A Dragon's Tale Ch. 52

Hmm.

* * *

Alana closed her eyes and luxuriated in one of the best sensations she'd felt in years. Well, felt outside the bedroom anyway. Well, outside the bedroom and the lower deck where she and Rachel had kissed yesterday. She was sitting in the chair at the desk in the captain's cabin enjoying the sublime feeling of Rachel brushing her hair. The wood elf had insisted on writing the letter herself since the redhead had to do it so often, and then Rachel had pointed out that Alana had brushed her hair but she hadn't brushed the wood elf's hair. Alana hadn't exactly needed to have her arm twisted to agree.

"Oh, that feels good." She sighed as Rachel passed the brush through her hair again.

"It does." The redhead said softly as she ran her fingers through Alana's chocolate-brown hair.

One of her fingers brushed Alana's scalp and the wood elf felt a tiny little burst of pleasure from it even though it wasn't a sensual touch at all.

She sighed.

"You really should write that letter." Rachel said, and Alana could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm partially there." She said dreamily.

"And have been for the last ten minutes." The redhead chuckled. "Your hair is thoroughly brushed, perhaps I should stop?"

"If you must." The wood elf replied, then picked up the pen.

"Tell you what, I'll keep brushing if you keep writing." She said with a teasing edge to her voice that Alana rarely heard from her.

"I might never stop." She said as she dipped the quill pen into the ink bottle and began to write. It was both wonderful and distracting to be doing this while Rachel was brushing her hair. The redhead had long since removed any knots and was now apparently doing it simply because she enjoyed it. Every so often, she would run her hands through her hair.

That was extra wonderful.

"I can't think of anything else to write." The wood elf said when she had finished the letter's closing.

"There must be something." Rachel replied.

Alana tipped her head back to look at her best friend, though at this point she thought they were more than just best friends. She wasn't sure what, but they were something beyond that now and she couldn't be happier about that.

Rachel looked down at her, smiling ear-to-ear. Her pale blue eyes flicked towards her forehead and for a brief moment, Alana thought the redhead might kiss her forehead as the brushing ceased.

Then the moment passed.

Rachel bit her lip and suddenly wasn't quite as relaxed as she had been.

"Thank you." Alana said softly. "I haven't had anyone brush my hair since my adoptive mother died."

"How did she die?" Rachel asked.

Alana swallowed hard. "I... can we not talk about it? It wasn't anything nefarious, it just hurts to talk about it."

"I know what you mean, my mother..." Rachel trailed off as well. She swallowed and then blinked. "Um, we should probably... uh..."

"Yeah." Alana stood up and then wrapped her best friend in a hug. "I know."

Rachel hugged her back for several seconds...

...and then several more seconds...

...and many more after that.

The wood elf smiled from ear to ear as they held each other. It became less of a hug and more of a standing-up snuggle for a couple of minutes.

She didn't mind at all.

*Hey ladies, I have an idea.* Ethan thought to the group chat after they had been snuggling while standing for several minutes.

*Go ahead sir.* Alana replied, still not letting go of Rachel.

*Okay, background first.* He told them how his meeting with the orcs went. *I wanted to talk to Lord Kalus to get some advice about fighting Lord Delmar and Lord Farbrottan anyway, but now I have another thing to talk to him about. I was thinking tonight, but we're having Arven and Ketura over. Then I had a thought.*

*Have them both over tonight?* Alana guessed.

*Bingo.* He replied. *Do you think Arven and Ketura would be okay with that? How about Lord Kalus, Shara, and Lyra?*

*Shara and Lyra almost certainly wouldn't mind.* Rachel replied, still holding Alana in her embrace.

*I didn't get the impression that Lord Kalus would mind either.* Selene added.

*I think Arven and Ketura might like that Master.* Tee piped up. *I could go ask them for you.*

*I would appreciate that Tee, but don't go alone. Just in case.*

*Okay Master, did anyone want to come with me?*

*Yo.* Selene replied at the same time Kendra said: *I will.*

*Thanks ladies. If they're okay with it, I'll drop by the mine to ask him. Is someone willing to ask Shara and Lyra if Arven and Ketura don't mind?* Ethan thought to everyone.

Rachel pulled back from Alana just enough to look at her and raised both her eyebrows, almost certainly suggesting that they go.

*Rachel and I can do that Sir.* The wood elf thought to everyone.

*Okay perfect. Thanks.* He replied. *I'll just fly circles like a vulture over the Red Hand camp to make them nervous until I hear from Tee then.*

Alana and Rachel both chuckled but didn't let go of each other.

"I uh..." The redhead bit her lip. "I like this, here with you."

"Me too." She beamed at her.

"Ethan is back tonight though." The redhead continued hesitantly. "I... I really like what we did yesterday."

"You mean the most wonderful kiss I've ever had?" Alana beamed, then cocked her head to one side. "Well, Ethan... but that's different."

Rachel nodded, her cheeks going slightly pink which was especially noticeable on her fair skin. "I... Um, Ethan said he didn't mind if we..." She smiled, though her cheeks got slightly redder. "...we kissed. And I really liked getting a goodnight kiss from you."

"I know how you feel." Alana nodded, catching on. "It would be a shame to stop, right?"

Rachel's cheeks were pulling into a smile as she nodded.

"So then, we should give each other a goodnight kiss tonight too?" The wood elf asked.

The redhead nodded again.

"Good." Alana beamed.

"It might be in front of the others." Rachel bit her lip.

"I don't mind, I would kiss you anywhere." The wood elf replied, and she meant it with all her heart.

Rachel started to smile, then she cocked her head to one side. "Wait, do you mean wherever we are, or anywhere on my..." She looked down at her body.

"Both." Alana grinned. "Rachel, I would kiss you no matter where we were and anywhere on your body you want." She hesitated. "Okay, maybe not both at the same time; I wouldn't kiss you anywhere with anyone other than our husband or fellow wives around."

Rachel froze.

"Rachel, I promise we don't ever have to do that if you don't want to."

The redhead relaxed slightly. "I know they wouldn't mind, but I... I'm not ready for that."

"I know." Alana smiled at her. "Put it out of your mind and instead think of that goodnight kiss tonight while you help me enchant those cloth shields that the Timarou seamstresses made for us."

Rachel's cheeks were still slightly pink, but her smile reached deep into her eyes as she nodded. "I can do that."

* * *

*Arven and Ketura say that they would be delighted to have dinner with Lord Kalus, Shara, and Lyra.*

*Thanks Tee.* Ethan replied, glad that the couple had agreed.

*Ketura said that she loves visiting, so she would love to have a large dinner party.* The Fey teen continued.

He chuckled. *I'll bet Arven rolled his eyes slightly before agreeing.*

He could feel her amusement. *He did Master.*

*Rachel and I will head out to ask Shara and Lyra then.* Alana volunteered.

*Thanks ladies, I'll talk to Lord Kalus.* He turned and flew towards the mine, diving from a thousand feet in the air and turning at the end to swoop up and then drop to the ground.

The entrance to Dotmier mine was actually quite large. It was probably ten feet across and six or seven feet tall. It looked more like a natural cave that had been reinforced rather than a man-made entrance cut into the rock face. He slowly walked inside, mindful that Lord Kalus and some of his most elite men were there. He walked forward and down for a short way before seeing a large room ahead.

The inside of the mine appeared to be a large natural cavern with a relatively low ceiling. There were a large number of stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, though some had clearly been broken off so they didn't pose a hazard. The room was dimly lit with a few lanterns. In the center of the room, Lord Kalus was standing on a slightly raised section directing the miners in what looked like military drills. The miners didn't look half bad either, not that Ethan had anything to compare them to.

He had barely stepped into the room when he realized that the entrance was guarded by a dozen men in full chainmail armor, all of whom were wearing the Timarou colors of blue and white on their surcoats. He briefly wondered why they weren't blocking the entrance, then remembered that the orcs always blew a horn before attacking.

"Halt." One of them barked.

"At ease." Someone else said. He was a wiry man who looked tough as nails, but he also had a gentlemanly air about him. He was around the age of Lord Kalus and his eyes were bright and intelligent. His hair was a sandy blonde color and he was clean-shaven, unlike most of the other men he'd seen in the Ten Kingdoms.

He was also dressed differently than the rest, wearing no chainmail but still wearing a surcoat with Timarou's colors all the same. He also had a brass or bronze 'necklace' on, but it looked more like a medieval livery collar than a true necklace.

"A dragon wearing white armor." The man looked him up and down, then bowed. "It is an honor to meet you Ethan Ejder, the prophet of Illuminar -- blessed be He." He straightened. "I am Kyselius, Lord Kalus's herald."

"Pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand.

"No, the pleasure is mine." Kyselius shook it firmly, then looked over to where Lord Kalus was. "He should be finished in approximately ten minutes, should you wish to talk to him."

"Perfect, I'll wait."

Ethan watched for those ten minutes and found himself impressed, even though he wasn't always sure what he was looking at. Lord Kalus was definitely very strict, but not in an overbearing way. He pointed out small flaws in the miners' form regularly, but it was usually with an explanation of why it was a mistake. His reasons all made sense and more often than not they were related to keeping the man alive in combat. Perhaps more interestingly, he was often right there drilling with them.

"I've never seen men drilled like this." Ethan mused near the end.

"Then this will perhaps spoil you for other viewings." Kyselius replied with a smile. "Lord Kalus is a singular man, and I've never met his like. He expects his men to reach for perfection but allows for growth and failure without lowering his standards."

"Sounds like he's a good teacher."

"Aye, and a good lord." The herald nodded.

*Sir, Shara and Lyra would be happy to come over for dinner.* Alana thought to everyone.

*Perfect, I'm about to ask Lord Kalus.* He replied.

When the drills were done, Lord Kalus walked over to them in the somewhat dim light of the cavern. "Well met Ethan." He extended his hand as his herald left, probably to give them some privacy.

Ethan shook it and mirrored the lord's greeting. "Well met Lord Kalus."

"You are not a citizen of Timarou and you are a prophet." The lord replied. "Please, call me Lucien."

"Lucien."

"What brings you here?" The lord asked.

"Actually, I wanted to invite you to dinner aboard the Argo." Ethan replied. "A family from town is coming already, but I have some things I wanted to talk to you about and ask your advice on, so I thought we could make it a dinner party."

"I would be honored." Lucien nodded. "I would guess that you have asked Shara and Lyra as well?"

"Yup, they said they would be happy to come."

"They do seem to enjoy the company of your wives." Lucien smiled. "We shall see you at dinner."

* * *

Sarah couldn't help but notice the slow change in how people treated her during the day. It was normal at first, but then she had noticed people whispering and pointing at her, and then people had started avoiding her. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew what was happening. Despite how unlikely it seemed, it was the only thing that made sense.

"Sarah?"

She looked up to see Amy waiting at the agreed-upon spot looking a bit nervous and not quite meeting her eye.

"Is it true?" Her new friend asked.

"Is what true?" The innkeeper's daughter asked, painfully aware of what Amy had probably heard. She couldn't think of anything else that would make people avoid her the way they had been.

"Do you really have a..." Amy faltered and then tried again. "Are you really possessed by... Um..."

Sarah's shoulders slumped as she sighed and nodded. "Is it all over the castle?"

Amy nodded and Sarah couldn't help but notice that the other girl was standing a bit further away than normal.

"How?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"I'm not knowing, but I'm having an idea." Fiona said as she walked up. Conner was on her chest today and was all smiles, looking around and making silly, happy-baby noises.

Sarah let her head fall. "What's your idea?"

"Well, maybe we shouldn't be talking about this right here." The copper-haired woman said. "Maybe we should be getting back to the room."

Amy looked at Fiona, her jaw dropping and eyes widening. "You knew?"

"Of course I was knowing, but I couldn't rightly be telling someone else's secret, now could I?"

"Oh." Amy closed and inclined her head in concession. "I just thought that..." The artistic girl's eyes landed on Conner.

"Sarah is a wonderful girl and I'm not caring what the gossip mill is saying." Fiona said firmly, then added in an almost motherly-accusing tone. "And I'm disappointed in you Amy. You of all people should be knowing better than to let gossip be changing your mind about someone you know."

Amy grimaced so much that it almost looked like she winced. "You're right." She looked at Sarah. "I'm sorry Sarah."

"I forgive you, but you don't have to apologize." She replied. "It's a big thing and I know it's a lot. I probably would be scared too if I was you."

Amy got a small smile on her face and -- probably more to herself than anyone else -- she whispered. "I knew you were a good person."

"Thank you." Sarah replied, feeling her heart grow a bit lighter and swell slightly. This was the first time that anyone other than Fiona had found out she had a demon and still thought she was a good person afterwards. Well, Selene, Ethan, and Ethan's wives had, but it wasn't common.

"Now, I'm thinking we should be going to our room where we can be talking about this properly." Fiona said, then Conner let out a squealy-happy sound.

"Okay." Amy nodded.

"Good idea." Sarah agreed.

The trio -- quartet if you included Conner -- headed towards their room, walking mostly in silence. They arrived at the dormitory building and stepped inside to find a half dozen Narlotten soldiers standing in the entryway with swords drawn and fearful looks on their faces.

"Is this the demon-possessed girl?" One of them asked a pair of girls who were--

Amy gasped.

It took Sarah a moment to recognize them, but she did. It was Tia and Mia, Amy's tormentors.

"That's her." One of them pointed to Sarah.

"Ugh, she always gave me the creeps." The other said.

"You're under arrest." One of the soldiers said, pointing his sword directly at Sarah's heart.

She sighed.

There was a time not long ago when this would've made her nervous, but they couldn't hurt her. Thankfully they weren't pointing the swords at Fiona or Amy, and several of them had carefully pulled her friends away from the exposed blades that were now all pointing at Sarah.

"You'll be taken to Lord Delmar in the throne room for official sentencing before your summary execution." The soldier said. His hand was trembling slightly, but he had iron in his eyes.

"You can try, but you might ruin the axe." Sarah sighed, not looking forward to what might happen when her problem came out to protect her. She probably wouldn't kill anyone, but they would probably put her in prison once she came to her senses.

* * *

"You're sure you don't want any help?" Selene asked Anthiel, who was busy making a very large pot of her best stew recipe. All around the Argo's deck, Ethan's wives were running around cleaning and prepping for their guests. The moment the women had realized that everyone was coming, there was a near stampede to get the Argo ready for guests.

Selene wasn't sure how to help since she would've felt weird decorating someone else's home and she didn't know how to anyway. She had lost virtually all her interest in those kinds of things after her brother had died. Her father had once said that she was the artistic type, but her arts were purely martial.

He wasn't wrong.

For the life of her, she couldn't remember if she'd ever been interested in those things. She thought she had, but honestly, her life before her brother's death was a little fuzzy. Now, looking around the Argo, she wondered if there was a way to get that back. Regardless, it wouldn't come back soon enough to help decorate the Argo, but she could help cook.

"For the dozenth time, I'm fine." The high elf smiled. "There will be plenty of food for all our guests. You really don't need to volunteer every time you know."

"I know, I just like feeling useful." The caramel-haired beauty replied.

Anthiel got a knowing twinkle in her eye. "No, you like helping."

"Same thing." She shrugged.

"No, it really isn't." Anthiel replied as she added some more vegetables to the stew pot.

The action reminded Selene of Sarah. Despite it feeling like a year or two ago, it had only been about two and a half weeks since she'd last seen the girl and she missed her. Oddly, Selene missed her more than anyone on Earth except her family. Hmm, she really didn't have many friends. She turned her head to look at the Argo's bow where Kendra was inspecting her small canoe-sized airship -- probably making sure it looked company-ready -- and realized that wasn't true anymore.

She had Kendra.

Frankly, she also had Alana, Beth, Taloni, Rachel, and Ethan too. They were all great friends, the best she could've ever asked for.

And yet...

"Something troubling you?" Anthiel asked.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know what it is?" Selene sighed.

"Because you're smart." Anthiel's eye twinkled.

"I'm really going to miss everyone." Selene finally said after a few moments. "I realize that I might not survive my mission to destroy the portal, and even if I do I'll probably have to flee Earth to live here so Smithbond's nameless agency doesn't make me disappear, but I can't help feeling like things might turn out okay."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I feel like I'll still have that option." The Brazilian woman nodded. "I've been training to be an FBI agent for most of my life. It's what I've wanted to do since..." She trailed off thinking about her brother. "...since I was little and I feel like it's something that I still need to do."

"You need to help people." Anthiel said. "Might I point out that there are plenty of people in the Ten Kingdoms that need help."

"I know, but I'm telepathic." She replied. "I could do so much good on Earth with that gift."

"True." Anthiel agreed. "You seem more determined than usual about returning to Earth; does it have anything to do with the birthdays?"

Selene's shoulders slumped as she thought about that whole incident. "I don't want to talk about that."

"I thought you might not." Anthiel replied but didn't explain herself. The Brazilian woman felt like the high elf could see right through her though.

Selene let it go, not wanting to think about it.