Legend of the Touched

by JF Jenkins

  "Hey, I – " He stared at her for a long time. "Whoa."

  Her fingernails tapped on her side as she stared back. "Yes?"

  "What's the occasion?" He swallowed.

  "I was feeling girlie," she said coyly. This was exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for.

  "Girl is a good look on you."

  "I always look like a girl."

  "Yes, you do. I mean..." His eyes roamed up and down her body. "Wow."

  She motioned for him to sit at the dinner table. "Is chicken all right for tonight? I know you were outside getting some work done in the garden so you probably are starving for something heavier, but–"

  "It's fine. You know I'll eat anything you make. Did you cook in that?" He sat across from her. His eyes still never left her, and she noticed he was struggling to keep them on her face. Usually he was good about maintaining eye contact with her while they spoke. Not typical guy behavior, but Jason seemed to strive to not be a typical guy which was exactly how he was acting tonight.

  Gwen had to fight back her giggles, because it was too funny. "Are you okay? Not going to have a melt down or anything are you?"

  "No, I'm fine. I promise." He took a few bites, pleased with her cooking, which in turn made her beam with pride. She'd never been great at it, but apparently she retained more observations of her mother than she originally thought. Most of her kitchen skills were self-taught. It felt nice to be able to provide him with something.

  She nodded and went about eating as well. I did awesome at this. "You have a weird look on your face, so I had to check."

  "Do not." He scowled and then shook his head. "What's the occasion? It's not your birthday or anything is it? I could have sworn you said that was in the winter. Unless more time has passed than I thought?"

  "No, it's still the beginning of fall. And you're right, my birthday is in the winter just before the end of the year. There's no special occasion. I thought a date might be nice. It's been a little while since we last had one." She bit her lip, hoping he'd understand.

  Jason nodded as if he did. "True, we haven't had one since we first got here and you dragged me out onto the beach."

  "I didn't drag you."

  "Yes you did, but I don't mind, because I never would have gotten over my fear of the water otherwise." He gave her a gentle smile, which she returned shyly. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and hopefully he couldn't sense them. Things would only get awkward if he could.

  "Why are you so afraid of it anyway?"

  "It's my weakness, magically speaking I mean. Some things I can do and it's not a big deal. Showering, drinking water, that sort of thing, but swimming can be painful. But every day I've been stepping into the ocean and getting myself more acquainted with the element. Dull the sting, so to speak."

  "And all of the fire dragons are like you?"

  "Yeah, and every dragon has a weakness. The earth are weak against the wind, the wind against the fire, the fire against the water, and the water against the earth. It's balance."

  Gwen stopped eating so she could listen better. Her stomach was starting to get queasier the closer they got to the end of dinner anyway. "If you're weak against the water, why would you start a war with them?"

  "From what I understand, most of it is religious and political reasons. Father seems to think they've unrightfully claimed our land during creation, and that they were a mistake as a whole. He's more or less gone off into the deep end. As for the weakness thing, he's found a way around that too by making bargains with the Terran."

  Reaching her hand across the table, she took his in her own. The conversation needed to stay pleasant. "Good thing we're away from that then huh? It's just us. Our world."

  "Our world." He kissed her hand.

  This was a good time to make a move. She stood and moved towards him, their hands not once parting. With her other, she reached up to touch his cheek. Then cupping his chin, she urged him to stand also. Once he did, her arms went around his neck and she leaned in to kiss him, eyes closed. Hopefully everything she felt would be communicated in that one, long kiss.

  Soon his arms were around her waist and he was pulling her towards the couch. He lay on top of her and their lips only parted every so often so they could catch their breath. With a shaking hand, she put her hands under his shirt. They'd gotten this far before. Sometimes a little bit further, but never beyond the stage of some heavy petting. The warmth of his skin and the feeling of the muscles on his abdomen were enough to give her courage to tug his shirt off. He wasn't asking her questions, or giving her weird stares. If anything, he was getting more into the whole thing, kissing her with a new kind of passion.

  As suddenly as it all started, it stopped. Jason pulled away, sitting up on his knees before getting off the couch completely.

  "Is something wrong?" She frowned.

  He wouldn't look at her. All he did was stare down at his hands. "Just know tonight isn't the night. I'm sorry." And then he left the room.

  Tears pricked her eyes. What did I do?

  Chapter Eight

  The Oceina

  With a stretch and a yawn, Darien settled down at the kitchen table with a mug of tea. Peace and quiet at last. Exactly what he needed after a long day at school. Tai was napping before dinner, his older brother Lance was out with his family and his brother. Tony's kids were with them. At home, there was always something going on it seemed, but that's what happened when living inside of the same house with his entire family.

  Long before he'd been born, his father Orion had built the condominium-like complex with the vision that he and his sons could all live under the same roof while still maintaining their separate lives. There had been seven sons in all. Two shared a floor, except where Darien lived. Tony and Lance both still had small families, so the three used to share with their father. Now Orion was dead, and Darien was now branching off to live on his own. Some day he would move down to his own space so he could be out of his older brother's way.

  "I didn't think anyone was home," Tony said quietly from the doorway. His voice was weak and hoarse, so Darien almost hadn't heard him.

  He gave his brother a small smile. "It hasn't been this quiet since Dad... It's been a while, I know, it's weird. I thought for a while maybe it was just me and Tai, but I saw your shoes by the door."

  Tony sat down across from him. "It's a relief to have some silence finally."

  Darien didn't press, but he wondered if there was a double meaning to the statement. His brother's wife had left him, but the telepathic connection between Tony and his wife was still present and always would be for as long as they both lived. Briefly, Tai had left him and listening to her thoughts every day, knowing she might not ever return, had been torture. Ashley would not be coming back to Tony ever. She'd made that perfectly clear.

  "Do anything fun?" Darien asked in an attempt to keep the conversation light.

  "I took the kids to the park. They liked going out for a change. Going out with me. I liked it too. The fresh air helped getting back a lot of my strength. It's going to rain later tonight, so all of the moisture was especially revitalizing."

  "Good, I'm glad you're feeling better. I was worried for a while. I know you've probably heard that already from everyone, but I could tell it was a close call."

  His brother nodded, running a hand over his face. "If it weren't for Riley and Owen, things might be different. I couldn't leave them too. Then I'd be no better than her."

  "I'm glad you held on anyway, because I'd have missed you a lot," Darien said softly.

  Tony laughed, a good sound to hear from him. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I didn't think it would have gotten so bad, but I guess I did hold on to the idea of her coming back. We spent a lot of time together. I never realized Ashley hated me so much, you know? How long were we married? Eight human years, and two kids. She never said anything about being unhappy. I could sense she wasn't pleased with being taken away from home, but I never thought it was so bad sh
e'd leave. Let alone that she'd go and find another lover."

  Darien winced, but let his brother talk. If Tony needed to get it off of his chest, he could. Darien didn't want to let his discomfort get in the way of the healing process. "What does it feel like?"

  "Being cheated on? It made me wish I was human, because then I wouldn't have known. Because our magic binds us to our brides, the instant another man touched her I knew. And I don't mean touch as in just passing by, but in the sense that he wanted her and she wanted him too. It felt a lot like fire every time he'd only lay a hand on hers. When they kissed for the first time that was when the sickness started."

  Darien's blue eyes went to the tabletop. He couldn't look at his brother anymore. Guilt filled him even if it shouldn't have. He hadn't done anything to make her stray, but he still felt awful all the same. "And then when she...with someone else..."

  "It nearly killed me, yeah. Like my soul was ripped from my body completely and left to die. It's like being separated from all good things in this world and being stranded in a desert at the same time. Dying of thirst, hunger, and loneliness. I doubt it hurt her like it did me. If so, probably not as bad since she never meant it when she said 'I love you'."

  "I don't understand how people can do that, walk away and cheat. Does marriage mean so little to humans?" Darien asked.

  "I don't know, but I am surprised. If ever there was someone who would understand, I would think it'd be you."

  He raised an eyebrow. "Why? You know I barely understand the human culture. Lance is the guru in that department."

  "He knows how to fit in. What I meant is you let Tai walk away, like I did Ashley, knowing she might not come back. Why did you do that?"

  "Because I knew it would make her happy and she had to figure out how she felt on her own."

  "Exactly, and the fact she loves you makes you lucky. The further humanity evolves, the harder this is going to be for us. Yeah, they believe in love, but choosing it is a more uncommon practice. I'm worried we're going to become more like the Inero if we keep practicing the ritual of the sacrifice." Tony shook his head.

  Darien leaned forward and his eyes narrowed. "We will never be like them. Women aren't simply possessions to us. We love them."

  "And take them from home, lying to them in order to do so, and uprooting everything they've ever known. Just think about it. That's all I'm saying. Maybe I'm jaded or something, but if anyone can make a change in our ways it's you. Mister Great Dragon Lord."

  Eyes rolling, he slouched in his seat. Darien took the time to stir his tea while he collected his thoughts. "I still think Dad made a mistake picking me as his successor. Ruling a nation is hard."

  "And someone told you it'd be easy?" Tony laughed.

  "No, but it might be for someone who's better equipped for this sort of thing."

  "You're funny, kid. Remember he had his reasons, and you're not alone. I think you're doing a great job so far."

  "Yeah, that's because the war hasn't hit the fan yet. I still can't get anyone to back me up beyond Uncle Arthur, Lance, and maybe two other cousins. All of our uncles are in denial and asking for physical proof." Darien sighed. Orion could have chosen any of his seven sons to take over as the Great Dragon Lord of the water, and he chose the youngest. Most were convinced it was simply because Darien was Touched, and he was inclined to agree.

  "I was told my seventh son would be my heir, and his first son would be the answer." His father told him that once. The man put a lot of faith in hearsay. Orion had a lot of faith in general, something Darien didn't inherit but wished he had.

  "You said Dad sent out spies right? Any word from them?" Tony asked.

  Darien shook his head. "No and of course that makes me more worried. Do you think they were captured?"

  "Your inside source at Inero didn't mention anything about it, did they?"

  "No, but that was a month ago. A lot can change in that period of time, and I still don't know how much I trust him. I mean, he's one of the Inero Lord's sons. What if he was sent to purposefully mess with my head?"

  "Lance seemed convinced the guy meant well. He doesn't trust easily."

  "True." Too many factors to weigh. Darien wanted to believe so badly, but didn't know if he could.

  "I'm sure you will hear from the spies soon, and when they get here the others will start backing you up."

  "You're always great for when I need a cheerleader," Darien teased. Tony's smile widened, and for the first time in a while Darien felt like he was doing something to help his brother. There was too much hurt in the house. The Oceina family needed to heal from a lot of pain. This was Darien's duty.

  Chapter Nine

  The Inero

  Most of Matthias's time was spent outside of the house. While he knew it upset his wife, it helped him cope with a lot of things. One being her pregnancy and how he didn't know what to do to help her. Her increasing moodiness shied him away from her. He'd much rather not see her than potentially do something to upset her further. Unfortunately, him not being close was just as upsetting as anything else he did. There was no way for him to win.

  Today, he was going to try a new approach and attempted to spend some time with her instead of going in and working. He had a bouquet of roses, cut fresh from the garden by his own two hands, and a piece of chocolate cake, her favorite dessert. Slowly he slipped into the bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible in case she was asleep. That seemed to be all she wanted to do lately. He tried to not worry too much about it, but he selfishly missed her old, non-pregnant self.

  Sure enough, she was asleep on the bed, rolled onto her side and facing away from him. Perfect. Placing the flowers and the cake on a nearby table, he then gently rubbed her sides moving up and down her frame until she stirred.

  "You're home early," Kat murmured. Her face slowly rolled so she could see him, and then the rest of her body followed. She was still beautiful even with the slight weight gain from being four-and-a-half months along. Another thing he'd been selfish about, but he'd worried about how he'd view her during the whole thing. Over his seventeen dragon years of life, he'd seen a number of pregnant women, and more often than not the whole thing scared him. This was scary too, but in a different way.

  He kissed her cheek and laid his head next to hers. "I decided to finally listen to your advice and take a break. There isn't a whole lot of planning left to do. Now we just train and wait."

  "And you're confident in your abilities, I'm sure."

  "Oh yes." He gave her another kiss. This one was on her lips.

  "We have almost two months." He didn't want to tell her they were waiting for her to deliver before making their strike against the Oceina. That was unfair pressure. The Terran however wanted confirmation that his child would be safe. After all, "she" was the bargaining chip for the whole operation.

  "Good, because I wouldn't want you to be gone when she gets here. I'm already worried something is going to happen before she's completely hatched. If I think about it enough, I can always come up with an excuse for why you need to be by me." She rubbed at her eyes to wipe away the sleep from them.

  He nodded, unsure of what to say. The risks of having a job in the military always included him not coming back. "I'll see her, in the flesh. I promise." And as unsure of how he felt about having a daughter, he hoped she would in fact be a she. So much rode on this 'what if', especially Kat's happiness.

  "And you'll see I was right all along. I can't wait. This is beautiful, and so special. For the first time in my life I feel like I'm finally doing something right. And it makes me happy to know she's always going to be taken care of too. Her prince is out there."

  "The Terran don't have a royal hierarchy like we do." Though he wouldn't exactly call the Inero system of government royalty either. Still, if he had a special label he went by, he'd call himself a prince. A small, insignificant detail.

  Kat laughed. "Princes don't have to be them through blood. They can be a guy who knows how to
treat a lady well. My point is, I like knowing she'll be cared for by someone from her childhood. It kind of reminds me of us. He'll be her best friend and companion. The lack of relationship drama will be nice too. Seeing all of my friends going through their break ups is making me kind of sad. I don't want to go the pool because it's such a downer."

  Her mood was shifting to sad. He could sense it, feel it even, deep down inside of his gut. So that was the reason she was staying away from the other wives. "Spend more time with Lenora then. Aren't things going well for her and my father?"

  "Sort of. Lynx is so fixated on finding Navi, he's been neglecting her needs and it makes her sad as well. Personally, I think he's better off without that woman. Can't he see how much Lenora loves him?"

  "He does, and it's kind of her to sacrifice her complete happiness and share him. I agree, I think he's better off without Navi in his life, but he's...." How do I word this? "Father likes to maintain the upper hand. He's stubborn like that. It's a conclusion he has to come to on his own."

  "I do miss spending time with Lenora though. She's like the mom I've always wanted. I should call her and ask her to come here and visit with Tiffy and Ariana. Ariana is going through a divorce, but she said it was a good mutual agreement. They've both found someone that's better suited for them. I guess it all works out. Seems like a waste of time to marry someone you never wanted to be with from the start though right?"

  "Yeah," he said. Discussing the faults in the Inero Dragon Lord marriage ritual was not his idea of a good time, however. Even he knew there were problems with the system, but it worked. Wasn't that all that mattered in the end? Relationship stumbling blocks were normal anyway. Besides, they had to think about a lot of other factors besides simply being in love. Continuation of the species was much more important. Matt had both worlds, and because of that he was truly blessed.