A Dragon's Tale Ch. 26

"Honored dragon, this might be the case the case with you." The king stated, all but ignoring the priest.

Plesius did not look happy. He wasn't sure why, but guessed it was because the king -- whose name he still didn't know -- had directly contradicted him.

Yes, the high priest looked very unhappy indeed.

"But my king." Plesius said with a sinister smile while looking directly at Ethan. "Would the all-righteous God of Light chose someone as His prophet who travels with -- and has wed -- such disgraceful women?"

Ethan wasn't even aware of letting his claws out, nor crouching in a clearly predatory stance as he growled. "What?"

Plesius took a step back so he was slightly behind the guards surrounding the throne before he spoke again. "You wed a Fey and travel with a disowned lord's daughter, bringing dishonor on yourself. Why do you think only you were invited to the palace?"

Ethan flexed his hands, trying to keep the urge to disembowel the man at bay. He looked towards the king. "Is this true?"

The king looked almost sad, but nodded somberly and added almost apologetically: "I had no wish to offend you, so I extended the invitation only to you when I learned that some of your wives could not be allowed to cross the threshold of the palace."

"They would dishonor our ancestors by their mere presence." Plesius added with a smirk as he half-hid behind the guards.

Ethan could feel a dragon's rage bubbling up in his soul, and so applied a not insignificant amount of willpower to restrain himself from attacking them. No one spoke about his wives that way; no one. He growled low in his throat, baring his teeth and showing his displeasure.

Everyone in the room -- even the guards -- took a collective step backwards at the fuming dragon.

Ethan fought an internal war with himself for a moment before realizing that the longer he stayed here, the more likely it was that he would be to do something he would probably live to regret... if he lived, given that the guards were armed and he wasn't. The king hadn't provoke his ire near as much, but that priest...

He looked at Plesius and snarled. "Fuck you."

Then he locked eyes with the king, pointedly planted his foot in front of him, and then after giving the king a look of disdain, pointedly turned his back on him and marched out of the throne room, no one daring to stop him.

* * *

"So he let you live?"

Selene sighed, realizing that Sarah wasn't wrong. "I suppose he did."

"Wow." The girl breathed.

Selene had spent the last few minutes recounting an edited version of her previous dealings with Ethan. The girl seemed entranced by anything that happened outside of her little outpost, especially if it concerned the dragon.

"I wish something exciting would happen to me." The girl sighed wistfully.

"You have plenty of time." Selene said observing that the girl wasn't very old yet; probably late teens or maybe early twenties. "How old are you?"

Her face saddened a bit as she replied. "Of the age to be married."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Um, no... but--"

"Sarah, stop lollygagging and refill out guests' ale." Her father called from his chair.

The girl instantly leapt up and ran to see to the men that her father had indicated.

When Selene looked up at them, they all hastily busied themselves with their food or drink instead of looking at her. She didn't get a creepy vibe, but they were certainly checking her out. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she wasn't nearly as good looking as she was. She had intentionally dressed down for this mission, putting her hair in a simple ponytail and wearing no makeup whatsoever. However, it didn't seem to make a difference. Men still stared where ever she went, often undressing her with their eyes in a most unwelcome way.

The only time she had ever welcomed it was when Ethan had done it.

But even that was...

She shook her head, putting it out of her mind and resolving to finish her food. The flagon of ale wasn't bad, but wasn't exactly amazing either. Fortunately the alcohol content seemed quite low and she could hold her liquor even if had been higher. The whole time she was planning her next move.

She really only had two options: First, she could ask around to see if anyone knew about the portal through which she'd come. Second, she could try to find Ethan and hope he was willing to open a portal back to earth for her.

Neither seemed like a good option.

The portal through which she'd come was far back from the road; over one hundred yards and it looked like no one had been there for a long time. Given the thick forest and abundance of pine trees, the odds of a traveler seeing it were tiny. She had no idea which direction it was in, or even how far away it was. She could probably spend months trying to find it on the ground and still be no closer to home.

It seemed even less likely that she could find Ethan, or that he would help her even if she could. He could probably open a portal -- he'd done it before -- but where was he? Would he even want to help her? Given their adversarial interactions on Earth, she doubted it very much.

That left her in a real conundrum: what was she going to do?

* * *

"My lord the king?"

"Enter Delabor." The king said. He was sitting in a small room just off the throne room where he had retired after the dragon had left. It was such a short meeting, and the dragon had behaved in a scandalously uncouth manner, bringing dishonor on his ancestors and arguably to the hallowed halls of the palace itself.

And yet...

And yet he felt a smile creep onto his face.

There was something about that dragon that he liked. It was hard to place, and he wasn't sure exactly what it was. Something about his manner perhaps. Something about the way he spoke, utterly honestly and without guile. It had been a long time since he'd heard words uttered in the throne room and not wondered about their truthfulness.

"Speak Delabor." The king said, which of course was code for the herald to present his news. The king was growing tired of constantly phrasing his questions as statements, and everyone else phrasing their statements to him as questions.

"What would you have done about the dragon?"

The king closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He wanted the dragon to stay. He wanted a chance to meet with him without the court around; without anyone else around, especially Plesius. However, he wanted the dragon towant to stay. That was the problem. He wasn't sure he had anything that the dragon wanted. However, he might have something that one of his wives wanted...

He considered.

The dragon certainly did seem to care about his wives, despite their dishonor. The King found that intriguing too, and wondered if perhaps making one of the dragon's wives happy would be enough to get the dragon himself to stay; or at least feel indebted enough to take a meeting with him. Perhaps the best way to go about this was sideways?

He cocked his head to one side and addressed Delabor. "Bring the oldest son of Lord Nalfigar to me as soon as possible; he was present in the throne room when I left and should still be nearby. Also, prep our fastest intra-city airship."

"Of course my king." His faithful herald bowed, and then backed out of the room and rushed to fulfill the command.

The king hoped his plan would be enough to convince the dragon to stay.

* * *

Alana had felt the surge in Ethan's temper, but had also felt that he was in control of it and so decided not to say anything to snap him out of it. The moment his anger had spiked, she, Beth, and Taloni had all looked at each other.

"Ethan's temper?" Rachel asked.

They all nodded.

"I wonder what happened with master." Taloni said looking sad.

"I don't know, but I'm glad he isn't losing it." Beth said with a half-smile.

Alana looked around the room. They had made their way into the living area, which was also richly carved. Its many chairs, tables, and decorations probably cost about as much as the average commoner made in a year. It was all made of wood, which made the wood elf feel incredibly at home.

Several servants had offered them refreshments and food, which they'd gratefully accepted. She did notice that none had directly addressed Rachel or Taloni directly, nor met their yes. When Taloni thanked them, they had said "we are honored to serve." which wasn't exactly a personal response. She was sure the redhead had noticed, but the Fey was clearly oblivious. For that she was glad; she didn't want to see her sad.

A few minutes later, the front door to the foyer banged opened and Ethan stalked in fuming. They could all tell that he wasn't made at them, but he certainly was mad. It was quite intimidating.

"We're leaving." He announced without preamble.

All his wives jumped up immediately, though Rachel hesitated. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you when I won't be growling the whole conversation." He growled, then turned on his heel and stalked out, his girls following him.

Alana followed closely behind him as they made their way back through the city towards the Argo. She'd learned that Ethan usually needed a little time to cool down after his dragon side had been triggered. Once she felt him start to calm down a bit, she put a hand on his back.

*Are you okay?* She asked, directing her thoughts so Beth and Taloni could hear too, because she knew they'd want to know.

*I will be." He said with a slightly growling exhale. *Do you know why I was the only one invited into the palace, and not you girls?*

*Oh.* She let her hand fall as she realized the probable reason.

*Yeah.* He nodded. *Apparently, most of my wives aren't welcome because they don't fit their inane sense of honor.*

*Most?* Taloni asked.

*I think they would be fine with Beth.* The wood elf said, giving the blonde a half-hearted smile. *But the rest of us...*

Beth smiled back, but it was a mournful smile. *I'm sorry they won't accept you both too. You are the most delightful women I've ever met and they don't know what they're missing.*

*Hear, hear.* Ethan agreed, and he seemed to be feeling less down.

"Um." Rachel interjected. "Can I make a request?"

"For you, anything." Ethan replied.

She blushed slightly.

Alana managed not to grin ear-to-ear at Ethan's statement and her best friend's embarrassment. They had both fallen so hard for each other and she couldn't wait until the redhead came to her sense and joined Ethan's wives properly.

The mage made an apologetic smile. "I gather you're talking telepathically, but could you let me know what was said when we get back to the Argo?"

"You know, you could join our 'group chat' thing." Taloni said with an edge of mischief in her voice.

"It does come with some fantastic perks." Beth agreed, giving Ethan a sly smile in full view of Rachel.

"I'm good, thanks." The redhead replied, though her tone was slightly forced.

"So is Ethan..." Alana added before she could stop herself.

Beth and Taloni giggled.

Even Ethan smiled. "You might be able to even without the extra 'perks'." He said thoughtfully. "There's still a half-bond there; maybe that would be enough that you could plug-in and take part."

Rachel appeared to get slightly choked up as she beamed. "I'd like that."

By the time they had reached the Argo, most everyone was in a better mood. Ethan's exhales were no longer coming out as growls, though Alana's own mood hadn't improved much. She felt her shoulders start to slump as they approached the Argo, which would take them out of the city.

*Hey, what's wrong?* Ethan asked her, sounding like his usual caring self.

*I know it's silly, but I was hoping to see my parents while we were here.* She replied, not looking at him. *I mean, I knew it wasn't likely but...*

*I'm sorry.* He reached down and took her hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

*It's just, I always guessed that they gave me up because of the honor system, but I'd always hoped...* She swallowed, feeling herself tear up a bit.

*You hoped...?*

*I just always hoped that they, well that they...*

*...that they wanted you.* He finished.

She nodded.

*I'm not sure why they gave you up, but I do know this: it's their loss. You are a wonderful woman Alana, and you've made my life so much better that I couldn't even begin to describe it. I can't replace your parents, but you need to know how much you mean to me; to all of us.*

She wiped a tear that had been collecting at the corner of her eye as she smiled mournfully. *Thank you.*

*Anything for my favorite first wife.* He winked.

She managed to chuckle slightly.

They reached the Argo a few minutes later, and some of Ethan's dark mood seemed to have returned after their conversation. She guessed it was partially on her behalf though. He walked up the gangplank with rather more force than he usually did.

"Weigh anchor." He said to Anthiel. "We're blowing this popsicle stand."

Anthiel gave him an amused expression from the quarterdeck, like she knew something that he didn't. "Ethan, you and Alana will want to inspect the hold before we leave."

"The hold? Why?"

The high elf had an almost mischievous look. "Trust me, you and Alana -- and probably only you and Alana -- will want to look in the hold before we leave."

They looked at each other, and he looked as confused as she felt.

"Okay..." He gave her a quizzical expression, but she just smiled.

He shrugged and then led the way to the door to the lower decks, which was located under the stairs up to the quarterdeck on both sides of the ship. Alana followed him down, her wood elven eyes adjusting almost instantly to the dimmer light which came through small portholes.

A couple yards beyond the bottom of the stairs, there was a wood elf who was pacing nervously. He was wearing a very expensive looking suit that probably cost more than what she used to make in a year. He had short, chocolate-brown hair and when he turned to look at them, she saw his rich hazel eyes.

"And you are...?" Ethan asked, though he trailed off as he took the man in. He cocked his head to one side as he looked at the wood elf. "Do I know you?"

"No, but considering..." The wood elf trailed off as he looked past the dragon and caught sight of Alana herself. "...I would definitely like to know you both."

He was silent for a moment, and then he seemed to come to himself. "I am sorry, where are my manners? I am Navaro Nalfigar; called house-heir." He said with a formal bow.

Alana felt her breath catch as a whole swarm of butterflies started swirling in her stomach.

"Father?"

* * *

Selene considered her situation and didn't like it much. She was the only female traveler at the inn, and the only female period except for the innkeeper's daughter. The other men had been stealing glances in her direction, and while they weren't exactly leering nor even being creepy about it, she didn't like attracting so much male attention. That went double because of what was apparently the usual sleeping arrangements in a medieval-style inn.

"They're quite comfortable too." Sarah said, gesturing to the beds in the communal sleeping area; every bed was all in the same room. Further, each bed looked large enough to accommodate two or three people.

"So, do strangers usually sleep in the same bed?" The ex-FBI agent asked raising her eyebrow.

"Of course." The girl replied. "Have you never stayed at an inn before?"

"I have, but I never had to share a bed."

Sarah's eyes grew wide. "Wow, you must be rich."

She grimaced, only now vaguely remembering a documentary that a dorm mate in college had watched on medieval inns. She hadn't been paying much attention, but now remembered at least one thing; the documentary had mentioned how strangers sharing a bed at an inn was normal back then.

She wished she'd remembered thatbefore she'd paid for a bed.

"I guess I was rich." Selene said, realizing it was true by the standards of this world. She wouldn't have thought twice about dropping the money for a hotel room on Earth. Here... here it seemed like getting her own bed and her own room would be far more than any normal person could afford.

"I'm sorry for your misfortune." Sarah said as her face fell, genuine sadness on her face at Selene's hardship even though they'd just met.

It was quite endearing.

"I don't suppose I can keep my sword on while I sleep; that'll be a deterrent." She said wryly.

"You could." The girl smiled. "Besides, we haven't had anything happen in a while, so you should be fine."

"For a while?"

Sarah nodded.

Selene was absolutely sure she wanted to get off this world as soon as possible, so she turned to the girl. "Have you heard of a ruined temple in the woods around here somewhere?"

"No, I'm sorry." She replied. "The woods around here are quite thick though, so you would probably have better luck finding it from an airship."

"Thanks, I suppose it was a long shot." Selene shrugged. "I guess I should turn in."

She didn't think she'd sleep very well though, not with a strange man in the bed next to her. She was virtually certain he would try to cop a feel, and was trying to decide how much she could reasonably hurt a man with her considerable martial arts skills if -- or rather when -- he tried. Still, she supposed it was better than sleeping in the woods where there might be predators.

"Sarah!" The inn's owner called. "The fire's need tending for overnight."

"Coming father." She disappeared in a flash.

Selene looked back to see the man hadn't moved from his rocking chair since she'd arrived. It certainly seemed like the girl kept the whole place running while he sat on his ass. He had a large enough belly to provide compelling evidence that this was the case too. He also seemed incredibly world-weary; like he'd been dealt a hard hand in life and hadn't played it well. She might've felt sorry for him if he had been a bit nicer to his daughter.

A minute later, Sarah came back in with a log that was much too big for her small frame. Selene was surprised she could lift it. The girl dropped it in front of the fire, sighed tiredly and then turned to go back through the door, presumably to get more wood.

"Here, I'll help." Selene offered, and the girl brightened considerably.

"Thank you." She beamed.

"Don't even think about it." Her father barked. "You'll not be askin' paying customers to help with your work."

"She didn't ask, I offered." Selene corrected frostily.

He shrugged. "Whatever, long as the fire gets fed."

She suppressed a grimace and then followed the girl outside to the wood pile. There were two neatly stacked woodpiles not far from the door. One was mostly large logs while the other varied in size up to several inches in diameter.

"Two more logs should keep the hearth fire going until dawn." The girl said.

Selene and Sarah each grabbed one and brought them back in. They worked together to get the two large logs into the fireplace, and then lob the third on top of the previous two. The three logs now formed a small triangle with the coals at the bottom center.

"There." Sarah said panting slightly. "That'll hold until morning."

"Good enough." Her father harrumphed and then he got up from is chair. "I'm going to bed; make sure you lock up."

"Yes father." Sarah replied respectfully.

Once he had left the room, Sarah turned to her. "Miss Selene, I know you're nervous about..." She glanced at the men and then the communal sleeping area. "...so if you don't tell father, and if you can get up before he does so he doesn't know, you can room with me tonight."

"Really?"

The girl nodded. "My room isn't as nice and my bed isn't as large, but you were so nice to help me that I'd like to return the favor if I can."