A Dragon's Tale Ch. 43

They stopped in their tracks, even though he had his disguise gem on.

"Thank you master, that luminar--" She started to say, temper still evident but not directed at him.

"Taloni." He said with a hint of sharpness in his tone as he gave her a stern warning look and subtly shook his head.

For the first time since her outburst, she looked a bit cowed.

She sat down.

*Time to leave ladies.* He thought to them, then addressed the room. "I would apologize for the interruption, but that homily had its wires crossed. We'll be leaving now."

Every eye in the room was on them as they filed out.

Lord Kalus gave him a subtle nod of respect as he left, but pretty much everyone else just stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed. Apparently, no one had dared to interrupt a sermon before and the people didn't know what to make of it. He strode out of the building with his wives and Selene following him.

He walked down the winding streets of the poor mining town trying to decide what to do and say about what had just happened.

He looked at Kendra and she seemed to be walking like a zombie; no feeling or emotion whatsoever. It was like she'd gone numb. He wanted to talk to her -- needed to talk to her -- but that was a conversation that needed to happen in private on the Argo.

They were halfway back to the airship before anyone said anything, and it was Taloni who did so.

"Master?" Her voice was quiet and small. "Are... are you mad at me?"

"No honey, I'm not mad." He said, and gave her a small smile. "I was stern because I don't think you realize how you were coming across."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "That outburst of yours made him seem like the calm and reasonable one, even though what he said was way out in left field."

"Left field?" Beth asked.

"It means he was completely wrong." He clarified, then looked at the honey-blonde haired Fey. "But your outburst made it seem like he was the reasonable one, and it's always easier to believe a reasonable person."

"Oh." She looked down at the ground. "You mean... did I actually make it sound like he was right?"

"Not right,exactly." Alana chimed in. "But consider, if you saw two people behave like that, who would you be more likely to listen to?"

"Oh." The Fey teen's eyes got a bit watery. "I'm sorry Master."

"What's done is done, just remember that in a debate, the first person to lose his cools always loses the debate, even if he's right."

"I will master."

"Come here." He put his arm around her as they walked. She leaned into him and sniffled a little.

"Oh." Ethan added to everyone. "And yes, I know that me lecturing anyone about losing his temper is the pot calling the kettle black; sorry about that."

They all seemed to get that idiom.

A minute later, they arrived back at the Argo to an amused grin from their high elf pilot. "Well, judging by the time, I'm guessing Ethan took exception to something in the homily?"

"Taloni actually." He replied as they walked across the gangplank onto the Argo. The Fey teen seemed deep in thought, and while he wanted to talk to her more, he thought it would be better if she had a chance to cool down and think about it for a bit.

He turned to Kendra instead. "We need to talk."

The dragon huntress swallowed hard, but nodded.

* * *

Sarah inhaled the fresh air as she stood near the front of Lord Delmar's airship. It smelled good. There had been some rain earlier in the morning before the sun had come up and the airship wasn't cruising that high. Thus, that wonderful 'after rain' scent was in the air. After so long in the dank, cold castle, it was wonderful to be outside. Being that it was summer, the air was pleasant even right after sunrise. The sun had just risen, and the purples, pinks, and oranges of dawn hadn't fully faded from the sky yet.

It was beautiful.

"Aye, 'tis a sight isn't it?" Fiona asked from beside her, her accent making her sound even more pleased than she looked.

"It's beautiful."

"Aye, you don't get many views like this except on an airship." The copper haired woman said. "I'm lucky the Lord Delmar doesn't mind me coming, what with my baby and all." Her accent again made 'lord' sound like 'lard'.

"Is that usual?" Sarah asked, looking over the side of the airship to enjoy the sight of the Ivernian landscape scrolling underneath.

"It 'tis a bit unusual yeah." Fiona nodded. "But the Lord Delmar is a good man and he's got his reasons."

"Oh?"

"Aye." The copper haired woman hesitated. "I'm not sure I should be saying though. The Lord Delmar wasn't exactly asking me to keep it a secret, but he's been good to me and my baby since..." The other woman got a pained smile on her face. "Well for a few months now. He is going through a lot right now, and it's meaning a lot that he took time to be taking care of me and my baby despite all that."

"What's he going through?" Sarah asked, trying to imagine what a lord in the Ten Kingdoms had to worry about.

"Well, I suppose it's an open secret so there won't be no harm in me telling ya." Fiona frowned slightly. "The Lord Delmar has a daughter -- Rachel -- and she... well she was always being a bit of a problem child the way I'm hearing it."

"Really?" The innkeeper's daughter frowned. "I met her once and she seemed really nice."

"I've never met her so I can't rightly be saying." Fiona admitted. "But 'tis an open secret in the castle that she was being a rebellious daughter most of the time, since she was quite young."

"Really?"

"Aye, and 'tis a shame too, cause from what I'm gathering the Lord Delmar really loves his little girl, but she wasn't much returning the favor. She was being friendly to others, but was never liking her father much. Over time they were growing apart because of it." Fiona paused. "Only thing that I know the girl had right is that she wasn't liking Lady Ekthros much."

Sarah frowned but let the comment about Lady Ekthros pass. Apparently Fiona didn't know what she was really like.

"Anyway, it's a bit of an open secret around the castle that the Lord Delmar found out that Rachel was trying to learn some of the dark arts." Fiona continued, then hesitated. "And you understand that I'm only saying this because everyone already knows, and because you're being uncomfortable with the Lord Delmar, yes?"

Sarah nodded, getting the distinct impression that Fiona was not only a very loyal person, but also scrupulously honest too. She wasn't sure what gave her that impression, but she definitely got it.

"Well, the rumor is that the Lord Delmar was getting angry and lost his temper when he was finding this out. I heard that they were fighting when he was losing his temper, though this is guesswork on account of no one actually saw it. Then she is leaving right after and joining the false prophet, and the Lord Delmar is being forced to disown her so the false prophet is having no claim on Narlotten through her."

"Oh." Sarah said, not sure what to make of this new information.

"It 'tis causing a stir that is." The copper haired woman continued. "You see now, the Lord Delmar is having no heirs anymore since he disinherited his only daughter, and so she can't bear a son to continue his line. Every noble and commoner in Narlotten is wanting him to marry again so he can have a heir. But in the Lord Delmar's eyes, I don't think any woman will be measuring up to Rachel's mother, Helene, Illuminar rest her soul."

"Oh, I didn't think of that."

"I'm just saying, the Lord Delmar is going through a lot." Fiona said. "But he's a good man that Lord Delmar, and you don't have nothing to be fearing from him, not unless you are doing evil. But ya don't seem to be the type." She finished with a smile.

"Thank you." The innkeeper's daughter smiled back. "I try not to hurt anyone, or anything."

"I could tell that about ya, which is why I wasn't worrying about you meeting the Lord Delmar. Now I need to be getting back to the galley soon. The Lord Delmar was asking me to get ya when I brought him his breakfast, but I properly work in the ship's galley."

"Could I come?" Sarah asked. "I've always loved cooking and I'd love to see how a real lord's kitchen is run."

"I'm not thinking there will be a problem with that." Fiona replied.

"Sarah!" Lady Ekthros called from across the weather deck, near the stairs to the lower decks.

The smile on Fiona's face suddenly became a bit more... stiff at the lady's words. She didn't exactly frown, but her smile suddenly didn't reach her eyes.

"There you are." Lady Ekthros said to the innkeeper's daughter when she'd walked up, then she looked at the copper haired girl and pursed her lips. "Fiona."

"Lady Ekthros." Fiona replied respectfully, if a bit stiffly. But both women's tones were very cool; not necessarily cold, but certainly not warm.

The lady turned to Sarah. "Would you like to accompany me to breakfast? The ship's galley isn't the castle's kitchens, but the food is good."

"Um, I already ate, but thank you." Sarah replied.

Lady Ekthros raised her eyebrow. "You did?"

"The Lord Delmar was wanting to be seeing her this morning." Fiona explained. "I took her for a bite to eat first, on account of her being nervous."

"That was thoughtful." Lady Ekthros replied to the copper haired girl, though her tone hadn't warmed any. She sounded a bit annoyed if anything, then looked at Sarah. "Well, we should meet for lunch then."

"I'll look forward to it." Sarah said brightly.

The lady smiled, then turned and left.

Fiona's lips pressed themselves into a thin line once the lady's back was turned. After several moments, she shook her head and looked at Sarah again. "Now, you were still wanting to be seeing the kitchens?"

She nodded.

"Then let's go down there now, I think you'll be liking it."

* * *

"Little kitty?" Selene called as she walked down the stairs to the lower deck of the Argo. Moments later, she heard a little scratching sound and the rapid padding of soft feet on wood. Moments after that, the kitten came into view, running towards her. He was running so fast that he overshot a bit and had to scramble his tiny legs to stop himself and backtrack. When he arrived, he rubbed his cheek against her legs.

"Aww." The Brazilian woman felt her heart melt a bit as she reached down and scooped him up. "Hey little kitty." She whispered affectionately to him.

He started purring.

She carried him up to the weather deck and started looking around, thinking of what needed to be done to 'kitten-proof' the weather deck. Really, it wouldn't take much while at port, and even less while they were in the air.

Like a naval vessel from the Age of Sail on Earth, the railings on the Argo were merely an extension of the sides, only capped with a bit of nicer wood. The only place he might be able to slide off the deck were the rain holes, cut into the deck every so often so rain had a place to run off. While docked, there was also the opening in the railing for the gangplank. Once those two were taken care of, he could be able to roam to his heart's content without worrying that he would fall off.

"Don't worry, I already started." Antheil said from behind her.

"Huh?"

"The drainage holes merely need a bit of self-repairing netting, and I already had Serif start on making a way to stop him from getting out via the gangplank."

She smiled at the high elf pilot. "Has anyone ever told you that you are amazing?"

"My husband does, all the time." Her eyes twinkled.

"He's right." She smiled.

"I know." She said without a hint of arrogance. "I've already started cutting the netting, and I'm sure Alana will be willing to enchant it to be self-repairing. We even have some brass staples in the hold that I can use to attach the netting. Should be done in a few hours, you'll just have to hold him until Serif and I are done."

Selene made a mock-sigh as she petted her little kitten. "Oh, how will I ever manage?"

Anthiel laughed.

* * *

Ethan closed the door to the captain's cabin after he and Kendra had walked through it. She looked awful. Beautiful, but awful. She had dark circles under her eyes, which were almost red, though he didn't think she had actually cried. She wasn't looking at him and was intently examining the floor instead.

"Kendra." He said softly.

She sniffled but didn't look up.

"What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard and screwed up her face, then hesitated for a moment before shaking her head slightly.

"I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Stop." She whispered.

"Stop what?"

She blinked her watery eyes a few times and turned away from him before speaking so quietly he had a little trouble following her. "Stop being so nice to me. You shouldn't be nice to me; I don't deserve it."

"Well, let's not get onto the topic of what weboth deserve." He replied. "Frankly, neither of us would come off well."

She didn't reply.

He frowned, then an idea occurred to him and he sat down on the bed, his legs hanging over the edge of it. "Kendra, come here."

She shook her head slightly.

"I won't make you, but it would make me very happy if you did." He said, trying to figure out what could possibly be bothering his newest wife.

The raven haired woman hesitated several moments, then turned to face him. She had a few wet lines on her cheeks that originated from the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip as she looked at him.

"Come here." He said, using a bit more authority in his tone, though without sternness.

She almost automatically took a few steps forward. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her closer. She resisted slightly, but only slightly and seemed to be fighting herself as much as him. He pulled her in so she was sitting across his lap, and she stopped resisting the moment she was there. She wrapped her arms around him and held to him tightly, like she never wanted to let go.

She let out a tiny whimper, and then held him even tighter. He was glad she didn't have her strength enhancing vambraces active, or it could've hurt.

He held for almost a minute before he spoke softly into her ear. "What's wrong?"

"I woke you up for..." She sniffled. "...you know."

"Sex." He grinned.

"But I realized that..." She trailed off.

"That... what?" He prompted.

"I know you said that I shouldn't worry about it, but I can'tnot worry about it. I owe you too much."

"Oh?" He frowned.

She pulled herself tighter to him. "You're so good to me and I haven't done anything to--"

"Kendra." He said softly, and she stopped instantly. "Have you ever considered that you don'thave to do anything?"

She pulled back a little to look at him, confusion all over her face and in her beautiful brown eyes.

"You don't need to 'pay me back'." He said, looking into her eyes. "I never asked you to, and I don't want you to."

"You don't want...?" She cocked her head to one side and worked her mouth for a moment.

"That's right, I don't want you trying to pay me back, just like I said on our wedding day." He said. "I'm happy to help you however I can because you're my wife, not because I'm going to get something out of it."

"But you can't just give to me all the time while I don't give anything back." She countered. "I'd feel just awful."

"Is that what you think happened last night?" He asked as it clicked in his mind.

She averted her eyes and then nodded.

"Would it shock you to know that I loved that?"

Her head whipped up so fast he thought she might give herself whiplash.

"I did." He nodded. "In fact, the only thing Ididn't like about it was that you felt guilty afterwards."

She stared at him for several seconds before her mouth fell open. "You're serious?"

He nodded.

"But... but I didn't even do anything for you."

"Yes you did, or didn't you notice something had leaked out of you when you woke up?"

"Oh." She fell silent for several seconds. "But..."

"I loved it." He assured her. "Consider, what if I woke you up because I couldn't sleep because I wanted you so much? Would you like that?"

She closed her eyes and bit her lip then nodded, letting a small sigh escape her lips as she did so. Moments later a shadow crossed her face and she looked at him again. "But I don't even have a pretty face, and I have all those scars."

He raised his eyebrow. "Take off your dress."

She blinked. "What?"

"Take off your dress." He repeated. "I think you need a little reminder of exactly what I think of your face and body."

She hesitated.

He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Right now, I'm trying to decide what kind of noises I want you to make while I'm inside you."

Kendra let out a small moan as she shuddered.

"Clothes, now." He whispered into her ear.

Five seconds.

It took Kendra five seconds to get her dress and shoes off. It took another five for her to get her strength-enhancing vambraces off so that she was standing in front of him utterly, completely, and gloriously naked. Her body was more lean, toned, and athletic than the rest of his wives, and her darker skin -- somewhere between a Latina and the olive complexion of a Mediterranean woman -- looked magnificent.

He stepped forward and swept her into his arms. He set her down on the bed and climbed over her, his cock as large as it had ever been.

He got a wicked smile on his face as an idea occurred to him. "Now, I'm about to do something you'll hatealmost as much as you love it."

"Wha... what?" She asked in an almost scared whisper.

He grinned at her, then moved his head lower and kissed her right shoulder, right where her longest scar began. It was the one that started on her right shoulder, then went diagonally down over the top of her right breast, under the bottom of her left, and ended near the bottom of her ribcage on the left side.

She sighed.

He moved down the scar a tiny bit, then kissed again. He repeated this several times before Kendra squirmed slightly, probably realizing what he was doing.

"Stop." She whispered, but thanks to their bond he could tell she really didn't want him to.

He looked her right in the eye. "Not unless you can 100% honestly tell me you don't want me to keep kissing your scar."

She froze for a moment, then bit her lip.

"That's what I thought." He grinned.

She blushed.

"Now since you interrupted me, I'll have to start at the beginning again."

She swallowed, and her eyes suddenly got a little watery. She screwed up her face slightly, then nodded.

He returned his lips to her scar, starting at the beginning and taking his time to ensure he kissed every inch of it. A few seconds in, her breathing became heavier and shorter. When he was about halfway down that scar, she put her hands on his head, pulling him into her chest. When he finally reached the end, he gave it a tiny little lick.

Kendra tensed.

She opened her mouth like she was gasping for air, then the tension released and she let out a strangled groan, followed by gasping for air.

It was a mini orgasm.

He looked at her. "I don't think I've ever evenheard of a woman as sensitive as you."

She bit her lip. "Is that bad?"

"As far from bad as it's possible to be." He grinned. "Now, there's another scar right here..."

He looked down and kissed the top of the burn scar that ran along her left side, starting at the bottom of her ribcage running and down onto the middle of her left thigh. It took a lot longer to kiss all of that one, mostly owing to its far greater surface area. Kendra had at least one more mini orgasm as he did, possibly more. Once that one was finished, he kissed every inch of the bite mark on her right thigh, then the stab scar above that, and then finally the long one on her left arm.

When he had finally finished, he moved up so he could look her in the eye. She had a massive smile that reached deep into her beautiful brown eyes and her temples were streaked with happy tears. He reached up and gently brushed an errant strand of hair from her face.