We followed the guard straight to the palace. The fogless morning let us see the big red sun rise just as we entered the palace. Once we were inside Kat ignored the guards asking her to wait and grabbed my hand and we walked toward the palace lift and up we went. “You okay, Kat?” She turned to me and smiled, “I miss my robes.” She looked beautiful in her summer dresses but she would look beautiful in anything. We arrived in the royal quarters and she just said, “Wait here.” and left me at the entrance.
The red wood with white trim and the green fabric with gold trim everywhere just screamed wealth that I still can't fathom. After a minute the entrance door we just came through opened and Esh walked in, “Well hello, Tom.” “Hello Princess. You are up early.” “Quite the opposite. I am going to bed. Care to join me?” She asked jokingly yet seductively. I chuckled a bit, “You should see your sister before you pass out. She is changing I guess.” “I will. See you soon Tom.” She hurried off down the hall where Kat ran to.
I only noticed then I was being watched. Above the hall there was a balcony with stairs on each side of the entrance. On that balcony stood the Empress. She was wearing a very revealing green robe and a smile, “Tom.” “Empress,” I nodded. She wrapped her robe up a bit better then elegantly walked down the stairs to me.
When she got to me I noticed she had tears in her eyes, “You saved her..” “She saved me first.” The Empress looked up at me with a sad smile, "Thank you, Tom.” She then pulled me into a tight hug. Her thin robe allowed me to feel everything. I awkwardly hugged back trying to keep my hands at a safe place and trying to keep my thoughts together. She finally released me but kept her hands on my shoulders, “We have much to discuss. We will talk once I get dressed. Not that it seems to bother you.” She smiled wickedly at me. “Well…true.” We both laughed a bit before she left, leaving me alone again.
After about fifteen minutes an elven maid walked over to me, “Sir Tom, please follow me.” She took me to the dining room. The table was full of food. I found my favorite drink and ate a bit of everything that wasn't fish to try it out. Everything was very fresh. The fruity milk and honey drink made everything good.
“Tom!” Pem ran over and threw herself at me. “It's good to see you, Pem.” She hugged me tighter, almost shaking from emotions. After a minute of calming her down she finally spoke, “I was so worried. I felt worthless. The whole time I wondered if I could have done something different.” “You survived and made it home. We all did.” “No…So many dead because of Tamsa.” “Exactly because of Tamsa.” After a second Pem got a curious look on her face, “Tom? You grew more?” “Oh yeah I guess so.”
We chatted and caught up. Pem explained to me what happened and basically Tal, who was too injured to fight, forced him and her to head to Frint to relay the information to the Empress. Once here the Empress almost lost it and between Oswin and the Tamsa attack she was willing to go to war. During the retelling Kat joined us. She was back in her blue robes and she had taken a bath which I was told to take one after eating which I did.
“The Empress will see you in her quarters.” The maid started walking implying I should follow. I had on my new fitted green and gold tunic and pants I had just put on. Kat must have given my size. “In there, sir Tom.” I opened the door expecting to be awkwardly standing in her bedroom. But it was a private study. Right quarters don't mean bedrooms in royalty speak. The Empress was standing in front of a desk apparently waiting for me. She was wearing an elegant green and gold dress. She walked around the desk and towards me, “Tom, we have much to discuss.” She waved a hand at a nearby couch basically telling me to take a seat so I did. She sat down next to me and took my hands in hers. Confused for a second, I remembered the ward she had.
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“Where should we start?” “Well Empress, let's start with me going home?” She sighed, “Tom we looked through everything and even had Eldrin send us an update right before you and Kat were attacked and nothing about traveling came up in terms of magical means. We think purely magical beings could be able to like gods, angelics, and demons but outside of that there are just too many physical limitations. You are our only case we know of about traveling like that and proof that there are other worlds out there. Just you.” I thought for a few seconds, “I guess I'm getting married then.”
As I said those words I felt so guilty but also relieved. She squeezed my hands tightly and smiled so big that it was infectious. She then jumped up, “Finally! One down. One to go, unless of course you want to marry both…no I need her to marry someone else.”
She was standing and pacing now while talking. Was she serious? “We have to get a list of….” “Empress?” “Yes?” “Is there more we need to discuss?” She thought for a moment, “No.” Then she rang her little bell and a maid came into the room. “Get me my advisors. We are planning a wedding!” The Empress's smile infected the maid because she started beaming as well. She turned back to me, “They will meet you in my brother's quarters.”
Tal was up and around but still seemed a bit injured. Healing magic doesn't just fix everything apparently.
Two weeks went by quickly with preparing for a wedding and learning proper etiquette and elven culture. A formal royal elven wedding was very different from the backyard small wedding Maria and I had. Tory arrived with Reparations from Eldrin for the elven soldiers and trauma Frint had to deal with.
Before I knew it the Empress had me marrying Kat, Pem, and Tory. While I loved to cuddle with Kat and Pem I was left ultimately unsatisfied and it was wearing me down. Being around two beautiful women all the time and having no outlet. Tory though was human like me so it wasn't hard to talk me into the idea. I also learned that I am now a tier thirteen mage. I guess I was only demaged a little bit.
Another two weeks later and I am in the throne room on the platform next to the throne getting married to the women. Kat is in a nice low cut gold and green dress. Pem is also in gold and green but she's in a top and pants with a cloak. Tory is in her white armor but has a green and gold cape. I at least got her to keep her visor up. Tory learned some Elvish for the ceremony as it was being held completely Elvish. Marriage wasn't as big of a deal as it is on Earth. If it wasn't the first in line to the throne being married I don't think people would have cared. That and a royal elf marrying a human.
The event itself was kind of like an earth wedding. Big differences were the ceremony which was very much the same except it was held by the empress instead of a minister and it was held in the morning and afterwards there were games. The games were from simple kids games to advanced archery competitions which Pem nearly won. She got 3rd behind two famous archer elves who had been shooting bows longer than the empress had been alive.
Tal left that evening to Find Kritin “For Honor.” He said. Kat, Pem, Tory, and I left for our honeymoon. Two weeks in Twilset. It was a dwarven elven city next to the ocean where the Empress had an estate there. I finally got to see Tory’s blue eyes and the rest of her of course. We mostly stayed at the estate but did visit the beach almost every day. After two weeks were up we went back to Frint to prepare for our journey to Eldrin where I will study magic and Kat will teach it at the Academy.
Now that I've decided to stay I want to learn as much as I can about my new world and the magic in it. The Academy in Eldrin is the most prestigious academy in the world where I will stay for one year to grasp the basics of magic, history and living here. After that who knows? Maybe go on adventures or settle down or maybe learn more about demaging and the ones behind it.
Before we left for Eldrin I scried Maria one last time to see my beautiful baby boy who looked just like...her.