Part Ten

The men marched in perfect formation the entire way to House De’Endar’s gates, where we were stopped by the guards. “HALT! Who goes there?” one shouted.

“Masdrin De’Endar, Second-Boy of House De’Endar,” I said proudly.

“Wait here!” he said before walking into the guard shack. He returned a moment later. “It’s him, open the gate.” He called out. I hadn’t seen the De’Endar compound in eight years, so I wasn’t surprised that nobody recognized me.

My woman and my army moved through the gate into the courtyard. As I walked up the steps to my door, I turned around to face my soldiers once again. “You all will be camping out here. Shadow Nine, form up on me.” I said before turning to face Zeera, who was standing next to me.

“Come, my Zeera, let’s go meet Mother,” I said with a crooked grin.

I was excited to see my mother and sisters again, and even Vielyn too. He had been at home since he had been bumped down just a few months ago to third in command. My father wanted me in position, now that I was old enough, in case anything happened to him. So, I assumed the position of second in command of the company, but with certain caveats... I was still learning and was to discuss any important decisions with one of the more experienced members of our leadership—someone like my brother, Caelnel, Rylzt, Brudaer, or even Durdrin himself.

I hadn’t seen my sisters in eight years, and I hadn’t seen Mother in three. I got to see Vielyn every week or two, so he would keep me up to date on how they were doing. Still, I was happy to be home, even if it was only for a short while.

The twenty men of the newly reformed Shadow Nine formed up behind Caelnel, Rylzt, and Brudaer, who moved into position behind Zeera and me before we walked through the open door to my house. I headed straight for the throne room only to find the door blocked by a handful of House De’Endar soldiers. “Okay boys, open the door, let me through,” I said casually.

They looked back and forth at each other nervously and then back to me. “Uh… you’ll have to leave your weapons out here,” one of them said nervously, not really looking like he wanted to fight.

I looked at him rather dumbfounded for a moment before asking, “Do you know who I am?”

He shook his head. “No, but no one brings weapons into the throne room with Matron Larynda,” he said, trying to project some authority.

“I am Masdrin De’Endar. I’ve carried weapons in this house since I was old enough to kill Antzar… with this,” I said as I drew my House De’Endar dagger. “Now if you don’t get out of my way, I will kill you next,” I threatened.

The guards raised their spears towards me threateningly, and I smirked at the one I had been talking to. As I stared him dead in the eyes, I spoke my orders out loud. “Shadow Nine, there’s a threat against Mother. These men are preventing me from protecting my family. Take control of the room,” I said, and twenty men and women sprung into action.

I reached up and slapped away the spear that had been pointed at me and quickly stepped inside its reach, grabbing the man with one hand and head-butting him hard enough to rattle my own skull just a little bit. With my House De’Endar dagger now held to his throat, I continued to look the man in the eyes and asked him, “Have you figured out who I am yet?” through gritted teeth.

The man was about to reply when the throne room door swung open wide.

Mother stood there, and thinking quickly, I released my grip on the man and fell to my knees. I wrapped my arms around Mother’s legs. “OH MOTHER! There you are! Father told me of the trouble, I thought the worst when these men wouldn’t let me in to see you!” I cried, feigning fear.

“Get up, my boy,” Mother purred. As I stood up, I noticed her grinning in my peripheral vision before I dared look up to her.

“Hello, Mother,” I said, grinning a wide, crooked grin. Out here, Mother would be in charge. Once we were behind closed doors, where only family could hear what was being said, she’d find out that there’s been a shift in power.

Zeera came up behind me and clasped my hand in hers as we moved into the throne room. Her timid nature had her keeping her eyes down. She didn’t dare look at any of the Drow women. Rylzt, Caelnel, and Brudaer came right behind us as they were personally charged with my protection by Durdrin. They were like family to me, and I trusted them more than I trusted my own sisters.

Mother took her place on her throne, and I smiled at my sisters and then to Vielyn before guiding Zeera up to the throne steps. As Mother sat down, I smiled at her warmly. “Mother, I’d like you to meet Zeera,” I said, though Zeera still kept her eyes down.

Mother looked at me with a raised eyebrow and then at Zeera. “What is a Zeera?” she asked.

With a sigh, I shook my head and pointed to Zeera. “She is Zeera, my woman, Mother… and she has a gift for you,” I replied.

Mother smiled and tilted her head as she looked at Zeera. “Girl, look at me,” Mother demanded. Zeera looked up slowly and smiled as she held out the fine sack filled with Mother’s favorite jewels. Mother glanced at me and then back to Zeera, ignoring the gift for now. “How long have you been his woman?” she asked.

I went to answer, but Mother held her hand up to silence me. “Three years…” Zeera said quietly as she held the gems out.

“Three years?” Mother asked, sounding surprised.

Zeera’s head slowly moved up and down as she continued. “Yes, he was fifteen, and I was seventeen. He saved me from a man who used to brutalize me.”

Mother looked at me with a smile and then at Zeera and frowned as she took the gift she was being presented.

She opened the ties that fastened the bag closed and leaned back as she pulled it open. When it didn’t explode, she dumped it onto her lap. She looked down at the pile of gemstones with a wide smile and then looked up to Zeera. “My dear, it is clear that my son likes you. You’ve offered me this wonderful gift, and I welcome you to stay in our house with Masdrin,” she said a bit more cheerfully.

Zeera smiled wide and nodded graciously at her. “Thank you, Matron Mother.”

“Girls, what do you think of your baby brother’s woman?” Mother asked my sisters.

Jhule, the oldest and my favorite, looked at the two of us and nodded her head. “Baby brother has good taste in beauty, I see,” she said politely.

Maya nodded her head. “Oh, a pretty thing for sure, but certainly no Drow,” she said snidely.

“Definitely not a Drow, not with those green eyes,” T’rissdra added with an air of superiority in her voice.

“I bet she’s got some surface elf in her!” Cazna said accusingly.

Baeda, the youngest of the girls, just smiled. “I dunno, her little ears tell me she’s part human!” she said, just trying to be mean.

Zeera buried her face in my chest, and I could tell she was not only hurt by how they were talking to her but also feeling intimidated.

I chuckled. “Mother, perhaps you should put your dogs on a leash. If one of them were to bite my woman, I’d have to put them down,” I threatened. I remembered what Durdrin had told me earlier about Mother needing me.

Mother stopped smiling. In fact, she was now scowling at me. “You listen here…” she said quietly. “You do not speak about your sisters like that. I’ll have you and your little plaything whipped until you beg for mercy!” she went from quiet to shouting angrily at me.

Zeera immediately looked down and began to tremble, but I leaned in real close so that my lips were next to Mother’s ear and so only she would hear what I had to say. “Mother, it is time for you to understand something… I will take every Barra D’aron soldier out of this house, including Vielyn’s soldiers, if anything happens to my Zeera. Of all my things, she is my favorite,” I whispered quietly. “I will leave you and my sisters here undefended against your enemies,” I added before I straightened myself back out and stepped back to stand next to Zeera.

“Chin up, Zeera,” I said with a smile.

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE! YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR DURDRIN!” Mother shouted angrily. I turned to face her and grinned my crooked grin.

“Oh? Is that so?” I asked as she tried to call my bluff.

“Rylzt, go send my soldiers back to the compound. The four hundred that Vielyn brought too,” I ordered. Rylzt nodded and began to walk out of the throne room.

“Shadow Nine, Shadow Thirteen, form up on me. We’re leaving,” I said, pulling Zeera close. I sheathed my dagger and drew Deathsbite, just in case anyone tried to stop me.

Mother turned to Vielyn as though to ask if he was going to do anything, but he just looked down. I could tell he wanted to leap across the room and throttle me for daring to threaten Mother.

Vielyn knew of the power shift that was happening. Mother was used to manipulating Durdrin in ways she couldn’t with her son. With Durdrin leaving the protection of the fifth house in my hands, he had effectively given me control of the house.

“Masdrin, I don’t wish to fight you, but if you keep carrying on like this…” Vielyn let the threat hang.

“And I do not wish to become First Boy of House De’Endar,” I replied coldly.

In truth, I did not want to fight Vielyn. He was the one Drow I still feared. There was a reason he led Shadow Thirteen. In Felynafay, Vielyn was regarded as one of the best fighters in the city, if not the best. I would have to have the entirety of Shadow Nine assist me in taking my brother out if it ever came to that, and Vielyn knew this. Between my brother and me was a silent agreement of mutually assured destruction if we ever had a real fight.

I turned and headed for the door, pulling Zeera with me, but it suddenly slammed shut just before Rylzt could get through it.

“You girls! Apologize to your brother and his woman! That’s not how you treat your family!” Mother barked angrily at my sisters. “My handsome boy, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Please, stay and visit with your Mother for a while.” Mother said to me as she forced a smile. “Zeera, I apologize for my daughters. I promise you will be treated well while you’re here,” Mother added, though I doubted her sincerity.

“No apology necessary, Matron Mother. Thank you for letting me into your house,” Zeera replied quietly.

“My sons are home; my daughter is safe… our family is whole once again. I’d say that this calls for a celebration!” Mother said as she waved T’rissdra over. “Organize a feast to start this very evening. One so grand that all of Felynafay will talk about it.” Mother said quietly, and my sister nodded and quickly wandered off to begin preparing for the party.

The decadent Drow could throw a great party on just a couple hours notice, and T’rissdra had nearly all day. “Masdrin, I’m sure you remember your way around. Why don’t you show Zeera our home?” Mother offered.

I nodded and smiled. “Good idea, Mother.” I replied before leading Zeera out of the throne room.

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When the doors closed behind us, Zeera leapt into my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck. She planted her lips on mine, which was pleasantly surprising. “Show me your chambers first…” she whispered in my ear. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, oblivious to what she was really saying.

I led her through the halls of House De’Endar, past Mother’s quarters to a door I recognized. I smiled as I pushed the door open, but the smile quickly turned to a look of confusion. This used to be my room, but it looked like it was turned into an office. “Vielyn, what happened to my room?” I asked through our magical Barra D’aron comm implant.

“I turned it into an office. That is a child’s room. Mother has set up an appropriate room for you down three doors from that one,” came the reply from my brother.

With Zeera in tow, I moved down three doors and opened it to see a room just as nice, if not nicer, than my room at the Barra D’aron inn. It was almost as nice as Mother’s room, with its ornate furniture and illustrious tapestries decorating the space. Looking at Zeera, I smiled wide. “This is our home for the next little while,” I said with a shrug.

I removed my cloak and pack and set them down on the carved wooden table. As I was about to sit down, Zeera was all over me again. She grabbed me by the wrist and gave me a gentle tug towards her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. “My strong, handsome man…” Zeera purred as she began to unbutton my shirt. She always desired me after I flexed my muscles, literally or figuratively.

The show in the throne room wasn’t for her benefit, though—it was for my own. I wanted to make sure everyone in my house knew who really held the power. To those outside the throne room, it would appear as though Mother was fully in control, with Barra D’aron just acting as support. Mother and my sisters had to learn quickly who the new power behind the throne was if they wanted to keep our support. I was pretty sure that cowing my brother with just words helped my case, though I didn’t for a minute believe that Vielyn actually feared me. He just played along, like a good soldier.

My attention moved from my thoughts back to Zeera. I felt her tug at my belt and kiss my chest as she pulled me towards the bed. She looked up to me with a look I hadn’t seen in her eyes before, but I knew what she wanted. I could tell by how she was trying to peel my clothes off.

I looked back at the door to make sure it was closed before looking back to Zeera. “Oh, if you insist…” I said playfully as I grinned wide. As she unclasped my belt, I reached behind her to untie the lace that pulled her dress tight around her delicate curves. She’d get what she wanted, and I’d get what I wanted too.

When she finished with me a while later, we both lay back in our bed, wearing satisfied smiles and breathing a little heavier.

“Masdrin, how long do you think we’ll be here?” Zeera asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, not really knowing the answer to that question. “As long as it takes to find the threat against my sister and my house,” I replied. Neither of us really knew what was going on, but I knew that between Mother, Durdrin, Vielyn, and myself, we’d figure it out.

Durdrin had done a good job over the years keeping the deep connection between him and Mother a secret. As far as anyone outside the house knew, our house simply employed the mercenaries as a supplement to our own forces. He was our best bet at getting information on the threat, and he was working hard to find that information, I was sure. Or at least as hard as I’ve ever seen Durdrin actually do anything.

He was pretty good at talking though, a gift I inherited from him. “I would imagine it will take some time to figure out who is making the threats. Then I’ll send Brudaer and an infiltration team to get us all the information we need to launch a full-scale attack if one is required,” I said casually.

“What makes you think there won’t be a more… diplomatic… way to deal with it?” Zeera asked curiously as she rolled over and rested her head on my chest.

“If a dog comes into your yard and turns out to be vicious and attacks one of your people, you do not negotiate with them. You put them down and forget they ever existed,” I said, the words coming out a little harsher than I had intended.

“That makes sense… I guess… we don’t want them to placate us with words to our face only to have them stick their blades in our backs, right?” she asked.

I nodded my head. “Yes, that is another good reason,” I said as I held her tight in my arms. “Either way, Vielyn, Durdrin, and I will end the threat. We will find the house that dares to make moves against my house, and we will crush them, swiftly and without mercy.” As the words left my mouth, my lips crept into my signature crooked grin. “I may even get to kill a Matron Mother…” I said quietly.

This was my favorite part of our time together—just laying there and holding my woman. Nothing was expected of me, and I could just relax comfortably. Zeera and I didn’t even start having sex until a little while ago, which was fine with me. It was fun, I definitely didn’t hate it, but I didn’t care for it and would prefer to just hold her, to feel her. I enjoyed how her soft body felt in my hands, the heat of her body pressed against mine, her heart beating against my chest. I treasured staring into her green eyes and kissing her full lips.

As we lay there in each other's arms, doing what I liked best, there came a knock at my door. I groaned quietly as I slid out from under Zeera and stood up, buttoning up my pants and clasping my belt closed again. I left my shirt open as I walked towards the door, cleaning myself off with Prestidigitation before pulling it open. I was surprised to find Mother standing there with six of the house guards.

“Good afternoon, Mother. What do you need of me today?” I asked politely with a smile.

Mother looked at me and was able to surmise what we had been up to just by my current state. “Oh? I hope I’m not interrupting anything…” she said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at me.

I shook my head. “Never, Mother. Come on in!” I said, holding the door open for her to enter. I turned to see Zeera scrambling to cover herself with the silk sheets. Mother walked into the room, her escort following close behind.

I couldn’t help but notice the men eyeing Zeera, trying to get a glimpse of her naked body. Zeera looked nervous and was clearly uncomfortable. “Mother, do you doubt my ability to kill these six men?” I asked as non-threateningly as I could.

Mother shook her head. “I do not doubt for a minute, my son, that you could kill these six men… why?” she replied.

“Because if they don’t avert their eyes and clear their minds of my woman, I will kill them all in this very room,” I stated flatly.

Mother looked around, and her eyes went wide. “HEY! Would you dare gaze at Jhule like that?” she said as she realized the same thing I had. The men immediately dropped their lines of sight to the ground, but Mother turned to face them. “You wouldn’t look at my daughter like that, so you won’t look at my guest like that either! Now get out of here and give me some privacy with my son.” She demanded. The six men left the room, making a mental note to treat Zeera like they would one of my sisters.

Mother then walked past me and sat on the edge of the bed next to Zeera. “I would truly like to apologize for how my daughters spoke about you earlier. We thought you were just something my son had brought with him for his own amusement…” she said distastefully.

Zeera nodded her head, but Mother continued. “They were wrong… and so was I. The gift you gave me was so great I shared it with my daughters, and as predicted, their opinion of you has changed greatly,” she added, smiling warmly.

“That was very generous of you, Matron Larynda,” Zeera replied, remembering what I had told her about catering to Mother’s ego.

Mother nodded and smiled. “So, tell me how you two met.” She inquired. I sat down on the opposite side of Zeera, and as I went to speak, Mother raised a hand to silence me before looking directly at me. “Quiet, boy. The women are talking,” she said flatly, with more than a hint of condescension in her voice.

I sighed and lay back on the bed as Zeera looked up at Mother. “When I was seventeen, I was, and still am, the Barra D’aron accountant. My workspace was deep in the Barra D’aron vault, and one day Durdrin, Vielyn, Caelnel, Rylzt, and Brudaer brought this handsome boy past my counter and into where they kept the finest of the fine equipment. I watched him get his communication injection, suffer through the side effects, and then ask for a second one, to balance the sound.” Zeera stated. “After watching him pick his equipment out, he came to my counter to stock up on platinum, gold, and jewels. Initially, I thought he was being greedy because I watched him take a new blade for himself and then stuff like ten more into his pack. After we got together, I learned that he only used that currency when he needed to, for the benefit of the company, and the blades were gifts for his new Shadow Team that he had been put in charge of,” Zeera said as she looked at Mother.

“And when did you two get together? Earlier, you mentioned Masdrin saving you?” Mother asked.

Zeera looked back at me, then at Mother. “Oh, that day…” she said quietly. Zeera grinned wide. “On that day, I learned that even when he was only fifteen, he was more of a man than the guy I was with.” Zeera was proud; you could hear it in her voice, and just hearing her speak about me like that was enough to make me smile.

“Oh? Do go on…” Mother said eagerly.

“I wanna tell the story!” I said loudly.

“Masdrin, hush!” Mother reiterated.

“So I was at the inn with Chey, the man who had claimed me. I didn’t like him much, but I was trapped. He’d harass me, and when we were away from prying eyes, he’d... mistreat me...” she said, wincing at the thought of being with Chey.

Mother was on the edge of her seat; she’d heard stories of men abusing women but had never actually seen it. “What? Why didn’t you stab him in the throat?” Mother asked incredulously.

“She’s not a Matron Mother, Mother. She’s been a mercenary accountant since she was like ten years old,” I replied for Zeera.

“Masdrin! Quit interrupting, or so help me…” Mother barked. I let out a sigh and waited for the story to continue.

“One day, I had to meet Chey at the inn, and when I walked through the door and looked around for him, I spotted Masdrin, Vielyn, Caelnel, Rylzt, and Brudaer sitting in their usual booth and then found Chey sitting at the bar. As soon as I sat down, he had his hands all over me.” Zeera continued before pausing to cast a smile my way. “I don’t know if Masdrin was telling the truth when he said he’d been watching Chey and me for a while, or if the men at the table had simply goaded him into it, but what happened next is legendary among us Barra D’aron.” Zeera said, her beautiful lips pulling back into a wide grin.

“What happened?” Mother asked. She enjoyed a good story, but she enjoyed them more when they involved her children.

Zeera shrugged. “What happened? A fifteen-year-old boy slid in between Chey’s barstool and mine, knocking his hand off of me, and he totally ignored the man. Masdrin spoke to me until Chey gave him a shove.” Zeera paused for dramatic effect. “Masdrin turned around, flashed his officer’s cufflinks, dressed the man down, and then made him do pushups. Then he stood on Chey’s back and tried to get me to look up at him. When I finally did, I remarked that Chey was going to punish me for this incident, and Chey happened to agree rather angrily,” Zeera said as her grin turned to a frown.

Mother’s face twisted up at the very idea of a man thinking they could punish a woman. “Huh… Masdrin made a similar face… right before he stomped down on Chey’s spine, crippling him.” Zeera paused. “Chey used to come to my home drunk and angry, and he’d often beat me or force me to lay with him,” she added, and I reached forward and grabbed her hand.

“Masdrin saved me from what could have been a long lifetime of that kind of treatment,” she said happily. “Matron Mother Larynda, thank you for raising such a charming young man. He’s an arrogant ass most of the time, but he knows how to treat a lady,” she added.

Mother smiled wide at the compliments she was receiving. “How is he arrogant?” she asked.

“Oh, here we go…” I muttered.

“He has an air of superiority about him. He looks down on those he views as below him. He frequently challenges authority, and he gives Rylzt and Durdrin both a hard time,” Zeera said as she smirked. “Just this morning, he challenged Rylzt, Caelnel, and Brudaer to see if they could take him out of our room.” Zeera added matter-of-factly.

“Oh?” Mother inquired curiously.

“I don’t know how it all started; I was woken up by three grown men jumping in my bed to pull him out of it. I opened my eyes just in time to see Rylzt grab him by the collar and toss him across the room,” she said with a smile and a shrug.

Mother glanced past her to me, laying back on the bed. “Why were your three most trusted friends trying to drag you out of bed?” she asked me.

“Because, Mother, Father gave me a gift yesterday evening and I was up all night playing with it. Then they showed up, the three of them, and tried to tell me what to do. I asked, ‘Why are there three of you?’ and I was told that it was because if I gave them a hard time, they were supposed to bring me by force. So, I laid back in bed and I asked, ‘Which of the three of you thought they were man enough to take this Drow from here?’ and they were like, ‘There’s three of us,’ and I was like, ‘Pfft, you should have brought more friends.’ Then they jumped on me and threw me across the room. I got up and Caelnel was charging at me, so I met his charge with a knee to the stomach and dropped him like a stone. Brudaer, the sneaky one, tried to set up an ambush but didn’t do a very good job. I spotted him, and when he lunged at me, I punched him in the head and then knocked him on his ass with an uppercut. Then there was Rylzt, the biggest and most dangerous of the trio. We grabbed hold of each other, trying to force the other to his knees, and when it was clear neither of us would win that way, I gave him a knee to the chest and then headbutted him and forced him down, winning the battle. Then Durdrin showed up in full battle attire, accompanied by Shadow One, yelled at me, and now I’m here,” I said, telling the story more or less how I remembered it.

Mother smiled wide, she enjoyed when I gave my father a hard time. “That’s my boy,” she said happily.

Mother had enjoyed hearing everything Zeera had to say, especially where I was concerned. When she finished explaining the intricacies of our life together in the compound, Mother smiled warmly at her. “You poor thing…” she said, feeling genuinely sorry for Zeera. Mother didn’t understand the life; she didn’t understand that inside the compound there was camaraderie between the members.

There were some bad apples, like Chey, who preyed on our own, but we handled them with our own brand of justice, like we did with Chey. Sure, Zeera had it rough when her mistreatment was flying under the radar, but she was tough and persevered through it, and through that perseverance and toughness, she managed to survive and even thrive.

Her life with me was much better than it would have ever been with anyone else. I made sure of that. She didn’t live in the barracks anymore; she had all she could ever want. I made sure of that.

Zeera lived a fuller, and arguably much more pleasant, life than most Matron Mothers, thanks to her freedom to make her own choices. Mother wasn’t as free as she thought she was. She had to keep up appearances, and while she was more or less free to do what she wanted, she was still expected to act in accordance with what was expected of a Matron Mother of the ruling council.

“Well, my daughters and I will teach you what it is to be Drow Noble while you’re with us. No man will ever walk all over you again; no man will ever mistreat you again. Not even my son,” Mother said softly.

I lifted my head and furrowed my brow at her. “Oh yes, Mother, save her from all the mistreatment I lay upon her. You see all the bruises and scars I’ve given her?” I asked sarcastically. Zeera didn’t have a mark on her and the only lasting scars that Chey left were emotional. “Why don’t you give us a little show?” I asked with a sly smile, after all she was naked under the sheet. Zeera laughed, not afraid to show off her body.

Mother wasn’t too impressed though, and I felt her hand smack me across the face. “How dare you?” Mother said angrily. “Is that all she is to you? A piece of meat to show off?” She shook her head and raised her hand again to give me another swat across the head.

I jumped to my feet and looked at both Mother and Zeera. “No, of course not. I just wanted to give my beautiful woman the opportunity to show off her statuesque figure, Mother, if she so chose to,” I said slyly as I grinned wide at Zeera.

Zeera smiled wide at me and slid out of the bed, leaving the silk sheet behind. My grin got even wider as she placed one hand on my back and the other on my exposed chest. She rested her head on my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around her. “You see, Mother, she’s gorgeous. I should have a statue made of her,” I said as we gently swayed back and forth.

“Indeed…” Mother said slowly as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Fear not, Matron Larynda, Masdrin treats me well. The only thing he ever asks of me is that he can hold me, especially after a rough mission,” Zeera said as she nuzzled against my chest. “And I enjoy nothing more than when he holds me.” She added. Mother looked at us for a few moments then smiled.

“Well, thank you for the story, Zeera. I’m going to make sure T’rissdra is organizing a feast that will be talked about for months. My boys are home!” she said excitedly. Mother stood up and smiled at me before heading for the door.

“Mother…” I called out to her before she left, and she stopped and turned around to face me. “Vielyn and I will make sure to end any threat to our family. I’ll topple houses if I have to, to protect you,” I said confidently.

Mother turned back and walked over to Zeera and me, reaching up to gently stroke my cheek with the back of her hand. “I know you will,” she replied. With a smile, she looked from me to Zeera. “You’re right, son, she is beautiful. A beautiful woman for my handsome boy,” she said with a smile before turning and walking out of the room.

“Mother likes you, that’s good!” I said happily as I stood there holding my woman.

Zeera looked up to me and smiled her perfect white smile at me. “I’m glad she likes me; I hope your sisters like me too,” she said nervously.

With a nod, I replied. “I hope so too, but if they don’t, it won’t matter much. They’ll behave or Mother will punish them… a Matron Mother’s punishment is often cruel and painful,” I said quietly.

Zeera nodded at me and hugged me tight. I liked it when she was happy; she was even more beautiful when she smiled. Mother too, was beautiful when she smiled, and I liked to look at things of beauty. When I lived here, I’d often go out of my way to try to make Mother smile. When I moved in with Durdrin and the Barra D’aron and met Zeera, I didn’t even have to do anything to make her smile. I just had to be myself.

Zeera was emotionally and physically vulnerable. She was easily intimidated, especially by angry men. I don’t remember ever being angry at her; we rarely ever disagreed on anything, but I had been angry at others in front of her, and she’d always get nervous. Then I’d hold her, and I’d calm down, and she’d relax, and everything would be okay. “Get dressed, my dear, we have a party to attend,” I said as I ran my hand along her bare back.

She was warm to the touch and soft in my hands. I’d hold her as long as she’d let me, whenever she’d let me. That boiled down to more or less whenever I wanted or needed her. She was right; some of the missions that Durdrin sent me on were stressful and I’d come back tense and on edge. All I had to do was hold my Zeera in my arms and I’d begin to feel calm, at peace. She was my rock in this chaotic world that we lived in.

She kissed my chest and let go of me before picking up her evening gown and putting it back on. I buttoned up my shirt and brushed myself off, casting Prestidigitation as I did so to clean my clothes and myself. The little magical button on my collar was probably my favorite of all my magical items, besides my blades. I had a few magical trinkets—some I picked up the day I equipped myself in the armory, some were given to me by Durdrin, and some I took as a prize after their owner fell victim to my blades. They all had their uses occasionally, but I always found myself wearing my favorite black embroidered spidersilk shirt with the gold buttons on the collar.

I smiled as I watched her dress herself and crossed my arms in front of my chest as I stood there proudly. My woman and I kept each other happy. If we had known better, I’d even say we loved each other. If we knew the concept of love.