by D. R. Rosier
So, I knew what Sianna felt, and why she’d betrayed her own ambition by revealing all because of love. I was sure that her ambition had tasted of ashes in her mouth, when she was overwhelmed with self-disgust because of her love for me and the others.
She’d had no choice but to knock down that wall between us, even though she probably feared she’d lose us all because of it. Well, she could have chosen to kill her love instead, I was just glad she didn’t.
Chapter Five
That night we went to bed about an hour later, and it was one of those rare times there was no playing between the sheets. We cuddled up, I was between my elves, with Regina against Saria, and Sianna on the other side of Regina. I’d wanted to talk it out with her that night, but she wasn’t ready. She was my mate, and we had time, I just hoped things did work out, and she didn’t pull away.
The next morning, I couldn’t fail but notice she was riding stiffly at Karana’s side, but I supposed it was a good sign that she was there in her morning mage craft lesson. I hoped time would take care of the rest, and she did start to relax slightly as the morning waned on. Though, she didn’t look back at me at all, as she had on previous mornings.
The group of elven women behind us was down to nine, seven of them had donned armor and their gifted weapons that morning, and they’d taken to the forest with the other scouts.
I hoped it did them good, sometimes the only cure for things was to live life one day at a time until it took hold, and of course, time.
It was shortly before noon when Saria held up a hand and we all stopped. After a few seconds she looked over her shoulder at us.
“There’s a small band up ahead, it looks like they’re retreating into the woods. We should be good, but we should stay alert for the next few miles anyway.”
That was good news, but on the other hand they’d just hit the next group that went by, a smaller group not made up of forty or so elves with three mages, and a flesh sculptor. Then again, was there any proof they were bandits? Maybe they were just hiding from us thinking we were the danger. A stretch perhaps, but we’d done similar things to escape attention and avoid people in the past, and it was possible.
The horses started moving out again, and we went about five more miles before we stopped for lunch.
Sianna came straight to me, with her heart in her eyes, and I’d never seen her so frightened or vulnerable as in that moment.
I wanted to smile at her, reassure her, but I held a neutral face in case that wouldn’t be well received.
“Can we talk?”
I nodded, and then took her hand firmly and pulled her into the forest. We didn’t walk far, but we were out of sight of the others.
She said a spell that took about ten seconds, and I felt the magic form around us and settled down.
“That’s neat, the privacy spell?”
She nodded, “You can do it, right?”
I shrugged, “Yes, but it muffles all sound both ways, not just one way, and I think I need walls to ground it to, so it only works indoors. I might be able to make it though, maybe I’ll give it a try. Are you alright?”
She looked away and down, and I reached up and lifted her chin, and turned her back to me with just feather light pressure of my finger.
“I love you Sianna, that hasn’t changed, and it won’t. You’re my mate and it will be okay.”
She shook her head, “Love just can’t fix everything, how could you trust me ever again?”
I frowned in thought, “Love can’t fix everything, you’re right, but you didn’t betray our family, or the sanctity of our bonds. Love also can’t survive neglect, or prolonged cruelty. What you did was wrong, but it wouldn’t have been if I’d been a lesser man, or if you’d done it with wicked intent, just because you enjoyed manipulating people. None of that is true. You held back information, but you did nothing I can’t easily forgive, especially since I know you won’t do it again. Sianna, after last night’s confession and breakdown, how could I ever doubt you? Ambition is healthy, or at least, a certain amount of it, and I’d say we’ve got that worked out, haven’t we?”
She tilted her head, “What do you mean, worked out?”
“Life is a balance, and ambition both for personal and business is a part of that and necessary for a healthy lifestyle, but it’s love and family that are the most important aspect, in my opinion. It gives you people to celebrate your successes with, and to pick you up after your failures, as well as help you reach them. I believe you know that now, in your heart if not your head, and you won’t lie to us again. More, we’ll help you achieve those ambitions, they’re worthy goals.”
She frowned, “How can you be so sure I know any such thing?”
“You’re actions last night proved that you do. You were willing to risk your happiness in this family, and risk throwing out your ambitions and the very reason you joined our family, because of the shame you felt at lying to people you love. That tells me you not only recognize the difference in our family, but you want to be crazy with us.”
She smirked, “That easy?”
I smiled, and then pulled her into me. She stiffened a moment, and then melted against my chest with a sigh. I just held her as she shook with emotion, if I had any doubt that she loved me, it would have been gone in that moment.
“Simple, Sianna? Nope, it’s incredibly hard, but all the good things in life usually are, and it’s well worth the effort. I love you, and I want to worship and adore you for the next… let’s call it eight centuries. You are a wonder, my love. We don’t have enough time to hold grudges, life is too short.”
She giggled.
She looked up at me, and I bent my head to kiss her softly, lovingly, and she melted against me. The kiss seemed to go on for ages as we connected more intimately in that moment than we ever have before.
Her hand lingered on my chest when we broke it, and her eyes were sparkling with love and desire.
“I do love you, James. I’m sorry I lost it like that last night, these emotions… are new to me, and confusing, but you’re right. I’ll never lie to you again. Karana, Saria, and Regina said much the same things you did, just… differently. I just feel like it’s too easy, and I don’t deserve such easy forgiveness.”
I smirked, “Which is why you so easily earned it. So many others would have gotten angry, and blamed others for their mistakes. You’re already punishing yourself, though I wish you’d stop.”
She kissed me softly, urgently, and I moaned into her mouth as she rubbed lightly against me, caressing my body with hers.
She sighed into mouth, “I am upset about one more thing, I really do want you to make love to me. It’s Karana’s turn tonight though.”
I smirked, “That’s an easy one, we’ll just take a longer lunch, because I don’t want to wait anymore either,” I said as I released a spell in the ring to remove twigs and rocks from a specified area, for when we set up our tents. I swept her off her feet, and laid her on a patch of grass as I claimed a long sweet kiss.
I made love to my fourth mate right there in the field, behind her privacy spell, and it was one of the most intimate moments of my life. Her eyes were full of love, fire, and deep vulnerability as I slid inside her, as if for the first time. She was so wet for me, and the long slow strokes lit my nerves on fire with pleasure. Every achingly small movement of our rhythmic bodies was an eternity of bliss all its own, as it sent sparks of pleasure through my body and mind.
She was so achingly and innocently beautiful, and I loved her so much my chest filled with it, and it flowed out of me. There was no way she couldn’t see it in my eyes, feel it in my touch, and in the way I loved her body that day, as our eyes connected our souls. She came undone beneath me several times over that hour, and I easily held myself back at the slow loving pace I’d set. I drowned in the euphoria of her love, her scent, her presence, and the way she loved me. She was breathtaking when the pleasure took her, and she whispered my name like a prayer as her body
arched and trembled, and her eyes widened in vulnerability and amazement as she came hard around me again and again.
Finally, her body was entirely too much pleasure for me to hold back even at that slow speed, and the intimacy of our love making pushed me over the edge to fill her, and she rose into one more intense orgasm as she felt me empty deep inside of her.
“Love you, Sianna.”
She smiled, flushed and sweaty, seeming content to stay as we were, connected.
“James, I love you too. That…” she trailed off, as if unable to describe it.
I smiled, “I must have been good, if it rendered you speechless.”
She gasped, which turned into a laugh, and then she slapped my chest.
I kissed her back into submission, and then slowly pulled out. I’d have loved to make love to her all day, and fuck her too, but we had to get back on the road. I was sure Regina would have saved us both something, and I was right…
Chapter Six
The last few days of the trip seemed to erase the temporary drama and angst for everyone except maybe Sianna, who still struggled to adapt her worldview to her new reality, and the deep overwhelming loving emotions she’d have never expected to feel and have returned. That was okay though, she’d get there, with all of our support, and I truly wasn’t worried about her lying again. If anything, she’d go the opposite way, and become as devoted and committed to me and to our family as a whole, as Regina was. I already saw the signs of it. As long as she was happy, and faithful to our family, I wasn’t going to sweat the small stuff. In a lot of ways, she had found a niche in our family already, it’s just that would change subtly as she grew in power and confidence, and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended up.
Our last couple of nights got back to normal as well. That part I didn’t sweat at all, I was kind of spoiled when it came to sex, and I was sure it would happen again, a sexless night I mean. Hopefully not too often, because that would mean one of my mates were upset with me, which meant all of them wouldn’t be in the mood.
I did wind up learning how to cast that privacy spell, and I added it to my ring. I actually added three, for differing sizes. The concepts for it were easy, perhaps easier for me in the long run because I understood what light waves and sounds waves really were, and even how fast they travelled. I just needed to conceive a dome that blocked both light and sound waves on the electromagnetic spectrum from leaving, using fire and air magic. Fire for light, air for sound. Actually, letting the sound and light in wasn’t even part of the spell, I hadn’t asked the magic to stop it, so it simply didn’t. The key was in defining what it did stop more precisely, and in the end was far less complicated than I thought it would be originally. A good clue to that should have been the fact a mage in training for less than a week could cast it.
There were a couple of things on that last day, one sort of minor, if pregnancy could ever be considered minor, a small complication that went with it, and then a major thing completely unrelated which threw me for a loop.
The day was a bit cloudy and overcast, a damp spring day, but it wasn’t raining, just making us sweat. It was the kind of day where the humidity in the air felt like soup.
Regina, Sianna, and I were riding together as we usually did in the afternoon, our elven mates were still counseling the other female elves behind us, who seemed to be getting better, though still avoided me assiduously. I tried not to take it personally.
I cleared my throat a bit nervously, “I have some good news, and some I’m not quite sure how you’re both going to take it news.”
Regina smirked, “Good first.”
I turned to Sianna, “You’re pregnant. You were fertile the night we bonded, and it’s definitely a done deal now, it’s well connected, and your body is changing in all the right ways.”
That was half of my mates, and I knew Saria would be fertile in just about a month, maybe a little less, and about five weeks for Karana, who both wanted children. So, I’d have four coming in a little over a month.
Regina squealed in excitement, while Sianna looked dumbfounded, but she had a big smile on her face, so it was a good thunderstruck.
Sianna shook her head, “And the other news?”
I swallowed a little nervously, “Remember when I mentioned unintended results when mucking about in nature?”
Regina’s eyes narrowed, “What is it?”
“Well, I’ve been checking the last few weeks, and it seems pretty clear that your due, both of you probably, next summer.”
Regina’s eyes widened and Sianna frowned.
“It’s the extended age thing, I’m guessing that effects fetal growth as well since our children will have a lifespan ten times that of humans, inheriting those changes to our DNA. You’re looking at a fourteen-month gestation, a little more than half again of a normal pregnancy for a human. Not coincidentally, that’s about how long an elf remains pregnant.”
Regina nodded slowly, “I can live with that. I’m not thrilled I’ll be a waddling balloon for closer to six months instead of three, but I can deal with it.”
I turned back to Sianna, who had tears in her eyes, but when she looked up at me I knew they were happy tears.
“I love you.”
I said it back, and we rode in quiet contemplation for a few minutes, on how much all our lives were going to change even more.
We were only a couple of hours away from Eastguard when Saria and Karana rode up to join the three of us, both had a rather disturbed look on their faces.
Karana said without preamble, “My parents contacted me, with the communication spell. My father was the advisor to the throne before he retired for his own pursuits in magic, when I took over about sixty years ago. Anyway, they both agreed to take my place until the royal family finds another mage that can fill the spot. I also spoke to Desirae at my father’s urging.”
Karana bit her lip as she looked at me seductively, but I knew it was a subconscious thing, she wasn’t really seducing me in that moment, even if it seemed like she was a lot of the time. There was the playful flirting too, but this wasn’t that either. No, my lovely Karana was actually nervous.
“So, what did they want?”
Saria said, “They’ve been arguing about something for the last twenty-two days, and they finally decided because we’re expected back in Eastguard tonight.”
Karana nodded, and picked the thread back up, “It was sparked by your two gifts, first the tree, and then the ring to find and release mage talent.”
She held up her hand, they still didn’t have it yet, but obviously Karana had told them it was coming, and about my discovery.
She continued, “They were also impressed by your discovery that led to that, your ability to manipulate elven armor, and the fact you realized the true reason humans are kept from the forest.”
Sianna tilted her head, “True reason?”
Saria said, “Not all humans, but many humans grow recklessly exploitive from greed, and instead of carefully harvesting herbs and flowers, they take them all and damage the ecological balance. It’s why we agreed to open up a magic store, that should stop most of the smart humans, except the ones that want to exploit and drain the fae creatures for their magic potential. That’s why we’re so protective of our forest, to protect it, not to keep it for ourselves. James recognized that.”
Karana shook her head, “The last thing they talked about was Saria and I, and how you managed to win our heart and loyalty. Despite the gifts, insights and obvious respect for nature, and us, they still argued long and hard about it.”
“You’re making me nervous now, what are you building up to?”
Saria cleared her throat, “We’ve been asked to escort the elves reclaimed from Malburn back to Lelmalond, one more thing by the way, that was attributed to you positively in the deliberations. We’re also invited to stay for several days there, before also visiting Amathyr. You three will be the first humans invited into Laya for thousands of years.”
>
“That’s good right?” I asked, a bit confused. It sounded like an honor, but they were both acting reluctant.
Saria said, “It is an honor, and both of the ruling families agree it’s justified, but I fear many will act badly, if not aggressively toward any humans in our cities, no matter who or for what reason. Plus, the forest isn’t for the unwary, or uninitiated. We can keep you safe enough I think, if you obey our orders explicitly when we’re in the forest, even if the orders don’t make sense to you three at all, we’ll have our reasons.”
Karana nodded, “It’s a risk, but it’s also an opportunity. Not only for you, but us as well. If things go well, you may be given leave to enter the forest more than just this one time, and we can visit our home every decade or so. There’s also Sianna’s self-appointed task and ambition. While I don’t think we’d ever be interested in mixing our cultures at all, or even exchanging ambassadors, I don’t believe a mutual defense agreement and trade treaty is out of the question. Perhaps in a limited way, like a tent trading city right outside the forest, by Eastguard, say once a year for a week or two? To start?”
I nodded slowly, “If you think we can manage the risks, it’s worth it for the benefits. You already know I have no problem taking your orders in a dangerous situation. We do need to take a couple of days first I think. Karana, you need to raise the school, and Regina, you need to hire and buy stuff, with the gold we got from the queen. That has to be ready for students in two months, which is when the queen said she’d start sending them. I’m not sure how long our trip will be, but we should get things rolling and moving so there’s a bunch of progress when we get back.”
Regina smirked, “Plus, I want a real bed for a day or two.”
Sianna giggled, “Me too.”
Karana nodded, “I think the spell’s ready, and Regina does know what to order, and where to look and who to hire. I imagine two days won’t hurt, our elven escort and the others can camp outside the city if they don’t want to use the barracks.”
