Chapter 8

The next three months were a bit of a blur as my days were full of exercise and training. I would wake up each morning, with one of the sisters in bed with me. Thankfully, my clothing seemed to remain on, but their clothing seemed to lessen. They would notice the effect it had on me and giggle in response. After a light kiss on the lips, they would saunter out of the room to get ready. I would make my way downstairs to a nice hearty breakfast and a table full of friends. The day’s tasks would be discussed, so that all parties had an idea of what each person was doing. That way, if something deviated unexpectedly, we would know something was wrong. Clive and Trent had decided to take turns training with me: that way one would be able to hunt, while the other worked with me.

They would have me perform stretches to loosen up the muscles and lessen the chance of an attack. Once we were finished, we would go for a jog in the woods. The purpose was to get myself used to exerting my body as I used to, while dealing with environmental obstacles. We were careful to gage my use of my right arm, and we confident, after a few days, I would be able to use it to climb or vault over something. Each day was a different route, and my task was to try and tag either Clive or Trent, depending on who was training me on that day. The first few days were exhausting, but I did not let it discourage me. We would do this until the sun told us it was close to midday. Once we finished eating our midday meal back at the house, we would move on to the practice swords.

They would take me through movements that would help me to develop my reflexes. I would do this for an hour or more, before we would move on to sparring. For the first few days, I was purely on the defensive, the exhaustion from the previous exercises dulling my reaction time. We would stop about an hour before supper, when one of the girls would have a hot bath waiting for me. The warm water was soothing for my aching muscles and I thanked them for their assistance. I tried not to be too embarrassed, as one of the girls would wash me and massage my body as they went. They both steered clear of my groin, but their attentions did not go unnoticed. They would leave me with a smile and a wink, returning to tell me supper was ready. Everyone would talk about their day, and we would go over my current status and what we might focus on tomorrow.

By the end of the first month, I was able to get an offensive swing here or there. They were patient with me and gave me what breaks I needed so I did not injure myself. I was getting less winded and had more energy when it got time to spar. By the end of the second month, I was able to get more attacks in and was beginning to gain some confidence in my sword play. By the end of the third month, I was able to evenly attack and defend. I was also beginning to win a match here or there. We were confident that, in another month or two, I would be more than capable of defending myself moving forward, but I would have to be vigilant and keep honing my skills. I had not had an attack during that time, but we were all careful to make sure the chance of triggering one would be as low as possible.

During that time, Violet would visit most nights. She had done what I had asked and explained things to Lillian. How she had felt about her, me, and Brant. What Brant had done to her and why she had to end their physical relationship. We talked about it and we agreed that she should spend time with her friend, as well. It seemed to improve their friendship, and, about three weeks after we started my training, Lillian visited the house. She came in the evening with Violet and joined us for dinner. While everyone knew what had transpired, no one brought it up. She was greeted warmly, and engaged in conversation by everyone at the table. When the meal had concluded, she asked me to come out into the back garden. There she apologized for her thoughts and actions.

“Davik, I am sorry for how I treated you that night. I was jealous, and angry at you for something you did not even know about. You were right that I felt spurned by Violet when she decided to end things. I blamed you, thinking you had tricked her and stolen something that was mine. Then I thought that, with Violet after you, maybe I could have caught Brant’s eye. Then he wound up dead by your hands, again I blamed you for stealing that, as well. I always had thought that Violet had been a fool for ignoring Brant’s advances. Believing some fairytale nonsense, thinking you would one day return. I have never seen such devotion towards someone in my entire life, and I yearned for someone to feel that way for me.

“You did not have to send Violet to apologize, you could have very easily made sure we never talked to each other again. I knew I had ruined things when I saw how angry she had gotten that night. I had never seen that side of her, and it terrified me. Each day, I worried I would arrive at the clinic to find I no longer had work there, and that I would not be able to apprentice with Ilane anymore. I cried myself to sleep most nights, dreading the loss that was to come. Instead, you pushed Violet to mend our relationship and rekindle our friendship. You made sure that she spent time with me, outside of the clinic. When she told me of what Brant had done to her, I could not believe it. It took me a few days before I would even consider it was true, but the more I thought about how he behaved, the more I began to believe she was not lying.

“I know that it will take some time before we can trust one another, but your actions make me believe I can. I trust Violet with my life, and I know she trusts you with all her heart. So I will give you the chance to prove it to me as well. I hope that when all is said and done, that we can be friends, and both have Violet in our lives.”

I smiled and said, “There would be nothing that would please me more. You and I came into this situation without all the facts. Violet has a habit of that, and I had forgotten it, during my time away. I can only hope to earn your trust and prove that I have no intention of getting in the way of your friendship. Besides, a man cannot have too many lovely ladies in his life. I feel blessed enough with the ones I have; to add you would only make me even luckier.”

She blushed as I took her hand and bent down to place a soft kiss on it. I received a jolt when my lips contacted her skin, as a shock permeated my body. I had never had that happen before and, based on the reaction on Lillian’s face, she had not either. Still blushing she bade me goodnight and went inside to say goodbye to everyone. I was still pondering the meaning of what just happened, when I felt I had been joined outside. I turned to find Violet standing there with a big smile on her face. We kissed some and said our goodbyes before she headed home for the night.

Neither of us brought up the jolt that had occurred when Lillian would come to visit. I, of course, mentioned what had happened to Violet, and she proceeded to torment me about it. She had a naughty streak in her, for she would describe different scenarios involving Lillian, or her and Lillian. Things I would be doing to them, things they would do to me. When she would suggest the three of us, she would get even wilder with her fantasies. Me being a man, I could visualize them, and they had the intended result of arousing me. Violet would, of course, either take pity on me and satiate our lust, or, if she was in a playful mood, leave me to deal with it on my own. The side effect of her fantasies was that I would see Lillian in my mind’s eye at certain times when we would spend time together. While I do not doubt that was Violet’s intention, I did not feel it was right. I scolded her on it, and she said she would stop, but I didn’t expect that it would last very long.

The blood moon came and went without incident, and another month passed. My skills were improving, and everyone was pleased with my progress. Ilane had been having trouble narrowing down the location of the woman she was seeking. She was confident that soon she would have her answer, as she had narrowed down where the woman had last been seen only a few months ago. If her information was correct, we would set out in a few weeks’ time to meet with her. Ilane had sent a courier to the village where her source had said they last saw the woman. Her hope was that she would either receive correspondence that the woman was still in the village or be given the location where the woman was now. This news filled me with newfound hope and purpose. I needed to be ready when she located the woman - there was no telling what dangers could be along the road.

The news had the same energizing effect on everyone in the house, and there was work being done by all parties. The girls were preparing meats and pickled fruits and vegetables, to ensure we had a robust assortment of food for the trip.

Clive and Trent went into town to collect new bow strings, knives and swords. We did not have to dip into the funds I had hidden away, as they were able to use the profits from the girls’ stall. I was rather proud of what they had accomplished. Everyone loved their produce, and they were selling out fast. Soon they would need help, both at the stall, and to tend their crops.

I had begun negotiations with Ruben to purchase additional land for the girls. We both wanted there to be no doubt that the land was purchased fairly, despite our close relationship. We did not want to cause any more negativity directed towards me. We would probably have the deal finalized after we returned from our trip, and I was confident that the price would be amicable. The girls, of course were unaware that I had started this endeavor, and I was looking forward to surprising them.