Chapter 55: The Sixth Day of the Sixth Month

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn’t need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

Several hours ago

Ethan dropped the last few feet to the ground with the weight-reduction necklace in his hand, landing next to Rachel after Lord Delmar had taken her off the Argo during the fight. He had wasted no time in coming to collect her, and thankfully she seemed completely unhurt. They needed to leave the area pronto in case Lord Delmar was able to remove the arrow that Alana had shot into him and return.

“Rachel?” He said gently, not sure how she would be feeling after what had just happened with her father.

The redhead turned to face him, happy tears on her cheeks and one of the widest smiles he’d ever seen on her face. “He does care about me.” She said, her tone as joyful as it had been when she told him about her kiss with Alana.

“He does?”

She nodded. “He said that Lord Delmar would be livid if I was injured.” Her smile grew even wider if that was possible. “But he is my father and he didn’t know that I knew that. Why would he say that unless it was true?”

Ethan could think of several reasons -- trying to gain her sympathy for starters -- but didn’t want to completely deflate her right now. “That could indicate that.”

“Could?” She looked at him, her smile faltering slightly. “You don’t think so?”

“I don’t know.” He replied honestly. “Kendra said that he was holding back while you were on the Argo and that it looked like he didn’t want to hurt you.”

The redhead bit her lip. “You ... you don’t think that means he cares about me?”

“I want to tell you that it does, and it does indeed look that way, but I don’t want to get your hopes up. I don’t want to crush them either.”

She nodded slowly. “I ... I got a bit carried away just now, didn’t I?” Her shoulders slumped.

“I don’t know.” He replied honestly, stepping closer and enfolding her in a hug which she readily accepted. “We can’t dismiss that he was careful not to hurt you, but we probably shouldn’t jump to conclusions either. Remember, he did put a will-breaker ring on you.”

“Oh.” She pulled back a bit and looked at the black mark on her finger where the will-breaker ring had once sat. “But maybe that wasn’t him? Maybe Lady Ekthros was behind that and she just tricked him into giving it to me without knowing what it was? If he trusts her, that would make sense, right?”

“It would make sense, but we don’t know if that’s what happened.” He looked into her pale blue eyes. “I don’t want you to dismiss that possibility because it is a possibility, but I don’t want you to latch onto it as the only possibility either.”

“You’re always so kind to me.” Rachel smiled at him. “You let me down so gently without crushing--” Her breath hitched slightly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled at her. “I promise that we’ll eventually figure out what’s going on with your father. I don’t want you to lose hope until we do, but remember the dreams that Kendra and I had where I was fighting him on a battlefield. Frankly, it seemed like a fight to the death and I didn’t get the impression that he would ever back down.”

The redhead took a deep breath. “Yeah, I did forget about those.” Her shoulders slumped.

“That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about you.” Ethan added, hoping not to crush her entirely. “Just because he and I might be locked in a fight to the death doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about you.”

“But from my perspective, that fight can’t be won.” She swallowed. “No matter who wins, one of you will...”

Not knowing what to say, he held her again.

Now

Fiona stared at Lord Delmar, having heard and understood every single word he had said but still thinking she must be missing something. “I’m sorry milord, I must be mishearing you.”

“I asked if you would be willing to marry me so that Narlotten could obtain an heir.” The lord repeated. He still looked like a black-scaled dragon. He was a dragon. That fact alone was shocking, but a marriage proposal on top of it?

“I think I’m needing to sit down.” The copper-haired woman said after a few moments.

Lord Delmar indicated one of the chairs facing the desk and she sat down on it, only then realizing that she was still holding the arrow that she had removed from his back mere minutes before. She looked at it for several seconds, scarcely believing the night’s strange events.

“I can take that.” He offered.

He had apparently gotten up and moved next to her chair while she was distracted. She handed him the arrow, then he walked over to the fireplace and tossed it in. The shaft seemed rather reluctant to catch fire, but it eventually did. Fiona watched the relatively thin piece of leather start burning, using that as a focal point to ground herself.

She needed that right now.

After a moment she realized that she was still wearing the strength-enhancing cuffs that Lord Delmar had offered to give her the strength needed to pull the arrow out of his back. She removed them and put them on the desk, still trying to come to terms with the night’s events.

“Would it be easier if I returned to my human form?” Lord Delmar asked. Curiously, she didn’t get the sense that he was overly concerned about her, only her ability to answer his proposal. This seemed entirely like a practical suggestion rather than one made because he had some particular concern for her beyond what he might have for anyone else.

“I’m ... I’m not liking falsehoods much.” She replied after a moment. “I’m understanding why you’re using use the disguise enchantment and I’m not faulting you, but I’m preferring the real to the illusion.”

“Wise.” He replied simply and then sat back down at his desk. “In that case, let me be clear. My proposal does not arise from any attraction to you nor a desire for a wife, but purely because of Narlotten’s need for an heir. This would be a purely practical marriage, though I will endeavor to be a good husband as Illuminar commands.”

Fiona couldn’t help but compare this proposal with Sean’s. She had wished him luck when he went to talk to her father about her hand and she could tell that Sean had been nervous that her father would say no. He was all smiles when he came out and had hugged her tight enough to almost hurt when he had secured her hand. He’d thrown an impromptu party with his mates that night as well. Everyone in town had known how happy he was to wed her.

This proposal on the other hand...

“Lord Delmar, I ... I’m...” She stopped and then started again. “It’s rather late and I’m tired. I think I should be sleeping on this because no one is making their best decisions at this hour.”

“That is wise.” He nodded. “And as you said you prefer honesty, you should know that I was not born ‘Alexander Delmar’. My sire named me ‘Dalgard’.”

“Dalgard.” Fiona repeated, the name sounding foreign on her tongue. “Thank ya for telling me that. I should be getting to bed.”

He nodded.

She stood and walked to the door, but stopped before opening it as a question occurred to her. She hesitated a moment and then decided that he had proposed marriage to her and thus had opened the door to a more personal type of relationship. She would never have asked her question as a mere servant, but as someone he might marry...

She wanted to know.

She turned to look at him. “I’m having a question tonight if you aren’t minding.”

“You should always feel free to ask; given my proposal, I will be inclined to answer.” He replied, and she felt like it was an unspoken implication that he could choose not to answer.

“Was the Lady Helene knowing? That you’re a dragon I mean.”

He nodded once. “She first met me as a dragon.” Then he spoke again after a moment. “The idea for me to use a disguise enchantment originated with her.” The corners of his mouth moved upwards fractionally and the look in his eyes was suddenly faraway as well. His face returned to neutral after only a moment though.

She nodded slowly, then added. “Is anyone else knowing?”

“Only Lady Ekthros, and she has helped to conceal that fact more than once. That is only one of many reasons that I trust her implicitly.”

Fiona frowned.

“Given the words exchanged when you two met, I understand your dislike of her.” He continued. “However, no one has worked more tirelessly to improve the lives of Narlotten citizens than she has. A not-insignificant amount of Narlotten’s prosperity, safety, and general wellbeing came from her counsel.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed.” He replied, but didn’t explain further.

“Okay. I’ll be bidding you goodnight milord.”

“Goodnight Fiona.” He said, then turned his attention to some papers on the desk as he usually did when she left after delivering one of his meals.

Fiona exited the room feeling like she must be dreaming. It was so surreal. She pinched herself and didn’t wake up, so maybe she wasn’t. It was a lot to be taking in. She walked back to her room in the dormitories, only vaguely aware that there weren’t any guards to be seen inside the castle just as there weren’t any on her way to see the Lord Delmar. She briefly wondered if he had arranged that to prevent gossip, but wasn’t sure.

Marge was snoozing in a chair and Conner was sound asleep in his cradle when she arrived. She quietly woke the head cook who left barely a minute later, clearly also tired. Marge didn’t ask what Lord Delmar had needed and Fiona didn’t offer an explanation.

The copper-haired woman climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up, only realizing after doing so that she had forgotten to remove her dress. She got up, changed into her nightgown, then slipped back into bed. She laid on her back looking upwards but not really paying attention as she thought about the Lord Delmar’s proposal.

Wow.

She could be a lord’s wife if she wanted to be. And not just any lord, but the Lord Delmar. She felt a slight smile on her face at that, but then she thought of Sean. Her husband had died less than four months ago and the pain was still fresh. However, before he left for his first assignment, Sean had outright told her that if something happened to him, she shouldn’t feel bad about marrying again.

It was all still so fresh though.

Then again, there was Conner to think about. Being the adopted son of a lord would guarantee him the best and brightest possible future. He could never be in line for the throne of course, but perhaps that was a good thing? He would have all the benefits of being a lord’s son without the dangers that came with being in the line of succession. But still, she would have a child who was in line for the throne and it was hard to believe that a son of hers might sit on Narlotten’s throne.

Of course, it would also be Lord Delmar’s son and Fiona obviously knew how babies were made. She wasn’t sure what to make of her reaction to that. A part of her clearly and happily recalled the lord with his shirt off. That same part also reminded her of the stories and rumors about a dragon’s skill in bed. On the other hand, Sean’s death was so recent and so fresh...

She laid awake in bed for rather a long time thinking about it, turning it over and over in her mind until she drifted off to sleep.

Several hours ago

“It’s not fair.”

“Huh?” Selene looked at Kendra who was staring at her face, and the caramel-haired beauty wasn’t entirely sure what her best friend meant. The dragon huntress had just returned from the Midnight Sun and both airships were starting to turn. Luminar Kossel, Serif, and Raklan had returned to their respective ships and now they were getting underway.

“I have a lot of scars and they make me ugly, but you get one and it’s the opposite.” Kendra slowly shook her head. “It’s not fair.”

“It’s not.” Rachel agreed, and now she was looking at Selene’s face as well.

“What? Oh, my cheek scarred?” Selene asked.

“Beautifully.” Kendra glowered.

“Hang on, I’ll get a mirror.” Beth dashed into the captain’s cabin and dashed out a moment later, then handed a small handheld mirror to Selene.

The Brazilian woman looked into it at her left cheek.

It had indeed scarred.

The scar started a quarter-inch from where the middle of her ear met her cheek and extended along that cheek down to end under the corner of her mouth, about halfway between her lips and chin. It wasn’t raised and didn’t ripple, but it was a noticeable line that would never fully be hidden, even by makeup.

“It makes you look fierce.” Taloni said.

“It does, and not a single ounce less attractive.” Rachel said with the tiniest note of bitterness in her voice. “If anything, it’s the opposite.”

“How is it possible that a scar makes you look more gorgeous.” Kendra shook her head again. “It’s just not fair.”

“Sorry?” Selene raised both her hands, palms up, in an almost apologetic way.

“Don’t be; I’m happy for you, it’s just...” The dragon huntress shook her head again. “I’m a little jealous.”

Selene looked at the scar again and then held the mirror further away to see her entire face. She didn’t want to sound vain, but they weren’t wrong. For some reason, the scar seemed to make her features more striking and also gave the impression that she was ‘fierce’ as well as gorgeous.

She smiled.

People had never taken her seriously because of how beautiful she was. Looking at her reflection right now, she knew that wouldn’t be a problem anymore. She looked at one side of her cheek and then the other to compare how she looked both with and without it. The scar on her left cheek was glaringly obvious and yet somehow it didn’t seem to matter very much. Honestly, she almost thought the side with the scar looked better.

“I almost like it.” She smiled.

Kendra scoffed and threw her hands up while Rachel gave Selene the stink eye. Neither seemed truly upset, but they both looked somewhat irritated with her. Bee and Tee giggled while Alana just looked on with an amused smile.

“Selene, you’ve always been drop-dead gorgeous.” Ethan said as he looked at her. “But with that scar...” He made a thoughtful noise and nodded slowly. “It makes you look dangerous in addition to gorgeous.”

The Brazilian woman felt her heart do a small little backflip as a slightly warm and cozy feeling started to arise in her chest. Then she remembered the whole birthday incident.

The feeling instantly disappeared.

“Thanks.” She said, not sure what else to say.

“We should all get to bed.” Kendra said. “Especially you Selene; you need to be well rested for your mission tomorrow so you can come back safely.”

She nodded, that warm and cozy feeling returning at Kendra’s words despite her guilt over the whole birthday incident. They all headed to bed not long afterwards. Selene made her way down to her hammock and flopped into it with Thor. The kitten immediately curled up and started sleeping, but sleep was slow in coming for her.

She kept replaying the conversation about birthdays in her head and kicked herself every time she did. Why did she have to fuck it up so badly? Why?! That was so stupid! She knew better and yet she’d done it anyway. She had reacted on instinct and hadn’t planned to lie, but she still knew better. Before that, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d told such a bald-faced lie. It just wasn’t her and yet she’d done it anyway.

She sighed.

She half hoped the mission to destroy the portal would go south spectacularly after it was destroyed so she wouldn’t have to deal with feeling this way anymore.

Now

Fiona woke up before the sun as usual, her mind picking up right where it had left off as she had fallen asleep. Did she want to marry Lord Delmar? She moved her arms to stretch and found herself extra aware of how lonely it was in the bed this morning.

That was another thing to consider.

She had married Sean for love and didn’t think she’d find that again, or at least not like it had been with her husband. A part of her considered marrying Lord Delmar just for the practical reason of not being alone when she grew older. She could move back home of course, but she wanted to stay in Karnas because of Lord Delmar’s offer to provide a fine education for her son.

She frowned and tried to think of it from every angle.

It wasn’t long before something else occurred to her. If she had been the first lady of Narlotten, she could’ve protected Amy from Tia and Mia. And more than just that, she could potentially do a lot of good and help a lot of people with that kind of influence. A lord’s wife had no real authority of course, but she would have his ear and could bring his attention to problems when she saw them. She could help a lot of people that way.

That was a good reason.

Besides, Conner would have the best possible education and opportunities with Lord Delmar as his adoptive father. It would also prevent her from being lonely as she aged. Of course, remembering what the lord had looked like with his shirt off didn’t hurt, though as a dragon...

Could she learn to love a dragon?

She wasn’t sure, but she was sure that she could learn to love Lord Delmar. He had been so good to her and was such a great man. She supposed that if he was a dragon, she could learn to love him. He didn’t make it hard, though she doubted he would ever truly love her back. Fiona wasn’t Helene and the copper-haired woman doubted very much that anyone could take Helene’s place in the Lord Delmar’s heart.

Then again, she wasn’t trying to; she wasn’t marrying for love.

She might marry for Conner, for the chance to help others, and so she wouldn’t be lonely when she was old, but it wasn’t for love. As she thought about potential reasons to turn him down, she couldn’t think of any that compared to even one of her reasons to accept, much less all three.

Hmm.

She felt a small smile grow on her face as an idle fantasy flitted through her mind. What if he could learn to love her? The smile grew as she thought about it, though the possibility seemed remote. She knew that she would always be in second place to Helene, but since she wasn’t marrying for love, she was okay with that. And if he learned to love her even half as much as he loved Helene, or even a quarter as much...

The smile on her face grew as she thought about that.

Then it faltered.

She didn’t think that the Lord Delmar was especially given to love or romance at all, with one obvious exception. She imagined that Helene must have been an extraordinary woman to capture his heart so completely despite him being so aloof. She frowned; her fantasy seemed like an idle one, unless...

“Huh.” She mused as an idea occurred to her.

That might help.

It certainly would make it far more likely that he would come to love her at least a little. It was something she’d had with Sean and dearly loved and wouldn’t want to miss in a marriage. Plus, many people said that it virtually guaranteed that two good spouses would fall in love with each other eventually because it was subtle, but it was also powerful.

It seemed like a very good idea indeed. Well, she wasn’t sure that Lord Delmar would agree. But now that she’d thought of it, she realized that she didn’t want to be married without it. In addition to her other reasons to marry him, she could have a chance at true and lasting love again if he would agree to it.

That led to an important question.

Would he?

Ethan stood up after finishing an early breakfast and looked around at his wives and Selene. No one had said much during breakfast, Kendra least of all. Selene stood up after he did and then everyone else followed suit. Still, no one said anything.

“I feel like I’m at a funeral.” Selene said after a few moments.

“Might as well be.” Beth huffed. “We’ll never see you again.”

“That’s not true.” The Brazilian woman replied. “Assuming that I come out of this mission okay, I plan--”

“When.” Kendra interrupted firmly. “When you come out of it okay.”

Selene smiled. “Then when I come out of it okay, I’ll probably have to come back here to flee from Smithbond--” She smiled. “--I mean, agent Clive Eustace Humphry and his nameless agency.”

“You don’t really believe that though, do you?” Rachel said.

“Well, I’ve had this feeling that things will work out okay and that I could still become an FBI agent, but that’s just wishful thinking.”

“I don’t think it is.” Taloni said. “I feel like you’ll get the chance.”

Everyone looked around at each other, all probably thinking exactly what Ethan was. Tee was incredibly intuitive and if she felt like it was likely, then it probably was. Ethan couldn’t see how it could happen, but he’d learned not to ignore his third wife’s gut.

The Fey teen hesitated, then added. “You don’t need to stay though. You could come back here.” Her tone was hopeful but sad.

“I plan to come back here at least once.” She replied. “I want to say a proper goodbye to everyone, and hopefully that will include Sarah.” She looked at Ethan. “Were you still planning to fly down to Paliso and talk to Lord Farbrottan about where Lady Ekthros might have taken her?”

“I was.” He nodded. He’d been trying to keep the wonderful innkeeper’s daughter out of his thoughts to stop himself from worrying so much. The attack the previous night, Selene leaving, and Kendra’s state of mind because of the impending departure at least were good distractions.

“You could stay.” Taloni said to Selene. “Instead of coming back to say goodbye, you could come back to stay.”

“I could...” Selene conceded, but her tone indicated that she wasn’t perfectly happy with that idea.

“You promised.” Ethan said. “When we had that long discussion about if we were going to war, you promised that if you got the chance to become an FBI agent, you’d take it. And we all know you’d never lie.”

Selene shifted uncomfortably on her feet and looked down.

“As much as I want you to come back to the Argo, you shouldn’t stop pursuing something you’ve been working towards your entire life because of us.” He finished.

“Okay.” The Brazilian woman nodded, though she still didn’t look entirely happy about it.

Kendra sniffled. “At least Luminar Kossel gave Ethan that pair of linked portals. We could visit each other occasionally.”

“Hopefully more than occasionally.” Selene replied. It looked like she had attempted a smile, but it wasn’t a very successful attempt.

Kendra nodded.

Everyone gave Selene a hug and Kendra gave her one longer than the rest by a significant margin.

“You’re coming back to visit.” Kendra said firmly when she had let Selene go. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s not.” She sniffled again and it almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

“I’m definitely coming back to visit.” Selene replied, though she was blinking rather a lot more than normal. “Maybe I can ... I don’t know, show you around Earth sometime?”

“I’d like that.” Kendra nodded, sniffled, and blinked a bit, then looked around at everyone. “We need to pray for Selene before she goes.”

They did.

All of his wives plus Anthiel prayed, and just because everyone looked at him expectantly when they were done, he did as well. It was awkward and he didn’t know what to say, but the ladies seemed to appreciate his awkward fumblings anyway.

“Thor.” Selene called. “Thor.”

The kitten ran over to her and she reached down and petted him. “I promise I’ll be back.”

Thor nuzzled her hand.

Selene picked him up and petted him. “Hopefully it won’t be too long and the others will take good care of you while I’m gone.”

Thor cocked his head to one side and meowed.

She held him for another minute before he started squirming. “I have to put him down now, don’t I?”

“We’ll take good care of him.” Alana promised.

Selene swallowed hard, nodded, and then set him down. He scampered off to sniff some spot on the decking while she watched him.

Everyone watched him for a moment until Selene spoke. “I really need to go.”

She didn’t move.

It was several minutes later that Alana gave Selene the weight-reduction necklace and she put it on, then she climbed onto Ethan’s back.

“Back in a bit.” He said.

“Take care.” Selene looked around at everyone but ended looking at Kendra.

“You too.” The raven-haired woman replied.

Then they left.

Selene didn’t say anything while he flew towards the portal and it was a reasonably long flight. Anthiel had sailed the Argo quite far during the night and so they needed to fly back near the abandoned temple where the portal was. Eventually, he landed on the road near it, far enough away that any lookouts wouldn’t see.

“Well, I guess this is it.” He said after she slid off his back and returned the weight-reduction necklace.

“I guess so.” She replied.

Neither moved.

It was really strange that this moment was finally here. She had been such an integral part of his crew for ... well it wasn’t actually that long. It had only been about a month but it seemed like so much longer, years even. Frankly, she had become such an integral part of his life that he was finding it hard to believe that she was leaving, but she was. She was going to become an FBI agent and probably work her way right to the top. She did that; worked too hard and didn’t take as good care of herself as she probably should.

“Hey Selene.” He finally said.

“Yeah?”

“If you get a chance, get one of those iced chai lattes with whipped cream and fudge sauce you mentioned the other day.”

She raised her eye. “You remembered?”

He shrugged. “You really don’t take care of yourself; I’m just trying to make sure you do.”

“You noticed?”

He nodded. “You make sure the necessities are taken care of, but you haven’t actually enjoyed life very much until recently, have you?”

“Fair.” She inclined her head in concession. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He managed a smile, but with Selene leaving it wasn’t very large.

“I guess I should go, huh?”

He nodded. That was indeed the plan.

“Hey Ethan.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for ... for everything.” She half smiled. “I think the last month-- has it only been a month?”

He nodded.

“Well, it’s been the best month of my life, or at least the best since my brother died and I became...” She trailed off, probably looking for the right word.

“Training obsessed?” He suggested.

“ ... me.” She sighed. “That’s just who I am now, who I needed to become so I can be an FBI agent who can really help people.”

“It’s always about that for you, isn’t it? Helping people I mean.”

“I don’t remember what I was like before my brother died, but since then...” She waggled her head back and forth. “Maybe a little.”

“Take care of yourself Selene.” He said, offering his hand. “I mean that.”

“I’ll try.” She took his hand and shook it.

Ethan felt like this parting should be more momentous. She was leaving the Argo for good, not counting the occasional visit. A handshake and well-wishes seemed woefully inadequate to the occasion, but it was the best that he had.

“Go on, get out of here.” He finally said, trying his best to smile. It didn’t feel right and probably didn’t look right, but he tried.

“Okay.” She half-smiled back.

Then she turned and started walking. After a moment, she stopped and looked back at him. “Take care of Kendra for me, will you?”

“Always.” He nodded, feeling his throat get rather tight and his eyes a bit watery.

“Thanks.” She nodded, then turned and walked away.

Ethan watched her go, feeling like an enormous part of his life was walking out of it and not liking that fact.

Sarah yawned and stretched as she woke, making sure not to hit Amy beside her. Ellis had brought two small military-style two-man tents so the two women shared one. Amy snored softly and occasionally talked in her sleep, but it was still nice to have her there. Having now lived with another person in her room, Sarah was certain that she didn’t want to sleep alone again. She supposed that once she married Rindrin she would have her wish. She rather hoped that Amy would marry him as well since she was wonderful company.

“Rise and shine ladies; we’re burning daylight.” Ellis said from outside the tent. They had camped off the road in a copse of trees with some denser underbrush that was close enough to the road to get moving again quickly.

Amy started stirring beside her and so Sarah tried to get up to leave the tent, but her leg muscles protested loudly.

“Oww.” She groaned. She hadn’t ridden a horse for any appreciable length of time in a very long time and her legs were letting her know about it.

“Is that your legs miss?” Ellis asked from outside the tent.

“Yes, they’re very sore.” She replied as she moved stiffly. She hadn’t noticed it very much the previous day when they had bedded down, but she certainly noticed it today.