you are exactly where you should be."

"I um, I don't really believe in God at all, much less Illuminar."

The elf looked at her for several seconds before making a thoughtful sound. "I have never met someone who didn't believe in a god, even if it wasn't Illuminar."

"It's pretty common to believe that way where I come from." She shrugged.

"Huh." The elf didn't seem to know what to say about that.

They both went back to working the dirt. Not long after, they finished preparing the dirt and Selene helped Mirella plant a dozen mirella plants.

When they were done, the high elf beamed. "I've always wanted some of these, but never had the chance. Ralgar got them for me when he learned that I loved them."

"I'm glad you got some then." Selene smiled at her. "And thank you."

"You're welcome."

The ex-FBI agent looked at her for several seconds. "You opened up about some really personal and painful parts of your life just so you could help me feel better, didn't you?"

Mirella smiled sheepishly, then nodded slightly.

"Then if I was in charge of elven names, I'd make yours something like: Mirella Kiarien, called 'caring hostess'."

The elf beamed.

* * *

Beth took a deep breath as she looked at the double doors of her father's study. It was carved with several ornate designs and inlaid with gold, and she'd often loved looking at it as a little girl. She'd loved that her father was on the other side of the door, and how eventually he'd come through it and play with her, and eventually Charles too when he'd come along.

Now...

She shook her head.

"Lady Beth, you may enter at your leisure." Her father's steward reminded her.

"I know, I just..." She sighed.

"Lady Beth, if I might be so bold as to offer some advice?" He asked.

"Please."

"Be respectful, but speak your mind. Your father respects those who know what they want and stand up for it."

"I'll try." She took another deep breath, then pushed the doors open. Her father was sitting in a large chair behind an ornate wooden desk. Along the walls of the office were several large and expensive paintings. Gold candlesticks lined the room, although they weren't currently lit. Through the many windows, she had an excellent panoramic view of the town, and she'd always loved that view as a little girl.

However, none of that held much interest for her right now.

Instead, she fixed her eyes on her father. He had always been a giant of a man in her eyes, and still was in many ways, despite everything. When she was a child, he had tucked her into bed at night, read her bedtime stories, and been there when she needed him.

She wanted that back.

"You came alone." Lord Borden observed.

"I asked Ethan to wait outside."

"And he agreed?" He raised his eyebrow.

She nodded, then looked at him pointedly. "He listens to me when I talk."

"Does he now? What about when you wanted him to stay away from Alana after you got married?"

Beth opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. She had seen her father do this countless times. He would steer the conversation with questions, always guiding the conversation and keeping the other person off-balance. She'd already been through that during her and Ethan's conversation with him when they had arrived, and she didn't want to repeat it again.

"You're not listening father." She shook her head. "You're asking questions to guide the conversation, not because you want to hear the answer. Why won't you listen?"

He looked at her from his great chair, making eye contact but not replying.

It was unnerving.

Not wanting to turn it into a staring contest, she spoke again. "Why won't you listen?"

"I am listening." He replied, his expression softening. "But my daughter -- my beloved only daughter -- is being mistreated by a dra--"

"You. Aren't. Listening!" Beth interrupted, clenching her fists and doing everything she could to keep her voice at a normal volume for conversation. "I most certainly am not being mistreated by my husband."

"Elizabeth, you forget that I have seen up close what a polygynous marriage is really like, and--"

"Father!" The blonde teen said, a bit more loudly than she intended to. She took a deep, calming breath and then forced herself to continue at a normal volume. "You aren't listening to me father; not at all. It's like you can't even hear me. Ethan isn't like your step-father; not at all."

"I have seen no evidence to the contrary, and Grams told many stories of her doing exactly what you are doing right now; trying to convince people that he wasn't a bad man." He leaned forward. "But he was. He was and you know it because you've heard the stories that Grams tells. I made sure you did -- even over your mother's objections -- so you would never end up in that position." He sighed heavily. "And yet now you are."

The blonde teen purposely unclenched her fists and took another deep, calming breath. "I know what you think father, and I know you think that you have all the evidence in the world. But have you considered for a moment that I'm actually happy?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You have always said that you could spot a lie at 200 paces blindfolded." She continued. "So I ask you right now, am I lying? I'm happy with Ethan. In fact, I'm very happy being married to Ethan."

"You aren't lying; you believe every word you say." He said slowly, carefully pronouncing every syllable clearly and precisely.

"But?"

"But apparently dragons can compel mortals to do their bidding, and thus possibly their way of thinking. I can only imagine this ability is augmented by bonding." He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "I knew that you bonding to him was a bad idea, and now it's cost you your free will."

"I still have my free will father. He didn't want me to come up here alone, but I convinced him it was best and he actually listened to me." She looked at him pointedly again. "He listened to me."

"And there was once a time when you listened to me." Her father replied. "You have never in your entire life dismissed me out of hand before now. Yet now, you don't hear a single word that I have said. What am I to make of that? Don't you see how that savors strongly of you being influenced?"

There was something in his voice that made Beth pause. For the first time, it actually sounded like he was... well, not quite listening exactly.

Maybe listening-adjacent?

She paused before speaking. "Yes, I understand how it could look that way. It's not that way, but I can see how it might look that way."

"Here's what I know." Lord Borden continued. "I know he was instrumental in the death of a girl in Arcanum. I know he had dealings with a necromancer not long after. And I know that he tricked many in the Ten Kingdoms -- Ivernia especially -- into believing that he is a prophet of Illuminar. These aren't small sins."

"I was the girl, father. The one who died."

He blinked.

For the briefest moment, her father was rendered something that she'd never seen him be in her entire life: speechless.

"How?"

"We were ambushed and I was killed in the struggle." She said, finally deciding that she was done hiding what had really happened. "I was being pulled into Illuminar's light when a spell from one of Saidow's minions snared my ankle and held me until an angel released me. I spent over a week with that angel, I learned astral projection, I confronted a demon, and I saved Ethan's life several times."

Her father looked like his favorite pet had just died. "You aren't well Beth; you need a healer."

"Let me prove it to you."

"How?"

"The angel taught me how to touch things while I'm on the Astral Plane."

He scoffed.

"She did; I'll touch your shoulder, or bump things, or even slide something across your desk."

"You're serious."

"As a dragon attack." She nodded. "I'm going to lay down on the floor before I astral project, otherwise my body will just fall and I might get hurt."

Her father stared at her opened mouthed as she laid down on the floor. She concentrated on peeling her spirit form away from her body and moments later stood up in a purple world. It was slightly disorienting as usual, but not too bad. At her side, she saw the angelic blade Aharown and patted it fondly, then she stepped over behind her father.

She tapped him twice on the shoulder.

He whipped around, standing up as he did so.

She tapped his other shoulder.

He whipped around the other direction.

"Beth?" He breathed.

She tapped his shoulder twice, hoping he'd understand.

"But it could be a mage with some type of advanced invisibility spell." He wondered aloud, then frowned. "Okay, if you really are on the astral plane, then touch the palm of my right hand when I say."

He cupped his hands together, as if he was concealing something in them, but of course he wasn't; he was protecting his palms from being touched. Someone who was merely invisible wouldn't be able to touch either of his palms.

"Okay, now." He said.

It took Beth a moment, but she managed to tap his palm, protected though it was.

Lord Borden sat down in his chair, breathing like someone who'd had a terrible fright. Beth walked over to her body and touched it, which created a jarring sensation as she was pulled back into it. She opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

Her father stared at her.

She slowly stood up, feeling a bit disoriented; but again it wasn't too bad. After a moment, she sat down in one of the chairs opposite her father as he gaped at her for several seconds.

Finally, he regained his composure. "How did you learn that? I've never even heard of such magic."

"I already told you, I learned it from an angel."

His eyes narrowed and his 'stern father' voice came out in full force. "That is quite a story young lady."

"Yes it is, and every word is true." She said, meeting his eyes and not being a bit cowed by her father's tone. She'd felt the full, dragon-powered force of Ethan's stern tone just days earlier during her brief argument with Taloni; her father had nothing on her husband.

"I died father; I died and Ethan risked his life to bring me back."

"By seeking out a necromancer." Her set his jaw.

"Yes, but only so he could use the necromancer's portal to return to his world and get what he needed to save me. I was dead for two weeks, but I sit here alive now because of Ethan."

"He's still lying about being the prophet of Illuminar."

"No, he's not." She said firmly. "I'm sure you've heard of Mount Ianis?"

He raised his eyebrow.

"Shouldn't Ethan's visit there be part of the gossip mill by now?"

"It is, but I dismissed it not worth considering."

"It is though, because it happened." She leaned forward. "My husband had an audience with Illuminar Himself."

He raised his eyebrow. "Oh? And what did Illuminar tell him."

"That he would have seven wives, and--"

Lord Borden laughed mirthlessly. "And who else was there to witness this meeting?"

"Well, no one." She conceded.

He scoffed. "Of course. He meets with God Himself and God tells him that he needs yet more wives." He shook his head. "Do you even hear yourself Beth? Do you realize what it sounds like?"

She considered.

On balance, her story did seem pretty fantastical. In fact, it seemed pretty unbelievable now that she thought about it. She looked at her father's face and saw disbelief written all over it. A part of her didn't even blame him. She might not have believed the story either if she hadn't lived it.

"You need help Beth." He finally said sadly. "I won't sit idly by and let my daughter--" His breath caught just slightly. "--be hurt."

It was a tiny thing really; the catch of his breath.

Less than a second.

A mere moment.

But it wasn't like her father. Not at all. He was a towering pillar of strength who was always calm, cool, and collected. He didn't show emotion like this, but for the tiniest, briefest moment, she saw his armor crack. She saw that underneath his bravado and calm exterior was a man who was worried about someone he loved.

He was worried about her.

Truly, deeply worried.

She was reminded of Ethan, and considered what he might do if someone was hurting one of his wives, or his unborn daughter after she was born. She imagined that he would react in much the same way as her father was reacting now. In fact, he might react much worse. Her father and her husband were much the same that way; they both would do everything in their power to protect the people they loved.

That was the moment.

That's when she realized that nothing she could say would make a difference. She almost smiled as she realized that her father and Ethan both had something in common; a fierce desire to protect those they loved. She knew that as long as Ethan thought she was in danger, he would never stop fighting to protect her.

The same was true of her father.

He cleared his throat, as if the momentary crack in his armor had been nothing more than a bit of phlegm. "I won't allow anyone to hurt you Beth."

She stood up, and a curious kind of calm coming over her.

She couldn't change his mind, at least not today.

It was a simple truth, but one that she hadn't even realized that she needed to know. And not just know mentally, but deep down; she wouldn't change his mind.

She all of a sudden knew what she needed to say.

"Father, I love that you want to take care of me and protect me, but you need to realize something; if I had to choose right now between a long, healthy life without Ethan, or following him with the certainty that I would die in the next month, I would say goodbye to everyone here before leaving with Ethan."

Her father's eyes widened slightly.

"My husband's life is dangerous, and I recognize that." She continued. "But Illuminar chose him to do great things in the Ten Kingdoms. For some reason, the great, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise God of Light chose me to be one of his wives. I don't know why, but I can never thank Him enough for that. I want to be by Ethan's side. But more than that, he needs me for whatever Illuminar wants him to do. I can't leave him, and I wouldn't if I could."

"He has multiple wives, and you--"

"Yes he does." She said, cutting him off as respectfully as she knew how. She felt like she was channeling her father as she started to ask questions to lead the conversation; just as she'd seen him do countless times. "Illuminar allows men to have multiple wives: do you think He made a mistake? Do you think He was wrong? Or do you think you know better than the God of Light Himself? Are you wiser than He is?"

He didn't answer.

"Father, I will not leave my husband. Ever. Anything you do to make me leave him won't push me farther from him; it will push me farther from you."

"You are heading down a dangerous path Beth." He cautioned, his concern for her even nearer the surface than before.

"Yes I am, and I know that full well. Better than you do, better even than some of my fellow wives." She said calmly.

He raised his eyebrow.

"It's true." She nodded, remembering everything she'd been through, which Ethan had just reminded her of outside the manor house.

"You don't know what you'll face." He said, and it almost sounded like there was a hint of desperation in his tone.

"But I do know father." She replied. "I have stood before kings and angels, I have faced off against Dragos and demons, and I have walked the land of the dead and trod on the Astral Plane itself. I know the dangers, and even though I know the dangers better than anyone around me, I choose to walk the path anyway."

He slowly shook his head. "You don't know who you are--"

"I do know who I am." She said both firmly and calmly. "I am Elizabeth Ejder, blessed to the second wife of Ethan Ejder, the prophet of Illuminar. If I could choose to be anyone else or take any other path, I wouldn't. I count myself as one of the seven most blessed women in the entire Ten Kingdoms, and I won't spit on that blessing by leaving my husband's side."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Now father, you get to decide who you're going to be." She leaned forward, resting her hands on his desk.

"Oh?"

"You have two choices." She continued. "You can stop trying to separate me from my husband and continue to be my beloved father who I miss and will want to see as often as possible. And if you pick this option, you need to give the Argo to Ethan."

"Give?" All trace of amusement on her father's face disappeared, not that there was much to begin with.

"Yes, give." She nodded, knowing he could easily afford what amounted to a paltry loss compared to his wealth and military airships. "We have tarried in Gralden for two whole days now, and lost more than that in travel time when we could be down south helping against the orcs that are threatening the steel mines in Ivernia."

His eyes widened. "He couldn't possibly be thinking of taking my daughter there."

"He is, because they need help and Ethan is the kind of man who can't turn down someone who needs help."

"I won't give him the Argo if he's taking you there." Lord Borden said flatly.

"Then we'll contact the King of the Wood Elves who will send another airship for us." She countered. "He would too, and you must know that from your network."

He inclined his head slightly in concession, but set his jaw anyway.

"Thanks to the Wood Elven King, we're going to go there anyway. Your choice is to help us and keep your relationship with me, or keep trying to separate me from my husband and lose me until you stop. Which reminds me..."

She gave him a stern look. "If you ever invite me anywhere and don't invite Ethan and all of his wives as well, I won't come. Period."

He scoffed. "You can't possibly like them."

"I can." She replied, a small smile creeping onto her face as she thought about each one of them. "If something happened to Ethan -- Illuminar forbid -- do you know who I would want to spend the rest of my life around?"

He shook his head.

"My fellow wives." She said firmly. "Invite them and Ethan wherever you invite me, stop trying to split us up, and give Ethan the Argo; if you do that then there's a chance that -- maybe someday -- we can heal what you broke in our relationship. Don't do all of those things -- especially giving Ethan the Argo -- and you'll lose your daughter until you start doing them. Regardless, I'll still be down south with my husband fighting orcs." She paused. "Okay, I won't actually be swinging a sword or anything, but I'll help however I can."

He looked at her for a long moment, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Nothing will dissuade you from going to those mines, will it?"

She shook her head. "Not as long as Ethan wants to go, and he will because they need his help."

He steepled his hands together and scrutinized her for almost an entire minute.

"One condition." He finally said.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Serif and Raklan." Lord Borden replied. "I spent a small fortune to get them in my employ, especially Serif, and they are among the best fighters in the entire Ten Kingdoms. They will travel with you to keep you safe."

"Just me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't care if they defend the others, but keeping you safe will be their primary assignment."

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Then do we have a deal?" He stood and offered his hand.

She hesitated, then added. "As long as you also promise not to take any harmful action against Anthiel's family because they helped us, or the other members of the Argo's crew, or their families, or anyone else who's helped us."

A muscle twitched in his face -- he might've been planning something along those lines -- but he nodded anyway. "Agreed."

She hesitated several seconds, then shook his hand.

It was weird; she'd never made a formal agreement with him like this before. Ever. She knew he would honor it, for he was accurately reputed to be the most trustworthy man in the Ten Kingdoms. Ethan was safe, her fellow wives were safe, and they had the Argo again.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Beth." He said softly. "Can I have a hug from my daughter before you go?"

She smiled and nodded, feeling her eyes get slightly moist. He hurried out from around the desk and wrapped his strong arms around her. It was very different than when Ethan held her, but nearly as wonderful. She had always felt safe in his arms growing up.

Safe...

"Daddy." She said softly.

"Yes blondie." He replied, using a childhood nickname.

"Did you mean to hurt Selene?"

"No, Valten was telling the truth." He said. "He says her mind and mana were slightly different, possibly owing to the fact that she's from a different world and he wasn't paying enough attention to compensate. He never expected her to react that way, and I wouldn't have let him probe her if I would've known."

She breathed a sigh of relief, her father never lied; if he said it, it was true. Then she bit her lip. It was time to ask the other question; the one she needed to know the answer to.

She broke the hug and then looked into his eyes. "Did you send Ethan into the vault, and Alana in after him, knowing that something bad might happen?"

"I'm surprised you think me capable of that." He replied.

"That's not an answer." She pointed out.

"Yes it is." He replied, then looked out the window. "If you are in such a hurry to leave, I'll send a runner to Anthiel so she can lift the lockdown on the Argo, then I'll have my men refill the ship's hold with provisions. You should be ready to leave in an hour or two, but before you go..."

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Then he took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked at her again. "Would you, and thus Ethan and his other wives, care to join our family for brunch before you go?"

She nodded, guessing that he had volunteered to refill the Argo's provisions to keep her in Gralden long enough for the meal to take place. "I would love to, and I'm sure I could get Ethan to agree. Could Selene and Kendra come too? They're part of the crew and I'd like them to be there."

"They aren't married to Ethan?"

She shook her head. "Just friends."

"Then I have no objection." He looked at her for several seconds, then reached out and pulled her into a hug. She didn't resist, as such displays of affection were rare with him.

"Promise me you'll be careful dear girl." He whispered as he held her tight.

"I will."

He shook his head. "Promise me."

"I promise I'll be careful Daddy."

"You better be. After you were kidnapped, I..." He trailed off and cleared his throat, again like it was merely phlegm that prevented him from speaking.

Beth knew better.

She looked up and thought his eyes looked a bit watery. For all his faults, her father loved her and wanted her to be safe. If she had ever doubt it before -- and she hadn't -- she certainly didn't now.

* * *

Over the course of her life, Sarah had occasionally wondered what men in prison did. Unfortunately, now she knew. They were bored. She and Lady Ekthros had been in the prison for two whole days now and she had absolutely nothing to do. She had prayed a little and paced a little, but the cell was so small that it didn't do much good.

It was also cold.

Not bitter cold, but just cold enough that she never felt truly warm. She wasn't shivering, but she would've given a lot for a thick blanket, a warm fire, and cup of hot tea.

Lady Ekthros seemed to be taking captivity even worse than she herself was. The auburn-haired woman seemed strong with the guards around, but didn't seem to know what to do with herself otherwise.

Speaking of...

The door to the room opened and two guards walked in. They were wearing surcoats with the Ivernian flag emblazoned on them over their chainmail. They walked up to the cell door, unlocked it, and one of them stepped inside.

"Get up." He barked at Lady Ekthros, while roughly pushing Sarah out of the way.

The lady did so, fixing the guards with a disdainful glare. "When Lord Delmar hears of this, he'll--"

Smack!

The guard backhanded her across the face. "Shut your mouth bitch, unless you want me to give it something to do." He lewdly thrust his hips to make the point, and she fell silent.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her none-too-gently out of the cell, closing and locking it behind him.

"Where are you taking her?" Sarah asked, and she pressed against the bars as they dragged the other woman from the room.

They didn't answer.

She felt her heart sink as she slid down against the bars to the floor.

Now she was all alone.

She found her mind drifting back to Ethan, the prophet of Illuminar who Selene said had fallen in love with her. She hoped that perhaps he might hear of her being captured and rescue her. Selene had said that they would return to the inn eventually, so he might... right?

Her face fell as she realized that even if he did know she was captured, there was no way he could know where she'd been taken. There were at least a dozen castles that she could be at, and he would have no idea which one she'd been taken to, even assuming that he wanted to rescue her in the first place. There was no way that Ethan would attack all those castles just to find her...

But she wished that he would.

She wished that he would rescue her.

She raised her eyes to the heavens and whispered. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be you -- please help Ethan, and his wives, and Selene wherever they are. And please make sure that Lady Ekthros is okay. Please take care of them. And I know you're busy, but please, if it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps free me too? Amen."

* * *

"Dominus?"

"Hmm?" Ethan shook his head and looked around to see his youngest wife approaching him from the door of her father's manor house.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked. "You looked like you were leagues away there for a minute."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about... about someone." He shook his head to clear it. "How did it go?"

"Sarah?" Beth asked.

Busted.

"Yeah." He nodded, then quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, how'd it go?"

"Not as bad as I thought it would, though not as good as I wanted either. It probably went as well as it could have though, given the circumstances."

"Oh?"

"He said he would stop trying to interfere in your marriages, and he's going to give you the Argo."

"That's great news." He smiled a bit, then added. "But? I feel like there's a 'but' coming."

The blonde teen sighed. "But I don't know that he'll ever truly accept you or my fellow wives Dominus."

He opened his arms and she flopped into them, and she was so limp that he had to hold her up to keep her from falling. Her young face looked so... so tired; like a warrior who'd just been through an exhausting battle and only fought to a draw.

"Give it time." He said after a few moments. "It might look bad now, but if he's stopped being an actual adversary, then in time he might see that I'm treating you well and change his mind. It won't happen overnight, but it might happen."

"Maybe." She mumbled. "It's funny. I felt so certain and sure about what I needed to say to him in there, but now that I'm out here with you, I just want to be held."

"I'm happy to hold you. Always." He whispered back, then tenderly kissed the top of her head.

She sighed softly. "Thank you Dominus... Ethan." She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, swallowed hard, and her eyes got a bit watery. "I really need that right now."

He reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "And you'll always get it from me."

She half-smiled, then snuggled into him more.

"So tell me how it went." He asked.

She gave him a short version, promising the full story when everyone else was around. He supposed it really was the best it could've possibly gone. Going from actively fighting to full acceptance was near impossible. It would've been nice for Beth's sake, but it was never likely. He hoped that in time, Beth and her father could repair their relationship. It seemed possible given how the meeting had ended, but it would probably be a long road.

He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced up to see Lord Borden looking at them through one of the large windows on the second floor of his manor house. His gaze was impassive and distant, as though he was a robot analyzing what he saw without emotion.

Ethan inclined his head in respect; not for his sake, but for Beth's.

Lord Borden looked at him impassively for another moment, then turned and disappeared from the window.

Hmm.

Interesting.

"Was it okay that I said Raklan and Serif could come?" Beth asked a few moments later.

He nodded. "Yup, and even if I wasn't happy about it -- and I am." He cocked his head to one side. "Okay, maybe about Serif, Raklan though..." He shook his head. "-- it sounds like that was the price for getting the Argo back, so it would've been fine with it even if I wasn't happy about it. One suggestion though."

"Oh?"

"I appreciate that you made sure your father would invite the rest of us, but maybe just for today, how about only you go to that lunch?"

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "Call it an olive branch; let him know that you're willing to meet him halfway and that it won't always be all of us, he just has to invite all of us."

"I will, thank you. He'll really like that." She beamed.

"You're welcome. Now, I think I need to get an airship ready to sail... however one does that."

"Kiss me?" She asked him.

"Now that, I know how to do." He grinned.

* * *

Sarah huddled with her arms around her knees trying to keep warm. She wasn't exactly freezing, but she was cold. And now Lady Ekthros wasn't here. Where had they taken her? What was going on? Would she be back? And most importantly: would she be okay?

The door to the room opened and the same two guards came in, heading right for her cell. Without a word, they unlocked it and roughly pulled her to her feet. She remembered how one of them had backhanded Lady Ekthros when she'd spoken, so she remained silent as they dragged her out and down the spiral staircase.

They only went down one level, and then dragged her into the room she'd seen before that looked like a laboratory of some kind. There were glass jars full of various colors of liquid and some magical instruments that she'd heard of before. However, she hadn't heard of most of the things in the room. Some of them looked quite alien, like the designs came from another world.

Along one wall were two horizontal wooden planks suspended about three feet off the ground, and they were nearly that wide. They almost looked like beds and were bolted to the wall. Disturbingly, they both had manacles attached to them. Lady Ekthros was strapped to one of them completely unmoving...

She thought.

Something about the other woman didn't look quite right, but she couldn't place it. It was definitely her, but something about her just seemed a bit... off. She couldn't place it though. She could see the older woman quite clearly, but something about her seemed insubstantial too. She didn't know why.

She cocked her head to one side.

Hmm.

The two guards none-too-gently made her get onto the other wooden 'bed', then secured her hands and feet into the iron manacles with her feet towards the wall, and then left without a word. Her hands were firmly secured at her sides, and her feet mostly together. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was far from painful. After several minutes, she heard movement and craned her neck around to look towards the door.

And elderly woman entered, though she didn't look too old. Her hair was mostly gray, but the innkeeper's daughter could still see some darker color interspersed on her graying head. Despite that, she looked youthful and full of energy; excited even. She moved like a woman twenty years younger than she appeared, and the age difference between her appearance and movement seemed very odd.

In fact, the old woman reminded Sarah of Lady Ekthros for some reason.

She wasn't sure why, but she did.

She definitely did.

"Well hello dear." The woman said as she strode up to Sarah. "You won't make any trouble for me will you? Your friend did and I had to pull out the paralysis cuffs. You won't make me do that, will you dear?"

Sarah shook her head vigorously.

"Oh, that's good." The old woman smiled, and Sarah couldn't tell if she was filled with childish glee -- like a kid getting a present -- or malevolent glee. She clearly was excited though.

"What... what do you want?" Sarah whispered, her voice horse and her body trembling slightly.

"To solve a puzzle." The old woman said, looking at her like she was some fascinating trinket in a shop.

Sarah swallowed.

* * *

"Permission to come aboard captain?"

"Absolutely granted." Ethan nodded at Anthiel, then added as she came up the gangplank, "Thank you so much for your hospitality. I literally don't know what we would've done without you, Ralgar, and Mirella. You've been wonderful to me and mine, and I don't know how to say thank you."

"Make me pilot of the Argo, and we'll call it square." The high elf replied with a grin.

He frowned. "But you already are."

She shook her head. "Not since I left Lord Borden's employ, oh... about a half hour ago. He originally chose the pilot, but you're the Argo's owner now; you have final say in all crew decisions."

"Wait, you left Lord Borden's employ? Why?"

"Because you need a pilot." She said simply, then nodded towards Taloni. "She has a gift for airship piloting, but she's not ready to go solo yet. She'll likely be better than me in a few years -- maybe sooner at the rate she's improving -- but not yet. Until then, you need a pilot; especially if we engage another airship."

"I'd be honored to have you as the pilot of the Argo." He nodded.

"Thank you. Then unless you object, I'll finish overseeing the loading."

"Be my guest." He nodded.

The high elf instantly took charge, and he noticed the pace of the dockworkers increased significantly once she did. He was mostly standing there watching, since he really didn't have a clue how to help or direct. His disguise gem was off, and it was rather strange that he was only getting an occasional fearful glance.

Taloni was inspecting the rigging, flying about and flitting between the masts and crossbeams like she had been born doing it. She was humming a joyful tune as she did, and he almost felt himself get choked up as he watched the former slave dart around in the air as carefree as a bird on the airship she loved so much.

He walked over to the Argo's railing and gave it an affectionate pat. "I'm glad we didn't lose you." He said quietly to the ship. He really hadn't realized how much the ship had become a home to him until he'd walked back onto it after facing the real possibility of losing it.

It was his now.

It belonged to him.

His own airship.

He looked around at all the places where significant events had occurred. The rear of the quarterdeck where he'd proposed to Alana, the scorch marks where Kyrupto's flames had struck, the bow of the ship where he and Rachel had that long conversation on their wedding day, the area in front of the captain's cabin where they'd all shared so many meals, the cabin itself where he slept with his wives; this ship was full of good memories. He hadn't realized it until this exact moment, but he would've been heartbroken to part with it.

The Argo.

His Argo.

He patted the wooden railing, a smile coming unbidden to his face. The only thing that would make this better is if Sarah was here. His smile faltered for a moment as he thought about the innkeeper's daughter. She was still betrothed, and as much as he wanted her to be here with him, he also didn't want to see her again; it would be too painful knowing that she would marry someone else.

He swallowed hard.

He took a deep breath and looked around again, trying to focus on what he did have. Kendra had already docked her little canoe-sized airship to the Argo's weather deck. She had stowed it off to the port side about halfway between the Argo's mast and the ship's bow before going back to Ralgar and Anthiel's house. The tiny airship could come in handy at some point, especially since it was faster than his own airship.

He smiled.

His airship.

He gently patted the Argo's wooden railing again, and then gave it a little rub. "We're lucky to have you." He said affectionately to hisairship, which made him smile even wider.

"Oh no Ethan, you only get seven." Alana called with a laugh in her voice as she came up the gangplank with Rachel.

"Hey, what was that last-minute errand you two wanted to run?" He asked.

"See for yourself." Rachel replied, then pulled something out from behind her back. It was his war hammer, but the head was slightly different and it took him a moment to place it.

"You put the dragon steel head on it." He grinned.

"Well, I paid one of Lord Borden's armorers to." Alana clarified. "Rachel and I figured that since we couldn't do it on the Argo, and since we were going to be fighting orcs, you'd like the surprise."

"Do I ever! Come here." He said to the couple.

They came over and he kissed them both.

"Have I ever told you ladies that I love you both?"

Alana put on a mock-pensive expression. "You know, I'm not sure you have."

"At least not recently." Rachel added with an amused grin, then put on a mock-sad expression. "Don't you care about us anymore?"

He shrugged as he suppressed a laugh with a mock-dismissive wave. "Nah, I'm getting pretty tired of you two."

They both stuck their tongues out at him for a moment.

"Careful, I might put those tongues to work next time you do that." He winked.

"I'll hold you to that." His first wife replied.

"I'll hold you while you do that." His fourth wife grinned, then her expression got more sincere. "But I love hearing you say it my lord."

"It." He winked.

She rolled her eyes. "Please my lord?"

He let his affection for her show as he spoke. "I love you Rachel, I love you Alana."

They looked at each other and wide smiles split their faces as they looked at him and spoke at the same time: "We love you too."

"Now, there are just a few stragglers..." He said, then thought to everyone. *Beth, Kendra; we're almost ready to make sail. And Kendra, is Selene with you?*

*I'm just leaving father's house now.* Beth replied.

*Selene is with me, and you should see us in about thirty seconds.* Kendra said.

True enough, Kendra and Selene came around the corner thirty seconds later, followed by Ralgar and Mirella. The high elven woman had a genuine smile on her face, but she clung to her husband's arm nevertheless. They made their way through the dock area and to the Argo's gangplank.

"Permission to come aboard captain?" Ralgar asked, stopping just short of the gangplank with his second wife.

"Ralgar my friend, you, Anthiel, and Mirella are welcome on the Argo any time."

Mirella beamed.

Her husband led her up the gangplank, stopping in front of them. "I'd like to reintroduce my second wife: Mirella Kiarien, called 'Caring Hostess'."

Selene did a double take. "What?"

"The rules of how an elf can take a new nickname are complex." Ralgar said to her. "But applicable to your conversation earlier with a bit of stretching. Thank you Miss Dawson; you have helped my wife in a way that I couldn't."

Mirella beamed, and her eyes were quite moist as she did so. "Thank you so much Selene."

"You're welcome." The Brazilian woman replied, and Ethan couldn't help but notice that she looked much happier than she had in some time.

About that time Taloni landed nearby, her inspection presumably having been completed. Not long after, Anthiel made her way down from the quarterdeck as the last of the dockworkers left the ship, the loading having been completed.

"Congratulations Mirella." Anthiel said as she hugged her fellow wife.

Mirella seemed a bit too choked up to reply, but her smile was ear-to-ear.

"Hello handsome." Anthiel nearly purred as she turned to her husband.

Ethan internally winced and turned to Kendra and Selene. "Is that what it's like being around me and my wives all the time?"

"Pretty much." Selene said with slightly pink cheeks while Kendra nodded, looking slightly green.

Oblivious to this -- or completely ignoring it -- Anthiel gave Ralgar a kiss that was just barely on the right side of decent behavior in public. Her husband took it in stride, not looking the slightest bit embarrassed. Mirella's cheeks turned slightly pink though.

"Mirella." Anthiel said when her kiss had broken. "I'm counting on you to keep him in practice for when I see him again. Make sure he gets lots of... 'practice'..." She looked at her fellow wife. "...because I want to help deliver a baby in the not-too-distant future."

The mahogany-haired elf turned beet red, but was grinning ear-to-ear as she nodded sheepishly.

"One more thing Ethan." Ralgar held up a stiff leather tube that Ethan hadn't noticed he was carrying. "I hope to have many excellent games when we see each other next."

Ethan took the tube, and on the outside in a beautiful script was written 'Pente'.

"That particular one has stones for eight players, should all your wives ever feel like joining you." Ralgar continued, then glanced at Rachel, Selene, and Kendra. "Though I suspect only a few will truly enjoy it."

"Thank you." He grinned.

"My pleasure." Ralgar nodded. He glanced at Anthiel and then back at Ethan. "Take care of her; she's my favorite first wife." He winked at her.

Ethan chuckled. "Will do."

Ralgar gave him a sharp military salute. "May Illuminar guide you in the path of light as you travel."

"And you as well." He nodded.

Mirella and the ladies all gave each other hugs, and then the visitors left. Beth was arriving with her family as they were leaving, and so the mahogany haired elf hugged the blonde teen before the latter boarded the ship. Behind Beth were two men dressed as servants carrying a small trunk between them that looked like it weighed a ton. Knowing her, it was probably full of books.

Beth's younger brother Charles looked like he had shot up nearly an inch in the two months since Ethan had seen him last, but he was the age for it. Beth's mother looked quite happy, though sad too as she looked at her daughter and the departing airship. Lord Borden looked...

Displeased.

Very displeased.

Even the air around him seemed a bit constricted. His mouth was a thin line and it looked like he was just barely holding back a frown. When his gaze met Ethan's, he got the distinct impression that the older man wanted him dead. He couldn't help but wonder about the events in The Bank's vault a couple months ago. The Borden family came aboard, the servants carrying the trunk towards the captain's cabin at Beth's direction.

However, her father came straight to him. "I would have words with you, dragon."

Ethan regarded him for a moment, then nodded. "Follow me."

He briefly considered bringing the older man to the captain's cabin just to put the massive bed in front of him and rub his face in it. However, he didn't think that would be wise, so he led him to the bow of the ship instead, away from the others.

"I presume my daughter has told you of our agreement?" He asked without preamble once they'd arrived.

"Yeah."

"Then know this: you, your wives, and your crew have nothing to fear from me... as long as Beth lives." He set his jaw. "But let me be clear: should anything happen to her, I would naturally be released from the bargain. Then you would find that Lord Delmar and I might suddenly have more in common."

Ethan bristled, the implied threat against his wives making his ever-present dragon side seethe in anger. His voice came out low and deadly. "And let me be clear; if you ever harm a single hair on the head of any of my wives, I swear to Illuminar that I will tear you limb from fucking limb."

He growled low in his throat.

Lord Borden didn't look cowed, but he did raise an eyebrow. "Curious. You seem to actually care about them."

"You bet your ass I do." He hissed. "And Beth too, not a single ounce less than the rest."

"But if you were forced, you wouldn't choose her over the rest." Lord Borden retorted with disdain.

The dragon growled. "If you were forced to pick between your children, what would you do?"

"Kill the godless son of a bitch who tried to make me choose."

"Then you know how I feel."

Lord Borden inclined his head in concession, but he still had traces of a scowl on his face. Perhaps a somewhat more understanding scowl than before, but a scowl nonetheless.

Ethan scoffed, then nodded his head back towards everyone else and the two men returned to them. Beth said goodbye to her family with many hugs and a few tears before they left. Her father gave Ethan one last glare before he disembarked.

"What did you two talk about?" Beth asked hesitantly after they had left.

He told everyone.

The blonde shook her head. "At least you didn't come to blows; that's something."

"How did lunch go?" Alana asked.

"Good." The blonde's expression became much more cheerful. "A little tense at the beginning, but father relaxed a lot once he realized it would just be the four of us. I think he was surprised that I came alone, and he seemed quite shocked when I told him it was your suggestion."

"Good." Ethan nodded, then turned to Anthiel. However, the high elf subtly shook her head and then glanced pointedly at Taloni, so he turned to her instead. "Take us out."

"Me?" The Fey teen froze.

"You've done it before." He pulled her into a hug. "You're becoming such a capable pilot, and I'm really proud of you for it. You can do it."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Are you sure you want me too?

"Yes." He said firmly. "I won't make you, but I want you to and I know you can."

"Okay master, then I will." She paused, then spoke again with a smile. "Thank you for placing so much confidence in me master. It really means a lot."

"I haven't placed any confidence in you that you didn't earn." He smiled back. "My beautiful Fey wife is an amazing woman, and I feel lucky to have her."

Taloni beamed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Selene casting her eyes down to the deck at this, but didn't get a chance to ask since there was a stampede to the quarterdeck to offer Taloni moral support.

* * *

Selene followed everyone to the quarterdeck as Taloni started issuing orders to Serif and Raklan to begin the undocking procedure. Unlike when they left Nalatia, the Fey teen needed no prompting from Anthiel. She knew exactly what needed to be done, issued the orders to get it done, and the two crewmen obeyed without hesitation. Sure, she said 'please' and her tone wasn't commanding, but it was confident.

It was good to see.

Judging by the proud look on Ethan's face throughout the Argo's departure, he thought the same thing.

"We are at cruising altitude master-- err, captain, and on course for the mines." She said proudly after asking Serif and Raklan to start deploying the sails. However, she frowned slightly after speaking. "I don't like calling you 'captain', I much prefer calling you master."

"You know, I've kind of gotten used to you calling me master." He cocked his head to one side. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I like it coming from you."

"I like it too master." The Fey beamed, and then gave him a hug.

Selene smiled, then her smile faltered as she looked at Ethan's wives clustered around the ship's wheel. They had never excluded her, but she found it really hard to feel included. They were all such wonderful people and she was just...

She shook her head.

She had felt really happy that she'd played a part in Mirella getting a more appropriate title, but that had been a fluke; something she did completely by accident. Plus, Ralgar said he'd bent the rules about elven titles a bit, so she hadn't even done that properly.

She sighed and headed down the stairs to the main weather deck, away from the happy family.

"Hey Selene, wait up."

She turned to see Ethan coming down the stairs after her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "I noticed that you look out of sorts."

She hesitated. "I'm... Okay-ish."

"Ish?"

"Ish." She nodded.

"Anything I can do to help?"

She glanced at the collection of wonderful women still gathered near the ship's wheel and then gave him an apologetic look. "Not with this."

"Oh." He frowned. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She was almost tempted to tell him what was bothering her. She knew he'd listen. Hell, his wives said he was a great listener. But what was she going to say: 'Hey Ethan, I'm feeling inadequate because you and all your wives are amazing but I'm not'. Yeah, that would go over well.

Real mature.

"No, not right now." She finally said.

"Okay." He nodded. "Well if you change your mind, I'm always here. And if you'd rather talk to a woman, I'm sure one of my wives would be happy to talk."

"I know." She replied, and managed to keep a note of bitterness out of her voice. Of course they would be happy to because they were wonderful women. She just wished that she could measure up to them.

"Ethan." Beth called as she came down the stairs.

Selene was tempted to retreat to the front of the ship, or even to the lower decks. However, Ethan had turned so that the approaching blonde and herself would form a nice triangle, so he was obviously not trying to end the conversation. She decided to stay, at least until it wouldn't be awkward to excuse herself.

"Dominus, the rest of us were just talking and we had a question." His youngest wife said as the rest of them came down the stairs.

"What if one of us wanted to have a boy?" Beth continued. "I mean, we all know you can give us girls--" she gestured towards Alana's womb. "--but what if one of us wanted a boy?"

Selene noticed that Kendra, who was the last down the stairs, perked up just slightly at this question.

"Um..." He ran his hand over the top of his head where a human's hair would be. "I have no idea. I know I could have dragon boys; but elf, human, or Fey...?" He frowned. "I have no idea. I'm happy to have girls, but I would also like... Hmm." He tapped his clawed foot on the wooden decking. "Yeah that's a really good question."

"Do you know how to find the answer?" Taloni asked.

"Well, I'm guessing that you haven't read anything about it." He said to Beth.

The blonde shook her head. "Every book I've read said that dragons can only sire dragons, but obviously we know that isn't true now." She gestured towards his pregnant first wife again.

"Right... right..." He frowned. "I'm not really sure who we could ask then. Maybe Elder Goman?"

"I doubt he'd know." Alana replied. "However, I can think of someone who might."

"Who?" Beth and Taloni chorused at the same time.

"Well, he's not that far away, and you haven't made enemies of him yet despite some verbal sparring." The wood elf replied wryly.

"Enemies of him yet..." Ethan frowned for a moment, then both he and Rachel said at the same time "Drousin."

They looked at each other and grinned.

"He's not even that far." Alana pointed out. "I think it only took an hour for you to fly there when we went to go rescue Beth."

"And fight me." Rachel grinned sheepishly. "Good times."

Ethan raised both of his eyebrows as he gave her a sly look. "Well, it certainly led to good times eventually..."

She blushed.

"I suppose I could ask him..." He trailed off, then looked at Taloni. "How long to divert the Argo?"

"We'd be sailing directly into the wind, so several hours at least." The Fey replied. "You're a lot faster than an airship when you're flying master."

"I suppose I could fly out and ask." He mused.

"Would you?!" Beth gushed. "I'd love to know."

"Any particular reason?" He winked at her. "Are you aiming to nurse a blond boy in the not-too-distant future?"

Beth's face went beet red. "I'm um... I don't care if it's a boy or girl, as long as it's your baby."

"Our baby." He corrected, then smiled. "And agreed."

"It would be good to know though." Rachel spoke up. "If you only had girls, and each of your seven wives only had two children, you'd be outnumbered twenty-one to one."

"Fair point." He nodded. "Okay, I guess I'm off to see about giving you girls some boys." He winked.

They all laughed, but more than one bit her lip or gave him a smoldering look.

Selene just listened.

She didn't have a proverbial 'dog in the fight' so she really didn't care. She liked the Ten Kingdoms, Ivernia in particular, but she had no desire to live on this planet. That might even change if she could find a husband who wouldn't try to buy her from her father and she could have a way to contact her family back home. But the odds of that were practically non-existent.

In the back of her mind, the looming threat of Smithbond and the nameless government agency he worked for came to mind. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn't see a way to beat them that didn't involve her bonding with Ethan.

As the man-- err, dragon took to the skies to see about the gender of his children, it occurred to her that she might not have a choice but to bond to him too.

She scoffed to herself.

Of course, if she did end up marrying him, it would only be a marriage of convenience at best, or a marriage of necessity at worst. Actually, a 'marriage of necessity' sounded pretty accurate. She would be reduced to that; someone would marry her not because he loved her, was attracted to her, or because he wanted her, but because it was necessary to complete a military objective. If they got married, it would be simply because she was a means to an end.

She shook her head.

Yeah, that sounded about right.

* * *

Ethan feathered his wings as he approached Alana's forest and looked for the entrance to Drousin's lair. It didn't take him long to find it, and he made a slow circle as he descended, finally touching down with absolutely zero attempt to be quiet. He didn't want the massive dragon thinking that he was trying to sneak up on him. He dropped his sword and the backpack containing his armor bits outside the cave's entrance, again not wanting it to look like he was planning to attack.

He definitely wasn't.

He cleared his throat loudly and then called into the cave. "Drousin?"

No answer.

"Drousin." He called more loudly.

Still no answer.

"DROUSIN!" He yelled, making sure to keep his voice loud without a hint of anger or roar; he wasn't issuing a challenge.

From deep inside the cave, he heard a rumbling yawn, then: "Whelp, you've returned."

"I have." He called back. "May I enter?" He wasn't sure why he asked. He just had this sense that it was the proper way to go about it. Besides, he didn't think entering a dragon's lair without permission was a good idea.

"You may." The larger dragon said after another yawn.

Ethan started walking inside, leaving his weapons and armor outside. He doubted Drousin would try anything, and thus didn't want to provoke him. He hadn't gone in very far before he caught his first glimpse of the dragon in almost three months.

He was just as large as Ethan remembered, possibly slightly larger.

Drousin was at least 50 feet long and must've weighed several tons. His head alone was easily the size of a full-grown man and towered at least ten feet over Ethan. Each of his four legs was as thick as a small tree trunk, with claws that could grasp a full-grown man easily. He also had almost the exact same color dragon scales as Ethan himself, which made sense since the dragon's body that he was inhabiting had once belonged to Drousin's deceased son.

Underneath the large dragon was his massive pile of gold. Curiously, the gold didn't call to him like it had before. He felt a small pull towards it, but not nearly as strong as he'd felt towards gold before. Not that he didn't want it -- he did -- but the desire was far weaker than he remembered it being.

Hmm.

Curious.

"Long time no see." He said when he'd gone in far enough to have a conversation, but not so far as to get near the larger dragon's massive pile of gold.

"It hasn't been that long; only 88 days." Drousin said with a yawn.

"Almost three months; three very long, busy months for me."

The larger dragon shrugged. "What occasions the visit?"

"I had a question actually." Ethan replied. "Is it possible for a dragon and a human to have a human boy together?"

Drousin blinked. "Why would you want that?"

"I have my reasons."

"Reasons you'd prefer not to tell me." It wasn't a question.

"Yup."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Drousin asked.

Ethan smiled at the reference to their battle of wits the day he'd arrived in the Ten Kingdoms. Drousin had said that murder wasn't wrong because there were no such things as moral absolutes. So, with Alana's life seemingly hanging in the balance, Ethan had proved that absolutes existed by asking the larger dragon if he was absolutely sure that there were no absolutes.

"I am absolutely sure, and murder is still wrong."

Drousin harrumphed. "Just because absolutes exist, doesn't mean that morals exist."

"And yet they do." Ethan countered. "There's hardly a person alive who wouldn't agree that cold-blooded murder of an innocent person is morally repugnant."

"Based on what standard?" Drousin countered.

"Come again?"

"I am not leaving this cave." The other dragon growled.

"Sorry, it's a figure of speech." Ethan hastily clarified. "I was asking you what you meant and to clarify."

Drousin tapped his long, clawed finger on the cave's floor before continuing. "You say that moral standards exist, but what is the standard? You said that most people believe that murder is wrong; therefore, is what most people believe the standard?"

"No." Ethan shook his head, thinking of things like slavery which were widely accepted on Earth for a long time, and which was still apparently still accepted in the Ten Kingdoms.

"So based on what standard do you declare that murder is wrong?" Drousin said looking smug.

Ethan frowned. "You've been thinking about this for a long time, haven't you?"

"Precisely 88 days." Drousin replied. "But you haven't answered my question."

"You didn't answer mine." Ethan countered.

"Ah, but I have no need to answer yours, and won't unless you answer mine."

Ethan scowled.

He should've expected this. The last time he'd seen the larger dragon it had gone like this as well, matching wits seemed to be a hobby of his. For that matter, his brief encounter with Kyrupto had been punctuated with the same sort battle of wits. He found himself idly wondering if all older dragons were this contemplative.

Hmm.

What was the standard for right and wrong?

He briefly considered suggesting whatever is best for the largest number of people, but he knew Drousin would shoot that down. What defines best? Further, wouldn't that lead to an 'ends justifies the means' mentality?

Hmm.

His parents had given him a very strict moral code, but he'd never really thought about the foundation of ethics before. He couldn't say his parents were the standard of course, because every parent was probably a bit different. For that matter, there were probably no two individuals on the planet -- either planet -- that had exactly the same moral compass. Close sure, but probably not the same.

Although, almost everyone here in the Ten Kingdoms seemed to accept Illuminar's Book of Light as a standard. Maybe Drousin would accept that?

"How about the Book of Light?"

Drousin smiled. "Ah, but the Book of Light was written, which means it once didn't exist. Was there a standard before the Book of Light?"

He frowned.

"What's your point?" Ethan finally asked.

"That even if absolutes exist, absolute and unchanging moral standards don't exist." Drousin replied with a wicked smile. "For something to be objective, it must be outside yourself. For something to be a true inviolable standard, it must be unchanging. So unless you can come up with a moral standard that's both objective -- meaning not coming from yourself -- and also unchanging, then absolute morals can't exist."

A self-satisfied grin appeared on the larger dragon's face at this pronouncement, as if he'd recaptured some crown he'd lost in ages ago and had been coveting for a long time.

*Ladies, I need some help.* He thought to all of them, and then explained his predicament.

*Illuminar master.* Taloni thought to him when he had finished. *As it's written in the Book of Light: 'He is the same yesterday, today, and forever'. And He certainly has moral standards.*

*Honey, I could kiss you.* He thought to her as he grinned. *In fact, I think I will when I get back.*

*Dominus, she's been very good. Perhaps you should specify on which set of lips...*

He couldn't see the Fey teen, but the former slave was probably beet red judging from their bond.

He grinned. *Now there's an idea...*

*I would rather feel you inside of me master, if that's okay.* Taloni finally replied.

*It would be my pleasure.* He replied, then turned to Drousin. "Is Illuminar unchanging?"

That wiped the smile off of Drousin's face.

"Illuminar has moral standards right?" Ethan pressed, wanting to get past this as soon as possible. "So if He's objective and unchanging, then couldn't He be an objective and unchanging standard for morality?"

Drousin blinked several times, opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He then cocked his head to one side for a few moments, opened his mouth to answer again, and then closed it again. He then rested his head on his forelegs for several seconds before harrumphing.

"That's twice whelp, though perhaps I should call you a warrior now." Drousin finally said.

"So, now will you tell me what you know about dragons having human, elven, or Fey sons?"

Drousin harrumphed again, shaking his head. "I don't think it's possible, but you're a dragon. Do some enchanting."

Ethan could've slapped himself; why hadn't he thought of that?

*Well ladies, he said I should try enchanting myself.* He told them. *Anything else I should ask about while I'm here?*

*Dominus, ask about breathing fire!* His youngest wife thought to him with so much excitement that she might've been jumping up and down.

*Yes master, do!* Taloni added with no less enthusiasm.

*Will do.* He chuckled, then looked at the other dragon. "Drousin, I feel like this is kind of basic for a dragon, but how do I breathe fire?"

"You might not have been on your own long enough for the glands to grow."

"Huh?"

Drousin gave a longsuffering sigh. "Dragons never grow their fire glands until after they leave left their sire's lair."

"Why?"

The larger dragon shook his head in much the same manner that a father would if his child asked an incredibly dumb question. "All dragons make gold resonate at a unique frequency. When a dragon is young, his frequency is the same as his sire's frequency. When he is fully mature, it changes and it becomes... uncomfortable for the two dragons to coexist near any significant quantity of gold. When you died, I was about to kick you out of the cave the headaches were getting so bad."

"But why does that matter?" Ethan frowned. "Why would mana frequencies and gold impact the growth of a dragon's organs?"

"I haven't the patience to explain it." He replied dismissively. "You'll understand when you breathe fire the first time."

"Okay, but this body has been out of your lair for almost three months now." Ethan pointed out. "So how long until my 'fire glands' grow?"

"It takes a few months -- sometimes up to half a year -- before the glands are mature enough to breathe fire."

Ethan grinned.

That could be any day now, though it could also be a few months too. "And if I wanted to breathe fire sooner?"

"Learn some patience or pray to your 'moral standard'." Drousin shook his head with disgust

Ethan relayed what he'd just learned to his wives. Beth and Taloni's excitement was almost palpable despite the great distance between them.

*That makes sense.* Kendra said. *I knew it took several months for a dragon to be able to breathe fire once his sire kicked him out, but I didn't know that was why.*

*That could be interesting.* He grinned. *I guess I kind haven't been thinking about fire-breathing because I've been so focused on enchanting myself, which I do every night, but breathing fire? That'll be pretty cool.*

*It will master!*

He chuckled to himself, then realized that Drousin was watching him. "What?"

The larger dragon cocked his head to one side. "You haven't stared at my gold in lust once."

"Not all that glitters is gold." Ethan said, thinking of his wives. "And speaking of, I hear you get regular shipments to protect Alana."

Drousin shrugged. "Not since she left the forest."

"You don't deny it?"

"Why would I? You obviously know, and wouldn't lying be against your objective standard." He said the last two words with derision.

"If that's the case, then why did you let Hermair capture her just before I arrived?" He asked, thinking of the wispy mage who accidentally brought him to this world and into the dragon's body.

"I'm not omniscient." Drousin shrugged.

"Then why did you threaten to eat her?"

"I was bored, you seemed like you'd object in an interesting way. I was right." He shrugged again, then yawned again. "Right now, I feel like taking a nap."

And with that, Drousin turned, lumbered slowly back to his pile of gold, flopped down on it and closed his eyes. Moments later, the sound of soft snoring began echoing through the chamber. As Ethan watched, he again noticed that the gold didn't call to him as much as it had before. Some definitely, but not nearly as much.

Hmm.

That was odd.

Very odd.

It was certainly nice, but definitely peculiar, especially considering how dragon-ish he'd been lately. On the other hand, how he'd been about his wives and especially Kendra...

Hmm.

Lately, he could barely even look at her without having to apply massive amounts of willpower not to compel her into bed. He would never do that on purpose, but sometimes it was like his dragon side just took over. It was like trying not to flinch when someone swings something near your eye, or like trying not to kick when a doctor taps your knee with one of those small hammers. It was a reflex or instinct, and one he simply couldn't control; not as well as he would've liked.

He thought about this as he walked out of the cave and reattached his sword and the backpack with his armor. Just even thinking about her now he could feel his blood rushing to his loins.

Her jet black hair...

Her tanned skin...

Her athletic body which was so lithe and nubile that--

He closed his eyes, trying to block the thoughts out. His dragon side only seemed interested in her body, but he found the woman herself just as captivating. She had a good heart; that much was obvious. She had tremendous strength of character to go from calling him an ''it", to apologizing, and then joining the Argo's crew. She was a bit taciturn, but thoughtful and he really liked having her around. He just felt better when she was, though that might be because of his bond.

He shook his head, trying to block out dragon-powered visions of her bent over a bed crying in ecstasy as he filled her womb with his child...

He shook his head, trying to clear it.

It wasn't working.

Finally he sat down and did some of the breathing exercises and meditation that Kendra herself had taught him. He began to feel more in control after several minutes... but not by much. He had guessed it would be a Band-Aid solution, and his wives had suggested the same; they were all right.

He hung his head, not having the willpower to fly back to the Argo right now.

*Kendra.* He thought to her.

*Yes?*

*I was serious when I said I might not be able to control my dragon side and what it... what I might do.* He paused. *It's getting harder and I'm not... What I mean to say is...*

He took a deep breath, but she responded first.

*Ethan, are you telling me to leave the Argo?*

*No.* He replied instantly. *That's not it at all. I don't want you to leave.*

*You don't?* She sounded surprised.

*No, I don't.* He confirmed. *I'm just worried about what might happen if... I mean, when I can't control my dragon side any longer. I don't want to do something that we'll both regret.*

No answer.

*Kendra?*

No answer.

*Kendra, can you hear me?*

* * *

*Kendra, can you hear me?*

The dragon huntress didn't respond immediately. She hesitated, not knowing what to say. He had given her every warning, and she was ignoring all of them. She had a pretty good idea what would happen when he finally lost control. She'd never experienced it, nor seen it in person, nor even been very much interested, but she knew how sex worked.

*Kendra, you're kind of freaking me out here with the 'not answering' thing.* Ethan said.

*I'm okay, just processing.* She replied.

*I'm sorry.*

She shrugged, not that he could see her. *There's a reason I don't like dragons.*

*Yeah, right now I'm with you.*

Hmm.

Leave the Argo or be forced to bed a dragon. No, not just 'a dragon'; Ethan. He wasn't just a dragon to her, not anymore. She looked around the deck and several things occurred to her all at once.

First, she didn't truly belong here. Not really. The Argo was her home, but it was only her home by the good graces of Ethan and his wives. Oddly, far from making her feel like an outsider, this made her feel more included. They had included her in their family in every way possible except that way. Did she want to be included that way?

Her stomach lurched and she swallowed hard.

Okay, that was that question answered. Well, answered by her stomach anyway. The rest of her...

Hmm.

The second thing that occurred to her was related: she could belong here. Truly belong. Not as a passenger, ally, sword hand, or even friend; but as a wife. Did she want that? Truly want that? She swallowed hard as she fought to keep her stomach calm at the thought. Setting aside her physical reaction, did she want that?

Her mind drifted back to falling asleep next to Taloni, the times she'd shared with them on the Argo and at Anthiel and Ralgar's house. She thought back to how Ethan had forgiven her and then later jumped between her and a mage to protect her. She thought back to him calling her an amazing woman and felt her heart melt a bit.

She looked around at the airship that she'd come to love so much.

She couldn't leave.

Illuminar help her, but she couldn't leave. She considered what it would be like to tell Taloni goodbye, and just couldn't bear the thought. She glanced at her little airship, which she'd docked on the Argo's weather deck before leaving. It was the perfect size for one, and she just couldn't face endless weeks, months, and years of being alone on it again; not after being on the Argo. It hadn't even been a whole week yet, and she was simply too attached.

She couldn't leave.

But Ethan's dragon side and what it wanted to do to her...

She thought back to all the times she'd seen Ethan's wives exit the captain's cabin looking radiant after he'd taken them to bed. What if he could do that to her...? She shuddered and threw up in her mouth a bit, but managed to choke it back down.

Finally, she replied. *Ethan, I'm staying on the Argo. I realize what might happen if I do, but I just can't leave. I hope to Illuminar that you can keep the dragon under control because that is just about the last thing I ever want to do with a dragon, but even if you can't...* She took a deep breath. *I can't leave. If that's the price I pay, then...*

She couldn't finish the sentence.

She had earlier when caught off guard, but couldn't now.

*Are you sure?* He asked. *I'm serious about the dragon getting out of hand, and I'm pretty sure I can't hold it much longer. Sometimes I see you and just--* The thought was rather dragonish, and it was cut off pretty quickly, followed by: *I'm... I...*

He stopped, and she couldn't sense his emotions since she had her mental defenses up, but she didn't need to. She knew him well enough now to know exactly what was going through his head.

*Ethan, if 'it' happens, don't blame yourself. I won't. I decided to stay on the Argo, knowing full well what the consequences might be. I know it's your dragon side, not you. You don't blame Rachel for what happened while she was under the influence of the will-breaker ring; don't blame yourself for this.*

No answer.

*Ethan?*

* * *

Alana started pacing the weather deck and glanced in the direction of Drousin's lair. Ethan had been gone rather longer than she had been expecting, even accounting for the mind games and philosophical puzzles that the larger dragon liked to play.

Something was off with Kendra too.

A little over an hour ago, she had started pacing the deck slowly and pensively, like she suddenly had a lot on her mind. The wood elf had asked, but the dragon huntress deflected, clearly not wanting to talk about it. She assumed it had something to do with the ongoing issues between Kendra and Ethan, but didn't know what specifically had caused that to suddenly bother the dragon huntress.

Finally, she saw a steel grey shape on the horizon.

*There you are.* She thought directly to him. *What took so long?*

*I had some... issues regarding Kendra.* He replied, his tone sounding world-weary. *It took me a while to be ready to come back.*

He swooped in and landed on the deck, and afterward was mobbed by his wives, Alana herself included. It didn't take very long before a smile slipped onto his face, though his shoulders still drooped a bit.

"Do you think enchanting will work?" Beth asked after he'd kissed each one of them.

"Not sure." He shrugged, then turned to his first wife. "Thoughts?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." The wood elf replied. "That's far outside of my experience."

"So, maybe we could have boys as well as girls master?" Taloni's wings fluttered.

"Maybe, don't get your hopes up though." He replied.

Alana noticed that Kendra had taken notice of the conversation, and that her ears had perked up at the mention of baby boys.

"Ethan." The dragon huntress said after several seconds.

"Yeah?" He replied, but didn't meet her eye.

"Would it be possible for me to exercise my willpower?" The dragon huntress asked. "That way perhaps I could resist you."

"I don't think so." Alana shook her head. "We talked to my mother and figured out why Rachel and I could resist Ethan, and it's inherited."

"Wait, what?" Rachel asked.

Ethan clapped his hand to head forehead and then looked at the redhead. "Oh man, I kept forgetting to tell you."

"Tell me what?" The teen mage asked.

"The birthmark that you and Alana both have; it's passed down from mother to daughter and indicates that the woman who has it had a dragon in her ancestry somewhere."

"I'm related to a dragon?" Rachel's jaw dropped as her eyes grew wide as saucers.

Everyone seemed stunned for a moment before Alana spoke up. "We think so, which is why we are the only two who can resist when Ethan tries to compel us."

Rachel stared for several seconds, then frowned. "It's passed down? But neither my mother nor my father have it."

"Sometimes it skips a few generations." Ethan added. "And Alana's grandmother said it's only passed through women so it couldn't have come from your father; it must've come through your mother."

"No." The redhead shook her head. "No, I hated this damn birthmark for a long time and searched my family records. Not a single female ancestor on my mother's side had this birthmark, including my mother, and that's going back over ten generations."

No one spoke for several seconds, and finally Selene broke the silence. "I'm no geneticist, but I'm pretty sure a recessive gene wouldn't have lasted ten generations. The odds against that must be insane."

"Over ten." Rachel corrected. "Fourteen to be precise."

"Yeah, that seems pretty impossible." Ethan nodded, then his eyes got bigger as his jaw went slightly slack. "Wait a minute..."

"What?" Alana asked, noting his slack-jawed expression and the shock coming over their bond.

Everyone looked at him.

He hesitated.

"Um, think about it." He said in awe as he turned towards Rachel. "If it only comes from being the daughter of a dragon or from being passed through your mother's line, and it wasn't passed through your mother's line, then logically..."

"It came from her father, who then must be a..." Selene trailed off, her eyes also growing wide.

"Is Lord Delmar a..." Kendra's jaw dropped.

All eyes turned to the redhead.

Rachel gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Dear Illuminar in heaven, is my father...? He couldn't be... could he?"

They all stood there, collectively stunned into silence.

Could it be?

TO BE CONTINUED...

I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, so the next chapter will be submitted on October 26th. It will probably drop Friday the 28th or Saturday the 29th after the review process. See you then!

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

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