Chapter 77: The other side of the tracks

* * *

"And that's basically what Mage Melek suggested." Ethan finished explaining to The King and Prince George. They were in a small room in the palace, as Ethan had requested an urgent audience with both of them immediately after the meeting with Lord Farbrottan's court mage, Theo Melek.

"An embodied Nesteri." The King mused. "That is truly a task worthy of a prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He."

"It is indeed." Prince George replied. Judging by his tone, he was either deep in thought or his mind was partially elsewhere. "The report from Ivernia of a young giant is extremely recent, and as such, the imperial family hasn't yet decided how to handle that news."

"Speaking of giants, how often do you see them?" Ethan asked. "The way people were talking, it doesn't sound like they're rare. And the same question about their fathers."

"There are five remaining giants that we know of, counting this young one, all in the Wilding Lands." Prince George replied. "Giants are very long-lived because of their supernatural parentage." He paused again. "The most recently discovered embodied Nesteri was killed by a team led by a previous prophet; I know that much, though I don't recall the specifics. Honestly, the Imperial family had been hoping that was the last one; clearly it wasn't.

"Well, maybe this one will be the last." Ethan shrugged.

"Hopefully." Prince George replied. "I can send for the empire's records and see if they contain any information that might assist you."

"I'd appreciate it, especially any information on how to find it." Ethan replied. "The Wilding Lands seem like the obvious place to start, given the young giant that the Ivernian military saw."

"I agree." The King replied. "It is especially concerning that you consider the embodied Nesteri the source of the influence in the wood elven kingdom."

"That was just a guess, but it makes sense." Ethan replied. "I guess we'll find out. I'm not crazy about taking my family into such a dangerous area, but it seems like I'll need to."

"I understand." Prince George said. "However, sometimes, the closer you are to danger, the further you are from harm."

Ethan shrugged. "Anyway, I have something I need to attend to outside of Nalatia, and I can't get there fast enough in the Argo, so I'll be flying. I'm planning to leave later today."

Prince George smiled, then looked at The King. "Your Majesty, what is your opinion of Duke Farbrottan's annual tournament in Ivernia?"

The King got an amused look on his face. "I have, on occasion, attended it. I find the 'open' portion particularly diverting. It is unusual for a tournament to allow non-nobility to compete, and even less usual to allow non-knighted men to compete. In general, the open portion is the most interesting and draws the largest crowd."

Ethan looked between them, starting to feel a little silly that he'd been trying to keep it a secret if they had both guessed.

"It is a shame that it requires a letter of residence from someone in the Ivernian government or military to compete, even in the 'open' matches." The King continued.

"A letter of residence from a colonel would be acceptable." Prince George replied, then looked at Ethan.

"Glad I have one then." Ethan chuckled, thinking about the letter of residence that Colonel Forsythe had given him along with a few other papers describing how the tournament was structured, then looked between them as he slowly shook his head. "Am I really that easy to read?"

"Not quite." Prince George replied. "However, given all that is on your mind and heart that we--" He indicated The King and himself. "--have seen, it was not hard to deduce."

"It would seem unusual for a combatant in the 'open' division to have dragon leather armor or dragon steel weapons." The King added. "It would, perhaps, behoove you to see if your first wife could alter the look of your dragon steel sword so that it looks more like regular steel. Though, being a tournament, you should only need your elven steel training sword."

"Good point, but what about my enchanted leather shield?" Ethan asked. "That's a core part of how I fight."

"Provided that you do not summon it, that should not give you away." Prince George replied. "Leather shields are rather common."

"Good." Ethan nodded. "And what about armor? My new disguise gem--" He touched it since he was wearing it. "-- should allow me to make my current armor look like something else; suggestions?"

"A gambeson with jack chains?" Prince George suggested.

A gambeson was essentially fabric armor made of many layers of linen sewn together. It could be uncomfortably warm, but it was quite effective against cutting weapons -- unless they were absurdly sharp -- because it was like trying to cut through an oven mitt. Then, 'jack chains' were several-inch-long steel or iron chains attached to the gambeson at regular intervals that provided extra defense against cutting weapons. Gambeson was relatively cheap, and the jack chains weren't terribly expensive either, so it would be reasonable for a commoner to have them. He had even seen a couple of people in Dotmier wearing such armor.

"I would suggest the jack chains look like leather because your disguise gem will not produce the appropriate sounds for a steel-on-steel strike." The King said. "Using leather enchanted with self-repairing and hardening enchantments is less common than iron jack chains, but is preferred by some mercenaries because it requires no maintenance."

"Good point." Prince George said. "In that case, I suggest a leather helmet as well. It's also less common, but again, preferred by some because an enchanted leather helmet requires no care."

Ethan nodded. "I can do that."

"Such weapons and armor will be within the means of a successful mercenary." The King added. "Your skill and unorthodox blend of fighting styles will be more plausible if you present your background as a mercenary."

"I'll do that, thanks." Ethan nodded. "I should leave my hammer and dagger behind though, shouldn't I?"

"The combination of weapons would indeed be very recognizable." Prince George said.

"Dang, okay."

"The winner of every division is granted a personal, private audience with Lord Farbrottan." The King added. "Given that he is the lord of Ivernia, it is likely that the winner will be subjected to increased scrutiny before meeting him. That will very likely include a very skilled mage intentionally looking for any signs of a disguise gem; it is unlikely that your disguise would survive such scrutiny."

"So basically, I need to throw the final match." Ethan mused, internally bristling at the thought.

"Sometimes, it is advisable to lose a battle in order to win the war." Prince George nodded. "Knowing how to fight each battle to accomplish the objective is one of a leader's most important tasks."

Ethan nodded. "You're right, and I'm not sure I've ever said 'thank you' to you two. I'm honestly not that good at leadership and I really appreciate the advice you both have given, and Lord Kalus as well."

"You are welcome." The King replied.

"You're welcome." Prince George agreed.

"If you have any more advice on the topic, I'm all ears." Ethan said.

"The essence of leadership is this: leaders eat last." Prince George replied. "In the Imperial Military, the enlisted men are served their food first, then the officers, then the generals. It is the primary responsibility of a leader to ensure that those in his care are taken care of, and that is only one example. That means when a leader makes decisions, he must make them for the good of all under his authority. That includes himself, but a leader must never put his needs or desires above the good of those under him."

Ethan nodded slowly. "Lord Kalus would say the exact same thing, I think, and The King has said that." Ethan nodded respectfully to the elf.

The King nodded back.

"They are excellent leaders, so I am not surprised." Prince George nodded. "Remember this when making decisions. First, take advice from those you can trust before making them; in an abundance of counselors, there is safety."

Ethan nodded. "That makes perfect sense."

"And then second, the more difficult task." Prince George continued. "You must make your decisions while considering the good of everyone equally, yourself and your family included. You must consider the needs of the meekest person under your authority as equal in worth to your generals, and even your own family and yourself. Decisions must be made for the good of all."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Again, that makes perfect sense, but sounds like a tall order."

"Leadership, when properly done, is the most difficult of occupations." The King said. "Leadership is an unspoken sacred compact: the followers grant the leader the honor, prestige, and resources to lead, and in return, the leader uses those things for the betterment of those under his authority. The essence of leadership is not authority, but service. A leader is granted his improved position not so that he might improve his own position further, but rather, so that he might improve the lives of those under his authority."

"I like that." Ethan nodded. "I'm not sure I'll be any good at it, but I like it."

"Leadership is a skill." Prince George replied. "Like any other skill, it should be studied and must be practiced for one to improve."

Ethan nodded his head in concession. "Fair, I just wish the stakes weren't so high right now and I could practice with less on the line."

The King smiled. "There is not one good leader who has not wished for the same."

"Agreed." Prince George replied. "To summarize: take counsel from those you trust, and consider the good of all those under your authority when you make decisions; that is the essence of good leadership."

Ethan nodded slowly, thinking about that and committing it to memory. "I'll keep that in mind, and again, thank you."

"You are welcome." The King said.

"You're welcome." Prince George said, then looked at The King. "I would speak with Ethan alone for a moment, if you will give us the room."

The King bowed, then departed.

Once he had left, Prince George turned to Ethan. "This room is secure, so there is no need to be concerned about being overheard as long as you keep your voice low. Bearing that in mind, Lord Delmar visited me yesterday and told me that you and he have something surprising in common." The Crown Prince glanced at Ethan's disguise gem, then at his wings and tail.

"He did?" Ethan felt his jaw drop.

Prince George nodded. "He feared that since one of your wives accidentally let it slip to Lady Delmar, it might slip to others and then become widely known. He was also concerned that you might use it to blackmail him."

"I wouldn't, but okay." Ethan nodded. "Wow, that's... wow."

"How did you know?" Prince George asked. "The Aldmiri watched him like a hawk for a long time after he came to the throne and didn't have a clue."

"Ironically, Rachel." Ethan replied, and then explained about the birthmark that female descendants of dragons have, and how they realized that meant Lord Delmar was a dragon.

"Good to know." Prince George nodded slowly, paused for a moment, and then looked at Ethan. "So now, I have a question for you. If you were in my position, how would you handle it? I have, of course, informed the emperor. Some on his council advise to keep it a secret, some to proclaim it widely, and there are other positions as well. What say you? What would you advise?"

Ethan looked at him for a moment. "This is a test, isn't it?"

Prince George was unreadable as he replied. " Perhaps, perhaps not, and perhaps I merely wish to understand how you think."

Ethan inclined his head in concession.

Hmm.

His first thought was that if it was shouted from the rooftops, it would solve a lot of problems for him and his family. However, his second thought was about Lord Delmar's wife, Fiona, Fiona's son Conner, and the unborn baby she was carrying. As little as he liked Lord Delmar, he could imagine the shitstorm that would descend on the lord's family if it became publicly known. His family didn't deserve that.

There was also Narlotten to consider. Ethan didn't have a special place in his heart for Narlotten the way that he did for Ivernia, but it seemed like a good place from what he'd heard. A shakeup in the leadership could have very negative consequences for the lorddom.

On the other hand, what were the odds that it would stay a secret? He didn't think they were high, and that was a problem. With as many people who knew, it seemed like the odds of it becoming public knowledge were very high. Assuming that was the case, that really only left the question of how the information would get out, not if it should get out.

"We have a saying on Earth." He finally said after a moment. "It goes like this: 'Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead'. With as many people who know, it seems like a forgone conclusion that it will get out eventually."

Prince George appeared to be watching him carefully as he replied. "And how would you handle releasing that information?"

Ethan thought about it for several moments before speaking. "Well, if I was Lord Delmar, I'm sure I would've been thinking about the best way to do it since I became a lord, just in case. So I would probably ask him. You know, assuming he didn't try to kill me on the spot."

"And if you couldn't ask him but had to decide on your own?" Prince George asked.

Ethan tapped one of his toe claws on the floor and rubbed his chin with one hand as he thought about it. "I suppose I might have him make an announcement that he has big news, and he'll reveal it in a week or two. Then maybe start a rumor that he's a dragon to see how the populace reacts. That might even give time for some people to speculate that it could be a good thing. That way, the debate has already been started and people aren't so shocked by it."

Prince George made another thoughtful sound, though he was still watching Ethan carefully.

"And further, the gossip would give you an idea what people would be worried about too." Ethan continued. "Ithlan was the first emperor and did fine, though, he went mad later in life and the people might be worried about that. It might be a good idea to have an explanation for why Lord Delmar wouldn't do the same. It sounds like the people of Narlotten love him, so I'm guessing it would go okay. But then again, I would ask Lord Delmar because he's probably been thinking about this for decades. I know I would've been thinking about it in his shoes."

"You wouldn't wish to have it proclaimed widely without delay?" Prince George asked, still watching him carefully with an unreadable tone and body language.

Ethan shook his head. "I don't think anyone could predict how that would go. As much as I'd like to see Lord Delmar removed from Narlotten leadership, I don't think an abrupt change would be good for Narlotten as a whole."

"Good, you were listening." Prince George nodded slowly. "That's an interesting and measured approach."

"I try?" Ethan shrugged.

Prince George nodded. "Now, I believe that with you departing soon, your wives will want your attention. We shall speak again when you return, and may Illuminar guide you on the path of light as you travel."

"And you as well." Ethan replied.

* * *

Kendra wrapped her arms firmly around her husband's neck and Selene's neck as they lifted her out of the wheelchair. Her legs moved under her, which was good because she'd been working on them almost non-stop since the ambush. She managed to get them under her and in a reasonable semblance of where they should be to stand.

"We got you, go ahead." Ethan said, his tone encouraging.

"Thank you." She said as she tried to put some weight on them. It sort of worked. They felt weak and floppy and certainly couldn't hold her up, but she was determined to try.

"You don't have to push yourself like that." Sarah said from nearby. "You can take time to recover."

Kendra shook her head as she did her best to put her weight on her legs. "I'll start losing coordination and muscle soon. The sooner I can walk, the better."

"And?" Selene asked.

"It feels like my legs are soggy bread." Kendra sighed. "I need to exercise them though and can't do that by myself, so thank you."

"That's what we're here for." Ethan smiled at her.

For the next few minutes, they held her in a standing position and didn't let her fall as her treacherous legs refused to perform the way they had her entire life. Okay, 'treacherous' was probably a bit too harsh, but it felt like it sometimes.

"You'll get there." Ethan assured her. "It's only been two days and you're already semi-walking."

"Thanks." She replied, still not happy with her progress but vaguely aware that maybe she should be easier on herself. She had no intention of being easier on herself of course, but maybe she should consider it more seriously before discarding the idea.

"And we're done." Ethan announced as Kendra's legs slipped out from under her, though she didn't fall because Ethan and Selene were holding her.

Despite her protestations that she could continue, her husband scooped her into his arms -- which ended all such protestations -- and he carried her to the couch and sat down so that she ended up on his lap.

"There, that's better." He smiled at her. "My brown-eyed beauty."

Her cheeks suddenly felt a little warmer than usual.

"That's what makes you blush?" Ethan chuckled.

She nodded, then leaned forward and snuggled into him.

"He's leaving in a few hours, so it's time to get those snuggles in." Alana announced, claiming his left side.

Everyone looked at everyone else, then Selene nudged Sarah forward. "Go ahead. We spend every night with him; you don't."

Sarah tried to object, but Ethan's other wives joined Selene in insisting. That led to Sarah looking down at Ethan's right side, where Kendra's legs were somewhat limply lying where Sarah would normally sit, since Kendra was sitting crosswise on Ethan's lap.

"Go ahead, you can move them." Kendra sighed. "I'll do what I can to help."

"Um, okay." Sarah hesitated, then sat down and managed to slide under Kendra's legs with Ethan's help, and a little help from Kendra herself; emphasis on 'little'.

"I like this." Sarah said after a moment of leaning up against Ethan with Kendra's legs over her lap. "I've never snuggled with more than one person. It's nice."

"It'll be two people most nights once we're married." Ethan grinned at her.

"Unless you're stuck at one of the ends." Beth chuckled.

Everyone pulled up a chair and for the next thirty minutes, they rotated snuggling with Ethan since he would be leaving soon. They talked too, but there was a lot of comfortable silence. Kendra couldn't help but have a small smile on her face the entire time.

"Honored prophet?" One of the Lightguard said from the other side of the door to the living area of their suite in Nalatia. "The honorable Delabor King's Herald wishes to see you."

Beth was currently on Ethan's lap, so she sighed and then slid off.

"Send him in." Ethan gave Beth an apologetic look, then looked at the door.

"Honored Prophet." Delabor bowed once he had entered. "The King wished me to inform you that, if you wish, the funeral for Afisan Lightguard Sentinel, of happy memory, can be moved to this very hour so you might attend."

Everyone looked at Ethan.

"Absolutely, if the family doesn't mind." Ethan replied immediately. "He gave his life to protect my wives during that ambush. It's the least we can do."

"It shall be done, honored prophet." Delabor bowed, then looked at Ethan's wives. "The closest living kin to Afisan, of happy memory, is his daughter; she wished for you to attend in whatever clothes will keep you safest, irrespective of traditional funeral garb."

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, good." Alana breathed a sigh of relief.

"I shall return when it is time." Delabor said, then departed.

"I forgot." Ethan grimaced after he had left. "He died protecting us and I forgot to ask about the funeral."

"Elven funerals aren't usually so soon after the death." Alana said. "There's no reason for you to have worried about it so soon."

Ethan nodded, though he didn't look happy.

* * *

Ethan pushed Kendra's wheelchair as he and the rest of his family followed Delabor across the palace's grounds toward what looked like a large wooden platform. Very large. It was at least forty feet wide and looked to be quite thick. On it were The King, The Queen, Ahjah, Thea, the entire Lightguard except the ones surrounding him, and about a dozen other elves that Ethan didn't recognize.

All of them were dressed exactly the same.

Every single elf on the platform was wearing extremely simple clothes made of what looked like undyed linen. And by 'simple', he meant simple. The women's dresses almost didn't deserve to be called 'dresses' because they were so simple, almost boxy in design. Even the King was wearing an extremely simple linen garment. It was strange to see because literally every aspect of their culture was covered in exquisitely fine detail. He supposed it made sense that for funerals, they would do the opposite.

Ethan wearing his armor, his wives with their dresses, and the Lightguard in their armor stood out like sore thumbs.

"Honored Prophet." The King head bowed.

"Your Majesty." Ethan head bowed back.

"It is traditional in our funerals that not a word is spoken between when the platform begins its descent until we return from the forest floor and the platform has finished its ascent." The King said.

"Okay." Ethan nodded, though Alana had already told them of that.

The King stepped back to reveal Afisan's body. He had been clothed in simple, undyed linen as well, though his hands were on his chest and gripping his sword. Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then his group joined the others on the platform.

A servant holding a platter approached Ethan, his wives, and the Lightguard members and handed them each a small wooden cup with a few tablespoons of water in it. That's when Ethan realized that everyone else was holding one as well.

The King nodded to a nearby servant who was wearing normal clothes, and the servant touched a small panel near the large wooden platform. It slowly descended below the level of the palace and began to sink toward the forest floor below. It took several minutes for the platform to finish descending, and the descent happened in complete silence.

It was odd, but the silence did force Ethan to consider where they were and what they were doing. It was a sobering reminder of the stakes they were facing.

Once the platform had settled onto the forest floor, The King led the funeral procession along a well-worn path. All around him, wherever there weren't any massive tree trunks, Ethan could see small, round bushes that were about a foot in diameter. There weren't any other types of bushes in this area, so Ethan assumed that they were there on purpose. Maybe the elven equivalent of gravestones?

They walked for about five minutes, then The King led them off the path toward an open grave. There were several elves nearby wearing clothes that looked like everyone else's, though they had shovels as well.

The King stopped near the grave, then took a step back with everyone else while the pallbearers, who were all members of the Lightguard, came through carrying the body on a wooden frame just large enough for the body. They approached the open grave and set it down next to the grave. Then they grabbed several strips of what looked like silk under the body that Ethan hadn't noticed.

Everything was done in complete silence.

The pallbearers used the silk to lower the stiff body into the open grave. Alana had told them ahead of time that the stasis enchantment on the body was designed to weaken and then break after a week or two so the body could decay naturally.

Someone who was almost certainly a luminar approached the head of the grave and broke the silence, speaking in the beautiful elven tongue. Once he had finished, he spoke in English, likely translating what he'd just said. "An elf's spirit comes from Illuminar, and to Illuminar it returns." The luminar said something in elvish, then repeated it in the common tongue. "As Illuminar formed elves out of the earth, so we return this elf to the earth. May Illuminar welcome him into His rest. Blessed be He."

Everyone bowed their heads, so of course Ethan did as well.

He had a lot of questions about what was happening, but for some reason, even speaking telepathically so that no one else could hear felt wrong; disrespectful.

He remained silent.

So did everyone else.

After perhaps a minute, the pallbearers stepped away and the men who had been waiting began to fill in the grave. For as much dirt as there was, they filled it in far more quickly than Ethan would've thought possible.

As that was happening, Ethan noticed a relatively young elf woman nearby who was silently crying. Beside her, with his arm around her, was a very large wood elf with rough, calloused hands and a rough look about him. However, the way he was holding the elven woman was very tender; he seemed the 'gentle giant' sort of fellow.

Once the grave was filled in, the diggers stepped back.

The luminar stepped forward with a small spade in his hand, stuck it into the earth atop the grave, then levered it to create a small hole. He then stepped back and nodded to the crying woman. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward holding something. She paused over the grave, then set what looked like a seed into the hole the luminar had made, then stepped back. She seemed to hold her composure for a moment, then turned and held the elf who had been holding her tightly as her tears flowed freely.

It was still entirely silent.

The luminar used his small spade to cover the seed, then stepped back and nodded to The King. The King walked over to beside the luminar and turned, then held out the small wooden cup he was holding and poured its water over the seed that the woman had planted. He then started slowly walking back in the direction that they had come.

He was followed by The Queen doing the exact same thing, then Ahjah, Thea, and then everyone else. One-by-one, they poured the small amount of water from their wooden cups over the newly planted seed. Ethan and his wives did likewise, and it didn't take long until the water had spilled over the slightly mounded grave and onto the ground around it.

It looked like the earth itself was crying.

Ethan sniffled and blinked a few times as he walked back. The silence was deafening. Almost everyone around him was tearing up a little too. Oddly, because of the silence and stillness around them, it made everything feel more real. More serious. Unlike funerals on Earth, there were no distractions to take his mind off of why they were there. He found himself glad when they reached the wooden platform and began to ascend toward the city's level.

The moment the platform finished its ascent, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Honored Prophet?" A female voice he didn't recognize said from behind him.

He turned to see the woman who had planted the seed standing right behind him. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

She tried to smile, but wasn't entirely successful. "Thank you, but my father is with Illuminar -- blessed be He -- right now. I will miss him greatly until we are reunited in the God of Light's presence, but I am so blessed to call him my father."

Ethan smiled, or tried to. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I wanted to thank you for allowing my father the honor of guarding you and your wives." The elven woman said as she wiped her cheeks. "If I could but ask one more favor from you, even though I have no right to ask?"

"Ask away." He replied immediately.

"I am with child." She put a hand over her womb. "If, perhaps, you have time when my child is old enough, could you visit and recount the story of how my father fought to protect the Prophet of Illuminar?"

"Of course." Ethan promised. "For what your father did for me and my family, I would be happy to."

The elf smiled. "Thank you."

Ethan didn't know what to say. Pretty much everything that came to mind felt entirely hollow and meaningless. Also, it was incredible the conviction that the elven woman had. It reminded him of the Lightguard captain, Halasses Hamellion, or Taloni.

Not sure what else to say, he just stood there awkwardly.

"May the God of Light guide you on the path of light as you travel." Alana said from beside him.

"And you as well." The elven woman nodded, then turned to her husband.

"Thank you." Ethan whispered to Alana.

"You're welcome." She smiled at him, but it was a pained smile; it looked like the funeral, short though it was, had affected her as much as it had affected him. Though, now that he thought of it, she might be remembering her adoptive parents' funeral as well. He was going to ask her about it, but didn't get the chance.

"Honored prophet." The King said. "By tradition, there is a meal after the burial. However, as I understand you need to depart, I will explain your absence, that you are about the God of Light's business."

"Thank you." Ethan replied. "I do need to get going if I'm going to get there before dark."

"Then may the God of Light guide you on the path of light as you travel." The King said.

"And you as well." Ethan nodded.

* * *

Fiona paced back and forth in her room on the Helene as Conner fought sleep like his father always had. She hoped the baby in her womb wouldn't be like that because it was exhausting. But honestly, dealing with her wonderful but slightly exhausting son was a welcome distraction from worrying about the future of her family.

It wasn't actually succeeding in distracting her though.

No matter how cute and adorable her son was, and he was both, even he couldn't keep the worries away. She had tried everything that usually helped calm her anxieties, but here on the Helene without much to do, her mind was happily informing her of all the possible ways that everything could go terribly wrong. Sometimes, her mind was her own worst enemy.

Still, at least she was getting more time with Conner than she had been lately.

About five minutes later, the door opened and her husband came in. For possibly the first time since their wedding, he seemed slightly tired to her, physically speaking.

"Prince George has summoned us, along with Lady Ekthros, to a meeting with him at the palace tomorrow." He said without preamble.

"Okay Milord." Fiona nodded, though she wasn't happy about being in the same room with Lady Ekthros, even if her husband was there. After what she'd heard about her from Ethan's story, she didn't want to be in the same room. She wasn't actually sure that Lady Ekthros had done what she'd been accused of, but it didn't seem like a stretch.

"Is there a problem?" He asked.

She hesitated, then shook her head. "No Milord, not a real one. I'm just not wanting to be around Lady Ekthros."

He made a thoughtful sound. "That is beyond my control at present."

"I'm knowing." She replied.

He nodded once, then left.

Fiona took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then decided that if she was going to be worrying anyway, she might as well be praying about it.

* * *

"The Queen put a rush on it."

Ethan took the belt from Alana and gave it a careful inspection. It was a pretty wide belt with pouches large enough for grenades all around the outside, and they would thankfully completely conceal the grenades. It also had two differently shaped pouches in the front for miscellaneous items. It looked nice, though it lacked that classic 'elven' look where everything was subtly carved. That was probably a good idea because it was one less thing to worry about when turning on his disguise gem.

"It's self-repairing and cut-resistant, so no one should be able to steal anything." Alana added as he pulled his grenade satchel off, and Selene volunteered to take it as the wood elf continued. "The latches for the pouches are magically activated, so you'll need to put a drop of deep mana in each before you can use them. They aren't foolproof and someone could pull one open, but it would be difficult and it couldn't be done without you knowing."

"That's a lot better than a buckle that I'd have to undo while in combat." Ethan replied. "It's great; tell her thank you for me, would you?"

"I will." Alana nodded.

Ethan and his family were inside the living room of their suite in Nalatia. It really was past time for him to go. Taloni had calculated the travel time and he'd wanted to show up around dinnertime. At this point, he would be pushing it.

He looked around at them, his wives. Well, wives and betrothed, but betrothal here was basically stage one of marriage, and more than one person had referred to Sarah as his wife and betrothed interchangeably. Though, if they were truly interchangeable, he would've woken up with her beside him that morning.

*Ladies, promise to put some serious thought into how to make Sarah's wedding night special for her.* He thought to the group chat. *Obviously I will too, but I want all of our minds on this to make it the best it can possibly be for her.*

They all agreed.

"Hey Darlin'." He smiled at Sarah. "You promise you'll spend a lot of time working on that wedding so we can get married as soon as possible after Thea's coming-of-age ball?"

She grinned and nodded. "I promise."

He kissed her on the forehead, then kissed the rest of his wives, then stepped back and looked at all of them. "I'm going to miss you, all of you." He said after a moment.

That, of course, prompted another round of hugs and kisses, then he left the suite with them in tow. Just outside the suite, The King was standing with Halasses Hamellion, the captain of the Lightguard.

"Honored prophet." The King addressed him. "It would cause many questions if you were to simply fly from our city. I have taken the liberty of having an airship prepared that will take you outside the city, and you can depart from there without prying eyes. I will also make your excuses that you will travel to other parts of the realm over the next few days so that no one will question your absence."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Ethan grinned.

The King smiled. "Just the things that need to be thought of."

Ethan laughed. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." The King replied. "The Lightguard will man the airship, as all of them are perfectly capable airmen."

"Really?" Ethan asked.

The King nodded.

"Thank you." Ethan said, and all his wives did as well.

"You are welcome." The King replied. "Now come, if you tarry longer, you shall be later than you would prefer."

* * *

Alana and her fellow wives saw Ethan off onto the airship and stayed watching until it had sailed out of sight behind the trees. Him leaving didn't hurt with the same acute pain that it had earlier in their admittedly young marriage, but somehow, the hurt had morphed into a dull ache that felt almost worse.

"It doesn't hurt as much, but it feels worse." Beth said after a moment.

Alana half-smiled. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Then perhaps a distraction is in order." The Queen said from behind her, causing Alana to jump slightly.

"When did you get here?" Alana asked as her heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm.

"Fourteen seconds ago." Kendra replied from her wheelchair.

The Queen laughed. "Precise, aren't you?"

"Yes." Kendra replied entirely without emotion, but Alana knew her well enough to know that the warrior woman was teasing.

The Queen apparently could tell as well. "Now, I'm no stranger to the woes of having a husband who departs for a time, and as such, I've come up with the perfect distractions for everyone."

Kendra raised her eyebrow.

"Alana and Rachel dears." The Queen looked at them. "There is something of a symposium of mages meeting tomorrow, and at one point they will be discussing magical theory around wards. As wives of the prophet, with my husband's permission, you are welcome to attend as observers."

The couple looked at each other and both smiled.

"Elizabeth." The Queen looked at the blonde. "I don't suppose you've ever seen the royal library? It has many books in the common tongue you could peruse."

Beth's eyes lit up like a dragon's did when it saw gold.

The Queen looked at Taloni next. "Tee my dear, there is a small group dedicated to preserving the ancient ancestral art of elven slinging, and I've convinced their best teacher to be at your disposal for training until your husband returns."

"Thank you!" Tee beamed.

"Selene, Kendra." The Queen looked at them. "Our resident elven sword master will likewise be at your disposal until your husband returns." She looked at Kendra. "He will be able to teach much, even before you fully recover."

"Thank you." Selene and Kendra replied. Selene was full-on grinning, and even Kendra had allowed a small smile to show on her face.

"Sarah darling." The Queen looked at her. "I've arranged for the rest of our wedding planning to take place in a ballroom, with some of the best dance instructors in the realm present to break the tedium of wedding planning."

Sarah's jaw dropped. "Really?!"

"Of course!" The Queen replied. "I do like to dote on my family whenever I can."

Alana opened her mouth to reply, but wasn't sure what to say.

"And then, perhaps, if I can get my husband and my parents to agree, I might even be able to arrange a meeting with the two of us--" The Queen indicated herself and Alana. "--and my sister."

Alana felt her heart inflate like one of those 'balloon' things Ethan had once described.

* * *

Early that morning

Candice took a moment to splash a little cold water on her face and tried not to think of what was coming later that day. She took a few deep breaths, then stood up, making sure not to get her only dress dirty at the riverbank, threadbare as it was. That wouldn't do at all.

She wasn't the only young woman there.

There were half a dozen others, all under the watchful eye of several Ivernian guards. Thankfully, these were Duke Farbrottan's men so they hadn't touched the ladies, but it had taken several days before Candice was able to relax around them. Well, not 'relax'. No one really relaxed around Ivernian soldiers, but she had stopped worrying that one of them would grab her and force her to do things that she didn't want to think about.

She shuddered.

What she wouldn't give to be mucking out stalls, or feeding pigs, or even cleaning out a sewage pit. She sighed, closed her eyes, and took another deep breath. The sun was just about to crest the horizon and it was time. She tried to smile, but couldn't.

It was time.

She walked back up the riverbank with the half dozen other girls who had elected to come down in their last few minutes of... well, not 'freedom', but last few minutes before their lives would never be the same. None of them said anything. A few occasionally glanced at the others, but what could be said?

She trudged into the bunkhouse that had been her 'quarters' -- more like a voluntary prison -- for the last couple weeks and lined up with the other young women. There were a lot of them, all young and pretty, standing in three lines. Most of them were dressed like she was, in a threadbare dress and sandals whose soles had probably needed replacing months ago. A few were dressed a little better, but not much.

Almost the moment the sun crested the horizon and light began to stream into the building, the madam entered. Candice knew she had a name, and knew what it was, but never used it if she could help it. The madam strode across the front of the three lines of women, carefully inspecting everyone.

"The tournament opens today." The madam stopped in front of one of the young women. "What does that mean."

The young woman gulped. She trembled slightly before she gave the correct response. "That we will be honored to serve Ivernia."

The madam moved on, correcting the posture of a few girls as she did so, then she stopped in front of another young woman, this one prettier than most. "And how will you serve?"

The girl swallowed. "By making sure the contestants are... um, happy."

The madam slapped her across the face. "Speak plainly; men love women with a dirty mouth."

The girl looked shell-shocked, but spoke in a trembling voice. "By offering them our bodies to enjoy."

The madam glowered at her, then moved on to another girl. "And if one of them wants to fuck your ass dry, what will you do?"

Candice resisted the urge to ball her hands into fists.

"Um." The girl paused, swallowed, then spoke in a halting tone. "Turn around and spread my cheeks."

The madam moved on and stopped in front of Candice this time. "And if he wants you to blow him after he's done with your ass?"

Candice did her level best to choke back her gag reflex, because she knew exactly how she was supposed to reply. "Tell him it's the most wonderful thing I've ever done, or tasted." Her stomach roiled, but she managed not to vomit.

The madam moved to the front of the room. "Do I need to remind you of the consequences of not making sure the contestant you're assigned to is happy with you?"

Everyone immediately and vigorously shook their heads, Candice included. She remembered the speech that the madam had given the first day, only a couple of weeks ago. She didn't think she'd ever forget it.

"Then snap to it." The madam commanded, then indicated the door that held everything they would 'need' so that they could 'properly beautify' themselves.

Like all the other girls, Candice went and did exactly what they had been teaching her to do: she did her best to make herself look amazing. They were given silk dresses, expensive soaps and perfumes, and there were some older women there to make sure everything looked absolutely perfect.

Candice felt like a whore.

She wasn't sure that there was enough soap in the entire Ten Kingdoms to wash away how dirty she would probably feel before the sun set that night. She shuddered; the only thing worse than doing this would be not doing it. She could walk right out of the tournament complex and she didn't think anyone would stop her, but she would never be able to live with herself if she did.

Once they were 'properly beautified', they were led into an enormous room decorated in finery with expensive-looking knick-knacks, embroidered couches, and even a few books. That probably wouldn't help because Candice doubted the women here could read. She certainly couldn't. No one in her family, even her extended family, could either, and she thought it was mostly the same across Ivernia.

She let out a small sigh; being able to read was such a dream. It seemed so far out of reach. She picked up a book and opened it. It was clearly an old, worn book and its pages had been smudged so much she doubted a literate person could've read it. It looked like the pages had gotten wet at some point, which is probably why it was here. Still, she stared at the few intact letters trying to figure out what they meant. Of course she couldn't, but it was fun to pretend.

"Psst." One of the other girls nearby said quietly.

"What?" Candice whispered back, not looking away from the book in case they were being watched.

"One of the girls here said that if you, um, use your mouth right away, most men can't go again for a while." The other girl whispered. "I'm trying to spread it around, so hopefully a few of us will escape with our virtue intact."

"Thank you." Candice nodded, deciding to pass that around when she got the chance.

"The contestants are starting to arrive." The madam said from the second-floor balcony.

Candice took a deep breath and paid even more attention to the book. Maybe she would look more standoffish if she was reading? She hoped so.

"Illuminar, if you're up there, can I not be chosen?" She breathed as quietly as she could under her breath. She knew that Lord Farbrottan -- not Duke Farbrottan, she didn't think he'd do this kind of thing -- had decided to give the contestants a 'special treat' by providing virgins for them to 'break in; those were Lord Farbrottan's words, not hers.

She shuddered.

Of course, they'd gotten more women than necessary, and she was hoping to be left over, so she continued her barely-audible prayer. "Illuminar, I know everyone says you're up there, and I'm not convinced so maybe you won't listen, but if you are, can I please not be picked? And can they still forgive my family's debt even if I'm not picked? Please? If you're up there, please?"

Then, the picking started.

It was humiliating.

Rough men who looked like they hadn't bathed in a week, or sometimes a month, would leer at them from the second-floor balcony, then point to a girl. That girl then became his until the end of the tournament. First come, first serve. It was like being a heifer at market.

Actually, for Candice, it would probably be worse. Her last bleeding had been a little over a week ago, and her mother had told her how to watch her cycle. She wanted children, but not this way.

She stuck her nose deeper into the ruined book that she couldn't read. It got uncomfortable sitting after a while, so she got up and started walking around the room with it. Maybe that would help.

"The books are not for reading." The madam said from next to her after about half an hour. Apparently, she had made her way down.

Candice swallowed, then put the book back and waited to be picked.

* * *

Now

Candice had never been a praying person, but she was starting to think that her prayers were being answered. It was almost sundown and she still hadn't been picked yet. The room had dwindled to only a handful of girls left, and she was one of them. Thank Illuminar.

For want of something else to do, she'd made it her personal mission to tell every single girl about the 'use your mouth first' trick, hoping it would help some of them. She also thought that some of the contestants would be good enough not to take advantage of them. Of course, they'd been ordered to basically throw themselves at whoever picked them, so the men would think they were willing.

Technically, she was, but only technically

It was better than her whole family being forced into debt slavery. It wasn't even the kind that the Book of Light allowed where their debts would be wiped out and they could have a fresh start. No, Baron Martel wouldn't even allow that mercy; it was true debt slavery. Her father cared deeply about them and had worked himself to the bone to provide for them, but sadly, in Lord Farbrottan's Ivernia, and especially Baron Martel's barony, a single broken leg was enough to put a family hopelessly behind.

She waited with bated breath as the light from the nearly-set sun crept up the walls as sunset drew ever closer. She watched the wall, reminding herself that that always made things go slower. She couldn't stop herself.

Then, it happened.

The tiny, thin sliver of light finally disappeared. The sun had set. There would be no more men coming to pick them. She was safe.

"Candice." The madam said imperiously from the upper balcony, then pointed to a spot next to her.

Candice immediately hurried up the stairs to the indicated spot.

"A contestant arrived late and declined to choose now, saying he didn't care." The madam said. "He has qualified and will be shown to his room soon. You will be in his room, naked except you will cover yourself with one of the sheets. When he enters, you will drop the sheet and invite him to take you." She paused. "Do I make myself clear."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes madam." Candice replied, her heart sinking.

"Don't pretend to read to avoid your responsibilities." The madam added, her tone cold.

Not knowing what else to do, Candice nodded.

"Follow me." The madam instructed.

Candice did, her whole body beginning to tremble. She was actually going to do this. She could feel her hands starting to shake slightly and her heart began to race. She tried to take deep, calming breaths as she became aware that her hands were slightly cold and clammy.

The madam led her outside and across the tournament compound to the barracks that had been built many tournaments ago. They weren't really barracks as they were individual rooms, though the rooms opened to the outside, not the inside. They weren't very large rooms, but they were large enough for a man and his gear... and a woman to warm his bed.

She swallowed again.

The madam opened the door and gave her a pointed look. "I will ask him tomorrow how he enjoyed you. If the report isn't glowing..." She let that hang in the air, then nodded toward the open door.

Candice nodded, then slipped into the room.

The door closed behind her.

The sound wasn't ominous, but she felt like it should be. Her whole body was shaking slightly, and not because it was cold. It wasn't. It was cool, but thoroughly tolerable for the dress she was wearing.

The dress...

She bit her lip, hesitated, then decided it wasn't worth it for her to be caught clothed when her... her 'assignment' arrived. She hesitated another moment, then slowly untied her dress. She took another deep breath and then took it off. It was a little cold without the dress, and she got goosebumps. Her nipples reacted as well, and she hoped that whoever she'd been assigned to would misinterpret that.

She shivered slightly and then grabbed one of the blankets from the bed. She wrapped it around herself, glad for the warmth. She tried to psych herself up for this. She'd heard from more than one person that sex was supposed to be delightful. Though, she had always assumed that her first experience would be with her future husband.

She tried not to think about that.

It was a lot harder to find a good man if you weren't a virgin. However, Ivernian men who faithfully followed Illuminar tended to be somewhat understanding if the Ivernian military was involved. Of course, men who faithfully followed Illuminar tended to want wives who did the same, and that wasn't her. Maybe she should start?

All this and a thousand other things ran through her mind as she stood there waiting for her assignment.

That's what she had to think of him as.

Her assignment.

A way to save her family from debt slavery.

Sadly, her story wasn't the only one like that. She'd known more than one family who'd fallen on hard times like her family had. Their stories almost never ended well. She couldn't let that happen to her family, especially her younger sisters. They were quite pretty and she shuddered to think what might become of them, given the mountain of debt her family was under; better her than them.

So she waited.

It felt like an eternity, but it was probably only ten or fifteen minutes. She finally heard the most dreadful sound in the world: her assignment walking up to her door.

She swallowed.

Hard.

Then resolved to turn on the charm; she could do that. Her father had chastised her more than once for flirtatious glances at men she thought were attractive. She remembered the cutest, kindest boy from her village. He was strong, and kind, and he was not only good with kids, but he loved them as well. She tried to imagine that she had been betrothed to him, and now they were married and this was their first house, and he was coming home to her on their wedding night.

There was a scraping outside the door, then it opened and a man came in.

Her assignment.

He was thoroughly ordinary looking, and utterly average in every way. He was average height, average build, and had the most predictably common hair color imaginable. He was wearing a padded gambeson with leather jack chains, and he had a leather belt with a lot of pouches around his waist. He was wearing a large war sword on his belt and was carrying what looked like a practice version of that same sword in one hand. He was holding a canvas bag with the other hand, and he had a rolled-up leather shield on his left arm.

"Hello handsome." She nearly purred, imagining how she would want to greet her husband. Her assignment wasn't really that handsome, but he didn't need to know that.

Her assignment frowned, then closed the door behind him and set the practice sword and the canvas bag down, then looked at her and his frown deepened.

She hesitated a moment, then did as the madam instructed.

She dropped the blanket and flashed him her best winning smile. "Come on in, I think we'd both like that..." She wiggled her hips subtly, in the way that she'd been taught by the madam for the best suggestive effect.

Her assignment sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and slowly shook his head. "Really?"

"Of course, I've been waiting for you." She replied in her best purr.

"No, you haven't." He looked her in the eye. Not at her body, in the eye. "Put your clothes back on; I'll turn around while you do."

He turned around.

Candice stared.

"Um, you do know what I'm here for, right?" She asked tentatively.

"I do." He replied. "I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't because you saw me and instantly fell in love." He let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "Was it?" It wasn't really a question.

She swallowed. "Um, no."

"Exactly." He replied. "Now, put that dress back on."

She hesitated a moment, then figured that she could always try to seduce him later. Not that she wanted to, but she needed to. She scooped her dress up and put it on, taking a moment to make sure the ties were loose enough that she could pull it off easily again.

"It's on." She said when she was done.

He turned back around and gave her the once-over, then looked her in the eyes for a moment before speaking. "What do they have on you?"

She bit her lip.

"That bad, huh?"

She shook her head. "It's... um..." She trailed off.

"Ah." He said, comprehension dawning on his face. "They have something on someone you love."

She hesitated, then nodded.

He moved closer and lowered his voice. "So, we need to make it look and sound like I'm taking advantage of you without me touching you then."

She swallowed. "They might check."

He frowned. "Well, you'll need to break your hymen then because I won't."

"You won't?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even instead of dripping in hope.

"Nope." He replied firmly.

She bit her lip. "But I'm not sure it will matter. Even if they believe me--" She shot a glance toward the training house. "--I don't think anyone would believe me when I claim I'm still a virgin, or at least, not enough to marry me."

"Maybe not, but they'll believe me." The man said, and there wasn't a trace of doubt in his tone.

"Why would they believe you?" She asked. He had the look of a mercenary, and they weren't known for their devotion to the truth.

He just smiled, but didn't answer her question. "I have a friend who was once put in a similar situation and he told me what he did about it. I'm pretty sure I can replicate that here, provided that you're willing to trust me."

She hesitated.

"Might I point out that I didn't take you up on your offer?" He said calmly, like he wasn't really worried about anything.

"Okay." She nodded.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Candice; you?"

"Harrison Wells." He replied, and he had an odd sort of smile on his face as he did so. She didn't know why. "Well, Candice, let's get started."

* * *

Candice sat on the bed while her assignment slowly paced the tiny room. She wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. There was a small spot of her assignment's blood on the sheets to replicate what would happen if he had taken her virginity, which combined with her own fingers breaking her hymen, would hopefully be convincing enough if the madam decided to check.

"What now?" She asked after a minute.

"Now, we're going to sleep." He said after a moment. "We'll share the blanket, but you're going to sleep under the sheet and I'll sleep on top of it."

She nodded.

She liked the way he spoke. It was authoritative without being commanding, and there was genuine concern too. She hadn't known many people who spoke that way, except for her father.

Out of nowhere, he laughed.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, just thinking." He replied. There was a strange tone to his voice that she couldn't place though, and he was still smiling.

After another minute, he stopped his pacing to stand in front of her. "Let me make something clear. As long as you don't try to hurt me, I won't hurt you. However, if you try to hurt me--" His expression turned serious. "--or try to seduce me, we'll have a real problem. Understand?"

She nodded. "I won't."

"Good." His face softened. "Now, I need some shut-eye, so slip into the bed; under the sheet please."

"You're going to sleep in your armor?" She asked.

"You think I should trust the Ivernian military enough to take it off?" He quipped back.

She tried to chuckle, but wasn't very successful.

He scooted her to the side of the bed against the wall, separated the sheet from the blanket, and then slipped under the blanket and over the sheet, so the sheet was between them even though they were both under the blanket.

Candice didn't know what to do with this, that there was a man in the bed next to her. She'd shared a bed with her sisters for years of course -- only rich families had a bed for each person -- but never with a man. She wasn't sure what she thought of it, but it didn't seem too bad.

"So, how did you end up forced into this?" He asked a minute later.

"Um, my father broke his leg last year in an accident." She replied. "Everyone tried to pitch in as much as we could, even the neighbors, but it happened around planting time and our field didn't get fully sown, so the crop was tiny. He had to borrow money to feed us through the winter, but the people he was forced to borrow from were... um..."

"Loan sharks?" He suggested, and then explained the concept once he saw the look on her face.

"Yes." She nodded. "I know our story isn't exactly rare, but..." She trailed off at the look on his face.

"Not rare?" He asked.

She nodded. "We had it worse than many, but not as bad as some. They only took our farm and didn't hurt any of us. But without the farm, we couldn't grow food and there wasn't enough work, so he had to borrow again just so we wouldn't starve."

He took a long, slow deep breath and then exhaled just as slowly, but the exhale had a hint of a growl in it. "What about that whole Book of Light thing where your debt is wiped out in exchange for working a few years for someone?"

Candice resisted the urge to ball up her fists and made an effort to keep her tone calm. "Baron Martel made that impossible. He passed a law that requires anyone who does that to first hire someone to calculate how much everything is worth so the sale can be taxed. We couldn't afford that. No one can."

"You're serious?" He said with his jaw clenched.

She nodded. "My father would've gone to see Harold Gladstone if he could've." She said, then realized that he probably didn't know who he was. "He's a really good man in the barony who would accept those arrangements before Baron Martel's tax law. Mr. Gladstone would let people stay on their farms and everything, he took care of everyone, and then he would rent their land back to them for a song once they were free again. Everyone loved him because of that. Well, I guess everyone except Baron Martel."

"Harold Gladstone." He repeated. "I've met him, but I didn't know that."

"His daughter, Victoria, is so beautiful." Candice sighed wistfully. "I met her once, in passing, and always wanted to be as beautiful as she is."

"Well, speaking as someone who's seen all of you, you are beautiful." He replied, but she didn't get the sense that he was even vaguely interested in her; his tone was more absent-minded or distracted than interested. "But yeah, Victoria is too."

Silence fell for almost a minute before he spoke again. "Lord Farbrottan attends this tournament."

"He does."

He made a thoughtful sound, then spoke with an edge in his tone. "What about Baron Martel?"

"Probably not, because the journey from there to here was rather long." Candice replied. "Why?"

"Reasons." He almost growled, though not at her.

* * *

*That's a bad idea Boss.* Selene thought to the group chat as she pulled her dress on. She and her fellow wives had been lounging in bed, brainstorming about how to make Sarah's wedding night special for her when their husband had given them a brief summary of what was going on.

*I know that.* He replied, and she was pretty sure she would be able to hear him growling if they were in the same room. *I didn't say I was going to kill them, I said I wanted to.*

*You will probably need to before long.* Kendra added, then looked at Selene. "What are you doing?"

"Getting Sarah." Selene replied. "She'll want to hear what's going on, and it won't be fresh in the morning.

"Good idea." Alana smiled, then thought to the group chat. *Ethan, can you wait a minute? Selene is going to get Sarah so she can hear as much as possible.*

*Sure.* He replied, and Selene thought it might be a good thing that he would have a minute to calm down.

Selene slipped out of their bedroom in their suite in Nalatia, then out of the suite itself. She said a quick "hello" to the Lightguard outside the door, and then crossed the elegant hallway to knock at the door to Sarah's suite, which was directly across from theirs.

"Sarah, you up?" Selene called loudly.

"Yes!" Came the reply, and the door opened only a few seconds later. Sarah was still wearing her dress, but she had a brush in her hand and it looked like she was getting ready for bed.

"Come on." Selene nodded her head toward the other suite with a smile. "There's something to discuss, and since Ethan is gone, I thought you might like to bed with us tonight."

"Really?!" Sarah's eyes lit up like Christmas morning.

"Yup, come on."

Sarah needed no convincing. They hurried back across the hall, through the living area, and into the bedroom, where thankfully, all of Selene's fellow wives had gotten dressed. Kendra would've had the hardest time with that, but she was dressed as well. That ambush sure cast a long shadow.

"There she is." Alana smiled when they entered while she was looking at Sarah.

"You don't mind if I spend the night here?" Sarah asked.

"Of course not, we should've thought to offer earlier since Ethan isn't here." Alana replied, and everyone else agreed.

"However, Ethan seems to have found wife number eight." Selene winked.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Master won't marry again." Taloni said with conviction. "Illuminar said only seven."

"We know, we were just teasing." Alana replied with much amusement.

*Okay Ethan, go ahead.* Alana thought to the group chat, then said aloud. "I'll repeat things for Sarah."

"Thank you." Sarah beamed.

Ethan told them what had happened so far, including everything with Candice and what he had learned.

*Let me ask Victoria.* Selene suggested, then thought to the second group chat. *Vicky, got a minute?*

*Sure, what's up?* The platinum blonde replied.

Selene explained what Ethan had been told about her father. *That true?*

*Of course.* Victoria replied. *Well, he hasn't done that in years because of Baron Martel's tax law, but yes. People used to stop by the house all the time with little gifts for him as a thank you. Usually homemade things that didn't cost anything to make, like carvings and such. Everyone loved him for it.*

*Thanks.* Selene thought to the second group chat, then addressed the first. *Yeah, Victoria says that's pretty much how it was and everyone loved him for it. Honestly, it sounds like he helped a lot of families.*

*Drago, once my legs work fully and properly again, my offer to take care of Lord Farbrottan stands.* Kendra thought to everyone.

*At this point, I think your face is too well known.* Selene replied, mostly to head off the conversation she knew would take place after that.

*Maybe.* Kendra replied evenly.

"Kendra!" Sarah gasped. Obviously she was a little behind because Alana was repeating what was said to her.

"You don't like it." Kendra replied. "That's fine. But sooner or later, he'll need to be dealt with. I'm merely offering to deal with him in the most efficient manner possible."

Selene assumed that Alana was also relaying what was said aloud to Ethan, because he spoke up next. *Sadly, he has a couple of older sons who would take over, and I'm pretty sure Colonel Forsythe said they were worse than their old man. That's not the way.*

*If you say so Drago.* Kendra replied. *I could do some prep work with his sons first though.*

Sarah was staring at Kendra like she'd never seen her before.

Selene resisted the urge to laugh at that. Kendra could be a kind-hearted and caring soul with her family, but also the coldest of Ethan's wives when it came to their enemies. The contrast was interesting.

*Better not.* Ethan replied to Kendra. *We'll have our hands full in the Wilding Lands as it is; there's no reason to overload our plate because it's already full.*

*Master, please get some sleep.* Taloni spoke up. *You need to be well-rested to fight your best tomorrow.*

*I will soon; I'm too wired to sleep right now.*

*Did anything else happen before you met Candice?* Beth asked.

*A little.* He replied. *I had to give them those papers Colonel Forsythe gave me before I could sign up, and then I had to spend thirty seconds in the ring with someone who just made sure I wasn't a terrible fighter. Probably only a quarter of the people who showed up made it past that part.*

*That makes sense.* Rachel replied. *It's an open division, so you wouldn't want to clog the roster with every farm boy who practiced with a stick.*

*Yeah.* He replied.

There was a long pause where no one said anything.

*I miss you ladies.* Ethan said after a moment. *Take care of each other while I'm gone -- and Kendra, that doesn't mean it's all on you -- and I can't wait to get back.*

Everyone agreed.

Sarah looked around, a slightly sad tinge on her otherwise beaming face. "I really can sleep in here tonight? With all of you?"

"Ethan isn't here, so I don't see why not." Alana smiled. "We'll even suspend the usual dress code."

Sarah blushed, but she didn't stop smiling.

Looking at Sarah standing there, an idea occurred to Selene. Something that would definitely make the betrothed girl's wedding night special and make her feel as fully welcomed into the family as it was possible to be.

Yeah... yeah, that might be the ticket.

Though, she wasn't sure if the others would agree. She decided to think on it for a little while before suggesting it.

* * *

Kendra made sure that she didn't make a sound as she slid off the bed and into her wheelchair. She bit back several grumblings as she did so, and nearly fell once before managing it. Outside, the sky hadn't even begun to lighten. She did what stretches she hadn't been able to do in bed, then wheeled herself to the door and left the suite.

Several of the Lightguard followed her as she left the building and wheeled herself toward the training grounds where she'd been told that the elven sword master would be waiting. He was. Kendra had thought that he wouldn't be able to teach her much because of the wheelchair. As it turned out, she was dead wrong.

* * *

When Candice woke up, it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't waking up in the middle of the night after sleeping poorly. No. There was a cloudy glass window in the room, and she could see that the sky was beginning to lighten. She'd slept the whole night through, not waking up once. That hadn't happened in weeks. She felt better too. Not great, but much better.

She yawned and stretched, then looked around.

It was clearly still early and Harrison, her assignment, was already up. He was leaning against the door and looking at her with a thoughtful expression.

"What?" She asked, her heart sinking because she could just imagine that her luck had run out and he wanted to take advantage of her.

"Want to earn some coin?" He asked, then added. "And I don't mean in bed."

"How?" She asked, pulling the blankets up to cover herself more even though she was dressed.

"I need a squire, sort of." He replied. "Obviously I can't use my sharp sword--" He patted its hilt. "--in the tournament, and I won't be allowed to wear it while fighting either. I brought a blunt, training version of my sword to use while fighting, but that means I would need to leave my real sword, the expensive one, unattended while fighting. Basically, I want you to babysit my sword while I'm fighting."

"That's it?" She asked.

"Yup." He nodded.

"Um, for how much?"

"How about one silver per day?"

"What?" Candice stared. A whole silver? Every day? For holding onto a sheathed sword? She supposed that his sword was expensive so it made some sense, but still..."

"One silver per day if you guard my sword while I'm fighting." He repeated. "That means you'll need to be at my side all day, every day, except for when I'm fighting of course."

"Really?" She asked, only realizing after she'd spoken that her mouth had been hanging open.

"Yup." He nodded, then reached into a pouch on his belt, held up a silver coin, and then flipped it to her. "I'll even pay in advance."

She caught it, scarcely able to believe it. That was more money than she'd ever held at once in her entire life, and the tournament lasted three days for the best competitors, plus the melee on the fourth day. That was four silver. Four whole silver! She would be rich! Well, not rich, but she would be able to replace her threadbare dress -- after the tournament when she had to give up the one she was wearing -- and still have plenty leftover to help her family.

"I'm guessing that look means 'yes'?" He asked.

She nodded wordlessly, not quite believing that this was happening to her. Four whole silver?! Well, assuming he was a good fighter, but even earning just one for today and one on the day of the melee was two whole silver!. That was... was... She couldn't even believe her luck.

"Come on, I'm hungry." He said with a smile.

She hopped up out of bed, but then hesitated. "Um, I'm supposed to return to where we were trained for 'inspection'." After that, they were supposed to be at their assignment's disposal until the end of the tournament. They were supposed to be taken home after that, assuming the madam was satisfied that they had done their job.

"Hmm, we'll see about that." He said thoughtfully. He was silent for several seconds, then suddenly got a subtle smile on his face, nodded, and spoke with a calm confidence. "Take me there."

"Oh, okay." Candice replied after a moment, realizing that he was actually going to try to rescue her.

She actually smiled.

* * *

Sarah felt like she was in heaven. She had woken up a while ago, but had felt so incredibly comfortable snuggled in between Selene and Taloni that she had closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. It had worked. She'd dozed for a while and luxuriated in the wonderful feeling. If her life with Ethan was going to be like this every day, she was even more excited to marry him.

It was perfect, and since she had a whole day of dance lessons and planning her double wedding with Thea ahead of her, she couldn't have stopped smiling if she wanted to.

* * *

Candice led Harrison to the entrance of the holding area for the women, but the Ivernian guards blocked his path.

"Go get who you need to get; I'll be right here." He said.

Candice nodded, then hurried inside to find the madam. She was where she normally was; in the training room. The moment Candice entered, the madam turned to look at her.

She didn't look happy.

"Um, my assignment wants to talk to you." Candice said.

The cold look in the madam's eyes reminded Candice of how she'd always heard a necromancer's eyes described, though of course the madam didn't have black eyes. The madam didn't say a word for a moment, then nodded curtly once. Candice led her out to Harrison, trying to stay calm the whole way.

"She's staying with me until the end of the tournament." Harrison told the madam. He said it like a statement of fact that was impossible to argue with.

"That is not your decision." The madam said.

"It is now. See to it." Harrison replied calmly, then looked at Candice. "Come." He then turned and started walking.

She froze in indecision and looked at the madam. After a moment, the madam nodded once curtly. Candice turned and hurried after Harrison, smiling widely as soon as her back was turned to the madam.

"How did you do that?" She asked once they were far enough away. "I've never seen her back down on anything before."

"A little birdie in my ear gave me some advice on how to deal with her." Harrison replied with an amused smile.

"Huh?"

"Never mind." He said. "Come on, it's time for breakfast."

Candice followed him, though she didn't have a clue what he meant.

* * *

"Again."

Selene nodded, panting as she did so. Damn, the royal sword master was incredible. It was like sparring with Luminar Kossel again; he was that good. Maybe better. She had spent the entire morning since breakfast sparring with him and she felt like she was attending a PhD-level course with barely a high school diploma. It was extremely humbling, and she sparred regularly with Ethan, Kendra, and Serif, so she certainly wasn't on a high horse.

"Okay, let's do this." Selene raised her practice sword again, trying to remember everything he had been teaching. She was sure she'd come out of this as a better swordsman, but the process wasn't exactly fun. Well, getting beaten repeatedly wasn't fun, but martial arts were always fun.

* * *

Candice had found it strange to eat breakfast with Harrison in the hall where all the other contestants were for the open division. They didn't say much, and it had become her responsibility to 'babysit' -- as he put it -- his blunt sword while he wasn't fighting. She was fine with that, and had almost insisted on it because it would feel more like she was earning her pay. Someone had protested that she was in the area for the contestants, but Harrison had handled it exactly how he'd handled the madam, and no one had said anything since.

Then they exited to the arena where the actual combat would take place.

It was a large, rectangular area with rounded corners and a wooden fence about chest height around it. The floor of it looked like a combination of dirt and sand; maybe sandy dirt? It didn't look like it would be as hard as dirt, nor as hard to move on as sand would be.

"It's about the size of a football field." Harrison mused to himself.

"What's a football field?" Candice asked.

"Never mind." He said absent-mindedly.

Around the arena on three sides were places for people to watch. At one end, there were large boxed seats on a platform from which the nobility could watch, though it was mostly empty right now. On both sides of the arena, a hill rose up at a steep enough angle that each row of people sitting or standing would be able to see into the arena over the heads of those in front of them. They were obviously man-made, since they were too regular and even for any natural hills to be.

There was a fairly wide flat space around the arena where contestants were milling about, as well as a fair number of Ivernian soldiers as well. The side opposite the nobles' boxed seats was open, and that's where she and Harrison were right now.

He walked up to the chest-high railing around the arena, put a hand on it, and gave both a push and pull. It didn't move. He nodded to himself and then started walking around the arena. She guessed that he was taking in the sights and sounds, but wasn't sure. It seemed more deliberate than that, but she had no idea why he was doing it.

She followed on his heels everywhere of course, but felt entirely out of place. The dress she was wearing was designed to be seductive without showing too much, and it was entirely out of place here, especially since it was red.

Once he had finished a complete circuit around the arena, he stopped next to a part of the railing that was near where they had entered, but he also had his back to one of the hills containing an ever-increasing number of people who were going to watch.

"This is the spot." He said, then rested his arm on the railing. He looked around the area one more time, then nodded to himself. "Yeah, right here. We'll watch from here."

"But I thought you said your first match wasn't until mid-morning?" She asked.

"It isn't, but I'll have to fight many of the contestants and I want to gather as much intel as I can."

She looked around and saw many of the other fighters taking positions up around the arena too, probably to do the same thing. Seeing all of them made her wonder about Harrison's chances. She hesitated before asking about that; the longer he lasted, the more silver she would be paid. It still didn't feel real that she had a silver coin -- her own silver coin -- in the pocket of her dress.

"Do..." She bit her lip. "Do you think you'll win?"

"Nope." He shook his head, though he was also clearly in deep thought and his answer was absent-minded in tone. Despite that, he sounded quite sure.

"Do you think you'll last long?"

"Yup." He nodded, still obviously distracted and probably thinking.

"So you'll do well?" She asked.

"I will." He nodded as he continued scrutinizing everything around him.

"Is...? Um, I suppose there's someone here that you know you can't defeat?" She asked.

He nodded, again either absent-mindedly or distractedly; maybe both.

"Who?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Whoever wins."

She opened her mouth to reply, but wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't making a lot of sense.

"One important thing." Harrison turned to her, his tone no longer absent-minded or distracted, but rather deadly serious. "At some point, I might look at you and do this." He raised his right arm with his hand spread wide, then opened and closed his hand a couple times. "If I do that, I need you to pick up my sword and point the hilt at me. Understand?"

She nodded, but wasn't sure why he would say that.

"If that happens, and if it looks like I'm in trouble, I want you to run away." He said, still very serious. "Turn and run like your life depends on it. If they stop and question you about me, tell them everything."

"Okay." Candice nodded again. "But why?"

He got a slightly impish grin. "I have a knack for getting into trouble, and I wouldn't want a drunken fight to hurt you."

"Okay." She replied, but that didn't make a lot of sense; he didn't seem like the kind of fellow who would get drunk, much less get into a drunken brawl. Then again, a few months ago, no one would've imagined that she would be where she was now, or that she would've been prepared to do what she had thought she was going to do the previous night.

"Good." He nodded, then returned to scrutinizing the area and everyone around.

* * *

Taloni slung the stone at the dinner plate-sized target fifty yards distant, and frowned when it missed by almost a foot.

"You're too tense in your shoulders." The slinging instructor said. "Tension will alter the timing, and at distance, everything matters."

She nodded.

"Try again."

The Fey teen slipped another stone into her sling, whipped it around her head once, and then let it fly. It missed by less, about six inches, but it still missed.

"Take a moment to clear your mind and think of something that makes you feel calm and relaxed, then try again." The instructor said.

Tee took a few deep breaths, then thought about waking up in Ethan's arms with the rest of her family there. No, she thought about praying to Illuminar and reading the Book of Light in Ethan's arms with her family there. She felt a smile pull on to her face and her whole body relax.

"Now try." The instructor said.

She did, and this time missed by only three inches at fifty yards.

"Good." The instructor said. "Now, you have a solid foundation and good technique, but it could be even better. We'll work on that next."

Tee grinned.

* * *

Candice had been waiting only ten minutes when the nobles started to arrive. She didn't recognize any of them of course, but she was jealous of the finery of their clothes. Well, not the finery exactly; it was that they never needed to worry about where their next meal would come from. Many of them even looked like they were overweight. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have so much food that she could put on extra weight.

Over the following ten minutes, the nobles found their seats and sat down, or rather flopped down. She was too far away to see their facial expressions clearly, but their general behavior looked bored. The one exception was the man sitting in the largest chair, which Candice assumed was Duke Farbrottan. She'd heard a description before and it seemed like him.

He was a fairly average height, built slightly thinner than the average man, but not much, and he seemed more wiry than unhealthy. His hair was an unremarkable brown color and he had a short beard of the same color. She had often heard that Lord Farbrottan looked seedy, but this man didn't.

"So, that's Duke Farbrottan." Harrison mused.

"I think so."

Candice watched him scrutinize the noble for several long seconds before his attention returned to the immediate area. She wasn't sure why he was spending so much time surveying the area, but he was.

A few minutes later, Duke Farbrottan stood up and held something in front of his mouth. "Welcome! Welcome one and all!" His magically magnified voice boomed over the area.

Almost all of the common people stood and clapped.

"I heard that Lord Farbrottan only welcomes those of noble birth." Candice said to Harrison.

He nodded, but was clearly listening intently for what was about to be said.

"Welcome to the annual tournament here in my duchy, in our fair land of Ivernia." Duke Farbrottan continued. "I know you are eager for the tournament to begin, but I have just one announcement first. The rules have been very slightly tweaked this year."

To Candice, it seemed like everyone present was reasonably happy to listen to him. She wondered how they would react to his brother.

Duke Farbrottan continued. "Henceforth, a strike to the arms or legs will be worth one point, a strike to the torso worth two, and a strike to the head worth three. A contestant must score six points to win a match. Any mutual strikes by the contestants, or even strikes that are near simultaneous, will result in no points for either. After every strike that lands, regardless of whether points are awarded, the contestants will separate for not less than three seconds, then begin another round."

Harrison nodded next to her; apparently those rules were fine with him.

"As usual, sharp weapons are not allowed." Duke Farbrottan continued. "The contestants will use blunt weapons, either brought by themselves or loaned from the tournament's armory. Strength-enhancing amulets will be loaned to a contestant if his opponent arrived with his own, to ensure that even the poorest contestant can fairly compete with the richest one."

The crowd cheered.

The noise was thunderous, easily the loudest thing that Candice had ever heard. She clamped her hands over her ears and left them there until the noise died down. It took a while.

"With the announcements out of the way, let the tournament begin!" Duke Farbrottan finished, then sat down as everyone cheered. Though, this round of cheers wasn't nearly as loud as the applause for the rule that made poor contestants able to compete with rich ones.

After that, the first two contestants entered the arena.

"It's large for a single combat arena, but a bit small for the melee." Harrison commented. "All of the contestants in there at once will be a lot."

"I've heard it's like watching a military battle, only no one dies." Candice replied. "Do you know which side you'll be on?"

"No, they pick the teams on the last day to make the sides roughly equal." Harrison replied.

Then the bout began.

Candice had never seen combat like this before, so she was watching as well. The one contestant was about Harrison's size, while his opponent was several inches taller and looked well-built, probably a laborer of some kind. He was also carrying a larger sword.

"That doesn't look fair." Candice said as they closed the distance to each other.

"Which way do you mean?" Harrison asked, and it looked like he had his eyes on the smaller fellow.

"Well, doesn't the bigger man have an advantage?"

"Skill matters more; it'll be a short match." He replied.

It was.

The large man seemed to use his sword more like a club, while the other fellow was more nimble and darted in whenever the larger fellow overswung. Two leg hits and two torso hits later, the bigger man let his sword hang as they departed the arena.

"How did you know?" Candice asked.

"Footwork is the foundation of combat." Harrison replied, now looking at her since the arena was empty as the next set of fighters prepped. "If you can't control distance and spacing, you'll never be able to hit your opponent and will always be in danger of being hit. You can tell by how they move, or at least get an idea."

Candice nodded, taking his word for it.

"What about these two?" She asked when the next two contestants entered the arena.

"There will probably be a lot of double-hits." He replied. "Neither of them look particularly good."

He was right.

The next two contestants double hit at least five times. The one who managed to win had done so with a head strike to the other man's helmet, but honestly, it looked more like luck than skill.

"This one is one to watch." Harrison said as the next two came out to fight, and he nodded toward the larger of the two fighters. The fighter was only a little larger than Harrison, but now that she was looking for it, he did seem more sure on his feet.

It was a short match.

The fellow that Harrison had said to watch won after only two rounds, with a helmet strike both times. He seemed to hold back a little, then strike with almost explosive speed.

"How did he move so fast?" Candice asked as the fighters left the arena.

"Footwork, leverage." Harrison replied. "The guy who lost kept crossing his feet, which put him at a disadvantage. That's a huge mistake. It's better to keep your feet wider so you have a more stable footing on which to attack."

Candice frowned. "But isn't the bigger man stronger?"

"Yes, but strength isn't everything." He replied. "Strength is defeated by speed, speed is defeated by technique, and technique is defeated by timing. The simplest technique launched at the perfect time is better than the strongest, fastest, most brilliant attack that never lands because of improper distance, and distance is a function of timing. If you move your body correctly, you can cover a lot of distance quickly."

Candice nodded. "You know a lot about fighting."

"Comes with the job." He replied with a sigh and a shrug. Oddly, she got the impression that he wasn't too fond of his job. She wasn't sure why since it seemed like he'd chosen to be a mercenary, but she supposed he might've been pushed into it by life.

* * *

"I think I'm in heaven." Beth sighed as she stared wide-eyed at the immense royal library. It was three stories high and packed with more books than she could ever read in a lifetime; in two lifetimes, or maybe more. It was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Ejder." The Queen's handmaiden who had led her here -- accompanied by some of the Lightguard of course -- said with a bow. "The Queen instructed the librarian to select a few books that she believed would be most interesting to you."

The handmaiden brought the blonde to a desk on which there were a half dozen books. Beth's already wide grin grew successively wider as she read the titles. Maybe she could convince Ethan and her fellow wives to settle down in Nalatia next door to the library? Okay, that wouldn't happen, but she definitely wanted to live near a library.

* * *

"Which one this time?"

"Um, I think the fellow with the two swords?" Candice guessed. He seemed very comfortable with his weapons and he moved easily. He was casually spinning the two swords as well, and it looked like he had been born wielding them.

"Why?" Harrison asked.

Candice outlined her reasons, then added. "And he can attack twice as often, while the other man only has one sword and shield."

"Sword play is the art of not being hit until you can hit your opponent." He replied. "Which one has the better defense?"

"The man with the shield?"

He nodded, though he was watching the fight and not looking at her. "Two weapons are hard to wield at once, unless one of them is a dagger in your off hand. With two swords, more often than not, you just end up using them like a single weapon, or a mirror image; either way is easy to predict and stop with a shield."

As usual, Harrison was correct.

The fighter with the two swords did indeed end up using them more like one sword, with the one blade following the other. The man with the shield stayed behind it and managed to land significantly more strikes because of his better defense.

They had been watching for an hour or so. After she'd asked a few more questions, Harrison had kept up a running commentary on the combatants and even started telling her to guess which way a fight would go based on what he was saying. Oddly, it was rather enjoyable. She hadn't thought it would be, but it really was.

"I'm up after this one." Harrison said, then beckoned her to follow him as the next two fighters went at it.

"You don't want to watch them?" She asked.

He shook his head. "They're amateurs."

Candice looked at the arena while she followed him, and now that she knew a tiny bit, she could see it. About half the fighters seemed to be poorly skilled.

"Oh, but look at the shield!" Candice said as she caught sight of what looked like an elven design painted on the one fighter's shield.

Harrison glanced at it and then smiled. "You like that look, huh?"

"The elves make the most beautiful things." She sighed. "I spent years praying that I would get to see an elven city, just once." She sighed again, then let her face fall. "I don't think I'll ever get to though."

"Never say never." He replied as they stopped near the gate through which he would enter the arena. He unbuckled his sharp sword and handed it to her. She took it and handed him the blunt version.

"Be careful?" She asked, realizing that she meant it.

He smiled. "You don't need to worry about me."

"You're up." The man at the gate said to Harrison.

He nodded, turned, and walked into the arena.

Candice hurried to a spot where she could see, making sure to keep a tight grip on Harrison's sword. There was no way she was going to jeopardize losing out on a single silver coin.

Harrison walked out into the arena and deployed his rollable leather shield. One or two of the other contestants had had them as well, so that wasn't too odd. It was a little odd that he was wielding such a large sword in one hand though. Well, mostly because he wasn't a large fellow. One or two of the larger fighters had used swords that big.

As Candice watched, she realized that something seemed a little wrong with how Harrison was moving. He had described at length how to move and keep your center of gravity low, but he was only partially doing that.

That seemed odd.

His opponent was a little bigger than he was, but not much. He was also armed with a sword and shield, though the shield was smaller. The other man carried himself well, based on what Harrison had said to look out for. She hoped Harrison did well; she didn't want to miss out on those silver coins. Well, she also didn't want him to lose, but mostly the silver coins. Mostly.

The two combatants drew closer and Harrison struck first, swinging his sword out reasonably fast. The other man blocked it with his shield and counterattacked, which apparently Harrison didn't see coming because it struck his leg.

"One point!" The Referee said, then pointed at the other fighter.

Candice frowned; she had almost seen that coming, so why hadn't Harrison?

The two fighters backed away from each other for the three seconds required by the rules, then approached. Harrison seemed more cautious this time and he didn't attack so recklessly. The two fighters tested each other with light strikes, many of which were out of measure, which Harrison said meant 'out of range'.

Then, suddenly, Harrison jumped forward with his full body weight and slammed into the other fighter, probably taking him by surprise. Candice couldn't see exactly what happened, but she heard the clang of steel, and it sounded like a helmet being hit.

"Three points!" The referee said, then pointed to Harrison.

The fighters separated for three seconds, then the other fighter did the same thing Harrison had just done and charged in shield first. Harrison seemed to stumble back for several long moments, then missed an attack and Candice winced as the other man's blunt blade impacted Harrison's leg.

"One Point!" The Referee said, then pointed to Harrison's opponent.

The score was now Harrison three, his opponent two.

Candice grimaced. She had thought that Harrison would be very good and win easily given everything he'd explained about fighting. But maybe he was one of those guys who could teach but not do?

The next exchange took longer, and it looked like the crowd's eyes were glued to the match. It certainly was one of the closer, more exciting matches that had yet happened, so that made sense. She would've happily watched even if she wasn't being paid by Harrison.

It was almost a full two minutes of careful back-and-forth before Harrison struck out again and managed to land a blow on the other fighter's torso.

"No points!" The referee pointed to the fighters; they must've struck each other at the same time.

Most of the crowd watching were standing at this point as they faced off again. Harrison attempted another shield charge, but sadly, it didn't go very well for him this time.

"Two points!" The referee called, then pointed to the other fighter. It was Harrison three, his opponent four.

They separated for the requisite three seconds, then closed again. Over the next minute, they double-struck twice, resulting in no points for either. Finally, Harrison stepped in and managed to whack the other man's shield slightly out of position and slipped in with a quick thrust from his blunt blade.

"Two points!" The referee called, then pointed at Harrison.

It was now Harrison 5, his opponent 4.

The crowd seemed to collectively lean forward to watch.

Harrison closed again, though he stopped just out of range. They circled each other for about ten seconds, each testing the other but not really attacking. Then, Harrison did something that he'd told Candice earlier was something you should never do: step forward while pulling the bottom of the shield back, so that your lead leg was exposed. He paid for the mistake too.

"One point!" The Referee called, then pointed to the other fighter.

It was now Harrison 5, his opponent 5. The next person to score would win.

Candice frowned.

What was Harrison doing?

At this point, there was a dull roar among the crowd as everyone seemed to be whispering to each other about who would win. They seemed far more invested in this incredibly close fight than they had with most of the other ones, especially because a lot of them hadn't been close. The requisite three seconds passed, then silence fell over the crowd as the two fighters closed, both of them moving very cautiously.

The crowd seemed to wait with bated breath.

Harrison launched the first attack, which the other fighter blocked with his shield and then counterattacked, which Harrison blocked. They both stepped back. They started circling, each moving slowly and deliberately. There were two more exchanges like this before Harrison made his move.

He faked like he was going to attack to the right, then whipped his sword around to the left and low. The other man dropped his shield to block the blade as he counterattacked with his own sword, which Harrison blocked with his shield. Then Harrison punched out with his shield to push the other man's sword out of the way, which worked, and he counterattacked with a thrust...

...just as the other man's deflected sword came down and struck Harrison's lead leg.

The crowd collectively sucked in its breath.

"No points." The referee called.

The whole crowd immediately started talking amongst themselves for several seconds until Harrison and his opponent started slowly closing in after about ten seconds of scrutinizing one another. The moment they moved, the crowd fell silent once again. The two fighters circled each other for several seconds.

Then, it happened.

The other fighter charged in, forcing Harrison back and onto the defensive as the other man attacked with a furious barrage of blows. Harrison kept retreating, then seemed to stumble slightly in his backpedaling. The other fighter surged forward and bashed his shield into Harrison's, causing him to lose balance.

Candice sucked in her breath as Harrison began to fall.

But then, something happened. Harrison was able to get his shield up so that it was protecting him during his fall, and he struck out at his opponent's legs midfall. The other fighter was in the middle of an advance and couldn't lift his forward leg fast enough. Harrison's sword impacted the leg at almost the same time he hit the ground, his shield still protecting him from counterattack.

"One point, match winner!" The referee pointed at Harrison.

The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts.

Candice let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It was over, Harrison had won. She took a few deep, calming breaths as he got up, nodded respectfully to the other man, then headed out of the arena, and then toward her.

"That was so close!" She said when he arrived.

He shrugged. "Sometimes, combat is like that."

She nodded, but he seemed entirely too calm about a fight he'd barely won. She cocked her head to one side. Had he barely won it though? She found herself pondering that as the next set of fighters entered the arena, though, people seemed like they were more interested in talking about Harrison's fight than watching the current one.

* * *

Rachel settled into a seat overlooking the symposium on magic, which was due to start in a few minutes. Alana was next to her of course, and that made Rachel's heart feel all warm and gooey, like a pudding just out of the oven. She was attending a symposium on magic with the most wonderful woman in the world, and Alana felt the same way about her as Rachel did about Alana.

It was almost perfect.

Perfect would require Ethan to be here, but he was busy. So she let a contented smile show on her face, put her arm around Alana, and looked forward to spending time with her best friend while also learning more about magical wards.

* * *

Fiona took a deep breath as she followed her husband into the soundproof room in the wood elven palace. Sadly, Lady Ekthros was right behind her. Fiona wasn't exactly worried because Lord Delmar was there, but her dislike of the woman was growing steadily.

Lady Ekthros appeared entirely unbothered by that though.

The only other person in the soundproof room was Prince George. Despite the small table and chairs in the room, he was pacing slowly instead of sitting.

"Take a seat." He said once the door had closed.

They did so.

"How and when did you learn that Lord Delmar is a dragon?" The Crown Prince asked Lady Ekthros.

"I learned in two stages." She replied. "When I helped save Helene, I noticed him exerting a level of strength to protect her that ordinarily wouldn't be possible for a man. Besides Helene, I was the only person who witnessed it and also survived the night. I thought it might be mere adrenaline at the time, but later, smaller things like his perfect memory and other, more subtle things clued me in. I deduced it from that, combined with the strength I'd observed."

The Crown Prince nodded slowly. "Why didn't you inform the Imperial family?"

"Because, frankly, I don't trust them." Lady Ekthros replied. "You know my husband worked for the Aldmiri; the Imperial family has skeletons in their closet, just like anyone else."

"Who made your disguise gem?" Prince George asked Lord Delmar.

"Mage Weston's predecessor." He replied. The mage had been very old when Lord Delmar had ascended to the throne, and died a few years later.

"Why did Helene's father allow a dragon to inherit the throne?" Prince George asked.

Lord Delmar then told the story of how he and Helene had met. Fiona noticed that he told a much more streamlined version of the story than she herself had heard from him.

"After I rescued Helene, she visited me often." He continued. "It was her who suggested the disguise gem, and that I join the military, and she convinced both her father and the court mage to supply the necessary elements for that to happen."

"She always was stubborn." Prince George got a half smile on his face. "She was taken from us far too young."

Lord Delmar nodded once. His face was a mask, but she could see the same cracks that always developed in that mask whenever Helene was discussed.

"It is said that although Ithlan had dozens of wives, he only loved a few of them." Prince George mused. "The idea of a dragon loving a woman is almost without precedent."

"It is not without precedent though." Lady Ekthros pointed out.

Prince George inclined his head in concession, then looked at Lord Delmar. "Ithlan went mad; do you know why, and more importantly, what assurance can you give the Imperial family that it won't happen to you?"

"I do know why, but I cannot share that information with anyone." He replied.

Prince George narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Because if another dragon discovered this secret, he could do untold harm." Lord Delmar replied. "You know as well as I do that the Imperial palace has a problem with intelligence leaks."

"I believe you have been misinformed." Prince George replied.

"Please." Lady Ekthros said, her tone dismissive. "I know that you're concerned that Princess Silvia would secretly side with her homeland and become a security risk if the Ten Kingdoms ever went to war with the Winter Empire; I couldn't know that if the imperial family had no leaks."

Prince George looked at Lady Ekthros for a long moment before speaking, though Fiona couldn't read his expression. "How did you know that?"

"Because I'm very good at my job." Lady Ekthros replied calmly. "And before you ask, no, I don't know where Ithlan's power came from or why he went mad. I told Lord Delmar not to tell me because, as we say on Earth: 'three men can keep a secret if two of them are dead'."

"The emperor will need an assurance from you that you won't become like Ithlan before he will even consider allowing you to remain on the Narlotten throne."

"I am willing to give my word of honor." Lord Delmar replied. "However, I suspect that will not carry as much weight in these present days as it has in times past."

"To say the least." Prince George replied. "Don't think that the empire hasn't noticed your influence growing in the last decade or two; Narlotten's fingers are all over the other lorddoms."

"That is mostly my doing." Lady Ekthros explained, and Fiona thought she could detect a note of pride in her voice. "The economic, military, and social engine that drives Narlotten vastly outstrips every other lorddom in the Ten Kingdoms, and it isn't even close. Only Timarou has a prayer of catching us, and they certainly won't until they finish recovering from the war that put Lord Kalus on the throne. I want the other lorddoms to be just as happy as Narlotten is, so why wouldn't I influence them?"

"I have no desire to rule Narlotten, much less other lorddoms." Lord Delmar replied. "Were it not for my promise to Helene, Narlotten would've been without a lord after she died."

"That's what you claim, but the imperial family will still need assurances that you won't go mad like Ithlan did." Prince George replied. "My father especially isn't willing to allow you to continue ruling Narlotten without them."

"Ask Ethan Ejder." Lady Ekthros replied. "He's also a dragon and likely knows. If he's smart, he won't tell you why Ithlan went mad either. However, he should be able to assure you that Lord Delmar won't."

"I thought you were thinking he's a necromancer?" Fiona said to her, trying to keep ice out of her tone.

"I do, but Prince George doesn't." Lady Ekthros replied. "And Ethan isn't stupid enough to lie about something like that. If Lord Delmar ever did go mad, Ethan would be revealed as a liar." She paused. "Well, revealed more obviously as a liar."

"I would prefer that your father did remove me from the Narlotten throne." Lord Delmar said after a moment. "I care not for Narlotten, only my promise to Helene. But were I not lord of Narlotten, I would be better able to attend to my daughter's safety."

"You're trying to threaten and blackmail the emperor." Prince George said.

"Believe as you wish." Lord Delmar replied calmly, as if he simply didn't care and found this conversation boring. "If I wished to remain on Narlotten's throne, your father could not force me from it. If I wished to leave, he could not force me to stay. I am bound by my oath to Helene, not the supposed might of the imperial family."

Everyone stared at him.

It was obvious from his tone that he didn't consider the imperial family a threat. Possibly a minor nuisance, but nothing more.

"It's humbling to realize that you're in the presence of someone who could bring the entire empire to its knees, isn't it?" Lady Ekthros said. "But consider this, aside from his care for his daughter and his love of Helene, which binds him to keep his promise to her, Lord Delmar is like any other Drago. He wishes to be left alone, and it's been rather frustrating trying to convince him to look beyond Narlotten's borders. By contrast, Ithlan's thirst for conquest was legendary."

"I'm hating to agree with Lady Ekthros, but she's right." Fiona said. "I was seeing flashes of him and what's mattering to him when we bonded. Aside from Helene and Rachel, he is caring for almost nothing else." She paused. "I'm hoping me a little, but not Narlotten, and certainly not ruling an empire."

Prince George looked at Fiona for a long moment, then addressed Lord Delmar. "If you were going to remain lord of Narlotten and your secret was going to be revealed, how would you handle it?"

Lord Delmar nodded to Lady Ekthros.

"We've had a contingency plan in place for a long time now." The woman said. "For many years, we have been ensuring that stories circulate about Lord Delmar's great love for Helene and his promises to rule Narlotten well for her. She was greatly beloved before she died, which lays the groundwork. Then we have been ensuring that romantic stories about Ithlan have been circulating among all the ladies of Narlotten so that women associate dragons ruling, at least partially, with romance." She looked at Fiona. "I'm sure you've heard of them."

Fiona nodded. "Aye, many of the ladies are thinking he was such a wonderful, romantic man, even though I'm thinking those stories are just that; stories."

"Oh, they are." Lady Ekthros confirmed. "Then, for the men, we have ensured that there's a long-standing conversation about which non-human creature would be the best fit to rule a lorddom; it's the sort of endless discussion that is common in taverns and pubs. Dragons usually come out on top because of Ithlan, and occasionally, we ensure that the idea of a dragon ruling Narlotten is discussed. After almost two decades of the idea circulating, there is generally very little resistance to the idea because the men believe it would make Narlotten strong if the dragon was a good ruler. Thus, if that dragon also had a long and successful track record..."

"You've been very busy." Prince George said after a moment.

"The security of Narlotten is my singular focus." Lady Ekthros replied.

"Perhaps." Prince George replied, then looked at Lord Delmar. "How would you handle the release of this information?"

"I would announce that I have an important announcement concerning me personally." Lord Delmar replied. "I would then say that the announcement will be made one week later. Lady Ekthros already has men in place to spread rumors that the announcement is that I am a dragon. This will enable us to anticipate any objections so I can address them, and it will soften the blow. If the sentiment in Narlotten is strongly against it, I will announce Fiona's pregnancy instead and reassess."

"Interesting plan." Prince George smiled, then mused. "Perhaps great minds do indeed think alike." Fiona didn't get the impression that the idea was his though; maybe his father's?

Prince George then looked at Lady Ekthros. "How would you respond to all the accusations that Ethan Ejder has leveled against you?"

"The same way I would to any other accusation by any other criminal or necromancer: Let him produce evidence or the testimony of uncompelled witnesses to corroborate his claims." Lady Ekthros replied. "Until then, I won't concern myself with them any more than claims made by common street criminals." The disdain in her tone for those 'common street criminals' was almost palpable.

Prince George raised his eyebrow at her. After a moment, he addressed everyone. "That's all for today. I'll relay this to my father and he and his council will decide."

"I was thinking Narlotten was under your jurisdiction?" Fiona asked.

"It is, but matters of changing lords are always under the purview of the emperor." He replied.

Fiona nodded. "Um, could I be speaking to my husband in here if we're done? It's hard to be having a private conversation with him lately."

"Of course." Prince George replied, then left the room with Lady Ekthros right behind him.

"Yes, Fiona?" He said.

"Will it be okay?" She asked.

"Yes." He replied simply. "The imperial family will not be willing to risk the false prophet's safety by removing me from the rulership of Narlotten. You yourself heard the preparations that have been made for this eventuality. There will be some turbulence for a time, but the people of Narlotten will accept me."

Fiona bit her lip. "But what if he was removing you? Would you really be hunting down Ethan?"

"Yes." He nodded once.

"But what if Rachel is really loving him?" Fiona replied, thinking about their wonderful love story that, if true, was beautiful. "If their story is true, you would be crushing her heart so deeply that she might not be recovering."

"She is bonded to a necromancer." He replied. "I cannot risk his taint corrupting her. A crushed heart is preferable to a corrupted soul. However, his compulsion of her will break at his death, and I do not anticipate her mourning at all, but rather, rejoicing."

"I'm not so sure he's a necromancer." Fiona said after a moment.

"Believe as you wish." He replied, seeming entirely unbothered and unaffected by her statement.

"Milord, maybe you could not be killing him?" Fiona suggested. "Rachel would be living far longer if you were capturing him and putting him in prison."

"But their bond would not break, and I would risk his necromantic taint corrupting her." He replied. "Additionally, his compulsion of her would not break, making her still a prisoner in the mind."

Fiona nodded slowly.

She didn't like it at all, but she did understand his reasons. However, all of them rested on the foundation that Ethan Ejder was a necromancer, and she didn't think that very likely at this point. Possible, but not likely.

* * *

Alana walked hand-in-hand with Rachel across the palace grounds with a contented smile on her face. The symposium on warding magic had been far above her level, but she had picked up several useful bits of information. Whereas before, she had felt lost when trying to figure out the wards, she now felt like she had a wide enough knowledge base to truly make headway.

That, and Rachel was walking next to her, holding her hand.

She loved that.

Sadly, there were a dozen members of the Lightguard around them, but that was an unfortunate necessity these days. As they approached the building with their suite, they noticed that Delabor was at the entrance and he appeared to be waiting for them.

"Alana Ejder, Rachel Ejder." He bowed, and Alana noticed that ever since he had been allowed to, he always used the full names for Ethan's wives whose names hadn't been spoken before. She guessed that was intentional and appreciated it.

"Delabor, hi." Alana smiled at him. "What brings you here?"

"Alana Ejder, the Crown Prince requested that you meet him in the palace for a private audience, though he also wished for at least one of your fellow wives to join you for propriety, since this meeting will take place inside a quiet room, though all of them are welcome."

"The prophet's other wives are scattered around the palace compound." One of the Lightguard volunteered. "They could be collected, but it will take time."

Alana looked at Rachel.

"We can just tell them about it later." The redhead suggested.

"Let's go." Alana said to Delabor.

Not long afterward, they were in a quiet room in the palace. Alana had never been in one before and was impressed at how perfectly it blocked all sound from the outside.

"I'll cut right to the chase." Prince George said. "Do you know what drove Ithlan mad?"

Alana and Rachel looked at each other, both frowning.

"We do." Rachel said hesitantly.

"But we can't say." Alana finished the thought. "The chances of that information getting out are too great."

"Not only could someone try to use that information against Ethan, but there are other elements to it that should never be made public." Rachel added. "Imagine if, for example, someone learned of this and started intentionally driving dragons mad and then set those mad dragons loose on their enemies."

"Fair enough." Prince George nodded. "Is there a chance that Lord Delmar will be driven mad like Ithlan was?"

"I don't think so." Alana replied. "The way things are now, it certainly wouldn't happen."

"But it could?"

"It technically could happen to Ethan." Rachel replied. "However, neither Ethan nor my father would ever willingly allow those conditions to exist. Ever; especially Ethan."

"So if the emperor allowed Lord Delmar to remain on the throne, would you be concerned that he would go mad?"

"No." Alana replied firmly.

"He wouldn't." Rachel agreed just as firmly. She paused, then cocked her head to one side. "You'll let him remain on the throne because if you didn't, he would kill Ethan to 'save' me."

"That's the argument I'll make to my father." Prince George replied.

Alana and Rachel shared a look as the wood elf felt her stomach sink. "Will he be persuaded?"

"Likely so." Prince George replied.

Both of the ladies breathed a sigh of relief.

*Hey ladies, got a minute?* Ethan thought to the group chat.

*Give me a few minutes; we're talking with Prince George right now.* Alana replied.

*Will do.* Ethan replied, then fell silent.

The Crown Prince looked at both of them for a long moment, then spoke again. "So you would trust that he would remain a good lord?"

"I'm biased." Rachel replied. "But I think so."

"I'm not biased in his favor, and I think so too." Alana added. "From what I understand, he promised Helene that he would rule to the best of his ability. If you believe that he loved her, I think the answer is obvious."

"Thank you both." Prince George replied. "Would the Prophet think differently?"

"I doubt it." Alana replied.

"Then that is all, thank you." Prince George gave them a nod of respect, then left the room.

"Interesting times." Alana said after a moment.

"Indeed." Rachel agreed, and Alana was struck once again by how lovely her voice was.

*Ethan?* Alana thought to the group chat a moment later as she smiled at her best friend and lover. Rachel blushed slightly as she smiled back.

*What did Prince George want?* He asked, they explained, and then he continued. *Yeah, I would've said the same thing.*

*What did you want?* Alana asked as she slid over to Rachel and gently brushed the back of her fingers over the redhead's arm.

Rachel bit her lip and shuddered slightly.

*I don't want to leave Candice behind when I leave.* He replied.

*You're worried about her?* Rachel exhaled breathily as Alana locked eyes with her and 'accidentally' brushed her breast as she moved her fingers up, tracing them lazily over Rachel's arm.

*I am.* Ethan replied. *Obviously I can carry one person wearing the weight reduction necklace easily. And since Alana put a similar enchantment on my armor in case I need it, I could maybe take the Duke and his wife if things went south, like I carried you two at the orc battle. But three? I can't do three.*

*Do you think things are likely to go south?* Selene asked.

*Of course they will.* He replied with amusement. *When have we ever made a plan that worked the whole way through?*

*It's true.* Alana chuckled, then stepped closer to Rachel, right into her space. The redhead glanced at the open door, but her breath caught too.

*I can talk to The King.* Alana said, thoroughly enjoying reducing her gorgeous, kind, beautiful, and brilliant lover to a blushing, scatterbrained puddle of desire.

*He might be able to send a covert team.* Kendra suggested. *They likely wouldn't be able to get involved if there was a conflict, but they could probably extract a few people if the need arose, if you could get them to the team without being seen.*

*I'll ask him soon, but I'll need a minute first.* Alana said, as she leaned up against Rachel, then whispered. "Get the door."

Rachel waved her hand, there was a gust of wind, and the door shut and latched. It latched from the inside, so there was no worry about them being disturbed.

*Yes, it sounds like you and Rachel will be 'busy' for a few minutes.* Ethan thought to the group chat, laughter in his mental tone.

*Probably more than a few.* Beth thought to everyone, and Alana could almost hear the eye-roll in her tone.

*With... with any... any luck.* Rachel got out.

*My wise, brilliant redhead is so incoherent today.* Ethan said in a mock-disappointed tone tinged with laughter.

*Not yet, but she will be...* Alana thought to everyone, and then proceeded to make good on that prediction.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began on day 139 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms and ended on day 140. I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, and they usually drop after the 2-3 day review process. Thus I'll submit the next chapter on February 25th, and it'll probably drop on the 27th or 28th.

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