Gersius stood in the meeting tent, looking up at the missing roof. It was outside in the field being mended by the women of Ulustrah. Thankfully many of the silent women had a lot of experience in mending clothing and volunteered for the task. Lilly asked incessantly if they could mend her dress, but Thayle finally convinced her the dress was too badly torn.
Gersius thought of those tears going down Lilly's cheek and felt shame for it. He felt guilty that the tent and the dress were torn. He walked right into a trap like a fool and nearly paid the price. The shock of the attack sent Lengwin and Mingfe calling for more security. Now two guards stood at the entrance and back exit of the meeting tent. No one was allowed to enter the camp unless they were already a member of it, or were tested by a priestess of Ulustrah first to reveal the truth.
Culver and the acolytes were almost forgotten in the aftermath of the attack. It wasn't until later that Lilly remembered they had broken through and told Gersius. They were now fully able to draw on the power of the divine and ready to learn some blessings. Gersius started the day with the blessing of cold. Handing them each a rock and showing them how to chill the stone. To his surprise, Culver achieved his blessing first, and his success spurred the others on.
Lilly took over with red eyes and led them through a worship service. She wasn't fully herself today, and it showed, but she was determined to fulfill her role. Now she, Thayle, and a few women of Ulustrah were in Lilly's landing tent interviewing people. They were looking for three more acolytes to add to the faith of Balisha. Word spread fast about the new faith, and it's call for a few recruits. Well over a hundred people showed up, and this sent the camp into a panic. After the previous day's incidents, no one was willing to take the risk. The applicants were now stretched out in a thin line heavily guarded by Astikar and Ulustrah. The women of which walked the line studying auras for anyone who looked discontent.
He let out a sigh, and reflexively rubbed the place where he had been stabbed. He had come to close to dying and failing in his mission. He caught himself in the nervous motion and put his hand down. He was not allowed to leave the camp unescorted now. There was even talk of sending extra men when they flew out with Lilly. Thankfully Lilly said no. She agreed they all needed protection, but while he was out with her in dragon form, he was very well protected.
Lengwin agreed to this, but Mingfe felt it was foolish to take such a risk. She insisted that until he was in his full power as Emperor in Calathen, he was vulnerable, and his enemies knew it. Now was the time to stop him, not at the steps of the city. They would strike again while this opportunity presented itself. This took on an even more dire tone when the sole survivor from the road attack talked. The Father Abbot Hadn't hired him. He and his companions were hired by the man that Lilly rejected as an acolyte. The same man whose father came to the gate to demand his son be allowed in. The same man who brazenly told Lilly he wanted to subdue her for his pleasure.
That man escaped the battle and sent mercenaries to kill him. Even worse, they learned he was now pressuring the king to do something about Gersius. They hoped to have alleviated the concerns of the king when they met his emissary. Now they had to wonder what was being whispered in the king's ear about them. Would this king rise against an army being raised in his lands? Would he risk the open war that might result if that army marches out to attack the lands of the old empire?
Gersius had sentenced the lord of a noble house to death and left a venomous son in control. This was likely going to get worse and become a festering wound.
Thayle took this particularly hard. She was upset about Rachel poisoning her order against her, and now this fool poisoning the nobility. She lamented that all around them, greedy people plotted to seize control. They circled the wagons like buzzards waiting for them to die so they could swoop down and pick at the corpse. Nobody appreciated the imagery, but the point was well made.
On a positive note, the city was rapidly filling them with supplies. The common people were far more willing to aid them, and many brought gifts. This included several cows, horses, two more wagons, foodstuffs, and tack and materials. The smiths were busy hammering out armor and weapons to meet the growing demand.
If all went well, they would be here just one more day.
He walked out of the tent and down the main corridor of the camp. People saluted and praised the dragon knight, and he nodded back to them. To his left, he could see the swelling number of people joining the army of Ulustrah. Mingfe enlisted Kilgian to lead basic exercises so she could walk down the rows and correct them. The task of training so many was becoming a strain, and the woman complained in every meeting that it would soon be impossible.
A ray of hope arrived in the women Neveen. She was a spirited and dedicated priestess of Ulustrah and her husband, a Captain of Astikar. The two sparred frequently, and she had learned quite a bit about fighting. She was especially good at putting the maneuverability of her light armor to use. She sparred with a few priests of Astikar and proved to be as competent as them in battle. However, she fought with a shield and sword. Now she was trying to learn Mingfe's very aggressive spear style. Once she understood it, she would help train the others.
As he walked, he looked to the left to see the coiled mass of black scales. Shadros was still with them but surprisingly hadn't been a problem since arriving at the city. Thayle told him that Mingfe was bringing him treats from the city to eat. He was more or less cooperating with her so long as she bribed him in foods.
Gersius smiled at that and considered how much Lilly changed when she sampled human food. She was eager to try more of them and would eat ten times a day if she could.
Still, Shadros was a problem. Thayle tried to speak with him daily, but he only spouted venom in return. He hated her for binding him and cursed her name when he saw her. Mingfe had taken to throwing spears at him when he did, and he could often be heard bellowing at her for doing so. Lilly tried to speak to him a few times but commented that being around him made her feel sick. She hated being reminded that she was once like him, and being so close made her feel it over the bind.
He thought about the bind as well as he walked. Shadros made it clear that the bind made them one being. Even though Thayle bound him, he and Lilly could feel Shadros across it. They realized that they were effectively one soul now. Whoever one of them bound, all of them bound. Thayle reminded them of Ulustrahs words and how she said they could easily bind themselves equally to another. This was because they were one being at the core and shared everything.
He walked into a small tent set up temporarily for meetings and sat down with Lengwin and a Captain of Astikar. It was a boring meeting discussing supplies of foodstuffs and expected distances of travel. Lengwin wanted to know when Gersius was going to fly out next and to which cities. He revisited the conversation about sending guards with them on the flight, but Gersius assured him that Lilly would not allow it. As the meeting wore on, he began to blink as his eyes blurred. Everything seemed clouded in light, and he shook his head in an effort to clear his sight.
“Are you alright?” Lengwin asked.
Gersius shook his head again as he raised a hand to his temple. “I am having a bit of dizziness. My eyes won't focus.”
Lengwin looked to the Captain, who offered a guess as to what it might be.
“It could be a side effect of how close to death you were. You may not have fully recovered yet.”
Gersius nodded and motioned for Lengwin to continue.
“We can discuss this tomorrow,” Lengwin insisted. “To be honest, we have gone over these kinds of details many time. I have seen how you want them handled. If you trust me, I will handle them for you.”
Gersius nodded as his eyes got worse.
“Go lay down, my friend,” Lengwin suggested as he led Gersius out of the tent. “Get some rest for a change.”
Gersius walked down the row of tents squinting as he went. He shook his head again to try and clear his vision. Everything looked blurry, almost as if he was looking at it through water. No, he realized it was only the people that looked blurry. He looked at them as they walked around the camp. Everywhere they went, they left trails behind them that would suddenly fade away. Most of them were just blurry, but some of them were colored in shades of green or blue, and one man was bright red.
Around them, the world was perfectly normal. The contrast made him feel sick to his stomach, and he decided Lengwin was right, he needed to rest. He turned and briskly walked back to the large meeting tent. Inside three acolytes were kneeling in prayer, and thankfully none of them said anything as he walked past them into the private section to the side.
He was relieved to find the room empty. He sat on the bed and put his head down in his hands. He blinked several times and realized his own hand looked blurry. It shimmered in and out of focus as if a haze of light and fog was passing over it.
His head began to hurt, and he shut his eyes to block out the sickness. He lay there for an hour before Lilly finally entered the room.
“Gersius?” she said in a soft tone. “I feel something very strange from you. Are you alright?”
“I thought you were interviewing for acolytes,” he said.
“We finished twenty minutes ago. I have already settled them into the camp, now why do you feel frightened?”
He kept his eyes shut and didn't lift his head. “There is something wrong with my vision, I can't see,” he said, starting to worry. He felt Lilly's hands on his shoulders, and he knew she was leaning over him.
“What do you mean you can't see? Open your eyes, let me look at them,” she instructed with deep concern in her voice.
He opened his eyes and cried out, falling away from her as he put his arm over his eyes. It was as if the flash from Lilly's transformation had just blazed into his eyes. It stung him with physical pain, and he could not bear to keep them open.
“I felt your pain when you tried to look at me,” Lilly said, alarmed. “Don't move, I am getting Thayle!”
He heard her run from the tent, and he struggled to keep his eyes closed.
Lilly felt worried as she fled through the tent and out into the yard. She knew exactly where Thayle was and ran straight to her.
She passed behind the tents dedicated to the priests of Ulustrah and found Thayle in full armor standing beside Mingfe. Thayle watched as Mingfe led the other members of Ulustrah through training maneuvers with a spear.
Lilly didn’t have to say a word as she ran up. Thayle instantly turned around, a look of worry on her face.
“Lilly, what in the divines has you so worried?” Thayle said as Lilly reached her.
“There is something wrong with Gersius. He says he can't see! When he tried to open his eyes, I felt his pain. It's like a burning sensation.”
“Where is he?” Thayle asked and then ran off, shaking her head as she realized she could feel where he was.
Thayle burst through the tent with Lilly right behind her to find Gersius curled up on the floor, holding his hands over his eyes.
“Gersius, what happened?” Thayle asked as she came to him and pulled him to a sitting position.
“I do not know. I was fine one minute, and the next, everything got blurry. I can't look at people. They burn with a terrible light.”
Thayle put her hands to the sides of his head and began to chant a healing song, but nothing happened.
“It isn’t and injury or poison. I don’t feel anything wrong with you, but I can feel your pain now that I am so close.”
“What do we do for him?” Lilly asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what it is. Does keeping your eyes closed help?” Thayle asked.
“It is the only thing that helps. If I see anybody, the pain is intense.”
Thayle leaned away from him. “Wait? Do you mean you only have the problem when you look at somebody?”
“Yes, everything else looks perfectly normal,” he replied.
Thayle had an idea, but it was too unbelievable to be true, but then maybe the link worked both ways?
“I need you to sit on the side of the bed,” she said as the thought burned in her mind. When he stumbled, she reached down to help him, and carefully guided him to the bed.
“Lilly stand in front of him by the wall,” Thayle instructed as she sat down beside Gersius and took his hand. “I am going to look into your thoughts and see what it is your seeing when you look at her,” Thayle told him.
“Are you sure you want to see this?” Gersius asked.
Thayle squeezed his hand and closed her eyes. “Yes, open your eyes and look at Lilly for as long as you can.”
Gersius did as he was instructed, and Thayle immediately saw his thoughts. Lilly was surrounded by a blazing haze of light that stung the eyes. He could only hold it for a few seconds before he had to cover his eyes again.
Thayle let go of his hand and had to stand up. “I can't believe it,” she said, walking a few steps away.
“What is it?” Lilly asked.
Thayle looked at her with wide eyes. “He can see your aura!”
“My aura?” Lilly questioned.
Thayle shook her head in disbelief. “He has gained my aura sight, and he has it powerfully.” she turned to look at him and rushed to kneel before him, putting her hands in his.
“Gersius, this has to be the binding link. I must work equally for all of us. Just as you and I are gaining gifts from Lilly. You have gained the aura sight from me..”
He kept his eyes closed and nodded his head. “So this is the aura sight? Why does it hurt so much?”
Thayle laughed. “Because you're seeing it at full brightness. A normal person has to be trained to see them. They start very dim, and with careful training, they learn to focus on them and see them more brightly. You can even learn to stop seeing them unless you want to.” She paused and rubbed his hand. “You see them as strongly as I do, but you don't have any training. To you, the aura is an overly bright cloud of light. I need to teach you how to control the sight so you can get focus and tone down the light.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“I would appreciate that. I can't look at anybody.”
Thayle looked up at Lilly, who still stood by watching with a curious expression. “I suppose you better stay and go through the training as well.”
“Me? Why do I need it?” Lilly asked.
“If Gersius has the aura sight, it is only a matter of time before you do as well,” Thayle said.
Lilly's mouth fell open, and she trembled a little. “I am going to be able to see auras like you can?”
Thayle smiled and nodded. “Clearly, you will share in the gifts Gersius and I have, just as we share in yours.”
“So how long does this training usually take?” Gersius asked.
Thayle squeezed his hand. “I regret to say we usually teach it slowly over a couple of months. Then it takes several more to practice, but I think in your case, we need to speed that up.”
“I think we would need to,” he agreed.
“Wait a minute!” Lilly suddenly barked and put her hands on her hips. “You said that I share my gifts with you because I love you strongly.”
Thayle nodded her agreement. “Yes, your love is why we have your resistance to cold and your sight.”
“So, why does Gersius have the aura sight first?” Lilly asked.
Thayle didn’t understand the question and studied Lilly’s face. “Why does that matter?”
Lilly scowled. “If the gifts go to the ones we love, then I should be the one with the aura sight because you loved me long before you loved him.”
Thayle thought about it a moment. “Oh, you're saying you have had more time to develop the gift than he has, so it doesn't make sense he had it first.”
“Exactly. Why is our husband getting your gifts first?”
Thayle blushed a little and squeezed Gersius's hand. “That might be my fault. When we first met, I was enthralled with you, Lilly. You were an amazing being, and I knew I was going to follow you. But traveling with you was a handsome man who I knew from legend. I felt something for Gersius the moment I laid eyes on him. I never acted on it, of course, I was trying to avoid men, but that doesn't mean I couldn't feel anything for him.”
Gersius squeezed her hand back. “So, you were in love with me even back then?”
“You know I have my reasons to avoid relationships with men, but Gersius isn't just any man. He is a hero of Astikar with a reputation for unshakable faith. The kind of man who would treat a woman with deep appreciation and respect. I suspected he would be an ideal choice for a husband, so I allowed myself to dream a little.”
“You loved Gersius before me?” Lilly asked.
Thayle smiled and put her head down. “Lilly, please don't be upset. I am a woman, and I reacted to a handsome man. I didn't allow myself to fall in love with him, and as I grew to know you both, I felt far more comfortable with you. You are the one I fell in love with first.”
Lilly sat down on the bed beside her and took her other hand. “I am glad to know you loved him. I was surprised is all. You resisted our love for so long. It seems silly to find out you loved us back then and said nothing.”
“Lilly, from the moment I met you, I saw the love growing between you. My first job was to help you both come together, not get mixed up in it. I did what needed to be done, and I made sure you were both well anchored.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I should have parted ways with you when we left Eastgate, and gone back to my temple, or at the very least with Tavis and Ayawa. But I wanted to stay to be close to you,” she said as she turned to look into Lilly's eyes. “I suppose deep down I was hoping there was some way I could be a part of your love.”
Gersius wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him and held her tightly. “You are a part of our love now, and I am very grateful for how carefully you handled everything.”
Lilly's soft lips pressed to her cheek, and she blushed as Lilly whispered in her ear.
“You put your feelings aside to focus on ours and make sure we fell in love. Then you refused to get entangled in it until we were both sure we wanted you in. You are the greatest treasure of my heart.”
Thayle let out a low “Ooooh” and put her hand over her mouth to try and stop a cry. “I am a dragon treasure?”
“You are,” Lilly said softly. “You are my greatest treasure, and I am going to keep you close to my heart forever,” Lilly said as she cradled Thayle’s face with a hand and planted another kiss to her lips. Tears ran down Thayle's cheeks as Lilly and Gersius flooded her with love. She was swept away in the water of it and set adrift on an ocean of emotion.
“You two are making me cry!” she groaned as she surrendered to the moment and let them swallow her up.
They lay down in the bed with Thayle huddled to Gersius's chest, and Lilly curled around her back, holding her tightly.
“So tell me, how do we begin learning to control this aura sight?” Gersius asked as he stroked the side of her face with a hand.
“It's a simple matter of focus. Once you understand it, the aura will stop appearing as a hazy cloud. It will appear as a glow around the sides of the person. You will be able to see the person clearly, but the light will ring them.”
“That is good. Will I be able to tell if the person is truthful?” he asked.
“If you can see the aura, then you can see the truth. It is just a matter of knowing what the various colors and perturbations mean. I will teach you both all of that.”
“This is a shame,” Lilly said, her arm tightening over Thayle.
“What is a shame?” Thayle asked.
“I have you and our husband in bed, and you're in armor.”
Thayle and Gersius laughed.
“You have grown so much since we first met, Lilly,” Gersius said. “Many times, I am surprised by how much you crave affection.”
“It is the bind,” Thayle said. “She is feeding on your emotions, and they are still new for her. She is like a woman who is addicted to wine. Always wanting more and the quickest way to get it is with affection.”
Lilly shifted behind her. “Are you saying these feelings are not my own?”
“No, Lilly, they are your own, but they are being increased by his and mine. What is different for you is these feelings are so new to you. Gersius and I have had years to learn about these feelings and learn to control them. You are being overwhelmed by them, just like Gersius is being overwhelmed by the aura sight now. It came on him far more powerfully than it should have, and he has no understanding of what to do with it. This is what has happened to you with love. It came on you far stronger than it does for a normal person, and the bind has kept you drowning in it.”
“You're saying that if I was a normal human, I would not be so eager for affection?”
“I don’t think you would be. I think you enjoy feeding off of us. It is what drove you to want me as well. You could not get enough.”
Lilly played with Thayle's hair a moment. “I like who I am now, and I do not care if part of that is being influenced by you two.”
“Oh sweetheart I am not attacking you, I am just saying your desires for affection are stronger than normal because of the link. Please, I love who you are, and I love giving you the affection you desire.”
“I rather enjoy giving her the affection she desires as well,” Gersius said. “I hope she never tires of it, but let us talk about the aura sight. I need to be able to lead an army.”
Thayle smirked. “We do keep getting distracted, don't we?”
“Yes, you two are hard to keep focused when you're in bed together.”
“That is the bind as well; it affects me as much as Lilly. You seem to be the only one who can manage to keep his mind straight when our emotions are running wild.”
“I have emotions, I just have a pressing issue to deal with that isn’t going to go away because you two are here to love me.”
“Of course,” Thayle said, getting up and dislodging Lilly. “I think the first thing we need to do is have Lilly stand behind you someplace.”
“Why do I need to stand behind him?” Lilly asked.
“Your aura is much brighter than a normal human. Looking at you is harder without practice.”
Thayle moved to stand by the wall where Lilly had stood as Gersius sat up in bed.
“Gersius, I want you to look at the floor and open your eyes. Make sure you look at an empty spot and don’t see your feet.”
He did so and was able to keep his eyes open without pain.
“I can see fine so long as I don’t look at either of you.”
“That’s good. Now take a moment to let your eyes adjust. Then slowly look along the floor to me until you start to see my light, but don’t look directly at me.”
He blinked a few times and let his eyes slowly travel along the floor until he could see the leather toes of Thayle's boots. All around them was a glowing twisting haze of white light. “I can see your toes, but they are obscured in a glowing haze. You are right; your aura is not as painful to look at.”
Thayle smiled. “Now focus on seeing my feet and slowly look up until you can see my knees. What you need to do is try to see through the haze, focus on seeing my legs.”
Gersius looked up slowly and followed the metal plates of her leg armor up until he could see her knee guards. He stopped there and struggled to see her clearly. Her image twisted and warped in the light as he strained to look through it.
“What am I trying to accomplish here?” he asked as his eyes started to hurt.
“You are training your eyes to see the person inside the arua. As I said, a normal person starts with a faint radiance. They don't have to fight the brilliance to see clearly.”
“So you could not share this with me slowly then?” he joked.
“I offered to teach you to be a priest of Ulustrah. It would have been much easier that way. Try squinting and blinking as you focus on seeing through it. You have to train your eyes to ignore the haze.”
Gersius blinked a few times and tried to squint. For a few moments, her legs were clear and easy to see, then the haze was back. He wondered how it was even possible not to see the haze. To him, it was as clear as smoke from a cooking fire.
“I am not sure this is working for me.”
“Let's try a more advanced technique,” Thayle said. “Let your mind settle into the clear state you use to open up to the divine. Tune out your vision and look as if you were focusing on the divine.
Gersius did as she said. He began to tune the world out and let his mind clear. His vision faded slightly as he lost focus, and suddenly he could see her clearly. He looked up at her face and smiled. There was beautiful Thayle bathed in a glowing white halo of light like an angel.
There was a curious red line that ran round her and reached out to him. Between them was a golden radiance that rolled and boiled with light. Red lines of power reached out of this light, curling around Thayle. Two more pairs of the line s went around himself and Lilly, joining them all to the golden light. He looked back up at Thayle, who was struggling to contain tears and had a twisted smile on her face.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?” she asked him.
Gersius shook his head. “I had no idea how beautiful it was. What an amazing gift your Goddess gives you.”
“I wish I could see it,” Lilly said from behind him.
Gersius smiled and without turning motioned to Lilly with a hand. “Come, sit behind me and put your hands to my head. Look into my thoughts Lilly and see what I see.”
He struggled for a moment and lost his concentration but quickly settled back into the clear state as soft fingers came to the sides of his head.
“Focus on clearing your mind and then reach into my mind,” he told her.
Lilly closed her eyes and reached into him, and as her breathing settled, she suddenly gasped.
“Thayle, you’re so beautiful!”
“Isn’t she?” Gersius aked.
“Stop it, you two! Do you enjoy making me cry?” Thayle blurted out, struggling to keep the tears at bay.
“I enjoy making you blush,” Gersius joked.
“The image got all cloudy for a moment,” Lilly said.
“I am struggling to keep the focus.”
“Are those red lines the bond between us?” Lilly asked.
Thayle let out a small cry. “I am so happy you can see those. It is such an amazing thing to see. No other aura has them. We are unique.”
“So, all of your order can see that we are bound to each other?” Lilly asked.
“Yes, but most of them have no idea what they are or mean. Only that it's something, they have never seen before.”
“Gersius, look down more, what is that light by the floor?”
Thayle smiled as she looked down and studied the light. “I have no idea what it is. It is the point where our binds connect. I have been looking at it ever since you two bound each other,” Thayle said. “I have no idea what it means, but it got brighter when I joined your bind.”
“It wasn't there when Lilly was bound to me?” Gersius asked.
Thayle shook her head. “No, that appeared the day you bound each other. It flashes and glows like a star in the night sky. I sometimes catch the other members of my aura staring at it. It is an object of great interest to them all.”
“And it got brighter when you joined us?” Lilly asked.
“Brighter and bigger. It sometimes flashes as the sky does with lightning,” Thayle replied.
“This is amazing,” Gersius said, looking back up her. “What are the glowing lights that float between us?”
“I was just about to ask that,” Lilly stated.
Thayle put her hands together over her smile as tears welled up in her eyes. “That is the proof of our love, that is the light we are sharing. Look closely. It is traveling to and from us to each other.”
“It is traveling between us,” Gersius said, amazed. He reached up a hand to catch a bit of the light and watched it be absorbed into the light around his hand. As he watched, light specs broke off of his hand and began to drift toward Thayle to join her.
“I saw it flow into your light like it wanted to be a part of you!” Lilly exclaimed.
He lost focus again as his feelings welled up. To hear Lilly or Thayle say they loved him was one thing. But to see it in a physical form was another. He could see Thayle's love for him reaching out to feed him. He looked up at her, his own eyes wet with welling tears.
“I know I never say it enough, so let me say it now. I love you, Gersius,” Thayle said, looking directly into his eyes.
“I love you too, Thayle.” He felt a storm of emotions and feelings, and Thayle became a haze of glaring light. Lilly jerked away and broke contact.
“Is that what you were seeing before?” she asked.
“Yes, that was what it was like earlier,” he replied, wiping his eyes.
“No wonder you were so alarmed, that is hard to look at.”
“I have never had to train anybody to see auras in reverse. Normally they can barely see them at all. They get better as they go through the training,” Thayle said.
Gersius struggled to get control of his emotions and tried to look at the light again. His mind spun as he saw the radiance wave in and out of focus and once again saw Thayle's love in open display. He fought to keep control but lost the battle. His tears ran freely down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and looked away.
“I have never felt such a strong emotion from you before, Gersius!” Lilly said, her hands coming to his shoulders from behind him. “Your feelings are like a thunderstorm.”
Thayle knelt before him and took a hand. “Gersius, I am awestruck at how powerful your feelings are. What are you thinking about?”
He began to cry and turned to wrap an arm around Lilly. He then used his other arm to pull in Thayle and clutched them both to his chest. His mind was a whirlwind of deeply stirring feelings. For so long, he trained himself for duty and devotion. Always his life was about dedication, discipline, and serving the divine. He learned to lock his emotions away and only used them to connect with his god. But to see the beauty of his wife wrapped in her glowing radiance and see that radiance reaching out for him. All the barriers he built around his heart were breached in moments, and the years of pent up emotion can flooding out.
“I love you both so much!” he cried. “I want you both to feel how much I love you.”
Lilly began to cry in his arms as he filled her with his overwhelming joy and appreciation for her. Thayle had to cover her face as the tears poured out uncontrollably.
“Gersius, stop!” Lilly called out between her tears. “I am a dragon, you fool man! How can you love me this much?”
Thayle laughed between her tears at Lilly’s futile gesture of resistance.
“You two are my very soul. I can't live without either of you. Please never leave me.”
Lilly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could. “Never! No matter where your path goes, Thayle and I will be by your side to love you the entire way.”
“Always and forever,” Thayle added, struggling to control her sobs. “Seriously, Gersius, have you been holding onto ten years of emotions?” She cried out.
“Twenty years,” he replied. “Now I am giving them all to you two. You two have healed my heart and opened my eyes. Lilly was not the only one who didn't know what love is. I thought I knew, but I realize only now what it is. You two are love, and I never want to be apart from you.”
“Nothing can tear us apart,” Lilly whispered as the flood of loving emotions raced through her. “How can you be so full of love?”
“It is the pain, Lilly. All the terrible pain I have suffered. All the pain in the long years of serving Astikar and putting my desires aside. All the anger I felt when the order turned against me. All the suffering I went through to keep the secret of your name. The love you two have given me has finally eaten it away and turned it into love, and now I am overflowing with it.”
“I am drowning in it. How much more do you have to get out?” Lilly begged.
“We may want to find someplace we can be alone for the next hundred years,” he said.
Thayle laughed and wiped her eyes. “Now, I wish I wasn't in my armor.”
Lilly reached a hand over to Thayle and rested it on the side of her face.
“I can help you get it off.”
Thayle smiled and put her hand over Lilly's “Let's do it quickly. I want to drink this torrent of emotion in for as long as he can provide it.”
They worked quickly, discarding armor and clothes carelessly on the floor before returning to his embrace and practically tore his clothing away. For the rest of the day, they lay in bed together, sharing bodies and emotions in a great river of love that carried them away in its passions.
Between them, the glowing light of their bind grew as they made love. The secret of its golden power fed by the love they shared for each other.