A Dragon's Tale Ch. 30

Beth gave her a quizzical look, then shrugged and gave her arm a small pinch.

The wood elf winced.

Yup, definitely still awake.

Out of the horizon, the sun was just about to touch the horizon. Rachel had been very specific that she wanted the ceremony to start just as the sun touched the horizon. It was something symbolic about the sun setting on her single life, and waking up the next morning with the sun having risen on her married life. It was a tradition that Alana had never heard before, but she liked it.

"It's time." Anthiel announced loudly, then brought her stringed instrument up and began to softly play.

* * *

Kendra was ready to kick herself.

Instead of running full sail towards Arcanum to get rid of her debts to Ethan, she was sitting motionless high in the sky with her sails furled and her enchanted telescope out. She'd braced it on the side of her tiny canoe-sized airship and was watching a wedding.

She didn't even know why she was.

Old intelligence gathering habits maybe.

The sun was just about to touch the horizon when the high elf pilot began to play. Rachel exited the captain's cabin in a white dress that looked suspiciously like her red one recolored. She gracefully walked up the steps to the quarterdeck and even from this distance, the dragon huntress could see that the woman was nearly glowing in happiness.

Unbidden, a vision of her in a similar dress floated into her mind. She was nearly floating up the same staircase, towards the same people, and towards the same groom.

She shook her head as her stomach protested.

That was stupid.

Yet she didn't look away and the vision persisted despite her attempts to banish it.

* * *

Rachel could hardly believe that this was happening. She kept wanting to ask Alana to pinch her to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. If there was a way she could've without disrupting the wedding, she would have. She had just stopped in front of Ethan, who was grinning broadly at her.

Her heart fluttered slightly.

Anthiel gave her a knowing smile and began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of Illuminar and these witnesses to join these two in holy matrimony."

This was it.

She was not only bonded, but in a few moments she was going to be married too; fully, officially, and properly married. She couldn't believe how surreal it was now that it was finally happening. She'd only met him two months ago, and really only a month and a half ago since she'd initially been under the influence of the will-breaker ring. Yet here she was, about to promise herself to him -- to follow and obey him -- for the rest of her life.

She was finally okay with that.

Their talk earlier had greatly comforted her, and while she still didn't like the idea of having a lord, she thought she could take it because it was Ethan. Sweet, wonderful, caring Ethan. He was looking at her like he'd been gifted an entire vault full of gold. His smile and the twinkle in his eyes made her heart sing, and she finally felt free to respond without reservation.

It was wonderful.

Anthiel turned to him. "Do you Ethan, with full knowledge and consent; take this woman, Rachel, 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 said as he looked her, eyes shining with happiness.

The high elf turned to the bride. "Do you Rachel, 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 him for all of your days--"

"And obey." Rachel interrupted before she realized that her mouth had even opened. Apparently Ethan had talked to the ship's pilot to strike 'obey' from the vows like he'd suggested.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded, no longer interested in modified wedding vows. It was scary and made her very nervous, but she trusted him not to take advantage of her. She had literally never been more apprehensive in her life, but she was determined anyway. He was a good man; he would treat her right even if she promised to obey him.

Anthiel looked at Ethan, waiting for a response.

He nodded, so the high elf began again. "Do you Rachel, with full knowledge and consent, give yourself to this man, Ethan, to be his wife in the covenant of marriage? Do you swear to followand 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." She replied softly

She'd never been more sure of anything in her life, yet the butterflies in her stomach hadn't completely settled at the idea of obeying him.

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

He stepped close, right into her personal space and put his face close to hers.

She froze.

Her brain seemed to have completely locked-up at the realization that she was about to have her very first kiss in a moment.

How does one kiss?

She cast around in her mind frantically trying to remember anything she'd heard on the topic, but her brain wouldn't cooperate. Her brain which usually ran a mile a minute suddenly seemed as slow as molasses in mid-winter.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?" He whispered softly as he leaned in slightly.

Their lips were mere inches apart.

The bride worked her jaw for a moment trying desperately to make a sound; any sound.

"You okay?" He asked in concern, pausing.

She couldn't answer, her brain having frozen in panic at what was about to happen. She'd never done anything physical intimate with a man before. Not like this. She'd snuggled with Ethan but this was a whole other level of intimacy that she didn't know how to deal with; she didn't how to respond.

She felt movement behind her and felt a warm, soft, slender hand slide into hers and give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Take a deep breath Rachel." Alana said gently. "It'll be okay, just breathe."

She did and felt herself calm down a bit. Alana's hand started to retract, but the bride held on for dear life; clinging to her comforting presence to make her brain keep working.

She saw Ethan's eyes flick to Alana in the tell-tale way they often did during a telepathic conversation, then her husband -- her brain froze even harder as she realized that had a husband -- he leaned forward and kissed her.

It was wonderful.

Her brain didn't unlock so much as turn into a puddle of gooey, happy, mush. He was at once tender and caring, as well as strong and assertive. She felt his hand slide around her waist and pull her front into his and she didn't resist. It felt strange to have his entire front pressed up against hers, but it also felt good too. She was acutely aware that his hips were also pressed against hers, and her breasts were pressing into his chest.

Her brain froze harder as her body slowly started reacting.

He pulled away after several seconds, gave her an adoring look, and then planted a tender kiss on her forehead. She sighed softly and leaned into it slightly, her brain having finally decided to loosen up a bit.

She was still holding Alana's hand.

* * *

Alana took a small sip of the cider as she looked around the deck at the makeshift wedding reception. The bride and groom were dancing on the weather deck; or rather the bride was dancing and the groom was trying desperately to do more than fumble around trying to match her.

Taloni and Beth were dancing together, with the blonde taking the man's roles as the two teens giggled about how awkward it was that she kept trying to slip back into the woman's role. Selene was watching from the railing directly opposite the wood elf, and the Brazilian woman looked both confused and like she was enjoying herself. Serif was keeping Raklan in line as usual, and Anthiel was playing a little jig for the dancers.

The food was mostly just their best ship's food, but it was good and the mood was merry.

Alana reached down and put a hand over her womb. "You'll belong to a good family little one."

*Talking to the baby already?* Ethan asked telepathically as the dance ended.

She nodded. *You're going to be a great father."

*I hope so.*

*You will be. You'll have to be, given how many kids you'll probably have.*

*Holy shit, I hadn't thought about that.* He clapped his head to his forehead, prompting confused looks from his other wives, as they had been talking directly and not to everyone else. They all congregated around the wood elf, with Ethan leading Rachel by the hand. She seemed very happy and content to be led. When they'd congregated, Ethan explained what they had been talking about.

"I mean, how many kids do you ladies want?" He asked.

"As many as you're willing to give me master." Taloni said with a dreamy look in her eye.

"Yes please." Beth echoed, looking down at her flat stomach. "I could really use to put on a few pounds in this area Dominus, if you could help me with that." She moved her hand through the air like she was caressing a nine-month-pregnant belly.

"I'm with Taloni." Alana said. "My womb is yours for as many kids as you'll be willing to let me carry for you."

The wood elf couldn't help but notice Rachel blush, so she turned towards her. "How about you?"

"I um..." The bride glanced towards the captain's cabin. "I honestly don't know. At least one. It might depend on how crowded things get."

"And sir, don't forget your other wives."

"Seven... oh man." He shook his head. "If you all only want two, that's still fourteen kids."

"I like to have a lot more if that's okay with you master."

Ethan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What's a lot?"

"At least four or five master, if it's okay."

Alana and Beth both sighed in unison, the blonde clearly liking the idea as much as she herself did.

"That's thirty to thirty-five kids." Ethan said as his eyes bugged out.

"You're assuming that some of use won't want more... sir." Alana said almost coyly.

"I couldn't ever get to know that many kids." He said.

"Perhaps you could spread them out?" Rachel suggested. "Some say that Ithlan's wives lived much longer than their respective races would ordinarily live. We all might have more time than is usual for non-elven women."

"I hadn't thought about our lifespans." Ethan frowned. "How long do dragons usually live?"

"A few hundred years." Beth replied. "There are stories of incredibly old dragons reaching four hundred, but that's rare."

He looked around at them, shock on his face. "But what about... You're sure you ladies will live longer?" He looked at his two human brides and his Fey one in alarm.

Rachel shrugged, looking unsure.

"Oh, I forgot." Beth replied brightly. "I did a lot of reading on Ithlan when I was young. It's not common knowledge, but his wives did live a long time. His first wife was a human who reached two or three hundred years old depending on the account, and she aged more like an elf than a human."

Ethan breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. "Oh thank God for that."

Suddenly, Beth gasped and covered her mouth. "I hadn't realized... we're going to live for..." She looked around at them. "We're going to be old."

"But that means we'll have time for plenty of kids..." Alana said with a sly smile, a gentle itch forming in her nether regions.

"Not until this situation with Lord Delmar is dealt with." Ethan said. "After that, I'd be more than happy to make you all mothers."

As one, all his wives sighed.

"Speaking of becoming mothers, I think one of us needs to practice." The wood elf said with a twinkle in her eye as she looked at the bride.

Rachel blushed.

Ethan extended his hand towards her. "Shall we?"

She bit her lip, then nodded and took his hand.

"Will you all be okay below decks?" He asked the rest of them.

"Of course, go." Alana urged. She wasn't sure why, but the idea of her husband finally making love to her best friend was one of the most appealing things that had ever crossed her mind. The only thing that could make it better was if she was there for it, but knew that wouldn't happen; no matter how much she wanted it to.

Ethan gave a gentle tug on the redhead's hand and they started towards the captain's cabin.

* * *

Ethan closed the door behind him, feeling a bit odd that his constant bed companions wouldn't be next to him tonight. He had gotten used to waking up with all of them, but he felt like Rachel deserved a wedding night that was all her own.

She really was amazing, even if he'd taken a while to see it. She was courageous, having launched herself into harm's way countless times to save them. She was kind, having been an incredible friend to his other wives, and especially Alana. She was clever and wise, often coming up with brilliant solutions to their problems and giving great advice.

Yet for all that, she was still only nineteen.

Mature for her age, but still only nineteen.

He found himself constantly having to remind himself of that because she often acted very mature. She had the characteristic nervousness of a teenage girl about to do something with a boy for the first time. She was beautiful too, and he gave her the once over in her formerly-red-but-temporarily-white dress. It still accentuated her figure marvelously. That combined with her personality...

He felt a smile creep onto his face.

"What?" She asked. Her one hand was across her body holding the opposite elbow and she appeared to be chewing on her cheek slightly.

"You." He grinned broadly. "It's kind of funny, I didn't even realize how much I came to really trust and rely on until I'd been doing so for a long time. You kind of snuck up on me, you know?"

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, yeah I know what that's like."

"You're nervous." He observed.

She nodded. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Like I told Beth on her wedding night, it's like most things; you start without any experience and get better as you go."

The redhead nodded, but kept shifting her balance back and forth on her feet and fidgeting with her hair, her dress, and almost anything else within reach. She didn't seem to know what to do with her eyes either.

He took her hands and spoke softly. "Hey, it'll be okay. I promise."

She nodded, but didn't look reassured.

He marveled at her ability to charge necromancers, attack arch mages, and challenge dragons, but be scared on her wedding night.

"You're overthinking this, aren't you?" He said trying not to smile too widely in amusement.

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Brain going a million miles a minute? Can't catch a thought except to panic a bit?"

Another nod.

"Well, let's see if we can get you out of your head then."

"How are you going to--"

He cut her off with kiss. It was slow and tender at first, yet she almost resisted slightly. He persisted, and her resistance faded but didn't disappear altogether. He pulled back slightly and looked into her wide blue eyes.

"I'm not used to that." She whispered. "I like it, but I keep feeling like... like..." She averted her eyes.

He reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. She leaned into his hand slightly and let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh.

"Like what?"

"I don't know." He looked at him again and bit her lip. "Could you do that again?"

He leaned forward a kissed her gently. She returned the kiss hesitantly, almost pulling back slightly; but at the same time she seemingly subconsciously pressed her front up against his. She was clearly turned on, but also clearly more nervous than any of his other wives had been the first time.

Their kiss broke and she closed her eyes, then licked her lips in an almost absent-minded way. "I can see why the others like doing that."

"They're not the only ones." He grinned.

"Do they all kiss differently?" She seemed both curious and like she was stalling and he let her, deciding that pushing her would be a bad idea.

"A little bit, it's hard to explain though."

"Do I... I mean, I've only done it a few times, but am I... am I okay at it?" She looked up at him, all walls down and looking completely open and vulnerable; not like she was scared, but more like she was tryingnot to hide herself from him. He knew how hard that was for her and appreciated it all the more because of that.

He winked at her. "You know, I might need a larger sample size just to be sure..."

She smiled. "May I kiss you?"

"You never need to ask."

"Never?"

"Never."

She nodded, then leaned forward, hesitated for a moment, and then gently planted a tender kiss on his lips.

* * *

Of all the things Rachel was good at, being in the moment wasn't one of them. She was trying desperately to calm her mind and stop it from simultaneously running a million miles a minute and completely freezing.

Kissing Ethan helped.

A lot.

Her mind didn't exactly go blank, but the sensation was extremely diverting. She pulled back from her short kiss and before she'd realized what she was doing, she licked her lips again. She didn't know why she kept doing that. It wasn't the taste, though the taste wasn't bad. It wasn't the sensation, though the sensation was wonderful. It was something else. Something of him that he'd left on her. She liked that for some reason. She liked it rather a lot. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

Suddenly, he scooped her into his arms and she yelped slightly.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Enjoying my bride." He said. "Or rather, the adorable way her nose scrunches slightly when she's thinking deeply or overthinking."

"It does?"

He nodded. "Adorably so."

He set her down on the bed and her brain seemed to lock up slightly. This was all too new; too different. He had followed her down so he was partially laying on top of her and her entire body was freaking out. She'd never felt anything like it before, well unless you counted when she woke up with Alana in the hammock that one morning. But for some reason, that had been different. The wood elf had had an incredible calming effect on her -- like with the wedding kiss earlier -- but Ethan was making her tense... and nervous... and a few parts of her tingly in ways she'd never felt before.

She was yanked back to the present when Ethan's fingertips slid down her face onto her slender neck, and then began to touch her upper chest. She sighed in contentment as her body luxuriated in the sensation while her brain stubbornly continued its freak out. She felt herself get slightly stiff even as her body both screamed for more and wanted to run away.

Ethan gaze her a piecing look for a second, then resumed his fingertip exploration.

She sighed; thank Illuminar.

For a moment, she'd been worried that he'd stop after she'd tensed up.

He felt her collarbone, and she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. For some reason, she'd always found collarbones to be especially intimate to touch. She wasn't sure why. His finger trailed over to her left shoulder and slipped almost imperceptibly under the fabric of her dress.

She froze.

Her birthmark; He would see her birthmark.

Suddenly her stomach was twisted up in knots as she realized that she'd completely forgotten about it. She had always been ashamed of it and worried about what her future husband might say when he saw it. Now he was about to.

"What's wrong?" He asked looking concerned.

She worked her mouth soundlessly.

"It's okay, you can tell me."

She couldn't.