Ursus and Narja staggered back to Ursus’ tent. Narja was exhausted and Ursus was covered in bruises as she vented her frustrations on him. Tarja and Nari followed a few minutes later, hosting a barrel between them. Looks like they intended to drown their frustrations in drink. Over by the campfire, Gran was talking to Amber and Keari about something. At first, they seemed surprised and shocked, then both embraced Gran with big grins on their faces.
Hmm, I should ask about that later. No wait never mind, Gran would tell me in due time, no doubt. Besides, I was busy myself. “Your curiosity about what those three are talking about is ruining the mood, you know.” I felt a twinge of annoyance from Sarirrva. So, this was what Pearl dealt with all the time with Indella?
I turned back to Sarirrva. “Sorry but that, but it seemed rather important. She shrugged. “It’s fine. They are your family and while not by blood, that matters little in the grand scheme of things.” That was not something I expected to hear from her. Sarirrva, sensing my confusion, laughed. “When you live as long as a dragon, you wind up with relatives so far removed they can’t be called relatives by blood anymore. So, a direct blood relation is something that’s viewed as a bonus, more than a necessity to be considered family.”
Suddenly, the emotions I got from Sarirrva changed, and the cool night air felt much warmer. “That aside, why don’t we retreat into your cabin for some alone time? After all, Gran brought a few extra tents with him.” I looked at her, down at my drink, then back at her. Then I downed the remaining pint in one gulp. “Sure, sounds good.” This was going to be a night to remember.
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A sister. I was going to be a big sister. Amber seemed as shocked as I was. I didn’t think such a thing was possible, and if dad’s expression was anything to go by, I wasn’t alone in that assumption. I honestly didn’t know how to react to the news. First, I learned about a twin that was once a part of me. And now I was going to be a big sister? This was a bit much all at once, and I wasn’t certain how to handle it all right now.
Amber plopped down on the bench beside me. “Sister huh, wonder how that feels…” Amber seemed downright melancholic. “Hey now, no need to be down, aren’t we basically siblings?” Amber looked at me with an incredulous expression, before she slowly nodded. “Huh… you know… I… never thought of it that way before. No, wait. That’s not true I did, but I never wanted to admit it to myself.” I pulled her into a hug. “Even if I didn’t think of you as my sister, you would never be alone, Amber. I’ll be there for you, always.” Amber hesitated for a few moments, then she returned the hug with a surprising amount of strength.
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“Are you sure about this?” I looked over at Cassandra, and the bundle in her hands. “Honestly? Not really, but who else would take her in?” She looked down at the bundle as she spoke, then looked up at me. I couldn’t help but agree with her assessment about all of this. “I suppose you have a point. This is not a responsibility I would force on anyone, so on behalf of the pantheon, thank you.”
Cassandra shook her head. “It is we who should be thanking you. Not only did you free us from being tools in this madness, but you even gave us a place to stay. And while I doubt it was purely altruistic thoughts behind it, it’s better than being left with nothing but the clothes on our back.” I shrugged. “I will admit there were more than a few considerations behind it. One of which was to monitor the kid, to ensure no relapses, another to prevent retaliations against you three. The beast-kin are steadfast allies, but remind me of myself in my younger years, with the ability to hold a grudge beyond human comprehension. They could wait years, decades even just for that one perfect opportunity, even enlisting aid from distant relatives living in cities like Caelyn.”
I looked out of the window in the small, unassuming home that the three now lived in on the outskirts of Sporecap. “Besides, having you live in my own personal domain is the safest for you three, given what has transpired. Giving her a chance at a mortal life wouldn’t really work if she dies first thing. So, it’s better this way, for good or ill.”
The door opened and Izrah came in with a tray of tea. “And we are quite grateful for your hospitality, your divine ladyship.” Izrah’s voice was still shaky, but she was recovering from the corruption well enough. Her soul, while suppressed, was intact and mostly unharmed by all of this, despite a century of exposure to the void. I didn’t doubt for a second the pact between Cassandra and Balance was the reason her soul wasn’t destroyed after so long.
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Izrah divided out the teacups, then looked down at the bundle. “Will she remember anything?” I took a sip, a mild and pleasant aroma met my lips. Not bad at all. “She will, though it won’t be all at once. I mean, she can’t really have a childhood if she has the mentality of an adult, after all. She knows she has memories sealed away, and she knows they will return over time, but that’s all, for now. And because of this, she cannot understand that meaning yet.
Cassandra put her own cup down and slowly looked down at the sleeping child. “I don’t envy her at all, given what she has to go through.” I shrugged. “It was by her own request, something I made sure she would remember first, so that hardship will be something she can only blame herself for if she blames anyone. Besides, being mortal comes with many aspects, good and bad. It wouldn’t be much of a mortal life if she didn’t experience the full spectrum.” Afterwards, we the conversation stagnated, and so we drank our tea in silence. I took my leave soon after.
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The light in my private dining room was dim, with most of the light coming from the fireplace and candles, rather than the daylight spell that would usually accompany meals here. However, this was a special occasion. It was a private dinner, and I clarified unless it was Mistress herself or the literal end of the world, then nothing was to disturb me tonight, nothing. On the pain of death. I pulled out all the stops for this one, even asking Lienru to make the food. The Kobold-turned-Draconian-turned-Demigoddess was more than happy to oblige when she learned the reason behind it.
Shaluna entered the room, dressed in a beautiful silken dress. “You said to dress formally, so…” her voice trailed off as I quickly rose from my seat and helped her sit down at hers, across from me. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a romantic dinner if we didn’t dress up for it, now would it?” I was wearing a simple attire, mostly because getting clothes onto my frame was problematic at the best of times. Horns and shirts seldom went well together, but I was wearing my best formal wear for the occasion.
I snapped my fingers and a low but calming and beautiful piece of violin music played in the background. Lending more to the atmosphere as Lienru herself delivered the first dish. It was a simple recipe that she got from Mistress. What did she call it? Spaghetti alla Carbonara? When Shaluna saw it, her eyes widened. “How did…” She then looked at me, then down at the dish, and reached for her fork. I did the same, following the instructions on how to eat this dish from Lienru.
The taste was interesting, like nothing I ever tasted before. Meanwhile, I could see tears well up in Shaluna’s eyes. I doubted it was because the dish was bad, so I suspected it was a resounding success. It was a good thing I remembered Shaluna once mentioned she tried this dish once long ago during one of our conversations. She clammed up afterwards, likely realizing she admitted to being an otherworlder on accident. However, I remembered her distant, longing expression, even if I didn’t put one and one together back then.
Shaluna told me all about it after we returned from the battle. My guess was she wanted to come clean. It didn’t really matter to me either way where she was from. Slyvanport or Earth, or any other reality out there, it didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that she was here now.
The meal passed as we talked loosely about various simple topics, and once we finished the spaghetti, the dessert was delivered. Chocolate chip ice cream. As we ate it, I deftly snapped my fingers, and the fireplace went out. “Bah, what an amateurish mistake on the servants’ part. Just a moment and I’ll fix it.” I rose and walked past Shaluna and over to the fireplace, where a simple gesture reignited the flame. Showtime.
I took the hidden box down from the fireplace shelf. Then I turned around and walked over to Shaluna again. Emotionally, I was being wrecked right now, doubt, fear and hope all warring within me. Fear, such a strange sensation. This was the first time I could legitimately recall feeling it. Sure, Mistress’ little incident during the 2nd Void War startled me, but this was beyond that.
As I passed Shaluna, I cleared my throat. She looked up from her ice cream with a confused expression, but her eyes widened at what happened next. I went down on one knee, took out the box and opened it, showing a beautifully adorned gold ring with a diamond set in an ornate starsilver holding. “Shaluna, most beautiful of all stars in the sky, will you marry me?” She stared at me, then the ring in shock. “I… I…. Yes, Yes, I will.” Her voice was cracking and just a whisper as tears were welling up in her eyes once more.
As I carefully moved to put the ring on her finger, the magic within ensuring a perfect fit, I leaned forward and gave her a long, gentle kiss. I understood now why Mistress was so insistent I kept Shaluna near me. Life was more than just orders and work, and I knew from the bottom of my heart, my life would not be complete without Shaluna at my side. After we finished the rest of the desert, we spent the rest of the night cuddling in front of the fire, just the two of us.
We needed nothing except each other at that moment, and for the few more hours it took for Shaluna to fall asleep. It was the best moment of my life so far. I carried Shaluna to our bed with great care, and any servant who approached quickly found better things to do than to disturb my walk. Work could wait until tomorrow. For now, I wanted Shaluna to have the happiest dreams ever, so that the beautiful smile on her beautiful face would never fade.