Chapter 52: "War... war never changes."

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

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"So, thoughts?" Ethan asked after he had finished recounting everything that had happened with Talven and Salma, his second confrontation with the corrupt Reeve, and his conversation with Gabriella afterwards. His wives, Selene, and Anthiel were all assembled in the captain's cabin and had listened mostly without comment except to ask clarifying questions.

He hesitated and then added. "And yes, I realize that we would be going up against two lords, thousands of soldiers, dozens -- possibly hundreds of airships -- and a virtual army of bounty hunters."

There was silence for several long seconds before Kendra spoke up. "Drago, if we could lay anchor over the Gulf of Sayora a day or two's sail from Paliso, then I could take my airship into the capital. A week later, maybe two, we would only be fighting one lord. I promise it wouldn't be tied to us in any way."

Everyone stared at her.

Ethan blinked. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"He's threatening my family." The former Aldmiri shrugged as if that was all she needed to know. Her tone was entirely nonchalant and he was pretty certain that it wasn't intentional on her part; the idea simply didn't bother her.

"Sometimes you're a bit scary." Selene said after another few moments of silence.

"I would never hurt any of you." Kendra said quietly.

"I know that." The caramel-haired beauty replied. "I'm just saying, sometimes you're a scary woman."

Ethan inclined his head in concession.

"Do you want me to take care of Lord Farbrottan?" Kendra asked Ethan.

"Let's table that discussion until we decide if we're going to war." He replied.

"Master, Gabriella said that we couldn't avoid it." Taloni's wings fluttered nervously. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but since we have Illuminar's blessing, I'll do whatever I can." She frowned. "I'm not very good at fighting though."

"You don't need to be." Alana replied, beating Ethan to the punch. "You are an incredible healer and we need that just as much."

The Fey teen nodded. "What about you Alana? What do you think?"

"I think exactly what I told Ethan a few days ago." The wood elf replied. "Sometimes the only thing worse than going to war is not going to war. I think this is one of those times."

"Beth?" Ethan asked.

"I'll do whatever I can to help Dominus. I can't fight either, but I'll be the best scout I can."

"I know you will." He smiled at her. "But will you be okay with that? You'll be helping to kill people."

The blonde nodded. "I talked to Kendra and she gave me a good perspective. I'll be fine."

She sounded like it.

Her voice didn't have any bravado, uncertainty, or hesitation. He made a mental note to ask her about her conversation with Kendra later.

"Rachel?" Alana asked the redhead with a gentle tone.

Lord Delmar's daughter hesitated for several long seconds before she replied. "I will help fight anyone who tries to hurt my family, except maybe..." She frowned. "I don't know if I could actually fight my own father. His men, yes; but I don't know if I could bring myself to fight him."

"I promise I won't ask you to." Ethan said.

"Then I'm with you my lord; I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Selene?" Ethan looked at her. "I realize this won't affect you for very long since you'll be leaving the Ten Kingdoms to deal with that portal situation on Earth, but I still want your opinion."

"I don't have to stay on Earth." She replied. "I don't know much about war, but I know that you need help. My sword arm isn't as good as it could be--"

"Don't sell yourself short." Kendra interjected. "You aren't a master swordsman yet, but you're better than you think you are."

"Thanks." She smiled. "Apparently I can help some with my blade, but I'm also telepathic; I'm sure that could help you."

"I'm sure it could." Ethan hesitantly.

"You sound skeptical." Selene said.

"Not skeptical, but you've trained your entire life to become an FBI agent. As much as I would love your help, I don't want you to give up on your lifelong dream to fight a war on another planet."

"I appreciate that." The Brazilian woman replied. "But I'm pretty sure that I burned all my bridges back home with Smithbond and his nameless agency. I don't think they'll let me become an FBI agent."

Ethan nodded his head in concession. "Fair, and of course you're always welcome on the Argo, but if you get a chance to become an FBI agent, promise me that you'll take it."

"Sure." Selene's tone plainly conveyed that she didn't think it would happen.

"I'm serious." Ethan said. "Promise me that if you get the chance, you'll take it."

"In that highly unlikely scenario, okay; I promise." The caramel-haired beauty shrugged. "But only if you allow me to help until that practically impossible event happens."

"Deal." He nodded, then looked at their high elf pilot. "Anthiel?"

"I think Alana is right." Anthiel said. "Sometimes the only thing worse than going to war is not going to war, and I also agree that this is one of those times."

"You seem very sure of that." He pointed out.

"You forget that my husband is an admiral in Lord Borden's fleet." The high elf replied. "He and I discussed this after the ambush in Laerten and realized that this would be the ultimate result."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Beth asked.

"Because it was something you all needed to decide for yourselves." Anthiel replied. "Besides, Ethan was gone and any discussions or decisions this big should happen with the ship's captain present. He's the captain and owner since Lord Borden gave the Argo to him."

"Speaking of, my father won't like this." The blonde added. "He was angry that we were coming to deal with the orcs; he'll be livid if he finds out that I'm intentionally going to war."

"Damn; I hadn't thought of that." Ethan grimaced. "I understand where he's coming from though. Frankly, I'm livid that I'm being forced to take you all to war."

Alana put her hand over her womb. "I get that more now. I can imagine how I would feel if someone took Ruth into a war. But we didn't choose this, it was forced upon us."

"I'm not sure that Lord Borden will see the difference." Ethan replied.

"He doesn't have much choice." The wood elf said. "The alternative is that we resign ourselves to running our entire lives and likely being caught and killed sooner or later."

"True." Ethan sighed. "Still, we'll have to keep him in mind."

"Agreed." Alana replied.

"So we're all agreed then?" Ethan asked, looking around at everyone.

"We haven't heard your opinion Master." Taloni pointed out. "I think I can guess from your story, but I want to know what you are thinking."

"I'm thinking that if we start a war, some of us might not make it." He said honestly. "But if we don't start a war, then some of us definitely won't make it. Given the choice between certain death and possible death, I think my choice is obvious. Ironically, the only way to keep everyone safe might be running headlong into danger."

There was a collective nodding of heads.

"Drago, since we're all agreed, I suggest returning to that suggestion we tabled earlier." Kendra spoke up.

He looked at her. "You really aren't kidding, are you?"

"No." She said simply as she shook her head. "This is war. Cutting off the enemy's head is often the fastest way to end a war."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable ordering an assassination." Ethan said after a moment.

"Then don't order it; simply don't tell me not to."

"That's really not different." Alana pointed out.

Kendra shrugged. "It helps some people sleep better at night."

"Would you sleep after doing that?" Tee asked.

"Like a baby." Kendra said, and her tone wouldn't have been out of place if she were saying the sky was blue or water was wet.

"Babies often don't sleep well." Anthiel pointed out, then looked at Alana. "You'll discover that first hand."

"I will sleep well." Kendra said, then looked at Ethan. "You don't need to worry about me if that's what you're thinking. I promise it won't bother me."

"And that's part of what worries me." He said pointedly.

"Oh." Kendra frowned. "You do know what I used to do, right?"

"I do." He nodded. "I think it's hitting me a whole new way right now, but I do."

"Wouldn't assassinating Lord Farbrottan cause other problems?" Rachel piped up. "His son would inherit the throne and wouldn't he pursue us for killing his father?"

"I won't be caught." Kendra said. Judging by her tone, you might've thought she was stating a universally acknowledged truth. "I would use a poison that has a long delay before having any effect and I would be long gone by the time anything happens."

"But I doubt his son is stupid." The redhead countered. "Word of our ambush in Timarou is bound to spread and almost anyone would suspect us if he turns up dead not long afterwards. Further, we're already fugitives which would make him hunting us not only easier, but he would also have the full support of the law."

"We're already being hunted, so what difference would that make?" Kendra replied.

"It would if we drew the attention of the Aldmiri." Rachel said.

"That's not a bad point." Kendra frowned, then cocked her head to one side. "They would certainly investigate the death of a lord and likely uncover the poison. I don't think anyone other than the Aldmiri would, but..." She cocked her to the other side. "You make a good point. I spent a lot of time doing missions but never did any strategic-level planning and... well, that's a good point that I should've thought of."

"Um, I don't support Kendra's suggestion, but won't starting a war with two lords draw the Aldmiri's attention anyway?" Alana asked.

"Yes, but not the way that assassinating a lord would." Kendra replied. "They are primarily concerned with threats to the emperor and the stability of the realm, not law enforcement. They likely won't bother with us as long as we're just one ship. Well, unless we start assassinating lords." Tellingly, there was a note of disappointment in Kendra's voice at that last sentence.

Hmm.

"Wouldn't demon-possessed soldiers draw their attention as well?" Ethan asked. "It seems like they might care."

"They might not know yet." Kendra replied.

"Master, do you know where the possessed man that attacked you came from?"

"No." He shook his head. "I have literally no idea and that's a big problem. He was definitely after me though."

"Could it be Lord Delmar?" Selene asked. "He is a dragon and Lady Ekthros is certainly evil enough to be involved with something like that."

Ethan hesitated for a moment before answering. "Honestly, I don't think it's Lord Delmar precisely because he's a dragon. It's really hard to describe just how much my dragon instincts drive me to flee when I meet someone who's demon-possessed." He realized what he'd just said and how utterly absurd it would've sounded to him a few months ago, then looked at Selene. "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

The caramel-haired beauty started laughing while the others looked on, obviously confused. The two earthlings explained once Selene had stopped laughing.

"How is this my life?" He wondered aloud as he looked around the captain's cabin. "Five wonderful, beautiful, and amazing wives; a baby on the way; an airship; dealing with angels and demons; and about to fight a war with two lords."

"I don't know Master, but I'm glad it is." Tee beamed at him, though her smile faltered after a moment. "Except for the demons and the war."

His other wives all agreed except Beth who looked lost in thought.

"Bee, what's wrong?" Tee asked.

"I'm still wondering where that possessed man came from." The blonde replied.

"Me too." Ethan agreed.

"It's more than just him though." Rachel pointed out, then looked at Ethan and Kendra. "Remember that half-man, half-dragon corpse we found in Nalatia at Lady Ekthros's hideout?"

"I do." He nodded. "You think there's some sort of relation?"

"Perhaps." The redhead replied. "I don't see how they could not be related, even if not directly."

Selene smiled. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster."

Everyone looked at her.

She looked at Ethan. "Oh come on; the Six Million Dollar Man? The 1970s TV show?"

He shrugged. "Never seen it."

"He was an astronaut that crashed and they made him into a cyborg, or 'bionic man' as they called it."

"Wait, cyborg?" Rachel cocked her head to one side and looked at Ethan. "Aren't those the bad guys on that TV play you mentioned? Star Journey, or something like that?"

"Star Trek, and those are the Borg." Ethan chuckled. "But I think I get Selene's point." He looked at her. "You think she's trying to create super soldiers."

She nodded. "I don't think that Lady Ekthros is exactly Tony Stark, but -- assuming she's behind the demon-possessed man -- it would make sense that she's trying other ways to create super soldiers."

"Oh!" Beth exclaimed. "I always wondered..."

"Wondered what?" Tee asked.

"While I was dead, that mage healed my neck and then said something about starting enchantments the next day." The blonde replied. "I thought maybe he was talking about necromancy, but maybe he wasn't."

"Oh." Rachel looked up and her eyes went a bit wide. "You're thinking that if Lady Ekthros is from Earth just like Ethan is--"

"She is." Kendra interjected. "Luminar Kossel is as well and he told me that she was. Elder Goman even visited Earth for a short time once and confirmed it as well."

The redhead nodded. "Then maybe she was thinking about enchanting Beth's body and bringing her back after a blood transfusion like we did with Beth. The enchantments would probably hold once she came back, right?" She looked at Alana.

"Quite possibly." The wood elf replied. "It's impossible to enchant something that's alive, but if a person was enchanted while dead and then brought back..." She frowned. "I don't think the enchantments would last forever though. They might last for a few weeks though, maybe a month? Possibly longer if a demon was involved."

"A demon was definitely involved." Beth shuddered. "I still remember how that thing's voice sounded."

"So, dead men brought back with enchanted bodies, men who are half-dragons, and demon-possessed men." Ethan sighed and slowly shook his head. "Well, at least our lives aren't boring."

"Is Lady Ekthros behind all of them?" Beth asked.

"Maybe?" Kendra replied. "She's evil enough, but I don't think we can know for sure."

"Agreed." Rachel said. "We have no evidence whatsoever that Lady Ekthros was involved with what happened to Beth and the demon in Arcanum, or the demon-possessed man that Ethan fought recently. I agree that she's the most likely candidate of our current enemies, but consider: what if we have more enemies that we don't know about?

"Agreed." Alana said. "I don't think we'll get any answers that aren't conjecture at this point."

Silence fell for a few moments.

"Something that you might not have considered: finances." Anthiel said. "Wars are expensive. Lord Borden did give you rather a lot of coin, but it won't last forever."

"How long do you think it will last?" Ethan asked.

"Perhaps a few years if you only use it to purchase food and other necessities." The high elf replied. "However, it wouldn't last long if you tried to use it as a war chest." She paused. "Or to try and raise a family. Babies are wonderful, but they can also be expensive."

"Good point." He nodded. He didn't add that he still had that cube of solid gold that Lord Delmar had given him for a wedding present. Obviously that was a lot of money, but the dragon side of him still didn't want to part with it.

"Here's some irony." Beth said with a wry smile. "That cube of gold from our wedding might end up being used to fight the person who gave it to us."

Everyone chuckled except for Ethan, who felt himself bristle slightly and resisted the urge to growl. Everyone except Anthiel -- the only one who wasn't bonded to him -- all looked at him.

"That's a lot of gold." Alana said carefully, glancing at Ethan. "But we shouldn't use it if that will bother your dragon side."

"Which is making a rather stunning comeback." Selene pointed out.

"I know, I know." He shook his head. "However, I'm fine for now and we don't really have time to fix that particular problem now."

"Are you sure Dominus?" Beth asked with a sly grin. "I really enjoy fixing that particular problem."

"Me too." He grinned back. "But I need to meet the orcs soon and we just don't have time to do it properly."

The blonde sighed, but nodded.

"I think it's more me anyway." Selene said matter-of-factly. "It's been about a week since I 'held his wing', but you all got busy not long before he left."

"We definitely did." Alana's eyes twinkled.

"We'll have to do the wing-holding thing again soon." Ethan said to Selene.

"Yeah, we should." The Brazilian woman nodded. Curiously, unlike the previous few times it had come up, there wasn't any fire or desire in her eyes this time. She didn't seem remotely turned on by the idea despite how much she had enjoyed it the first time. He wondered if perhaps that was connected to the birthday thing from earlier, but wasn't sure.

Curious.

"So back to the topic at hand: how do we fight a war against two lords?" Ethan asked.

"Master, didn't Gabriella say how?" Tee asked. "Didn't she say it would be with the help of the people who Illuminar has placed in your path?"

"She did, but who..." He trailed off as someone occurred to him.

"Lord Kalus." Alana said, voicing what he had been thinking. "He's an actual war hero from the war between Timarou and Har'peton seven or eight years ago."

"Indeed." Rachel nodded. "From what I hear, he almost single-handedly won the war through his superior tactics. Besides my father, he's one of the very few lords who have actually fought in a war."

"What war did your father fight in?" Selene asked.

"Some of the wildlings attacked Narlotten without warning before I was born." Rachel replied. "They traveled overland, cutting through the Great Plains to reach Narlotten. Lord Delmar was the highest-ranking officer near the attack and he directed the war effort until Narlotten's military could be mustered. From what I've heard, he was a master tactician."

"What are the 'wildlings'?" Ethan asked.

"Races that don't fit neatly into other categories." Beth piped up. "Centaurs, arachnia, slytherians, giants, and other races like that. They live outside the Empire and occasionally lash out against the countries that border their territory, like Ivernia through The Gap, or Narlotten through the Great Plains. I'm sure they also attack the more northern lorddoms as well."

"The more I know, the more I know that I don't know." Selene sighed.

"No kidding." Ethan agreed.

Rachel spoke up after another few seconds. "They say my father risked his life during the war to save civilians. That's part of the reason the people love him; he's a war hero."

Ethan didn't miss the note of hope in her voice. "It sounds like you have thoughts on that."

Her shoulders slumped slightly and she looked down. "I just..." She swallowed and Alana took her hand which seemed to give her the strength to continue. "Someone who would do that can't be consorting with demons, can he?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure it's him." He replied gently. "I find it hard to imagine that a dragon would ever knowingly get involved with demons at any level, and that's why..." He trailed off as he realized that wasn't entirely true.

"Sir, might I point out that Sarah has a demon and you fell in love with her." Alana said.

"Yeah, but it was different when her demon came out." He replied after thinking about it for a few seconds. "I felt unsettled around her yes, but my dragon instincts weren't screaming for me to leave until her demon manifested. That possessed man that I fought wasn't like that; he clearly wasn't suppressing the demon at all. I wasn't too bothered by Sarah until her demon came out."

"I know what you mean." Beth said. "I met one and I felt frozen in fear, although..." The blonde stopped and cocked her head to one side.

"What?" Tee asked.

"The men around me didn't." The blonde replied. "They interacted with the demon like he was a normal person, even though he didn't have a face."

"Perhaps they couldn't tell he was a demon?" Rachel suggested.

"Maybe he was using a disguise enchantment of some kind." Alana added.

"The Book of Light says that Saidow's minions can even disguise themselves as agents of light." Taloni spoke up. "Demons must be able to disguise themselves."

"Dragons must be able to sense them." Kendra said. "I've hunted a lot of dragons and they have an almost preternatural connection with magic; it's part of them in a greater way than with any other species, even the Fey races. Maybe that's why they can sense them."

"Ladies, did you feel anything different from Sarah?" Ethan asked. "Anything unsettling?"

They all shook their heads or said they didn't.

"Hmm." He frowned. "You know, I think Kendra is right. Beth was terrified of the demon much like I was, but maybe that's normal. Maybe dragons aren't more scared of demons than anyone else. Maybe everything is scared of them and dragons are simply able to sense them when others can't."

"That would make sense Master." Taloni shuddered slightly. "They are pure evil. I feel bad for all the men who are being forced to host demons, like the one you fought."

"What makes you think they are being forced?" Kendra asked.

Everyone looked at her.

"I have met many men who would happily sell their souls or make a deal with a demon to gain the power that these possessed men have." The former Aldmiri continued. "He might have been forced, but I think it's more likely that he wanted it."

"You... you can't be serious." The Fey teen said with wide eyes and aghast disbelief written all over her face.

"I am." Kendra replied in a deadly serious tone. "In fact, I would wager that they were forced to compete with other equally unsavory men -- likely in a fight to the death -- to become demon possessed."

Everyone stared at her.

"That's horrible." Beth shuddered.

"You think there's more than one?" Selene asked.

"I do." The raven-haired woman nodded. "The way Ethan described him, I would bet a lot of coin that he belongs to some lord's intelligence service. He sounded like an asset who was well-trained, which means someone trained him. And if there's one like that, I would wager there are more. Probably not an army, maybe not even a dozen, but I'm sure there's more."

"Suddenly, Lady Ekthros is sounding more likely." Selene said.

"Or Lord Farbrottan since it happened in Ivernia." Kendra suggested. "Though, I've heard he's a bit more superstitious so he would likely act through an intermediary. Those two are the most likely options."

"Um..." Rachel said hesitantly. "Neither of you mentioned my father as being likely." Her voice was full of hope again, though also tinged with doubt.

"Certainly not personally." Ethan said carefully. "He could be involved through an intermediary though."

"And we're back to Lady Ekthros, though we don't have any evidence." Kendra pointed out. "I would eliminate her in a heartbeat if Luminar Kossel hadn't called in every favor that I owe him to try to bring her in alive."

Ethan nodded, remembering the strange request that the luminar had not only made of Kendra, but himself as well since Kossel had saved him in Arcanum. From most people, he would've assumed that Kendra's statement about killing her was hyperbole. From Kendra though...

Hmm.

That was less clear.

"We don't know for sure." Alana said to Rachel. "However Lady Ekthros is more likely behind the demon-possessed men than your father.

"Why couldn't it be Lord Farbrottan as Kendra suggested?" Selene asked. "I'm not saying it is, but from what I've heard, Narlotten is a relatively peaceful, prosperous lorddom while Ivernia is... well, Ivernia. Lord Farbrottan is obviously intentionally squeezing Ivernia for every copper he can get out of them, so he's clearly evil enough."

"Or perhaps they are working together on it?" Kendra suggested. "Remember, we saw Narlotten soldiers embedded on the Ivernian airships."

"At the end of the day, we really don't know." Ethan said, then added. "We've been saying that about a lot of things in this conversation."

"Master, I know we're discussing important things, but you still need to meet with the orcs and haven't eaten breakfast yet." Taloni said. "I wouldn't want you to miss a meal, so maybe we could talk more about this later after you've eaten since we're mostly guessing right now?"

"Sounds good." He replied, then paused. "How about the rest of you go ahead for now; I'd like to talk to Kendra for a minute first."

The raven-haired woman sighed. "They don't need to leave; I know your speech by heart."

"My speech?"

She nodded. "You were going to tell me that I'm your good girl and that I'm not as bad as I think I am." Her tone betrayed nothing about her emotions. Frankly, it was almost unnerving how she could completely conceal every hint of emotion at a moment's notice.

She continued. "You were going to tell me that you love me regardless of how bad I think I am, and then reiterate that I'm not as bad as I think I am. Weren't you?"

"Uh..." He stammered.

"Wow." Selene chuckled. "She's got your number."

"I really appreciate that you think I'm good, even though I'm not." Kendra continued looking at him. "But until you've done what I've done..." She swallowed. "I could go to Paliso to take care of Lord Farbrotten and it wouldn't even bother me. I would sleep perfectly that night. It wouldn't weigh on my conscience, it wouldn't make me sullen or depressed, and it wouldn't even bother me afterwards. It should bother me, but it wouldn't."

"Hmm." Ethan made an expression that was halfway between a thoughtful frown and smile as he noticed something about what Kendra had said. "So, you're saying that it bothers you that it doesn't bother you?"

"Close enough." She shrugged.

"That wasn't always the case, was it?" He asked with a small smile.

"No."

"So, my good girl is getting better then, isn't she?" He eyed her pointedly.

Kendra raised one of her eyebrows and frowned.

"And Ethan is now on the scoreboard." Selene said in a slightly comical sports newscaster voice as she held an imaginary microphone.

"Kendra." Taloni spoke up. "The Book of Light says that if you repent and turn away from evil, Illuminar will forgive you."

"I know." Kendra smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "But being handed a pardon is merely confirmation that I was guilty in the first place."

There was silence for several seconds.

Then Selene broke it.

She stood up, walked over to the bed, and sat down next to Kendra. She put her arm around her friend and sighed. "Kendra, sometimes I wish you weren't so smart." The Brazilian woman looked at her pointedly. "But your objection is overruled; we still care and think you are a good person."

"We do." Taloni agreed, followed by everyone else.

"I'm glad you all think that." Kendra replied with a small but genuine smile. "I wish that--"

"Nope." Selene interrupted, holding her hand up to silence her friend. "The prosecutor has been found in contempt of court and won't be allowed to bring any more evidence against herself."

Kendra actually managed a sound that was halfway between an exhale and a chuckle. "You're a good friend."

"Takes one to know one." The Brazilian woman replied pointedly.

"Thank you." The dragon huntress replied quietly.

"You're welcome." Selene replied. "Now, Ethan's breakfast and then orcs; your self-flagellation session has been canceled for today."

"Okay." Kendra nodded, and Ethan thought that she did actually look like she was feeling better.

*Thank you.* Ethan thought to Selene privately. He hadn't had a clue what to say to his fifth wife and was glad that the caramel-haired beauty had stepped in.

*Any time, especially for Kendra.* She replied.

* * *

"I split the dough into a few pieces and braided them together." Sarah replied to Marge's question. "I thought it looked better that way. Is that okay?" It was midmorning and they were preparing lunch for the castle in the kitchens, so Sarah had decided to try something visually a little different with the bread. Marge had let her experiment in the kitchen before and never had a problem with it so she wasn't worried; worst case Marge would tell her not to make the bread that way again.

"It's fine." The head cook chuckled and shook her head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're aiming for my job."

"Of course not." Sarah replied. "I... I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something."

"Oh?"

The innkeeper's daughter nodded. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm betrothed. He's back in Ivernia and as much as I like working here in the kitchens, I need to save enough coin so I can make my way back to him."

"A wife's place is with her husband." Marge nodded, but she was frowning. "I don't suppose you could convince him to move to Karnas?"

"I don't think so." Sarah replied. "He's... well he's not really the type to move unless he had a really good reason." She was putting it lightly. Rindrin was a good man, but he was stuck in his ways and she was pretty sure the idea of moving out of that little outpost had never even occurred to him. She had once thought that perhaps Lady Ekthros could provide enough incentive, but that obviously wouldn't happen now.

"Well, you'll always have a job as long as I'm cooking here." Marge said gruffly. "Come back if something happens."

"I would love to." Sarah replied honestly. Working in the kitchens here was wonderful and she could think of nothing she'd like more than to make food like this forever. Well, maybe she'd want a break occasionally and she did want to have children, but working in a kitchen like this would be wonderful.

The head cook bustled away and Fiona walked up as soon as she did. Conner was strapped to her chest as usual and he was awake and alert, looking around with undeniable interest in his baby eyes.

"I heard that you were telling her about your leaving." The copper-haired woman said. "How was she taking it?"

"She told me that I was always welcome back." Sarah replied. "Honestly, I don't want to leave. I love cooking here, plus I have you and Amy."

Conner made a cheerful noise.

"And I have you too Conner." Sarah beamed.

"Ah, I see you're listing the cooking before your friends." Fiona said with a wink and suppressed laughter. "I'm seeing where your priorities are."

Sarah laughed.

Fiona moved a bit closer and lowered her voice. "I would rather you were staying as well, but you might want to be leaving sooner than later."

"Oh?"

"Aye. I'll be hating to see you go, but--" Fiona hesitated, then looked around, moved closer, and lowered her voice even more. "You were telling me about when you brought breakfast to you-know-who recently. I'm thinking that she might be guessing that you know what she is up to."

"Oh." Sarah frowned.

Fiona had a point.

Sarah hadn't been as careful as she probably should've been when talking to Lady Ekthros the other morning. She didn't think that she'd given away that she knew the 'lady' was trying to create demonic soldiers, but she certainly hadn't endeared herself to Lady Ekthros.

"You don't think she'd try something, do you?"

"I'm not knowing for certain." Fiona whispered in response. "I don't think she could be doing anything here in Karnas without raising suspicion, but she's a wily one; she might be coming up with something."

"I hope not. I really do like it here, especially with you and Amy."

"Aye." The copper-haired woman smiled.

* * *

Ethan finished wolfing down his early lunch as quickly as he could without choking on it. He wanted to be ready to go long before it was time to meet the orcs, even though he was pretty sure they didn't keep a tight schedule.

"They're pretty great if I do say so myself." Selene said, holding up one of the new fabric shields after demonstrating how it worked.

"That's brilliant!" He beamed. "I could kiss you!"

"Please don't." The Brazilian woman replied, her tone serious and almost irritated.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head but didn't explain further. Kendra gave her an odd look though.

*Is she okay?* He thought to his raven-haired wife.

*She's been a little out of sorts since the whole birthday thing.* Kendra replied.

*Okay, thanks.* He made a mental note to ask more about that later. He couldn't tell what Selene was annoyed about though. She'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in being his wife and that she wanted to go back to Earth to become an FBI agent, so he wasn't sure why she was annoyed.

"Sir, it just occurred to me that we should tell Elder Goman about that demon-possessed man who attacked you." Alana spoke up, probably to fill the slightly awkward silence. "I need to send him a letter anyway since he offered to provide travel arrowheads and dragon-leather shafts suited to my travel bow's poundage, and I need to let him know how much that is."

"Good idea." He nodded and then wolfed down his last bite. Since he couldn't talk, he simply thought to everyone. *Alana and Rachel, could you two take care of that?*

He gave the redheaded teen a wink that made her blush, but she nodded.

He finished chewing and stood up.

The sun wasn't high overhead yet, but it was getting there. He looked around the Argo and at his family and felt a smile creep onto his face.

"What?" Beth asked.

"You; all of you. This ship." He smiled wider as he looked around. "It's amazing how much it feels like home. I haven't had a place that felt like a home since I moved out of my parents' house. It feels good."

"It does." Kendra said quietly, though she had a smile on her face.

"It's wonderful and I love it here, but once we start having kids..." Alana looked around as she put her hand over her womb. "There's not a lot of room to raise a family on the Argo, as much as I love it."

"True." He frowned. "We'll have to find a house or plot of land somewhere to put down roots. Not sure where, but from what you ladies have said, Timarou might be a good choice. I hear the lord and his ladies are nice." He winked.

Everyone chuckled, but the wood elf gave him a piercing look. "You don't want to live in Timarou; you want to live in Ivernia."

"Is it that obvious?"

Everyone looked at him, most raised their eyebrows, shook their heads, or made some other indication of disbelief.

"Only to someone with eyes." Selene said with amusement, but her tone was slightly less jovial than usual.

Interesting.

He checked the position of the sun and then looked at his first wife. "Well, I think I have just enough time to see you demonstrate that travel bow at full poundage."

She grinned.

Not long afterwards, Raklan hauled one of their archery targets up from the hold and placed it at the front of the Argo while everyone gathered by the captain's cabin behind Alana.

"Okay, here goes." The wood elf said before moving faster than Ethan usually saw her move. One of her hands flew to the front of her 'belt' while the other slipped into the semi-concealed pocket of her dress. She snapped the travel bow out from its belt form just as she extracted a coiled travel arrow, the arrow uncoiling as soon as it left her pocket. With practiced ease and precision, she nocked the arrow and let it fly.

Ethan triggered his enhanced sense just before it released, wanting to catch it.

It wasn't good.

The bow was obviously too powerful for the arrow. Far too powerful. The enchanted leather shaft bent under the weight, flexing significantly as the immensely powerful bow suddenly brought its full power to bear on the relatively thin arrow meant for a much weaker bow.

Ethan saw it wobble its way off the bow, continuing to flex back and forth like a spring as it tried to straighten from the immense forces that had just been applied to it. It eventually did straighten itself out just before impacting the target, but all that oscillation had a predictable effect on the accuracy. Alana hissed with a grimace as she saw where the arrow landed: the very edge of the four-foot-wide target.

Oops.

That wasn't good.

He looked at her and she looked at him, her face still twisted into a grimace.

"I definitely need to send a letter to Elder Goman." Alana said.

"No kidding." Selene observed. "I didn't know you were capable of missing like that."

"It needs stiffer arrows before I'll be able to get a significant amount of accuracy from it." The wood elf replied. "I can use it at normal draw weight for now."

"I would make getting that letter off a priority." Ethan advised.

Selene chuckled.

"I could make getting... other things off my priority." He grinned.

Selene didn't riposte with a clever bit of wit, she just frowned and spoke to him practically. "I know. You still good, or should we do that soon?"

He cocked his head to one side. "I think I'm okay for now; you?"

"I'm good." She shrugged.

Hmm.

That was odd.

He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"You should get going sir." Alana said after checking the sun, then gave him a sly smile. "But we definitely need to talk more about getting off later."

"Okay, we can talk about it later." He winked.

"Dom-i-nus." Beth groaned as the rest of his wives shook their heads.

"Okay, back soon." He said as he made sure he had his armor and weapons. "I love you all."

"And we love you." Alana replied and his other wives agreed.

Selene pulled her lips into a thin line.

He made another mental note to talk to her later, kissed his wives, and then took off for the Blue Circle camp.

* * *

Sarah was putting the finishing touches on a dish for lunch in Lord Delmar's castle when she noticed something odd. Two of the other cooks were whispering to each other in a corner of the room. That wasn't odd in itself -- it actually happened rather a lot -- but what definitely was weird was that it looked like one of them had pointed at her.

Sarah frowned.

She turned to face the two other cooks and they instantly stopped talking. One girl's eyes got wide when she saw Sarah looking at her and then she darted away quickly. The other looked more composed about it, but the look on her face was definitely forcedly calm and not naturally calm. The girl waved, trying and failing to look cheerful instead of alarmed before she too scampered away.

The innkeeper's daughter frowned and then looked around the kitchen. More than one girl had been looking at her and quickly looked away when she turned.

Sarah returned to what she was doing, not entirely sure what was going on.

* * *

*That was pretty clever earlier.*

Kendra made sure she didn't react outwardly when she heard her husband's voice coming to her privately. *What was?*

*You trying to have our talk in front of everyone so we wouldn't need to talk privately.* He replied.

"Selene, I think I'll go below decks for a bit, clear my head." Kendra said to her sparring partner before doing just that as she replied to her husband. *I suppose this means we're going to talk now?*

*I've got a few minutes and we do need to talk, but it doesn't need to be now.*

*Go ahead; let's get this over with.*

*Why don't you think that you're a good person?*

*You know why.*

*I know you feel that way because of what you've done, but why does that mean you aren't a good person now?*

*Because killing people simply doesn't bother me.* She replied with a sigh, not that he could see it. *It probably should, but it doesn't.*

*Have you ever knowingly killed someone who was innocent?*

*Not knowingly.* She replied as she ended up walking into the storage room underneath the captain's cabin.

*Meaning?* He asked. *It sounds like there's more to it.*

*There were some targets that I wasn't sure of. Some of them didn't seem crooked to me, or evil, or wicked. But the Aldmiri said kill, so I killed anyway.*

He didn't reply for several seconds. *Would you do that now?*

*No.* She didn't add that her reluctance to kill on command was one of the things that led to her leaving, and also one of the reasons that she was allowed to leave.

*So you've changed then.*

*Obviously.* She retorted with an edge in her mental tone. *I married a dragon.*

Ethan didn't reply for several seconds and his mental tone was softer when he did reply. *Kendra, I'm trying to help my wife who I love very deeply. I might be barking up the wrong tree, but I am trying to help.*

*I know.* The dragon huntress sank down onto a bag of grain since she knew it would be relatively soft. *I appreciate that, but I don't think you can help. I'm happy to be where I am, even if I am objectively the worst of your wives in every possible category.*

She wasn't bitter about that.

It was just a fact.

*Combat skills?* Ethan replied, and she could just imagine the teasing grin on his face.

*In every way that matters to a relationship.* She corrected herself. *I'm the least attractive, least kind, least caring, least nurturing, least--*

*Stop.* He interrupted her and she fell silent. *Even if all of that were true -- and I'm not saying it is -- but even if that were true, it doesn't change the fact that you are a good person. Maybe you weren't at one time, but you are now.*

Kendra felt a small, pained smile creep onto her face despite herself. *I'm glad you think that.*

*Nothing I can say will make a difference, will it?* He sounded sad.

*Until you've enjoyed the feeling of warm blood running onto your hands after slitting a man's throat in cold blood, I'm not you'll understand enough to change my mind. I pray you never will understand that either.*

*Enjoyed?*

*Let's just say the world is better off without him in it.* Kendra replied, shuddering as she recalled what he'd been up to; repeatedly. *I enjoyed it Drago. Enjoyed. Not 'was forced', not 'I didn't have a choice', not even 'I didn't have a better option'. I did have other options and I chose to slit his throat. I enjoyed doing it; I enjoyed ending his life. Good people don't feel that way.* She hesitated and then added. *And before you ask, yes I would do it again in a heartbeat and yes I would enjoy it again. That man was a blight on the Ten Kingdoms and I don't regret it. I have never regretted it.*

*Oh.*

*So yes I'm the worst of your wives.* She plowed on. *But rather than making me depressed, I feel blessed. I feel incredibly blessed to be your wife, to live on the Argo, and to have Alana, Beth, Taloni, and Rachel as co-wives, and Selene as a friend. I'm grateful that Illuminar was kind enough to allow me to share in your lives and what you're doing. I'll always be grateful. But I won't pretend that I'm something that I'm not. I'm a cold-blooded killer Ethan. I have been since I was eleven, I am now, and I probably always will be.*

There was a long silence before he spoke. *Eleven? You were eleven the first time...*

*I was.*

Again, there was a long silence before he replied. *Kendra, you might scare anyone else in the world with that speech, but you can't scare me. Do you know why?*

She sighed; damn he was blind where her faults were concerned. A part of her liked that he was because she wasn't sure that he would still love her if he wasn't.

*Why?* She finally asked.

*Because we bonded. Because I saw who you really are when we bonded. I saw everything about you, every dark thing you've ever done and every dark thought you've ever had. I don't remember any details of course -- I never do -- but I do remember what I saw when I looked into your soul. More than anything else, you want to be good. You want to be noble and you were never -- not even once -- tempted to use your skills and abilities selfishly for your own ends.* He paused. *Actually, that's something you and Selene have in common. It might be part of why you two get along so well.*

*Maybe.* Kendra replied neutrally.

*I wish you could see yourself the way I do.* He replied.

"So do I." She whispered aloud, but she didn't think it to him. *I can't Drago.*

*I know. Just don't ever forget that I think of you that way: as my good girl.*

She smiled in spite of herself. No matter how untrue it was, she never got tired of hearing him call her that.

* * *

Ethan took a deep breath as he thought about his fifth wife. True she had more issues than most, and those issues were more serious too, but he still wished that she could understand how incredible she was. To have gone through everything she went through and come out on the other side not only still sane but also good? That was incredible.

Sadly, he didn't have time to belabor the point because the Blue Circle camp was rapidly approaching. He could see small wisps of smoke coming from the orc teepees, several orcs milling about working on various things like washing, forging, or making arrows, and several of the armed orcs eyed him as he flew over the camp.

*We can talk more about this later, though I'm not entirely sure what to say.*

*We don't need to talk about it more Drago, though we can if you want to.* She replied, her mental tone not particularly emotional.

*I love you Kendra.* He said as he swooped down to land at the camp's edge.

*I love you too Drago.*

He smiled at her reply, then thought to everyone. *I've arrived.*

He had only just tucked his wings and started towards the orc camp when Grobozlesh started jogging down the hill on which the orc camp was set. He had a wide grin on his face which showed much of his tusks. He looked positively delighted about something.

"You return." Grobozlesh said when he'd arrived. *Tree elf wife finish bow?*

"Yes the bow is finished, but she still needs to get arrows for it." He replied.

The orc's grin faltered but then returned even wider than before. "Tell tree elf, Grobozlesh excite!"

"I will." He chuckled at the broken English, but nodded and then thought to everyone. *Alana, Grobozlesh is really excited for your rematch.*

He could hear the laughter in her mental tone as she replied. *I'm just about to sit down with Rachel to write the letter.*

*You know, you could also spend some time lying down with Rachel while you're writing.* He thought privately to her.

*Oh, I intend to.* She replied without a trace of embarrassment. *Probably not today, but eventually.*

*Good.* He replied, then turned his attention back to Grobozlesh.

The orc was looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Eye go blank; what you think?"

"I was thinking of my wife who's going to demolish you on your rematch." He grinned.

"De-mo-lish." The orc frowned. "I not know word."

"Uh, I meant that I think she'll win." He explained, then added. "Her new bow is very strong."

"Strong archer, strong bow; strong together."

"Indeed." He nodded. "Did you hear what the other orc clans decided about unifying against the Red Hand clan?"

"No." Grobozlesh replied. "That talk for clan chief, elders; not Grobozlesh."

"Well, shall we get going then?"

The orc grunted and the two of them walked into the camp towards the largest teepee. They attracted many eyes as they walked, but not as many as when he'd first come; he supposed the novelty had worn off a bit. He suppressed a sigh when he saw the log in front of the elder's tent; he wasn't looking forward to lifting it again. Grobozlesh lifted it and stepped under it, then waited for Ethan to do the same. He could've sworn the damn thing got heavier since the last time, but it was still doable.

Once he'd managed, they went inside where the other orcs were waiting. There were the same five very old orc elders from before, including the oldest one: Hobdrizen. His wolf's tooth necklace rattled slightly as he acknowledged Ethan with a head bow. The other orcs did similarly and the orc chieftain was there as well. He spoke first.

"You return." Drazglent said, though his tone wasn't happy.

"Hi Draz, what up?" Ethan asked.

"I is Drazglent, not Draz." The orc chieftain's tone was now irritated as well.

Ethan nodded. "Sorry, I meant no offense."

Drazglent grunted, then turned to Hobdrizen. "Tell of meeting."

The old orc's face darkened. "The other clans have weak foresight."

Ethan frowned. "They didn't go for it?"

Drazglent shook his head. "They have weak foresight." He spat on the ground as if the very word itself was offensive. "Red Hand make politic; say Ivernia not threat."

Ethan's frown deepened. "When did they say this?"

"At meeting." Drazglent replied.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait, the Red Hand clan was there?"

All the orcs looked at him, clear confusion on their faces.

"Of course Red Hand was there." Hobdrizen replied. "We discuss war against them. Why would we not invite them?"

Ethan blinked.

Huh?

Why would anyone invite a clan to a meeting when they were considering going to war with that clan?

Although...

He cocked his head to one side. The orcs did blow a horn before launching an ambush and they looked with derision on 'lies of not-saying', so he supposed that it made a certain kind of sense from their culture's viewpoint. That of course made him think of Obi-Wan's quote from Return of the Jedi: "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." From their point of view, he knew that they thought it dishonorable to attack without warning. Thus, it made sense that they wouldn't form an alliance to start a clan war without also announcing their intentions.

Strange.

He supposed it was a good thing, but it was also strange from his perspective.

"Hu-mans not warn?" Grobozlesh asked with a frown.

"Some do, some don't." He shrugged. "But there's no cultural expectation to warn someone before attacking unless you were allies."

"Hu-mans have weak honor." Drazglent spat on the ground. "Orc have honor; warn before attack, warn before war. Hu-mans no have honor; no warn before attack, no warn before war."

The orcs in the tent were nodding in agreement.

"I'll concede that there are a lot of dishonorable humans, that's for sure." Ethan conceded. "However, not all of them are. I know several who are very honorable."

That response seemed to mollify them, though Grobozlesh was looking at him curiously.

"Hu-mans strange." The orc painter said.

"From my point of view, orcs are strange." Ethan replied with a chuckle.

"Strong word." Grobozlesh grunted, which Ethan took to mean that he agreed.

"So what now?" Ethan asked the assembled orcs.

"Red Hand clan stronger." Hobdrizen said with a shrug that made his wolf's-tooth necklace rattle. "We not want to commit self-death, so we will not attack."

Ethan slowly nodded.

Sadly, he could see why the Blue Circle clan attacking the Red Hands would be suicide. They were outnumbered almost 2-to-1 and that kind of disparity was hard to overcome.

Although...

He cocked his head to one side as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Lord Kalus the night they had gone to their house in Dotmier for dinner, right after fighting orcs for the first time. The lord had told a story where he had encircled a larger enemy force with his smaller force and won the battle that way. Maybe, just maybe, it could work if they had a brilliant tactician on their side.

"Do you have anyone who's a good tactician?" He asked, thinking it would be better if they had an orcish one instead of asking Lord Kalus. He was pretty sure the lord wouldn't be able to lift the log into the tent since he himself could barely lift it even with four pieces of strength-enhancing armor.

"What is 'tactician'?" Drazglent asked. "I not know this word."

"It's someone who..." He tried to think of the right word, but Hobdrizen beat him to it.

"When many warriors fight, tactician direct warriors." The elderly orc explained.

Drazglent grunted. "I tactician."

"It's more than that though." Ethan replied. "It's someone who has studied how to move large groups of men so that smaller groups of men can beat larger groups of men, or equally matched forces can suffer fewer casualties. Have you studied that?"

The orc chieftain frowned. "I not tactician. Sound like tactician is strong in war."

"They are very strong in war, and I think I know one who might be able to help. Well, if I can convince him."

Drazglent raised an eyebrow. "Hu-man tactician?"

Ethan nodded. "He's strong in mind, and he's very strong in tactics."

Grobozlesh shook his head. "Hu-mans no beat orc. Hu-mans not strong enough."

"That's the best thing about being a good tactician." Ethan replied. "You don't need to be strong in body, only strong in mind. Even if a man isn't strong in body, he can still be a good tactician if he's strong in mind."

Drazglent looked at Ethan like he'd just sprouted an extra head. "How can man direct men fighting if not strong at fighting? If weak fighter, make weak decisions on fighting."

"The man I'm thinking of is strong at fighting, or at least at fighting men."

"We not fight men. We fight orcs." Grobozlesh said.

"Hu-mans not know how orc fights." Drazglent said. "How can man direct orc when not strong enough to defeat orc and not know how orc fights?"

Ethan opened his mouth to reply, then realized that he didn't know how to articulate that the orcs were missing the point. Well, they had a point, but he was pretty sure that if Lord Kalus saw how orcs fought for even a short time he would be able to make a major difference in a fight.

"How about this." He finally said. "How about I talk to him and see if he's willing to meet with you to discuss it, and then you can question him to see that he is strong in mind and strong in tactics."

Drazglent shook his head. "No need. Not know how orc fights. Not strong tactician if not know how orc fight."

"Well, let me put it this way." Ethan finally said, deciding to circumvent the debate entirely. "The man I'm thinking of is the one who has been guarding the mine and holding off the Red Hands."

Drazglent frowned. "That man... not weak in battle."

"I see him." Grobozlesh said. "He defend against goblin and orc. He weak in body but strong in fighting."

Drazglent seemed to hover in indecision for several moments and then finally shook his head again. "He not strong in body; he not able to lift log." He pointed to the log out in front of the teepee. "He not strong enough to enter, he not strong enough tactician."

"Drazglent, can I lift the log?" Hobdrizen asked. The elderly orc looked like he would have trouble lifting himself, much less the log outside. "Weak in body does not always mean weak in mind."

The orc chieftain frowned.

Ethan let him consider that for several moments, hoping the admonishment from the orc elder would work. After several seconds, Drazglent slowly shook his head again and his frown deepened. He opened his mouth -- almost assuredly to disagree again -- so Ethan piped up.

"How about this: How about you meet him and test his mind to see that he is strong in mind. Then you can test him to see if he is strong as a tactician. If he passes both tests, then you promise to hear him out. You don't have to take his advice, but you must promise to give him a fair hearing."

"Strong word." Hobdrizen nodded, and the other orc elders did as well.

Drazglent looked at their reactions and then at Ethan, his look still skeptical. "Agree. You bring and we test. No promise to take advice, but will listen if he pass test."

"Good." Ethan internally breathed a sigh of relief. Drazglent sure was stubborn, but at least he wasn't entirely pig-headed about this. "I haven't asked him yet, so he would also need to agree."

"Go, ask, bring word." Drazglent said.

Ethan got the distinct impression that he was being dismissed, so he stood. "Thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully tomorrow."

Drazglent grunted but otherwise didn't reply.

"Come, talk of tree elf wife contest." Grobozlesh said.

Ethan chuckled as they left the tent.

The moment they were outside, Grobozlesh turned to him. "When tree elf have arrows?"

"Um, not long." He replied. "Hopefully only a few days, but I'm not really sure."

"Tell tree elf wife, Grobozlesh excite!" His grin matched his words. "We have strong contest."

"I think you will." Ethan grinned back, taking something of a liking to the orc. He seemed a little more open-minded than the other orcs and he clearly regarded Alana's skill with the bow irrespective of her small stature. He also was more genial than Drazglent and friendlier than Hobdrizen, though the old orc certainly wasn't unfriendly.

They talked about the upcoming bow contest until Ethan reached the edge of the camp where Grobozlesh bade him goodbye. Ethan spread his wings and started flying, his mind swinging back around to Kendra. She wasn't as bad off as he had thought, but he still didn't like her opinion of herself. Sadly, he had no idea how to help her.

He kept trying to come up with a way to help her as the scattered patches of forest and grassy hillside scrolled by underneath him, but he couldn't think of anything. Yes, Kendra had done awful things in the past, but she wasn't like that anymore. However, it seemed impossible and hopeless to convince her otherwise.

At the intersection of Kendra, impossible things, and hopeless situations was the ambush in Laerten two days ago. He couldn't believe that they had survived. It had sounded less likely when Kendra had given him the blow-by-blow while she was keeping him awake during his flight from the demon-possessed man. He hadn't mentioned that he'd asked Illuminar to help.

Maybe he should've, but he hadn't.

That's when a thought occurred to him.

Maybe -- just maybe -- if Illuminar was so dedicated to helping him, maybe he would be willing to help Kendra as well? It seemed like a stupid thought but he couldn't see the harm in asking. Hell, he'd ask anyone else if he thought they could help, so why not? It wasn't like he had anything to lose.

He took a deep breath and, feeling pretty stupid, said aloud. "Okay, I'm not sure if you're listening Illuminar, but if you are, could you help Kendra with all the crap she's struggling with from her past?"

He waited...

...and waited...

...and waited some more.

Nothing happened.

He shrugged, shaking his head and feeling pretty stupid. Oh well, he'd given it a try.

His mind swung back around to the war they were about to fight and he still wanted to get Lord Kalus's opinion, both on how to fight a war and to see if he would be willing to act as a tactician for the orcs. Ethan's initial thought had been to have him over for dinner, but they were already having Arven's family plus Matthew over for dinner.

Huh.

He cocked his head to one side as something occurred to him. It might work and could be fun for all involved.

Hmm.

* * *

Alana closed her eyes and luxuriated in one of the best sensations she'd felt in years. Well, felt outside the bedroom anyway. Well, outside the bedroom and the lower deck where she and Rachel had kissed yesterday. She was sitting in the chair at the desk in the captain's cabin enjoying the sublime feeling of Rachel brushing her hair. The wood elf had insisted on writing the letter herself since the redhead had to do it so often, and then Rachel had pointed out that Alana had brushed her hair but she hadn't brushed the wood elf's hair. Alana hadn't exactly needed to have her arm twisted to agree.

"Oh, that feels good." She sighed as Rachel passed the brush through her hair again.

"It does." The redhead said softly as she ran her fingers through Alana's chocolate-brown hair.

One of her fingers brushed Alana's scalp and the wood elf felt a tiny little burst of pleasure from it even though it wasn't a sensual touch at all.

She sighed.

"You really should write that letter." Rachel said, and Alana could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm partially there." She said dreamily.

"And have been for the last ten minutes." The redhead chuckled. "Your hair is thoroughly brushed, perhaps I should stop?"

"If you must." The wood elf replied, then picked up the pen.

"Tell you what, I'll keep brushing if you keep writing." She said with a teasing edge to her voice that Alana rarely heard from her.

"I might never stop." She said as she dipped the quill pen into the ink bottle and began to write. It was both wonderful and distracting to be doing this while Rachel was brushing her hair. The redhead had long since removed any knots and was now apparently doing it simply because she enjoyed it. Every so often, she would run her hands through her hair.

That was extra wonderful.

"I can't think of anything else to write." The wood elf said when she had finished the letter's closing.

"There must be something." Rachel replied.

Alana tipped her head back to look at her best friend, though at this point she thought they were more than just best friends. She wasn't sure what, but they were something beyond that now and she couldn't be happier about that.

Rachel looked down at her, smiling ear-to-ear. Her pale blue eyes flicked towards her forehead and for a brief moment, Alana thought the redhead might kiss her forehead as the brushing ceased.

Then the moment passed.

Rachel bit her lip and suddenly wasn't quite as relaxed as she had been.

"Thank you." Alana said softly. "I haven't had anyone brush my hair since my adoptive mother died."

"How did she die?" Rachel asked.

Alana swallowed hard. "I... can we not talk about it? It wasn't anything nefarious, it just hurts to talk about it."

"I know what you mean, my mother..." Rachel trailed off as well. She swallowed and then blinked. "Um, we should probably... uh..."

"Yeah." Alana stood up and then wrapped her best friend in a hug. "I know."

Rachel hugged her back for several seconds...

...and then several more seconds...

...and many more after that.

The wood elf smiled from ear to ear as they held each other. It became less of a hug and more of a standing-up snuggle for a couple of minutes.

She didn't mind at all.

*Hey ladies, I have an idea.* Ethan thought to the group chat after they had been snuggling while standing for several minutes.

*Go ahead sir.* Alana replied, still not letting go of Rachel.

*Okay, background first.* He told them how his meeting with the orcs went. *I wanted to talk to Lord Kalus to get some advice about fighting Lord Delmar and Lord Farbrottan anyway, but now I have another thing to talk to him about. I was thinking tonight, but we're having Arven and Ketura over. Then I had a thought.*

*Have them both over tonight?* Alana guessed.

*Bingo.* He replied. *Do you think Arven and Ketura would be okay with that? How about Lord Kalus, Shara, and Lyra?*

*Shara and Lyra almost certainly wouldn't mind.* Rachel replied, still holding Alana in her embrace.

*I didn't get the impression that Lord Kalus would mind either.* Selene added.

*I think Arven and Ketura might like that Master.* Tee piped up. *I could go ask them for you.*

*I would appreciate that Tee, but don't go alone. Just in case.*

*Okay Master, did anyone want to come with me?*

*Yo.* Selene replied at the same time Kendra said: *I will.*

*Thanks ladies. If they're okay with it, I'll drop by the mine to ask him. Is someone willing to ask Shara and Lyra if Arven and Ketura don't mind?* Ethan thought to everyone.

Rachel pulled back from Alana just enough to look at her and raised both her eyebrows, almost certainly suggesting that they go.

*Rachel and I can do that Sir.* The wood elf thought to everyone.

*Okay perfect. Thanks.* He replied. *I'll just fly circles like a vulture over the Red Hand camp to make them nervous until I hear from Tee then.*

Alana and Rachel both chuckled but didn't let go of each other.

"I uh..." The redhead bit her lip. "I like this, here with you."

"Me too." She beamed at her.

"Ethan is back tonight though." The redhead continued hesitantly. "I... I really like what we did yesterday."

"You mean the most wonderful kiss I've ever had?" Alana beamed, then cocked her head to one side. "Well, Ethan... but that's different."

Rachel nodded, her cheeks going slightly pink which was especially noticeable on her fair skin. "I... Um, Ethan said he didn't mind if we..." She smiled, though her cheeks got slightly redder. "...we kissed. And I really liked getting a goodnight kiss from you."

"I know how you feel." Alana nodded, catching on. "It would be a shame to stop, right?"

Rachel's cheeks were pulling into a smile as she nodded.

"So then, we should give each other a goodnight kiss tonight too?" The wood elf asked.

The redhead nodded again.

"Good." Alana beamed.

"It might be in front of the others." Rachel bit her lip.

"I don't mind, I would kiss you anywhere." The wood elf replied, and she meant it with all her heart.

Rachel started to smile, then she cocked her head to one side. "Wait, do you mean wherever we are, or anywhere on my..." She looked down at her body.

"Both." Alana grinned. "Rachel, I would kiss you no matter where we were and anywhere on your body you want." She hesitated. "Okay, maybe not both at the same time; I wouldn't kiss you anywhere with anyone other than our husband or fellow wives around."

Rachel froze.

"Rachel, I promise we don't ever have to do that if you don't want to."

The redhead relaxed slightly. "I know they wouldn't mind, but I... I'm not ready for that."

"I know." Alana smiled at her. "Put it out of your mind and instead think of that goodnight kiss tonight while you help me enchant those cloth shields that the Timarou seamstresses made for us."

Rachel's cheeks were still slightly pink, but her smile reached deep into her eyes as she nodded. "I can do that."

* * *

*Arven and Ketura say that they would be delighted to have dinner with Lord Kalus, Shara, and Lyra.*

*Thanks Tee.* Ethan replied, glad that the couple had agreed.

*Ketura said that she loves visiting, so she would love to have a large dinner party.* The Fey teen continued.

He chuckled. *I'll bet Arven rolled his eyes slightly before agreeing.*

He could feel her amusement. *He did Master.*

*Rachel and I will head out to ask Shara and Lyra then.* Alana volunteered.

*Thanks ladies, I'll talk to Lord Kalus.* He turned and flew towards the mine, diving from a thousand feet in the air and turning at the end to swoop up and then drop to the ground.

The entrance to Dotmier mine was actually quite large. It was probably ten feet across and six or seven feet tall. It looked more like a natural cave that had been reinforced rather than a man-made entrance cut into the rock face. He slowly walked inside, mindful that Lord Kalus and some of his most elite men were there. He walked forward and down for a short way before seeing a large room ahead.

The inside of the mine appeared to be a large natural cavern with a relatively low ceiling. There were a large number of stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, though some had clearly been broken off so they didn't pose a hazard. The room was dimly lit with a few lanterns. In the center of the room, Lord Kalus was standing on a slightly raised section directing the miners in what looked like military drills. The miners didn't look half bad either, not that Ethan had anything to compare them to.

He had barely stepped into the room when he realized that the entrance was guarded by a dozen men in full chainmail armor, all of whom were wearing the Timarou colors of blue and white on their surcoats. He briefly wondered why they weren't blocking the entrance, then remembered that the orcs always blew a horn before attacking.

"Halt." One of them barked.

"At ease." Someone else said. He was a wiry man who looked tough as nails, but he also had a gentlemanly air about him. He was around the age of Lord Kalus and his eyes were bright and intelligent. His hair was a sandy blonde color and he was clean-shaven, unlike most of the other men he'd seen in the Ten Kingdoms.

He was also dressed differently than the rest, wearing no chainmail but still wearing a surcoat with Timarou's colors all the same. He also had a brass or bronze 'necklace' on, but it looked more like a medieval livery collar than a true necklace.

"A dragon wearing white armor." The man looked him up and down, then bowed. "It is an honor to meet you Ethan Ejder, the prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He." He straightened. "I am Kyselius, Lord Kalus's herald."

"Pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand.

"No, the pleasure is mine." Kyselius shook it firmly, then looked over to where Lord Kalus was. "He should be finished in approximately ten minutes, should you wish to talk to him."

"Perfect, I'll wait."

Ethan watched for those ten minutes and found himself impressed, even though he wasn't always sure what he was looking at. Lord Kalus was definitely very strict, but not in an overbearing way. He pointed out small flaws in the miners' form regularly, but it was usually with an explanation of why it was a mistake. His reasons all made sense and more often than not they were related to keeping the man alive in combat. Perhaps more interestingly, he was often right there drilling with them.

"I've never seen men drilled like this." Ethan mused near the end.

"Then this will perhaps spoil you for other viewings." Kyselius replied with a smile. "Lord Kalus is a singular man, and I've never met his like. He expects his men to reach for perfection but allows for growth and failure without lowering his standards."

"Sounds like he's a good teacher."

"Aye, and a good lord." The herald nodded.

*Sir, Shara and Lyra would be happy to come over for dinner.* Alana thought to everyone.

*Perfect, I'm about to ask Lord Kalus.* He replied.

When the drills were done, Lord Kalus walked over to them in the somewhat dim light of the cavern. "Well met Ethan." He extended his hand as his herald left, probably to give them some privacy.

Ethan shook it and mirrored the lord's greeting. "Well met Lord Kalus."

"You are not a citizen of Timarou and you are a prophet." The lord replied. "Please, call me Lucien."

"Lucien."

"What brings you here?" The lord asked.

"Actually, I wanted to invite you to dinner aboard the Argo." Ethan replied. "A family from town is coming already, but I have some things I wanted to talk to you about and ask your advice on, so I thought we could make it a dinner party."

"I would be honored." Lucien nodded. "I would guess that you have asked Shara and Lyra as well?"

"Yup, they said they would be happy to come."

"They do seem to enjoy the company of your wives." Lucien smiled. "We shall see you at dinner."

* * *

Sarah couldn't help but notice the slow change in how people treated her during the day. It was normal at first, but then she had noticed people whispering and pointing at her, and then people had started avoiding her. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew what was happening. Despite how unlikely it seemed, it was the only thing that made sense.

"Sarah?"

She looked up to see Amy waiting at the agreed-upon spot looking a bit nervous and not quite meeting her eye.

"Is it true?" Her new friend asked.

"Is what true?" The innkeeper's daughter asked, painfully aware of what Amy had probably heard. She couldn't think of anything else that would make people avoid her the way they had been.

"Do you really have a..." Amy faltered and then tried again. "Are you really possessed by... Um..."

Sarah's shoulders slumped as she sighed and nodded. "Is it all over the castle?"

Amy nodded and Sarah couldn't help but notice that the other girl was standing a bit further away than normal.

"How?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"I'm not knowing, but I'm having an idea." Fiona said as she walked up. Conner was on her chest today and was all smiles, looking around and making silly, happy-baby noises.

Sarah let her head fall. "What's your idea?"

"Well, maybe we shouldn't be talking about this right here." The copper-haired woman said. "Maybe we should be getting back to the room."

Amy looked at Fiona, her jaw dropping and eyes widening. "You knew?"

"Of course I was knowing, but I couldn't rightly be telling someone else's secret, now could I?"

"Oh." Amy closed and inclined her head in concession. "I just thought that..." The artistic girl's eyes landed on Conner.

"Sarah is a wonderful girl and I'm not caring what the gossip mill is saying." Fiona said firmly, then added in an almost motherly-accusing tone. "And I'm disappointed in you Amy. You of all people should be knowing better than to let gossip be changing your mind about someone you know."

Amy grimaced so much that it almost looked like she winced. "You're right." She looked at Sarah. "I'm sorry Sarah."

"I forgive you, but you don't have to apologize." She replied. "It's a big thing and I know it's a lot. I probably would be scared too if I was you."

Amy got a small smile on her face and -- probably more to herself than anyone else -- she whispered. "I knew you were a good person."

"Thank you." Sarah replied, feeling her heart grow a bit lighter and swell slightly. This was the first time that anyone other than Fiona had found out she had a demon and still thought she was a good person afterwards. Well, Selene, Ethan, and Ethan's wives had, but it wasn't common.

"Now, I'm thinking we should be going to our room where we can be talking about this properly." Fiona said, then Conner let out a squealy-happy sound.

"Okay." Amy nodded.

"Good idea." Sarah agreed.

The trio -- quartet if you included Conner -- headed towards their room, walking mostly in silence. They arrived at the dormitory building and stepped inside to find a half dozen Narlotten soldiers standing in the entryway with swords drawn and fearful looks on their faces.

"Is this the demon-possessed girl?" One of them asked a pair of girls who were--

Amy gasped.

It took Sarah a moment to recognize them, but she did. It was Tia and Mia, Amy's tormentors.

"That's her." One of them pointed to Sarah.

"Ugh, she always gave me the creeps." The other said.

"You're under arrest." One of the soldiers said, pointing his sword directly at Sarah's heart.

She sighed.

There was a time not long ago when this would've made her nervous, but they couldn't hurt her. Thankfully they weren't pointing the swords at Fiona or Amy, and several of them had carefully pulled her friends away from the exposed blades that were now all pointing at Sarah.

"You'll be taken to Lord Delmar in the throne room for official sentencing before your summary execution." The soldier said. His hand was trembling slightly, but he had iron in his eyes.

"You can try, but you might ruin the axe." Sarah sighed, not looking forward to what might happen when her problem came out to protect her. She probably wouldn't kill anyone, but they would probably put her in prison once she came to her senses.

* * *

"You're sure you don't want any help?" Selene asked Anthiel, who was busy making a very large pot of her best stew recipe. All around the Argo's deck, Ethan's wives were running around cleaning and prepping for their guests. The moment the women had realized that everyone was coming, there was a near stampede to get the Argo ready for guests.

Selene wasn't sure how to help since she would've felt weird decorating someone else's home and she didn't know how to anyway. She had lost virtually all her interest in those kinds of things after her brother had died. Her father had once said that she was the artistic type, but her arts were purely martial.

He wasn't wrong.

For the life of her, she couldn't remember if she'd ever been interested in those things. She thought she had, but honestly, her life before her brother's death was a little fuzzy. Now, looking around the Argo, she wondered if there was a way to get that back. Regardless, it wouldn't come back soon enough to help decorate the Argo, but she could help cook.

"For the dozenth time, I'm fine." The high elf smiled. "There will be plenty of food for all our guests. You really don't need to volunteer every time you know."

"I know, I just like feeling useful." The caramel-haired beauty replied.

Anthiel got a knowing twinkle in her eye. "No, you like helping."

"Same thing." She shrugged.

"No, it really isn't." Anthiel replied as she added some more vegetables to the stew pot.

The action reminded Selene of Sarah. Despite it feeling like a year or two ago, it had only been about two and a half weeks since she'd last seen the girl and she missed her. Oddly, Selene missed her more than anyone on Earth except her family. Hmm, she really didn't have many friends. She turned her head to look at the Argo's bow where Kendra was inspecting her small canoe-sized airship -- probably making sure it looked company-ready -- and realized that wasn't true anymore.

She had Kendra.

Frankly, she also had Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and Ethan too. They were all great friends, the best she could've ever asked for.

And yet...

"Something troubling you?" Anthiel asked.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know what it is?" Selene sighed.

"Because you're smart." Anthiel's eye twinkled.

"I'm really going to miss everyone." Selene finally said after a few moments. "I realize that I might not survive my mission to destroy the portal, and even if I do I'll probably have to flee Earth to live here so Smithbond's nameless agency doesn't make me disappear, but I can't help feeling like things might turn out okay."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I feel like I'll still have that option." The Brazilian woman nodded. "I've been training to be an FBI agent for most of my life. It's what I've wanted to do since..." She trailed off thinking about her brother. "...since I was little and I feel like it's something that I still need to do."

"You need to help people." Anthiel said. "Might I point out that there are plenty of people in the Ten Kingdoms that need help."

"I know, but I'm telepathic." She replied. "I could do so much good on Earth with that gift."

"True." Anthiel agreed. "You seem more determined than usual about returning to Earth; does it have anything to do with the birthdays?"

Selene's shoulders slumped as she thought about that whole incident. "I don't want to talk about that."

"I thought you might not." Anthiel replied but didn't explain herself. The Brazilian woman felt like the high elf could see right through her though.

Selene let it go, not wanting to think about it.

The other thing she really didn't want to think about was 'holding Ethan's wing' again. Despite how incredibly hot it had been the first time, ever since the birthday thing she just... She slowly shook her head. She had half a mind to run down to the lower decks and take care of herself just because Ethan had said that he wouldn't finish the fantasy if she did. For the first time, she didn't want him to.

"Meow."

She looked down to see Thor there. The kitten gently rubbed up against her ankle and then sat down while looking up at her. She smiled despite the turmoil in her mind; it was hard to feel down with a cute kitten being so nice.

"Selene, you could bring the table and chairs up from the hold if you want to help." Anthiel said.

She looked at the high elf and raised an eyebrow. "Table and chairs? Why have we been eating while sitting on the decking if there's a table and chairs?"

"You'll see." The high elf replied. "Serif can show you where they and their logs are."

"Logs?"

Anthiel pointed to Serif, her body language indicating that she should just go see for herself. As he sometimes did, Serif seemingly appeared out of thin air nearby. She hadn't even heard him arrive. She followed him down to the lower deck and he led her into the storage room under the captain's cabin, then pointed to what looked like a wall. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't a wall, it was something leaning on the wall. It was several large pieces of leather neatly sewn together to make...

She cocked her head to one side. "Huh, a leather table? I assume it has a stiffening enchantment?"

Serif nodded. "And self-cleaning."

She supposed it made sense. Lord Borden might need to have a nice dinner on his airship and a leather table made perfect sense.

"Logs first." The crewman said.

The logs he was talking about were somewhat ornately carved logs about six inches in diameter that weighed almost nothing, probably because they had a lightening enchantment on them. They hauled many of the logs up to the weather deck over several trips and then returned for the table. Once it was on the deck she activated it and it unfolded and snapped to being straight as a board and large enough to fit a good-sized dinner party. The side that had been facing her below decks was clearly the underside and the top of the table had some gold inlay in the rich brown leather.

The table legs extended down below the table in a squared-off "u" shape and the logs had a slit in them wide enough to fit over the horizontal part of the legs that touched the decking. They activated the logs once they were in place, increasing their weight to double their natural weight and anchoring the lightweight table so it didn't blow away in the wind.

Then they went down for the chairs. The chairs had also been in the storage room, hidden behind the table. They were flat pieces of leather shaped like a thick "T". When activated, the bottom of the "T" folded up to make the chair's back, and the sides folded down to make the legs, though there was a slot in the legs large enough to fit smaller logs so they didn't blow away either. They were quite comfortable.

"Okay, that was a pain hauling everything up here." Selene said to Anthiel when they were done. "I see why we don't do that every time we eat; we'd spend half our time on setup and teardown."

Anthiel just smiled.

Selene went to go find something else to do to take her mind off the next time she would have to hold Ethan's wing, and also so she didn't have to think about the whole birthday thing.

Thor didn't leave her side.

* * *

Sarah was led into Lord Delmar's throne room by a half dozen soldiers in the red Narlotten uniforms with the stylized black dragon on the front. The hall was busy and Lord Delmar appeared to be involved in some sort of negotiation with someone who didn't look like he was from Narlotten. It looked like a large portion of the court was there as well, though she was judging by how full the room looked rather than any actual knowledge of the court's size. There were rather a lot of people crammed into the immense room.

She noticed Lord Delmar's court mage there as well.

The man who had taught her to shield her mind was wearing similar clothing to when she had seen him the other day. His simple but high-quality shirt and pants stood in stark contrast to the finery of the other nobles. His balding head and short gray beard stood in contrast to his rather fit appearance. Frankly, he looked rather bored at the proceedings.

"Lord Delmar!" The lead soldier of her guard said, interrupting the proceedings. "There is an urgent threat to Narlotten that requires your immediate attention."

Lord Delmar looked at the man, then his eyes traveled to Sarah, then the men around her. Finally, his eyes rested on Fiona and Amy, both of whom had insisted on coming and were following the soldiers. His gaze lingered on them for a fraction of a second longer than the rest, and then he addressed the man in front of him.

"I apologize Prince Vulrit, I'm afraid we shall have to continue this presently."

"As you wish, Lord Delmar." The prince gave a formal bow and then stepped off to the side.

Lord Delmar looked at the approaching company, which stopped about a dozen feet from the large, raised platform on which Lord Delmar's throne sat. Sarah hadn't fully appreciated just how high it was before. The platform's floor was slightly higher than her head. From her position in front of the throne, she could see the stained-glass window depicting Illuminar's light shining down, apparently bathing the throne's occupant in the radiance of the Great God of Light.

"What is this urgent threat?" Lord Delmar asked.

"This girl my lord." The lead soldier indicated Sarah. "She has been possessed by a demon."

"I am aware." Lord Delmar replied simply.

Shocked gasps and whispers could be heard throughout the grand hall.

"She... she was working in your kitchens, Lord Delmar." The soldier finally got out.

"I am aware." Lord Delmar replied simply.

The gasps and whispers intensified in the great hall until they were quite loud, with many people talking at normal speaking volume.

"Silence." Lord Delmar said. His volume was barely above normal speaking tone but it somehow cut through the din.

Instantly, the hall fell silent.

You could've heard a pin drop.

"Guardsman, you have arrested this girl." Lord Delmar continued. "What crime did she commit that you bring her here with an armed escort?"

"S-she has a demon." The guardsman stammered, his tone clearly indicated that he believed that was a crime itself.

"I am aware." Lord Delmar said calmly. "What is her crime?"

"I..." The man seemed completely unsure what to say or do. "I heard that she was demon-possessed and assumed... Doesn't that require necromancy?"

"It does." Lord Delmar said, but didn't say anything else.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

For nearly an entire minute, no one spoke, no one moved, and the only sound that could be heard was breathing. Sarah found herself somewhat confused by this turn of events, though on reflection perhaps she shouldn't have been. Lord Delmar did already know and hadn't held it against her.

Finally the guardsman spoke. "I... I assumed that if she has a demon then she must've used -- or associated with -- men who used dark magic."

Lord Delmar inhaled slowly and then exhaled just as slowly. "Twelve years, one month, and seventeen days ago, this girl was kidnapped from near her home. Later investigation revealed that she had been taken to a cave where several necromancers had set up a sacrificial table. It is reasonable to conclude that she was to be their sacrifice to summon the abomination that resides within her now. Four days later, her father packed up his inn and took his life's savings with him to help his daughter. Over the next one year, two months, and fifteen days, they visited every exorcist in Ivernia as well as most of the great temples to Illuminar -- blessed be He; none could help her."

The whole room looked like they were hanging on Lord Delmar's every word.

Sarah certainly was.

It was incredible how accurately he had laid those details out. She remembered him saying that his men had made a full investigation into her case when she had met him on his airship, but she hadn't expected him to remember all of that.

"My men interviewed fifty-seven luminars to discover the girl's disposition. Without exception, every one of them testified that she did all that was asked of her -- and often beyond it -- in an attempt to rid herself of the abomination within her." He looked at the guardsman. "So now that you know her story, I ask again: what is her crime?"

"I... I don't know of one beyond the possession." The guardsman admitted.

Lord Delmar took a deep breath and fixed the man with a long stare. No one moved or spoke for several long seconds until the lord began to speak again.

"Guardsman Ellis Trelane, joined guard service thirteen years, five months, and twenty-five days ago. You currently have an exemplary record. Your immediate superior reports that you are very diligent in your duties and often assist your fellow guardsmen in their duties, even on your own time. He also reports that you are very zealous for protecting the areas and people committed to your care, as well as being a man of impeccable character."

"However." Lord Delmar's eyes narrowed slightly. "You are also quick to make judgments before knowing all the facts. This has kept you at your current rank significantly longer than is normal."

The guardsman averted his eyes.

"I admire your zeal for protecting those entrusted to your care, and that you didn't delay in bringing what you perceived as a serious crime and security breach to my attention. However, you have now publicly shamed this innocent girl for the crime that was committed against her many years ago. You shall have no punishment for this for you have broken no law. I believe your guilt will punish you far more effectively than I could because your feckless actions have shamed an innocent girl. If you sleep well tonight knowing this, then you are not the man that your superiors believe you to be. Take this lesson to heart and be more diligent to learn all the facts before acting in the future."

The man nodded.

Along with everyone else in the great hall, Sarah stared at Lord Delmar.

She was speechless, just like everyone else.

Lord Delmar had defended her?

Really?

It just didn't seem possible. No one defended her after learning of her problem. No one. Well, perhaps Ethan and his wives. And now that she was thinking about it Fiona had as well. She wasn't used to that. She wasn't used to people defending her when they knew about her problem.

It was nice.

Shocking and unexpected this time, but very nice.

"Sheathe your swords." Lord Delmar told the soldiers around her, and they did. Then the lord turned his gaze towards Sarah. "On behalf of Narlotten, I formally apologize to you for the treatment you have received this day."

"Um, thank you." She replied, not able to keep a small smile off of her face.

Lord Delmar turned to Prince Vulrit, who had seen everything transpire since he was standing nearby. "Shall we continue?"

The prince looked back and forth between Lord Delmar and Sarah several times, finally fixing his gaze on Sarah and frowning. "I am not sure I feel safe with a demon-possessed girl in the castle."

There was a general murmur of agreement throughout the court.

"If you would prefer, you may seek alternate lodgings outside the castle." Lord Delmar replied.

Sarah felt her jaw drop.

"Lord Delmar, I don't mean to be indecorous, but that would be highly irregular." Prince Vulrit replied. "She has a demon; can anyone be safe with a demon on the premises?"

Again, Sarah heard a general murmur of agreement in the court. Lord Delmar didn't reply. Instead, he merely continued looking at the prince and let the awkward silence fill the room.

"Lord Delmar, I cannot continue these negotiations while you play host to a demon." The prince finally said.

Lord Delmar made a thoughtful sound and inclined his head fractionally to one side. It was several seconds before he spoke. "Then these negotiations are concluded."

Sarah blinked.

What?

Prince Vulrit looked like he had been slapped. "B-but, but you can't cancel our negotiations like that."

Lord Delmar raised an eyebrow as he sat comfortably on his throne, seemingly perfectly at ease and completely unconcerned. "Why not?"

"Over one wicked girl?"

"She is in my employ and has committed no crime." Lord Delmar replied as if they were discussing the weather. "Thus I will not dismiss her unless you have proof of either incompetence or wickedness on her part."

The prince seemed speechless.

"T-there, there must be something." He finally stammered. "Surely those who work with her would know."

Lord Delmar made another thoughtful sound and then spoke without taking his eyes off the prince. "Fiona McWilliams, please step forward."

The copper-haired woman did so while Conner on her chest was looking around wide-eyed at the room and the people in it. "Yes milord."

"You work with Sarah in the kitchens; tell us what you know of her first-hand." Lord Delmar instructed.

"She's a sweet, kind, and caring woman in addition to being a fine worker." Fiona replied. Her voice was strong and without waver, though she didn't look entirely comfortable with the situation or addressing the entire court. "I haven't known her long, but she's going out of her way to help others. I was inviting her to be rooming with me because she's being so kind. And like I was saying, she's a right fine worker in the kitchens as well."

"Um, Lord Delmar?" Amy said from behind Sarah as she raised her hand halfway.

Lord Delmar glanced in her direction. "Amelia Fitzwelden, do you have something to add?"

She nodded. "Sarah was very nice to me as well. She knew I had a problem and found me just so she could help me with it."

Lord Delmar turned to one of his men. "Summon Marge from the kitchens."

The man gave him a short bow and then hurried out of the room. Prince Vulrit opened his mouth to speak, but Lord Delmar spoke first. "Peace; we will hear from my head chef who is Sarah's superior."

The prince fell silent at once.

Sarah stood there in total shock at this strange turn of events. She almost couldn't believe it was happening. Almost all the nobles in the hall were whispering to each other the whole time, though none was loud enough to draw any attention to himself. Lord Delmar's court mage -- the man who had taught Sarah to shield her mind -- was looking on curiously. Unlike most of them, he didn't appear to be shrinking away from her. Instead, he merely looked curious and interested.

Sarah realized her mouth was open and closed it, still not quite believing that this was happening.

She still hadn't fully recovered from the shock when the soldier led Marge into the great hall a few minutes later. As usual, she had flour on her apron which made a large contrast to the nobles in their finery. However, she didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"Marge, tell us of Sarah's behavior in the kitchens." Lord Delmar instructed.

"She's a bloody fine worker." The head chef replied. "Gets more done faster and with a better attitude than the rest of my cooks except for Fiona here--" She indicated the copper-haired woman. "--and Sarah does a better job than the rest too. I would give my right arm for another dozen like her and Fiona."

Sarah felt her heart swell at the praise.

Lord Delmar turned to Prince Vulrit. "Your accusations are baseless."

The prince drew himself up to his full height and tried to look down his nose at Lord Delmar, which was made difficult because his head was at the level of the lord's feet. "I will not stand for this Lord Delmar. I demand that you--"

"Demand?" Lord Delmar interrupted. He hadn't raised his voice even a little and yet it seemed to overpower the prince's voice easily. "You would usurp the right of a lord to run his own castle as he sees fit?"

"No, no of course not Lord Delmar." The prince replied with both an edge and a slight waver in his tone. Sarah was pretty sure he was trying to make his voice strong, but there was no comparison between his voice and Lord Delmar's. "But as long as she is in Karnas, I won't be."

Lord Delmar made a thoughtful sound before he replied as if they were merely discussing the weather. "Your wit and bravery will be missed."

Fiona, Amy, Lord Delmar's mage, and several nobles in the room stifled laughter. Even Sarah smiled.

The prince raised himself up to his full height, and then he turned and began striding out as imperiously as he seemed able.

Sarah's smile faltered.

She truly appreciated that Lord Delmar was defending her, but she didn't want to be the reason that Narlotten was hurt. If Lord Delmar was negotiating something personally, it must be important. If it was important enough for Lord Delmar to be personally involved, she really didn't want to stand in the way.

As she thought about it, she realized that things were going to change in Karnas for her anyway. Her fellow cooks had already become afraid of her and started avoiding her. She knew Fiona wouldn't do that and didn't think Amy or Marge would either, but her presence was already causing problems in the kitchens as well. It seemed likely that the cooks might start to leave as long as she was around; that's what had happened in her hometown and Prince Vulrit's reaction proved that it was likely to happen again.

At the end of the day, her presence in Karnas would make life harder for a lot of people and she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to leave Fiona and Amy either, but she had already been planning to leave Karnas eventually. If she left now, she could do some good with her leaving.

She swallowed hard. "Lord Delmar?"

He looked at her.

She took a deep breath, her voice cracking ever-so-slightly as she spoke. "I can leave Karnas."

Prince Vulrit stopped.

"That is your choice of course." Lord Delmar said. "However, there is no need."

"But there is." Sarah replied. "I don't want to cause problems for you, or Karnas, or Narlotten. People left my hometown when they found out about my..." She swallowed. "...about my demon. I don't want the same to happen in the kitchens, or the castle, or to your negotiations because of me. I can leave."

The lord regarded her for a long moment before speaking. "Noble." He nodded his head slowly. "Very noble."

"Thank you." Sarah tried to smile at the compliment, but her heart wasn't in it. "I... I'll go pack now. I can leave in the morning."

"May Illuminar -- blessed be He -- guide you on the path of light as you travel." Lord Delmar said, then raised his voice slightly to address the whole room. "My court will pray that for you as well." He said it like a statement, but there was no doubt it was meant as a command.

"Thank you." Sarah did actually manage a small smile at that, even though the expressions on many of the court's faces made it clear she would get no prayers from many of them. Notably, Lord Delmar's court mage gave her a respectful nod. Prince Vulrit turned on his heel and walked out, probably not to return until the following morning when she was gone.

Sarah sighed.

As Ethan had once said, her heart ached.

She didn't want to leave Fiona or Amy and certainly not both of them. The former had been a wonderful friend and while she didn't know the latter nearly as well, they got along splendidly.

She turned to face them, a sad smile on her face. "I'm going to miss you guys."

Fiona had a sad smile on her face as well and even Conner looked grouchy, though that might just be because it was about his normal feeding time.

"I'll be missing you." The copper-haired woman said. "I'll be missing you a lot."

"I know the feeling." Sarah replied, then realized they were still in the middle of the great hall and motioned for the other two women to follow her out, which they did.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Amy said as they exited the great hall and entered a corridor.

"Me too." She felt her eyes get a bit watery. "I really enjoyed coming here and meeting you two, and my time in the kitchens as well."

"I'm sorry; I think this is my fault." Amy replied. "I'm sure it was Tia and Mia; it must have been."

"Aye, it probably was them spreading the rumor, but that's not meaning it's your fault." Fiona said firmly and then gave Sarah a significant glance. "Besides, they must've been learning it somewhere."

Sarah nodded.

It made sense.

Before today, there had only been four people in Karnas who knew about her problem: Sarah herself, Fiona, Lady Ekthros, and Lord Delmar. Only one of those people was likely to let the secret out. Sarah figured that she must've gone too far with Lady Ekthros when she'd brought her breakfast the other day. She must've accidentally said too much and apparently Lady Ekthros had decided to take action.

Yesterday's crude attempt to frame Sarah, Fiona, and Amy for their room being ransacked had almost certainly been Tia and Mia; it was too amateurish for Lady Ekthros. But using Tia and Mia to reveal that Sarah had a demon? That seemed like the kind of thing Lady Ekthros would do. The gossip mill would never be traced back to her and she had gotten Sarah expelled from the castle in less than two days.

Sarah almost laughed at the irony that the 'lady' was doing to her exactly what she'd done to Ethan.

It was brilliant.

Evil, but brilliant.

"I'm knowing why you were offering to leave, but I'm wishing it wasn't a problem." Fiona wiped the corner of her eye and blinked a few times.

"Me too." Sarah said quietly. "Me too."

* * *

"It'll be fine." Ethan reassured his wives for the... 10th? time.

"You've never hosted a dinner party before." Alana replied somewhat grumpily.

He gave her 'the look' and raised his eyebrow.

"Sorry." She sighed. "It's just that I never hosted anyone at my house. You were the first since my adoptive parents died and they did all the hosting before that. I know that we've hosted Shara, Lyra, and their bodyguards here, but that wasn't nearly so formal. I just want this to go well."

"It will go fine." He assured her.

"No offense intended my lord, but have you ever even attended a state dinner?"

He turned to Rachel. "Nope, but this isn't a state dinner. We're having Arven and Ketura over, and they are being joined by some people who just happen to rule Timarou. It's not a big deal."

"Dominus, please don't take this the wrong way, but a formal dinner with a head of state is a very big deal and I don't think you understand that." Beth interjected.

"Then it's a good thing that this isn't a formal dinner." Ethan replied. "Yes it's a dinner, but it's not formal."

None of his wives looked convinced.

"Ethan, a suggestion." Selene piped up as she petted Thor, who was lounging in her arms.

"Go ahead."

"There's literally nothing you can do or say to prevent your wives from being nervous about hosting a lord, because they are basically kings here." The caramel-haired beauty pointed out. "I would just go with it and then say 'I told you so' when it goes well." She winked.

He laughed while several of the ladies gave her the stink eye.

"There's Arven's family." Beth pointed to where they had just rounded the corner.

"It's not polite to point." Alana's hand darted out and pulled the blonde's hand down rather roughly.

"Ow." Beth gave the wood elf an annoyed look.

"I'm sorry." Alana looked down again. "Ugh, why is this getting to me so much?"

Ethan put his arm around her. "I don't know, but it'll be fine."

"Ethan." Arven called as he, his wife, his daughter, and Matthew all walked up the ramp towards the Argo.

Yalia had her arm around Matthew's arm and it was as plain as the scales on Ethan's face that the young man didn't want to be out. The young nymph wasn't dragging him or anything, but Ethan got the distinct impression that the only reason he was here was because the woman he was head-over-heels in love with was on his arm.

"Hi guys, welcome aboard." Ethan stepped back from the gangplank and then pulled the netting from the entrance so they could enter without stepping over it. "Sorry about the netting; we want to make sure our kitten doesn't escape into Dotmier."

"A caring pet owner; that sounds like a good thing to me." Ketura smiled.

Once they were aboard, Ethan closed the netting over the entrance and Selene put Thor down. The kitten bounded over to the newcomers and started sniffing them intently. Everyone watched with amused smiles as the kitten completed a very thorough inspection of all four visitors, finally ending with Matthew. The kitten sat down, looked the depressed young man in the eyes, and then let out a squeaky meow.

"Hi." Matthew waved halfheartedly.

Thor reached up and put his paws on the young man's leg, and Ethan noticed something as he did so.

"Did Thor get bigger while I was away?" He asked Selene.

"He's growing like a weed." The Brazilian woman replied as Thor reached even a bit higher, obviously looking for some attention.

"I think he wants you to pick him up." Selene said after several moments.

Matthew shrugged.

Damn, he really was depressed.

"You couldn't disappoint a face like that, could you?" Yalia asked as she stooped down to pet Thor. The kitten nuzzled her hand, but he was focusing his attention on Matthew.

The young man shrugged again, then reached down and picked Thor up. The kitten immediately found a comfortable position and started purring, then closed his eyes looking like he was settling in for a long nap.

"Aww." Yalia started gently petting him while he snoozed in Matthew arms.

Matthew actually smiled.

Granted it was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I think your kitten is very special." Ketura said to Selene. "He went right to the person who probably needed him the most."

"I agree." The Brazilian woman smiled.

*Lord Kalus's family is coming.* Alana thought to everyone. *Remember not to use telepathy; Shara will almost certainly notice.*

*We know.* Rachel replied with a sigh.

Ethan chuckled.

The royal family -- including Taiven -- came up the ramp. Ethan waved and then opened the netting again so they could enter. Lord Kalus shook his hand as he entered while Shara and Lyra greeted his wives with enthusiasm.

"Arven I believe." Lord Kalus said to the man as he extended his hand. "I've heard good things about one of the few honest Reeves in Ivernia."

Arven shook his hand, and then did a head bow as he spoke reverently. "Lord Kalus, it is an honor to meet you."

"Please, call me Lucien." The lord replied. "I'm here as a simple man with his wives and would look forward to a pleasant dinner without the formality of my office."

Ethan glanced at Alana, who caught his gaze and slowly shook her head as some of the tension drained out of her.

* * *

Ethan clutched his stomach laughing, trying not to fall out of his chair.

"You rascal, you didn't!" Arven said to Lucien through his laughter after the lord had finished his story.

"I did." Lord Kalus said with a chuckle. "Needless to say, that was the last time they bothered me as a 'raw recruit'."

Ethan was slowly shaking his head as he recovered slightly. He almost had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. "Wow, I would never have guessed."

Lucien shrugged. "There was a time that I might not have told that story. My wives -- Lyra especially -- and my children have mellowed me in my old age."

"Old age?" Arven said. "You can't be forty."

"I could be." Lucien replied, his face unreadable except for an amused smile. "I won't say if I am though."

Ethan chuckled and then looked around.

Dinner had gone splendidly with Anthiel outdoing herself in the cooking. The jovial atmosphere he was currently enjoying had started before the meal and carried through it. The sun had set, though it wasn't very dark yet and the Argo was well-lit by the many lanterns his wives had lit before the guests had arrived. At some point after dinner, the ladies had congregated at one end of the table while the men had congregated at the other. Selene split her time between them and Yalia had checked on Matthew more than once. Taiven had barely left his father's side and hung on his every word.

"Since we are on the topic of military escapades, I do believe you had something you wanted to talk about." Lucien said to Ethan.

"Yeah, war." He replied, then gave them a quick but detailed summary of what he was facing and the events that had led to those conclusions. However, he left out the fact that Lord Delmar was a dragon and that he had been attacked by a demon-possessed man; it seemed like a bad idea to share those particular bits of information at this point.

When he was done, Lord Kalus leaned back in his seat and stroked his short beard. "You say that this angel's name is Gabriella?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

The lord made a thoughtful sound. "Very feminine face, white clothes, hair that's somewhere between white and blonde, and a demeanor so radiant that you might almost think she glows?"

"You've met her?" Ethan felt his eyes go wide.

"I think perhaps I have, though I did not know she was an angel at the time." He looked over at Lyra, who was talking with Beth and Alana. "I do believe that I owe Illuminar -- blessed be He -- even more thanks than I had thought. Gabriella was the one who directed me to Lyra's father's ranch. I shudder to think what would've happened if she hadn't."

Having heard their story, Ethan agreed.

"Regardless, you wished for advice?" Lucien asked after looking back at Ethan.

"I was hoping for some." He nodded. "I've never been through a war before and I have no idea how to fight one."

Lucien scrutinized Ethan for several moments while stroking his head before replying. "First, you must decide what kind of war you are fighting."

"Oh?"

The lord nodded. "Many wars are armies on the battlefield, two opposing sides wishing to destroy each other and maneuvering to do so. Yet not all wars are fought this way. Some wars are those of resistance, of a small force fighting a larger one where the goal is to destroy the enemy's supply lines and choke them out, weakening them to the point where you can strike a decisive blow."

"Honestly, that sounds more like where we're at." Ethan replied. "We've only got the Argo's crew, not an army."

"Agreed, though there is yet one more type of war, the most insidious kind." The lord continued. "This kind of war is fought behind the scenes with information and occasionally assassins. It is the kind where slipping the right piece of information to the right person at the right time can change entire kingdoms; it can prevent a war from starting, or it can create one between stalwart allies. It can save a man's life or ruin it."

Lord Kalus leaned forward slightly. "You must be cautious if your enemies are waging this kind of war. It is the most dangerous kind of war which can turn those who should be your allies into your enemies."

"Unfortunately, I think that's exactly the kind of war we're in." He grimaced. "Damn."

"You simply don't have the resources necessary to wage a conventional war." Lucien said. "You don't have the contacts necessary to wage an information war either. Thus, perhaps it would be a good idea to concentrate on two things."

"Which are?"

"First, information." Lucien said. "You must know your enemy's strength and where he is weak. You must know him well enough to accurately predict how he will behave. If you can do that, your victory is all but assured. If not..." He let that hang in the air for a moment. "...your victory is more a matter of chance, like the flip of a coin."

"Okay." Ethan nodded his head slowly. "What's the second thing?"

"No army can fight without supplies." Lucien replied. "Cripple the supply lines, or strike what is most dangerous to you so it cannot be used against you. Yet if you do that, strike multiple places so the enemy has a harder time determining your true target."

"Makes sense." Ethan nodded slowly. "Man, I wish I had spent more time playing real-time strategy games when I was little."

Lucien, Arven, and Matthew all gave him a strange look.

He explained, then added. "It's not like real combat, but it probably would've helped me with how to think about it."

"I would wager so." The lord nodded. "However, you don't appear to be in a stage where militaries are fighting each other. I would suggest you focus your efforts on crippling your enemy, beginning with Lord Farbrottan."

"Okay, but why him?"

"I would guess because he would be easier to defeat." Arven piped up. "From what I've heard, Lord Delmar is a very powerful lord who has a first-rate military, and everything else too. Lord Farbrottan is far sloppier."

"Indeed." Lucien nodded. "Were it necessary, Timarou could conquer Ivernia without too much trouble. Narlotten on the other hand..." He shook his head. "Even if Timarou bordered Narlotten and our forces were evenly matched, I would not seek that battle. Lord Delmar is a ruthlessly effective tactician and his soldiers are arguably superior to Timarou's in both number and training at this time."

"Really?" Ethan raised his eyebrow.

"Narlotten is more populous than Timarou." Lucien explained. "Further, I became king of Timarou less than a decade ago as it began to recover from a war. It takes time to rebuild a nation's military strength when it has been so depleted and the morale so exhausted. In some ways, joining the Empire has made the people less inclined to military pursuits since Har'peton -- our aggressive neighbor to the north -- isn't likely to attack us anymore because we joined. Further, the people are tired of war. Perhaps we will reach Narlotten's military readiness in a decade or so, but not before."

"Speaking of military readiness, I was hoping to get your help with the orc situation." Ethan said, and then brought the lord up to speed on it. "I know this is a big ask, but I was hoping that you could come up with some way to help even the odds and make it so the Blue Circles could stand a chance against the Red Hands in a war."

Lucien leaned back in his seat and stroked his short beard, his eyes far away and his lips pursed. "You say that the Blue Circles have slightly stronger fighters but only half of them?"

"Yup."

"Hmm." Lucien rubbed his beard and then looked towards the large hills in which the orcs lived. "Much would depend on the tactics and terrain. A proper combination of both could perhaps give victory to the more amiable clan. However, I would need to see the terrain and know something of orc tactics before I could make an educated guess."

"Makes sense." He turned towards the ladies and raised his voice to get their attention. "Kendra, would you be up for an airship ride sometime soon with Lord Kalus--"

"Lucien." The lord interrupted. "Lord Kalus is fine in public if it's necessary, but otherwise Lucien will be fine."

Ethan gave him a thumbs up, then finished. "--to scout out the hills for a potential battleground?"

"I would be happy to Drago." She smiled at him.

"Perfect, thanks." He turned to Lucien. "When would be good for you?"

"Sunrise tomorrow?" He suggested. "Pernilus can command the troops at the mine for a time."

"Would mid-morning work instead?" Ethan asked. "I just spent several days away from my wives and I'm still tired from everything that happened. I'd like to have a lie-in with them if that would work."

"It would." He nodded. "I do believe my own wives would appreciate something similar as well."

"Okay, sounds like a plan then."

"On the topic of plans, I do have a suggestion about your lords problem." Lucian said.

"Oh?"

"Whenever possible, it is best to avoid fighting a war on two fronts. It would be best to solve this orc situation and any other situations that are pressing as soon as possible so you aren't forced to divert your attention from your struggle against the lords. It is never wise to fight a war on two fronts if it can be avoided."

Ethan frowned. "Actually, it's a war on three fronts." He then explained about Selene needing to go back to Earth to destroy the portal.

"To be clinical, you should consider that your top priority." Lucien said when he had finished. "It is far easier to remove an enemy before he gains a strong foothold. Additionally, it would only require one of your crew to complete the mission, allowing you to concentrate on the orc situation. Once those two have been dealt with, then you can focus your full attention on Lord Farbrottan and Lord Delmar. Again though, I would suggest focusing on Lord Farbrottan first."

"Makes sense." Ethan slowly nodded, then glanced over at Selene.

The drop-dead gorgeous Brazilian woman was laughing, probably at some joke that one of the other girls had told. She looked happy. He hadn't known her very long, but the Argo was going to feel much emptier with her.

"She's been wanting to get home." Ethan mused as he looked at her. "I'll be sorry to see her go, but that's what she wants."

"She isn't coming back?" Arven asked. "I assumed she would become one of your wives; she fits so seamlessly into your family that it hadn't occurred to me that she wouldn't eventually become a part of it."

"Someone threw cold water on that idea this morning." He replied and explained about the birthdays.

"Curious, I would have thought..." The Reeve trailed off and then shrugged. "A man is wrong about something he assumed. In other news, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and all Ivernian Reeves are corrupt." He winked.

Ethan and Lucien laughed, but Matthew didn't.

The young man had been sitting there the whole time with Thor on his lap, who was alternately sleeping or purring. The kitten hadn't left him all night. Every time Matthew appeared to be slipping back into depression, the kitten would nuzzle him, or rub against him, or none-too-quietly ask to be petted. If Ethan didn't know better, he would've thought that Thor was determined to cheer the young man up. Of course, animals often had a sense about these sorts of things, so maybe Thor was indeed trying?

"What ails you young man?" Lucien asked as he turned to Matthew. "You have spoken nary a word tonight despite many a clever joke and Arven's daughter doting on you as if she was worried you'd taken ill."

Matthew shrugged. "I'm not in the mood."

"Tell me why." Lucien said, and something about his tone was almost commanding, but not quite. You could tell that he wanted to help and he didn't seem willing to take no for an answer.

"I froze." Matthew said after a few moments, his head hanging as he looked rather intently at the Argo's decking. "Luminar Percival was teaching about how terrible everyone is and I stood up to disagree and..." He swallowed. "I even managed to say I disagreed, but then he asked me to cite the Book of Light and... and suddenly everything I knew and all the prep I'd done just..." He shook his head. "I failed."

"And what of it?" Lucien replied.

Matthew glanced at him, clearly confused judging by his expression. "I failed."

"And perhaps you think that you are the only man who has ever failed at something?" Lucien challenged. His tone wasn't hard, but it was serious. "You tried to do something a single time and didn't succeed. Was it the first time you had tried that in public?"

Matthew nodded.

"So you are sitting here wallowing in self-pity because you didn't succeed the first time you tried something?" Lucian asked pointedly.

Matthew frowned for a moment and then nodded.

"Matthew, do you have any idea how common failure is among men?" The lord asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, pretty common." Matthew admitted.

"You speak correctly." Lucien said. "I have failed countless times in my life and I am not alone. I am certain that Arven and Ethan would testify to the same about their own lives."

They both nodded.

"Matthew, you are neither God nor angel, neither perfect nor flawless." Lucien continued. "You will fail countless times in your life even when you give it your very best effort. That is what it means to be mortal, to be fallible. None is infallible except Illuminar Himself -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Matthew echoed.

"The thing that separates the boys from the men -- the mere males from true men of worth and character -- is not if they fail, for they all fail. The thing that separates boys and mere males from true men is their response to their failure. True men pick themselves up after failure and try again. We often need help picking ourselves up, for no man is an island that is self-sufficient and can supply all of his own needs. We often need our family, friends, and allies to pick ourselves up." Lucien leaned forward. "But in the end, all the help in the world is meaningless if you are determined not to take it, as you appear to be now."

Matthew was looking at Lord Kalus like he'd never heard a speech like that before. Ethan personally would never have taken that approach -- it was a bit harsh even if Lord Kalus was entirely right -- but it seemed to be having an effect. The young man had cocked his head to one side slightly, and Ethan could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"It's time to decide if you are a man or a mere boy." Lucien said, his tone conveying a call to greatness rather than a put-down. "It's time to grow up and become a man. Square your shoulders, admit your failures, get the help of your family, friends, and allies, and then -- if the cause is just and noble -- rejoin the fight. If you are half the man I believe you to be, you will rise to the challenge."

Matthew sat up a little straighter.

His shoulders became a little more square.

The edge of a smile appeared on his face as Ethan saw the lightbulb click on behind his eyes.

Matthew got it.

He really got it.

Ethan could almost see the fire reignite behind Matthew's eyes as he nodded slowly and pensively.

Thor stood up, rubbed against him once more, and then hopped down off the young man's lap, apparently sensing that his services were no longer required.

Smart kitty.

"I take it you've heard a speech or two like this one before?" Ethan said to Taiven, who had been there the entire time, watching and listening without saying a word but with obviously rapt attention.

"Yes sir." He nodded with a smile.

Ethan smiled back, thinking that if Lucien was raising his son with speeches like these, he would probably become a good man. Given that the kid had all but vowed to marry Rachel's firstborn daughter, he found the fatherly part of himself approving greatly.

* * *

Sarah sat on her bed in their room, painfully aware that it would be her last night in the room. She was holding her pillow wrapped in her arms, her head facing one side as she rested her cheek on it. The few possessions that she owned and had with her were laid out on the bed next to her. It was only two dresses and two pairs of shoes since she was currently wearing the third dress she owned. Ironically, all had been gifted to her from Lady Ekthros.

"You can be using this." Fiona offered, holding up what looked like a carpet bag with two straps on it. "You can be wearing it like this." She slipped one arm through each strap so the carpetbag part sat on her back. "It was Sean's, so please be considering it a loan, meaning you'll have to be coming back to return it if you can."

Sarah gave her a small smile. "I'll take good care of it."

"Good, but be making sure that you're taking good care of yourself too." The copper-haired woman replied kindly.

Sarah nodded. "Maybe it's for the best. I'm a betrothed woman; my place is with my future husband."

"How will he react when you get back?" Amy asked. "He won't be upset, will he?"

"No." She shook her head. "He's a good, honest man. He'll let me tell him the story and then say something gruff and blunt and it'll be fine."

The corners of Amy's mouth pulled upwards slightly at that comment. "You said that before; that he's a good man, but very honest and blunt."

"He is; maybe a little too honest and blunt. But at least I won't ever wonder what he's thinking and he won't ever play games with me like--" She stopped, having almost said 'like Lady Ekthros did', but she didn't want to explain all of that to Amy. "--like other people have done."

"He sounds really nice." Amy said with a note of wistfulness in her tone.

"He's..." Sarah sighed. "I think I could learn to love him. I think."

"That doesn't sound hard." Amy said, almost to herself.

Sarah suppressed a smile at the artistic girl's reaction.

"Do you know how you'll be getting there?" Fiona asked. "That's a mighty long way to be walking by yourself, and you'll be needing a ferry to cross the river."

"I know, I have a few coppers from working here, but not much since I haven't been here long." The innkeeper's daughter replied. "Maybe if I could find a trader who is already going that way I could go with him? I know how to cook, maybe I could do that in exchange for food?"

"Maybe?" Fiona replied. "I'm not really knowing. I never did travel much, except to here in Karnas and that was by a Narlotten military airship."

"It will be okay." Sarah said. "I don't know how I'll manage, but Illuminar -- blessed be He -- will take care of me."

"I wish I had that much faith." Amy said.

"Getting it wasn't fun." Sarah pointed out. "But I've learned that He knows what we need even before we ask. I'll be fine." For a moment, Sarah felt a smile on her face.

Then she remembered that she was leaving.

The smile faded.

"I'm going to be missing you." Fiona said.

Sarah nodded. "I know the feeling; both of you."

Not much was said after that.

Amy and Fiona helped Sarah pack what little she owned into the strange carpet bag that fit on her back. After that, there wasn't much else to do except go to bed. Sarah lay awake in her bed longer than was probably wise given that she would be traveling tomorrow, but sleep was slow in coming.

As she lay there thinking about leaving, she could feel her eyes getting watery. With the exception of Selene, Fiona and Amy were the best friends she'd ever had even though she hadn't known either of them very long. She'd only known Amy for a couple of days and already she was feeling her heart ache. It ached even worse when she thought about leaving Fiona. She would never be able to properly thank her for everything she had done.

She thought about the journey, traveling, and even the possibility of meeting Ethan again.

That brought a smile to her face.

Of course, as she thought about Ethan she also remembered the woman who had tried to turn her against him. She still couldn't believe that she'd misjudged Lady Ekthros so badly. The woman was likely trying to create demon-possessed soldiers and...

Sarah frowned as something occurred to her. If Lady Ekthros had told Tia and Mia about the demon, then obviously the 'lady' wanted her out of Karnas. The only question was why. Was she worried that Sarah would say something? If so, would she do something to ensure she didn't talk?

Sarah frowned as she considered that.

Would she do something?

If so, what?

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began and ended on day 99 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms. I really enjoyed writing the dinner scene and getting together the characters from Strange Bedfellows with our ADT cast. I've also enjoyed showing how Shara, Lyra, and Kalus have matured since SB ended. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. :)

I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, and they usually drop after the 2-3 days review process. Thus I'll submit the next chapter on December 27th, and it'll probably drop on the 29th or 30th.

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