A Dragon’s Tale

Ethan used the river's water to wash off as much of the blood as he could. Some of it had started to congeal, and some had been nearly baked on by Gonorran's fireballs, but it came off with enough scrubbing and he felt some semblance of clean. The water had taken on a red tinge initially because there was so much blood caked to his scales.

He sat down on the bank when he was done, looked into the late afternoon sky and sighed. What a day.

*Ethan, we may have a slight problem.* Alana's voice rang in his head.

*Oh?*

*Yes. It seems one of the women who saw you shredding the guards is really scared of you right now. She saw your disguise gem form too and she's a smart girl.*

*Add that to the list of things I've messed up today.* He sighed. *Do you know what's up with Taloni? She seemed... off earlier.*

*I forgot to teach her how to shield her mind.* Alana said.

Ethan clapped his hand to his forehead. *Damn, I didn't think of that. She must've felt everything and... oh shit.*

*Yeah, she didn't look good when I left the Argo to help fight.* Alana replied. *That's part of why I shouted at you telepathically. It seemed to jar you out of 'dragon mode'.*

*So one of the women we rescued is scared of me and now my own wife is too.* He shook his head. *My dragon side has a real history of saving the day by screwing everything up.*

*I don't think she's actually scared of you, but she is a bit skittish right now. I'm sure she'll come around.*

His wife was trying to reassure him and he appreciated it. But he didn't want to be reassured right now. He had never gone that ballistic before. He'd viciously attacked people as a dragon before. He'd even pummeled someone who'd hurt Alana the night they left Gralden. He killed plenty when his dragon side took over.

But somehow this seemed different.

Unlike the previous times, he could recall most of what had happened if he tried. Those slavers surely deserved a gruesome fate. However, dishing out that fate was very different than thinking they deserved it. He remembered tearing at the guards with claw and fang and he remembered sinking his spear into many of them.

Worse:

He remembered enjoying it... or at least his dragon side had enjoyed it. He shuddered and tried to put it out of his mind. It was surprisingly -- and almost disturbingly -- easy to let it not bother him.

*After you've freed the slaves, let's meet back on the Argo for dinner.* He said finally. *Then we can discuss our next move... assuming I don't scare our guests away.*

*I'll let everyone know.* She paused, then said tenderly: *I love you Ethan. I have almost since we met, I do now, and I always will. Always, no matter what.*

He managed a small smile.

*Thank you, that means a lot.* He said as the weight on his shoulders and the pit in his stomach became slightly easier to bear.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. For some reason, she was able to see past all his flaws and faults to love him anyway. He didn't understand it, but he was very grateful for it.

* * *

Kendra wished her tiny airship was large enough so she could pace and think. She had watched the dragon's entire interaction with the slavers through her enchanted spyglass and didn't know what to make of it.

She initially wondered if she'd made a mistake by not trying to kill the dragon again. That feeling had intensified when she saw that the slaver was keeping children in cages. She had half a mind to wait until dark and kill every last one of them for it.

But the dragon beat her to it.

She didn't understand.

This dragon was unlike every dragon she had ever encountered before, unlike everything her instructors said that dragons were like, and unlike what all dragon hunters knew to be true. The only thing that dragons loved more than power was imposing their will on others. They never did anything for anyone but themselves.

Ever.

And yet...

She shook her head.

And yet this dragon did.

Or at least he and his crew appeared to. They had released all of the slaves, the Fey girl had healed them, and now they were being fed on his airship. It looked like a veritable feast he'd set before them from the airship's hold. They had even been considerate enough to move the bodies before letting the children see them.

It didn't make sense.

Well, it didn't make sense for a dragon.

A good man might've done what the dragon did, except he wasn't a man. The brutal massacre of the guards seemed more in line with a dragon's nature than the kind, almost caring way he was making sure the captives were being tended to. The two women they'd rescued shied away from him -- the younger more than the older -- and he appeared to be keeping his distance from them for their sakes.

It just didn't make sense.

In the back of her mind, she could feel an unfamiliar emotion starting to rise.

She shook her head and pushed it down. It was silly to be feeling that about her actions toward the dragon. It was silly, despite the fact that he'd nearly died rescuing some children he'd never met before. It was silly even though he'd risked his life for his crew. And it was silly even though he'd saved her life.

Twice.

She had acted rightly based on what every dragon was like. Well, maybe not every dragon she conceded to herself.

She glanced toward his airship and shook her head as she tried to get the feeling out of her mind. It wasn't something a dragon hunter should feel about their actions toward their prey. This was the last thing she needed to feel. It was the last thing that made sense with every other dragon.

But with him...

She looked out toward his airship. It seemed impossible, especially given how dragons were, but there was a tiny sliver of doubt in her mind now. A tiny sliver that just refused to be silenced. A tiny sliver that gave rise to the faintest ghost of an emotion she'd never felt about hunting dragons before. It was extremely faint, but growing slowly.

She could feel the barest whisper of guilt.

* * *

Alana looked around the deck of the Argo with no small amount of pride. The shell-shocked children of the afternoon were now happily chasing Taloni around the deck in the fading light of evening. They were playing a game of tag that the Fey teen only mostly consented to. It had been the wood elf's idea to get the children playing with Ethan's newest wife in order to help them all and it seemed to be working.

At least they all looked happy instead of hurt and forlorn.

*Well done.* Her husband said telepathically. *They're all doing so much better than earlier. I'm so proud of you.*

He was smiling at her.

*Thank you.* She said as her heart seemed to swell. She wasn't sure why, but every time her husband praised her, she felt like a million gold coins.

She leaned up against the railing as the smell of the leftover salt pork, mutton, and biscuits wafted over from the fire where Anthiel had cooked a meal large enough to feed an army. Everyone had devoured it like they hadn't eaten in days. Despite the quantity of food that the high elf had prepared, it was nearly all gone.

The two women they had rescued both kept a wide berth from Ethan, but they looked better now that their bellies were full. The kids had barely finished their meal before they wanted to resume chasing Taloni, as they were fascinated by her wings. The Fey kept making little jumps and beating her wings furiously to escape tight spots, often by going over their heads. She couldn't fly on her own yet, but her wing muscles appeared to be getting stronger.

Alana put her hand over her womb, imagining what her daughter would look like running around like that playing with their aunt Taloni. Or maybe 'Aunt Tee'; she thought that had a nice ring to it.

"Alright." Ethan called to the other adults after finishing his nearly all-meat dinner. "There are some things we need to discuss."

Everyone turned their attention to him except Taloni, who had just done a near cartwheel on the ship's railing to escape a young girl with sticky hands. Alana loved how her husband commanded everyone's attention almost without trying. She readjusted her legs to better conceal the itch forming in her loins.

Ethan glanced at her with a smile before turning back to everyone else. The three men and two women they had freed, plus the crew of the Argo -- again sans Taloni -- looked back.

"Obviously you can't all stay on the Argo because we don't have enough space or food." He said, then turned to the two women. "I assume you want to go back home to Earth with the kids?"

They nodded.

"Good, because we were planning on going to Earth anyway." He turned to the three men. "What were your plans?"

One of them shrugged. "Not sure, but we'll need more than just a hot meal to make our way in the world."

Ethan nodded toward the camp. "I'm sure there's plenty down there, and you're welcome to have all of it. I would ask that you spend the night down there though -- maybe in one of the bunkhouses? -- because we don't have room for everyone on the Argo."

The man shrugged, then unceremoniously led the other two down the gangplank and toward the camp without another word. Alana wasn't sure why, but something about them seemed off. She got a bad feeling that they were in big trouble.

"Let's keep an eye on them; better safe than sorry." Ethan said to the Argo's crew once they were out of earshot. Apparently, he shared her concerns.

Everyone nodded.

Ethan then turned to Rachel. "Did you get a chance to look at that portal?"

The redhead nodded. Alana couldn't help but notice the way her hair bounced slightly as she did so. She had such beautiful hair. And her eyes; her eyes were absolutely gorgeous.

"I did." The lovely redhead replied. "It seems fairly simple to operate. There's a short podium into which you channel your mana to charge the portal. Once it's fully charged, the portal opens and then you have a short time before the portal closes again."

"Why do you need to charge it?" He asked. "The portal stones Elder Goman gave us don't need a charge."

"Yes, but they're enchanted at both ends. This portal projects the other end somewhere else. That takes a lot more energy than keeping a portal open between two enchanted objects."

"Okay." He nodded. "So, it's easy to use?"

"Sort of?" Rachel replied. "It looks like all the symbols around the inside of the ring are some kind of coordinate system. My guess is there are at least thirty-nine other locations it can go to, but I can't be sure. It's more complicated than any projected portal I've ever heard of. Gonorran must be a genius to have created it."

"We could go other places?" Alana asked. There were a few places in the Ten Kingdoms she'd always wanted to visit...

Rachel shook her head. "No, it might take me months to figure out how it works. I'm guessing it's still set to Ethan's planet because he hasn't captured anyone since you two." She indicated Marge and Sally before continuing. "So, if we just charge the portal and use it exactly the way it is now, we should be fine."

"Fortunately, that's all we need." Ethan smiled. "How soon can we leave?"

"Now if you wanted to, but I'd wait until morning." Rachel replied. "It takes an insane amount of mana to charge. I did a little looking with Alana earlier and I'm guessing it would take all of our combined regular mana to fully charge it."

"So we'll need at least two magic users on this side to open the portal again." Ethan nodded.

"My place is with the ship." Anthiel spoke up. "I'd be happy to provide mana for your return trip."

"Any other volunteers?" Ethan asked looking at Rachel and Alana.

They looked at each other, and the wood elf did her best not to get distracted. The redhead was so smart, elegant, and beautiful; not to mention powerful. Alana remembered the one night they'd spent next to each other in the hammock. She wished they could do that again, preferably with Ethan there because she didn't like being away from him.

"I can stay behind." Rachel said after a moment. "I was kind of looking forward to seeing your world and all the strange things you've talked about, but it's probably better that you take your wives."

"Unless we run into Gonorran." The wood elf countered. "I love Taloni dearly, but she's not a fighter. Rachel's spells might come in very handy and Taloni can certainly help Anthiel charge the portal."

Rachel set her jaw. "And I wouldn't mind running into him again where there aren't a lot of dead bodies around." She cracked her knuckles.

"You make a good point, but..." Ethan mused, then glanced over to where Taloni was still racing around with the kids. "I hate to take off after what happened earlier."

"A little space might actually help." Anthiel offered. "She's a wonderful girl and has a huge heart, but that does mean she gets hurt more easily and needs time to heal. I have found a little space can help; absence does make the heart grow fonder."

Alana felt slightly guilty at how happy she would be with both Ethan and Rachel on this trip. She loved them both dearly and...

Wait...

What?

Since when had she felt like she was in love with Rachel? Ethan of course, but Rachel? There was no time to ponder it because her husband interrupted her line of thought.

"What do you think?" He asked.

Alana tried to put her feelings aside and look at it objectively. When she did, there was one thing that kept sticking out in her mind. "If we run into trouble -- like Gonorran for instance -- would you rather have Rachel or Taloni there? Bearing in mind Rachel's spells and Taloni's complete lack of combat ability or experience?"

"Point taken." He nodded and turned to Rachel. "Are you ready to slum it with some scientists?"

Rachel made an exaggerated gagging noise, winked, and then nodded.

Alana noticed Ethan looking over at Taloni, who had been keeping the children occupied for well over an hour now. He had a strange look on his face. It was a mixture of pride, sadness, longing, regret, and more than a little adoration.

The wood elf came up and sat next to him, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow and resting her head on his shoulder. *You're going to miss her, aren't you?* She thought to him.

He nodded. *Yeah, I am.*

*Me too. At least you can talk to her while we're away.*

He smiled. *Yeah... yeah that'll be nice.* His face darkened slightly. *Unless she's not in the mood to talk. I wish that I'd kept better control of my temper... and the dragon.*

*She'll come around.* Alana said with absolute certainty. *She's a very kind-hearted girl and just wasn't ready for the emotional onslaught of your dragon side. I'll show her how to shield her mind tonight so it doesn't happen again. She will be fine soon. Trust me.*

He smiled. *I do trust you.*

She snuggled into his shoulder and felt him kiss the top of her head. She sighed softly and squeezed his arm. She closed her eyes and just rested there for a minute. She always loved being this close to him, even with her clothes on. There was something so comforting about his presence and she just felt better with him nearby.

She opened her eyes and looked around, noticing that Hailey had been very quiet all afternoon.

"Hailey, are you okay?" She asked after sitting up straight.

"I think so?" The willowy former slave replied hesitantly.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked raising his eyebrow.

"It's just..." Hailey looked towards the tunnel where the portal was. "I've been gone so long. What if he moved on?"

"Jason?" Alana asked

Hailey nodded. "It's been, what; nearly four years? Maybe more? What if I've been gone too long and..." Her face fell.

Alana didn't know what to say because it was entirely possible. Many of Hailey's friends might've moved on, or gotten married and moved away, or any number of other things.

"Hailey, I don't know what you'll find when you get home, but we will be with you no matter what you find." Alana said.

"Really?"

The wood elf nodded. "Absolutely."

"Why are you being so nice?" Hailey said wiping an errant tear that had started down her cheek despite her efforts to keep it contained. "After what I did in Arcanum, after all the danger I put you in, why are you even tolerating me at all?"

Ethan opened his mouth to reply, but Rachel beat him to the punch.

"I sometimes wonder how they can be so nice to me too." The redhead replied. "I actually tried to kill both of them several times and they still tolerate me."

Alana couldn't help but wink and add. "Sometimes, we even like you."

Everyone laughed.

Anthiel gave her a piercing look. Her cheeks grew warm and she laid her head back down on Ethan's shoulder to hide.

"Trying to kill a crewmember of the Argo is almost a rite of passage around here." Ethan added. "The only one who hasn't is Taloni. Even Alana and Rachel nearly killed each other before she joined us."

"When we rescued Beth." Alana nodded remembering. "I can't wait until she's back; I miss her."

"Me too." Ethan said.

Moments later, the wood elf felt a slight "Tap, tap." On her shoulder, which she took to mean that Beth missed them too.

They sat around the fire and chatted for another half hour before Ethan looked up into the sky which was fast approaching night.

"We should turn in early; we have a big day tomorrow."

Alana nodded and got up. "I'll go teach Taloni how to shield her mind and tell her she's staying here while we're on Earth." She volunteered.

He nodded.

The Fey girl had finally tired of being chased around the ship and was sitting with all six of the children in a semi-circle around her as she told them some scary story or another.

It was wonderful to see.

The Fey teen was a natural with children, keeping them endlessly entertained and enthralled for most of the evening. She had initially resisted, but Alana could tell she was truly enjoying herself. The wood elf knew she would be a wonderful mother to Ethan's children and couldn't wait to see it happen.

As she walked up to the bow of the ship where they were, Taloni glanced up. Alana put her hands together near her shoulder and mimed laying her head on them like a pillow before indicating the kids.

The Fey teen nodded, then turned back to the kids. "And then, they opened the door to discover the scariest monster of them all." She said in a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned forward. The kids leaned forward as one with riveted looks on their face.

"What monster?" A little boy of about seven asked.

Taloni smiled, then said. "Bedtime."

They all groaned.

"Please will you finish the story tomorrow Talanoni?" One of the girls asked.

"Taloni." Alana gently corrected with a smile. "And we'll see."

"Come on; everyone get up." Marge ordered. Alana hadn't noticed her come up behind her.

There was a collective groan from the kids and all but one got up. "But, I'm not tired." He said with bleary eyes.

"Then you can be 'not tired' in bed." Alana said, giving the same response her adoptive father had always given her.

The kid mumbled something and then followed Sally and Marge below decks to where Anthiel had strung up several additional hammocks to accommodate their visitors.

"Are you okay? About earlier?" Alana asked the Fey teen once they were alone at the bow of the ship.

Taloni's face fell slightly, but she nodded. "I'll be okay. I've just never seen anyone like that before, much less felt it, and I just..." She shivered. "I'll be okay though, I promise."

"I can teach you to shield your mind so it's not so overwhelming." She offered.

"Thank you." She looked around at the rapidly clearing deck. "I suppose I should go to bed too; big day tomorrow."

"Well, sort of. You were keeping the children entertained so you missed the briefing." Alana replied, then explained what they had decided and why.

Taloni looked simultaneously relieved and very sad.

"What's wrong?" Alana asked.

"It's just, I'm a little nervous to be around master right now, but I don't want him to go anywhere without me." She shook her head. "I don't make any sense."

"Join the club." The wood elf replied. "I get it; I really do. You forget, I've been around Ethan for a while now and his dragon side can be brutal. Ethan isn't, but the dragon part of him... Yeah, it sometimes is."

The honey-blonde-haired teen looked toward the captain's cabin with both longing and a little trepidation on her face. Alana felt for her; she really did. Seeing Ethan in action could be terrifying and feeling his emotions in dragon mode was even worse. The Fey girl seemed unsure about sharing a bed with him right now, so Alana did what she knew Ethan would do.

"Do you want to sleep somewhere else tonight?"

The Fey teen hesitated for only a moment before shaking her head. "No. Despite what happened earlier I just don't think I could do that. I don't want to sleep anywhere but next to him, because..." She got a small smile on her face. "... because it's him, you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean." Alana beamed. "Now, we have a few minutes yet. How about I teach you how to shield your mind?"

"I'd like that, and then we'll see if master wants company in bed."

"Sounds good." Alana smiled; everything would be just fine.