A Dragon's Tale Ch. 53

That didn't seem fake either.

The rest...

Hmm.

She made a thoughtful sound as she considered it.

"Copper for your thoughts?" Amy said, and Sarah realized that they had been standing at the railing for over a minute without speaking and that Amy had been patiently waiting.

Sarah was about to say it was nothing when she remembered one other thing that she didn't think was fake, and this one was something she could share. "I just remembered something. While we were imprisoned, Lady Ekthros would often say the name 'Adrian' in her sleep. She said it several times while sleeping but refused to talk about it when she woke up."

"Adrian." Amy repeated thoughtfully. "That's a very strange name; is it elven? It sounds elven."

"I don't know, maybe? I just remember how she said the name, like she was concerned for whoever this 'Adrian' is."

"Maybe he's a brother? Or perhaps a close friend?" The other girl suggested.

"Maybe." Sarah shrugged, not really knowing. "She seemed... well, she seemed more than worried though. She kept saying 'no, Adrian', like something bad had happened to him. And when that happened it looked like she was having a nightmare."

"Maybe he died?" Amy guessed. "Or maybe he was badly hurt? Or maybe he wasn't and she was having a nightmare that he was hurt. Or maybe she was remembering something?"

"Maybe." Sarah held up her hands, palms up as she shrugged. "I don't know, but it seemed like a very bad dream."

"I've had those." Amy looked down into the water.

"Me too." Sarah replied while mirroring the other girl's posture; right now, her entire life felt like a bad dream.

"But we eventually wake up from bad dreams." Amy said after a few moments. "I don't like having them, but eventually we all wake up from them.

Sarah gave her a small smile. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Please do, it really helps when life gets awful."

"You seem to be speaking from experience."

Amy nodded. "I... I don't want to talk about it, but even with everything with Tia and Mia in Karnas, my life was better in the castle at Karnas than it was before."

"Oh?" Sarah hadn't considered that possibility.

Amy nodded and then went back to looking at the scenery.

Huh.

She found herself wondering what Amy's life had been like before that being bullied by Tia and Mia was better.

* * *

Fiona took a deep breath before opening the door to their-- no, to 'her' room. Well, Conner lived there too but her friends didn't anymore. She loved her son dearly, but she missed her friends. Sarah more than Amy, but both of them. She hadn't known the innkeeper's daughter very long, but they had become quite close in the short time they'd known each other.

"Illuminar, I'd like to be thanking ya for bringing Sarah here." She said aloud. "Please be keeping her, Amy, and Ellis safe in their travels." She lowered her voice. "And please be protecting them from Lady Ekthros."

The copper-haired woman looked around the room, feeling the ache of loss again. It wasn't like it was with Sean. She had been bonded to her husband and his death had left a hole in her spirit like a part of her had broken off when he had died. Of course, she had heard that being bonded to someone made the pain of that person dying worse, but now she knew from personal experience.

She carefully removed Conner from the cloth wrap and set him down on the bed between two heavy pillows so he couldn't roll off.

Knock. Knock.

She frowned, who could be knocking?

She got up and opened the door, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw who it was. "Mage Weston?"

"The very same." He smiled genially. "A mutual acquaintance asked me to do a favor for her."

"Oh?" Fiona then remembered her manners despite her shock and stepped aside, opening the door wide. "Come in."

"Thank you." The court mage stepped in and looked around. "I was sorry to see Sarah go; she seems like a good and kind person."

"She is." She replied, closing the door after he entered.

"As she was leaving, I asked her if she could do a favor for me." The mage continued. "She said she would, but asked if I would do a favor for you in return."

"She was asking a favor for me?"

"Indeed." He nodded. "She mentioned that you had a letter, the last one from your husband -- Illuminar rest his soul -- that you wanted enchanted to be self-repairing so you would always have it."

Fiona felt her eyes get slightly watery. "She... she was asking for that? For me?"

He nodded. "She did."

Fiona put a hand over her mouth, scarcely able to believe... Sarah had really... She felt a huge smile growing on her face and a contented feeling in her heart. It still hurt losing her friends, but knowing that Sarah had cared enough to ask for that was just...

Wow.

"That's wonderful, but I can't be paying." She finally said.

"And given my agreement with Sarah, you won't need to." The mage said kindly and with a smile.

Fiona wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry happy tears. She did both in the end, and then she showed Mage Weston the letter so he could enchant it. That letter was doubly precious to her now; primarily for being Sean's last, but now also because of what Sarah had done for her. It was a reminder of both of them now and all the more precious because of that.

* * *

Kendra sat in her canoe-sized airship waiting for Ethan and Lord Kalus to finish their business with the orcs. Taiven was sitting opposite her on the other side of the mast practicing sword moves with a riding crop that he had borrowed from her since she always kept one in her airship; you never knew when you might need to ride. The boy was good for his age, though obviously not ready for real combat yet.

"Lady Kendra." The boy said as he stopped.

"It's just 'Kendra'; I'm not a lady."

The boy got an impish grin and said in a respectful tone. "Pardon me for saying so, but you don't look like a man."

Kendra chuckled.

She could see his father's confidence, his mother's refinement, and Lyra's spirit all present in him. It was a good and entertaining combination and she could see him becoming a good man when he was grown.

"Might I ask a question?" The boy cocked his head to one side and then corrected himself. "Might I askanother question?"

She nodded.

"Why does Miss Selene not want to stay on the Argo?"

Kendra swallowed but otherwise took care to keep her face neutral. "She wants to become a constable back where she is from; she cares deeply about helping other people and she thinks that's the best way."

The boy frowned. "But couldn't she help more people here by traveling with the prophet of Illuminar? Why would she leave when her friends are here and she could help more people here?"

It took rather a lot of self-control for Kendra not to start crying at the innocent question. She took a deep, calming breath that shuddered slightly before replying.

"I don't know, but that's always been her dream; I should support my friend when she chases her dream." Kendra found her throat getting tight and her mask of neutrality slipping somewhat.

Taiven nodded slowly, frowning thoughtfully as he did so. "But you don't want her to go?"

Kendra shook her head.

"Doing the right thing is important." The boy said, and she could almost hear his father's influence.

Kendra nodded, trying not to let her emotions show on her face or evidence of them collect in her eyes. The latter was more difficult than she would've liked. Her heart felt strangely numb. The thought of Selene leaving made her chest feel hollowed out. Empty. Well, not quite empty because of Ethan and her co-wives, but much emptier.

It reminded her of the final test in the wilderness survival training. She'd been dropped in the middle of the wilderness with no gear or supplies and forced to survive for a whole month. She had found almost nothing to eat the first few days and her stomach had virtually screamed at her because of how empty it felt.

This felt like that, only in her heart.

Taiven went back to practicing and she to waiting.

Ethan and Lucien finally returned some hours after they had left. Several long, lonely hours where she tried to keep her mind on anything other than Selene's impending departure.

"Lord Kalus is going to stay with the orcs for a while." Ethan said as he arrived.

Lucien nodded. "The orcs fight excellently in single combat, but less well as a coordinated line. I do believe a week is all I will need to teach them enough to win the battle ahead."

"So we're staying in Dotmeir for another week?" Kendra asked.

"Seems like." Ethan nodded.

"You said that the portal is in central Ivernia, correct?" Lucien asked.

"Yup." Ethan replied.

"That is only a two or three-day sail from here, depending on the wind." The lord pointed out. "You could drop Selene off at the portal and return before the battle commences."

Kendra tried not to react.

She had thought that they had more time, that Selene wouldn't be leaving until the orc situation was dealt with. But as much as she hated to admit it, Lucien's idea made excellent tactical sense. They needed to clear the threat of the orcs and also from Smithbond's nameless agency before they could properly focus on Lord Delmar and Lord Farbrottan. The idea made perfect tactical sense.

She hated it.

But it made sense.

"Let me think here." Ethan said aloud and then relayed the idea to the group chat. *Thoughts?*

No one said anything for several seconds.

Finally, Selene broke the silence. *I hate to say it, but that's probably a good idea. It's the most efficient way to do it.*

*I agree, but I had hoped...* Alana trailed off, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was going to say; she wanted Selene to stay longer as well.

*Me too.* Beth's tone was sad. *But it seems like a good idea.*

*Yes, but I wish it wasn't.* Taloni added with sadness in her tone.

*It's efficient but unfortunate.* Rachel added.

*Kendra?* Ethan asked after a pause and he looked at her as well.

*I agree.* She thought to everyone as she looked back at him. Lucien and Grobozlesh didn't seem to be paying attention to her, so she let her mask slip for her husband, but only for a moment.

*I'm sorry.* He thought to her privately with a sympathetic look, and then thought to everyone. *Okay, that's what we'll do then.*

And just like that, it was a plan.

It was all so sudden.

Too sudden.

She'd known it was coming for weeks, but it still seemed sudden.

Kendra vaguely heard Grobozlesh telling Lucien that he could stay in his tent and the lord asking Ethan to return his son and inform his wives of the situation before they were off.

The ride back to the Argo didn't help.

There wasn't a lot to be said so very little was said. Taiven and Ethan talked a little, but Kendra simply didn't feel like joining in. She landed on the Argo still feeling stunned; numb. She heard Ethan saying that he needed to escort Taiven home and let Shara and Lyra know, and also that he would let Matthew know that he'd be back before the next service at the Chapel of Illuminar.

That was all background noise though.

"Where's Selene?" The dragon huntress asked after stowing her ship properly.

"I think she's down in the lady's area." Taloni replied, then eyed Kendra closely for a moment. "Do you want a hug?"

She nodded, feeling her eyes get slightly watery again. It was a good hug and felt wonderful but Kendra didn't feel any better. She gave Tee a weak half-smile and then went to go find Selene. She wasn't even sure what she was going to say to her, she just wanted to see her friend.

Her best friend.

Her best friend who was leaving in a few days.

It was too soon.

It was too jarring.

"Hey." Kendra said after ducking through the blanket between the lady's area and the rest of the Argo's lower deck.

Selene looked up and half smiled. "Hey."

The caramel-haired beauty was sitting in what Ethan called 'Indian style' holding what looked like half of that 'gun' thing. The other half was lying next to her. She appeared to be cleaning the half she was holding.

"What are you doing?" Kendra asked, more to make conversation than anything else.

"Cleaning the Glock." She held up the rag. "I already did it once after I got to the Argo, but I figured I'd double-check since... well, you know."

Kendra nodded. "Want some help?"

"Sure." Selene half smiled and handed her the other half of the gun and another rag.

Kendra sat down and started cleaning it as best as she could, but it wasn't easy. "There's a lot of moving parts here." She said while holding the grip on the lower half.

"Yeah, but it's very reliable even if it is complex." Selene got a small smile on her face as she looked at Kendra. She held up the upper half. "This part is a bit simpler and made of a different material, but they work well together."

Kendra smiled and felt her throat get slightly tight. "Yeah. Yeah, they do."

Selene smiled back, though it was a pained smile.

They sat there cleaning for a few minutes, neither saying anything. When Kendra had cleaned it as well as she thought she reasonably could, not that it needed much cleaning, she offered it to Selene who took it.

"Looks good." The Brazilian woman reassembled it and racked the slide several times. "Sounds good." She slipped the magazine into it and then without racking it she set it in the travel bag she'd been wearing when she arrived in the Ten Kingdoms.

They sat there somewhat awkwardly not saying anything for several minutes.

"You know, we could clean and oil the swords in the storage room." Selene suggested. "I don't know how often that gets done and we wouldn't want them to rust."

Kendra half smiled. "That's a good idea."

They did just that.

They had just started pulling weapons from the rack when Kendra felt the Argo shift and then she felt it rising into the air. They were leaving Dotmier, heading towards the portal so that Selene could go home. The two women glanced at each other, held each other's eyes for a moment, and then went back to what they were doing.

Neither said anything.

They sat down next to each other and started slowly oiling and cleaning every single weapon in the armory. None of them needed it though. They looked like they had been freshly cleaned and oiled recently, probably by Serif. Kendra thought that Selene had probably noticed, but the caramel-haired beauty didn't say anything either. They sat side by side and slowly worked their way through every single weapon.

When that was done and the weapons were put away, they stood around awkwardly for several long moments.

"Do you want to spar?" Kendra asked when she could bear the silence no longer.

It was Selene's turn to half-smile. "Sure."

They did just that.

They spent a few hours sparring with each other, saying very little besides what was necessary to spar except Kendra occasionally offered a few pointers to Selene. Anthiel had finished making dinner and called the crew around by the time they had finished. The two women sat down next to each other to eat. Neither said much during dinner.

Both women stood after dinner, not saying much but just standing slightly awkwardly next to each other. It was strange, the birthday connection had been revealed only yesterday and now Selene was going home. It seemed like that revelation had accelerated Selene's departure. It really hadn't, but it felt like it had.

"I um, I could show some more of what I learned about hand-to-hand combat on Earth." Selene suggested after an awkward few moments of silence.

"Okay." Kendra nodded.

They did just that.

They practiced hand-to-hand combat until well after dark. Kendra's fellow wives and Ethan had long since gone to bed before they stopped, sweaty and panting from the exertion. Kendra had learned a few things, but she honestly didn't care right now.

Kendra and Selene walked to the door of the captain's cabin, Selene stopping in front of the doorway to the lower decks that was right next to it.

"This is me." The caramel-haired beauty said, indicating the doorway.

"This is me." Kendra indicated the captain's cabin door.

They stood there for almost a whole minute without either of them speaking.

"Night." Selene said.

Kendra nodded. "Night."

Neither moved.

Kendra could feel her eyes getting a bit watery. She gave her best friend a small, sad smile, and then slipped into the captain's cabin. She closed the door behind her and leaned her head against it, feeling like a piece of her heart had cracked off and fallen out, never to be repaired. She swallowed hard, blinked several times trying to clear the liquid from her eyes, and then sniffled a few times.

She took a long, slightly shuddering breath and turned, expecting to find her husband and wives asleep.

They weren't.

They looked like they were waiting for her.

Ethan stood up and opened his arms, Kendra rushed into them and held him tightly, maybe even a bit too tightly. He didn't complain. Her co-wives slipped off the bed and gathered around her, making her the center of a long group hug.

She broke down crying.

She couldn't help it.

Nothing in her training had prepared her for this. Nothing. The Aldmiri had turned her into a lethal killing machine but left her woefully unprepared for matters of the heart. The one friend she'd lost while in the Aldmiri had hurt, but nothing like this. The only thing she had to compare it to was losing her parents, but that was muted after all these years.

This wasn't.

This was fresh.

Raw.

It left a gnawing, groaning, gaping hole where her heart usually was. She felt like she might completely fall apart into a thousand pieces if Ethan and her fellow wives weren't holding her together. She certainly wasn't holding it together. She had long since stopped trying to stop her tears or sobs.

She couldn't.

"I think it's Kendra's night to sleep in Ethan's arms." Beth said after a few minutes.

Kendra shook her head. "No, it's your night Beth; Alana was last night."

The blonde gave her a sympathetic smile, her eyes also slightly watery and her voice cracking slightly. "No, it's your night; I'm sure of it." She sniffled and wiped her eye.

Kendra tried to say 'thank you', but broke down with another round of sobbing instead. She couldn't remember ever crying this much. Ever. Certainly not since she was a child or so openly with others around.

She just couldn't stop.

Eventually, Ethan picked her up and laid her on the bed, climbing onto it and wrapping her in his arms immediately afterwards. The tears never stopped coming. She sobbed less, but she still felt like she must be soaking the sheets and Ethan as well. He didn't shy away; he just held her, occasionally kissing her head or telling her that he loved her and would be there for her.

That's how she fell asleep, crying in his arms.

* * *

Selene wiped her eyes for what felt like the millionth time, trying to clear the saltwater that was so insistently leaking from them. She felt like she must've left a wet spot on the hammock by now. She wiped them again, not liking how she was reacting. This wasn't her; she didn't get all weepy from goodbyes, no matter how little she wanted them.

Thor was laying on her chest as usual but he didn't seem particularly sympathetic. Instead, he was looking at her almost reprovingly.

"What?" She blinked another few tears out. "I don't really have a choice; I have to try to deal with the portal on Earth."

The kitten -- who was seemingly growing larger by the day -- cocked his head to one side as if he was convinced but not liking it.

"And I have to stay on Earth afterwards." She continued, the tightness in her throat making it slightly uncomfortable to speak.