Chapter 65: Vacation

* * *

Knock! Knock!

"Captain, you should see this."

Ethan groaned as Anthiel's voice carried through the captain's cabin door. Rachel stirred in his arms, and Alana yawned and stretched on her other side, unconsciously putting every inch of her body on display and making him want to attend to other business this morning. Outside the enormous glass-block window, he could just barely see the sky beginning to lighten. And really, 'lighten' was almost overselling it; most people would probably still consider it 'zero dark thirty'.

"I'm coming." He said, then yawned. Alana and Rachel started stirring, so he spoke softly to them. "Stay in bed, I'll be back in a few minutes."

They did and snuggled closer to each other in their semi-asleep state.

Taloni, Beth, and Kendra were already up, reading the Book of Light by candlelight as usual. All of them looked at the door and frowned slightly. Beth and Kendra had a case of casual bedhead that was incredibly sexy, and Tee's honey-blonde hair was laying attractively across her bare skin, making him want to do other things even more. They slipped their dresses on and then he led the way out of the cabin, making sure no one could see into the cabin just in case Raklan was nearby.

"What's... wha..." He yawned. "What's up?" He looked around, realizing that the Argo was far lower to the ground than he'd ever seen it before. In fact... He frowned and walked to the railing to see that the lower mast was almost touching the ground and the anchor was down. Almost more odd, the Argo was docked with the Midnight Sun, which of course meant that Falkaan's airship was similarly close to the ground. Both airships were in the middle of a large clearing in what looked like a small forest.

"Is something wrong with the Argo?" He asked in alarm.

"No." Anthiel chuckled. "But if you climb -- not fly, but climb -- up to the crow's nest and look almost directly in front of us, slightly to port, you'll understand.

He raised his eyebrow at her, but she just motioned towards the crow's nest. He shrugged and then walked to the ratlines and started climbing. Taloni flew up with him since she could hover and stay right by him. Once he got to the top, he stood and looked in the direction that Anthiel had indicated. The crow's nest was just barely high enough that he could see what Anthiel had almost certainly wanted him to see over the treetops.

Airships.

Four of them.

Ethan's dragon eyes -- which were even better than elven eyes -- could see the airships were flying a green flag with a white mountain in the center since the flags occasionally caught the lantern light from the deck below. That marked them as Ivernian military airships, and they were anchored around Dotmier. They looked similar to the ones that had chased the Argo from the mining town a few weeks ago, but there were twice as many.

"That's not good Master." Taloni's wings fluttered.

"No, it's not." He frowned.

"Master." Tee said hesitantly. "Do you think that Arven, Ketura, Matthew, and Yalia are okay?"

"I hope so." He squinted, but the town's palisade wall made it impossible to see into it. "I'll bet that's why we're so low right now; so we aren't seen."

"I think so Master."

He went back down the ratlines to see Anthiel.

"What was it?" Beth asked as soon as he hit the decking, so he explained.

"Falkaan spotted them first." She said as he arrived. "My high-elven eyes are wonderful, but dark elves have far better night vision than high elves."

"Well, thank God he spotted them." Ethan said, glad they weren't about to have another airship fight on their hands. "I suppose you're thinking that we should stay here during the day and start moving after nightfall?"

Anthiel nodded.

"I guess they don't have elven lookouts then because they aren't chasing us." He mused aloud as he tapped one of his claws on the wooden decking.

"Exactly." Anthiel replied.

"Tonight, once it gets well and truly dark, I think I'll fly to Dotmier and check on our friends." Ethan said after a moment.

"That's a good idea, but remember that Arven is a Reeve." Anthiel pointed out. "It's very likely he wasn't bothered at all because Lord Farbrottan has severe penalties for anyone who harasses a Reeve."

"Silver lining." He nodded, then looked at Beth, Taloni, and Kendra. "I'm going back to bed, you ladies coming?"

"Yes, but not to bed." Taloni replied. "I'm going to read the Book of Light."

"Could you do that out here?" Sarah asked, having just come up the stairs from the lower decks. "I haven't heard the Book of Light much because they wouldn't let me into the chapel because of my problem, so I would love to listen."

"I will, hearing Illuminar's words might help you stop relying on his enemies." Taloni replied with a pointed look.

Sarah bit her lip and looked down.

Ethan sighed. "Tee, be nice."

She looked at him with obvious confusion in her expression. "But I am being nice Master. Sarah said she didn't want to want the demon anymore, and hearing the Book of Light might help with that. That's what she wants, and I'm trying to help her get what she wants."

"She isn't wrong." Sarah said, though she didn't meet anyone's eye. "Thank you Taloni."

"You're welcome." Tee replied, and her tone was kind.

"Hi." Ethan said to Sarah.

"Hi." She replied, her demeanor brightening somewhat.

"I'm going back to bed, but we'll talk later, okay?"

Sarah nodded. "I'm looking forward to it."

He headed into the captain's cabin followed by his wives, though Tee only stayed for a moment to grab her copy of the Book of Light and then she left, closing the door behind her. Beth went to the bed and flopped down on it without even taking her dress off, clearly looking to pass out as fast as possible.

He looked at Kendra and sighed, then thought privately to her. *Of all the wives I thought might not get along, I would never have guessed that Sarah and Taloni would be the two with the most friction.*

*Indeed.* She replied, then looked at the bed, where Alana and Rachel had hopelessly intertwined themselves and Beth might already be sleeping. *Does this mean your arms are free for the rest of the morning?*

He grinned at her.

* * *

"Your lives never do slow down, do they?"

Alana chuckled at Thea's question. "Not lately."

Everyone was sitting around the breakfast circle eating another fantastic meal that Sarah had prepared. It was amazing how she could draw the flavor out of almost anything and turn it into a mouth-watering culinary experience. Kendra and Myla had even convinced Falkaan to join them for breakfast. The dark elf was of course sitting next to the dusky-skinned beauty and both had the edge of a smile on their faces. Ethan had relayed the information about the ships around Dotmier, prompting the other elf's comment.

Thea nodded. "Well, since we don't have anything pressing to do right now, could I talk about a few things that I've been considering since you told everyone your story?"

Everyone looked at Ethan, who nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

"Well, after hearing about Lady Ekthros, Lord Delmar, the black dragon that's apparently working with him, and Lord Farbrottan, plus everything with Alana's parents and grandparents, it occurred to me that my coming-of-age ball might get... interesting."

Alana nodded, glad they had decided to omit the fact that Lord Delmar was a dragon when they told their story. It occurred to her that they had forgotten to tell Sarah and thus needed to, but she was the only one who would be told. They had decided that -- for now -- that knowledge was to stay strictly in the family.

"Interesting how?" Beth immediately asked.

"Well..." Thea made her trademark half-embarrassed, half-sheepish grimace. "...um, because they'll all be there." She paused. "Well, probably not the black dragon, but everyone else."

Everyone stared at her.

"It's tradition to invite the lords of the neighboring lands when The King's children -- or ward in my case -- comes of age." Thea explained. "The wood elves also consider it a serious snub to not attend, so almost no one misses them."

"I'm not sure that 'interesting' is a strong enough word." Victoria pointed out. "That could be quite--" She looked at Ethan. "--what do you call it when one of those grenade things activates."

"An explosion."

Victoria nodded. "Then it could be like an explosion."

Alana was sitting next to Rachel as normal and reached out to grab her friend's hand and give it a gentle squeeze. The redhead gave her an appreciative smile in return.

"There's also a chance that the emperor might be there, but it's more likely that one of his sons will attend; possibly even the crown prince." Thea added. "Same reason, though that invitation is made vague enough that the emperor wouldn't be snubbing anyone if he doesn't show up personally, because he is awfully busy."

"If Selene were here, she would say that this is a 'powder kug'." Kendra said, her face a mask.

"Powder 'keg'." Ethan corrected, and he had that mournful look in his eye he always got when Selene was mentioned. He nodded all the same though, then looked at Rachel. "Are you up to seeing your father?"

"I suppose I will have to be." She replied after a moment.

Alana gave her hand another comforting squeeze.

"How does that work since Master has a high bounty?" Taloni asked.

"You'll be safe." Thea assured them. "The King will make it clear that anyone taking hostile action will be dealt with, either by security, the military, or diplomatically." She cocked her head to one side. "Possibly all three."

"Well, that's good." Ethan said.

"You'll get to meet my grandfather on my father's side then." Alana pointed out, some butterflies in her stomach deciding that this was a good time to stretch their wings.

"And maybe get your folks married." Ethan nodded. "Well, hopefully."

"Um, I hate to be a downer, but that won't happen." Thea interjected with an apologetic expression. "Navaro will need his father's permission to marry Kalaya because he's the heir to the house. His father will never agree because Kalaya is shamed. He would rather die than damage his house so much."

"Wait, how could Alana's father marrying her mother cause that much trouble?" Victoria asked.

"Kalaya is shamed." Thea replied. "The dishonor it would bring the house alone would weaken them. Plus, Kalaya could never perform all the roles that a house head's wife typically performs; it would be a disaster and might ultimately destroy House Nalfigar, or at least weaken it into a minor house."

"Right; it's an honor culture." Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Is there any hope?" Rachel asked, voicing what Alana wanted to know but was too scared to ask because she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"There's... some? Maybe...? I think?" Thea replied. "Before I left, I know that the luminars were all in a tizzy because of what Ethan said to my guardian. While The King would never override the luminars, some were arguing that they should be able to address Alana because she hadn't actually committed a crime."

"Ethan also made an argument that shamed people should be able to remove their shame." Rachel replied. "Any word on that?"

"I know they were talking about it, but that's such a huge cultural change that..." Thea slowly shook her head. "That will take more than just a single conversation between Ethan and the King to happen."

"I'm happy to have as many as it takes." Ethan said firmly. "Alana's parents have been living like this for over twenty years; enough is enough."

Alana felt her heart swell at his words, but it was still somewhat anchored by knowing how hard, maybe impossible, it would be for her parents to get married.

"Will Fiona be there?" Sarah asked.

"She's the First Lady of Narlotten, so almost certainly." Thea replied.

Sarah smiled, but her smile was both small and nervous.

"I'm sure she'll want to see you." Alana said, trying to be encouraging despite how complicated that particular friendship had become.

Sarah nodded but didn't speak.

*Luminar Kossel and Lady Ekthros will both be there too.* Kendra thought to everyone.

*Yeah.* Ethan replied, then spoke aloud. "Well, this is shaping up to be a very interesting ball."

"I wanted everyone to know." Thea explained.

"And we appreciate that." Alana said, knowing that's exactly what her husband was thinking. She liked doing that; she liked that sometimes they were so in-sync that she could know exactly what he was thinking and vocalize it.

"I could make it a bit more interesting if you'd like." Thea offered.

Everyone looked at her apprehensively.

"How?" Beth asked, uncharacteristically sounding like she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Well, I don't know them that well, but I know your whole family loves them so I'm sure they would come." Thea prefaced. "I could invite Lord Kalus and his family."

Alana smiled at the same time her husband and fellow wives did.

"I'll do it then." Thea said as she looked at their smiling faces. "Um, I should probably send a letter to my guardian, and I'm sure Lord Kalus would appreciate a warning that the invitation is coming." She looked at Ethan. "I could write a letter to my guardian, could you send it to him via your portal stone? Then maybe you could let Lord Kalus know an invitation is coming through your portal stone to Timarou?"

Ethan looked at Alana. "Make it so Number One."

"Will do." She chuckled, then remembered something and thought it to everyone. *Ethan, we forgot to tell Sarah that Lord Delmar is a dragon.*

*Oh damn, you're right.* He replied, then looked at his betrothed. "Hey, after breakfast, there's something my wives and I need to tell you."

Sarah nodded, still obviously distracted, probably about Fiona. Alana knew that Rachel had included a short version of Ethan's story since coming to the Ten Kingdoms in her letter to Mage Weston. She just hoped for Sarah's sake that Fiona would be able to read it.

* * *

Fiona yawned as the sound of Conner fussing woke her. She felt much better than she had yesterday after the will-breaker ring had been removed from her finger. She shuddered as she thought about that. Still, Conner almost certainly needed feeding so she opened her eyes and sat up. Her husband wasn't there, but that wasn't surprising with how much light was coming in through the windows. Apparently, she'd slept quite late.

She got up and started nursing him, and her eyes fell on the letter that Sarah had sent to her. It was written in a flowing graceful script that obviously didn't belong to Sarah, but apparently the false prophet's first wife had written it; the one who had been with him when he had killed her Sean.

Fiona scowled at it.

However, having nothing better to do, she began to read the letter again as she nursed. She couldn't believe that Sarah was being so naïve, and halfway through she had to put it down to avoid crumpling it up and throwing it across the room.

Unbidden, Lady Shara's words to her on the castle's dock came back to her. She had quoted the Book of Light, specifically the verse that says not to judge a case before hearing the evidence. Well, she didn't need to be hearing the evidence; her husband had already heard it and he was the most impartial judge she could imagine, and well experienced in such matters. She trusted his judgement, but Sarah might not.

Fiona switched Conner to the other breast as she thought about it.

She remembered Mage Weston saying that along with Sarah's letter, there was another one that apparently told the false prophet's side of the story. That was surely the same line of dragon shit Sarah had heard, so maybe she needed to learn more to help her friend.

Yes...

Yes, that might be the best idea.

She doubted her husband would let her continue practicing magic because she was still feeling a little weak, but maybe she could be asking Mage Weston to point out the holes in the false prophet's story so she could be showing them to Sarah. Maybe then she could save her friend from her necromantic betrothed.

* * *

Sarah stared open-mouthed at her betrothed as he and his wives finished explaining the most insane, incredibly unbelievable thing she had ever heard. Lord Delmar? A dragon?! He was the black dragon?! Although... Huh, as she thought about it that did make some elements of the black dragon's attack make a lot more sense.

"You okay?" Ethan whispered. They were in the captain's cabin for privacy and all of them but her were sitting on the bed.

"Fiona married a dragon." Sarah breathed, then she paused and almost chuckled. "I married a dragon, or I'm betrothed to one anyway; what are the odds that we would both marry dragons?"

Everyone else chuckled a little too, except for Rachel who seemed a little preoccupied. Sarah had noticed that about her. The redhead was brave, kind, and fearless, except when it came to matters of the heart; there she seemed more vulnerable than the rest of them.

"Sorry again we didn't tell you earlier." Ethan said. "We didn't want to tell everyone, and we were going to tell you afterwards, but we got distracted."

"Everything we learned about Lady Ekthros, and then your parents visiting, and Selene leaving." Sarah nodded. "I understand why you forgot." She hesitated. "Was there anything else you were going to tell me later?"

Ethan met her eyes with a smoldering look and a lopsided grin. "You're going to look amazing when you're nine months pregnant with our baby."

Suddenly, Sarah's cheeks felt incredibly hot. No, her entire body felt hot. She couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or from the other thing that made her warm. She couldn't help but smile slightly, but she thought her face must be as red as Rachel's hair right now.

"Oh, stop it." Alana gave him a playful smack on the arm.

"What? It's true." He winked, completely uncowed.

Sarah's cheeks were still hot and she had a mild urge to climb under something to hide, but she couldn't deny that she loved what he said. She loved the idea that he wanted to make a baby with her and see her carrying their child. She really loved that.

* * *

"I can take him Lady Delmar."

Fiona smiled at Nurse Belcosta. "I'm knowing that and I'm thanking you, but I've been feeling like I haven't been getting enough time with him of late." She looked down at Conner, who was strapped to her chest with the wrap that Sean's mother had given her. "I'll be taking him with me for a while."

"Then I'll catch up on my knitting." The nurse said with a smile.

"I'll come." Tabby said brightly in her cheerful persona.

"Alright then, let's be going." Fiona said, then left the nursery with Tabby in tow.

The moment the door closed and they were beyond the two guardsmen at the door, Tabitha's face became a mask again.

"Ach, how can you be doing that?" Fiona asked.

"Practice." She replied simply.

"But it takes only a split second for you to be changing your whole personality; how is that possible?"

"Lots of practice." Tabitha replied, but didn't say anything else.

Fiona rolled her eyes and then walked to Mage Weston's office. It was more tiring than she remembered and she found herself slowing down about halfway there.

"I will take Conner." Tabitha said, her tone not dissimilar to Lord Delmar's 'there will be no argument' tone.

"I'm fine." Fiona replied.

Smooth as silk, Tabitha slipped past her and blocked her way. "You are over-taxing yourself. Lord Delmar gave me strict instructions this morning that I wasn't to let you do that." The bodyguard looked at her pointedly, her face still somehow a mask. "Give me Conner, or back to the Nursery with you."

Fiona glared at the woman slightly, but it didn't look like her bodyguard would take no for an answer. "Fine." She unwrapped Conner and carefully handed him over, surprised at how much lighter she felt.

"We will rest here for a minute before continuing." Tabitha stated as if it was a fact.

Fiona didn't fight her.

They walked on a few minutes later and reached Mage Weston's office without incident, and Fiona knocked.

"Enter."

She opened the door and walked in, Tabitha right behind her. Mage Weston appeared to be in the middle of some sort of experiment. His small round table was covered with devices that she didn't recognize, but they looked both expensive and delicate. In the very center of the table was a small ring, but not the will-breaker ring that had been removed from her yesterday. This ring also looked to be made of dragon steel and had a small red gemstone that almost exactly matched the color of Helene and Rachel's hair. All of the instruments appeared to be pointing at the ring.

"Lady Delmar." He gave her a slight bow, then scrutinized her over the top of his half-moon glasses. "You are still recovering, so there will be no magic lessons today."

"I'm knowing that, and I'm not feeling up to it anyway." She replied, then explained why she had come.

As she explained, she became aware that Tabitha -- now acting like a bubbly teen again -- was making silly faces and noises for Conner's amusement behind her.

"I read that letter very carefully." The mage said when she had finished explaining. "However, the holes you seek simply aren't there."

"What?"

"Let me put it this way." The mage adjusted something on one of the delicate-looking instruments. "If I was presented with Lady Ekthros's version of events and Rachel's version of events side-by-side in a letter with no other knowledge of the situation, I would be more inclined to believe Rachel's version."

Fiona stared at him.

Behind her, it seemed like Tabby was playing peek-a-boo with Conner, who was making happy baby sounds whenever she did.

"You look surprised." Mage Weston chuckled, then leaned in close to inspect the ring he was working on and spoke absent-mindedly. "I know that both your husband and Lady Ekthros know more about the situation than I do, and also that they have evidence I do not." He adjusted something on another one of his instruments. "Perhaps you could ask one of them."

"I suppose I'll have to be doing that." Fiona finally replied.

"Both of them will say that it doesn't matter what evidence you have, that your friend Sarah is being compelled by her betrothed, and thus nothing you say to her will make a difference." He frowned, then adjusted one of the instruments again, then his frown deepened as he looked at the ring in the center of the table. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at it, clearly deep in thought.

"What are you working on?" Fiona asked after a moment.

"A long-running pet project of mine." He replied absent-mindedly. "That will-breaker ring was vile, but the enchanting was masterful. The way the enchantments were cleverly intertwined gave me an idea for this old passion project of mine..." He frowned as he looked at the instruments again, then finally turned to Fiona. "I do more than teach Lord Delmar's wife magic you know." He winked.

She chuckled.

He looked at her for several long seconds, and his expression was much like Fiona's grandfather when he was about to be explaining something deep about life.

Finally, the mage spoke. "I am older than your husband by a few decades and have learned to see the look men get when something is hindering their vision. He is a great and impartial judge, but he cannot see clearly where Ethan Ejder is concerned, I would guess because of the connection to Rachel."

Fiona thought back to her husband's reactions when the topic came up and she could definitely see that.

Mage Weston continued. "Lady Ekthros has a curious fixation with him as well, and I would not put it above her to bend the truth if she thought it would lead to the right outcome." He paused. "In fact, I would not be shocked to learn that she would outright lie to achieve her goals."

"But she wouldn't be lying to Lord Delmar of course." Fiona said.

Mage Weston didn't reply. Instead, he only looked at her intently.

"She wouldn't, would she?"

"I have no direct knowledge of her ever doing so." He replied carefully. "Lord Delmar appears to have a blind spot where she is concerned, and I believe he trusts her more than he should. You yourself have your own blind spot where Ethan Ejder is concerned."

"He was killing my husband!" Fiona replied, trying and failing to keep her voice calm.

"Even according to Lady Ekthros's version of events, there were no eyewitnesses to that." Mage Weston replied, his voice just as calm as ever. "Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't, and perhaps they were tricked into fighting each other, by Hermair for example."

"Now you're sounding like Lady Shara." Fiona grumbled.

"Where do you think I heard it?" Mage Weston replied. "I managed to spend some time in the company of Lord Kalus, Lady Shara, and Lady Lyra while they were visiting. I listened to their side of the story, as told to them by Ethan Ejder. Rachel's story aligns perfectly."

"Well, obviously they were both repeating the same lies they heard from the false prophet." Fiona countered.

"Lord Kalus is a very shrewd man." The mage replied. "Lady Shara is equally so, and Lyra is as well in her own way. By reputation, they are difficult people to deceive, and even more so when they are united. Additionally, they have all spent considerable time in the company of him and his wives. None of them believes the accusations against the prophet, and not a single man in the Ten Kingdoms would impugn their honor."

"That's not meaning they aren't being deceived." Fiona replied as she resisted the urge to ball up her fists.

"Lady Fiona." Mage Weston said, his tone reproving in a way that reminded her of her grandfather again. "Perhaps you should read the Book of Light more, or remember the verse that forbids us to make judgements before hearing all the evidence."

She bit back a sharp retort and she nodded stiffly, her breaths huffing slightly as she tried to control her temper.

He looked at her pointedly. "The very fact that you are angry at the possibility that Ethan Ejder is innocent reveals a rather large blind spot, doesn't it?"

She glared at him, but deep down in her heart, or possibly at the back of her mind, she had a tiny little voice that was resolutely pointing out that he was correct. In fact, that tiny voice was telling her that she was currently being the unreasonable one.

She didn't like that.

Not at all.

Mage Weston's tone became softer. "Your anger at your husband's death is entirely understandable and perfectly justified; I just think it should be aimed at the correct person."

"I'm supposing that's not unreasonable." She admitted.

"I would like you to consider the possibility that your husband was deceived by Hermair, and thus -- possibly -- did his duty and chased a potentially innocent dragon, and consider the hypothetical likelihood that the dragon in question defended himself from what he saw as an unjust assault. Yes, your first husband almost certainly died because of Ethan Ejder; but if that hypothetical chain of events is the truth, then I ask you: is he truly to blame, or is Hermair?"

Fiona had to unclench her jaw to reply, but she did. Her tone was definitely more forced than she wanted it to be, but at least it was polite-ish. "Well, I suppose I can be admitting that -- if that were the case, and I'm not saying it is -- then I suppose that I should be blaming Hermair more."

He smiled at her, again reminding her of her grandfather's 'proud smile' which she got whenever he approved of something she had just said or done. "You came in here looking for proof that Ethan Ejder was lying. The trouble is, we often see evidence of what we are looking for. If you come into the search with a forgone conclusion, you are likely to ignore evidence that disproves your conclusion, aren't you?"

Fiona took a deep breath before nodding.

"Then perhaps you should consider searching for the truth rather than evidence of someone's guilt." He looked at her again over his half-moon glasses. "Then you will be more likely to find the truth."

"I was telling Lady Shara that I could be trying." Fiona replied, but as a point of honesty, felt obliged to add. "But as I was telling her, I'm not sure I'll be trying very hard."

"I'm rather certain she didn't challenge you on that because she wished to avoid a diplomatic incident." Mage Weston replied, then added somewhat sadly. "I have no such concerns; you are being foolish, short-sighted, and wicked."

Fiona stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

Mage Weston looked at her kindly. "Foolish because you know the wise course of action and refuse to pursue it, short-sighted for the same reason, and wicked because you are knowingly defying the command of Illuminar not to judge without hearing the evidence." He smiled sadly. "Lady Delmar, you are a good woman with a willful blind spot. I hope you will soon correct the 'willful' part of that blind spot."

Fiona felt like she'd just been slapped. More accurately, she felt like she was six years old again and reliving the one single time she'd lied to her grandfather and he had called her on it in front of her entire family. Her cheeks burned, both then and now, and she wanted to release a verbal tirade at the mage...

...but she couldn't.

She couldn't think of a single thing to say in her defense that didn't sound stupid. Suddenly, she felt like she was six again and had been caught red-handed. Judging by how hot they felt, her cheeks were probably red and she was actively working to resist balling her hands into fists. She had her jaw clenched lest she open it and say something she would regret later.

"Peek-a-boo!" Tabby said cheerfully to Conner, who responded with a peal of happy baby noises that was starting to sound a lot like laughter, or maybe a giggle.

It was hard to stay mad with that sound in the air.

Mage Weston glanced at Conner and chuckled. "Children are one of life's greatest joys." He looked at Fiona. "Please, put this conversation out of your mind for a few days and think on it when you are feeling better."

Fiona was about to protest that she was feeling fine, when she realized that it wasn't entirely true. Now that her anger had abated, she actually felt rather tired. She rested a hand on one of the chairs to steady herself, and Tabby appeared right next to her almost the moment she did, obviously placed to catch her despite her still holding Conner.

"Thank you Tabby, I'm thinking I'll be fine; I might just be needing a rest."

Mage Weston put his hand on Fiona's shoulder and closed his eyes for several seconds before reopening them with a smile. "You should be mostly back to yourself tomorrow, and full recovery should happen a day or two after that."

"Good; I'm not liking feeling this tired all the time." She replied, suddenly feeling it.

"My lady, perhaps we should be returning to the nursery." Tabby 'suggested' brightly, though the look in her eye made it clear it wasn't a request. However, she had angled herself so the mage wouldn't have seen that.

Fiona nodded and turned towards the door, then hesitated before looking at Mage Weston. "I'm sorry if I was being..." She wasn't sure how to finish that sentence so she cast about for the right phrasing.

"You weren't, but would be whole-heartedly forgiven if you were." The mage smiled at her, then looked at her pointedly. "Do think on it though. Search for the truth, not support for the outcome you wish."

"I..." She swallowed. "I'll be trying to do that."

He smiled at her proudly, again reminding her of her grandfather. "Good."

She gave him a half-hearted smile, then left with Tabby right behind her. As usual, the moment the door closed and they were alone, the bubbly handmaiden who had been cheerfully playing with Conner instantly turned into the aloof bodyguard. Fiona slowly shook her head, thinking that she would never be getting fully used to that.

* * *

Now that his hand had fully regrown, Ethan had spent most of the day practicing his combat skills on the Argo while his wives worked on other things. Sarah had spent most of the day with Alana learning to read, stopping mostly to cook meals and learn math with Taloni, as taught by Rachel. Thankfully, they were both at about the same place in math, which made things easier.

"I'm proud of you both for how hard you've worked today." He said to Sarah and Taloni once everyone was sitting around the dinner circle.

"You are?" His betrothed got a wide smile on her face.

"You are Master?" Tee asked, smiling just as widely.

"I am." He nodded. "Very proud."

The two of them beamed for the rest of the evening until it grew dark. As the last vestiges of twilight faded into true night, Anthiel told Taloni to take the Argo up so they could sail past the Ivernian airships nearby without being seen.

"It's a damn good thing that they don't have elven lookouts." Ethan said as he summoned his armor and weapons in preparation for flying into Dotmier to check on their friends. "Though, it seems odd that elves aren't universally assigned to lookout jobs."

"Most lookouts are elven, regardless of the country." Kendra said. "Most militaries pay them extra for it, especially during the night watch."

"Why doesn't Lord Farbrottan?" Beth asked.

"By reputation, he doesn't like elves." Anthiel replied.

"Or dwarves... or Fey... or orcs... or-- Well, you get the picture." Kendra sighed. "He won't let non-humans fill any important role in his government or military. His father was the same way from what I hear."

"Damn." Ethan shook his head and then added in a mock disappointed tone. "And I thought he was a fine upstanding fellow until now."

Everyone laughed.

Ethan couldn't help but wonder how Selene would've reacted; she had such a nice laugh.

"His bias is your gain." Kendra pointed out. "If he was willing to hire elven lookouts, we could never sneak past."

"Instant Karma." Ethan grinned, then kissed all of his wives, including a kiss for Sarah on the forehead. Damn, he couldn't wait to kiss her again for real. She was resolved to wait until their wedding though and he didn't think it appropriate to push, even though he didn't fully understand her reasons.

He took to the skies as the Argo and the Midnight Sun began to rise in tandem. They had been docked the whole day, so Myla and Falkaan had spent the entire day in each other's company. The dusky-skinned beauty had probably smiled more today than during the entire rest of her time on the Argo combined. It was good to see.

He flew high and made it over Dotmier without incident. From the air, he could see some Ivernian soldiers patrolling the area in pairs. Not a lot, but enough that he would have to be careful. He spotted Arven and Ketura's house and oddly, it looked like there were two Ivernian guards outside of it, apparently guarding it. Ethan tried not to jump to conclusions since Arven was a Reeve.

*Hey, Rachel or Alana, can you guide me to Matthew and Yalia's house?* He asked, deciding to get more information before assuming.

They did and he spotted an area of the town that was pitch black and near the outskirts, not too far from the young couple's house. It was also near a spot on the wall that would make a good place to jump over and get away, since he needed an exit strategy. He made sure his disguise gem was active and then dove, hurtling towards the ground at fantastic speed and activating his armor's strength-enhancing enchantment so he could kill his momentum closer to the ground.

A short walk later, he found himself in front of the young couple's door and knocked. He heard movement from inside as he took in the size of their house. It was tiny. He wondered if the entire house might fit into the Argo's captain's cabin it was so small. Like most Ivernian buildings, it needed maintenance but was obviously as well-cared for as limited funds would allow.

"Who's there?" Matthew's voice came from inside.

"A friend." He replied, not wanting to give anything away in case someone was listening.

Instantly, he heard the sound of a bolt being slid back and the door was thrown open. Matthew was standing there with Yalia behind him, wide smiles on their faces. The young man poked his head out and looked both ways before urgently waving Ethan inside. Ethan went in, noticing that the bolt on the inside of the door appeared to be a new addition, since the metal looked much newer and less weathered than the wood surrounding it.

Matthew closed the door and slid the bolt shut, then breathed a sigh of relief. "No one saw you, did they?"

Ethan shook his head. "Nope, how are you two?"

"We're wonderful!" Yalia said, but despite the beaming smile and joy in her eyes, her voice was quite low.

"What she said." Matthew agreed, also not talking too loudly.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, indicating the town around them.

"Not long after you left, the Ivernian military showed up to 'protect' the town in case you returned." Matthew grimaced.

"And your parents?" Ethan asked Yalia.

"The safest people in town because my father is a Reeve." The nymph replied. "Everyone else though..." She frowned.

Ethan rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. "How bad?"

"A few people have lost some coin, and they rough someone up occasionally, but it's not too bad." Matthew replied. "Arven has mostly kept them in line since he's a Reeve, and Lord Farbrottan has severe penalties in place for anyone who crosses a Reeve."

Ethan nodded, remembering that it was him dealing with that corrupt Reeve that had caused all the trouble with Talven and Salma, as well as their airship battle and likely the soldiers' presence here now. He took a deep breath, trying to remember that if he dealt with the soldiers here, more would come, and potentially worse ones.

"They know Arven is my father, so they leave us alone." Yalia added.

"Well, that's good at least." Ethan nodded, then switched to more pleasant topics. "How has married life been treating you?"

"Wonderfully." Matthew grinned while Yalia nodded vigorously.

"We get to spend the whole day with each other, talking and translating." Yalia sighed.

"And one other thing." Matthew said with a sly smile.

Yalia's cheeks went pink as she bit her lip and glanced at her husband, probably oblivious to how obvious she was being about her interest in that particular activity. "We're almost done translating the whole Book of Light."

"Already?"

Matthew nodded and beamed at his wife. "She's become quite the proofreader and developed a portrait-perfect memory for translation. Oh, and she can write twice as fast as she could before."

Yalia nodded vigorously and spoke excitedly, though her tone still wasn't loud. "I love being a Nymph!"

Ethan chuckled.

* * *

Fiona picked Conner up from his crib in the nursery to take him into her bedroom. She paused, realizing that she'd thought of it as her bedroom for the first time. Anyway, Tabitha was sitting on the nursery's couch combing her hair with that small comb she somehow managed to conceal on herself somewhere. Fiona wondered what else she might be concealing for her role as a bodyguard.

"Good night Tabby." Fiona said to her with a smile.

"Good night my lady." The bodyguard replied without much emotion. She never showed much emotion at all, except for...

The first lady stopped and looked at her. "Tabby, why were you acting all bubbly when I went to see Mage Weston earlier."

"I always do around others." She replied, somehow managing to reveal less than Lord Delmar in her tone and expression.

"But Mage Weston is obviously knowing who you are, since he was telling you to be taking the will-breaker ring off my finger." She paused. "Thank you for that."

"It is my job, my lady." She gave a small head bow.

"But why be pretending to play with Conner if Mage Weston is already knowing you are my bodyguard?" Fiona pressed.

"Skills not practiced are lost." Tabitha replied evenly.

Fiona frowned, but nodded. She thought about it for a moment and then decided to let it go. She opened the summoning lock on the door between the nursery and the bedroom and made sure to close it behind her. She didn't think he would like it if it wasn't closed. She put Conner in his crib and then laid down on the bed, feeling quite tired. She wasn't as tired as the previous day, but she was looking forward to sleeping.

She laid in bed for rather a long time waiting for her husband and managed to stay awake for quite some time. However, he was running unusually late this evening and she drifted off to sleep before he came to bed.

* * *

Ethan spent a few more minutes catching up with the young couple before deciding not to press his luck and deciding to leave. They both hugged him and made him promise to visit again if he got the chance. He happily agreed and asked them to tell Arven and Ketura that he said "Hi".

Once outside, he heard the bolt slide back into place and shook his head as he started walking. They shouldn't have to worry about things like that. They were a newlywed couple in love and they should be worried about trivial things like what was for dinner, where to take a walk hand-in-hand, or what position to try next in bed. It really wasn't right that--

"Halt!"

Ethan snapped his head around to see two Ivernian soldiers -- one of whom was carrying a small torch -- coming up a cross street, the corner of which he'd just passed. Damn. Thankfully, He was far enough from the newlywed couple's house that they should avoid any scrutiny.

"It's past curfew, and it's illegal to wear a sword in town." The elder of the two guards said. He was maybe thirty while his younger counterpart probably hadn't hit twenty yet.

"I didn't know about the curfew." Ethan said honestly. "And Ivernia has become a dangerous place. You wouldn't want one of your loved ones traveling unprotected on the road, would you?"

The elder of the two rested his non-sword hand on the hilt of his sword. "Don't matter none; you're still breaking two laws. It's the fine or prison, but we're taking your sword either way because it's illegal for you to carry it."

Ethan sized them up

The older fellow looked like he meant business and knew his way around a sword. The younger fellow seemed to take strength from the older one, but he was clearly a bit nervous. Neither would be much trouble in a fight, but either could shout out and bring a lot of others down on him. Again, they probably wouldn't pose much of a problem, but he was pretty sure that resisting arrest would cause repercussions for the townsfolk.

Maybe another approach would be better.

"Why is there a curfew?" He asked.

"Don't matter none, you're still breaking it." The older man replied.

"Humor me." Ethan replied in a conversational tone.

The older man looked at him for a long moment. "It's for your safety."

"Please." Ethan raised his eyebrow. "The orc threat is gone and this is a walled city filled with guards and surrounded by airships. It's not really about safety, is it?"

The older man hesitated, so Ethan decided to lean into the obviously dominant religion in the Ten Kingdoms. "And remember, Illuminar commands us not to lie in the Book of Light."

The older man put his sword hand on his sword's hilt as if ready to draw it. "Unbuckle your sword belt."

"It's about extracting money from people, isn't it?" Ethan asked. "Isn't that called stealing?"

The older man drew his sword. "Drop your sword. Now."

"Here's the thing, I thought Illuminar was against stealing." Ethan continued, hoping he wouldn't need to kill these men.

The older man hesitated and the younger man suddenly looked unsure.

"So, wouldn't that mean you are violating the direct command of Illuminar right now?" Ethan asked conversationally.

The older man frowned. "I'm just following orders."

"And if your orders were to murder innocent people, would that be a reasonable defense?"

The older man lowered his sword a little, but didn't return it to his scabbard.

"Who should you worry more about making happy, Illuminar or Lord Farbrottan?" Ethan asked, feeling like he was channeling Taloni a little. However, religion was a powerful motivator and the Ten Kingdoms seemed to accept Illuminar almost universally. He was hoping that fact would enable him to not kill these men. "Which one should you be more concerned with pleasing?" He repeated.

"Illuminar." The younger fellow said quietly.

The older man nodded.

"Here's the thing about Illuminar." Ethan said as an idea occurred to him, and he borrowed from an old Christmas jingle. "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so you better be good for goodness' sake."

The older man narrowed his eyes.

"Lord Farbrottan has basically declared war on a certain dragon; you know who I'm talking about?" Ethan added.

"Th-the prophet." The younger man stammered.

The older man said nothing, but he hadn't raised his sword again.

"You probably know how hard it is to defeat a dragon." Ethan continued. "How much harder would it be to defeat a dragon backed by Illuminar? Would it be safe to take sides in a war against Illuminar?"

Neither man replied, but the look in both their eyes had changed.

"There's a war brewing, and I think you fellows need to decide which side you're on." Ethan said, turning his tone serious. "I'm pretty sure Illuminar would frown on stealing a man's coin, even if you had a legal pretense, wouldn't He?"

The older man inclined his head in concession.

The younger man nodded.

"Maybe think about that the next time you choose whether to follow orders." Ethan said. "Now, I'm leaving. You're welcome to try and stop me, but that won't go well for you."

"Is that a threat?" The older man asked, raising his sword again.

"A fact." Ethan corrected, resting his non-sword hand on his war sword's pommel. "You can obey Illuminar and not attempt to steal from me, or you can find out why I'm utterly unconcerned about you attacking me. It's up to you."

And with that, he turned and started walking in the direction he had been walking before he was interrupted. After taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around.

"Oh, and maybe mention this to any friends you have who might listen." He said. "I wasn't kidding when I said there's a war brewing; you don't want to end up on the wrong side of it... or Illuminar."

He turned and started walking again, feeling like he'd just come across as a religious nut. Oh well, it had worked. They hadn't attacked him nor sounded the alarm, so he would be able to escape. In his book, that was definitely a win. Plus, those two soldiers might get to thinking, or even get some of their fellow soldiers to start thinking.

Again, that was a win.

He reached the wall without further incident, leapt onto the palisade wall after making sure the guards weren't looking, and then jumped over it, spreading his wings and moving low and fast over the meadow to put some distance between himself and the town. He flew over the large stream to the west of Dotmier and waited until he was a good mile away before rising into the air and heading towards the Argo.

"You're back." Sarah smiled when he landed on the deck next to her.

"And my front; they're both here." He winked.

She chuckled.

The deck was entirely clear of people except for Anthiel at the ship's wheel, and also Sarah who was practicing writing letters by a lantern in front of the captain's cabin. The lantern was turned very low and the quarterdeck blocked the light from reaching the airships that were now behind them.

He looked at her for a long moment, admiring the way the lantern made her look in its soft, flickering light.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, just looking." He smiled at her and made no secret of the fact that he was enjoying her beauty. It wasn't flirting or sexual though; he just loved her and looking at her.

Sarah got a huge but embarrassed smile on her face. "Really?"

He nodded. "I like looking at you."

"I noticed." She paused. "I never thought anyone would." She bit her lip, which made an interesting face since she hadn't stopped smiling.

"Well, I do." He let everything he felt about her show on his face.

She blushed.

"Good night my darling Sarah." He said after a moment.

She stood up and walked over to him. "Good night my love."

He grinned, then kissed her on her forehead when she offered it. He opened the captain's cabin door and glanced back to get one last look before going to bed. She was looking at him too. He grinned at her, then closed the door and turned to look at the bed where his wives were sleeping.

That made him grin wider.

He watched them all sleep for a few minutes, then quietly slipped his armor and weapons off and then watched for a few more. He couldn't believe how blessed he was to have them, though he found himself worried about keeping them safe as well.

The world was such a dangerous place for him and his family right now, and more than anything he wanted to keep his family safe. They deserved that much. He seriously thought he had the best women in the entire universe on this ship. Well, maybe there was one more...

*Selene?* He thought to her out of habit, then remembered that her telepathic abilities had dwindled since breaking their bond.

He closed his eyes and paid close attention to the mental 'tunnel' that they had built between their minds while still bonded. Unless he was much mistaken, he thought he heard something in response. It was too quiet to make it out, but he was almost certain that Selene had replied to him.

That made him smile all the wider.

* * *

Sarah had just finished adding the last spices to breakfast in the dawn hours when Anthiel called to her from the quarterdeck.

"Sarah, you might want to walk to the bow and take a look."

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Trust me." Anthiel replied, then went back to softly playing a lovely tune on some small woodwind instrument.

Sarah shrugged and walked towards the Argo's front, not exactly sure what she would see. When she reached the front and looked down, she felt her jaw drop. The sun was just cresting the horizon behind the Argo since they had turned west to sail along the south side of the Ivernian mountains during the night. The just-risen sun was casting a red-orange glow over the sight below.

It was gorgeous.

Below her, the water was the clearest she had ever seen. She'd been all over Ivernia in her youth, but always to temples and never to see the sights. She could even see large fish swimming in the water it was so clear. Sprinkled all around the Argo were islands of various sizes, some as small as a house, some acres in size. Most of the islands looked tropical with trees that looked exactly like the 'palm trees' she'd had many of the inn's visitors describe to her.

The chain of islands stretched to the horizon, often with deep channels between them and just as often with shallow water that you could wade across. With the newly-risen sun's light shining on the scene, it looked like the closest thing to heaven that she'd ever witnessed.

"I live for this." Someone said from beside her several minutes later.

Sarah turned to see Thea standing there with a wide and contented smile on her face. She was also looking at the sight around them.

"I could do this forever." The elf continued, taking a few steps forward to stand next to Sarah. "I could live on an airship and look upon something new every sunrise for the rest of my life. I could sail until I reached the edge of the world, then see what lies beyond it."

Thea sighed, her smile widening.

"I think I would like that for a while, but I would eventually miss the people I left behind." Sarah replied, still in awe of the sight.

"I would too... eventually." Thea conceded as she turned to look around, her turquoise eyes shining in happiness. "But for now..."

"It is beautiful." Sarah agreed, then spotted something. "Oh, look at the whale!"

In some of the deeper water, a whale had breached the surface of the water and come half out of it, only to playfully splash back down, sending a massive spray of water into the air. All around her, she could smell the sea air and the sound of seagulls became ubiquitous.

"I've never seen one before." Thea said, her eyes shining as she stared at the spot where the whale had crashed beneath the waves again.

"Me either; they're breathtaking."

Thea nodded. "It makes me wonder what else is out there; what else I haven't seen."

"Illuminar did make such an incredible world." Sarah agreed.

Thea bit her lip. "I hope He wants me to marry Ethan; living on the Argo like this is just..." She sighed. "...I don't know if I could go back to living on the land, in a house. This is just too wonderful."

Sarah smiled. "Wanderlust."

"Ethan called it the same thing." Thea looked at her. "So, can I ask a question? It might be awkward, but I would love to know."

"Um, sure."

"What's it like knowing that a man loves you?" The gorgeous elf asked.

Sarah felt a smile come unbidden to her face. "I don't know how to describe it." She thought about it for a moment. "It's... it's like this view." She finally said.

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"Well, you feel an incredible sense of happiness when you see something like this, something new." Sarah replied. "Being in love and knowing he loves you back is like that feeling, only in your heart instead of your head."

Thea nodded slowly. "I think Ethan and I could be perfect for each other then. I would get to live on his airship and travel with him, while he would get a wife who could help him with legal and diplomatic things. He's such a good man too, and I know I could fall in love with him."

"But you haven't?"

"I'm an elf." Thea shrugged. "We're taught that true love takes time to grow, and grows best after bonding. We're told that sharing your soul with someone helps you understand each other; who you really are at the core. It's said that once you truly see who a good person is at the core, you can't help but fall in love."

Sarah smiled. "I think something like that happened with Ethan and me."

"I think so too, only without the bonding." Thea replied then gasped and pointed to a spot in the ocean as she nearly squealed. "Turtles!"

Sarah looked and nearly squealed in delight as well. They watched together for almost a minute before the turtles swam out of sight, obscured under some thick foliage overhanging the water.

"What about Victoria?" Sarah asked after a moment. "You want to marry Ethan and live on the Argo, but what does she want?"

"I'm not sure." Thea mused. "Honestly, she tends to stay in the background when she's not excited about something."

Sarah thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "I can see that. She doesn't usually start conversations, but she'll take part if there's one going on."

"What about you?" Thea asked. "Obviously not about men since you have Ethan, but in other areas of life. I know you're learning to read and math, but what do you want to do?"

"Learn to play an instrument like Anthiel." Sarah replied, becoming aware of Anthiel's playing again. "And learn some magic. I don't want to be Rachel or anything, but I would love to learn a little bit."

"Why don't you?" Thea asked, then waved toward the rest of the ship. "There are plenty of people here who are willing and able to teach you."

"I'm already imposing so much, so I would hate to-- what are you doing?" Sarah stopped as Thea rolled her eyes and grabbed her wrist, pulling her gently but firmly towards the quarterdeck.

"There's no time like the present." The elf said with a grin, then proceeded to march the half-protesting Sarah up to the quarterdeck and plant her in front of the ship's pilot.

"Anthiel, Sarah has something she wants to ask you." Thea said, then turned expectantly to Sarah.

"Um, I would love to learn an instrument if you have time and it wouldn't be a bother to teach me."

Anthiel smiled. "It's about time you asked." She reached into her pocket, pulled out a small instrument about seven inches long, and held it out to her; it looked like a small recorder. "I've been keeping this with me for when you asked."

Sarah stared. "You knew I would ask?"

Anthiel raised her eyebrow.

"How?" Sarah asked.

"It's not polite to leave an elf hanging when she offers you a gift." The high elf replied with a twinkle in her eyes. "And yes, it's yours now."

Sarah took it, holding it like it was made of pure gold. It was a long, thin, wooden tube with a mouthpiece at one end, several holes all along it, and a slightly flared end. She'd seen people play one before many times, but never had she thought...

An instrument?

She owned an instrument?

"Thank you!" She beamed after she had recovered, then gave Anthiel a huge hug.

"You're welcome." Anthiel chuckled as she hugged her back. "Besides, it's more fun to play with someone than alone."

Sarah stepped back after the hug broke, looking at her very first instrument. She kept trying to form words, but wasn't quite able to.

Thea chuckled. "Just think about asking Rachel to help you learn magic and that'll help."

Sarah chuckled nervously.

* * *

Fiona woke alone in bed as usual, though she was feeling much better; almost back to normal. She let herself rest for several long moments before lifting her head and realizing that her husband wasn't in the room like normal. She frowned, but she supposed that made some sense since it was a bit later than normal. Not a lot, but a little. That seemed odd to her, but not terribly odd.

Although...

He hadn't been there when she'd woken up the previous day either, though she'd slept quite late yesterday so that made sense. As she thought about it, she hadn't seen her husband since he had told her how he had met the Lady Helene. Well, except at mealtimes in the great hall.

That seemed...

odd.

She shook her head and got up, noticing that the air was just a hair cooler than was strictly comfortable without clothes on. The season was slowly beginning to change and she supposed she should get used to that.

She got up intending to grab one of her shawls, but noticed a small note with her name on it on her husband's pillow. It read: "Fiona, be at the castle's airship dock one hour past the noon bell. An airship will be arriving and you are to greet its passenger."

Fiona frowned as she looked at the note. What was going on with her husband?

* * *

"So Myla, pick a spot and this vacation can become a combination honeymoon and vacation for you." Ethan told her after gazing at the beautiful scenery currently surrounding the Argo. All his wives -- including Sarah -- plus Myla, Victoria, and Thea were enjoying a lazy morning, simply soaking in the beauty around them. They were spread around the front of the Argo watching over the railing.

"I would not presume to choose a location without my betrothed present." The dusky-skinned beauty replied.

"Well, then we'll just have to get him over here." Ethan replied with a smile.

Not long afterwards, the Argo and the Midnight Sun were docked and the engaged couple appeared lost in their own little world at the front of the Midnight Sun as they looked around and presumably discussed the impending wedding.

"Oh, Dominus." Beth spoke up. "Lucien sent a letter this morning saying that he and his family would be honored to attend Thea's coming-of-age ball. And he also mentioned that he talked with Lord Delmar about you while he was in Karnas."

"How did it go?" He replied.

"Not well, mostly." The blonde answered. "Neither Lord Delmar nor Fiona -- Shara spoke to Fiona -- seemed willing to consider changing their minds."

Ethan sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so, but I appreciate him trying. Could someone..." He glanced at Alana and Rachel with a sly smile. "...write a letter to thank him."

Rachel blushed slightly, but took Alana's hand and gave her a gentle tug towards the captain's cabin. "We can."

"Okay, but a warning first." The wood elf said to her lover. "It might not 'end' the way it usually does."

The redhead faltered. "It won't?"

"Well, didn't someone say she wanted to practice her 'letter writing skills' with the rest of the family around?" Alana grinned. "So maybe I should just help you 'write' the beginning of the letter, then the rest of us could help you finish it tonight?"

Rachel bit her lip, then nodded.

"If you'll excuse us, I have a Sweetheart to torment." Alana said with good-natured malice, then the two of them disappeared into the captain's cabin.

Ethan chuckled, but then noticed that Sarah was even more red than Rachel had been. "You okay?" He asked.

She nodded slowly and spoke haltingly. "They do it without you too?"

"Only Alana and Rachel." He replied. "I wouldn't object to the others, but none of them have shown much interest except when I'm around."

"I love it, but it's more a special thing for when we're all together." Beth agreed.

"Alana and Rachel are different; they're in love." Taloni added, the end of her statement in a sing-song tone.

"And, you all enjoy that?" Sarah asked. Judging by her tone, she was skeptical.

Beth grinned. "Well, you enjoyed kissing Ethan, right?"

Sarah's face instantly got a doe-eyed expression and she let out a barely-audible sigh. "I did."

"Then just imagine that the rest of us are kissing you in various places." The blonde glanced at Sarah's neck, breasts, and hips. "Would you enjoy that too?"

Sarah bit her lip as her cheeks went redder.

Ethan chuckled. "Don't worry, no one will force you or even pressure you."

Sarah nodded mutely.

"Captain, there's something you should see." Anthiel called from the quarterdeck.

"I'll be right back." Ethan smiled at his wives -- of whom Sarah was technically one because of the Ten Kingdom's laws on betrothal -- and then headed to see the high elf.

* * *

Sarah watched her betrothed go, still not entirely sure what to think about his wives 'playing' with each other. Selene's initial description had been vague, but Sarah could guess. Other comments and Beth just now had painted a picture that was scandalous at the very best.

"It's a lot of fun." Beth whispered to her.

Kendra nodded in agreement, though didn't say anything.

"I especially like when one of my fellow wives uses her lips and tongue right here." The blonde said with no small amount of glee tinged with good-natured malice as she rested her hand right where the top of her slit would be.

Sarah blanched.

"Beth, stop." Kendra said in a slightly stern tone, then the raven-haired woman turned to Sarah and spoke more kindly. "Come with me."

Sarah did, her brain barely comprehending what Beth had just said. Lips and tongue? She couldn't even imagine what that felt like, or letting anyone except for Ethan near that part of her, and only then after their wedding.

"Beth means well, but she has an impish streak that's a league wide." Kendra said when they were far enough away from everyone else to have a semi-private conversation. "It really is wonderful, but I suppose you have questions. I can answer them in a way that won't make you uncomfortable." She paused. "Or at least, not more uncomfortable than a conversation like this was always going to be."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Ask away." Kendra suggested. "Or, I can just describe it matter-of-factly so you have an idea what happens."

"Um, does it really feel good?"

Kendra smiled.

* * *

"It looks like they're trying to get our attention." Ethan said as he looked at what Anthiel had pointed out.

The Argo was sailing only a few hundred yards from the mainland shore, and thus could see it easily. There was perhaps a mile or two of land after the shore before it started rising steeply into the southern face of the Ivernian mountains. On the shore, there was a village made of what looked like grass huts. It had the look of a low-tech, primitive society, but he'd learned his lesson about assuming such things from the orcs. Low-tech didn't necessarily mean primitive.

Along the shore, a large number of the people from the village appeared to be waving to get their attention. Several of them had jumped into catamarans and were sailing toward them on the crystal-clear water, and they appeared to be trying to get their attention too.

"Well, I suppose we should see what they want." Ethan said after a moment.

"I'll coordinate the undocking from the Midnight Sun and bring us around." Anthiel nodded, and then did just that.

Not long afterwards, the Midnight Sun had dropped its anchor on one of the small islands nearby while the Argo had turned and taken position over the outskirts of the village. It seemed like the entire population of the village was cheering their arrival and a huge crowd had congregated underneath the Argo. On the airship, Ethan and the ladies had gathered near the rope ladder.

"Do we know anything about them?" Ethan asked as Serif began lowering the Argo's anchor.

"I don't." Alana said, and she looked slightly frustrated, as did Rachel. Ethan had a sneaking suspicion that Rachel had decided that 'turnabout was fair play', and thus Alana hadn't 'finished' either.

Everyone looked around at everyone else except for Sarah, who spoke up. "They're the Inohuttan tribe, or at least they should be considering where we are. They're famous for fishing and slinging, and they are a barter-only community so Lord Farbrottan mostly leaves them alone."

Everyone looked at her.

"All kinds of people came through the inn, and many talked about their travels." Sarah explained.

Rachel looked at the newest addition to the Argo's crew. "I bet you know a lot about Ivernia from listening to the stories, don't you?"

"Well, I wouldn't say a lot." Sarah replied. "But I did like to listen; it was the only way I heard about things outside the outpost."

Ethan smiled at her; quite beside her delightful presence, he could see that kind of knowledge being very useful. "Like you knew that the Isle of Moragana was being guarded by Ivernian soldiers."

She nodded.

"What do you mean that they're famous for 'slinging'?" Ethan asked.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Master, surely you've heard of a sling?" Taloni said after a moment.

"Of course, but aren't those pretty obsolete weapons?" He asked.

He knew he'd said something pretty stupid because of the incredulous looks on everyone's faces. Kendra especially had closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and was slowly shaking her head.

"So, not obsolete?"

Rachel eyed him. "Imagine a lead or clay projectile shaped like that 'American football' you once described that's half to three-quarters of a pound and traveling at around 100 miles per hour, depending on the weight. Or a rock the size of your fist going two or three times faster than you could throw it."

Ethan grimaced. "Ouch!"

"And they are accurate enough to hit a bird while it's flying." Taloni added excitedly. "Even the children can do it because they practice so much."

"A good slinger can hit a man's head at 100 yards." Kendra added. "Two hundred yards is doable with accuracy on a man-sized target."

"Plus, the projectiles are so small and dense that they aren't affected by the wind very much." Rachel added. "A good slinger can be more accurate than an archer at long range because of that. Further, because they are so dense, they don't slow down very quickly and can still cause serious damage at longer ranges."

"Okay, so not obsolete." Ethan grimaced again as he considered what he might do against such a weapon. Obviously his shield would stop it, but the impacts could be devastating on someone without a shield or armor. Come to think of it, chainmail wouldn't provide much protection against the blunt impact, though the padding worn under it would. Maybe not a lot, but some.

As he thought about it, he remembered that Lucien's son Taiven -- the one who wanted to marry Rachel's yet-unconceived oldest daughter -- had shown them his skills with a sling once in Dotmier. It had been pretty impressive, and he assumed that practicing such things for decades could make someone a fearsome shot with a sling.

"They're waiting for you." Alana pointed out.

"I guess I'll see what they want then." He said, double-checked that he was wearing his weapons and armor, and then spread his wings and stepped off the Argo. There was a collective gasp from the people below and for a moment, it almost looked like they would run in terror. His disguise gem was off, so that made some sense,

"White armor!" One of them shouted in a heavy accent.

"It's the prophet!" Another shouted.

Instantly, there was a collective cheer from all the villagers below him. They began to whoop, clap, and cheer in equal measure. Suddenly, Ethan felt a little self-conscious. He spiraled down slowly, painfully aware of all the eyes on him. He landed on the outskirts of the group of people and took a good look at them.

They were all darker skinned than those north of the mountain range and heavily tanned as well. They universally had black hair, or hair that was very close to black and every one of them was extremely fit. From the old men and women down to the teenagers and even children, they all had lean, hard muscles like a professional swimmer would. Given that they lived on the ocean and likely fished for their food, that wasn't surprising.

Their clothes looked to be mainly linen, but there were plenty of grass skirts and leather mixed in as well. They didn't wear a lot of clothing given the warm climate, but everything important was covered. Most of the men had a braided belt on, though he guessed it was actually a sling of some kind because they all had a second belt to which a small bag was attached, and the bag was clearly full of stones.

The moment he touched down, one of the elders raised his hands and spoke loudly. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has answered our prayers by sending His prophet."

The entire group chorused. "Blessed be He."

Then they all dropped to their knees and bowed their heads to the ground facing Ethan. To say that made him uncomfortable would've been an understatement of Biblical proportions... or perhaps 'Book of Light proportions'?

"Um, guys?" He said after a moment.

They remained where they were for several more seconds -- seven seconds total perhaps? -- then as one, all stood up again. One of the elders walked towards him. He was clearly older judging by his appearance, but he didn't look frail like some of the orc elders had. He was wearing a necklace made of seashells and had a short staff in his hand with an ornately decorated head carved into the wood.

"Prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- welcome to our village." He said with a genuine smile on his face. "Our huts are your huts, our food is your food, and our slings are your slings."

"Uh, thank you very much for that." Ethan replied with a smile.

"It would be our honor to host you, your wives, and all who travel with you at a feast tonight, to honor our most esteemed visitors."

"That's very nice, but it's not necessary." Ethan replied, though he was touched by the sincerity in the man's tone.

The elder looked at him for a long moment. "You are not of the Inohuttan tribe, or you would know that this is our custom. The Great God Illuminar -- blessed be He -- gave our ancestors food, lodging, and protection. To honor His protection of our ancestors, we provide the same to all who come to our shores. To turn down this invitation would prevent us from honoring Illuminar -- blessed be He -- by providing for those whom He has sent to us." He paused, then his smile widened. "Please, let us honor both you and the God of Light with this meal in your honor."

The man seemed entirely genuine.

Ethan didn't get a single hint of insincerity from him, and he also got the impression that this village might greet everyone they met like this, though perhaps without the extended bow.

"Um, okay." He agreed. "We would be honored."

"Festal!" The elder said loudly.

"Festal!" Everyone else chorused, and then nearly all the women began hurrying back towards the huts, he guessed to start on the feast that was apparently coming that evening.

"Come, bring your wives and companions; the men will entertain you with a slinging exhibition while the feast is being prepared." The elder said.

"I'll do that." He smiled.

* * *

Fiona finished climbing the stairs to the airship dock at the highest levels of Narlotten's castle with Tabitha in tow. Her bodyguard still moved with unnerving quietness, but at least she positioned herself at the edge of Fiona's peripheral vision so she wasn't startled anymore. It was unnerving how Tabby could place herself at the exact, precise edge of Fiona's peripheral vision every single time. Conner was taking a nap safe in the nursery with Nurse Belcosta, so Fiona was free to be entirely confused.

Ahead of her, a small airship was approaching the dock. The paint scheme and flag clearly identified it as a Narlotten military airship, as did the lookout she could see, who was wearing a Narlotten uniform.

"Who could be coming that he would want me to be meeting?" She wondered aloud, then had an idea and turned to Tabitha behind her. "Are you knowing who's coming?"

"Yes my lady." She said without emotion.

"Well why weren't you saying that? Tell me who it is."

"No my lady." She replied, again with no emotion.

"Why not?"

"Lord Delmar's orders." The bodyguard replied.

Fiona sighed and resigned herself to waiting for the airship to finish docking. It seemed to take forever, but eventually, one of the soldiers called the all-clear, and then a very familiar face appeared on the gangplank.

"Fi-fi!"

"Shannon?" Fiona's jaw dropped as her cousin raced across the gangplank and then made a beeline towards her, almost tackling her in her haste to hug her.

"Fi-fi!" Shannon gushed as she hugged a stunned Fiona tightly.

"Shannon, what... what are you doing here?" Fiona asked, coming to her senses and hugging her back.

Her cousin pulled back to look at her, an ear-to-ear smile on her face. "Lord Delmar arranged it. He invited the entire family and even offered an airship so we could all visit, but harvest is coming, so..."

"He..." Fiona blinked. "He did?"

Shannon nodded vigorously.

As always, her cousin's face had a wide smile on it. She was a bit taller and built slightly stronger, but she was just as pretty, had just as many freckles, and her hair was almost the exact same copper color as Fiona's.

"Uncle Liam let you come?" Fiona asked, slowly recovering from the shock. "He wasn't worried you'd get up to mischief?"

"Me? Mischief?" Shannon put on a mock-innocent face. "I would never."

Fiona rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and who is that?" Shannon asked as she glanced over Fiona's shoulder to where Tabitha was standing. "She's cute."

"You think everyone is cute." Fiona sighed. "Uncle Liam needs to find you a husband, and soon."

"Only if he's good looking, and has a pretty wife." Shannon 'whispered' to her cousin with a sly smile. "You wouldn't know of any nobles matching that description, would you?"

"None that I'd be introducing you to for fear of embarrassing myself." Fiona chuckled as she shook her head slowly, unable to stop herself from smiling. "It's good to see you Shannon."

"It's good to see you too Fi-fi." Shannon smiled. "Now, are you going to show me around the castle, or do I need to explore on my own?"

"I'll be guiding you." Fiona replied firmly.

"Then let's go." Shannon said brightly.

* * *

Kendra had long heard of the skill of the slingers on the southern side of the Ivernian mountains, but she had never seen them in action before. Now, she found herself glad that she'd never had to face them before.

"Hal'ah!" One of the warriors shouted in triumph as his stone smacked the dinner-plate-sized target hung from two strings about fifty yards from the slinger. Behind the target, there was a large, thick cloth to catch the stones and prevent them from getting lost in the grass beyond the target.

"The stones are spinning as they come out of the sling." Her husband mused from beside her, undoubtedly using his enhanced reflexes to see it. "They're spin-stabilized like a football, and that's why they fly so straight."

Kendra watched the next slinger and could see how that happened. It made a lot of sense and having seen the projectiles, it made sense how they flew so straight. The accuracy of the slingers was incredible. Of the fifty slingers who slung a stone in the first round, only a single one missed and he was clearly the youngest of them. The older men gave him a hard time about it too. It was clearly good-natured, but their teasing was merciless.

"Come, we go back further." The village elder said. "They sling the next set."

"They're damn impressive." Ethan said.

The elder smiled. "We are pleased that our humble exhibition exceeded your expectations."

The crews of the Argo and Midnight Sun -- minus Serif, Raklan, Anthiel, Falkaan's pilot Damon, and Luminar Kossel, all of whom opted to stay behind -- walked fifty yards away from the initial starting line to where a second line had been set up. Talven and Salma looked a little unsure how to react to the whole thing, but their kids were loving it.

Apparently, so was Taloni.

The Fey had a wide grin on her face as she watched the warriors sling the next round, and she was definitely watching the slings, not the slingers. It even looked like she was moving her hands trying to imitate the motion they made when they slung a projectile.

"Did you want to learn?" Kendra asked Taloni as another one of the Inohuttan tribe's slingers stepped up to the line to sling at the target for the third set, making the target 150 yards distant.

"Could I?" She asked, her eyes widening and a light appearing in her lilac eyes.

"I don't see why not." Kendra replied. "Ask Ethan to ask the elder; I'm sure someone would be willing to teach you."

Taloni beamed.

"If I can ask, why a sling?" The raven-haired woman said when Tee hadn't moved.

"Because I hated not being able to help when we were ambushed." Taloni replied. "The best I could do was throw some fruit to distract them, and I'm not strong enough to use a sword, spear, or bow. But a sling..." She looked at the slingers. "I could do that. And if my family is attacked again, then I could help."

Kendra smiled at her. "I understand that."

"I'm proud of you Tee." Ethan said from nearby, obviously listening in.

Taloni beamed all the more.

"And best of all, you can be flying while using a sling which will protect you from a lot of danger." Ethan pointed out.

"He's right." Kendra nodded.

After that, their husband asked the elder about it, and shortly thereafter, one of the women from the village was teaching Taloni the basics of how to use a sling.

"I would've never guessed Taloni would want to learn a weapon." Ethan mused from next to Kendra while they split their attention between the slinging exhibition and Taloni. "Though I understand her desire to protect her family."

"Indeed." Kendra nodded. "And for some reason, I'm glad it's not something with a blade; I don't think that would suit her."

"Yeah, I agree." Ethan nodded.

Not long afterward, the slingers moved back another fifty yards to 200 yards. When they arrived, Kendra leaned on her husband, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching with him. She almost smiled until it occurred to her that Selene would've really liked watching this as well.

*I miss her too.* Ethan thought to her privately.

She leaned on him more. *But she'll come back to visit.*

*I can't wait.* Ethan nodded, then kissed Kendra on the top of her head.

Kendra decided to take her mother-in-law's advice; instead of dwelling on the fact that she couldn't share this with Selene, she tried to look forward to telling her about it. That would be fun. Despite missing her friend, she was able to smile and enjoy herself as she watched the competition. She looked around at her family, scarcely able to believe that her life had turned out this wonderfully. She never could've imagined being this happy only a few months ago.

* * *

Ethan had a vague recollection that slings were used in ancient warfare on Earth, but the longer he watched, the sillier his initial thought about them being 'obsolete' seemed. Sure, a strong man could shoot a bow further, and bows were probably easier to learn, but damn. He surely wouldn't want to get hit with a sling, especially without armor. And since the predominant form of armor appeared to be chainmail -- which provided very little protection against blunt force -- he could see slingers being effective.

After the competition had finished, the village elder led the visitors to the wooden docks where their boats were tied up, or at least some of them were; many were simply beached. He then announced that the men would have a swimming competition for their enjoyment. Ethan and his wives couldn't help but smile at that. The people in this village didn't have much, but it seemed like they were going all out to make them welcome.

There was an island perhaps a quarter mile distant and at the blow of a horn -- one made from real animal horn -- the men formed up in a straight line. Another blast of the horn saw them rush into the water and start swimming like their lives depended on it.

"Well, it's not what I was expecting, but it's certainly a vacation." Alana said with a wide smile as she looked around.

"It is." He looked around as well, happy to see smiles on almost everyone's faces. After the swimming competition, Beth had found their 'keeper of stories' and was pestering him with questions. Taloni was still being taught the sling. Rachel had stayed near Ethan and Alana and spent a lot of time with a contented look on her face. Sarah seemed to enjoy the simple pleasure of everyone treating her like anyone else.

Myla and Falkaan were standing next to each other and had been the entire time. They had whispered conversations sometimes and the dusky-skinned beauty seemed to smile and relax more the longer she and Falkaan were near each other. That brought a smile to Ethan's face.

Victoria seemed comfortable too, though she was more interested in watching the competitions than the others. She had kind words for the winners and losers both, praising the victors without giving them big heads and consoling the losers without denying their losses.

Thea looked radiantly happy. She seemed to soak up the new culture she was in like a sponge soaking up water. By contrast, Talven looked like he was trying to look happy, but he wasn't doing a very good job. Salma and especially their children looked happy, though she checked up on her husband regularly.

"Honored guests, the feast is ready." The elder announced as the sun began to set, its fading light casting the entire village and the water surrounding it in a beautiful mosaic of oranges, reds, and purples.

He then led them to the center of the village, which was arranged in a loose semi-circle facing the water. On the beach at the center of this semi-circle, there was a large bonfire burning and several long, very low tables around it. On the tables was a bountiful arrangement of fruits, nuts, fish, and a little meat as well. The whole thing reminded Ethan of what he'd heard about Hawaiian Luaus, or at least his impression of them from TV since he'd never been to one and had no idea about the details. It was a very relaxing setup that made him want to take a nap, and the fire contrasting with the twilight sky combined with the warm breeze off the Gulf of Sayora was just perfect.

As it turned out, they didn't sit down to eat, but rather lay down with their feet sticking out away from the table. Thus, Ethan and company could lay down and the ladies kicked their feet into the air as they ate.

The food was wonderful.

Less than five minutes into dinner, several of the villagers walked over carrying something large between them on a pole, obviously cooked elsewhere since the bonfire was too large to cook over.

It was an enormous fish.

Or possibly a small shark? Something like that anyway.

*Dominus, that's a Shaulban fish!* Beth thought to everyone excitedly.

*They're quite the delicacy.* Rachel added, then licked her lips. *I've only had it once before and it was the most delicious fish I've ever tasted.*

Ethan and his wives all looked at each other in anticipation.

The men brought it over and set the fish down on a larger table. Then the elder stood and addressed Ethan. "Since Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has seen our plight and brought his prophet to aid us, we honor you, the prophet, with the organ of sight; the most prized part of the catch."

Ethan resisted the urge to grimace.

*My lord, it would be a bad idea to turn it down; we would likely offend them.* Rachel thought to everyone in an apologetic tone.

*Damn, I hate that you're right.* He replied, then spoke aloud. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, and I'm grateful to accept."

The elder lowered himself to his knees and then bowed until his forehead touched the ground. He stayed that way for maybe two seconds, then stood again. Someone handed him a wickedly sharp knife, and he cut the fish's eyes out and put them into a clay bowl, then brought that to Ethan and set it down in front of him. The elder then did the full-bodied bow again and sat back up, clearly waiting for Ethan.

The eyes were slightly larger than a marble and given that there were no utensils, He figured that he'd have to pick it up with his fingers.

Ew.

Gross.

However, they had been so nice to him and his family that he didn't feel right not eating them. He swallowed, preparing himself mentally for this. He took a deep breath, then reached into the bowl and -- with some difficulty -- he picked both up. He took another moment to gather his courage, then put them both in his mouth.

They were slightly slimy.

And gelatinous.

It was a little like eating slimy gummy worms that fell apart too quickly and yet also were somewhat rubbery. Shockingly the flavor wasn't bad. It definitely wasn't good, but it wasn't horrid either.

That aside, the evening was perfect.

They ate, drank, talked, laughed, and for the first time in a very long time, had the luxury to simply relax without the constant mortal dangers that had plagued them for the last few months. He could imagine some point in the future where this was his life, being able to relax with his family on a beach somewhere, or perhaps in that wonderful house he'd found in the outskirts of Ivernia's capital city of Paliso. He was looking forward to that.

He couldn't describe how wonderful that future was.

* * *

"I'm telling you, be watching her carefully." Fiona told the two guards stationed outside of Shannon's room after the two had parted for the night. "She's perfectly harmless, but she's having a knack for causing all sorts of mischief."

"Yes my lady." The guards replied in unison.

She paused for a moment, then added. "I'm sorry. I'm knowing that you're knowing your business."

"If I might be so bold my lady." One of them said with a smile. "Sincere concern for one's family is never a cause for an apology."

The other guard nodded.

"Thank ya for that." She nodded.

"My lady, if it will set your mind at ease, I can summon Guardsman Ellis Trelane." The other guard offered. "He is the best man I know -- Lord Delmar excepted -- and nothing slips by him. Your cousin would need to be Lady Ekthros to slip by him."

Fiona chuckled. "Thank ya both, but I'm thinking you'll be doing a fine job."

"Thank you my lady." They said in unison.

"Be having a good night." Fiona said, then turned to leave and--

"Ach, Tabby!" Fiona only narrowly avoided running into her bodyguard disguised as a handmaiden as she turned, and even then only because Tabby moved like water, flowing out of her way.

Tabby giggled. "Sorry my lady."

Fiona slowly shook her head and started walking back towards her bedroom. Her bedroom; It felt a lot more like that now that she was carrying Lord Delmar's baby. She wasn't sure why that made such a huge difference, but it did. She stopped off at the nursery to pick up Conner, who thankfully slept like his father in that once he was asleep, he tended to stay that way. Well, unless he was hungry in the middle of the night, but even that wasn't common anymore.

Fiona slipped through the door in the nursery that led to the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She placed Conner in his crib and frowned as she looked around the husband-less room.

That made the... third? night in a row that her husband was late coming to bed. And he hadn't been at dinner that night either. That couldn't have been a coincidence. Sighing, she went to the other door to her room and opened it, only to stop short.

Tabitha was waiting for her outside.

Fiona stared at her.

Tabby just stared back, her normal stoic demeanor in play because the two guards at the end of the short hallway were facing away from them.

"What are you doing?" Fiona finally asked.

"Escorting you through the castle." She replied in her bubbly, cheerful voice while her face remained entirely stoic and without emotion. The contradiction between her voice and her face was somewhat unsettling.

"How were you knowing I would be going out again?" Fiona replied, eyeing her. "I wasn't even knowing until a moment ago."

Tabitha didn't reply.

"Fine, I'm ordering you to tell me." Fiona said in exasperation.

Tabitha was next to Fiona before the copper-haired woman had even realized that her bodyguard had started moving, then Tabitha spoke in a low voice. "My lady, Lord Delmar was explicit about the areas in which I must obey you; that is not on the list."

"What is the list?" Fiona asked.

"In all things except as it regards your protection, my background, my skills, and one or two other items." Tabitha said, still entirely emotionless in the face, like she was wearing a mask. Fiona was finding even her stoic husband easier to read. Still, she supposed Lord Delmar's standards made some sense, little though she was liking it.

Fiona looked at her for a long moment. "Are you being this dedicated because Lord Delmar is paying you, or because you're wanting to protect me?"

"Those are the same thing." Tabitha replied in a low tone that gave nothing away.

The lady narrowed her eyes. "You're knowing what I mean."

Tabitha -- reminding Fiona rather a lot of Lord Delmar -- looked at her for a long moment before replying. "I have no objections to protecting you; I cannot say the same about my previous postings, only the most recent one excepted."

Fiona smiled.

Coming from Tabitha, that was very nearly gushing praise.

"Okay." Fiona felt her smile widen, then nodded towards the corridor. "Come on, let's be going."

Tabitha nodded and fell into step behind her, making no noise as usual. It was a very short walk to Lord Delmar's office and she knocked when she arrived, pausing only to give a respectful nod to the two guards outside his office before she did.

"Milord, can I be coming in?"

"Enter." He replied, so she slipped into the room.

He wasn't at his desk, nor looking at the large tapestry map of Narlotten on the wall, nor even pacing and looking deep in thought. Instead, he was standing next to his desk looking at the tapestry of Helene, the one about which Fiona and Sarah had watched him adjudicate a case. Interestingly, the part of his desk that had always held his pending work was completely clear, and the part that held completed work was neatly stacked to a considerable height.

"First, I'm wanting to thank you for bringing Shannon here." Fiona said. "I'm really appreciating that."

"You are welcome." He replied mostly without emotion.

"Were you coming to bed milord?" She asked when he didn't say more, not entirely sure what was going on. Well, she had a vague guess, but nothing specific.

"Not at present." He replied.

She glanced at his desk which was conspicuously empty of work and frowned. "Can I be asking why?"

He nodded once.

She sighed; he knew what she meant. "Why?"

"That is not something I am willing to discuss with an audience, no matter how discreet they are." He nodded towards the door, outside of which were two guards and Tabitha.

"Then could we be going to the bedroom so we can be discussing it privately?"

He looked at her for a long moment. "Not at present."

She sighed; clearly he wasn't wanting to talk about it. "Do you know when you'll be wanting to talk about it?"

"I do not know when I will be willing to talk about it." He replied, and she didn't miss the change from her question about 'wanting' to his answer about 'willing'.

"Is there anything I could be doing to be helping?" She asked.

He looked at her for a long moment, then his eyes flicked to the door, then he raised his hand and indicated that she should come closer. She did, enjoying this even though she was sure he was only doing this so they wouldn't be overheard.

When he spoke, it was in a low tone. "You are a good woman Fiona. You have endeavored to be a good wife, but have succeeded in being a great wife. You have certainly been a better wife than I have been a husband." He paused. "There is a difference between what should be and what is able to be. I should be a better husband to you; however, I do not believe that I am able to be. For that, I do apologize."

She didn't know what to say to that.

She stared at him for several seconds until she realized that he had asked for her forgiveness and she hadn't replied, which she did quietly. "I'm happy to be forgiving you milord, but I'm not sure the apology is necessary."

"That is kind to say, and thank you." He looked at her for a long moment, his expression utterly unreadable.

"I would be loving it if you could be coming to bed with me milord." Fiona said after a moment.

He regarded her for several seconds before replying. "Very well, I will retire to the bedchamber, but I am not in the proper frame of mind for a discussion of any importance."

Fiona smiled. "I'm glad to be hearing that milord. Well, about you coming to bed."

He nodded once and then led her out of the room and to their room. He didn't say anything the entire time, and she got the sense it was because he was pensive, not because he didn't want to talk to her. Given that, she felt entirely comfortable with the silence. They both slipped into bed, and as usual, he laid down with his back to her. Again, as usual, she snuggled up to his back.

She wasn't sure what to make of their conversation earlier, but it seemed very significant despite how little had been said. She wasn't sure why, but it felt that way.

* * *

"We'll come back in the morning then." Ethan told the village elder, since the man had once again said it wouldn't be proper to tell Ethan what the mysterious problem was that they wanted help with on the day they met. Apparently, hospitality demanded they wait at least until the second day. Ethan got the impression that they might've waited until the third day if he hadn't pushed for sooner.

He led his wives and crew back to the Argo, though of course he could simply fly up to the weather deck instead of needing to climb the ladder. The Midnight Sun's crew -- which included Falkaan, Talven and Salma -- likewise returned to their own airship.

Once everyone was on board Sarah looked at Tee. "Um, Taloni?" She said tentatively.

"Yes?" His Fey wife replied.

"Can... um, tomorrow morning, could you do your Book of Light reading on the weather deck again so I can listen?" Sarah asked.

"Of course." Tee smiled. "I know a few passages that might help you reject your demon."

"Tee, a thought." Ethan said. "Maybe don't start with pointed passages; maybe start at the beginning because she hasn't been able to read it yet."

Taloni hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes Master."

"Thank you." Sarah said to both of them.

After a moment, Alana spoke up. "Sir, some of the ladies and I were thinking that we should..." She glanced at the captain's cabin door. "...relax before going to bed." Alana glanced at Rachel, who looked mostly relaxed but just slightly tense.

Sarah blushed slightly.

He grinned at her. "You'll be hooked too if you try it, but I promise that we won't push you to try."

His betrothed's cheeks reddened even more as she nodded. He kissed her forehead before bidding her goodnight and then headed into the captain's cabin, wishing that Sarah could join them.

"Give it time." Alana said with a knowing smile after he'd closed the door.

"I have five wonderful wives, but I'm missing the seventh." He slowly shook his head. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't occasionally tempted to just up and marry Victoria or Thea so I could marry Sarah. I won't obviously, but the thought occurred to me."

"Which one are you leaning toward?" Beth asked.

Ethan sighed and leaned against the door. "Honestly, I don't feel a particularly strong connection to Victoria. She's kind, and clever, and she always looks at the bright side of things, but there isn't a lot of 'spark' there, you know?"

"Is there a 'spark' with Thea?" Beth asked.

"Maybe?" He waggled his head back and forth. "More than with Victoria anyway. Thea cares deeply about helping people and I'll be honest, her impish side is amusing."

"You're forcing it my lord." Rachel pointed out. "I think it will become clear eventually."

"I agree Master." Taloni added. "And I feel like it won't be much longer."

"Oh?"

She nodded.

"That would be nice." He smiled; Tee's gut tended to be right about matters of the heart. "I would really like to have a connection with one of them before going any further though."

"In lieu of that, perhaps we could make a few 'connections' ourselves." Alana said slyly, then looked pointedly at Rachel.

The redhead blushed.

Ethan looked at her, an amused smile on his face. "Hey beautiful, did you want to do more 'connecting' than usual tonight?"

Rachel's cheeks were nearly the color of the roots of her hair as she nodded slowly.

"I'll help." Alana slipped around behind her and kissed her shoulder, causing the redhead to shudder. "She's gotten very--" The wood elf kissed the nape of her neck, causing Rachel to almost moan. "--sensitive lately."

Ethan grinned.

"Do you want some help beautiful?" He asked.

She nodded and tried to respond, but Alana was now kissing her neck and she appeared to be having trouble replying verbally.

"So, you mentioned you might want to 'relax' with all of us." Ethan said casually as he traced his finger up Rachel's leg onto her thigh.

"Uh-huh." Rachel managed to get out, though it was half a moan as well.

"So, relaxing and connecting with all of us?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, I want..." Rachel moaned as Alana pulled her earlobe into her mouth and began to suckle on it, while also gently kneading the redhead's breast.

"Is my brilliant and wise redhead feeling overwhelmed?" Ethan chuckled as he trailed a finger up her side over her dress. "Did Alana winding you up earlier today make it hard to think?"

"My lor..." She opened her mouth and let out a breathy exhale as Alana's finger brushed the top of her slit over her dress.

"New game." Ethan announced. "Two extra orgasms for everyone if Rachel can't get more than two coherent, consecutive words out until she's naked."

"But--" Rachel started to say, then Kendra took the direct route and kissed her full on the lips while at the same time putting her hand on Rachel's other breast, the one Alana wasn't still massaging. Ethan wasn't sure which one shut her up, but Rachel didn't get another coherent word out.

"She can't talk if she's being kissed." Kendra pointed out as Rachel's head lolled back and she let out a moan. "Ladies." Kendra said, motioning to Bee and Tee, who sprang into action.

With Alana going after Rachel's neck and ears, the blondes wrangling her dress off, Kendra providing a French kiss whenever it looked like she might speak, and Kendra and Alana massaging her breasts, Rachel was naked in less than a minute without even one more coherent word, let alone two.

Ethan watched, wanting to dive in but enjoying the sight too much. It wasn't just that all his wives were naked -- the rest having shucked their clothing immediately after removing Rachel's -- nor even that the sapphic display in front of him could give a dead man an erection. No, it was watching the care they were taking with Rachel. Sure, Kendra's guidance had been entirely mission-oriented, but even she was being gentle with the most emotionally fragile member of their family.

It was heartwarming to see them working together so well, so kindly, and so tenderly.

At this point, Rachel had collapsed onto the bed on her back. Alana was between her legs, using her lips and tongue with such sincere tenderness and affection that Ethan could've watched all day. The wood elf was doing more than pleasuring her lover, she was savoring her. It was obvious that Alana was perfectly happy where she was and loved doing what she was doing.

Beth and Taloni had taken it upon themselves to make sure that Rachel's breasts weren't neglected. The blondes were on one breast each, kissing, licking, and sucking affectionately while giggling, and gently touching other parts of Rachel's body with their hands. They didn't have the deep affection for Rachel that was rolling off of Alana in waves, but it was obvious that they cared.

Kendra was perhaps the most surprising.

She had stationed herself by Rachel's head and was whispering into her ear. Ethan couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like she was telling the redhead how much her family loved her. Every so often, she would punctuate these comments with a tender kiss on Rachel's lips. Rachel seemed to enjoy them as well because she reciprocated tenderly.

Frankly, despite the five naked women interacting in a way that some might diminish with various crass descriptions, that's not what Ethan saw at all. It was definitely erotic -- which one part of him provided ample evidence for -- but something about it was...

Was...

It was 'wholesome'.

He couldn't think of another word. These five women, his wives, all loved each other and had been through hell together. They were all married to him and would spend the rest of their lives together as a family, and they were completely focusing on making Rachel enjoy this. Something about that just seemed so wholesome to him.

As much as he wanted to get involved now -- and he planned to get very involved -- the sight before him was so wholesome and heartwarming that he didn't; not just yet.

Rachel let out another loud moan, followed by a sigh. His other wives were making similar noises and Ethan thought it was the most beautiful symphony he'd ever heard.

* * *

Sarah could feel her cheeks getting warmer as she became more aware of the noises from the captain's cabin below her. Anthiel had been showing her the proper hand position for her new instrument, but she was starting to get distracted.

"Don't worry, you'll love it." Anthiel told her, a knowing smile on her face.

"I will?" Sarah asked, her cheeks getting redder as her blood started rushing to some interesting and sensitive places at the sounds below her.

"You will." The high elf nodded, and her tone was very confident.

"You sound like you've... uh..." Sarah bit her lip, not knowing how to finish that sentence.

"I have." The high elf's eyes twinkled. "Only once or twice, and only very recently, but I have. You'll love it."

Sarah bit her lip again.

She wasn't sure what she thought of the idea, but apparently, certain parts of her were warming up to it. Quite literally in fact. Ethan was so very good at that; he could make long-dormant parts of her feel hot in ways that she'd never felt before when he flirted with her.

As much as she felt embarrassed and occasionally wanted to hide when he flirted with his other wives or her, she liked it too. She liked seeing how much they all loved each other, and especially that Ethan flirted with her just as much as his other wives. That made her feel wanted. His flirting made it patently obvious that he wanted her just as much as he wanted his other wives, which was a lot.

After the life she'd lived, she couldn't describe just how wonderful that was.

* * *

As Ethan watched his wives make Rachel arch her back and tremble yet again, his mind turned to Selene. He wanted her here, and it wasn't even a sexual thing. Well, it wasn't entirely a sexual thing, nor even mostly a sexual thing. He wanted Selene as part of his family. He wanted her in bed with the rest of them. He was pretty sure that Victoria or Thea would fit in, but he wanted Selene. He wanted her to add her unique brand of kinkiness to this dance and her voice to the symphony.

Alana looked back at him, apparently able to pay attention to his emotions even despite what she was doing. She gave him a sympathetic and slightly mournful look, then her face brightened slightly.

"Would you like to cum join us?" Alana asked after Rachel had shuddered through her... fourth? Orgasm of the night.

She was clearly intent on distracting him.

He smiled back, then tried to put Selene out of his mind as he walked to the bed. "Ladies, give Rachel a moment."

They all paused, which let the panting redhead catch her breath.

"That... that was..." She let out a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a moan as she panted. "Oh Illuminar, why... why did I wait... so long."

Ethan smiled at her. "Hey, look at me beautiful."

She did and he used his compulsion -- without compelling anything -- to capture her gaze. "I want to look into your eyes while we all render you unconscious from pleasure." He waved his hands to indicate his other wives should pile on. "Ladies."

They all returned to what they were doing, with Alana sliding onto the bed and leaning over one of Rachel's legs so she could continue her tender care of Rachel's most sensitive areas. Ethan, still holding Rachel's lovely pale blue eyes with his eyes, stepped up and placed his cock right at her entrance. Alana gave it a playful little lick, then lined him up.

With all the attention Rachel was receiving, she couldn't get a coherent word out. She probably wouldn't even be able to hold his gaze if not for his dragon abilities. Despite that, he could see the longing in her eyes.

He pushed.

By some miracle of feminine intuition, all of his wives had renewed their various sensual assaults on Rachel's body at that precise moment. It took approximately two seconds for Rachel to completely lose all control of her body and begin an almost Kendra-level orgasm. Her entire body lifted off the bed for a second or two, and then she seemed to lose all control of it. She curled almost into the fetal position and began to tremble so much that it almost looked like she was having a seizure.

Everyone else got satisfied smiles on their faces as they watched their handiwork in action. Another thing that was heartwarming to Ethan: his other wives looked truly pleased that Rachel had enjoyed herself so much.

It took almost a whole minute before Rachel seemed coherent again, and she looked around at all of them. Uncharacteristically, her emotional walls were down. She was being as vulnerable now with all his wives present as she had ever been with him or Alana. That was almost more progress than her simply sharing her body with the rest of them.

As his mother sometimes said, that 'made his heart happy'.

"Thank you." The redhead said as she looked around at everyone.

"You're welcome." Ethan said, and everyone else agreed.

"You didn't..." Rachel glanced at his cock and then back at him.

"Yeah, someone accidentally slipped herself off of me." He chuckled.

"Oh, can you... you know." She paused. "And then can I...? Um, I'd like to return the favor with everyone, if you all don't mind."

No one did.

As a result, it was a very memorable night.

* * *

Fiona woke up in the middle of the night to Conner crying, probably because he wanted to eat. Ach, he had been so good about that recently. She weighed the options in her head, knowing that he was waking up more out of a long-formed habit from the first couple months of his life rather than actual hunger. She decided to see if he would get himself back to sleep. If he didn't in five minutes, she'd get up and feed him.

That's when she noticed something.

There was some light from the moon coming in through the window, and in that dim moonlight, she could see her husband.

She smiled.

He was laying on his back and sleeping that way. For most husbands, that might not seem like much. But for him, who had always slept with his back to her and never changed positions, it seemed significant. Very significant.

She snuggled up closer to him as Conner stopped crying, likely having fallen back asleep. Her husband made no move to snuggle with her as Sean always had, even when he was sleeping deeply. However, his back was no longer to her and she couldn't help but smile as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Taloni stretched and yawned in the pre-dawn light, careful not to disturb Beth or Kendra. Kendra would wake up regardless, but the Fey teen didn't want to disturb her more than necessary, especially after the very long and enjoyable 'workout' the previous night. Some parts of her were still slightly sore, in the best possible way of course. She would still be in bed sleeping herself if she hadn't promised Sarah that she would read the Book of Light to her.

She slipped out of bed, put her dress on, grabbed her copy of the Book of Light, and slipped out of the captain's cabin, careful to make sure that she wouldn't expose anyone by opening the door.

Sarah was already on the weather deck, and it looked like she was preparing to cook something over the coals in the firepan suspended over the deck. On the quarterdeck, Anthiel was playing some soft music on a small instrument.

"Good morning." Sarah said as she stoked the coals with a fire poker.

"Good morning." Taloni replied, then sat down.

"I know you don't like me, but thank you for doing this." Sarah said.

"I really want to like you." Taloni smiled at her. "You're kind, and brave, and you care so much about Master, and you want to help people."

"But?" Sarah said in a small voice.

"But you're choosing Illuminar's enemies over Illuminar Himself." She explained. "I want to be good friends with you, but I can't while you're siding with Illuminar's enemies. But the moment you stop, I want to be good friends with you; the best of friends."

"Really?" Sarah asked.

"Of course." Taloni nodded.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that."

Taloni smiled, then opened up the Book of Light to the first page and began to read.

* * *

Ethan sat down on the beach with his wives around him and the elders plus some of the older warriors from the village in front of him. He and his wives had slept in this morning, had a late breakfast, and then with the addition of Myla, Victoria, and Thea, had come down to see their hosts.

"So, what's the problem that you wanted help with?" Ethan asked.

"Please, let us provide you with breakfast first." The elder said, then bowed low until his head touched the sand.

"Um, we ate just before coming." Ethan replied.

"We really appreciate the offer though." Alana added, and he was thankful for her much greater diplomatic skills.

"Please, you have showered us with your generosity and come close to embarrassing us with your kindness." Rachel added. "We would love nothing better than to begin to repay your incomparable hospitality."

*Thanks Beautiful.* Ethan thought to everyone, and she smiled at him in response. Her smile was deeper than usual though, probably because of the previous night.

"Honored prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He." The elder began. "The lord of this land has been generous in the past, allowing us to pay our taxes in fish and goods instead of copper, silver, or gold."

Ethan resisted reacting to the description of Lord Farbrottan as "generous"; of all the things he was, that wasn't one of them.

"But as of late, many large fishing fleets have come with dragnets." The Elder continued. "The fish do not come to us as easily, and we have begun to seek alternate methods of acquiring the food we need."

"How?" Beth asked, and Ethan couldn't help but smile at her constant inquisitiveness.

"Seed crops." The elder replied. "We traded for seed from some merchants, but they have not grown as they should; we haven't the skill to make them." He bowed low until his forehead touched the sand again, then sat back up on his knees. "We implore your aid in growing what we need to sustain ourselves."

"Wait, you threw that huge feast for us yesterday and you're facing a food shortage?" Ethan's eyes widened.

The elder nodded. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has sent you to us; how could we not?"

Ethan looked at his wives and saw the shock he felt mirrored on Beth, Taloni, Sarah and Victoria's faces, though Alana, Rachel, Kendra, Myla, and Thea had managed to keep their faces more neutral, Thea appeared to have a harder time doing so though. He was half tempted to offer them some of the Argo's stores, but didn't think that was the right move.

"None of us know anything about growing crops." Ethan said, but then he smiled as he remembered something. "But luckily, someone traveling with us does." He indicated the Midnight Sun.

* * *

Fiona woke to Conner crying, probably hungry as it seemed a bit late judging by how much light was coming in through the window. She blinked several times and sat up to get Conner, but Lord Delmar had beat her to it. He reached into the cradle and drew her son out with a level of tenderness that Fiona hadn't known he possessed. Conner stopped crying almost instantly.

"Good morning milord." She said, then yawned.

"Good morning Fiona." He turned to face her and then scrutinized her for several long seconds.

"Milord?"

He walked over to the bed and gently handed Conner over, then looked at her for several more seconds. His face was unreadable as normal, but he had never done this before. He had never stood beside the bed and just looked at her.

"Is something wrong?" She finally asked.

"No." He made a thoughtful sound. "I shall commence my day. You might wish to take your cousin about Karnas. However, as there are two of you and the perpetrator behind the will breaker ring has not been discovered, bring additional guards if you wish to venture out. Tabitha will make the appropriate arrangements."

"Aye milord." She smiled at him. "And thank ya again for bringing Shannon here."

"You are welcome." He nodded once, then turned and left the room.

Fiona decided to nurse Conner in bed today, and she did so while trying to figure out what her husband was thinking. He had definitely been different the previous night, and he had slept on his back not his side, and he had never looked at her like that before. Still, she didn't think any of those could be bad things, and at least his sleeping position change seemed to be a good thing.

She smiled, thinking that she would have a little extra spring in her step today.

* * *

Ethan thought Talven looked like crap. The man had been on the Midnight Sun for a few days now and he'd been treated well, but he looked beat; world-weary. Honestly, he looked rather a lot like how Ethan felt whenever he thought about Selene.

Selene...

"Are you okay?" Talven asked.

Ethan hesitated.

"Selene leaving?"

"Is it that obvious?" Ethan replied.

Talven nodded, and Ethan wondered how obvious it was if even Talven could tell even with as little as they'd talked. He almost thought something to Selene, but then remembered that she couldn't hear him well at all.

"Anyway, I need your help with something."

Talven stared at him. "You need my help?"

Ethan nodded, and even managed to smile at the other man's reaction since some of the light came back into his eyes.

"The villages are having a food problem and are trying to solve it by growing some crops." Ethan explained. "I don't know jack about growing food, but I seem to remember someone's wife bragging that he could grow tropical plants in a desert. Want to help?"

"I would love to." Talven smiled. Actually smiled.

"They're in the center of the village." Ethan said, a smile coming to his own face at the man's reaction. "Why don't you head down there and they'll show you where everything is."

Talven immediately looked toward Falkaan, who spoke. "Go."

The farmer paused just long enough to kiss his wife and then he raced to the ship's ladder and started going down it faster than Ethan would've done without his wings as a safety net.

"Thank you." Salma said to him, relief all over her face. "I can't tell you how broken he's felt since we lost our farm. This is the first time that I've seen him look happy since then."

"I'm glad." Ethan smiled.

* * *

Alana watched from several yards away as Talven started showing the villagers what they were doing wrong with their crops. She knew some of it from growing trees on her tree farm, but trees were quite different from growing food crops. Beth, Rachel, and Thea were nearby. Rachel because Alana was there, and Beth and Thea because they were curious. Tee was elsewhere practicing with her sling or she surely would've been watching as well.

"It sounds like they aren't getting enough water?" Beth asked from beside her.

"That's only a small part of it; it has a lot more to do with the way they're caring for the crops, although..." The wood elf then pointed to a stream coming down from the mountains from which they had been drawing water. "It's odd that the stream isn't giving more water though." She frowned, looked at Beth, then smiled. "Want to take a walk and see why?"

"Absolutely!" The blonde grinned.

Rachel and Thea decided to come too, and before they'd taken a dozen steps a few of the younger and unmarried women of the village fell into step behind them. They were getting close to the base of the mountains, though really, they were still in between mountains and large hills at this part of the mountain range. Thus, they were definitely hiking upwards. Thankfully, it was still pretty early in the day and so the sun wasn't high yet.

After a few minutes, they reached the stream and Alana knelt down beside it. "This is strange; the banks make it look like the water should be higher."

"Indeed." Thea nodded. "I wonder if a naiad is at fault?"

"You think?" Alana asked.

Thea knelt down, her turquoise dress brushing the muddy banks as her identically colored eyes scrutinized it. "I think so." She looked at Alana. "Should I knock?"

"It can't hurt." Alana shrugged, then gestured for the other elf to continue.

Thea reached down and poked her finger into the water, closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, and then stood up. "We'll see."

Alana nodded, having felt the slight pulse of mana that the king's ward had sent into the stream to politely see if this river had an associated naiad. Alana was hoping that Thea's association with the wood-elven king would help if there was one, since the naiads all over the Ten Kingdoms owed their allegiance to him.

About a minute later, a very beautiful head appeared above the water. She had pale skin, red hair that was almost maroon, and very large eyes. Her face looked extremely young. If Alana had to guess, this naiad had recently gotten her first stream and was being overly protective of it.

[Esteemed naiad of this beautiful river, you do me honor by granting me an audience.] Thea said in the Fey tongue, then gracefully bowed.

[Oh, you're polite, unlike somepeople.] The naiad replied, then cast a withering look at the female villagers who had accompanied them, who looked rooted to the spot with their eyes wide and their mouths open.

Alana resisted the urge to frown; it was a young naiad alright. She probably hadn't been caring for this river -- well, more like a stream -- for a whole year yet.

[Honored naiad.] Thea continued. [Might I inquire as to your name?]

[Yanalcinalishtessen, but my friends call me Yana.] She shot another nasty glare at the village women. [They can call me Yanalcinalishtessen.] It took another moment before the naiad remembered her manners and addressed Thea again. [What's your name?]

[My name is Pelathia Numiarian Asimentae, called Wild-Child.] She replied with another small bow.

Yana froze.

Her jaw dropped and a moment later, she almost started vibrating with excitement, causing little ripples to emanate out from where her head was.

[No! Really!?] The naiad's already large eyes went incredibly wide.

Thea nodded. [Might I request that you overlook the poor manners of these villagers? They were never taught proper Fey decorum, yet they are in need of food, and thus need water to grow it; their little ones might go hungry without it.]

Yana's face fell. [I'm so sorry, I didn't know!] She hesitated. [Um, I also don't know how to move my river around very well; it took me ages to lower the flow and it might take me ages to figure out how to raise it again.] Then as if to defend herself, she added. [But I only got it a few months ago. But I can't ask my mother, I promised I was ready to have my own river.]

[Perhaps I could help?] Alana said, stepping forward and then bowing. [My name is Alana Ejder, called 'Dragon Bride']

It took a solid minute to get anything but excited squeals from the young naiad at this revelation, but she finally managed to get something coherent out. [Can I meet the prophet of Illuminar!? Please!? Please!? Please!?]

[I'll send him around, but he doesn't speak Fey.] Alana replied with a chuckle. [Now, about moving your river; could you find one of your sisters named 'Nalathea'?"

The young naiad nodded vigorously, which wasn't too surprising when you considered that naiads could move through the water far faster than a bird could move through the air

[She's helped us before and I'm sure she would help you.] Alana continued. [She might even have an interesting story about the prophet and me, if you're interested...]

Yana was clearly hooked.

It took another few minutes of convincing to get her to go look for Nalathea, and afterward, Yana promised to let her waters flow more easily for the villagers once she learned how. Then she slipped into the water, likely moving at top speed to go find the naiad that Alana had met twice before. Once when they had been traveling to Arcanum and needed water to make gunpowder, and once when she'd needed help finding Ethan.

"Will she help?" Beth asked after she left.

"Yes, but water wasn't the problem." Alana replied. "The villagers will find it easier to water the plants which will save some work, but Talven will save the crops themselves."

"Is this the kind of thing you guys do regularly?" Thea asked. "Helping random strangers and such?"

"Pretty much; it's a good life when certain people aren't trying to kill us." Alana replied.

"Why, is it a life you want?" Beth asked Thea.

"It's pretty nice." She replied with a smile. "It feels good helping people."

"So, do you want to marry Ethan?" Beth pressed.

Alana chuckled; Beth's seemingly inexhaustible curiosity was as amusing as usual.

"Maybe." Thea replied impishly, then added more seriously. "How about we wait until after Myla and Falkaan get married, then we can talk about future weddings."

"Miss Myla and Mister Falkaan wish to marry?" One of the villagers asked.

Alana nodded. "I'm not sure why they aren't already except that Myla wanted to get married somewhere beautiful."

All of the village girls looked at each other, wide smiles growing on their faces.

"What?" Beth asked.

Then all at once, all of the village girls began talking over one another excitedly and with rapturous smiles on their faces.

* * *

Fiona looked around at the half dozen Narlotten soldiers that Tabitha had discreetly assembled just inside the castle's gatehouse. It wasn't surprising that her bodyguard wanted extra protection for when Fiona and Shannon went into Karnas, but it was surprising that Fiona only recognized one of the faces: Ellis Trelane, the man who had escorted Sarah and Amy home. Usually, she would've thought that those who guarded Lord Delmar's room, office, the nursery, and the council chambers would've been chosen, since they were the most trusted guards at the castle.

"Tabby, can I be asking why you aren't using the Narlotten castle guard?" Fiona asked her while they were out of earshot.

"They have all been employed at the castle since the will-breaker rings were created." Tabitha replied. "Thus, I don't trust them."

Fiona looked at her for a long moment. "Are you trusting anyone?"

"No." Tabitha answered without emotion, since no one could see them where they were.

"But if you were asking them to guard me, then wouldn't they know you're more than just a handmaiden?"

Tabitha shook her head. "I did the recon and gave their names to Lord Delmar; he put them on this detail."

Fiona chuckled, shook her head, and then shrugged. "Okay, well we should be going then, if Shannon is ever showing up."

About five minutes later, her cousin came down the hall following a maid who had slightly pink cheeks. The maid's smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she indicated Fiona to Shannon.

"Thank you for guiding me." Shannon said as the maid turned away and muttered something under her breath that Fiona couldn't hear, only see.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the maids here are all really cute." Shannon said, then cocked her head to one side. "The male servants are too."

Fiona sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's time to be going."

"Yes!" Shannon grinned. "I have to leave tomorrow and I couldn't do that without seeing Karnas in person." She turned to Tabby. "Could you be my guide?"

"Of course!" Tabby said in a bubbly and cheerful tone that sounded entirely genuine. Fiona was pretty sure it wasn't, but it was almost impossible to tell with Tabby.

* * *

"So, Myla and Falkaan want to get married tonight?" Ethan asked after Alana, Thea, and Beth had finished recounting their tale to everyone.

Beth nodded vigorously. "The villagers have the perfect spot. Apparently, it's the most beautiful place in these gorgeous islands at sunset, and they love throwing weddings."

"It's on a beach, and Myla said she would like that; I asked." Thea added.

"Sounds good to me." Ethan nodded, then glanced over to where Talven was still talking to those responsible for growing the crops. "Frankly, between the brilliant cookout last night, helping these people this morning, and a wedding in the evening, that sounds like a perfect start to our vacation."

"It does." Alana smiled, then thought privately to him. *Not to mention last night...*

He grinned at her.

"A wedding would be wonderful Master." Taloni's wings almost vibrated

"It would, and I suspect that we'll all need this vacation to prepare for what's coming." Rachel added.

"Meaning?" Ethan asked.

"I doubt we'll be able to hide away from the world much longer." Rachel replied. "If we really are going to war, then I suspect we'll need to get serious about it once the vacation ends.

Taloni nodded. "I feel like that too."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, well, at least we have a week's worth of vacation before that happens. For now, we should just enjoy it."

Everyone agreed.

* * *

"Ellis, could you come help me?"

Fiona suppressed a grimace at Shannon's obvious flirting. Her cousin didn't need help trying a necklace on, and she certainly didn't need his help since both Fiona and Tabby were closer in the small shop. It was the kind of shop that sold all sorts of trinkets and knick-knacks, coupled with a whimsical flair and some over-the-top clothes.

"I'm afraid I must decline miss." Ellis replied politely but firmly. "I cannot keep watch and fasten necklaces at the same time.

Without missing a beat, Shannon spoke to someone else in the same flirtatious tone. "Tabby, could you be a dear?"

As Fiona's bodyguard went to help, Ellis took a step closer to Fiona. "Pardon me for asking milady, but is Tabitha more than just a handmaiden?"

Fiona looked at him, rather surprised that he'd asked. "Why are you asking?"

"She 'conveniently' always places herself in the perfect position to protect you." He replied. "I thought it accidental initially, but it's too consistent to be accidental."

Fiona smiled at him. "A lot of people are saying good things about you Ellis; I think I'm starting to see why."

"Thank you ma'am." He nodded once.

"She's also my bodyguard." Fiona said quietly after a moment. "But please don't be spreading that around."

"I won't ma'am, you have my word." Ellis replied.

"I'm appreciating that." Fiona nodded, then after a moment felt compelled to add. "She isn't loose, my cousin I mean. She flirts shamelessly with everyone but she's a good woman, if a bit lacking in decorum, but she wouldn't do anything she shouldn't. "

Ellis nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't reply.

* * *

Ethan thought the spot the villagers had picked was gorgeous. They had transported almost everyone in the village by boat to an island maybe half a mile from the village. It was a small island, but it looked like it was well taken care of and again, it was absolutely gorgeous.

He'd visited an arboretum in his youth and the flower arrangements were beautiful, but they paled in comparison to this. Everything seemed perfectly arranged to frame the small bay with the ideal mood and lighting. The villagers had set up torches leading from a small bungalow on the island down to the beach, creating an aisle of sorts in the slowly fading light. There was still almost an hour until sundown, but it was already shaping up to be a beautiful night.

*Sir, do you have a minute?* Alana thought to him.

*Sure, what's up?*

*Myla.* His beloved first wife replied. *She's getting hot feet.*

*Hot feet?* Ethan frowned.

*Yes, you know, when you step on something hot and you jump from one foot to the other and are tempted to run away.*

He chuckled. *We say 'cold feet' on Earth, but okay; how can I help?*

*Come up to the bungalow and talk to her?* She suggested. *She trusts you more than anyone else right now.*

*I'm coming.*

He turned to leave, but Falkaan caught his eye. "Myla is getting hot feet, is she not?"

"Yeah." He gave him an apologetic look.

"That is unfortunate, but not unexpected." Falkaan nodded slowly. "I believe I will be able to allay her fears after we are wed and bonded, but not before."

"I'll try to make sure you get that chance." Ethan replied.

"I am in your debt, but I ask that no pressure be placed on her." The dark elf replied. "She has had enough of that for one lifetime."

"You're a good man Falkaan." Ethan smiled.

"I endeavor to be one." He replied.

Ethan noticed the correction, but let it pass without comment.

He walked up the torch-lined pathway to the bungalow where several of the ladies from the Argo were helping Myla prepare. He opened the door to see the dusky-skinned beauty sitting down on a chair, breathing heavily. Her knees were tucked up to her chest and her eyes kept darting around the room, as if something was about to attack her out of the blue. It was a sitting version of the fetal position and she was rocking back and forth slightly.

Honestly, it looked like she was in the middle of an anxiety attack, and maybe a full-blown panic attack.

"Myla?" He said gently.

Her eyes immediately locked onto his. "Meelas." A fraction of the panic left her eyes, but not much.

"Hi Myla, what's wrong?" He asked as he walked over and knelt next to the chair. He had never seen her like this, and certainly not this emotional. She normally kept everything bottled up, but right now, she seemed very raw.

"My heart could not survive if--" She swallowed.

"If Falkaan is like Lord Farbrottan was?" He asked.

She nodded.

*Kendra, can you come up to the bungalow, and Alana, can you meet her and explain.* He thought to everyone. Both confirmed, Alana dashed out the door, and he turned his attention back to Myla. "Has he given you a reason to think he might be like Lord Farbrottan?"

She shook her head, reminding Ethan more of a slightly panicked little girl than the mature and reserved woman she usually was.

"Do you trust me Myla?" Ethan asked.

She nodded, and thankfully she appeared to be slowing down in her rocking.

"Well--" He stopped as the door opened and Kendra came in, Alana right behind her. He looked back at Myla. "I'm bonded to Kendra, meaning I feel her emotions and would know if she was lying, and she's known him for a long time." He looked at Kendra. "Tell Myla what you've observed about Falkaan."

"Until I met Ethan, he was the best man I knew." Kendra said.

"She isn't lying." Ethan assured Myla, who seemed to be calming down a little.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Go ahead, take your time." He said gently.

Myla took a good thirty seconds to compose herself, and much of her usual demeanor started to come back. "But Meelas, what if Kendra has an incorrect understanding of his character?"

"Then I'll tell you what." Ethan said, an idea occurring to him. "You're telepathic, and should be able to contact me anywhere in the world, right?"

She shook her head. "I am not capable of such feats Meelas."

"Well, I have a suggestion." Thea spoke up. "I've actually been thinking about it for a day or two now and was going to mention it after the wedding, but I guess now would be a better time." She looked at Myla. "I've been thinking, what if you, Victoria, and I created a telepathic 'group chat' like the one Ethan and his wives have? We're all telepathic so it should work -- unlike when we tried with Ethan and Sarah since neither of them were -- and then we can keep in contact with each other from any distance."

"Oh, I'd love that." Victoria smiled.

"It would make my heart happy to not lose communication with either of you, or with the Argo." Myla said.

"Then how about this." Ethan said. "If Falkaan ever hurts you, tell Victoria or Thea via this other 'group chat' and I'll come and beat the shit out of him."

Myla's eyes widened. "Meelas, you would not injure Falkaan, would you?" By her tone, the idea horrified her.

"Only if he hurt you and you wanted me to." Ethan replied.

Myla looked at him for a moment, then a subtle smile appeared on her face. "He would not hurt me."

"No, he wouldn't." Ethan smiled back at her.

"He would suffer grievous injury or death before allowing anyone to cause injury to me." Myla said after another moment, her small smile widening.

"He would." Kendra agreed.

"My heart is filled with gratitude for your intervention." Myla said to them both, then she looked at Ethan. "Are you still willing to perform the ceremony?"

"Happily."

"My heart is filled with gratitude for a second time." Myla took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I was happy to help." Ethan smiled. "Now, are you ready to get married?"

She nodded. "My heart aches to be so."

"Good, then let's get this show on the road." Ethan replied, which of course led to him explaining that he didn't actually want to change the location of the wedding.

"That second group chat is a damn good idea." Ethan said as he left the bungalow with Kendra, Victoria, and Thea in tow. "We'd never lose track of one another, which would be nice."

"It makes excellent tactical sense as well." Kendra said. "If we find ourselves fighting airships again, we could coordinate in ways our enemies couldn't."

He smiled at her fondly. "Always the tactician, always the fighter."

She smiled back at him. "I want my family safe."

"That's my good girl." He turned and kissed her tenderly.

"Thank you." She smiled, and it was a genuine smile that she'd only recently started showing when anyone other than her family was around.

It was good to see.

As the sun approached the horizon, Ethan found himself standing at the top of the aisle on the beach about to officiate another wedding. Thea was standing next to Victoria on the bride's side of the aisle, while Luminar Kossel and Kendra were standing on the groom's side. The wedding wasn't due to start until the sun touched the horizon, which would be any minute now.

As the moment to start drew closer, he looked at Victoria and Thea. "Why are you two up here? Shouldn't you walk down with the bride?"

"That's not how they do it in the Southern Lands." Victoria replied. "I asked Myla about it earlier."

"Okay." Ethan shrugged.

"It's time." Anthiel said from behind him a couple minutes later, instrument in hand.

She started playing.

When she did, the door to the bungalow in the center of the tiny little island opened and Myla stepped out looking radiant. She was wearing an orange dress with a royal blue sash, but the sash was actually Beth's fabric shield on loan. It was traditional for a widowed or divorced woman who had remained faithful to her husband to wear blue on her wedding day, but Myla didn't have a blue dress, hence the loan.

But as beautiful as she looked, that paled in comparison to the radiance of her smile. She had never been the most expressive woman, but it looked like some of that was fading because she had a true and genuine smile on her face.

That smile never faded throughout the entire wedding.

It grew brighter during the vows, and brighter still when she and Falkaan joined hands to exchange deep mana to bond. But her smile became the brightest when Ethan said those final words. "Falkaan, you may kiss your bride."

He did, and they were both smiling widely as they did.

* * *

"Milord?" Fiona knocked on the door to his office, quite tired from spending all day with Shannon in Karnas. Conner had been with her of course, and between him and Shannon's exuberance, it had been a long day. Very fun, but long and tiring.

"Enter." Her husband replied.

She opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind her. "I'm wondering if you're coming to bed soon milord."

He was sitting at his desk, but not working and he didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked at her for almost a full ten seconds before speaking. "I believe I should."

He didn't move.

"Milord?" She asked, not certain what to make of his strange behavior

He rose from his chair, organized a few papers on his desk, and then motioned toward the door. They left and she followed him on the short walk to their bedroom and entered after him. Once the door was shut, he turned to her. His face was impassive, but the longer she was married to him, the more she was able to see through it. Well, perhaps not see through it yet, but she certainly could glean a little from his face.

"Milord, before we were marrying, you were saying that there was something we should be doing often, and we haven't been doing it recently." She glanced at the bed.

"That is true." He replied simply.

"Can I be asking why?"

He looked at her for several seconds before speaking. "You prefer honesty and do not like falsehoods?"

"Aye." She nodded. "Though, I'm not objecting to a kind and gentle delivery of the truth."

He nodded his head in concession, and curiously, he didn't deflect as he so often did. He looked at her for several seconds before speaking though, and there was the tiniest variance in his normally even tone. "It causes significant emotional discomfort to share a bed with you in the way that you desire. I could not help but think of Helene while we coupled the night that you conceived. I have enchanted myself to have perfect recall to aid in ruling Narlotten well. However, that choice has produced unforeseen side effects as it relates to our marriage. As I said yesterday: I do not believe that I am capable of being as good a husband to you as you have been a wife to me."

Fiona slowly nodded as her eyes began to feel somewhat watery; she didn't know that's what it had been like for him. She could imagine what it would be like if she was suddenly reminded of Sean while coupling with him and....

She swallowed.

"I'm sorry milord." She said after a moment. "I wasn't wanting to be reminding you of Helene, I was only wanting..."

"I know." He said, and his tone had a touch of softness in it. "I do not believe you would ever intentionally cause me pain. However, as you wish for the truth and do not like falsehoods, I will speak plainly: your actions in the bedchamber were not as enjoyable for me as I believe you thought they might be."

"I'm sorry you weren't enjoying it milord." Fiona could feel her heart sinking from her chest, to her ankles, and shortly thereafter, straight through the floor. She looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Fiona." He said, and this time, there was a definite softness in his voice. "Look at me."

She did, though it was hard and she felt like tears would start escaping from her eyes at any moment.

"Were it not for my perfect recall of Helene, it would have been thoroughly agreeable." He said.

She smiled.

A single tear was making its way down her cheek, but she smiled anyway. "Thank you for saying that milord."

"You are welcome." He paused, then added. "I had not realized the depth of your affection for me until that night, though given what I saw when we bonded, perhaps I should have."

"The 'depth of my affection' has been growing steadily since then, so maybe it wasn't there for you to be noticing when we bonded." Fiona suggested, wiping her slightly wet cheeks with her hand again. As always when she cried, her nose felt like it needed a good sneeze, so she sniffled.

Lord Delmar looked at her for perhaps ten seconds before he spoke again. Unless Fiona missed her guess, he looked conflicted. It was so hard to tell with him, but he seemed to be deciding something and having trouble with it.

Finally, he spoke. "I cannot claim that the 'depth of my affection' has increased since we were wed, as I did not have any for you at our wedding. However, I believe that, as my wife, you would wish to know that some trivial amount has developed in the intervening days between then and now."

Suddenly, Fiona's eyes were becoming watery again for quite a different reason. "Really milord?"

"I would not say something unless it was true, though I feel it is incumbent upon me to impress upon you that it is not--"

"Stop." Fiona interrupted, somehow crying and smiling at the same time. "I'm knowing you're going to say that it's not much affection, but any amount at all -- even the tiniest bit -- is making me feel wonderful." She hesitated, then added. "Could... could you see it growing in the future?"

"I believe that is..." He took a breath, and Fiona got the impression that he was choosing his next word very carefully. "...possible."

"You're trying not to get my hopes up because you are caring about me, aren't ya?" She asked, her heart feeling lighter than it had in some time.

"Fostering false expectations would not be in your best interest, and as your husband, it is incumbent upon me to seek your best interest."

"There you go again, trying to make it sound like you aren't caring, but you are." Fiona replied. "Why is it so hard for you to be admitting that you're caring?"

He didn't reply for several moments, and his eventual reply made Fiona's jaw drop.

"I do not know." He admitted, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It has never been a strength of mine, especially since Helene's passing, which I believe partially accounts for the distance that developed between Rachel and myself."

"I'm sorry to be hearing that milord."

He nodded once.

"Um, milord." Fiona said tentatively. "You were making it clear that we should be coupling regularly after bonding. But if it'll be causing you pain..." She thought about it for a moment, and an idea occurred to her. "What if instead, I was..." Her face all of a sudden felt a little warm. "You could be sitting on the bed and I could be taking care of you another way?" She bit her lip, not sure how well he would even fit in her mouth with as large as he was. "Would that be easier?"

"Possibly." He replied. "Both Helene and myself preferred normal coupling to such acts, so there is far less association. However, simple contact is enough now that you have conceived. You may simply hold my wing and I will attend to it myself."

"What if I'm wanting to 'attend to it' though?" Fiona asked, her cheeks feeling very warm.

"That is not necessary."

"I'm knowing that, but I was asking: what if I'm wanting to?"

"It would not be an equitable arrangement for you to attend to my needs in such a way without a comparable exchange." He replied.

"Then I suppose we can be balancing it." She replied. "What if you were promising to spend five minutes a day with me, alone and in here where we can be talking. I would be more than happy to be making that bargain."

He raised his eyebrow. "You would consider that an equitable exchange?"

"Oh, I would be loving that." She replied, not mentioning that she would be getting almost everything she was wanting, and would've been happy to accept either side alone without the other.

"You are sure?" He asked.

She nodded vigorously. "I'm absolutely sure milord."

"Very well." He nodded once after a moment.

"Every day?" She asked. "That is, it would only be fair if I was taking care of you every day since we'll be talking every day."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Please?" She asked.

"You are a singularly unique woman." He replied after a moment.

"Thank you? I think?"

"It was not meant as an insult; you are bargaining to increase your obligations without asking for anything in compensation."

"Begging your pardon milord, but I'm getting everything I'm wanting." She smiled at him.

He nodded his head in concession, then looked at the grandfather clock in the room. "What do you wish to talk about?"

Fiona smiled. "About if I can be taking care of you every night. I would be insisting, but I won't be if it'll be making you uncomfortable."

He looked at her for a long moment. "It shall not be part of our bargain, but should you wish that, I will not stop you."

Fiona smiled.

In the past few minutes, he had somehow told her that he had feelings for her, agreed to let her take care of him every day, and that he would spend at least five minutes a day talking to her; just her and him talking, with no one else around. Plus, she had spent the day in Karnas with her cousin.

It had been a very good day.

~~EPILOGUE for Chapter 65

* * *

Falkaan would've liked to carry his bride across the threshold, but since he couldn't fly and getting to the Midnight Sun required climbing a ladder, that was out of the question. Plus, he was missing half of his left arm, which made carrying anything large or heavy difficult, much less a person. He smiled as he reached the top of the Midnight Sun's ladder to join his wife, since she had started climbing first.

His wife.

She looked at him and her radiant smile hadn't faltered at all.

"Welcome to your new home." He said, gesturing to the airship all around him.

"My heart feels much joy." She said, looking directly at him with that same beaming smile.

He smiled back. "Come."

He took her hand and led her towards the captain's cabin. For the first time, her smile faltered slightly. He didn't wonder why, as he'd known men like Lord Farbrottan before and how they behaved in bed. She was likely unaware of just how much a woman could enjoy it, for he doubted her previous husband had ever attempted to help her do so.

She didn't resist though, and she followed him willingly into the captain's cabin, small though it was. He closed the door behind him and looked at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, no exceptions. While he relished her beauty and would greatly enjoy it in the future, tonight wasn't the night for that. While she hadn't given details nor been specific, he knew how harsh her treatment had been. No, she needed something else tonight; something to ease her into physical intimacy again slowly and over many days, possibly weeks.

Myla bit her lip and avoided his eyes, instead choosing to look at the floor.

"What is wrong?" He asked gently.

She swallowed and didn't speak for a moment. When she did, there was a slight waver to her voice and she still didn't meet his eyes. "I have nothing to offer you than he has not already taken. He even..." She touched her butt and shuddered. "My heart is heavy because of that."

"There is one thing we can do tonight that I am sure you have not done with him."

He started to raise his hand to gesture, and she flinched. He hadn't moved quickly, nor even really towards her, but she had still flinched like she was about to be struck. He looked at his new wife and slowly lowered his arm, realizing that her past marriage and experiences, likely even in bed, had made her react that way.

That was the moment.

While Falkaan already had no love for Lord Farbrottan, for him to make a kind, sweet, and tender woman like Myla flinch simply because her husband had moved his arm was beyond the pale. That was a line that Falkaan could not forgive and he could not forget. He wasn't sure about the prophet's crusade against Lord Delmar, but against Lord Farbrottan...

That was another matter entirely.

Falkaan knew that he didn't have the skills -- or functional second arm -- necessary to put the lord into the ground. But what he did have was a rather extensive network of contacts; contacts that he had built up over a very long career, contacts that would make him a nightmare for someone like Lord Farbrottan if their information was passed to the prophet.

Falkaan was in.

Until Lord Farbrottan was buried seven feet under and thus was before the judgement seat of Illuminar, Falkaan would help the prophet pursue that end. He knew that Ethan hadn't been intending to create an ally when he'd allowed him to marry Myla, but now... now he had one. A stalwart one with a powerful reason to use all his art and cunning towards that end.

But that was tomorrow.

Tonight, he had a wife to care for.

"Myla, take a deep breath." He said calmly.

She did.

Then she seemed to steel herself, then reached for the clasp of her dress. Her movements were halting though, as if she was forcing herself.

"No." He said softly, then very slowly reached up and put a hand over the clasp. "Not tonight."

She looked at him for a long moment. "You do not wish to..." She didn't finish her sentence, which was quite endearing since she was always so composed and articulate.

"I do wish to, very much, but we will not tonight." He said tenderly. "Instead, tonight we will do two things you have never done, two things that neither of us have ever done."

She nodded slowly, though she was clearly confused.

"Come to the bed, but leave your dress on." He said, then took her hand and led her a step or two to the bed. He slipped onto it, gently pulling her with him. She didn't resist, but she did look wary. No, not quite 'wary'; perhaps 'nervous' was a better descriptor.

Falkaan laid down on his left side facing her and gently pulled her close, loosely enough that she didn't have to come, but strongly enough that she would know he wanted her to. She came. She was still hesitant, but she came. She laid down on the bed in front of him, facing him. She didn't seem to know what to do with herself though.

"He never did this, did he?" Falkaan asked as he pulled her a little closer and put his arm around her.

She shook her head as her eyes became watery.

He pulled her a little closer still until their fronts were touching, still fully clothed. "Just rest here for a while." He put his good arm around her. "No one else is here, just breathe."

She did.

She was somewhat tense, but over the next few minutes of him simply holding her she started to relax. Slowly, but she did.

He smiled.

"You indicated that there was a second thing." Myla said after much time had passed. She had closed her eyes as she snuggled up to him, but now was looking into his eyes, a hopeful expression in them

"There is." He smiled at his bride. "If you establish a tunnel between our minds, I will open a door to let you in. Permanently."

Her eyes widened.

"Yes, I wish to." He said, answering her unspoken question. "But as I warned you repeatedly, there is much darkness in my past. I desire to share all of who I am with you, but much of it will not be pleasant."

She nodded, a smile growing on her face.

Then she closed her eyes and got a look of concentration. Barely a minute later, he felt a mental tunnel from her mind reach his own mental defenses that he had erected long ago. He waited until the tunnel from her mind was firmly attached to his own defenses, then opened a door in his defenses to let her in.

He could feel her presence, and he thought she must be doing that intentionally. She wasn't intrusive, more like a woman who walks up to a stream and looks into it. She clearly wasn't 'diving in', but rather appeared to be waiting to see what he would show her. He smiled, then mentally replayed the events of the last few hours from his perspective, including how he had felt.

Her smile grew wider as she watched.

Then, he hit the point where she had flinched and he had decided to devote his professional life to making sure Lord Farbrottan ceased walking among the living.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him wide-eyed.

"I did say that it would not all be pleasant." He said softly.

She looked at him for almost a whole minute before speaking. "I wish to assist you so that Fevie and her children might be free of him as well."

He looked at her for several seconds, recalling that Fevie was another concubine who had been very kind to Myla. "Are you certain? The prophet will be going to war, and war is a gruesome and bloody affair."

His bride took several deep breaths, then nodded. "I wish for Fevie and her children to be free, and I would not wish for him to inflict such miseries on another young woman. My heart is deeply saddened when I consider such a possibility."

"Very well, but put that out of your mind for tonight." He said. "Tonight, we enjoy matrimony; tomorrow, we help the prophet prepare for war."

She nodded and snuggled closer to him. After a few moments, she did the telepathic equivalent of laying next to the stream of his mind and resting her fingertips in the water. She relaxed more the longer she did this, her mind just brushing his surface thoughts while her body snuggled up against him.

Not long afterwards, they both drifted off to sleep, contented smiles on their faces.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began on day 116 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 118. 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 January 29th, and it'll probably drop on January 31st or February 1st.

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, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, blonde, brunette, redhead