A Dragon's Tale Ch. 15

The two of them spent the next several hours fussing over Taloni to make her look absolutely perfect for her wedding. Alana turned out to be quite good with fabric and thread. Prayla had conned one of the other girls in camp out of a white dress, which Alana altered to fit Taloni perfectly. She even made slits in the back for the Fey's wings.

They spent a long time doing her hair and Prayla horse-traded her way into a little bit of makeup. It felt slightly foreign on the Fey teen's face, but once she saw herself in a mirror she thought it was all worth it.

"I look-" She stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

"Absolutely stunning." Alana finished.

Her sun-kissed skin positively glowed. Part of her long, silky, honey-blonde hair was elegantly twisted into bun on top of her head, leaving the rest to flow down in such a way as to set off her face. She had always been described as 'cute' before, but this was the first time she actually felt beautiful.

The dress accentuated her breasts, making them appear large enough to notice, whereas before she always felt flat-chested. The dress also lengthened the line of her legs, making her look like a real woman.

She sighed.

Alana hugged her from behind, a proud smile on her face as she rested her chin on the Fey's shoulder. "Oh yeah, you're going to drive Ethan nuts."

"I am?"

"Absolutely, in the best way possible." The wood elf said with absolute conviction. "He's going to be drooling over you before he-" She glanced at Prayla, then whispered into her ear. "-before he tears your clothes off and makes you feel better than you ever thought possible."

Alana's warm breath on her neck plus the idea of being naked with Ethan... She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

"Damn girl, what happened?" Prayla said. "I've been trying to get you interested in guys for years now, and you acted like an ice queen. Now, you're like a total nympho."

"That's not... I mean, I wasn't-" She started to say, but was interrupted when the door to the room opened and Thaltien walked in.

"The scouts are back." He said without preamble. "The dragon wasn't lying, so you're free. Turn around and I'll remove the collar."

Taloni stared.

"What?" She finally got out.

"The dragon bought your freedom." Thalitien replied simply. "Turn around and I'll remove the slave collar."

She blinked.

That was it?

After eighteen long years of yearning for her freedom, could it really be over that quickly?

Alana smiled. "Turn around, unless you want to be wearing that in front of Ethan tonight."

She turned around almost automatically and pulled her hair off the back of her neck. Thaltien walked up, she felt a slight pressure on the back of her neck, a slight tingle as he used a bit of magic on the collar - which was enchanted to only respond to his unique mana signature - and then the collar fell off and laid on the floor in front of her.

She stared at it.

That one small strip of leather had held her captive for most of her life; now she was free. It had happened completely without warning or ceremony. It all felt a little anticlimactic.

"I always liked you Taloni." Thaltien said gruffly in an almost fatherly way after scooping the collar off the floor. "When things don't work out with that dragon, come on back and I'll pay you good; no collar needed." He turned to leave, then stopped at the door and glanced back. "You look good." He grunted, then left.

"Well that was-" Alana started to say, but didn't seem to have the word.

"-abrupt?" Prayla nodded. "That's Thaltien."

"Congratulations!" Alana exclaimed as she gave Taloni another big hug. Prayla made it a group hug moments later. They both squeezed her so tight she felt like she would be flatter than a pancake when they were done. When they did finish, she took a couple of deep breaths.

Prayla then pulled Alana aside, whispered something in her ear, and then turned to Taloni. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't go outside." And with that, she rushed out the door.

"What's she up to?" Taloni asked.

"Just finishing up some plans now you're officially free. Hang on, I've got to tell Ethan something..." Alana said, her eyes looked unfocused for a moment, then turned back to the Fey girl. "You'll see."

Prayla returned a few minutes later smiling from ear to ear.

"What?" Taloni asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Prayla said in a sing-song voice.

Taloni went to look through the door, but Prayla blocked her way. "Trust me, just wait."

"It'll be okay." Alana said with a mischievous smile. "And I promise you won't regret it."

Taloni could feel the old Fey curiosity creeping up on her, but she decided to try her best to curb it.

It didn't work.

Alana and Prayla tag-teamed her for the next hour, double checking her outfit, perfecting her hair, and doing anything else they could think of to keep her inside. By the time they got her lined up at the door, she was burning with curiosity.

"Hold on a moment." Alana said with her head cocked to one side as if listening to something. The door opened a crack and teenager with red hair that faded to blond at the tips held out a bouquet of recently picked flowers.

"The sun has just set, and it's perfect." The redhead said as she held out the bouquet, which Alana took and then the redhead left.

The wood elf grinned as she handed the bouquet to Taloni. "Okay go outside and just head up the aisle."

Taloni opened her mouth to ask, but Alana and Prayla both shooed her out the door with the bouquet in her hands.

It was amazing.

Incredible.

The sight almost made her cry with joy.

It looked like the entire mining camp was in the open center of the camp. They were all standing and looking in her direction expectantly. They formed two groups, with a long aisle between them. Everyone was dressed in their very best clothes, which meant they were only threadbare and not worn through.

Standing at the head of the isle was Ethan. Just beyond him, Anthiel was standing wearing a formal looking dress and holding a copy of the Book of Light. Someone had taken one of the unused, pre-formed support arches and placed it at the end, just behind where Ethan stood. They had decorated it with beautiful flowers that matched the bouquet in her hand.

Behind them, the sun had just barely set, casting the partially cloudy sky in a beautiful mosaic of reds, oranges, and purples. She had rarely seen a sunset so beautiful, and it was providing the backdrop to the event.

It was a wedding.

A real wedding.

Her wedding.

And it wasn't just a poorly cobble-together affair either. This looked a like a lot of thought had gone into it. And given the short time they had to set it up... She couldn't imagine how much work and how many people must've come together to make this happen. She could feel her eyes beginning to moisten.

It was beautiful.

It was perfect.

"Go." Prayla whispered from behind her and nudged her forward.

"But how did you..." She trialed off.

Alana smiled. "Prayla spread the word through the camp, and Rachel and I were guiding Ethan through the setup. Now go; your groom awaits."

She had to admit, Ethan did look very handsome. She could see the gossamer outline the disguise gem projected. To everyone else, he would look like a man dressed in slightly formal clothes that accentuated his figure. She saw a dragon; her dragon.

Well, hers and Alana's.

She took a tentative step forward, then another.

As she began walking, Anthiel handed the Book of Light off to Rachel, pulled out a small flute and then began to play the traditional Fey wedding march. Everyone in the whole camp was smiling at her. It wasn't a large camp, but she knew all of them. They had all turned out for her. She felt tears of joy beginning to collect at the corners of her eyes.

She couldn't believe they had done this for her.

It was amazing.

Every eye was on her and they all seemed happy for her. It was surreal as she walked up the aisle. She had imagined having a wedding of course, but never imagined it would be a reality. It was like a dream - the most wonderful dream she could possibly imagine.

In typical Fey tradition, the bridesmaids followed the bride, and Prayla was trailing right behind.

When she reached the top of the aisle, Ethan gave the traditional Fey bow that the groom customarily gave to the bride. He butchered it badly, but she could tell he had made a real effort to get it right and she felt like her heart would melt.

Then he offered his hand, which she took.

"Thank you for this, it's amazing." She said softly, her voice breaking slightly.

"Alana deserves most of the credit, but you're welcome." He smiled back, exposing all of his sharp teeth. It should've been scary, but it wasn't. Not on Ethan.

She felt like she would die of happiness.

"Dearly beloved." Anthiel began, after taking the Book of Light from Rachel. "We are gathered here today in the sight of Illuminar and these witnesses to join these two in holy matrimony."

Taloni barely heard most of the service.

She was too stunned, too shocked, and too amazed at what everyone had done to pay full attention. By the time Anthiel got to the vows, Prayla had to nudge her to make sure she was ready for them.

Anthiel cleared her throat. "Do you Ethan, with full knowledge and consent; take this woman, Taloni, to be your wife in the covenant of marriage? Do you swear to keep and provide for her all of your days, committing to treat her with honor, love, and respect in all circumstances to the best of your ability, and allow only death to separate you?"

"I do." He gave her a wide smile. It reached his eyes and she knew it was genuine.

Anthiel turned to Taloni. "Do you Taloni, with full knowledge and consent, give yourself to this man Ethan, to be his wife in the covenant of marriage? Do you swear to follow and obey him for all of your days, committing to give yourself only to him; and to the best of your ability treat him with honor, love, and respect in all circumstances, and allow only death to separate you?"

"I do." Taloni said, barely able to breathe.

"Then in the name of Illuminar, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ethan, you may kiss your bride."

Taloni's breath caught.

He gave her a lopsided grin, put his hand around her waist, and pulled her close. Her entire front was pressed up against him, which made her tremble in anticipation. She was bent backwards slightly as he leaned over her. She sucked in her breath in surprise at his boldness. The ache in her loins which had plagued her for days returned in full force.

Before she could even think, he was kissing her.

It was amazing.

She instinctively reached her arms up and hooked her elbows around his neck as his tongue touched her lips. She parted them with a silent moan, but his tongue didn't enter; he just played at the edges of her lips. Just as it felt like he was about to enter, he suddenly pulled back, ending the kiss abruptly.

"Huh?" She sighed as the wonderful sensation abruptly ended.

He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Somehow she knew that he'd done it on purpose to tease her. A tiny part of her didn't like it, but the rest of her nearly screamed in delight. She didn't understand it, but the denial make her shiver in delight and anticipation...

And he knew.

Somehow he knew.

At that moment, she realized he would be doing this for the rest of her life... and she loved it. She knew he would tease her mercilessly to heighten her arousal before taking her and making good on his sensual promises. A tiny part of her hated it, but that just made the rest of her love it more.

* * *

Rachel couldn't help but tear up slightly as Anthiel finished the service. The diminutive Fey bride looked adorable, beautiful, and blissfully happy. Likewise Ethan - though disguised - also looked very happy. There was no doubting it was genuine either.

He was really happy.

Rachel looked around at all the people who'd turned out. It seemed like the moment Prayla mentioned that Taloni needed help with her wedding, everyone had dropped whatever they were doing to help. It was obvious that everyone here loved her.

Half the women in camp had started baking for a feast afterward. One of the men had volunteered a wild hog he'd hunted earlier that day as the main course. Most of the younger girls had scattered at the call for flowers and returned with enough to supply a good sized shop. Ethan had been running around, talking to Alana and Rachel herself the whole time as they had helped him set this up.

It was really amazing what everyone had put together for the blissfully happy Fey teen.

Strangely, no one seemed bothered that there was a dragon running around the camp. She assumed that was because only Thaltien knew. It seemed like extra guards had been posted around the mine entrance, but otherwise everyone seemed blissfully unaware of the dragon in their midst.

Alana was watching next to her with a very proud look on her face, and it looked like she had teared-up in joy at one point in the service. Rachel couldn't pretend to understand why the wood elf had worked so hard to help Ethan get another wife, but she looked radiantly happy. Rachel had watched closely as the couple said their vows and they both looked just as happy.

It made the redhead slightly jealous.

She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to walk down the aisle in white. She tried to imagine the man who would be waiting for her, but couldn't. She thought of all the marriageable men she'd known in her life, but none of them quite measured up to Ethan. One came close, but-

Wait, what?

She shook her head slightly.

Since when had Ethan become the standard by which she measured men?

She had a high opinion of him, but she hadn't realized it was that high. She frowned, feeling slightly disturbed at the subconscious change that had taken place in her thoughts.

Hmm...

Everyone broke and started moving the tables into place for the wedding feast afterwards. There was no rhyme or reason to the seating, and she ended up at a table with some of the more taciturn miners. They were polite, but barely spoke to each other, let alone her.

She spent most of the meal feeling alone at a crowded table.

The food was good, and she found herself continually glancing over at the center table. Ethan and Taloni both looked very happy and she felt another slight twinge of jealousy. The Fey teen was only a year younger than she was, and she wished she could walk down an aisle in white soon. Sadly, there were no suitors on the horizon and none likely to appear because she was a fugitive.

She sighed; that was life.

Feeling lonely, she looked around to see what the rest of the Argo's crew was up to. Hailey had engaged Thaltien in conversation and even seemed to get more than terse replies. Anthiel was mingling like she was born here. Raklan had engaged some of the burlier men in a drinking contest. Serif was involved in some sort of game that resembled the ancient and noble game of chess.

She didn't see Alana, but since the wood elf was so short that didn't bother her. What did bother her was the wood elf's acceptance of sharing a husband. Taloni was a nice girl, but she felt like her friend deserved better than to merely be one of several wives.

She grimaced and shook her head.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alana asked as she walked up, which shook the redhead out of her reverie.

"I'm... I'm not sure." She replied honestly.

"Oh?" The wood elf said as she sat down next to her.

"I don't understand; how are you so happy about Ethan marrying another woman?"

She smiled mischievously. "Let me flip the question on its head; why shouldn't I be happy?"

Rachel opened her mouth, worked it soundlessly for a moment, and then finally spoke. "I don't even know how to answer that."

"Why?"

"Because I literally can't imagine why anyone would want to share a husband."

"Yeah, I couldn't until recently either." Alana acknowledged. "But I have to admit, the idea has really grown on me."

"Why?"

"Um, a couple of reasons." The chocolate-haired elf replied. "First, I never had siblings growing up. I always wanted that familial connection and I never had it. I realize that Taloni and Beth aren't my sisters, but I think they're the closest I'll ever come to having them."

"But don't you worry that he'll be too busy with his other wives and he'll have less time for you?"

"Not really." She said simply. "Ethan really cares about me. I'm certain that even if he ended up with a dozen wives, he'd do everything possible to make time for each one of them."

"But with three women - assuming he can bring Beth back - don't you think you'll get less time with him?"

"I probably will." The wood elf conceded. "But if felt like I wasn't gettingenough time and I needed to talk to him, don't you think he'd make time for me?"

"Yeah, he would." The redhead conceded.

"Me too, so I'm not very worried about that."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "So whatare you worried about?"

Alana bit her lip, then glanced away. She took a deep breath, then looked back at her. "I know it's silly, but I'm worried I won't be a good wife and he won't want me anymore."

Rachel had to work hard to not laugh out loud, and apparently it showed on her face.

"What?!" Alana said defensively.

"You do realize you're basically his dream girl and you're working to help him bed other women right? What man could say no to that?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I just... I want to be wanted."

"Trust me, he wants you."

"I know, and I don't mind if he wants other women, as long as he still wants me." Alana said, and Rachel got the feeling this particular insecurity had nothing to do with Ethan. She didn't press for more information however.

She looked out over the crowd to where Ethan and Taloni were. He had just whispered something into her ear and she had gone a brilliant shade of red. The wood elf released a subconscious sigh of contentment as she watched her husband with his new bride.

Rachel shook her head, not understanding at all. "You said there were other reasons that the idea of sharing a husband has grown on you?"

"Um, yes."

Alana's cheeks got slightly flushed and she didn't meet Rachel's eye for a moment. The redhead knew that whatever she said next next probably wasn't what she had just been thinking about.

"I like the idea that I'll always have another woman around to talk to, no matter what."

"What do you mean?"

"Um." She thought for a moment. "Well, friends move and change over time. My parents knew a few people who drifted away over the years and others who eventually didn't want to associate with them anymore. I always worried that if I had friends, they'd do the same. But if we're both married to the same man, that won't happen."

"You'd be stuck together, even if she was horrible." Rachel countered.

"I suppose that's true." Alana admitted. "But Ethan's a good judge of character and I don't think he'd marry anyone truly awful. I'm pretty sure I could get along well with most people, but that's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

Something changed on the wood elf's face. She looked softer, kinder, more gentle; there was a yearning in her expression that the redhead hadn't seen before. "Imagine that Ethan married just one woman who I was really close to; a true friend. I would know that we would always be together because we were bound together by our husband. Doesn't that sound wonderful? To have a close, intimate girlfriend who you knew will never leave..."

She sighed.

"Hmm." Rachel mused at the thought.