Chapter 75: Plausible Deniability

* * *

The King leaned back in his chair on the balcony above the conclave's meeting room in Illuminar's temple in Nalatia. It was late afternoon and the sun was streaming through the large, stained-glass windows positioned at regular intervals around the circular room. As befitted such a room, it was white with subtle gold trim around the edges, though only as accents and not a main feature.

Below the balcony and out of his sight, dozens of luminars were gathered since the High Priest, Plesius, had called this conclave after hearing the Prophet's homily in the throne room earlier that day. The King himself was there to see which way the conclave would decide. Personally, he hoped they would side with the Prophet, not that he would give voice to such a hope; it would not be appropriate for The King to express an opinion outside the bounds of orthodoxy.

"My king?" Delabor whispered from the room's door, which he had cracked open.

The King beckoned him into the room in silence so that he wouldn't disturb the deliberations below.

"My King, The Queen sent me to ask what celebration you would consider appropriate after Kendra Ejder regained partial feeling in one of her toes, and thus will likely make a full recovery."

The King smiled, glad that the Prophet's wife would recover; it would be a true shame if she did not. "It should be left to the Prophet, though we will offer a dinner. They have had a trying day after the ambush, and allowing them the opportunity for a peaceful and relaxing evening to rest and recuperate would be prudent."

"You are wise my king." Delabor bowed.

"Come, join me for a few minutes." The King said, as Delabor was literally the only other non-luminar who was allowed onto this balcony. Normally, the meetings of the conclave were private. However, The King was allowed to listen from this balcony as long as he was quiet and remained out of sight so he didn't disturb the proceedings. And because The King could not be out of contact with the kingdom, The King's herald was allowed as well.

"You are most generous, my King." Delabor whispered, bowed, then sat down in the only other seat next to The King's. "If I might ask, how go the deliberations?"

"Plesius repeated the Prophet's case to the conclave, and it has caused quite the stir." The King replied.

"That is not surprising my king." Delabor nodded. "If I might entreat your insight once again, I would ask how the luminars are receiving such information."

"They are just now coming to a conclusion, so you may listen yourself." The King said, gesturing toward the railing, and Plesius's voice was audible from below and out of sight.

"Brothers in the faith." The High Priest began. "As our King -- long may he reign -- pointed out, to the elf looking through blue glass, all the world appears blue. While I would not recommend that we change our position on such an important issue after a mere afternoon of consideration, I humbly submit that all of us -- perhaps myself most of all -- have been looking at this issue through blue glass."

Delabor smiled. "Plesius appears to have changed his mind."

The King nodded slowly. "Indeed."

Another luminar down below -- whom of course they couldn't see -- began to speak. "If, perhaps, it is true that we in our culture are looking through blue glass, then perhaps prudence would suggest that we consult luminars from other cultures. I do believe we have here the esteemed and honorable luminar from Illuminar's temple -- blessed be He--" Everyone echoed the sentiment. "--in Arcanum, Adrian Kossel. Perhaps he could share his perspective?"

There was a general murmur of agreement.

There was a moment's pause, then another man spoke, probably Luminar Kossel. "I would be honored to address this esteemed conclave, but I am here merely as an observer."

"Then please, remove the garb of an observer and assume the role of a participant." Plesius replied. "Further, it is your observations that the conclave would hear, so your prior role as an observer would increase your qualification to speak, not reduce it."

Someone chuckled, probably Luminar Kossel, then spoke. "Honored members of the conclave, I should, perhaps, make you aware that I traveled part of my journey here on the Argo, and as such, I might be biased. That said..." He paused. "The case that Ethan Ejder made and Plesius restated appears to be clad in dragon steel. I can find no way around it that doesn't violate the command of Illuminar -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Everyone echoed, then there was a murmur among the luminars below. To The King's ears, it sounded mostly like a murmur of agreement.

"Alana Ejder had no part in her mother's shame, and assuredly was not even conceived until hours after it was completed." Luminar Kossel continued. "Given that she did not exist until hours later, she cannot be shamed by the deed that created her, unless the sins of her mother can be transferred to her."

"The child shall not bear the guilt of the parent." Plesius recited the quote from the Book of Light.

"Exactly." Luminar Kossel replied. "It is also true that while the evidence of her mother's shame needed no trial because it was obvious to all, no trial was convened to condemn Alana Ejder, and two or three witnesses weren't presented. If a trial had been convened, then perhaps the litigator for the defense would have quoted that passage from the Book of Light and the 'blue glass' might've been removed sooner."

There was a general murmur of assent from the room.

"Brothers of the conclave, are we agreed that the argument presented is not only meritorious and worthy of further consideration, but also that the case is strong enough to establish the aforementioned position as a legitimate point of disagreement in the faith, which is within the bounds of orthodoxy, and thus it can be held without dishonor?" Plesius asked. "All in favor?"

There was a loud chorus of "Aye."

"Opposed?" Plesius asked.

Relatively few voices replied: "Nay."

"We shall reconvene in the morning at sunrise." Plesius said. "Until then, I ask that you join me in prayer and fasting for wisdom and direction on this topic from Illuminar -- blessed be He."

The whole room echoed the sentiment.

"The Prophet appears to function as a prophet usually does; upsetting long-held traditions." Delabor said with a smile as the noise of many men rising and collecting their things filled the room.

"He does indeed." The King nodded, a small smile on his face as he considered what he'd just heard.

Perhaps thirty seconds later, the door behind him opened and Plesius spoke. "My king."

"Enter Plesius." The King said.

The High Priest entered and then bowed deeply.

"My king, I shall attend to other tasks." Delabor rose, bowed to The King and then Plesius, then left.

Once the door had closed, Plesius spoke. "My king, can a high priest who has made such a grievous error regarding such fundamental teachings of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- remain in his post? Should not an honorable high priest who has displayed such grievous error in judgement resign and make way for another who will not fail the God of Light so completely?"

The King had seen Plesius in many moods and dispositions before, but none like this one. His posture wasn't as straight as usual, nor were his eyes filled with their usual light and zeal. His tone, expression, and body language ironically reminded The King of the Prophet when he had told Ethan of his blunder in the public verbal altercation with Plesius.

"It is not The King who has authority in such matters." The King replied. "As I said when we discussed your verbal altercation with the Prophet, mistakes are an unavoidable part of life. One cannot wipe them away, so one must live with them by doing one's best to rectify them."

"You are wise, my king." Plesius bowed. "I confess to not understanding how one who has failed so utterly could honorably remain in such a high position." His tone was even, but it still reminded The King of the Prophet's tone during the rebuke.

"Every luminar in the kingdom would be in such a position." The King replied. "It would not be good for the spiritual health of the nation if every luminar did as you suggest."

Plesius paused a moment before speaking. "Might I have leave to speak freely my king?"

"It is so granted." He replied.

"I have failed." His shoulders slumped. "I do not know how I will look my wife or children in the eye after this failure, and I feel unworthy to wear the robes of a high priest." He swallowed. "I have memorized the entire Book of Light and read the relevant passages countless times. For a high priest to miss them is inexcusable. I have no defense, I have no explanation; I have failed the singular duty of a luminar, and especially a High Priest: to exposit the Book of Light accurately for the edification of Illuminar's faithful -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." The King echoed. He intended to reply, but Plesius continued.

"And now, it is yet worse." Plesius swallowed. "I am now forced to face the genuine possibility that Ethan Ejder is no false prophet, but a true one, for would a false prophet wish to expose such an error? If that be the case, and little else seems likely, then I have found myself not only promulgating false doctrine, but also decrying a true prophet as a false one, and thereby resisting the will of Illuminar Himself -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." The King echoed, then smiled. "Come, Plesius, sit a moment with me." He indicated the chair that Delabor had recently vacated.

Clearly not wanting to, but also clearly unwilling to defy a direct command from The King, Plesius obliged.

"You are one of the youngest High Priests in the history of the wood elven realm." The King began. "Additionally, you have led such an exemplary life that the pangs of true failure are not as common to you as they would be to many of your age." He turned in his seat to look Plesius directly in the eye. "Failure is a part of life. Not one mortal has avoided suffering it, for only the God of Light cannot fail."

The High Priest didn't reply, but he didn't look comforted either.

"Yes, you have made a grievous error; so has every other mortal since the first, all the way up to the present day." The King said. "None is immune from such errors, and to believe yourself above them is to place yourself in the company of Illuminar Himself -- blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Plesius replied, but The King thought it was more of an automatic response than anything else.

"The conclave chose you to be the high priest, knowing that you were mortal and thus would fail at times, and likely more than other candidates." The King continued. "Perhaps you do not remember the discussions surrounding your appointment, but I recall them well. The other luminars believed that you might stumble more than other candidates because of your relative youth, but considered you to be the best choice regardless, despite your flaws."

Plesius made a thoughtful sound.

"As the proverb goes: to err is mortal; to forgive is divine." The King added. "You are a man of strong passions who has never lacked for zeal. Turn that zeal toward correcting your mistake, to making amends for the mistakes you have made. There is little else a mortal can do when he does suffer failure." He looked at him pointedly. "And fortunately, this failure can be rectified."

Plesius nodded. "I will endeavor to do so."

He looked a little better. Not a lot, but a little.

"I expected nothing less." The King smiled, then an idea occurred to him. It was, perhaps, an extremely poor idea. However, he saw great potential for much good in it, and for more than just Plesius.

Hmm.

Yes...

Yes, that could indeed be a good thing for all parties involved.

"Plesius, I am of a mind to have yourself and your wife dine with The Queen and myself tonight." The King said after another moment of thought.

Plesius's eyes widened for a moment, then he head bowed. "We would be most honored, great King."

"However, it might not be just the four of us." The King said with a smile.

* * *

"Dear lord in heaven, what a day." Ethan sighed. He was sitting on one of the couches in their new Nalatia suite that The King had offered them after the ambush earlier that day. Kendra and Sarah were next to him, the former trying in vain to get her toe to move while the latter merely sat quietly, almost pensively. Both were leaning on him though, which meant it was almost impossible for his heart to not be happy.

"You aren't kidding." Alana replied. She was curled up in the corner of another couch next to Rachel, who yawned.

"Why do I feel like it should be midnight five days from now?" The redhead said when she'd finished her yawn. Her hair faded from red at the roots to blonde at the tips, making it look like her head was on fire with the lamp that was directly behind her.

"Because we could all sleep until then." Selene replied, then echoed Rachel's yawn. On her lap, Thor was curled up and snoozing away.

"Amen." Beth said after everyone had finished their echoing yawns. "Sadly, we can't." She paused, then looked at Ethan. "Or at least you can't. That tournament in Ivernia is starting in two days... or three days?" She cocked her head to one side. "Tomorrow? What day is it?"

Everyone chuckled.

"The tournament isn't for a few days." Kendra said. "If Ethan goes by himself, he could leave at dawn in two days to register."

"Oh, because..." He frowned, then looked at her. "I was going to take Alana, Rachel, you, and Selene with me, but since you can't walk, I doubt you could fly an airship."

"Worse, I would be a liability if we were attacked." Kendra said. "I don't know how long it'll take for me to recover fully. It could be two days; it could be two weeks." Probably because it was only Ethan and his wives, Kendra made no attempt to hide the sullenness in her tone.

"That means we can't come either." Alana waggled her finger between herself, Rachel, and Selene. "We can't fly an airship, and we can't get there quickly enough without one."

"Master, I could fly Kendra's airship." Taloni volunteered.

"Is that a good idea?" Kendra asked. "You're getting much better at slinging, but that leaves only Selene as a defender if you are attacked since I won't be there. Too many ranged fighters and not enough melee fighters could leave you vulnerable."

"Ignoring how much I want to go, tactically, Ethan going by himself is probably the best choice." Selene sighed. "If something happens, he can just fly away. Even if Kendra was at full strength, if the shit hits the fan, we would still need to get to the airship to leave, and hope they didn't have any airships with archers nearby."

Everyone except Ethan stared at her.

"What would... uh, 'poop' be doing on a fan?" Beth asked as she scrunched up her face in disgust.

Ethan and Selene laughed, then had to explain what the expression meant.

"I hate to agree with Selene's point, but I do." Alana said.

"Sadly, me too." Rachel nodded.

"But on the bright side, if you don't need to match the speed of an airship, you'll only be gone three or four days." Beth said brightly

"Someone has been spending a lot of time with Victoria." Tee teased, but she grinned as well.

"Or Monty Python: Look on the bright side of life!" Selene chuckled, which of course led to her and Ethan explaining that reference as well.

Everyone laughed as Selene explained the antics of the British comedy show, leading Ethan to internally breathe a sigh of relief. He had been worried that after the ambush, things might become more somber and feel less like a family. However, to their credit, his wives appeared to be taking Monty Python's advice and looking on the bright side of life. Either that, or perhaps they had been spending more time with Victoria lately. Either way, he was glad.

"Speaking of the tournament, did Elder Goman finish with the improved disguise gem yet?" Selene asked when she was done explaining.

"He hasn't sent it if he has, but it's only been a few days." Alana paused. "Wow, it feels like a few months."

"No kidding." Ethan nodded.

They talked about that for another few minutes before there was a knock at the door.

"The honorable Delabor King's Herald is here to see you, honored Prophet." One of the Lightguard said through the door.

"Thank you, send him in." Ethan replied.

The door opened and Delabor entered, then bowed deeply. "Honored Prophet, The King would like to extend an invitation for dinner, but before you make a decision, his majesty wished you to know that there would be a surprise guest. If you decline, The King will still provide food from his own kitchens for your evening meal, and in fact, all of your meals as long as you remain our guest."

"Thank you, that's really generous." Ethan smiled, then hesitated. "A surprise guest, huh?"

"That is correct, honored Prophet." Delabor confirmed.

"Well, I think The King has earned some trust." Ethan said after a moment, and all his wives agreed.

"I shall return when everything is prepared." Delabor bowed, then left.

"Well, we might be in for an interesting dinner." Rachel mused.

"You have a guess who it is?" Alana asked her.

"Maybe." The redhead replied with a tiny smile.

* * *

Alana put her hands on Kendra's wheelchair so it didn't move under her while Ethan set her in it. Selene would have, but she was stowing Thor safely in another room so he couldn't escape. The wood elf would've preferred that the wheelchair wasn't necessary, but at least her fellow wife would recover fully.

"I'm grateful that The King provided the mobile chair, but I hate needing it." Kendra said, a slight edge in her tone as she used her arms to resettle her legs.

"You'll get better." Ethan said with a grin. "And then I'll spend some time making sure full sensation has returned below the waist..."

Kendra smiled faintly at that.

Sarah blushed.

"Don't worry, you'll look forward to it too." Alana assured her, though she added a sliver of slyness to her tone to tease the girl. She needed some lighthearted teasing after what had happened earlier.

With Kendra in her wheelchair, Alana set off with the rest of her family, following Delabor toward what ended up being a large outdoor structure that was like a gazebo. It was rectangular with white supports, though it took Alana a moment to realize that they were living trees with white bark. The 'roof' was made from living tree branches that had been artfully interwoven to create a trellis-like ceiling, over which were the leaves that created the actual 'roof'. The air was warm enough to be comfortable, but she could tell that the heat of summer was giving way to the cooler evenings of fall.

The King, The Queen, Ahjah, and Thea were already there, but Alana highly doubted that Ahjah and Thea were the surprise dinner companions.

"Greetings, honored Prophet." The King head bowed, then turned to Alana and looked her in the eye. "Greetings, Alana Ejder."

Alana froze, stopping almost mid-stride.

Her mouth fell open and her eyes went wide.

"Did you just...?" Ethan said with obvious disbelief in his tone.

"I did." The King nodded, then individually greeted every single one of Ethan's wives by name as he looked them in the eye, Taloni and Rachel included.

*Close your mouth, a bug might fly in.* Ethan thought to Alana in a teasing tone as she stood there almost dumbstruck.

"It is wonderful to be able to greet you properly my lovely niece." The Queen said with a radiant smile, then swooped in and gave the still-stunned wood elf a huge hug.

It took Alana a full five seconds to realize that what was happening was indeed actually happening. When it finally hit her, she hugged The Queen back tightly.

"Not too tight dear, I don't need to lose that much weight." The Queen said with a jovial air.

Alana let go and leaned back to see The Queen beaming radiantly at her. "You know, I helped your mother pick your name."

"You did?" Alana asked.

"Of course." The Queen nodded. "My sister was always smiling whenever we were discussing you, since long before you were born."

It was Alana's turn to beam.

"So, it sounds like my speech had some effect?" Ethan asked, also beaming.

"Almost as large as the effect your roar had on the general populace." The King replied. "A near panic set in until the news spread that you and your wives were attacked, after which I believe every elf in the city said a prayer for you. But yes, your speech did indeed have an effect, and not just on myself. It also had a rather large effect on the surprise dinner guests."

"Who are they?" Beth asked.

"Patience; they will arrive soon." The King replied, then looked at Ethan. "You and he have had your differences. However, I believe if you put aside past events, you will likely find an ally in your future endeavors."

Out of the corner of her eye, Alana saw Rachel's smile widen ever so slightly.

"Oh?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, honored prophet." The King replied. "But come, take a seat; he and his wife will arrive soon."

*Rachel, do you know who it is?* Beth asked the group chat.

*I have a guess.* The redhead replied, her tone indicating that she wasn't going to share that guess.

Everyone sat down and the servants brought some refreshing drink that tasted vaguely of citrus, but Alana couldn't identify the specific flavor. There were two unoccupied seats leftover, which she assumed were for the mystery guests.

"Um, before the other guests arrive, there's something I wanted to ask." Thea said, then looked at The King, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Could Lord Farbrottan be officially uninvited to my coming-of-age ball?"

Ethan's face suddenly became a bit... stiff.

"I know that's a serious thing." Thea added. "And I know it might be a diplomatic mistake, but after that ambush earlier, I don't want him there."

Everyone looked at the King.

"He is almost certainly already in transit." The King said after a moment. "It would require turning him away at our borders, which would indeed cause manifold diplomatic problems. However..." He looked at Ethan. "...recent events have provided ample reason to dis-invite him, as he seeks to kill the Prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He."

"Is that a yes?" Thea asked.

"It must be done properly." The King replied. "An official proclamation recognizing Ethan as a true Prophet, followed by a statement that he is under the protection of the crown while within our borders. After that, anyone who threatens him harm will not be tolerated in this kingdom."

"Um, what about Fiona's husband, Lord Delmar?" Sarah asked.

"His bounty is 'alive only'." The King replied. "Given that, he will be allowed to remain. However, any hostile action taken toward the Prophet or his wives will result in his immediate expulsion from our kingdom."

Thea opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it and nodded. Alana looked at Ethan, who had nodded his head in concession, though he was frowning as well.

He looked at her and thought to the group chat. *I get that a king has to deal with people he doesn't like, and I'm really grateful for his protection and all his help, but it still rubs me the wrong way that Lord Delmar will be at Thea's coming-of-age ball, especially since it doesn't seem like she wants him there.*

*Yeah, I understand as well, but right, I don't like it either.* Alana said.

Rachel bit her lip and looked down slightly, so Alana reached out under the table, took her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. The redhead glanced at her and half-smiled at her, but it didn't reach her eyes. For as much as they loved each other and supported each other, sometimes, you just couldn't help certain kinds of hurts.

*Thea agrees.* Selene replied. *However, like you said, dealing with people you'd rather not is part of ruling. Thea says that the wood elven kingdom does a lot of trade with Narlotten, but far less with Ivernia because they don't produce much that the wood elves want, and most of the people in Ivernia are too poor to afford the kind of goods wood elves usually make.*

"Thank you." Ethan said aloud to The King after a moment. "Not having Lord Farbrottan here will be one less thing for us to have to worry about, and I appreciate it."

"You are welcome." The King nodded at him. "You should, perhaps, work on your -- as The Queen might say -- your 'indoor expressions' concerning Lord Delmar." He smiled.

Ethan chuckled. "Like an 'indoor voice'; nice."

"It is The Queen's turn of phrase." The King said, then looked at his wife fondly.

The Queen smiled. "Our daughters were beginning to get a reputation for displaying all that they felt on their faces, though they had mastered their tones much more quickly. Thus, I thought it was appropriate."

They talked for another few minutes before The King stood, then beckoned to a servant who was standing at the door of a magnificent nearby building.

"Our final guests have arrived." The King said, then looked at Ethan and his wives. "Do please use your 'indoor expressions' for our guests; if you will overlook the brown leaves of the past, I believe you will find green ones in the future."

Alana looked toward the door as the servant opened it to see--

Her jaw dropped.

It was the High Priest of Illuminar, Plesius, and a woman who could only be his wife, given the way she was clutching his arm.

* * *

Selene took The King's advice and used her 'indoor expressions' as she saw the newcomers. Ethan and Plesius had come to verbal blows only a few days before, and now they were coming to dinner? That really didn't seem like a good idea. Although...

Huh.

Something was different about the High Priest. She couldn't tell exactly what, but definitely something. He wasn't standing quite so stiffly straight, his nose wasn't in the air, and instead of a confident, bordering on arrogant expression, he looked pensive and introspective.

His wife looked, there was no other word for it: frail. She was shorter than he was and it looked like she was genuinely clutching Plesius's arm for support, not as a social convention. She was about Alana's size, but whereas Selene's fellow wife was toned and almost wiry, Plesius's wife was just plain thin. Her clothes draped in such a way that it was obvious that she was thinner than was strictly healthy.

Despite that though, she had a warm, kind smile and caring eyes. Something about her reminded Selene of Ruth or Anthiel. She wasn't sure what or why, but she was definitely reminded of them.

"Honored Prophet, you already know Plesius Zaluhar, called High Priest." The King said as they arrived. "This is his wife, Epheny Zaluhar, called Blight Survivor."

"Greetings." Plesius said, then head bowed.

"Hello." Epheny said with genuine warmth in her tone as she clung to her husband's arm. "I'm honored to meet you." Her tone sounded simultaneously both frail and strong, like the vocal cords making it were weak, but the will driving them was anything but.

"This is Ethan Ejder, called Illuminar's Prophet -- blessed be the God of Light -- and His wives; Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, Kendra, Selene, and the Prophet's Betrothed, Sarah." The King said, indicating each in turn.

Ethan and his wives all said 'hi' as well, though there was a bit of awkwardness around the table.

Epheny looked around at all of them. Her eyes hesitated for a moment on both Kendra and Sarah, but eventually landed on Selene. The Brazilian woman got the uncomfortable feeling that the elven woman could see right through her, though she wasn't sure why she got that impression.

"If I might be a bother, might I sit next to Mrs. Selene Ejder?" Epheny asked after a moment.

"Um, sure." Taloni -- who had been sitting on Selene's one side while Kendra was on the other -- hopped up and moved to an open seat.

"Would you please?" Epheny said to her husband, and he helped her to the seat and into it.

Any amount of residual dislike of Plesius mostly evaporated for Selene as she watched this. The High Priest was careful, kind, and tender with his wife, who obviously needed help to get into the seat.

"Thank you dear." Epheny said to him warmly.

Thereafter, Plesius took the only remaining seat, the one on The Queen's left hand. That seat was opposite Ethan, which Selene wasn't sure was intentional or not.

"Plesius." Ethan said with a nod of the head.

"Mr. Ejder." Plesius replied, his tone... odd. It seemed slightly forced, and yet oddly, not forced at the same time. "Throughout the afternoon, the conclave discussed the matter of shame you raised in your homily. Save for a few who are known to never support change of any sort, virtually the entire conclave concedes that your point has merit." He paused. "Significant merit."

Ethan smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He paused. "I really am sorry about the things I said the day I arrived. That was pretty awful of me."

"It has already been forgiven." Plesius replied. "So now, let us consider it forgotten. Illuminar -- blessed be He -- says in the Book of Light that he will no longer remember our sins against us when we repent. I strive to follow His example, as poorly as I succeed sometimes."

"Hear, hear." Ethan nodded.

"A toast." The King raised his glass. "To flawed mortals and a forgiving God."

"To flawed mortals and a forgiving God." Everyone echoed, then took a sip.

"Selene, is it not?" Epheny asked her.

"It is." She nodded. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, because I'm afraid I don't know anything about you except your name."

"Names are very interesting things, especially--" Epheny coughed, drawing her husband's eyes immediately. "--especially elven names." The elf looked at Selene intently. "If you had an elven title, what would you choose? What two words would you choose to describe yourself?" She took a small sip of her drink, and Selene noticed that the glass shook slightly in her hand.

"I... I have no idea." Selene admitted. "Is that how it works? Do elves get to choose their title?"

Epheny laughed, and her laugh was as pleasing to the ear as well-played Christmas bells. "I'm afraid it would take all evening and well into the night to explain the rules of how and when an elf can take a new title. But generally, no, an elf's title is usually conferred by someone else." She paused. "Well, except for all the exceptions which would take at least the meal to list."

"It sounds complicated." Selene said.

Epheny nodded. "It is, perhaps, the most complicated part of our complex culture."

Selene nodded slowly. "So, since they're usually chosen by someone else, what would you call me?"

"I would call you 'Selene' my dear." Epheny replied with a smile. "For I don't know you well enough to qualify to give you one, nor have I witnessed a deed of yours worth turning into a name." She leaned forward and looked at Kendra, who was on Selene's other side. "I do believe you and she are quite close; what would you make her elven title? What two words are sufficient to sum up the complexities of a person?"

Kendra didn't reply immediately. "I would say 'Wonderful Friend', but that would be a selfish title, reducing Selene to merely her role in my life." She paused. "She's a lot more than that, though she definitely is that."

Selene beamed, then looked at Epheny. "You're trying to make a point, aren't you?"

Epheny picked up her glass, got a subtle smile on her face, and then took another sip. "What is troubling you my dear?" She asked when she had put the glass back down, and her hand had shaken slightly as she did so. "What problem ails your soul, and if you could give it an elven title, what title would you give it?"

"How did you know?" Selene asked.

"That is a strange elven title, and not two words." The elf replied with a twinkle in her eye.

Selene chuckled

Epheny smiled. "To answer your question, not everyone is good at using 'indoor expressions', as The Queen would call them."

"I... I've been trying to decide a few life direction things lately." Selene replied after a moment.

"Oh? Do tell." Epheny replied, then took another slightly shaky sip of her drink.

* * *

Ethan honestly wasn't sure what to think of Plesius sitting across from him. The High Priest seemed different from how Ethan had ever seen him though, less haughty and a little more humble.

"I considered that after your trying day, some good news would be welcomed." The King said, obviously making an effort to keep the conversation going.

"I appreciate that." Ethan sighed; what a day.

"It is good that none were more seriously injured in the ambush, and that the one who was will recover." Plesius glanced at Kendra.

"Thanks." Ethan nodded, but couldn't think of anything to say next.

"This dinner is, perhaps, more awkward than I am used to." Plesius said after several moments of silence at the head of the table; the rest of the table was talking normally.

Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, I feel that." He paused. "So, charging right in to clear the air, why were you so sure that I was a false prophet?"

"I considered it impossible that Illuminar -- blessed be He -- would call a prophet to marry women such as your wives because, at the time, I considered them shamed." He looked pensive. "I have begun to reassess that assumption and now find it wanting."

Ethan nodded, a smile slowly coming to his face. "I've had to eat crow before, I get it."

The King, The Queen, and Plesius all looked at him.

"Pardon, honored Prophet, but what does 'eat crow' mean?" The Queen asked.

He explained the idiom, then added. "Sorry, I keep using normal expressions from Earth and they fall flat."

Plesius smiled. "That is not restricted to expressions from another world; the dwarves, the Fey, and many other races have expressions that others do not share."

"That's good at least." Ethan nodded.

The servants arrived with the first course, so the conversation paused while they ate the delectable food. It didn't have as much meat as Ethan preferred -- a preference that developed in his dragon body -- but the food was excellent anyway.

"So, a question." Ethan asked Plesius after everyone was settled with their food. "Why are you so committed to saying that a shamed person's shame can't be removed?"

"That is the explicit command of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- in the Book of Light." Plesius replied.

Ethan raised his eyebrow. "You have the whole thing memorized, right?"

"In the original languages, yes." Plesius replied. Curiously, his voice wasn't full of pride at that fact. Rather, his tone was the same as it would be if Ethan had asked if he was an elf, and he had confirmed that he was a wood elf.

"Quote it to me?" Ethan asked.

"I shall, with some context." Plesius nodded. "Thus says Illuminar, who created the world and everything in it, mortals and all they possess: If there is one among you who says into your ear: 'Come, let us leave Illuminar and serve the other gods, the new gods who have come recently, and offer sacrifices to them, and worship them, and pledge our loyalty to them.' Thus says Illuminar, you shall not incline your ear to him nor listen to him, but you shall make his iniquity known throughout the whole land, and he shall be utterly cut off from among his people because of the abomination he has committed." Plesius paused. "The phrase ' utterly cut off from among his people' is a reference to permanent banishment from the community."

"Okay." Ethan nodded, wondering who these 'new gods who have come recently' were if serving them was bad enough to banish anyone who wanted to serve them.

"The passage continues." Plesius said. "His shame shall be forever on him, for he has violated the commandment of Illuminar; for whoever violates the commandment of Illuminar, his shame shall never depart from him all of his days. You shall not turn your face toward him, nor shall you name his name among you."

*Master, that's not what my translation says.* Taloni thought to the group chat. *My translation says: ' His shame shall be forever on him, for he has violated this commandment of Illuminar; for whoever violates this commandment of Illuminar, his shame shall never depart from him all of his days.*

*Thanks Tee.* Ethan replied, then spoke to Plesius. "So, you take that to mean whoever breaks any command of Illuminar?"

"One must not take a single passage in isolation." Plesius replied. "It is clear from other passages that the shame from minor offenses can be forgiven. However, for major moral sins, the shame must never depart from the transgressor, for thus says Illuminar -- blessed be He."

"So, what do you say about what Illuminar said to me?" Ethan asked. "He said that the worst man alive who truly repented could be His friend."

"Other passages in the Book of Light are clear that forgiveness is offered by the God of Light to the truly repentant for any sin." Plesius replied. "However, just as Illuminar -- blessed be He -- will forgive a murderer and yet he still suffers the penalty of the law, so too, the Great God of Light will forgive those who have utterly shamed themselves, even though their shame will never depart from them."

Ethan leaned back in his chair and put on a pensive face so he could address the group chat without being obvious. *Okay, thoughts?*

*The difference between a definite article and a demonstrative pronoun seems to make all the difference in the world.* Rachel thought to the group chat.

*Um, what are those?* Taloni asked.

*The word 'the' is the definite article in the common tongue.* Rachel replied. *The words 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those' are the common tongue's demonstrative pronouns, because they refer back to something previously mentioned. So 'the' could legitimately mean all commands of Illuminar, while 'this' -- like Taloni's translation -- would only refer to the command that Illuminar had just given about trying to get others to serve the 'new gods'.*

*Thank you for explaining.* Tee thought to everyone.

*My pleasure.* Rachel replied.

"So Plesius." Ethan said. "I think I've heard that verse before and it said 'this commandment', not 'the commandment'."

"Many translations do indeed translate it as 'this'." Plesius nodded. "However, all who speak Elvish as their native tongue know that 'this' is not a legitimate translation of the word there."

Ethan looked at Alana.

"What's the phrase in Elvish?" Alana asked.

Plesius recited it in Elvish, and Ethan was struck once again by how melodious and beautiful it sounded, even though he didn't understand a single word.

"I think he's right." Alana frowned. "Yeah, I would never think it meant 'this'. I'm not a linguist, but 'the' seems like the only legitimate way to understand that." She looked at Plesius. "Could you repeat it?"

He did.

Alana's frown deepened. "Yeah, I think he's right."

"Contextually, couldn't we understand 'the' to mean the command just given?" Rachel asked.

Plesius shook his head. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- chose to say 'the', not 'this'. We should not rewrite His book to suit our preferences."

Tee nodded, but she was frowning too, then she thought to the group chat. *Master, I can't wait until Matthew and Yalia get here; they'll know.*

*I hope so.* Ethan replied.

*My Lord, every translation I've heard of that passage says 'this', not 'the'; I'm sure there's a good reason for that.* Rachel thought to everyone.

*Good, we'll have to let Matthew and Yalia sort this out then.* Ethan thought to everyone, then spoke to Plesius. "Is there another verse that supports this?"

Plesius shook his head. "No, but then, it is the words of the God of Light Himself; one clear statement from Him is enough to establish something as true."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan saw Tee nodding at that, though, she still had a frown on her face as well.

"Um, I'm afraid I didn't get to hear the Book of Light much because of my... my problem." Sarah said. "What was so bad that the person who wanted to serve the 'new gods' was permanently banished?"

"The 'new gods' were, in fact, Nesteri." Plesius replied. "The closest equivalent to 'Nesteri' in the common tongue is 'demon', though the nuance is not quite correct. Regardless, they required unspeakable evil from their followers, demanding that they commit unspeakable atrocities to their fellow mortals."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Beth open her mouth to say something, hesitate, then finally speak. "What were the 'unspeakable atrocities'?"

"Child sacrifice was ubiquitous." Plesius replied somberly. "Public and ritual rape in many cases, cannibalism, and other, worse sins that should not be named in polite company."

"Worse sins?" Beth asked, her voice somewhat hoarse.

Plesius nodded, but didn't say what they were.

All of a sudden, Illuminar's command about banishment made a lot more sense to Ethan.

"But why did anyone want to serve them if they required that?" Beth asked.

"Because the Nesteri offered much power to their followers and were cunning in their seduction of mortals." Plesius replied.

"Have you ventured outside the Ten Kingdoms, honored Prophet?" The Queen asked.

"I haven't." He replied.

"Then perhaps you are not aware that the Nesteri hold sway over much of this world." The Queen said. "Illuminar -- blessed be He -- gave mortals the choice of whom to serve and most chose the Nesteri, to their ruin."

"The Queen is correct." The King said. "While they grant power to mortals infrequently, they rule by deception and influence, each Nesteri corrupting those in his dominion toward evil. Outside of the Ten Kingdoms, you will find that the world is a very different place."

"I assume that includes the Wilding Lands?" Ethan asked.

"Indeed." The King replied. "Ensure that you take much care when entering them, for the Nesteri are rumored to possess minor control over the elements, foliage, and even the animals in their domain."

"Does that include wind?" Taloni asked, which wasn't surprising since she was an airship pilot.

"It is rumored to." Plesius replied. "While their control is not absolute, expect the foliage, the animals, and even the very elements themselves to resist you, at least subtly, when you venture there."

"That's just what we need." Ethan sighed. "As if we didn't have enough enemies, the plants, animals, and even the wind will be fighting us too."

"For a prophet, you have remarkably little faith in the God of Light." Plesius said, though his tone indicated curiosity and not a verbal attack.

"Yeah, well, I just heard of the guy four or five months ago, so..." He shrugged.

"Then I shall provide glad tidings to counter what you believe are ominous tidings." Plesius replied. "The conclave will draft and promulgate an announcement tomorrow at dawn that will indicate to the general public that the position expressed in your homily is a legitimate point of disagreement in the faith, and thus it can be held without dishonor."

"Which means that those who are persuaded will address your wives directly." The King said.

Ethan grinned. "It's about bloody time!"

For all the terrible things that had happened that day, this helped rather a lot. He looked at Kendra and saw that she was smiling, which was good to see. Sarah seemed more herself too, though not entirely.

"Speaking of time, when can we have that meal with Ahjah to discuss the possibility of us becoming betrothed?" Thea asked The King and The Queen, then looked at Ethan's family. "Because of the ambush, we didn't get to earlier."

"Tomorrow morning at breakfast." The King replied.

"My schedule is very busy watching this one--" Ahjah indicated Thea. "--but I believe I can find time in between ensuring that she doesn't abscond."

Thea rolled her eyes.

"I shall make my answer official at noon tomorrow, as promised." The King said. His eyes fell on Sarah, then he spoke. "I believe a suitable venue would be the atrium of the Hall of Meeting."

"That is the building where you recounted your story to the Crown Prince." The Queen added.

Sarah sucked in her breath. "You mean, I can be there? We can all be there?"

"Indeed." The King nodded with a wide smile.

Ethan grinned.

After everything that The King had done for him and his family, he figured that they owed him one hell of a 'thank you'. He wasn't sure what, but he thought he and his wives could come up with something.

* * *

Selene had been telling Epheny what she had been struggling with haltingly between the other conversations and eating, but had finally gotten it all out. The frail-looking elf had listened carefully and studiously the entire time.

"Well, let's start someplace very basic for a moment." Epheny said. "Do you want children at all?"

Selene cocked her head to one side. Did she? She really hadn't given it much thought until very recently, and with everything that had happened, she hadn't given it all the thought that she would've liked to give it. Having kids was such a big responsibility and she didn't know anything about them. She didn't even know how to change a diaper for crying out loud. Did they even have diapers here? She didn't know. What kind of mother would she be if she didn't even know that?

"Allow me to rephrase." Epheny added, and she'd been watching Selene intently. "If you knew you would be a good mother, would you--" The frail elf coughed. It wasn't a hacking cough, but it was alarming. Plesius certainly took notice.

"I'm fine dear." Epheny said to her husband, then took another small sip of her drink with a slightly shaking hand, then looked at Selene with piercing eyes. "If you knew you would be a good mother, would you want to have children?"

Selene thought about that for a moment. She thought of all the times she'd seen Alana put her hand over her womb and tried to imagine what it would be like having a baby growing inside of her. She tried to imagine holding her newborn baby, and nursing, and baby clothes, and watching the baby take his or her first steps, and the first words. And as she thought about it, she thought it would be very neat to have a bunch of little versions of Ethan running around. She wasn't sure she wanted daughters because she had no idea how to raise a daughter. But a bunch of little Ethans running around, especially ones that she had made with him...

"You're smiling." Epheny pointed out.

"Am I?" She hadn't realized that she was, and it took her a moment to realize that she definitely was. There was a pleasant warmth in her heart too.

The elf nodded with an amused smile as she took a tiny bite of her food.

"But I don't know that I'll be a good mother." Selene said.

"No mother does." Epheny replied, then looked around at Ethan's other wives. "It is such a shame that you don't have other women around you who could help you become one."

Her eyes twinkled.

Selene chuckled.

Really, most of her fellow wives didn't have any experience with babies. Alana had been raised without siblings, even adopted siblings. Beth only had one younger brother, and she'd been too young to help when he was a baby. Taloni though... huh. Tee had grown up in a mining camp and had been very popular with the children there, so she could help. However, Rachel, Kendra, and Sarah were only children. But still, Tee could help her learn. And of course, there was Anthiel. Oh, and Mirella was expecting now too, so that was another person.

Selene looked at her husband and felt a slight warming in her heart as she thought about the potential of having a baby that was half her, half him. The idea that they could create a whole new person together and raise that person from infancy to adulthood made her want to smile, but it also frankly scared the shit out of her. What if she messed up? Or worse, messed up her child?

"Let me guess, your own mother -- as much as you love her -- didn't provide a good example." Epheny said, then she took a deep breath that had a slight shake to it.

"Right in one." Selene nodded.

"Well then, isn't it wonderful that parenting is a skill that a woman can improve upon and not something you inherit?" The elf said.

Selene inclined her head in concession. "But I also want to have a career. I want to help people and I don't think I can be the kind of mother I want to be if I'm always away working on my career. I want to be there for everything."

"It is indeed wonderful to be there for everything." Epheny smiled, and it reached deep into her eyes. "Now, a question: what time frame do you have for having children?"

"Um, well, I'm twenty-three, and mostly they say women have a much easier time getting pregnant before thirty, and especially before thirty-five."

Epheny nodded slowly. "And what time frame do you have for pursuing a career?"

"Um, I suppose..." She cocked her head to one side. "I suppose from now all the way until I'm too old to work." She frowned as she thought about something. "And since I'm bonded to Ethan, I hear that I'll end up living a lot longer than normal, so a long time."

Epheny looked at her, almost like she was waiting for something.

"Oh." Selene smiled slightly as she put it together. "I suppose if I'm going to live a really long time, there's nothing stopping me from having kids while I can, and then pursuing a career after they've grown up. I'll have a long time after they're grown, but if I pursue a career now, I might not be able to have kids later."

The frail elf smiled and then took a small sip of her drink, her hand still shaking slightly.

"What if you had a normal human lifespan?" Kendra asked, then used her arms to resettle herself in her wheelchair.

"Um, I suppose if I started very young -- like, got married at eighteen, that young -- and then had several kids over the next few years, then they'd all be grown and moved out in my mid-40s and I could have a career then." Selene cocked her head to one side. "But then, Earth really isn't set up for that, plus, it's hard to find a good guy, especially that young." She frowned. "And that's way too young to get married anyway."

Beth cleared her throat loudly.

"Too young on Earth." Selene corrected herself with an apologetic grimace. "Teens on Earth are way less mature than they are here.

"That would seem to be a problem with the parenting, not the location." Epheny pointed out with an amused smile.

Selene chuckled.

"Selene's Dilemma, called Conflicting Priorities." Epheny said after she had finished chewing another small bite. She really hadn't eaten very much, though that wasn't surprising considering her rail-thin frame.

"Something like that." The gorgeous woman nodded. "Though really, I kind of want to have it all."

"Many people don't understand that when it is possible to have it all -- and it isn't always possible -- it usually won't happen all at the same time." Epheny replied. "We all go through seasons in our lives, with some elements receding and others rising at one time, and those same elements reversing at others. A young maiden's life does not look like an elderly matron's life, and that is a good thing. There is a time for everything in a woman's life, though, perhaps not all at once."

Selene nodded slowly. "That makes sense."

"Thankfully, there's a time to get out of this wheelchair and walk again too." Kendra grumbled, adjusting herself in it again.

"Amen." Selene grinned, then looked at Epheny a little more closely. The woman seemed so incredibly full of life, and yet she seemed so frail too. Selene wanted to ask, but had a feeling it might be rather rude. Then again, Epheny had just been incredibly helpful and she wanted to know so maybe she could help.

"I will be fine dear, my condition notwithstanding." The frail elf smiled warmly. "Please, don't concern yourself."

Selene nodded, not understanding how she could be so perceptive, but also a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to know. She thought it might be an interesting story.

* * *

Sarah thought that the dinner had gone very well. Ethan and Plesius seemed to get along during the meal, though there was still some awkwardness there too. All of Ethan's wives were in good spirits at the end, even Kendra who looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin. Sarah didn't blame her since she would've hated not being able to walk, and it would be worse for Kendra since she was so protective of everyone and yet couldn't protect them at the moment.

Everyone was currently getting up, which was accompanied by the scraping of chairs and many wishes of 'goodnight'.

Thea came over to her straightaway. "I still haven't forgotten that Ahjah and I promised to talk to Fiona and see if she'll meet with you so you can ask if she can come to your wedding."

"I believe that will be our first destination after The King announces his decision tomorrow." Ahjah added, since as Thea's custodian, he was never far away.

"Thank you." Sarah smiled. "I really appreciate that."

"I'm happy to." Thea smiled. "Also, Ethan asked me if I would be willing to let you share my room tonight so you don't have to be alone. He seems worried about you."

Sarah's heart suddenly felt very warm and full. "He's good like that."

"Come on." Thea held her hand out.

"Um, let me say goodnight to Ethan first, then definitely." Sarah replied.

"Hey Darlin'." Ethan smiled at her when she had walked over to him, then he lowered his voice a bit. "Are you okay after earlier?"

Sarah hesitated. "Um, no, but I think I will be. Thank you for asking Thea to look out for me."

"Any time." He smiled. "I'd prefer it was me, but we need to get married first. We really should get on that."

Sarah nodded. "Um, Thea's ball will probably be right after you get back from--" She looked around and realized that she probably shouldn't mention the tournament right now in case someone overheard. "Well, when you get back. Maybe we can have it soon after the ball? I know Thea won't want to wait long if The King agrees to her marrying Ahjah."

"Tonight sounds better, but that's a close second." He winked, though he was grinning too.

"You... you still want to marry me?" She asked.

"I thought I was clear about that earlier, and a moment ago, but yes; I still want to marry you."

She smiled, still hardly believing it.

"Come here." He gave her a hug and then kissed the top of her head. "I can't help you get rid of that demon because the reason it won't leave is a part of you wants it to stay."

She bit her lip.

He pulled back enough to look her in the eye. "But, if you think of anything that can change your mind, pursue it, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He kissed her on the forehead, they said goodnight, and then she returned to Thea and they went back to the large building where they were staying. Sarah's suite was right across the hall from the suite Ethan and his wives were staying in, and Thea's was just one room down from that. Apparently, she had opted to stay close to Ethan and his wives instead of returning to her room at the palace.

Myla and Falkaan were in the hallway just outside of another suite, probably theirs, and were talking quietly. The gorgeous dusky-skinned woman turned as they approached and went to Sarah.

"It brings much joy to my heart that you, Meelas, and the rest of his wives did not suffer permanent harm." Then, she uncharacteristically gave Sarah a hug, which of course she gratefully accepted.

"Thank you Myla." Sarah smiled. "Are you and Falkaan settling in well?"

"Hai." Myla nodded, then looked at her husband. She was always very reserved, but there was definitely a hint of adoration for him in her expression.

"We have indeed been settling in well, as have Talven and Salma." The dark elf said. "Though, my wife and I will need to depart regularly and at odd hours sometimes. She is becoming skilled at such things."

"Departing?" Sarah asked, not sure what he meant.

"Departing without being observed." Falkaan replied, a proud expression on his face as he looked at Myla.

"Some time ago, Falkaan began an undertaking to instruct me in some of the skills that have enabled him to survive." Myla replied, a subtle smile on her face. "My heart feels much enjoyment while learning them."

"I'm glad." Sarah replied.

"Maybe you could teach me that sometime." Thea said with an impish grin, though Sarah didn't think she was being serious.

"If I wished to anger The King and your future betrothed, then perhaps I might." Falkaan replied.

"Future betrothed?" Thea perked up. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Many things, though I cannot confirm or deny whether I know anything about how your guardian will decide." Falkaan replied, and his face was unreadable.

Thea narrowed her eyes for a moment, scrutinizing him.

"I will pray that you have a wonderful night's rest." Myla said, then bowed slightly to them.

"Good night and sweet dreams." Sarah replied.

Myla and Falkaan entered what she assumed was their suite, leaving Sarah, Thea, and Ahjah in the hall.

Thea turned to Ahjah and spoke with a wide smile. "We might be betrothed tomorrow."

Ahjah's smile was more subtle, but no less happy. "I shall pray that it will be the case."

They both stood there for a moment, both leaning fractionally toward each other and looking intently at each other, but doing nothing else.

"Good night." Ahjah said after a moment.

"Night." Thea smiled back.

They both hesitated a moment, then Thea started to turn, but had clearly misjudged where she was and nearly collided with the wall. She didn't though and caught herself, then fled with Sarah into her room.

"You usually are much more graceful." Sarah pointed out with a teasing edge in her tone. "I wonder what happened..." She finished in a sing-song voice.

Thea shot her a look, but that just entertained Sarah more.

"You seem better than I thought you'd be." Thea said more seriously after a moment. "You know, after earlier."

Sarah swallowed and looked down. "Um, I'm not really okay. I've gotten pretty good at blocking those kinds of things out, but it'll hit me again. Well, eventually."

"Well, then since it's just us and we're going to share a wedding -- hopefully, especially if Falkaan was right -- why don't we distract you by planning our double wedding?"

Sarah smiled. It was partially forced, but also genuine too. "I would like that."

* * *

As he woke, Ethan was pretty sure that the feeling of waking up with all of his wives naked in bed around him would never get old. Ever. As usual, he had draped his wings over his wives and so he could feel all of them. It was just about the best thing ever.

Of course, Kendra was in his arms this morning. It normally would've been Beth's turn, but after dinner, Beth had made it clear that Kendra was going to sleep in his arms and wouldn't take no for an answer. Ethan couldn't help but smile as he thought about just how much Beth had changed since they'd gotten married.

He lay there enjoying the simple pleasure of snuggling with his wives for several minutes before he noticed that Kendra was moving slightly in his arms. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. She had her head up and was staring intently at her foot. It took him a minute to realize that one of her toes was slowly moving up and down under its own power.

*You can move.* He thought to her as a massive smile appeared on his face.

*I damn well better be able to; I've been working on this for over an hour.* The frustration in her tone was almost palpable.

*Kendra, I get that you want to walk, but you don't need to--*

*Yes I do.* She interrupted. *I'm not stupid enough to think that we're perfectly safe here, or anywhere we might go. If I can't walk, I can't fight. If I can't fight, I can't protect my family.*

*Kendra, look at me.* He said gently.

She sighed, then did.

He just looked into her eyes while smiling for a bit, then reached up and brushed her cheek. She held his gaze for several seconds, and even got the edge of a smile on her face for a moment, and then she looked down. Not back at her foot, just away from him.

*What's wrong?* He asked softly.

*I never know what to do when you do that.* She admitted.

*Do what? Look at my brown-eyed beauty?* He grinned impishly.

She nodded.

*Kendra, while I appreciate everything that you do -- and you do a lot -- sometimes, it's okay to not 'do', but simply 'be'.* He paused. *We're called 'human beings, not human doings.*

She looked up at him for a moment and searched his eyes like she was looking for something.

*Yes, I'm being serious.* He added.

Kendra took a deep breath and let it out slowly. *I'm not good at that. I mean, simply being and not doing."*

*I know.* He smiled, then brushed her cheek with his finger again. *What's really bothering you? What's behind this?*

Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into his finger. She took another deep breath, then thought to him. *So, I know that you hate when I say this, but I really do feel like I 'owe you'.*

He sighed. *Kendra, marriage isn't supposed to work like that.*

*I didn't say it was, but that's how I feel.* She replied, not meeting his eyes. *It's not quite the same as before; I don't quite feel like I need to earn it. But you've done so much for me and changed my life in such incredible ways that I feel like I owe you for how wonderful my life has become.* She paused. *I would've rather died in the ambush yesterday than to not have married you; it's that big of a change.*

He smiled. *Well, I'm glad to hear that and obviously glad you didn't die, but that still doesn't mean you 'owe' me.*

*Maybe not, but shouldn't any decent person want to repay someone who did such incredible things for her?*

He waggled his head. *Okay, I see your point. But there's a difference between wanting to do something nice for someone who did something nice for you, versus feeling like you owe someone because he did something nice for you. Love is supposed to be unconditional.*

Kendra raised her eyebrow. *Unconditional? Since when has love ever been unconditional?* She hesitated. *Okay, parents' love for their children can be, and Illuminar sees us as His children so His love is too, but otherwise?*

Ethan stared at her. *Really? Isn't unconditional love one of the foundational promises of marriage?*

*And what if a wife commits adultery in public because she has grown to hate her husband and wants to hurt him?* Kendra replied. *And yes, I've seen that happen. Well, not seen, but I was assigned to a case where-- it doesn't matter. You get my point. The very fact that divorce exists and that literally everyone agrees that divorce is justified under certain circumstances is proof that love is never unconditional in a marriage.*

Ethan stared at her. *You're kidding.*

*Drago, if I -- and I would never do this, I'd rather die -- but if I decided of my own free will to commit adultery--* She shuddered in disgust. *--and then found some way to break our bond, can you honestly say that you'd want me back?*

He hesitated.

*What about your ex-fiancé?* Kendra pressed. *She fornicated with your best friend and stole the business that you'd spent years building. What if that had happened after you got married? Would you still be required to love her unconditionally then? What if a husband became violent and began beating his wife; should she still 'love unconditionally' then, or should she escape so he doesn't end up killing her?*

He frowned.

*Love in marriage isn't unconditional.* Kendra stated firmly. *It shouldn't be unconditional.*

He looked at her for several seconds before replying. *You're taking the extreme exceptions and trying to apply them to all marriages in general. I think even you will agree that the ideal is unconditional love, even if we often fail to meet that ideal.*

She waggled her head a little bit. *Maybe.*

*Regardless, that's not how we do things in this marriage, and you know it.* He looked at her pointedly, then softened his expression. *I know you ladies wouldn't ever do something like that, and you know I'd never hurt any of you, so that's not really applicable, is it?*

*No, it isn't.* She conceded. *But you've been so good to me, and you saved me from more misery than I could ever fully describe. I still feel like I owe you for that.*

*You've saved my wives more times than I can count.* Ethan replied as an idea occurred to him. *Wouldn't that put me in your debt?*

Kendra cocked her head to one side.

*Here's the thing, my wonderful good girl.* He looked at her pointedly. *We could spend our entire marriage tallying up who's done more for the other, and who owes who what, but that sounds like a lot of effort and a lot of math, doesn't it?*

*Yeah.* She conceded.

*So why don't we just call it a wash, now and forever?* He paused. *I think we've had this exact conversation before.*

*We haven't, but close; I used to think I had to earn it.* Kendra replied. *We could call it a wash, and mentally I could agree to that... but I'll still feel like I owe you.*

He nodded. *I can't change how you feel, but I don't want you thinking that I think you owe me anything.*

She didn't reply immediately. *I don't want to 'keep score'; that sounds exhausting. But in the end, literally everything that I do for you or your wives comes from the fact that you saved me first. Even if I saved all of you a thousand times, it wouldn't change the fact that that only happened because you saved me first. I'm in your debt Drago, and I know you don't like me saying that, but I am. So I don't see it as needing to 'keep score' because there's literally nothing I can do to even the score.*

Ethan frowned.

*I need to keep all of you safe.* She continued. *Not just because I owe you, but also because I don't know how I would survive if you, or Selene, or any of your other wives didn't make it.* She swallowed. *I have nightmares about that sometimes.*

*You do?*

She nodded. *The worst ones are when I'm reliving some of my earlier attempts to kill you, but I succeed.* She swallowed.

Hard.

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. *I didn't know.*

*They're bad enough in the dreams.* She replied. *I don't want to relive or recount them in the waking world too.*

*You never move in your sleep though, or say anything, or make any indication that you're having a nightmare, or even a bad dream.*

She moved back to her previous position and shrugged. *The Aldmiri were very thorough in their training.*

He stared at her. *What? Seriously? They're able to train that?*

*Yes.* She nodded.

*You really have nightmares about losing some of us?*

She nodded again.

He reached out and rested his palm on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. *I'm sorry about that.*

She sighed softly and smiled at his touch. *Me too, but it's better than living it, and better than my life was before I met you.* Kendra replied. *None of your other wives really understand that. Sure, their lives got better when they met you, but they weren't a 'living hell' as you sometimes say.* She paused. *Well, maybe Sarah more than the rest.* She shook her head. *Anyway, you saved me from that, and that's why I owe you.*

*What if our roles were reversed?* Ethan asked after a moment of thinking about it. *What if you were the one who had saved me first, and from things just as terrible? Would you think that I owed you forever?*

*No.* She replied, then sighed again, likely because he hadn't moved his hand. *But wouldn't you feel like you owed me?*

Ethan frowned, then nodded his head in concession. *Okay, yeah, I might feel like that.*

*Drago... Ethan, I know that you don't want me to feel like I owe you.* Kendra replied. *But even if I could be convinced here--* She rested her hand on his hand that was still on her cheek, then tapped her temple with a finger. *--I don't think I could be convinced here.* She lowered her hand and tapped her chest, right over her heart.

*You mean, here?* Ethan slid his hand down along her skin, making her shudder slightly as he ended by cupping her breast. *Right here?*

"Mmm..." She sighed.

*Not the right spot?* He teased, then moved his hand to her other breast and gave it a gentle squeeze as well. *How about here?*

*That's...* She moaned. *That doesn't make me owe you less.*

*Possibly.* He replied, gently massaging her breast in the exact way that he knew she liked. *But since logic isn't getting through to you, maybe I can convince your body to change its tune, and that'll help your mind to follow.*

*It... it doesn't work... like that.* She was now starting to wriggle under his experienced fingers.

*Maybe not, but it'll be fun to try...* He teased.

Honestly, he could see that the conversation was going nowhere and thus saw no need to restrain his desire for his wife. Frankly, just waking up in a bed with six naked women who loved him -- soon to be seven -- was enough to get his fire going most mornings. So far, none of his wives had ever objected.

Kendra moaned rather loudly under his touch.

"Oh, so that's how we're starting the morning?" Beth said from in front of him, lifted her torso -- which also exposed her small and shapely breasts -- then gave a mock long-suffering sigh. "Oh well, I suppose I can nearly pass out from pleasure on yet another morning."

"Tee, could you please give Bee something better to do with her mouth?" Ethan shot back while he continued to massage Kendra's breast, and then added his other hand to explore the rest of her body. Well, above the waist anyway.

Tee instantly complied.

She lifted herself up and then using her wings, somehow managed to get her legs wrapped around the blonde's neck so her slit was pressed up against Bee's lips. Somehow, Tee's legs had ended up almost Indian-style with her ankles under Beth's shoulders, effectively pinning the blonde down on her back with Tee straddling her lips, though her nose was uncovered so she could still breathe perfectly.

"Much better." Ethan chuckled, then reached out and gave Beth a playful smack on the thigh.

"Mmmhmffmm." Beth tried to reply, but couldn't get the words out. The blonde seemed to struggle with Tee for a moment, then lifted her long, shapely, feminine legs up and hooked them around Tee's torso and then levered her down. The result was the two teens locked in something like the 69 position, except the girl on top -- Tee -- had her back to Beth.

That wasn't the end of it of course.

Giggling the whole time, Beth managed to wriggle out from under Tee and went on the offensive, swapping to a true 69 with Tee on the bottom. However, the blonde was clearly trying to pin Tee down instead of them indulging in reciprocally pleasuring each other. Not that Ethan wasn't already hard, but watching his nubile brides locked in what amounted to an erotic wrestling match turned him from hard to dragon steel.

He looked back at Kendra with a fire in his eyes and teasing in his tone. "Now, what kind of noises would I like you to make this morning?"

"You could make her incoherent Boss." Selene suggested.

Ethan glanced at her, and even after being married to her for a whole week, though it felt like longer, he still found himself getting caught off guard by how incredibly gorgeous she was. Honestly, she took his breath away sometimes.

"You know what, my Precious talks a little too much too." He said as seriously as he could manage with Bee and Tee giggling as their erotic 'wrestling match' continued. "I think Kendra needs some help here." He looked at her pointedly. "Silently."

Selene opened her mouth to reply, but the reply died on her lips as her ability to speak abruptly ended. Of course, that was just due to the compulsion he'd put on her on her wedding night, which she could've broken if she tried.

She never had.

Instead, his Precious crawled forward on her hands and knees -- a sight that would make a dead man hard -- and then sensuously locked her lips over one of Kendra's breasts. Kendra had, for lack of a better term, 'puffy' nipples, where almost the entire areola stood up as well, giving her breasts a slightly 'puffy' look. Selene took easily half of Kendra's small breasts into her mouth and it looked like she was both sucking gently and running her tongue all over it.

Kendra arched her back and moaned.

"You know," Ethan said conversationally as he traced a hand over Kendra's naked chest. "I've never heard of a woman as sensitive as you are. I didn't know that was possible."

"I... Mmm..." Kendra tried and failed to reply, Selene's very talented tongue doing a number on her best friend's breast.

"Kendra, Kendra, Kendra." Ethan slowly shook his head in mock disappointment. "You really should learn to express yourself better.

"I... I want to... to..." Kendra arched her back even more and pressed her hands to the back of Selene's head, pulling her closer in.

Ethan could tell that she was getting close to the edge, so he said to Selene. "Okay Precious, stop."

She did.

Just as Kendra was about to go over the edge, Selene sat up, then gave him a confused look. She opened her mouth to speak, but of course no sound came out.

He grinned wickedly at her, then looked at Kendra with twinkling eyes. "So, ready to admit that you don't owe me anything?"

"That... that would be lying." Kendra replied, breathing heavily and clearly frustrated. "I try not to lie. Well, not anymore."

He nodded. 'I'm glad to hear that."

"I think Ethan's plan is a good one." Alana said. She and Rachel had been locked in a romantic, sensual embrace and both had wide smiles. She looked at Kendra with good-natured malice in her eyes. "Maybe he should give you the 'Selene treatment' until you relent."

"Nah, that's my Precious's thing." Ethan replied. "I have another way to 'torture' her instead."

"How?" Beth asked, having scored a temporary victory in that she was holding both of Tee's arms and had her legs clamped around Tee's neck, so the Fey teen's mouth was against the blonde's slit. Judging by Beth's shudders and the lapping sounds, Tee wasn't too bothered by her defeat.

"Continuous orgasm." Ethan grinned. "Let's face it, Kendra would ordinarily be almost impossible to pin down. But now? Now we can take advantage of her." He paused, then added like he'd accidentally said something wrong. "It. I meant 'it'." He winked.

"That's your plan?" Kendra raised her eyebrow.

"Yup." Ethan nodded. "Alana, Rachel."

They both came over and held one of Kendra's arms each.

"Now, ladies, let's see just how incoherent we can make her." He said, an impish grin on his face, then imitated a comical supervillain. "I have you in my clutches at last!"

"I'll never break." Kendra replied, though it looked like she was about to laugh too.

He leaned over her and smiled. "You know that I just want to make sure you enjoy yourself after yesterday, and I'm not actually trying to change your mind this way."

She nodded. "I know, and I love you for it."

"Good, and I love you too." He smiled, then set his other wives loose on her.

* * *

Selene sometimes hated when her wonderful husband 'sent her to the corner to think about what she'd done', which this time was accidentally bump Beth. Not even hard enough to be unpleasant, but her Boss decided that was enough to make her do something she hated almost as much as she loved it: being sent to the corner to 'think about what she'd done'. That, of course, was code for masturbating while she watched, though she couldn't finish.

It was wonderful.

It was also maddening.

"Selene." Ethan said, which was a little unusual since he was usually indulging her kinks in bed. "Come here." He beckoned her over as he laid on his side.

She came and laid down next to him, facing him. He pulled her leg up so it was resting on his leg and then slipped inside of her. She sighed as he did; she didn't think that feeling would ever get old. Ever. He wasn't moving quickly, but he was moving and it felt wonderful.

"Not that we're going to make one now, but how are you feeling about kids?" He asked quietly while his other wives teased yet another orgasm out of her extremely sensitive best friend.

"I, I might be a little--" Her breath caught as he hit that spot inside of her that she hadn't known existed until a couple days after her wedding. "--a little distracted."

Ethan chuckled and looked at her pointedly. "I know the feeling."

"I talked to Epheny last night and I feel better about it, but..." She averted her eyes slightly.

He stopped moving, then gently lifted her chin with his finger. "But?"

"My mother went completely to pieces after, well, you know." She took a deep breath. "What if something happened? I don't know how I would survive."

He nodded slowly. "I don't know either, but I know you would."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

Selene thought about that for a moment, or at least until he started moving again. It was so hard to think straight when he was doing that.

"How about we talk later?" Ethan asked as he began to speed up.

"Uh huh." Selene managed to get out as her entire body felt like it became the consistency of putty in a sculptor's hands.

He thrust inside of her with strong, deep strokes. She grabbed onto him and held on, barely believing that this was her life. Six months ago, she could never have imagined being this happy. Speaking of, after only a minute or two, she felt her entire body tighten like a rope about to snap.

"My Precious, cum for me." Ethan whispered.

She snapped.

Her entire body shuddered as she clutched him more tightly and fiercely. He rolled so he was on top of her and pushed himself deeply inside of her as her awareness of the rest of the room faded to oblivion. Three orgasms later, her body felt like a puddle of warm pudding as her husband dropped onto the mattress next to her.

She limply scooted closer to him, wanting to still be touching him. It was strange, but as incredible as the sex was -- and it was incredible -- she almost liked the afterglow more. She liked the closeness, the intimacy, and how someone she loved dearly was there for her.

"I am... so glad... I came back." She panted.

"No kidding." Ethan nodded. He turned his head to look at her and she felt like they were in their own little world for a moment. It was a good world that put a dopey grin on her face.

"Alana, you're showing!" Beth exclaimed.

Selene whipped her head toward the blonde and the wood elf, and had to resist the urge to laugh out loud at how Beth had realized that. Alana had been on all fours tending to Kendra's neck while Ethan's other wives attended to various parts of her upper body. Beth was an exception as she had slid under Alana, likely planning to give her tongue a workout. The position put her right by Alana's stomach, which did indeed have a tiny bump.

Everyone stopped and looked at the pregnant woman.

"What?" Alana straightened up and looked down, then put her hand over her womb.

Ethan whistled. "Wow, you are." His tone had disbelief and wonder all over it. "Move your hand?"

She did, and Selene could indeed see the tiniest baby bump. Ethan got up and moved over so he could put his hand over her womb, and she put her hand on top of his.

"Wow, our baby is in there." Ethan said, and he looked slightly dazed.

"I know, I was there when we made her." Alana winked, but Selene thought she was putting on a bit of a brave face. Rachel certainly was eyeing the wood elf carefully.

Selene had only been married a week at this point, but she was pretty sure that nothing short of an actual attack had ever ended a bedroom session as quickly. Well, probably just paused it. Everyone except Selene scrambled over to feel Alana's stomach and 'Ooo' and 'ahh'.

Selene held back.

Not because she didn't want to, but because she was pretty sure if she did, she'd find herself wanting a baby even more, and she was still worried about what she would do if something terrible happened.

"Selene." Kendra said. "Come on, I know you want to."

Alana beckoned her over. "I know you've been talking to everyone about kids; there's nothing to be afraid of."

Selene nodded and came over, then reached her hand out but hesitated. Ethan and Alana moved their hands to make way for hers, and she touched the elf's stomach. It was warm, which wasn't surprising, but it felt a little warmer than normal. And there was a bump. It was a tiny bump, but a bump.

Selene felt a smile pull onto her face as she felt it. A baby. A tiny baby, but a baby. She could have one of those growing inside of her. Not now, obviously, but eventually. And it wouldn't just be her baby, it would be Ethan's too. She liked that idea. Like, a lot.

The activities of the morning resumed shortly thereafter, and while Selene definitely enjoyed herself like always, she found herself distracted by that tiny little bump the whole time.

* * *

Ethan found himself staring into space after that morning's activities, and especially after touching his wife's baby bump. It was so incredibly strange that he was going to be a father... or he was already a father? Either way, it had hit him a few times before, but it was hitting him in a completely different and stronger way now. It simultaneously made his heart soar and his gut clench; he was going to be a father, but a lot of people wanted him and his wives dead.

"You okay?" Alana asked quietly as they sat down to eat with the rest of their family.

"It's just hitting me that I'm going to be a father, and that comes with some responsibilities." He replied, then glanced at his other wives. "Including to keep you all safe."

She nodded slowly. "Suddenly, I feel like I should be praying a lot more."

Ethan inclined his head in concession. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask Illuminar for help more often."

"Of course it couldn't Master." Tee said brightly.

They tucked into the food, and it was incredible. The King had said they would be provided with food from his own kitchen and judging by taste alone, he was good to his word. Honestly, it was about on par with what Sarah was able to cook up with the rudimentary ingredients and cooking implements on the Argo. That made him wonder what his betrothed would be capable of if given a nice kitchen to work with.

Ethan also noticed that Selene seemed distracted, and had been since she'd touched Alana's baby bump. He had half a mind to ask her about it, but before he'd decided if waiting until after breakfast would be better, the door to the dining area of their suite opened and one of the Lightguard stepped inside.

"Honored Prophet, the Crown Prince wishes to speak to you." The Lightguard said after bowing.

Everyone looked at each other.

"Um, send him in, I suppose." Ethan replied after a moment.

"I'll get another chair." Selene volunteered, and then did just that.

The table was exactly large enough to comfortably seat eight -- Ethan plus all his wives -- so everyone scooted around a bit to make room.

Prince George entered wearing normal, everyday clothes that you might see any well-off man in the Ten Kingdoms wearing. His clothes were obviously of the highest quality and fit him perfectly, but besides that, there were no other indications that he was the second most powerful man in the Ten Kingdoms.

Accompanying him were Tabitha and Ellis, both of whom were wearing perfectly fitting imperial guard uniforms.

"Ellis!" Sarah smiled at Ellis and waved at him.

"Good morning miss." He head bowed.

"Morning, what brings you here?" Ethan said as he stood. He was somewhat self-conscious that he wasn't wearing his armor at the moment with Tabitha there. It was nearby and could be summoned quickly, but theoretically, he wouldn't need it... Theoretically.

"I was thinking about it last night and this morning, and I realized that if I was you, I would want to know." Prince George replied.

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"I have something to say, but I ask that you all remain silent until I'm finished." The Crown Prince said.

"Uh, okay." Ethan shrugged, then indicated the empty seat. "Pull up a chair."

"I'll get two more for Ellis and Tabitha." Selene volunteered.

A minute later, everyone was crammed around the table. It was comfortable with eight, but a bit cramped with eleven. Tabitha looked completely unbothered, and really, it was hard to tell what she was feeling because she was impossible to read. The rest of his family seemed a bit nervous that she was there. Ethan certainly was.

The elven servants served the newcomers and then, having obviously read the room, they excused themselves and left, closing the door behind them.

Prince George looked around for a moment, then spoke. "Remember, let me finish before replying. When you do reply, for both our sakes, choose your words carefully."

Ethan and his wives all nodded.

"Yesterday, after the ambush, I'm sure you know that Ethan came to see me."

Again, they all nodded.

"At that meeting, someone asked a hypothetical question about what a person in a certain situation might do." Prince George continued. "I thought about it rather a lot yesterday, and this morning, and realized that if we were going to have that conversation, then something needs to happen." He looked around at all of them. "Do you all know what 'plausible deniability' means?"

Taloni and Sarah shook their heads, but everyone else nodded.

"An example of plausible deniability would be if a soldier tells his sergeant that to accomplish a mission, he'll need to use some... unconventional methods." Rachel volunteered. "If the sergeant then tells the soldier to accomplish the mission without the sergeant knowing what methods the soldier will use, the sergeant can then 'plausibly deny' that he knew what the methods were. In this example, the sergeant has plausible deniability."

"Oh." Sarah frowned, then her eyes widened slightly. "Oh!"

Taloni nodded. "I didn't know that had a name."

"That I asked the question is, of course, completely irrelevant to the situation at hand." Prince George said with an almost perfectly straight face. "Now, let me posit a hypothetical situation."

Ethan smiled; he had a guess where this was going and he was all in favor. Rachel caught Ethan's eye and smiled; she must've guessed too.

Prince George looked at everyone significantly, then continued. "Imagine for a moment, a hypothetical empire in which a hypothetical prince was recently given control of part of it earlier that year."

Ethan nodded, since his wives had explained to him that the crown prince of the Ten Kingdoms was slowly given control of more and more of the empire as he got older, so that by the time his father was starting to get old, the crown prince would be very nearly ruling already.

Prince George continued. "And, for the sake of argument, let's say that the area was heavily overtaxed and its ruler was not the most pleasant fellow. This hypothetical prince might not have been sure how to tackle the problem. He might even have consulted with the emperor and some of the wisest men in the realm to try to help the people of that land, and even had many of Illuminar's faithful praying ardently for a solution, but none came."

Ethan could think of a solution, but it involved a shovel and about six feet of dirt.

"Then, hypothetically on the very day that his entire family finished a month of prayer and fasting for a solution to this problem, rumors of a new prophet of Illuminar are heard for the first time in decades."

Ethan looked around the table at his wives. Taloni was beaming, and the rest had mouths open and/or eyes wide.

*I would assume that's why he's been less convinced by whatever evidence Lady Ekthros and my father have been presenting.* Rachel thought to the group chat.

*Makes sense.* Ethan agreed.

After a moment's pause, Prince George continued. "Now, as sometimes happens, someone passing through that hypothetical troubled and over-taxed land sees an injustice and gets involved. That, of course, would lead to a bounty and no end of trouble for the someone who got involved, and his family too." He looked at Kendra in her wheelchair.

Ethan resisted the urge to set his jaw. Sure, Kendra was getting better and would recover fully, but the fact that she had to recover at all made him want to growl.

"So, what's this hypothetical prince to do?" Prince George paused, likely choosing his words carefully. "Well, hypothetically, he might have had a conversation with the ruler of the land months ago saying that if the ruler couldn't keep his realm peaceful and under control, then, hypothetically, the prince might have to step in. So if, perhaps, that someone who had previously caused trouble continued to cause trouble without involving civilians, then maybe this hypothetical ruler might not tell the hypothetical prince about it. And if the prince isn't told, could he get involved?"

"Hypothetically, I don't see how he could." Ethan replied, a wide smile breaking out on his face.

"Of course, if that someone let too many civilians get caught in the crossfire, or caused large amounts of collateral damage, or involved other realms..." The Crown Prince looked at Ethan pointedly. "...then the hypothetical prince would almost certainly hear and might need to get involved. But, hypothetically, if that never happens, then the prince might never know. And could he help the ruler if he didn't know about it?"

"Like Ethan said, I don't see how he could." Alana said with a wide smile, and Ethan's other wives echoed the sentiment.

"Good." Prince George smiled, then stood. "I just wanted to get your opinion on that hypothetical scenario." His face was straight, but his eyes were twinkling and had a smile in them. He looked at Ethan. "Moving on to completely unrelated topics, have you decided about Ellis and Tabitha joining your crew as observers? Of course, their combat skills would be at your disposal for any noble purpose."

"I'm ninety percent sure we'll accept." Ethan replied. "Sarah hasn't gotten a chance to talk to Fiona yet. But unless Fiona says something pretty terrible about Tabitha, we'll accept."

"She won't." Prince George replied, his face still straight and eyes still twinkling. "Tabby is a particular favorite of Lady Delmar." He looked at the bodyguard. "Isn't that right Tabby?"

"Yes." Tabitha replied entirely without emotion.

"I think I'm going to call you 'Lady Spock'." Ethan chuckled at the seemingly emotionless woman's response.

Tabitha didn't reply.

Prince George took a deep breath. "Take care Ethan, and tread lightly. Remember that your actions will affect all around you, possibly including other lorddoms."

"I will." He nodded.

"Also, you might want to suggest that young Miss Asimentae invite Colonel Forsythe to her coming-of-age ball." Prince George added. "And perhaps her wedding as well, assuming she is indeed betrothed to Ahjah later today. It would be a shame for Lord Farbrottan to misinterpret the amount of time you spent at the Wilderness Outpost and think that the good Colonel is up to no good. As I understand it, any member of the Ivernian Military is duty-bound to accept an invitation from the wood elven nobility to maintain good relations between the two nations. That should get the good Colonel out of harm's way."

"I'll see what I can do." Ethan nodded, thinking they would ask Lord Kalus if he could make yet another stop on his way there. Though, he was starting to rack up quite the debt of favors with Timarou's royal family.

"Do let me know if miss Gladstone ends up being wed to him." Prince George added with a smile. "Helga would say that I'm a sucker for a good love story."

"One of these days, maybe you could tell us yours?" Beth asked.

"Perhaps my curious friend, but I've interrupted your breakfast and must be going." Prince George walked to the door with Ellis and Tabitha following his lead.

"Thank you, and I mean that." Ethan looked at him significantly.

"Again, it is partially self-serving." Prince George replied. "Dragons live a long time, and as such, you'll be Illuminar's Prophet the entirety of my life. I'm hoping you won't bear any ill will toward my family."

"I don't." Ethan said. "I get that you're in a tough spot and I appreciate the consideration you've offered."

"You seem almost afraid of Illuminar's prophets." Selene observed.

"There are three major powers in the world." Prince George replied. "The state headed by a monarch, religion headed by the priests, and the God of Light, represented by His prophets. One can make an enemy of the State and run, or an enemy of religion and ignore his conscience, but where can a man flee from Illuminar? From the peak of the highest mountain, to the depths of the deepest valley; from the driest desert to the lands across the sea; who can escape His hand or set himself against the God of Light and prevail?"

"The Book of Light?" Ethan asked.

"The last part, yes." Prince George nodded. "Religion and the State exist in a state of tension, each providing a balance to the other. But when one tips too far out of balance, Illuminar sends a prophet to make things right. Woe betide the man to whom Illuminar sends a prophet for a stern rebuke."

"Ah, fear of Illuminar, not his prophets." Selene mused.

"The fear of Illuminar is the beginning of wisdom." Prince George replied. "To live your life not considering that He watches and judges the thoughts and actions of a man is the height of folly." He smiled. "Thankfully, He also presents Himself as an understanding father who has near infinite patience for when mortals strive to lead a good life and yet stumble anyway."

"He's so wonderful." Taloni sighed with a wide smile.

"He is indeed." Prince George nodded. "Now, unfortunately, I must take my leave." He looked at everyone, ending looking at Ethan. "May Illuminar guide you on the path of Light as you travel."

"And you as well." Ethan replied. "And again, thank you. I'm not sure I could explain how much this means to me."

"You're welcome." Prince George smiled. "Please keep that in mind if Illuminar ever has a stern rebuke for me through you." He gave Ethan a nod of respect and left the room, Ellis and Tabitha following behind him.

Everyone watched the door for several long seconds after they left.

Wow.

Just... just wow.

"Did that just happen?" Selene said with utter disbelief in her tone. "Did we really just catch a break?"

"Nah, couldn't have been." Ethan replied when he'd found his voice. "That kind of thing doesn't happen to us."

"It does now." Taloni said brightly.

"Wow." Ethan said after a moment. "I still have no idea how to tackle the Lord Farbrottan problem, but now at least we can tackle it."

There was a general chorus of agreement among them.

"We should keep this mostly to ourselves Drago." Kendra said after a moment. "Falkaan should know, and maybe after we've left Nalatia we could tell a few others, but for now, I think we should keep this to ourselves to preserve operational security."

"Wait, we can't tell Thea?" Sarah asked.

"It would be better to wait." Kendra replied. "Secrets have a way of getting out if too many people know about them, even if everyone involved is trustworthy."

"But Thea has done so much for us and I know she'd never tell." Sarah countered

"And would you ask her to keep a secret from her husband?" Kendra countered. "Well, assuming she does marry Ahjah. I don't think she would tell either, but again, the more people who know, the greater the chance that this slips out. Do you realize how much trust the Crown Prince just extended to us?"

Sarah frowned, then shook her head.

"If this got out, it would be a scandal the likes of which hasn't been seen in the Ten Kingdoms in a hundred years." Rachel began to explain. "Prince George just basically gave his approval for us to wage war against a lord of the Ten Kingdoms. If the other lords found out about that, it could fracture the empire. If the empire fractures, how long do you think it would take for the Winter Empire to come marching in and conquer everything?"

"Not very long." Alana frowned. "They would prepare for war the moment they heard of it."

Sarah's face fell. "But..." She worked her mouth for a moment, but apparently couldn't come up with a counterargument. "I don't want to not say something; it'll feel like I'm keeping a really big secret from her and I would hate doing that."

"Sarah, how about this?" Ethan said. "I agree that we shouldn't tell anyone right now, but how about you tell Thea that we have some big news that we can't share until after we leave Nalatia. That way, she knows it's coming and it should feel less like you're keeping a secret."

Sarah frowned, but nodded. "Okay. I still don't like it, but okay."

"I also think we should keep any conversation about this strictly telepathic." Kendra added, then looked at Sarah. "Excepting, of course, someone telling you what's being said."

"Agreed." Ethan nodded, then looked at Selene. "Can you tell Myla so she can tell Falkaan? And make sure they know to keep the discussion telepathic only and not to tell anyone else."

"I'll do that now." The gorgeous telepath replied.

"It usually feels like nothing ever goes right." Beth said with a smile. "This feels like it might be a turning point, like things might start going right."

"War is hell." Ethan replied. "I don't want to dump a bucket of cold water on your enthusiasm, and I agree it seems like things are turning for the better, but don't forget that we're going to be fighting a war soon."

The blonde nodded.

"Since that's the case, I think I have sad news." Alana said. "Well, not 'sad' exactly, but the kind of minor thing that isn't a big deal, but it feels like a big deal."

"What?" Beth asked.

"Everyone except for Kendra needs a new dress that covers all the exposed skin from the neck down, except the hands of course." Alana said. "It's a minor miracle that none of those arrows hit bare skin. If they had, things might've gone very differently."

Ethan looked around at his wives, whose various dresses had skin showing in many places, though no one would call them revealing. Their faces fell, every one of them.

"Damn." Selene frowned. "I really like my dress."

There was a general chorus of agreement from his other wives.

"I do too, but I want you all safe even more." Ethan said.

"We can work on that while you're gone, assuming that The King will be willing to give us some double-enchantable fabric." Alana said.

"I'm sure he will." Rachel said. "And, it might even be possible to get some very thin dragon leather to layer under the fabric to better protect our torsos."

"I'm all in favor of that." Ethan said.

"Me too." Kendra agreed from her wheelchair. "And while you're at it, you might want to make some kind of belt for Ethan so he doesn't need to carry that satchel around anymore. Things that can move around like that aren't ideal in combat."

"Hmm, I suppose I could." Alana cocked her head to one side. "Yeah, individual pouches for each grenade, plus one or two for general-purpose use at the front... yeah... yeah, that wouldn't be hard."

"Sounds like a plan." Ethan gave her a thumbs up, then paused. "Did that really just happen? Did Prince George really just give us permission to deal with Lord Farbrottan?"

"I know, it doesn't feel real." Alana replied. "It might be a mark of how badly things have been going lately that good news is surprising."

"I don't know, it isn't all bad." Ethan said with a wide smile as he looked around at his wives.

They all smiled in response.

* * *

"How did it go?" Sarah asked Thea as soon as her friend and Ahjah had returned from their brunch with The King and The Queen. Sarah had been waiting for them and pulled them into her future husband's suite when they had returned. Ethan and his wives were all in the living area and looked at the gorgeous elf, obviously awaiting her response.

"It was horrible!" Thea lamented, throwing her hands up in the air and huffing.

"It was not the most pleasant meal I have ever attended." Ahjah nodded.

"My guardian treated Ahjah like some sort of criminal who needed interrogation!" Thea huffed. "It didn't matter what anyone said -- even The Queen -- The King poked a hole right through it."

"Oh." Sarah's face fell. "I'm sorry."

"He'll never let us get married now!" Thea flopped down on a nearby seat, her expression sullen and her shoulders drooping.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Rachel spoke up. "While, of course, Illuminar might've arranged things specially so you could meet Ahjah, do you really think The King is unaware of how well-suited to each other you two are?"

Thea looked at the redhead, opened her mouth, then cocked her head to one side and made a thoughtful sound.

"It's entirely possible that he picked Ahjah to be your custodian because he hoped that you two would want to wed each other." Rachel continued.

"I would not be surprised." Ahjah said after a moment. "By reputation, The King is the type to be very concerned that his daughters marry well."

"Yes, but would you grill your daughter's prospective husband that hard?" Thea countered to Ahjah, her dander clearly up.

"Perhaps harder." Ahjah replied calmly.

Thea rolled her eyes and looked at Ethan. "You wouldn't be so combative when choosing your daughters' husbands, would you?"

"Nope." Ethan shook his head. "But mostly because I'm not going to choose their husbands; they can pick themselves."

Everyone except for Selene stared at him.

"Pardon me for asking, but was that a jest?" Ahjah asked.

"Nope." Ethan shook his head. "I'll give an opinion, and I might demonstrate just how strong a dragon's temper can be to scare off anyone with ill intent, but that's not my choice to make. Once my daughters are adults, they can make up their own minds."

Ahjah frowned. "If that is indeed your plan, I would not publicize it widely; most would think much the less of you for it."

"Why?" Selene asked.

"A father shirking one of his most important and sacred duties toward his daughters?" Ahjah raised an eyebrow. "That would be like refusing to protect your daughter if she was attacked, in that it is shirking another sacred duty: protecting your daughters."

"Those aren't remotely the same thing." Ethan replied, and Sarah thought he sounded a little irked.

"Peace, honored Prophet." Ahjah said with a respectful bow. "I meant no offense, and I understand that the culture from whence you hail is quite different. However, in this culture, those two things are seen quite similarly."

"Okay." Ethan said after a moment. "I think that's absurd, but okay."

"It really isn't." Kendra said. She had spent much of the morning after breakfast working to move her toes and had succeeded in getting all of them moving. She even had slight movement in her ankle. "There are some horrible men out there, and a girl who has just reached marriageable age is quite gullible and naive. Sure, there are enough good men that she might pick a good one, but what if she doesn't? What if she wanted to marry someone like Raklan?"

"Everyone makes poor choices sometimes." Ethan replied. "Young women, old men, and everyone in between; does that mean they shouldn't have a choice?"

"Master, the Book of Light says that we can know whether something is good by its fruit." Taloni spoke up. "Didn't you say that half of all marriages on Earth end in divorce? That doesn't seem like good fruit."

"Careful Taloni." Selene spoke up. "That comes perilously close to 'the ends justifies the means'. Even if -- hypothetically -- a father choosing his daughter's husband led to better outcomes, that still doesn't make it right. I'm sure there's a verse in the Book of Light about not doing something bad just because it will have good results."

Tee nodded. "Do not be misled, for there are some who say 'let us do evil that good might result'. As I live, says Illuminar, you shall not do such a thing to profane my name with your detestable deeds." The Fey teen frowned after saying that.

"Selene, my lord, you're assuming that a father choosing his daughter's husband is evil." Rachel said. "You would first need to establish that as a fact."

"Would you really want your father choosing your husband?" Ethan asked.

"I assumed that he would eventually, at least until I learned that he had disinherited me." Rachel replied quietly. "It hurt that he gave up that right."

"But weren't you so concerned with not wanting someone to tell you what to do?" Ethan replied.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm a woman; I'm allowed to want contradictory things at the same time."

Everyone chuckled.

"You all are serious about this then?" Ethan asked his wives. "I know we've touched on it before, but we never really talked about it before. You really want me to choose husbands for our daughters?"

Sarah nodded along with the rest of his wives except for Selene.

"Um, I know that if my father had refused to pick a husband for me, I would've been really hurt." Sarah finally said. "Rindrin was probably the best husband I could've gotten if Illuminar hadn't had other plans." She looked at her betrothed and smiled.

"I agree with Sarah." Alana spoke up. "I'm worried about how I'm going to explain to Ruth -- or any other daughters we might have -- that their father isn't willing to pick out a husband for them. I hope they aren't hurt by that, because I certainly would've been."

"Seriously?" Ethan asked.

"I'm very serious." Alana replied. "Ahjah is right that here in the Ten Kingdoms, a father choosing his daughter's husband is considered a sacred and important duty. Right or wrong, it's seen as one of the primary ways that a father cares for his daughter, especially after she's grown. Even if you disagree, our daughters are going to hear that because we live in this culture. Would you really want them to feel like their father isn't willing to care for them in a way that's universally considered important?"

"I would just explain it to them, starting when they're young." Ethan replied. "I'll just tell them that I think they should be able to choose who they marry because it's their right, and I'm respecting their rights."

"That presupposes that it's a woman's right to choose who she marries." Thea pointed out. "Look, I really want to marry Ahjah, but I'm self-aware enough to know that I'm not thinking rationally. It would be so easy for me to feel something and let my emotions get the best of me, which could easily lead me into a bad situation." She paused. "Honestly, as much as I'm frustrated that it seems like I won't be able to marry Ahjah, I know I'm not thinking about it clearly."

Ethan grinned, and Sarah had learned to recognize that particular grin as the one he made when he thought he was about to make a particularly compelling point. "So then, would the same apply to a man who isn't thinking clearly because he's in love with a woman?"

Ethan's wives, except for Selene, all looked at each other and then at him with long-suffering expressions.

Rachel raised her eyebrow. "My lord, really?"

Alana was slowly shaking her head. "Ethan, wouldn't you say that women -- especially young women of marriageable age -- are more emotional than men, and thus more easily misled?"

"More emotional, maybe." Ethan replied. "But as to being misled, I think it depends on the man or woman in question."

"Seconded." Selene raised her hand with one finger pointing up.

"Okay, but then--" Alana stopped as someone knocked on the door.

The door opened and one of the Lightguard stood there with Delabor behind him.

The herald bowed, then spoke. "Honored prophet, the time for The King's official decision concerning Pelathea Wild Child and Ahjah Golden Tongue's betrothal approaches."

Thea's shoulders slumped. "Okay, let's get this over with."

"Do not lose heart." Ahjah said. "He might yet agree, and persistence might change his mind even if he does not. His objections are not to my character, but my situation. My situation could always be improved."

Thea nodded and then stood.

Sarah stepped over to her and took her hand. "I'm sure it'll be okay. Anyone can see that you two are perfect for each other."

Thea half smiled. "Thank you."

"Let's table this discussion for later." Ethan said.

"Okay, but we definitely should discuss it." Alana replied with a nod.

"Agreed." Ethan replied, then they all headed out.

* * *

*Hey Boss?*

*Yeah?* Ethan resisted the urge to smile as his Precious contacted him telepathically on the way to the Hall of Meeting, which is where The King would make his announcement about Ahjah and Thea's betrothal.

*I think we need to consider the possibility that we might not be able to convince them.* His newest wife replied.

*This is important.* Ethan replied.

*Oh, I agree; strongly.* Her mental tone supported that. *But they've grown up this way their entire lives, so it's been normalized for them their entire lives. I'm not saying we should give up -- we shouldn't -- I'm just saying that it's really hard to use logic to change someone's mind about something when the view isn't held because of logic.*

*Well, at minimum, we have the rest of Alana's pregnancy plus eighteen years, so we have some time.* He paused. *I don't want my daughters getting married that young though, so likely more.*

*Yeah, anyone with a wife that young must be a pervert.* She replied with a hint of sass.

*Oh, I am.* He teased back, then added more seriously. *We have time.*

*I'm not sure we have as much as you think we have.* She thought to him. *Kids pick things up like sponges, so probably by the time they're five or ten, they'll have their views set. Not that you and I can't teach them that they can choose, but I think it would be silly to think they won't absorb the prevailing view from your other wives and the culture around them. Frankly, even if all your wives were on board, unless you stuck them at the top of a castle's highest tower, they'll pick it up anyway.*

*The top of a tower isn't such a bad idea, there's even a dragon to guard them.* He quipped back.

*You know I'm right.* Selene replied.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. *Yeah, you might be.*

*Also, given how smart Rachel and Alana are, I'm guessing some of their daughters will just up and say they won't pick anyone and ask you to pick for them. It would be silly to think that they wouldn't think of that, and the rest of your daughters might follow suit. What then?*

*This is my fault; the women I married are just too damn smart.* He winked at her.

Selene raised her eyebrow. *Ethan, have you ever noticed that you use humor as a defense mechanism to deflect when you don't want to deal with something?*

He stopped short and looked at her.

*Okay, spill.* Alana thought to the group chat, since they had all stopped when Ethan and Selene had.

*I was just pointing out that our husband uses humor as a defense mechanism to deflect when he doesn't want to deal with something.* Selene thought to everyone.

*Traitor.* Ethan replied in mock-offense, then paused and cocked his head to one side. *Man, I do do that, don't I?*

All of his wives nodded.

Sarah looked a little confused until Alana whispered into her ear. A moment later, she spoke to him. "Oh, yes you do."

"I'll work on it." He said with a sigh. A real one this time.

"Honored prophet, the Hall of Meeting is through here." Delabor said.

They had been walking through the grounds inside the palace's security perimeter, but outside the palace itself. The grounds were beautiful, but more importantly, they were extremely well protected and no one from the outside would even be able to see them, much less attack them. They had stopped near a rear entrance to a familiar-looking 'building', which was of course composed of living trees grown together.

Ethan and company entered and walked through the extravagantly carved walls toward the Atrium where The King would announce his decision. If this building was on Earth, it would've been made from the finest marble in the world.

When they reached the enormous Atrium, his wives again looked up at the walls leading up to the vaulted ceiling that had so captured their attention the other day, right before their audience with the Crown Prince to tell him their story. A small wooden platform had been brought in, probably for The King to stand on, and there were purple banners hanging from the walls that hadn't been there last time. A large-ish portion of the court was there opposite The King's platform, and they appeared to be waiting expectantly.

"I thought I had misremembered how beautiful this place is." Alana said as she stared at the ceiling. "I didn't."

"There's a lot of beauty in here." Ethan replied. He looked at her pointedly and then at the rest of his wives, who all smiled and a few blushed.

"I must concur." Ahjah said from beside Ethan. He wasn't looking at Thea, but the comment was obviously intended for her.

Thea got her trademark half sheepish, half embarrassed expression as her cheeks got a bit of pink in them. Sarah nudged Thea gently and the two women both giggled slightly. It was good to see Sarah looking so well after the ambush yesterday.

Speaking of the ambush, it occurred to him that Taloni's slinging had actually killed one or two of their attackers. Hmm, he hadn't checked in with her about that. She seemed okay, but still...

"Thea!" Someone called out of the crowd, and it took a moment for Ethan to recognize Sarisa, Thea's sister.

"Sari!" Thea called back, and the two sisters hurried to each other and embraced each other, then began jabbering away in elvish. After a moment, Thea paused and switched to the common tongue, and her sister did as well.

While most of them were distracted by Sarisa's arrival, Ethan thought to Tee. *Hey honey, got a second?*

*Of course Master.* She replied brightly.

*So, I wanted to ask about the ambush yesterday.* He began. *I was told that your slinging really helped and I'm proud of you for it.*

*Thank you!* The Fey teen beamed.

*You're welcome, but I did have a question.* He hesitated, trying to decide how to phrase it. *I heard that your slinging killed one or two of the attackers; are you okay with that?*

*I would rather it was them than my family.* She replied with a note of fierceness in her tone.

*But are you okay that you killed someone?* He asked, wanting to make sure. *That can really do a number on a person.*

He was watching her, and she bit her lip and looked down as she replied. *Um, Master; that wasn't the first time.*

*It wasn't?* Ethan asked, trying to think of when she'd ever been in combat before. As far as he could think of, she never had.

*No Master.* She didn't meet his eye.

*Do you mean when you lost a patient at the mine?* He asked.

She shook her head.

He frowned. *But I don't think you've been in combat since we met, and throwing fruit didn't kill anyone.* He replied, thinking of how she'd helped when his wives were ambushed in Timarou's capital.

*Um, it was before we met Master.* Taloni said rather hesitantly. *When I was younger.*

*How much younger?* Ethan asked.

Tee looked at him, the corners of her mouth doing an odd dance where it looked like she was trying to smile or put on a brave face while recalling a painful memory. *Much younger.*

He was trying to decide if he should ask when she continued.

*Master, I will tell you about it if you ask me to, but I don't want to talk about it.* She paused. *I don't even want to think about it.* She bit her lip. *I'll tell you if you ask, but... um...* Her mental tone got rather small and quiet. *...please don't ask.*

*Okay Tee, I won't.* He promised, wondering how much he'd underestimated what she had been through. This wasn't the first time she'd mentioned something about her past that she didn't want to talk about, or even think about. He wanted to ask, but he'd just said he wouldn't and she clearly wasn't ready to talk about it.

*I love you Tee, never forget that.*

*Thank you Master, I love you too.* She replied, a tiny but genuine smile gracing her face.

He wondered about Tee's past for several minutes, then Delabor stepped in front of the platform and addressed everyone assembled. "Honored members of the court, your honored King, long may he reign."

"Long may he reign." The whole room echoed.

The King entered, strode to the platform, and then addressed those assembled. "Honored members of the court, by now, most of you will have heard the announcement promulgated by the conclave this morning."

There was a general murmur of assent.

"Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has bestowed upon me the great blessing of being king over His most faithful realm." He extended his hand and waved it at the room, and probably the kingdom at large. "It is, then, only fitting and honorable that the crown officially recognizes that the Prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be the God of Light -- is indeed a true Prophet."

The applause that broke out at this announcement seemed sincere, but Ethan guessed that more normal citizens would've been more exuberant.

"He and his family shall henceforth be under the protection of the crown." The King turned to Ethan. "Your enemies shall be our enemies, and your friends shall be our friends. Our table shall be your table, and our home, your home."

"I'm honored." Ethan smiled.

It felt like for once, they were winning.

That felt good.

Amazing, actually.

The King turned back to the crowd. "This extends not only to the Prophet, Ethan Ejder, but also to his wives, Alana, Elizabeth, Taloni, Rachel, Kendra, Selene, and to his betrothed, Sarah." He indicated each in turn, and looked at each one of them as he did so.

Most of the court had looks of mild surprise on their faces. Ethan assumed that the announcement from the conclave that morning had been about using their names, which explained why they didn't look shocked beyond all belief.

"Henceforth." The King continued. "Let all who would assail the honored Prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be the God of Light -- in the wood elven realms know that they assail the crown as well. All who seek to harm the Prophet, or his wives, or even his traveling companions -- through any means whatsoever -- shall be no friend of our fair realm, nor to the crown."

The court applauded, though again, they had less enthusiasm than Ethan thought the average wood elf might.

The King waited for the applause to die down, which didn't take too long, then spoke again. "Now, as it concerns the marital disposition of my beloved ward, Pelathea Numiarian Asimentae, called Wild-Child, and the betrothal request of the honorable Ahjah Methkarah, called Golden-Tongue..." He looked at the two of them. "Approach."

They did, and Ethan was quite entertained that they both took a deep breath and puffed it out at the same moment.

Next to him, a few of his wives chuckled.

"To Ahjah Golden Tongue's character, the crown harbors no doubts." The King said when they were standing before him. "A man trusted as a custodian can also be trusted as a husband. However..." His tone became more serious. "A man must be able to provide for a wife, and in a level of comfort commensurate with her reasonable expectations and former station in life. Unfortunately, and sadly, the honorable Ahjah Golden Tongue cannot provide such a standard of living to my beloved ward."

Thea swallowed, bit her lip, and her gaze fell.

Ethan wondered if this was, perhaps, The King getting some good-natured revenge for all the trouble she'd caused him. And sure enough, a moment later...

"However." The King said.

Thea looked back up.

"Both the Book of Light and our own fables are replete with admonishments that money cannot buy the most important things in life." The King continued. "Stories such as The Pauper Luminar, The Virtuous Widow, and The Tale of Two Coins instruct us that those not blessed with abundant wealth can find true fulfillment in the service of the God of Light." He looked at the couple. "Given that they both have expressed a desire to travel with the Prophet and assist him, I shall consider this case like that of a luminar, whom none would say should be denied a good wife simply because his wages are meager."

Ahjah and Thea both appeared to wait with bated breath.

The King looked at Ahjah. "Therefore, upon receipt of the title for the Nomad's Pride, I will accept your offer."

Thea's face could've outshone the sun.

"You are most generous, honored and wise king." Ahjah reached into his robes, pulled a scroll out, walked to the platform, and offered it to The King. "The title."

The King took it, then addressed Thea with a smile. "My beloved ward, allow me to introduce you to your betrothed: Ahjah Methkarah, called Golden-Tongue."

Thea squealed, then jumped forward onto the platform and threw her arms around The King in a hug. "Thank you!"

"It is unfortunate that my ward is not pleased with the match." The King said in a deadpan tone as he hugged her back.

The entire court laughed.

Ahjah cleared his throat loudly, though he was clearly struggling to prevent himself from grinning ear-to-ear as he did so.

Thea stepped back and gave him a long-suffering look, then apparently realized where she was, and her trademark half-embarrassed, half sheepish grimace made an appearance as she looked at The King. "I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"It is forgiven." The King replied with a wide smile that reached deep into his eyes. Then he added with a twinkle in his eyes. "Such outbursts are the responsibility of your betrothed now."

"They are." She grinned, then turned to Ahjah. "I'll try to be better."

His eyes also twinkled as he replied. "As your 'custodian' for the rest of our lives, I shall make sure you do." He winked.

Thea tried and failed to give him a look; she was beaming too much.

"Now, my Wild Child." The King said pointedly. "Comport yourself, else I shall decide to postpone the betrothal kiss."

Thea instantly arranged all of herself into the picture of a proper lady. Well, all but her eyes and the corners of her mouth. She then properly stepped down from the platform on which The King was standing and placed herself beside Ahjah with form and grace that Ethan thought even Lady Shara would approve of.

*Thea says thank you.* Selene thought to the group chat. *She said that this couldn't have happened without us, and especially Ethan and Sarah, and she's incredibly grateful.*

*We were happy to help.* Ethan replied as Alana whispered into Sarah's ear.

*Sarah says that she was honored to help.* Alana thought to the group chat a moment later.

Thea glanced at Ethan and his wives and flashed them a dazzling smile.

They all smiled back.

The King spoke. "Because betrothal binds a couple so tightly together that it can only be broken by a divorce, it is traditional to seal it with a proclamation of love." He looked at Ahjah. "You may seal the betrothal with a single kiss."

Ahjah turned to Thea, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her close. She sucked in her breath as their faces drew close. He didn't kiss her yet though. Ethan could see his lips moving subtly, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Whatever he was saying made the smile on Thea's face grow continuously wider until she was beaming ear-to-ear, even with her obvious attempts to remain the picture of a proper lady.

Ahjah leaned in a little closer so their lips were barely an inch apart.

Thea appeared to be breathing rather heavily.

Ahjah whispered one more thing, then dipped her slightly and pressed their lips together. Probably subconsciously, Thea wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself close, though thankfully she didn't do anything unsuitable for the very public occasion.

Ethan felt his smile widen as he watched.

For as terrible as the previous day had been, the previous evening up until now had been amazing. For some reason, it felt like he and his wives had turned a corner. Sure, there were still problems and a war coming, but it all seemed so much more possible now than it had twenty-four hours ago.

That was wonderful.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began on day 137 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 138. I usually submit chapters on the last Wednesday of the month, but again, I am looking to move sometime soon. So if I don't drop a chapter, just assume that's the month I move. I'll try to drop a super short mini-chapter that month, just for fun, but I make no promises. Anyway, assuming there isn't an interruption to move, I'll submit the next chapter on November 26th, and it'll probably drop on November 28th or 29th after the 2-3 day review process.

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

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, blonde, brunette, redhead