Still caught off guard, and apparently not able to process Winna’s statement, Bellows blinked in confusion, sitting up slightly, the knife pulling just slightly away from Winna’s pregnant belly. “Husband?!”
Suddenly, there was a whistling noise, and a dark figure hurtled from the sky before Bellows could react in earnest to Winna’s statement.
There was a quiet snick-ing noise, and Bellows gurgled oddly. The knife slipped from his grasp, and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Lear kicked the now-dead dwarf off his wife. The head separated from the body as it fell, and the fey captain turned to face them, fury palpable in the air around him.
All four of his eyes were open, his claws were out and bloodied, and his enormous wings were wide open. Lear was larger than life, and seemed to tower above them all in that moment.
Stunned that their evil, maniacal leader was suddenly dead, Bellows’ minions stared, open-mouthed, then looked between one another, clearly trying to decide their next move.
“Who’s next?” Lear asked, his tone deceptively casual.
Only Arden and Winna recognized the tone for how dangerous it really was. The fey captain was seething with wrath.
The white-haired fey soldier pointed at the fey crony that had Marri pinned down.
“Alright then. You deal with yours.” Lear sighed.
“Yep.” Arden nodded.
Since Bellows was dead, and Lear was already dealing with Marri’s attacker, Arden wasted no time in blasting the redcap that stood in front of him back, sending him soaring through the air.
Arden was pleased to see that he’d hit the minion so hard that he’d left his shoes behind.
The half-elf looked over to see Lear pushing the now-dead body of the other fey man off Marri, absentmindedly burning the blood from both Bellows and the unnamed minion off his claws with a quick flash of fire.
“There.” the captain muttered, retracting his now sanitized claws, then looking up, “Alright. Anyone else? Or have you had enough?”
The remaining cronies stumbled away, practically falling all over themselves because they couldn't get away fast enough, despite the fact that they were using their fey speed.
Then Lear was at Winna’s side, gathering her into his arms.
“F*cking hell, Winna! I am so, so sorry!” he gasped, holding her close, tears streaming down his face from his set of normal eyes, his heat-sensitive ones now shut.
“You have a hell of a sense of timing, Lear.” she said dryly, but her arms were around his neck, and she clung tightly to him.
Arden hastened to Marri’s side. “Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. I just…was useless. I couldn't do anything.” she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. “Th-they had the perfect counter to my magic and-”
“It’s alright.” Arden reached out and caught her and pulled her close. “Gods…it’s alright. We’re all alright.”
The mermaid burst into tears, her entire form shaking as sobs wracked her body.
“It’s alright, honey, it’s alright.” he murmured, stroking her hair gently. “It’s over. For good, this time. He’s gone.”
-
“That was…gross, Lear.” Winna murmured, pulling slightly away after a little while.
“I know. I’m sorry. I heard you scream and came as quickly as I could. Then I saw what he was doing and everything just went red.” Lear grimaced, cradling his poor, slightly blood-flecked wife in his arms.
He’d draw her a nice long bath, then once she was done soaking, he’d put her in bed, and kiss every single freckle on her body. The wonderful thing was that she had a lot of freckles.
“It’s okay. You were protecting us.” his wife sighed, tensing for a moment. Her hand touched her belly briefly, then rose to his face. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Lear pulled her mouth to his, kissing her very gently. Pulling away, he said, “Let’s get inside. I’m sure Diana is freaking out, and cursing her lack of thumbs. Otherwise I suspect we’d have had a repeat of last time.”
“Oh, I’m sure. Luckily, we have a temple nearby now.” Winna managed a smile.
“Can you stand?”
“I think so.” his wife grimaced, tensing again, then relaxing.
“You okay?” he frowned, helping Winna to her feet and making sure she was steady.
“Damn, when you do something, you do it right, don’t you?” Rowan muttered, peering down in distaste at Bellow’s beheaded form, clearly talking to Lear.
“I don’t appreciate someone threatening my wife and child.” Lear muttered darkly.
“Understandable. I just wish I could have been the one who killed him, since he’s kept me from my own family for so long.” Rowan muttered.
“Sorry. But seeing as I didn't know the situation…”
“Oh no, it’s fine. I’m just glad he’s gone.” Rowan sighed.
'I’m Lear, Winna’s husband.”
“So I gathered.” Rowan smiled, “I’m Rowan, the pretty mermaid is Marrina, the unconscious ogre is Irving, and the poor passed out selkie is Serha.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Th-this is all good and well, a-and I know you all need to be introduced,” Winna broke in, “but I-I think I-I should go ahead and tell you that” she grimaced and curled into herself a little, "I-I think m-my water broke!”
They all stared at her.
Indeed portions of her skirt were wet.
“Oh f*ck.” Lear swore, now wide-eyed and full of panic. Killing the dwarf that threatened his wife? That was no problem. But his wife in labor? That was terrifying, uncharted territory.
“Lear, honey, snap out of it.” Winna said, clicking her fingers in front of his face, and managing a smile. “Someone needs to get the midwife. Also, Pima said she’d help too. I need fast runners or fliers to do that.”
“Right.” Lear shook himself, “I’ll get Pima, she’s closer, and I want to be back as quickly as possible. Arden-”
“I’ll get the midwife.” he cut the captain off, nodding, then turning to Marri to ask, “Will you be okay if I go?”
“Yes, go, of course!” the mermaid gave a watery smile, and pushed him away, motioning for him to go. “Winna needs help! I’ll be fine!”
“Alright.” Arden disappeared in a flash.
“Rowan, can you help get Winna until I get back?” Lear asked, turning towards the centaur he’d just met. Given that Rowan and Marri were with Winna and Arden both, and the pair of them smelled a lot like the cottage, Lear inferred that they’d been inside said cottage. Winna wouldn't have let him go inside the cottage if they weren’t safe to be around.
“Of course.” Rowan nodded.
“You too, Marri?” Lear asked, turning to her.
“I’ll do what I can!” Marrina said, pulling herself slowly over to Serha, who wasn’t far away. “Serha can help too. She’s got legs and can do more than I can because of it. I’ll sing her awake.”
“What?” Lear frowned. “How does that work?”
“Her magic is entirely connected to her voice, not like usual siren song, according to Arden.” the centaur explained.
“It’s true.” Winna nodded, “Not that I know much about normal siren song, to be fair.”
“Huh.” the fey captain blinked, surprised.
Marri sang a quick, lovely song to the still unconscious selkie, and she stirred, waking. “Oh…I feel awful.” she grimaced.
“Well, that’s interesting.” Lear snorted, then said, “I’d love to hear more about what you can do with your voice later, but right now I should go. I’ll be back soon, Winna.”
“I know.” she smiled at her husband.
Lear kissed her briefly, then leapt swiftly into the air and flew off.
-
“Who was that?” Serha asked me as she sat, blinking and looking around. “What happened? I got shocked, and then-” she cut off, gasping as she saw Bellows’ decapitated body lying on the ground a few feet away. “Oh! Oh my goodness! H-he’s…he’s dead?! He’s really dead?!”
“Yeah. He’s gone forever, thank the gods!” I smiled at her. “You’re free. We’ll get that metal band off you later, but right now, Winna is in labor and I’m useless cause I can’t walk. Can you help her?”
“O-oh, of course!” Serha stumbled to her feet, and over to Winna, immediately taking her hands. “Are you alright?”
“I’ll be fine.” the mage nodded.
Serha grimaced, “I-I’m so sorry about earlier, Bellows had ordered me and Irving to-”
The pregnant lady waved away her concern and interrupted gently,“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. I know the situation and guessed it wasn’t your choice. I’m Winna.”
“Serha.”
“Marri has told me a little about you.” Winna smiled, then grimaced.
“Let’s get you inside.” Serha said, then asked me, “Can you wake up Irving too?”
“Yes.” I suspected Rowan would need the ogre’s help in dealing with the two bodies that still lay in the yard, since there wasn’t much I could do.
Serha helped Winna inside, and I could hear cats maowing loudly and demandingly as the door opened and shut, which made me smile. It seemed that Diana was indeed concerned, if not Lou as well, if she at all understood what had happened.
After another quick song directed at Irving, the ogre was blinking and sitting up. He smelled a bit singed, but he was otherwise alright, it seemed.
“What the hell happened here?” he asked. “And where is….” his voice trailed off as he saw Bellows’ body, and a grin of positively wicked delight filled his face. He lapsed into fey speech, and staggered to his feet. I could only assume that he was swearing violently and gladly by the way Rowan laughed and shook his head.
“As to what happened, Winna’s husband got home in the nick of time. If he hadn’t, most of us would be dead, or all of us would be enslaved. Some of us for a second time, some of us for the first.” I told him, “Are you alright?”
“Just a bit crispy, but I think I’m okay.” he looked around, “Where did everyone go?”
“Serha is in the cottage, Winna, the pregnant lady, went into labor. Lear, who you didn’t see before you got your brains fried in your head, went to get help for Winna, as did Arden.”
“Right.” he paused, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” I nodded.
“Will it upset you if I date Serha?”
I blinked. “Why would that upset me?”
“No sense of love unrequited?” he flashed a smartass grin at me.
I rolled my eyes at him, “I love you very much, Irving, just not like that.” And then seeing him open his mouth, I added, “And no I won’t flash you just as a parting gift or anything, you perv.”
He smiled innocently back as I glared at him, then we burst into giggles, and Rowan shook his head in amusement.
Irving sighed, wiped his eyes, then looked to Rowan and asked, “We should deal with these bodies, shouldn't we? It’s the least we can do, huh?”
“Yeah.” the centaur nodded, “Given how much trouble we caused poor Winna and Lear.”
“I wish I could help.” I muttered, annoyed at my distinct lack of feet for what felt like the fiftieth time that day alone.
“It’s alright, Marri.” Irving said, “How about I take you to that comfy looking rocking chair up there?”
“Sure.” I mumbled.
The ogre came and scooped me up. It didn’t have the same effect as when Arden did it, but it was still nice of him to do. He settled me in the chair. “There we are.”
“Thanks.” I reached out and patted his cheek. “And I meant what I said. I love you. I love you very much. Just not romantically.”
“I’m fine with that now.” he smiled easily at me, tilting his head so his auburn hair fell into his now happy blue eyes a little.
“Now?”
Irving studied my face for a moment, expression more serious than I was used to seeing. “I did…love you romantically for quite a while. But…”
“But Serha came along, right?” I smiled, arching an amused eyebrow at him. This was not upsetting to me at all, and I knew he had at least a crush on my selkie friend. I’d always enjoyed our verbal sparring, but had never liked him more than a friend.
“I loved you both.” he shook his head, “But then I saw you falling very quickly for Arden, and knew you would never like me like that. At first I wasn’t happy with it, but then I realized how good he was for you, and realized it was okay because it meant I was free to love just Serha.” he shrugged.
“I wonder if you felt compelled to like me because we were just so close…and there was no one else.” I said thoughtfully.
“No. You’re gorgeous, Marrina. And Arden is lucky.” he stood, flashing a grin at me.
“And just so you know, I know you're a better person than you act.” I smiled back at him. “Serha is lucky too.”
“No, I’m the lucky one, really. Serha is wonderful.” He laughed, then went back down the porch to help Rowan take care of the two dead fey bodies.
“How should we do this?” Rowan asked.
“I don’t know. Burying seems too respectful, though.” Irving frowned.
“I say burn em. Just keep an eye on the fire so it doesn't spread!” I called.
“Hm. Good idea.” The centaur nodded. “Can you do fire, Irving?”
“Not really.”
“That’s alright, I can do enough to get a blaze going.”
“That works.” the ogre shrugged.