“That isn’t what they’re telling you to do!” Alyssa cried out. “Someone, please tell her that’s not what you want her to do!”
Looking back and forth from the two maids and the elves, Specca and Alyssa heard nobody objecting to Rolian and Sheal’s acceptance to becoming Daniel’s new servants. After that had apparently been decided for them they turned to Felucia in apprehension, seeing the sand wraith glaring downward at the ground while Cindy stood by her side with Snapper again chewing on her chest.
“Mother,” Cindy expectantly said.
“Just wait a moment,” Felucia argued holding her hands up. “Cindy, are you honestly saying I should become that man’s… servant just because I’ve eaten people in my life? That’s what sand wraiths do, my dear, we eat others. It’s how we breed, it’s how we live, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“It’s not how we’re going to live,” Cindy argued shaking her head. “It’s mean and it’s not right. I was bad before too, I ate people without realizing how bad it was. But I’m a good girl now. Daniel helped me be a good girl, he helped me be happy with my life. I have a family now, friends, wonderful food, and Snapper. He helped me become so happy in life because he didn’t want me to be a bad girl anymore. And now he’s going to help you, mother. You’re going to learn from him and be a good girl from now on.”
“But, Cindy,” Felucia whined.
“Be a good girl and do as Daniel says, mother!” Cindy shouted loudly, startling Snapper while everyone nearby watched the elder wraith for her decision. Felucia grumbled and ran a hand down her face, struggling with accepting her daughter’s premise while looking down at her outfit with an annoyed growl. After a moment she glanced to Cindy, seeing the girl showing a stern face towards her, and then slowly turned to Alyssa and Specca as they grew nervous for her answer.
“Fine,” she snapped, crossing her arms in discontent. “I’ll be his bitch too. But only for a little while. I’ll try to understand the warped view my daughter has thanks to you assholes, but if I can’t then I’m leaving. And I’m taking my daughter with me.”
“You’ll understand, mother,” Cindy promised. “You’ll see. You’ll be happier if you learn to be good.”
“Wait, you don’t have to do this,” Specca nervously interjected. “You don’t have to be his maid, Felucia.”
“Well since my baby will start crying her eyes out if I don’t give this a chance, what choice do I have?” Felucia barked back. “I never wanted to do this in the first place, this was all that little witch’s bright idea.”
Everyone turned to Alyssa who slumped low with a shaky whimper, her eyes going around at the three beautiful maids that were now going to be serving Daniel in their home. Turning to the side she saw Specca glaring at her with a flinching lip, something that made the witch gulp and slowly lower her head in shame.
“What have you done, Alyssa?” Specca growled.
“This wasn’t how I expected things to go,” Alyssa tried to reason with. “I just wanted them out of our hands and home.”
“Well you failed with that,” Specca argued while trying to keep her voice down. “Because now all three of them are going to become servants for Daniel, which means they’re going to be living with us for the foreseeable future. And now they’re going to be wearing suggestive maid outfits around him thanks to you. Oh, just wait until Triska hears about this.”
Alyssa cringed from that as she showed noticeable fear from those words. Specca took a few deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, then turned to open her mouth to voice a civilized and polite protest against the idea of having three women being servants for her mate in their home. However before she could speak everyone witnessed of a large herd of elves running past them, with more and more quickly joining the crowd as excitement was rapidly building among them.
“Hey, where is everyone going?” a ranger called out.
“He’s here!” a woman called back as she pulled her daughter along. “He’s finally here!”
“Hurry, you’re going to miss him!”
“He’s finally gracing us with his presence! Fuck yeah!”
The elves nearby showed similar surprise before quickly rushing after their kin, with the other girls turning to each other in question before they jumped at the realization.
“Daniel,” Specca said with a smile growing. “They’re talking about Daniel. He’s here.”
“Good,” Alyssa replied before taking off. “I’m going to go tell him that none of this is my fault.”
“Alyssa!” Specca yelled as she gave chase. “I know you’re not thinking of placing the blame on me for this! Alyssa! Get back here!”
“Daniel’s here,” Cindy beamed with a joyous hop. “I’m so excited. I hope he says we can have sex tonight. I really want him to have sex with me. Let’s go, Snapper!”
“Cindy!” Felucia yelled as her daughter took off running. “Don’t you even think about it! For fuck’s sake, you are not having sex with that man! Cindy!”
She chased after Cindy while Rolian and Sheal looked to each other in wonder.
“Well then,” Rolian giggled before waving her skirt. “Should we go say hello to our new master? Wow, that’s so weird to say. I have a master now. Hee hee! C’mon, Juggy, let’s go see the look on his face when he hears that we’re going to be his new maids.”
She quickly skittered off with giddy laughter while Sheal began following after, the salamander woman looking down at her attire for a moment before running towards the growing crowd with worried eyes.
“I do hope he approves of me. If he doesn’t, I’ll never lift this burden from my soul.”
*****
Walking down the hillside from their home towards the elven encampment was a man with a loving mate accompanying him under the stars and moonlight. Daniel’s sword remained sheathed at his hip while his shield was holstered on his arm, the polished armaments only adding a civilized charm to his apparel rather than that of a bandit or warlord. On his other arm a wing was gently holding onto him, belonging to his mate Doku who gracefully walked alongside her man. Her eyes were mostly hidden behind her bangs, but her smile was easily seen to be warm and elated as she was escorted by her mate with fireflies lighting up around them. Their eyes were locked onto each other as they, for the time being, focused more on each other than the upcoming meeting with the elven community.
For Daniel, it was the sight of his harpy under the moonlight that brought forth even more reassurance that he had to, and could, forge a better future in the world for his family that was now depending on him. For Doku, her dreams had come true in a way that night, as she was with the one who she always dreamed of finding in Eden. His caring nature and gentle grace of holding her wing only made her heart flutter as nothing else in the world was more prominent in her eyes than him.
Their stroll together, while not exactly long, seemed to last for some time for them, and their focus was only broken from each other when they reached the base of the knoll. As they did they stopped and looked ahead, silence befalling them as they finally realized they were not alone.
Gathered at the edge of their camp must have been every elf, every woman and child that escaped the fiery collapse of Green Haven thanks to Daniel. Either on the shoulders of their kin or standing atop slants and small hills for a better view, every elf had gathered to see the man who they had been thinking about, talking about, and even dreaming about for the past few days. Not only them, but Daniel’s family had also come to greet them, with Alyssa, Specca, Luna, Falla, and Cindy standing at the front of the gathering, all smiling in awe at seeing Daniel arriving with the aura of a brave knight easily being seen around him. Pip slowly fluttered down onto Falla’s shoulder as she shared the same look towards her mate, herself and the girls seeing Daniel taking a few steps forward while Doku slowly followed after him. From the front of the crowd three elven rangers approached Daniel, all of them staring in marvel at the man while seeming to be speechless in his presence.<
br />
“Hello,” Daniel greeted as he walked up in front of them, with the elves constantly eyeing him over while those in the crowd quieted down to listen. “I want to start by saying thank you for your hospitality and inviting us to join you on this night. There is so much that I’ve wanted to speak with you about, so much that I wanted to tell you and hear what you had to say in return. I’ve traveled all across Koskaysil for the opportunity to meet with you and your people, and while I’m saddened that our meeting came after a great tragedy, I am still thankful for the chance to speak with you.”
“I think I speak for all of us,” a ranger softly said, almost short of breath. “And I say this with the absolute utmost respect… just who the fuck are you? Where in Eden did you come from?”
“My name is Daniel Sorres,” he replied with a calm smile. “I hail from a human village called Edgewood, buried deep in the northwest corner of this region. I’ve traveled across Koskaysil, with the aid of my loving family and helping friends, to meet with races such as yours for a very important purpose.”
“To breed us?” the elf hoped with a growing smile. “Because, and again I speak for all of us, my ovaries are on fucking fire right now.”
“No, not that,” Daniel answered shaking his head. “Something more important, something that will determine all of our futures in this world.”
“What’s that?” a ranger asked.
Daniel slowly held out his hand towards the front ranger, with the elf looking down to it curiously then him as he smirked at her.
“To ask if there is any possibility that we could become allies in this world.”
“Allies?” the woman repeated. “You… you want us to be your allies?”
“That’s what you traveled here for?” another wondered. “That’s why you came to our rescue? To ask that we be your friends?”
“Something like that,” Daniel answered with a nod.
Silence filled the air as the elven women stared at Daniel in disbelief, eyeing him over and looking back to their people who all stood nearby as they waited to hear what came next.
“I don’t understand your reasoning,” the ranger before him said shaking her head. “I don’t understand why you chose to rescue us. I don’t understand how you came to have so many monsters as family and friends. And I certainly don’t understand how you managed to fight off those fucking assholes who ruined our home. But there is one thing I do understand, and that’s how I and my fellow sisters all feel about you.”
She smiled in awe at him before taking a firm hold of his hand and shaking it.
“Whoever the fuck you are, you’ve earned our everlasting respect and gratitude. Speaking on behalf of my community, we would be fucking honored to be considered allies of you and your courageous family.”
The elves and Daniel’s mates cheered as they witnessed the first step to forging an alliance with the elven race. Daniel shook hands with the three rangers who all eagerly vied for a chance to do so with him, a warm smile on his face as he saw the elves welcoming him and his family into their community. He looked over to Specca and the girls, saw them hopping with joy and waving to him beside the cheerful elves, and then noticed Sheal, Rolian, and Felucia standing near them, a confused look coming over him as he saw their new outfits. Rolian was waving with a joyous smile towards him before she started drinking heavily from her jug, Sheal was watching him with quiet reverence and amazement, and Felucia was merely scowling at him while having her arms crossed in discontent.
“Why are you three girls…” Daniel started to ask before turning to his mates in question.
“It’s Alyssa’s fault,” Specca quickly said, pointing to Alyssa who waved her hands nervously with a forced smile that didn’t do anything to hide the shame of her mistake. Daniel merely looked at her in puzzlement before the elven ranger before him grabbed his hand and started shaking it again.
“We would be honored to have you join us for a feast,” she eagerly said. “We don’t have much, but what we do have we would happily share with our saviors and new friends. Please, come, eat and rest with us. We would love to hear more about you, your very diverse family, and your reasons for being out here among monsters like us.”
“You’re not monsters,” Daniel quickly argued, earning surprised looks from the rangers. “The only ones worthy of that name are those like The Sisterhood, creatures who only want to harm and destroy. You’re not like them. My family isn’t like them. None of you are monsters. You are only women and children of Eden, that’s the truth the world needs to see and I’ll thank you to remember that when speaking about my family and friends.”
The elves looked to each other in wonder before smiling in astonishment at him, seeing a confident smile on his face while his eyes pierced their gazes quite easily.
“Um… sure, whatever you say.”
“You… really think that about us?”
“Now I must know everything about you,” the third said with a feisty smile. “Come, we have much to discuss tonight. Everyone, tonight we feast with Lord Daniel Sorres and his family, so let’s make this fucking party worthy of his good graces!”
The elves cheered and started heading back into the camp, with Daniel being guided by the rangers who were quickly pushed aside by his mates that were insistent on being his escort instead. Daniel laughed as Doku and Specca held onto his arms, with the elves around him all speaking towards him and asking every question they could think of. As Daniel and his family made their way towards a night of discussion, feasting, and overall merriment with their new friends, Sheal followed behind the group with her two fellow servants of the man that she couldn’t stop staring at now.
“Yay!” Rolian hailed as she skittered alongside the elves. “Now we get to party and eat too? I love being here with everyone way more than The Sisterhood! This is awesome! Let’s go, Juggy!”
“You’re all fucking idiots,” Felucia muttered before being knocked aside by Rolian who quickly and erratically skittered forward into the camp. The sand wraith growled in frustration before noticing Sheal calmly walking beside her, the salamander woman’s fiery eyes locked onto Daniel while her tail slowly waved behind her.
“Can you believe this crap?” Felucia scoffed. “He is completely surrounded by hundreds of monsters, and not a single one is trying to rape him. What the fuck is wrong with these freaks? I’m telling you this won’t last long, this is a waste of time. That guy is going to fall so hard on his face after all this, I can’t wait to see-”
“He will not fail,” Sheal interrupted, earning a puzzled look from Felucia. “He won’t. I know he won’t.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because I won’t let him fail,” Sheal snapped, turning to her with a hiss. “Because as his new servant I will make sure that man succeeds with his quest.”
“You’re actually buying this shit?” Felucia asked in disgust. “Are you serious?”
“Unlike you, I realize the error of my ways,” Sheal condemned. “The Sisterhood lied to me, betrayed me, tried to kill me. All I wanted was our people to be given respect in this world, and for that I was used by those monsters as a pawn. But that man isn’t like those savages who killed my family in front of me. He can help my dream of my race rising up from the ashes of the wastelands they’re stuck in as respectable women in this world. He can give my people a better life, show them a better way of life, he can save all of us. I believe in him.”
“Then you’re a fool just as he is,” Felucia scoffed. Sheal quickly grabbed her neck and got in her face, fire and smoke coming out of her mouth while passing elves slowed down to watch with curiosity.
“If you speak ill of my master again I will turn you to ash,” Sheal snarled in the surprised woman’s face. “I’m placing my faith in him, in his family, in his dream of peace and equality in this world. If you’re repulsed by that then keep your foul words to yourself. You’re his servant now too, so you’d better act like it or so help me I’ll take out
the trash in his home starting with you.”
Felucia stared at her speechless as the salamander woman shoved her back with a grunt. The salamander woman quickly turned and hurried off to remain at her master’s side, with Felucia being left behind by her and the elves who laughed and pointed at her as they headed towards the party. After a long pause the sand wraith trembled with a frustrated growl before marching ahead to join the others, a clear scowl on her face as she muttered to herself and reluctantly straightened her outfit.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she grumbled. “There can’t be anything more fucked up than this anywhere else in Eden.”
*****
With a painful groan Aeon slowly opened her eyes, their haunting green glow brightening the dirt beneath her as a gentle breeze rolled on by. Her wings flinched as they tried to lift up behind her, their radiant displays of moving stars and celestial heavens in the green segments being distorted now, while her hand shakily held onto the ground as she felt another heavy migraine hitting her and throwing off her senses. Ever so carefully she lifted herself up to sit on her legs, heavy and ragged breathing being made before she slowly steadied herself with eyes shut tight. Holding a hand to her head she shook it slightly, feeling all too well a strange fog clouding her omniscient sight of the timeline, with the answer to how long she had been lying there in a crippled state also being a muddled mystery to her.
“What... have they done?” she quietly spoke before cringing in pain again. Opening her eyes she blinked a few times, straining to stave off the waves of nausea and chrono disturbances that were sapping her strength. After taking a few slow breaths she paused briefly, then slowly turned her eyes upward as she realized she wasn’t alone.
Standing before her were Daemon and his followers. The cambion was glaring at the chronofly with his cold blue eyes, his bare chest being seen just as clearly as the naked reptile girl holding onto his arm. Sasha had her large broadsword in hand while her sharpened eyes were locked onto the Dark Queen before them. Around them the cambion’s followers were present, with Forrus baring her teeth with a rabid growl, Rulo brandishing her hammer with a stern oink, Saffron holding up two bombsticks and giving her bangs a small puff to blow them aside, Scay holding her dagger with a deranged smile and strained cackling, Tabitha having her katanas held in hand as she remained poised to attack with a low growl, and Mika glaring with fury at the chronofly while having her sword drawn and a crimson casting ring of growing intensity circling above her other hand. Behind them Minos was easily seen, with her glowing eyes, tattoos, and giant battle-axe that she had rested over her shoulder behind her head only adding to the ominous and dangerous aura the group were giving off.
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act I Page 42
