We finished the desserts fairly quickly and in complete silence. When supper was finally over, the queen stood and bid me a good night. I stood and thanked her for inviting me to eat with her and her daughters, and she nodded and left without another word. The oldest daughter, Braya glared at me and left with an angry face, while her twin shook her head and left with a sad face. I turned to look at Sylvana and she wouldn't meet my eyes.
“I guess that didn't go as well as I had hoped it would.” I said.
“Why did you flirt with another woman at the table?” Sylvana asked. “You must know that my sisters are the most eligible women in the kingdom!”
“This isn't a contest.” I said and Sylvana huffed. “I didn't plan on...”
“You didn't discourage it, either!”
“I tried, and all it did was turn her on more.” I sighed. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Say no.” Sylvana said.
“How?” I asked. “I'm a man. Would any of you listen if I did?”
Sylvana opened her mouth to say that she would, then she realized who she was talking to. “No.”
I was about to continue the conversation when the servers came back in to clean up. They made short work of clearing the table and washed it off, then the one who served me, boldly took my hand. That made the other servers giggle and she led me to the door at the side of the room. Sylvana didn't say anything to stop her and left the dining room soon after we did.
A surprisingly enjoyable cooking lesson followed. There was also occasional flirting, since that was fairly easy to do while working closely in a kitchen and cooking together. We kept things casual, because we both knew that nothing was going to happen between the two of us. That also lifted the pressure of expectation, so while we worked, we occasionally touched hands, lightly brushed arms as we passed each other, and even leaned over each other and pressed our bodies close while we reached for different ingredients. Many smiles, giggles, teases, and laughter was had by the both of us.
There were lots of other servers, not just the ones that served the queen and her family, and they came and went randomly. I assumed that they cooked and brought food to other people in the castle. Occasionally, they would stand off to the side as they took a break and would watch us. Some looked envious and I ignored them while others looked intrigued and those women I would give a quick smile to when I could. It was when a particularly snippy woman came into the kitchen that my impromptu cooking lesson came to an end.
“What is this rumor that I heard about a man being in the kitchen?!?” The irate and slightly grey haired woman exclaimed as she burst through the kitchen door. She saw me and let out a little shriek. “It's TRUE! A MAN!”
“I think that's my cue to leave.” I said and tried not to laugh at the woman as I rinsed off my hands. I dried them on a towel and turned to my teacher. “Thank you very much for teaching me, Unodae.”
“It was my pleasure.” Unodae said. “I never imagined that a man could learn from me.”
“If we had more time...” I started to say and she scooped up a bit of frosting and touched it to my lips.
“You have learned more of my craft in the last three hours than my apprentice has all year.” Unodae said as I licked the frosting from my lips. “If we had more time, I would force you to accept my proposal.”
Everyone went quiet at her words and stared at us with open mouths, then I laughed.
“Proposal? I can't give up on the outside world, just so I can stay by your side and cook all day!”
“Would you be too bored?” Unodae asked and I could see that she wanted me to deny it.
“Not bored. I would be too tempted.” I said in a slightly lower tone and stepped close to her. I heard a collective gasp from our audience and I put my hands on her hips, then slid my hands behind her back and hugged her. “I don't know how long I could resist you, if I got to flirt with you all day.”
Unodae put her arms around me to hug me back, then she pressed her lips to my neck and shivered as my mana rippled. “I'm not going to see you again, am I?”
“Not for a month, at least.” I said. “Assuming I come back to the castle when my task is complete.”
Unodae sighed and leaned back as she let me go. “I hope you do.”
“Not everyone does.” I glanced at the irate woman that stood just inside the kitchen door, then I smiled. “I probably won't be allowed to have a full bath, either.”
“You didn't!” Unodae looked at me with her eyes almost wild.
“No.” I said, and she relaxed. “I very easily could have, though.”
“Don't you dare try to take advantage of those poor young girls.” Unodae said and she couldn't help but smile at me, because she knew what their reaction had been when they saw me naked and 'ready'.
“Would you have fared any better?” I asked with a smirk, and she chuckled.
“You know I wouldn't.” Unodae said and lightly slapped my chest. “Now get out of here and go to bed.”
I stepped back from her and gave her a deep bow. “Thank you again.” I said. “Goodnight.”
“G-goodnight.” Unodae said and turned back to the counter. I saw her body tremble and I had to assume it was because I had bowed to her. I walked across the kitchen to the door and to the irate woman that waited there, ignored her pointed stare, and I walked around her and out of the kitchen.
I need to find someone to tell me... My thought cut off as Braya came around the corner of the hallway.
“This way.” Braya said and walked back around the corner.
I walked quickly to catch up to her. “Can you apologize to the queen for me?”
Braya looked at me like I was a particularly icky bug that she wanted to squash.
“I didn't mean to disrupt supper like that.” I said. “If you would do me a favor and...”
“Why would I do a favor for you?” Braya asked. “You've been nothing but trouble!”
I opened my mouth to refute that, then sighed. I really have been causing trouble. “I'm sorry.”
Braya huffed and tried to keep walking, so I touched her arm and brought her to a stop.
Braya, I want you to accept my apology, too. I thought to her over the link I had established with her and let my emotions flow over that link. Sylvana told me that if I flirt with anyone, it should be with you and your sister.
Braya sucked in a sharp breath. “That little hukla!” She spat. “I told mother she wouldn't be able to keep family business to herself!” In the next second, she blushed deeply and sighed as she looked into my eyes. “I suppose there's no helping it now.” She said and I saw the resolve on her face. “Are you really going to accept the server's petition for your services?”
“No.” I said. “In her own words, she's too young to make the offer, let alone be approved for it.”
“Did you know that there are almost a hundred petitions already filed with the fertility council?”
“Wh-what? A hundred? How?” I asked, completely surprised. “I haven't met a hundred people yet, let alone been close enough for them to want to have sex with me!”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Braya barked a laugh. “You really don't understand how much we desire to perpetuate our race.” She said. “Even just a rumor that there's a powerful man potentially available has sent half of Sylvana's guard squad into fertilization frenzy.”
“Sylvana's guards?” I asked and remembered meeting the princess for the first time. She had a row of guards at her back and they looked to be fierce fighters. I also remembered my horrible fighting at the time and being seriously hurt by the princess. “You're kidding.”
“Sylvana surely wishes I was.” Braya said, her eyes alight with mirth. “The one you shot with a lightning bolt was the very first to file her petition.”
“She doesn't hate me for embarrassing her?” I asked, once again confused by their choices.
“The guards are still talking about how you incapacitated her and then caught her when she fell.” Braya said. “Who does that?” She shook her head. “Who saves an interfering opponent during a battle?”
I didn't tell her that I needed to save her, because I had only wanted to knock her out and not make her fall to her death. We stood in the hallway and didn't say anything for several moments.
Did you file a petition? I asked her mentally.
Braya took in a breath and let it out, then she turned and walked away. “Your room is in the west wing.” She said. “Follow me.”
I like your dress. I thought to her as I followed.
“I'm not going to accept your poor attempts at flirting, now that I know that you know to flirt with me.” Braya said. “Being disingenuous does not make me feel any better about having you around.”
It was my turn to take a breath and let it out. I thought about several things to say, then my own thoughts fell to Unodae and our cooking lesson. We both knew it wasn't going anywhere and had fun with that. There was no way I could act the same way with anyone that was above a hundred years of age, because they would have to assume it would be a vested interest on my part to establish relations.
I reached out and touched her arm and we stopped walking again. “Please, forgive my behaviour.” I said and bowed to her. “I've been guilty of treating you like I would a woman from my own culture, and I've insulted you by mistake.”
Braya looked at my submissiveness with a critical eye and I could see her warring internally about me being genuine or not.
“I will refrain from teasing and tempting you in the future. I hadn't meant to cause you, your sisters, or your mother such frustration.” I said and remained bowed. “You have my word.”
Braya sighed. “With your mental shields, I can't tell if you're lying or not.”
I stood up straight. “Can't you use the link I made?” I asked. Like this?
“It's only one way.” Braya said. “I can only receive and not send.”
I opened my mouth a little, to tell her that I was sorry she was so limited in her ability, then I stepped close and pressed my forehead to hers. I took several minutes to share my own frustration when I was a child and was stuck being only a sender. At the time, I couldn't establish a mental link with anyone and it had taken years to prepare my mind to do so. When I came to the part where I met Lashina, I eased the flow of memories, because I didn't want my love for Lashina to color everything that I had just showed her.
I pulled my head away from Braya's and saw that she was on the verge of tears. “It will take years of practice and meditation for you to form your thoughts into a coherent stream that people will understand.” I said and then smiled. “You're an elf, though. You've got plenty of time to learn.”
Braya nodded and reached up to catch her tears before they fell. “We... should get you to your room.”
I nodded as well and she led me across the castle and up the main stairs to the fourth floor. We walked around a couple of hallways and went down the same hallway that I had been down before and had found Bryana. The difference was that there were now two guards standing at a door near the far end of the hallway.
“Here we are.” Braya said and motioned to a door almost halfway down the hall. “The guest suite.”
I opened the door and stepped inside to see what was essentially a sultan's palace. A giant bed, or what people could affectionately call 'orgy-sized', was in the middle of the room. Large pillows covered it and were also strewn across the floor in a random pattern. A magical fireplace was off to the side and I looked at it to see that there was no chimney and no wood in the fire. It gave off the same amount of heat, though. A large bathroom was hidden off to the other side and there wasn't a window to be had anywhere.
“If this is the guest suite, what does the queen's bedroom look like?” I asked.
“EXCUSE ME?!?” Braya yelled. “You dare ask about my mother's PRIVATE CHAMBERS?!?”
“No, no, no!” I said and quickly took her hand before she could run away. “You misunderstand! I was just curious to compare the decor! I don't want to actually be in her bedroom!”
Braya's face lost some of its anger and I sent remorse and sincerity through my link to her.
“I'm sorry.” I said and gave her hand a squeeze. “If you are worried about keeping an eye on me, I invite you to spend the night.”
“EXCUSE ME?!?” Braya yelled again.
“Goddammit.” I whispered as the guards that had been at the end of the hall ran over to the guest room.
“What is going on in here?” One of the guards asked, her sword drawn and pointed towards me.
“Misunderstandings.” I said and let Braya's hand go. “I asked Braya to stay in the room with me to watch over me.”
“You asked me to spend the night.” Braya spat.
“My words were ambiguous and I apologize.” I said. “You don't realize how easily things you say can be taken in the wrong context until it is taken in the wrong context.”
Braya looked from the guards' aggressive stances and back to me. “You know I must refuse your offer.”
“I do now.” I said and bowed. “Goodnight, Princess Braya.”
Braya nodded and walked out through the door and the guard who spoke gave me a derisive glare before she shut the door.
I can't wait to be out of here tomorrow. I thought and looked around the room to see if anyone was waiting to pounce on me. I didn't see anyone, or any secret passages, so I walked over to the bed and pushed most of the large pillows off of it and left two to use as pillows. I undressed and stored my fancy clothes in my bag of holding, then I took out my nightgown and put it on. I looked at the large bed and regretted that it was going to be the first time I would be sleeping alone in over a year. I held in my sigh as I climbed onto the bed and slid under the covers, then I entered my partial meditation state so I could keep watch and sleep at the same time.
It was going to be a long night.
*
Why did I overreact like that? Braya asked herself as she went down the hallway and entered her room. I know I have a temper... we all do... but... She thought of her sisters and her mother as she stripped off her dress and pulled on a flimsy nightie, then she climbed into bed. She laid there quietly as she mulled it over. That server really bothered me. She admitted to herself. The gall of her! Hanging all over a man right in front of the queen!
Braya rolled over in her bed and inadvertently faced the direction of the guest room. When she realized what she had done, she immediately rolled over to face the other way. A moment later, she rolled back to face the guest room, because she had a puzzling thought.
He can easily see me from there. Braya thought as she remembered how far Hunter could 'see' without using his eyes. Her hands checked to make sure that her nightie covered her and she crossed her legs. No free show for you. She thought and relaxed, then drifted off to sleep.
*
Unodae left the kitchen in the happiest mood she had ever been in. Never in her life had she thought that she could enjoy the company of a man. Of course, he wasn't an elf, and like she had told him, that only increased his appeal. She knew male elves were the dregs of society and were kept segregated for a reason. Spending time with a man that was attentive, smart, listened, followed her directions, made suggestions, and could actually cook, had made her mind and body shiver with delight and pleasure.
Unodae climbed into bed, sans clothes, to the surprise of her three bed sisters. When they asked her what was wrong, she told them about her wonderful time spent with Hunter in the kitchen. Some of them didn't believe she actually taught him, until she took one of their hands and used it to touch herself.
“You're primed!” The young woman exclaimed as she felt the supreme wetness between Unodae's legs. “How? How can you be like this?”
“I told you.” Unodae moaned as the woman's fingers probed her. “Oh... what... what a man he is!”
“Let me see.” One of the others slipped under the blanket and moved down to see for herself. “It's true!” Her muffled voice said, then Unodae felt the tender touch of a tongue and squirmed happily.
“Tell us everything.” The third bed sister said as she took her hand and kissed her. Unodae nodded several times, and her bed sisters helped her relax as she started to tell them everything.
It was going to be a long night.
*
“Hunter was right. It was his fault that the old lady saw us.” Viri said as she tried to use her locate ability to look into the magical barrier. She failed again, because all that showed was a thick layer of magic and nothing else. “I've tried and tried, and I can't even see that tree right there!” She said and pointed to the tree at the edge of the forest that was just inside the barrier.
“Then he was right again.” Maylia said and hugged Afyne close. “He said we would have to wait to see him again when he came back out.”
“I hope he's okay.” Afyne said, and Maylia kissed her forehead.
“If he isn't, we will tear down this barrier and hunt down whoever hurt him.” Maylia said, her voice full of confidence. Several heads nodded in agreement, and Maylia wasn't surprised that Jessica's and Kara's heads were among them.
“Let's get to bed.” Kara said and stood.
“Yes, we have a lot of training to do.” Maylia said and stood with Afyne.
“Goodnight, everyone.” Afyne said and the two of them went into their tent.
“Does anyone else think that their relationship is a little weird?” Steven asked when he was sure that Maylia couldn't hear him.
“No.” Kara said. “Hunter and Maylia are her guardians.”
“But... they... well, they act like...” Steven wasn't sure how to put it into words.
“They act in whatever capacity the child needs.” Kara said as if she was lecturing. “Brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, best friend, trainer, and even discipline giver or sometimes be a rival. Any role needed to strengthen the child is the role they will take.”
“You have got to be joking.” Steven said, and she shook her head. “How the hell can they do that?”
“If you're skilled, it's automatic.” Kara said and walked over to the parked carriage and climbed up on top of it to take her nightly perch. “Afyne is in better hands than I was.” She said and sat down in the lotus position. “I only had one guardian growing up.”
No one knew how to respond to that, especially since they knew she had two parents, so they drifted off to their tents and went to bed.