A Dragon's Tale Ch. 45

"How do you know me so well?" Rachel asked, slowly shaking her head in disbelief.

"I pay attention." The wood elf replied. "You're easy to pay attention to."

The redhead leaned her head against the wood elf, who was still standing right behind her chair. "You make it easier to open up."

"I do?" Alana asked.

"You've always been easy to open up to." Rachel nodded. "It's easier around you, at least for me. I always over-think everything, but when you're around... I don't know. Somehow I feel calmer; like I don't need to have everything figured out and I like that."

The wood elf smiled. "I'm glad."

"You've always been that way; calming, caring, and kind." The redhead smiled at the brunette, wishing she could rattle off a long list of the wood elf's qualities too, but her brain had chosen that moment to lock up. "I really appreciate that."

Rachel relaxed her head against her friend and sighed. The wood elf gently ran her hands through the human's hair. They stayed like that in comfortable silence for over a minute before something broke into their thoughts.

*Ladies, Anthiel says that we'll all want to see this 'spin drop turn', and she'll be starting soon.* Ethan thought to everyone.

Neither woman moved.

"We should probably go see." Alana said, but didn't move.

"We should." Rachel agreed, also not moving.

The redhead closed her eyes and felt a faint smile come unbidden to her face. She loved leaning on Alana like this. It was so warm, cozy, and intimate. She felt safe here too; like nothing bad would ever happen. The only other time she felt way that was in Ethan's arms.

She let slip a soft sigh, which her best friend echoed moments later.

"We should really go." Rachel said several seconds later.

"Agreed." Alana echoed.

Neither moved.

"This is silly." Alana finally said. "Besides Ethan, there's literally no one on this ship with more willpower than you and I. We should be able to stop and go watch."

"Yeah we should." Rachel said. With a monumental exertion of willpower, the redhead lifted her head from leaning against the wood elf and looked up.

She was smiling.

They both were.

It was a smile that reached deep into their eyes as they looked at each other. The redhead felt her heart flutter slightly as she looked into those rich hazel eyes.

"Come on." The brunette offered her hand, which the redhead took, and then the she led her out onto the weather deck, still holding her hand.

* * *

Ethan couldn't help but smile as he saw his first and fourth wives emerge hand-in-hand from the captain's cabin. It was about time they did something more than make googly eyes at each other.

"Okay, I'm ready." Anthiel called from the quarterdeck.

On either side of the Argo and to the stern were the two tall mountain spires they had just sailed between. The two airships behind then had already started to diverge, almost certainly plotting an intercept course to the east and west. On the quarterdeck, Taloni looked a bit tired but was watching with rapt attention.

"Shedding altitude." The high elf pilot called as they passed far enough beyond the "v" between the twin peaks.

Immediately, the Argo started dropping until the pursuing airships were out of sight, and then a bit more. The high elf pilot sailed the Argo a little farther, until there was a lot of room underneath the Argo.

"Captain, please grab the rope I indicated earlier and bring it up here." Anthiel said.

He did, and ended up on the quarterdeck by the ship's wheel while the high elf pilot was explaining how to do the maneuver to Taloni.

"And this one?" Anthiel pointed to one of the lit gemstones on the 'control panel' that was next to the ship's wheel. He knew it mainly controlled the ballast logs that caused the Argo to rise or fall, but it did other things too.

"That one deactivates the enchantment that makes the ship's side act like a keel." The Fey answered. "But you said I should never turn it off unless I knew what I was doing."

"Today is that day." Anthiel grinned. "In order for the maneuver to work, that enchantment must be deactivated for a short time; why?"

"Because if it was active, then there would be too much resistance for the Argo to spin." Taloni replied. "It would be like trying to push a boat sideways through the water."

"Exactly." The high elf looked over the deck.

Selene and Serif were on the starboard side holding a rope that was threaded through a block-and-tackle pulley. Ethan himself was holding a rope that was similarly threaded through the same, only on the rear port side of the airship. Kendra had come up to join him, and she gave him a smile that he was happy to return.

"Slow us down." Anthiel said to the Fey teen.

"Aye." Taloni nodded, then touched a gem on the control panel, which lit up softly moments later.

Instantly, he felt the Argo start to slow down.

He knew from watching Taloni dock the Argo previously that she had activated an enchantment on the front of the ship, similar to the one that was on the sides. This enchantment somehow -- and he still didn't understand it even though Alana, Taloni,and Anthiel had previously explained it -- but it somehow made the air in front of the Argo resistant to the airship's passage, like water resists a boat.

In short order, the Argo had come to a complete stop, then Anthiel turned to Ethan. "You'll want your strength enhancing armor pieces."

He summoned them.

"Alright ladies, pull!" Anthiel said to the twin pairs of Serif and Selene, and Ethan and Kendra. It occurred to Ethan than all of them except Serif definitely had strength enhancing items, which made him think the nigh-invincible duelist must as well.

They pulled on the rope.

Before long, the Argo's sails had been pulled from their normal position until the upper and lower sails formed two solid helixes, like a solid DNA strand. It was like a shallow corkscrew, only with the sail material being the corkscrew.

"Tie the ropes off." Anthiel called, and with Kendra's help he tied the rope to a reinforced part of the railing that obviously was there for this exact purpose. It looked like Kendra had tied a slip-knot that could be released at a moment's notice.

"Taloni, deactivate the enchantment and let us drop. Fast." Anthiel said.

The Fey teen grinned and her wings fluttered as she did so. She touched the control panel again, and most of the lights went out at once. He assumed that was her turning off all the ballast logs at once.

The Argo instantly started dropping.

With the sails twisted as they were and the enchantment that made the hull act like a keel deactivated, the Argo began to slowly spin as it fell. Ethan grinned as he finally saw what was going on. They were doing a zero-point turn in an airship, using the fall to make wind pass over the helically arranged sails to make the ship spin.

Brilliant.

Once the ship had made a quarter of a turn, Anthiel said to Taloni. "Okay, stop the fall... now!" Then the high elf then called loudly. "Release the ropes!"

Kendra pulled the slip-knot out and the rope went slack just as the Fey teen touched the control panel again, and nearly every light on it lit up at the same moment. The Argo's descent instantly slowed, the large ship creaking at the sudden reversal of forces. It had just barely started to reverse the fall and start rising again when the Fey teen turned half the lights off and the ship stopped in midair, neither rising nor falling.

The ship's momentum kept the Argo turning for a time though, and Ethan could tell that the high elf pilot was waiting for just the right moment to stop the turn. The wind resistance naturally slowed their turn somewhat, but with the sails no longer tied down it wasn't too much.

Still the high elf waited.

"Now!" Anthiel called as they had turned to face almost the direction they had come.

Instantly Taloni touched the control panel, reactivating the 'keel' enchantment and the Argo suddenly lurched slightly as the enchantment that created resistance to lateral movement reengaged.

The turn was over.

He looked at the prow of the ship, pleased but not surprised to see they were pointedexactly in the direction they had come, though a few hundred feet lower. They had executed a perfect zero point turn, and were now ready to sail back the way they'd come.

"You did it!" Taloni exclaimed, looking at Anthiel with something approaching awe.

"No, you did it." The high elf replied with a wide smile. "I merely gave you the timing."

"I did..." The Fey's eyes went wide as she looked at the control panel, then at the ship's bow, then back at the high elf. She stared for several seconds, then her wings started fluttering so much they were almost vibrating. "I did it! Well, with your help, but I--" Her mouth fell open. "--I just did a spin drop turn!"

She jumped excitedly, then faltered and landed, coughing slightly. The cough wasn't just an 'I inhaled dust' kind of cough though. It sounded like a wet 'hacking cough' someone might get if he was sick.

Ethan rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes Master." She said after she'd finished. "I um... I'm still clearing the infection from the arrow."

His eyes widened. "Infection?"

"I'm fine master." She assured him as she stood with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "I just got so excited and hadn't finished clearing it yet. It'll be gone later today, or tonight at the latest."

"You're sure?" He fixed her with a piercing stare.

"Yes Master." She nodded, though she was breathing a bit heavier than normal. "I promise I will take it easy and rest."

"How about you finish clearing the infection and then take a nice long nap?" He suggested. He wanted to make it more than a suggestion, but didn't.

"Yes Master." She nodded.

"Also, I'm really proud of how you handled yourself with the drop spin turn."

"Thank you Master, though it's a 'spin drop turn'." She smiled at him, then her smiled faltered. She bit her lip, then thought to him alone. *Um, Master?*

*Yes honey?*

*Um, at some point, hopefully not today but at some point..." She took a deep breath. *I told you no Master. At that service, you told me to do something and I told you no.*

*I know, and we should talk about that because I know it bothers you.* He replied softly. *Not today because you should get better first, but maybe tomorrow we should talk.*

*Thank you Master.* She gave him a half smile. *Thank you for not being mad at me.*

*Why would I be mad at you?*

Her half smile faded. *I... can we talk tomorrow?*

He nodded. *I'm always here for you, whether to talk or anything else.*

*Thank you Master.* She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, then leaned her head against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head.

"Captain, might I suggest Taloni has some hot tea?" Anthiel said. "I find it helps mightily."

"I'd like that." The Fey teen replied.

"Some tea to help Tee get better?" Kendra said with a smile.

Ethan chuckled, then looked at the Fey teen seriously. "Make sure youdo get better Tee."

"I will."

"Good, now I need to go keep a lookout so we know when those airships have passed enough to sail back through the gap."

"Be caref--" She coughed, and while it was still a hacking cough it was less severe. "Be careful Master."

"I will Tee, I will." He kissed her on the top of the head again, then spread his wings and headed towards the bottom of the "V" between the twin peaks so he could signal the Argo when it was time to begin its return journey.

* * *

Sarah sat in her small room on the Helene, completely unable to process what she had witnessed earlier that morning. She didn't have the words for it, nor did she know what to say. She didn't even know what to think. She had been starting to get the impression that Lord Delmar was a good person, but could a good person do that?

He had been so calm and detached, as if the man meant nothing to him at all; like his life had as much worth as a cow or chicken, perhaps an insect. He had showed as much emotion about killing that man as a farmer might when it was time to butcher a farmyard animal.

It was unsettling.

"Sarah?" A gentle knock on her door roused her from her reverie. "Could I be coming in?"

"Come in." Sarah replied, recognizing Fiona's voice, accent, and her peculiar way of speaking.

The copper haired woman slipped in and closed the door behind her. "You were seeming upset by what happened earlier, and I was wanting to make sure you were okay before we were needing to start lunch."

"I... I don't know." She replied. "He was so scary."

"That's the Lord Delmar for ya." Fiona said, walking over and sitting down next to Sarah. "He is kind to good men, but ruthless to wicked men."

"But... but he just killed him."

"He confessed." The copper haired girl replied. "He was working with the necromancer who brought the false prophet here." One of her hands clenched into a fist, though the expression on her face was kind.

"But still, to do that with no emotion..." Sarah shook her head.

"The Lord Delmar is having emotion, but he is controlling himself." The other girl said. "You've seen him speak of his wife yes?"

Sarah nodded.

"There can be no doubting there's emotion there, yes?"

She nodded again, thinking back to the time she had been in his office and commented on the framed portrait of Helene Delmar. The lord had indeed hidden his emotions well, but there was no denying the affection he held for his deceased wife.

"Besides, the Lord Delmar was being merciful to the man." The copper haired girl continued.

Sarah looked at her, mouth open. "What?"

"Are you knowing the penalty for treason in Narlotten?"

She shook her head.

Fiona grimaced. "Well, I'm not wanting to speak of it now, but it's worse than the penalty for rape by a fair margin."

Sarah stared.

The penalty for rape in Narlotten was for the man to be castrated with a knife that was just sharp enough, and then for him to be crucified immediately afterwards. She could hardly imagine a more horrible way to die.

"The Lord Delmar gave him a quick death, which was a bit of mercy on his part." The copper haired girl continued, then looked down. "I'm agreeing that it was hard to see, but the Lord Delmar was being merciful to him by giving him a quick death instead of... that."

The innkeeper's daughter shuddered. "If that was merciful, then I'd hate to see..."

She shuddered again.

"This was something that my Sean was telling me." Fiona replied. "War is cruel and brutal, and crime is no less so and must be kept in check. The only thing worse than war and crime is not taking steps to prevent them. I'm not liking the Lord Delmar's harsh punishments, but Iam understanding that he is doing them to keep his people safe."

"But it seems so cruel." The innkeeper's daughter replied.

"Aye." The copper haired woman conceded. "I was telling that to Sean, and my husband was saying that while the Lord Delmar might be a little harsh, Narlotten is probably the safest lorddom in the Ten Kingdoms." She paused. "Well, I hear Timarou is becoming nearly as safe since Lord Kalus was given the throne, but he is also strict."

Sarah considered that.

She'd of course hear that Timarou was much improved since Lord Kalus had become the Lord Regent seven or eight years ago. However, she had never heard of a punishment in Timarou that was as horrible as in Narlotten. Yes the laws were strict, but the punishments didn't seem as tortuous.

"You don't mind that Lord Delmar killed a man right in front of us?" Sarah finally asked.

"I would be lying if I was saying that I'm entirely okay with it." The copper haired woman replied. "But I've seen the other side of the Lord Delmar."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Perhaps it's because I'm a widow and he's a widower. I told him I was bonded with my husband, and he..." The cooper haired woman trailed off slightly. "I think he was knowing my pain. I'm thinking he has a kind side, but few people are seeing it."

"But that doesn't make it okay." Sarah replied. "I do feel sorry for him about Lady Helene, but that doesn't make it okay."

"No, but he is applying the law evenly and fairly to everyone, noble or commoner alike." Fiona said. "Everyone is knowing the laws and the penalties for breaking them. I might not be liking them, but at least he is applying them equally to everyone."

As Fiona finished saying this, she seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second. It wasn't much, but it seemed like more than a coincidence to Sarah that she had hesitated after declaring Lord Delmar's equal treatment under the law.

"Everyone?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Well, there is one exception." The copper hair woman admitted. "It's the death penalty to be knowingly associating with necromancers, but he isn't letting anyone hurt his daughter, Rachel."

"Really?"

Fiona nodded. "Aye, I think he is still caring about her, even after all she is doing to him."

Sarah considered that.

On the one hand, Lord Delmar had been entirely ruthless, cold, and unfeeling earlier that day. He had been utterly without mercy or pity. On the other hand, she couldn't deny the emotion she'd seen from him when he'd mentioned his deceased wife. He had concealed it well, but it was there. And then to bend all of Narlotten's laws and his rigid enforcement of them so his daughter wouldn't be killed...

Hmm.

"Something you might not be knowing about the Lord Delmar." Fiona said. "According to the other servants at the castle, he never does anything except work for the people of Narlotten."

"Oh?"

"Aye, he gets up at the same time every day and works." The copper haired woman continued. "He is writing letters, entertaining dignitaries, nobles, and holding common court all day long."

"Common court?" Sarah asked.

"Aye, he is allowing commoners from all over Narlotten to come and air their grievances and petitions to him in person. He is meeting with them often so he can be hearing what they're saying."

"Really?" Sarah had heard that occasionally, some lords would meet with the common folk, but never like that. She couldn't even imagine Lord Farbrottan doing something like that.

"Aye." Fiona nodded. "There's a reason the people of Narlotten are loving him so."

Sarah frowned; maybe Lord Delmar was more complicated than she had thought. What he had done earlier was still unsettling, but no one who cared that much about his wife and daughter could be entirely bad. And add the fact that he meets personally with the common people, and the innkeeper's daughter was well and thoroughly confused about the lord's character.

"He is an interesting man, the Lord Delmar." Fiona said. "Like I was saying before, he is good to the good, but he is ruthless to the wicked."

"I suppose he could be worse." Sarah conceded.

"Men aren't all one thing or all another thing." The copper haired woman said sagely. "They are like a blanket woven with many different colors of thread. Look too closely at any one thread and you're likely missing the pattern on the blanket, and seeing the man for just one thing when he is actually many things. Rarely is a man all good or all evil. Like a blanket, they have both woven through them."

Unbidden, Ethan came to Sarah's mind.

Was it possible that maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than the threads that Lady Ekthros had shown her? Lord Delmar was certainly complicated enough; could Ethan be too?

"What about his fight with his daughter?" Sarah asked after several moments. "You said Lord Delmar and Rachel fought?"

"Well, he is only a man, and men are having tempers." Fiona replied. "I'm sure you're knowing that men are saying things they don't mean, and are doing things they regret when they're losing their tempers. And if his daughter was delving into dark magic, can you think of anything more likely to be making the Lord Delmar furious beyond measure?"