A Dragon's Tale Ch. 38

She considered.

On balance, her story did seem pretty fantastical. In fact, it seemed pretty unbelievable now that she thought about it. She looked at her father's face and saw disbelief written all over it. A part of her didn't even blame him. She might not have believed the story either if she hadn't lived it.

"You need help Beth." He finally said sadly. "I won't sit idly by and let my daughter--" His breath caught just slightly. "--be hurt."

It was a tiny thing really; the catch of his breath.

Less than a second.

A mere moment.

But it wasn't like her father. Not at all. He was a towering pillar of strength who was always calm, cool, and collected. He didn't show emotion like this, but for the tiniest, briefest moment, she saw his armor crack. She saw that underneath his bravado and calm exterior was a man who was worried about someone he loved.

He was worried about her.

Truly, deeply worried.

She was reminded of Ethan, and considered what he might do if someone was hurting one of his wives, or his unborn daughter after she was born. She imagined that he would react in much the same way as her father was reacting now. In fact, he might react much worse. Her father and her husband were much the same that way; they both would do everything in their power to protect the people they loved.

That was the moment.

That's when she realized that nothing she could say would make a difference. She almost smiled as she realized that her father and Ethan both had something in common; a fierce desire to protect those they loved. She knew that as long as Ethan thought she was in danger, he would never stop fighting to protect her.

The same was true of her father.

He cleared his throat, as if the momentary crack in his armor had been nothing more than a bit of phlegm. "I won't allow anyone to hurt you Beth."

She stood up, and a curious kind of calm coming over her.

She couldn't change his mind, at least not today.

It was a simple truth, but one that she hadn't even realized that she needed to know. And not just know mentally, but deep down; she wouldn't change his mind.

She all of a sudden knew what she needed to say.

"Father, I love that you want to take care of me and protect me, but you need to realize something; if I had to choose right now between a long, healthy life without Ethan, or following him with the certainty that I would die in the next month, I would say goodbye to everyone here before leaving with Ethan."

Her father's eyes widened slightly.

"My husband's life is dangerous, and I recognize that." She continued. "But Illuminar chose him to do great things in the Ten Kingdoms. For some reason, the great, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise God of Light chose me to be one of his wives. I don't know why, but I can never thank Him enough for that. I want to be by Ethan's side. But more than that, he needs me for whatever Illuminar wants him to do. I can't leave him, and I wouldn't if I could."

"He has multiple wives, and you--"

"Yes he does." She said, cutting him off as respectfully as she knew how. She felt like she was channeling her father as she started to ask questions to lead the conversation; just as she'd seen him do countless times. "Illuminar allows men to have multiple wives: do you think He made a mistake? Do you think He was wrong? Or do you think you know better than the God of Light Himself? Are you wiser than He is?"

He didn't answer.

"Father, I willnot leave my husband. Ever. Anything you do to make me leave him won't push me farther from him; it will push me farther fromyou."

"You are heading down a dangerous path Beth." He cautioned, his concern for her even nearer the surface than before.

"Yes I am, and I know that full well. Better than you do, better even than some of my fellow wives." She said calmly.

He raised his eyebrow.

"It's true." She nodded, remembering everything she'd been through, which Ethan had just reminded her of outside the manor house.

"You don't know what you'll face." He said, and it almost sounded like there was a hint of desperation in his tone.

"But I do know father." She replied. "I have stood before kings and angels, I have faced off against Dragos and demons, and I have walked the land of the dead and trod on the Astral Plane itself. I know the dangers, and even though I know the dangers better than anyone around me, I choose to walk the path anyway."

He slowly shook his head. "You don't know who you are--"

"I do know who I am." She said both firmly and calmly. "I am Elizabeth Ejder, blessed to the second wife of Ethan Ejder, the prophet of Illuminar. If I could choose to be anyone else or take any other path, I wouldn't. I count myself as one of the seven most blessed women in the entire Ten Kingdoms, and I won't spit on that blessing by leaving my husband's side."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Now father, you get to decide who you're going to be." She leaned forward, resting her hands on his desk.

"Oh?"

"You have two choices." She continued. "You can stop trying to separate me from my husband and continue to be my beloved father who I miss and will want to see as often as possible. And if you pick this option, you need to give the Argo to Ethan."

"Give?" All trace of amusement on her father's face disappeared, not that there was much to begin with.

"Yes, give." She nodded, knowing he could easily afford what amounted to a paltry loss compared to his wealth and military airships. "We have tarried in Gralden for two whole days now, and lost more than that in travel time when we could be down south helping against the orcs that are threatening the steel mines in Ivernia."

His eyes widened. "He couldn't possibly be thinking of taking my daughter there."

"He is, because they need help and Ethan is the kind of man who can't turn down someone who needs help."

"I won't give him the Argo if he's taking you there." Lord Borden said flatly.

"Then we'll contact the King of the Wood Elves who will send another airship for us." She countered. "He would too, and you must know that from your network."

He inclined his head slightly in concession, but set his jaw anyway.

"Thanks to the Wood Elven King, we're going to go there anyway. Your choice is to help us and keep your relationship with me, or keep trying to separate me from my husband and lose me until you stop. Which reminds me..."

She gave him a stern look. "If you ever invite me anywhere and don't invite Ethan andall of his wives as well, I won't come. Period."

He scoffed. "You can't possibly like them."

"I can." She replied, a small smile creeping onto her face as she thought about each one of them. "If something happened to Ethan -- Illuminar forbid -- do you know who I would want to spend the rest of my life around?"

He shook his head.

"My fellow wives." She said firmly. "Invite them and Ethan wherever you invite me, stop trying to split us up, and give Ethan the Argo; if you do that then there's a chance that -- maybe someday -- we can heal what you broke in our relationship. Don't do all of those things -- especially giving Ethan the Argo -- and you'll lose your daughter until you start doing them. Regardless, I'll still be down south with my husband fighting orcs." She paused. "Okay, I won't actually be swinging a sword or anything, but I'll help however I can."

He looked at her for a long moment, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Nothing will dissuade you from going to those mines, will it?"

She shook her head. "Not as long as Ethan wants to go, and he will because they need his help."

He steepled his hands together and scrutinized her for almost an entire minute.

"One condition." He finally said.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Serif and Raklan." Lord Borden replied. "I spent a small fortune to get them in my employ, especially Serif, and they are among the best fighters in the entire Ten Kingdoms. They will travel with you to keep you safe."

"Just me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't care if they defend the others, but keeping you safe will be their primary assignment."

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Then do we have a deal?" He stood and offered his hand.

She hesitated, then added. "As long as you also promise not to take any harmful action against Anthiel's family because they helped us, or the other members of the Argo's crew, or their families, or anyone else who's helped us."

A muscle twitched in his face -- he might've been planning something along those lines -- but he nodded anyway. "Agreed."

She hesitated several seconds, then shook his hand.

It was weird; she'd never made a formal agreement with him like this before. Ever. She knew he would honor it, for he was accurately reputed to be the most trustworthy man in the Ten Kingdoms. Ethan was safe, her fellow wives were safe, and they had the Argo again.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Beth." He said softly. "Can I have a hug from my daughter before you go?"

She smiled and nodded, feeling her eyes get slightly moist. He hurried out from around the desk and wrapped his strong arms around her. It was very different than when Ethan held her, but nearly as wonderful. She had always felt safe in his arms growing up.

Safe...

"Daddy." She said softly.

"Yes blondie." He replied, using a childhood nickname.

"Did you mean to hurt Selene?"

"No, Valten was telling the truth." He said. "He says her mind and mana were slightly different, possibly owing to the fact that she's from a different world and he wasn't paying enough attention to compensate. He never expected her to react that way, and I wouldn't have let him probe her if I would've known."

She breathed a sigh of relief, her father never lied; if he said it, it was true. Then she bit her lip. It was time to ask theother question; the one she needed to know the answer to.

She broke the hug and then looked into his eyes. "Did you send Ethan into the vault, and Alana in after him, knowing that something bad might happen?"

"I'm surprised you think me capable of that." He replied.

"That's not an answer." She pointed out.

"Yes it is." He replied, then looked out the window. "If you are in such a hurry to leave, I'll send a runner to Anthiel so she can lift the lockdown on the Argo, then I'll have my men refill the ship's hold with provisions. You should be ready to leave in an hour or two, but before you go..."

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Then he took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked at her again. "Would you, and thus Ethan and his other wives, care to join our family for brunch before you go?"

She nodded, guessing that he had volunteered to refill the Argo's provisions to keep her in Gralden long enough for the meal to take place. "I would love to, and I'm sure I could get Ethan to agree. Could Selene and Kendra come too? They're part of the crew and I'd like them to be there."

"They aren't married to Ethan?"

She shook her head. "Just friends."

"Then I have no objection." He looked at her for several seconds, then reached out and pulled her into a hug. She didn't resist, as such displays of affection were rare with him.

"Promise me you'll be careful dear girl." He whispered as he held her tight.

"I will."

He shook his head. "Promise me."

"I promise I'll be careful Daddy."

"You better be. After you were kidnapped, I..." He trailed off and cleared his throat, again like it was merely phlegm that prevented him from speaking.

Beth knew better.

She looked up and thought his eyes looked a bit watery. For all his faults, her father loved her and wanted her to be safe. If she had ever doubt it before -- and she hadn't -- she certainly didn't now.

* * *

Over the course of her life, Sarah had occasionally wondered what men in prison did. Unfortunately, now she knew. They were bored. She and Lady Ekthros had been in the prison for two whole days now and she had absolutely nothing to do. She had prayed a little and paced a little, but the cell was so small that it didn't do much good.

It was also cold.

Not bitter cold, but just cold enough that she never felt truly warm. She wasn't shivering, but she would've given a lot for a thick blanket, a warm fire, and cup of hot tea.

Lady Ekthros seemed to be taking captivity even worse than she herself was. The auburn-haired woman seemed strong with the guards around, but didn't seem to know what to do with herself otherwise.

Speaking of...

The door to the room opened and two guards walked in. They were wearing surcoats with the Ivernian flag emblazoned on them over their chainmail. They walked up to the cell door, unlocked it, and one of them stepped inside.

"Get up." He barked at Lady Ekthros, while roughly pushing Sarah out of the way.

The lady did so, fixing the guards with a disdainful glare. "When Lord Delmar hears of this, he'll--"

Smack!

The guard backhanded her across the face. "Shut your mouth bitch, unless you want me to give it something to do." He lewdly thrust his hips to make the point, and she fell silent.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her none-too-gently out of the cell, closing and locking it behind him.

"Where are you taking her?" Sarah asked, and she pressed against the bars as they dragged the other woman from the room.

They didn't answer.

She felt her heart sink as she slid down against the bars to the floor.

Now she was all alone.

She found her mind drifting back to Ethan, the prophet of Illuminar who Selene said had fallen in love with her. She hoped that perhaps he might hear of her being captured and rescue her. Selene had said that they would return to the inn eventually, so he might... right?

Her face fell as she realized that even if he did know she was captured, there was no way he could know where she'd been taken. There were at least a dozen castles that she could be at, and he would have no idea which one she'd been taken to, even assuming that he wanted to rescue her in the first place. There was no way that Ethan would attack all those castles just to find her...

But she wished that he would.

She wished that he would rescue her.

She raised her eyes to the heavens and whispered. "Dear Illuminar -- blessed be you -- please help Ethan, and his wives, and Selene wherever they are. And please make sure that Lady Ekthros is okay. Please take care of them. And I know you're busy, but please, if it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps free me too? Amen."

* * *

"Dominus?"

"Hmm?" Ethan shook his head and looked around to see his youngest wife approaching him from the door of her father's manor house.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked. "You looked like you were leagues away there for a minute."

"Yeah, I was just thinking about... about someone." He shook his head to clear it. "How did it go?"

"Sarah?" Beth asked.

Busted.

"Yeah." He nodded, then quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, how'd it go?"

"Not as bad as I thought it would, though not as good as I wanted either. It probably went as well as it could have though, given the circumstances."

"Oh?"

"He said he would stop trying to interfere in your marriages, and he's going to give you the Argo."

"That's great news." He smiled a bit, then added. "But? I feel like there's a 'but' coming."

The blonde teen sighed. "But I don't know that he'll ever truly accept you or my fellow wives Dominus."

He opened his arms and she flopped into them, and she was so limp that he had to hold her up to keep her from falling. Her young face looked so... so tired; like a warrior who'd just been through an exhausting battle and only fought to a draw.

"Give it time." He said after a few moments. "It might look bad now, but if he's stopped being an actual adversary, then in time he might see that I'm treating you well and change his mind. It won't happen overnight, but it might happen."

"Maybe." She mumbled. "It's funny. I felt so certain and sure about what I needed to say to him in there, but now that I'm out here with you, I just want to be held."

"I'm happy to hold you. Always." He whispered back, then tenderly kissed the top of her head.

She sighed softly. "Thank you Dominus... Ethan." She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, swallowed hard, and her eyes got a bit watery. "I really need that right now."

He reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "And you'll always get it from me."

She half-smiled, then snuggled into him more.

"So tell me how it went." He asked.

She gave him a short version, promising the full story when everyone else was around. He supposed it really was the best it could've possibly gone. Going from actively fighting to full acceptance was near impossible. It would've been nice for Beth's sake, but it was never likely. He hoped that in time, Beth and her father could repair their relationship. It seemed possible given how the meeting had ended, but it would probably be a long road.

He caught some movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced up to see Lord Borden looking at them through one of the large windows on the second floor of his manor house. His gaze was impassive and distant, as though he was a robot analyzing what he saw without emotion.

Ethan inclined his head in respect; not for his sake, but for Beth's.

Lord Borden looked at him impassively for another moment, then turned and disappeared from the window.

Hmm.

Interesting.

"Was it okay that I said Raklan and Serif could come?" Beth asked a few moments later.

He nodded. "Yup, and even if I wasn't happy about it -- and I am." He cocked his head to one side. "Okay, maybe about Serif, Raklan though..." He shook his head. "-- it sounds like that was the price for getting the Argo back, so it would've been fine with it even if I wasn't happy about it. One suggestion though."

"Oh?"

"I appreciate that you made sure your father would invite the rest of us, but maybe just for today, how about only you go to that lunch?"

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "Call it an olive branch; let him know that you're willing to meet him halfway and that it won't always be all of us, he just has to invite all of us."

"I will, thank you. He'll really like that." She beamed.

"You're welcome. Now, I think I need to get an airship ready to sail... however one does that."

"Kiss me?" She asked him.

"Now that, I know how to do." He grinned.

* * *

Sarah huddled with her arms around her knees trying to keep warm. She wasn't exactly freezing, but she was cold. And now Lady Ekthros wasn't here. Where had they taken her? What was going on? Would she be back? And most importantly: would she be okay?

The door to the room opened and the same two guards came in, heading right for her cell. Without a word, they unlocked it and roughly pulled her to her feet. She remembered how one of them had backhanded Lady Ekthros when she'd spoken, so she remained silent as they dragged her out and down the spiral staircase.

They only went down one level, and then dragged her into the room she'd seen before that looked like a laboratory of some kind. There were glass jars full of various colors of liquid and some magical instruments that she'd heard of before. However, she hadn't heard of most of the things in the room. Some of them looked quite alien, like the designs came from another world.

Along one wall were two horizontal wooden planks suspended about three feet off the ground, and they were nearly that wide. They almost looked like beds and were bolted to the wall. Disturbingly, they both had manacles attached to them. Lady Ekthros was strapped to one of them completely unmoving...

She thought.

Something about the other woman didn't look quite right, but she couldn't place it. It was definitely her, but something about her just seemed a bit... off. She couldn't place it though. She could see the older woman quite clearly, but something about her seemed insubstantial too. She didn't know why.