"I won't say that ... that I'm not apprehensive about the possibilities," Elizabeth answers, closing her eyes and leaning into Melissa's hand. "But Saleh's presence has opened my mind up to things I never let myself feel before. And as nervous as it makes me, I wish to explore my feelings with you as well."
Without preamble the sorceress grasps Melissa head with both hands and pulls her in to press her lips against those of the red-head who squeaks in immediate response, but then melts into the moment.
When they finally pull apart to gasp for breath, Elizabeth turns to the man watching with increasing anticipation. She pulls him in for a kiss that's almost as passionate. Her hand wanders as their lips move against each other and it continues its motions as they separate. "I know this is asking a lot," she says, looking nervous as she meets his eyes. "And I would never wish you to feel marginalized. However, I believe that Miss Daylenne has been waiting literally years for this moment and to make up for that I'd like to give her my full attention for just a bit. I promise that your patience will be rewarded." Moving in, she gives him another heated kiss and then pulls away to turn to Melissa.
"You have spent so many years seeing to my every need, Melissa," she says. "So I feel that it's only right that I attempt to repay just a minuscule amount." That said, she pushes Melissa back into the pillows and her hands move down to complete the job that Saleh begin in untying her blouse. "My one request, Saleh," she says over her shoulder, "Is that I'm quite aware that I've never done anything like this before. Please don't laugh at my ineptitude." She lowers down and presses her lips against Melissa's neck who closes her eyes and moans.
Saleh nods silently and retreats to the edge of the bed, a position from which he watches with full appreciation, taking slow pleasure in the acts being performed in front of him.
More kisses follow and Elizabeth's hands aren't idle in the process. In a short time, she's divested Melissa of her garments. The sorceress' hands then begin roaming over the red-head's exposed skin drawing more moans from the woman. One particular spot produces a gasp and Melissa's hand moves to cover her mouth as louder moans follow. "So you like that as well," Elizabeth says with a grin as she pauses in her kisses. "I thought you might considering how often you ... oh!" Her words are cut short when Melissa's other hand slips inside the Elizabeth's unbelted dressing gown. The loose garment is quickly tossed aside and the two women press their bodies together with their hands trapped between them as they race each other to their goal.
That goal isn't long in reaching as they both cry out within seconds of each other. Elizabeth collapses on top of her lover and rests there for long moments sharing soft kisses with the woman beneath her. A moment later and she pulls back. "Is something wrong? Did I not ... do it ... right?" she asks, her voice filling with alarm. "What?" Melissa replies in surprise. "No, you did that wonderfully."
Elizabeth frowns. "But ... but you're crying," she says in a lost voice. Melissa laughs softly, her chest bouncing as she reaches up to wipe the wetness from her face. "Happy tears, Miss. Happy tears. I love you." Elizabeth looks down at the woman for a moment. "I love you as well, Melissa," she says in a voice filled with emotion. "I know I don't show it the way that people ..." Melissa stops the woman's words with a fingertip on her lips. "You are who you are, Miss. I know that more'n anybody. And if'n you say you love me then you've already turned me into the happiest woman in the world." She looks over at Saleh. "And if Mister Saleh still wants to marry us both, then that would make me even happier," she says with a grin. With her other hand, she gestures for the man to join them.
"There is nothing I want more." Saleh replies, accepting Melissa's invitation and wrapping the redhead in one huge arm once again, while his other hand reaches for Elizabeth and begins to glide up and down her skin.
There was a buzz of murmuring when Elizbeth entered the kitchen proper. Her clear voice cut through the sound. "Dana, would you gather the entire staff at once, please, and meet me in the parlor?" she commanded. As she turned to exit the steamy room the noise, if anything, increased.
Ten minutes later and the staff of the townhouse had gathered in the expansive parlor. Elizabeth sat in one of the tall leather chairs that would normally face the fireplace, but it was now facing the center of the room where the nine members of the Gray House staff stood at attention. The chair looked expensive and comfortable. However, Elizabeth could have been sitting in a church pew for how rigid she sat, holding a folded parchment in one hand. Melissa stood next to the chair holding the woman's other hand and Saleh was behind the chair facing the fireplace. If the servants knew the man as well as the two ladies looking at them, then they would have been more nervous.
"You wished to speak with us, Miss Adamell?" Dana asked in a calm voice.
"Yes, I did," Elizabeth responded in an equally calm voice as she looked down at the parchment in her hand. "I had informed my father of my engagement with the level of detail that is warranted considering our relationship." She sits silently for a moment before continuing. "However, someone in this household felt the need to elaborate to a greater extent on the nature of that engagement along with their opinion of the event, in a letter."
Some of the staff members stole glances at each other, wondering who would have breached etiquette in such a forbidden manner and Melissa glowered at all of them.
"Does anyone know who would do something like that?" Elizabeth asked. There was silence, but for the quiet shuffling of nervous feet. "A breach of confidence of the household is an offense that I will seek out the source of. And if ..."
"Vherhina did it," Dana blurted out and there were gasps among those gathered. Surprised gazes turned to a thin woman with straw-colored hair whose eyes widened and turned to Dana. Dana glared back at her. Vherhina's shoulders slumped and she stepped forward. "I done it, Miss. I wrote the letter."
Elizabeth frowned, her eyes moving from Dana to the pale-haired woman. "Why would you do such a thing, Vherhina?" The woman began to look back at Dana, but Elizabeth snapped out, "I'm asking you a question!" The woman's eyes returned to Elizabeth's and then the floor. "I-I just ... I guess I wanted Master Adamell ta ... ta know."
"To know what, Vherhina?"
"Miss?"
"What did you wish my father to know? Specifically." Elizabeth's eyes were narrowed as she watched the woman's reactions.
"Uh, well, um ... I guess I wanted him to know ... uh ... more about ... uh ... your engagement?"
"I believe that Vherhina wanted to inform your father that you were marrying beneath your station ... and with more than one person beneath your station, Miss," Dana offered up helpfully.
Anger still on her face, Melissa's eyes dropped to the thick rug on the floor.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "He's made it clear to me that I need to either end my ... what did he call it?" Elizabeth said as she unfolded the parchment. "Ah, yes ... I need to either end my 'whoring around' or he'll cut me off from the family resources. And that includes Gray House." She took a deep breath.
"I am very disappointed because I thought there was trust established here. Clearly I was wrong." Elizabeth's voice was heavy. However, when she looked up at the gathered servants, there was determination in her eyes. "I've realized that I will no longer be beholden to those that place no value on me as a person. So as of the end of the week, we," she gestured to include Melissa and Saleh, "will be leaving Gray House for good."
Dana's smirk was ill-concealed.
Elizabeth continued. "Some may consider it gauche, but I would like to offer most of you further employment at my new abode, but I'll understand if you decline."
"I feel that I speak for everyone here at Gray House, when I say that we have no wish to ..." Dana began, but was quickly interrupted.
"I wasn't making that offer to you, Dana," Elizabeth voice cut through the room. "And I'm quite aware that you wouldn't want to work with ... what did you call me?" She pulls from within the partially folded parchment in her lap, a separate letter. Dana's face blanched. "'A disgrace to the family name of Adamell'?" she read from the letter. Her eyes looked back up at Dana's. "Yes, he sent your letter back with his own. And I will not injure them further with what you called those I hold dear to my heart."
"Miss Adamell," Dana began with a sneer, "I was just ..."
"What you are, Dana," Elizabeth interrupted again, "is unemployed."
"What? You can't do that. You're not even part of the family any more! You said it yourself! You have no authority over me."
"Details, details, Dana," Elizabeth replied in a calm voice. "It's all about the details. The letter I've sent responding to my father won't be posted until the end of the week. So until then, I do have the authority over who does and doesn't find employment here at Gray House. And you, Dana, are decidedly in the latter category. I've also sent letters to all of the major families here in the city, informing them of your breach of house confidence. No wants someone who'll willing leak private and personal information to outsiders. You have one hour to gather your things and leave Gray House. The longer you take, the more likely I'll rescind the request I made to Mister Saleh prohibiting violence."
The large man finally turns to face the group and the death stare he gives the older woman causes her to pale. Without another word she dashes from the room.
"Reva," Melissa says, speaking up for the first time. "Would you accompany Dana to her room and then the door and ensure that she leaves with only what's hers?"
"Yes, Miss," the dark-haired woman replied with a curtsey and also exited the room.
"If'n I may be so bold, Miss?" one of the scullery maids questioned, raising her hand slightly. "Yes?" Elizabeth replied in a voice that was calm again. "If we was inclined, Miss, to continue in your employment. Where would we be living?" she asked. Elizabeth smiled. "I have just finished taking ownership of the Monastery of the Still Waters here in the city."
"That place's been empty for years, Miss. Ain't it falling down?"
"While it does need some repair work, it's condition isn't quite so drastic. Once it's cleaned up, it'll serve my purposes perfectly."
"And what might that be, Miss?"
~~~~~~~
"Just a little higher, Beatrice," Elizabeth instructed the younger woman as the edge of the stone arch rose a little more, hovering in mid-air as if held by the hand of a god. "Now, Paula, insert the new stone." A darker skinned woman finished words of magic and a large cut stone lifted up into the air and slipped into the allotted space. The top of the arch dropped back down and the three women stepped back to survey their handiwork.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it," a new voice said with a laugh. "Elizabeth Rose Adamell engaged in trade work."
Elizabeth turned to see her sister standing there in the restored gallery, holding an infant in her arms.
"Hello, Christa," Elizabeth said in a guarded voice.
"Hello, Elizabeth," the woman answered with a smile.
"Come to ridicule me? I wouldn't recommend it or I might have to inform Father that you're actually talking to me. You wouldn't want to be excised from the family as well."
Christa waved a dismissive hand. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides I'm not going to tell him I'm coming to your wedding either." She looked around at the ancient stone structure. "So you really bought this heap of stone, didn't you?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly. "Y-you're coming to my wedding?" Christa approached to look Elizabeth in the eyes. "My baby sister is getting married for probably the only time in her life. How could I miss that?" she said with a shake of her head. "Although, most people don't get married with a spare spouse on hand. You just have to do everything a little different, don't you?"
Elizabeth looked through the archway into the large enclosed courtyard. "I love them both so why not marry them both?" she asked as she watched Saleh working with a couple of hired hands to clear the accumulated debris from a stone fountain in the center of the space as Melissa sat on a nearby bench offering unsolicited advice.
"Sounds like twice as many opportunities for an argument," her sister commented, following her eyes to watch the activity.
"Rather say, twice as much ... other things," Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to finish the statement how she'd originally intended, but the flush on her face told her sister everything she needed to know. Christa's eyes widened. "You don't mean that you ... with ... with both of them?"
Elizabeth turned and gave her sister a shy grin. "Sometimes at the same time," she said quietly. Christa's eyes grew even wider as she turned to Elizabeth and then looked back out into the courtyard. "He is a handsome fellow," she said with embarrassed laughter.
A shriek followed and the two ladies looked to see Melissa rising from the bench, drenched in water. Her unneeded advice being declined in a physical fashion.
"Oh, she turned into a beauty, too, didn't she?" Christa added. "She's always been beautiful," Elizabeth corrected. "Would you and Philip like to meet them?"
"We would love to."
Saleh steps out of the fountain and hands off the bucket which he just used to drench his fiancee to one of his helpers. Thus freed he advances on Melissa and catches her up in his arms, whirling her around in a great swirl of water as he kisses her thoroughly.
"If you don't have anything better to do with your tongue than sit around wagging it at us, then how about you find something to eat?" He asks, the question made flirtatious by how low his voice drops. "Just don't get changed, it's much more fun watching you in a wet shirt."
Seeing over the red-head's shoulder that Elizabeth is talking to a woman who looks rather like her he frowns slightly. "Who's that?" He asks, releasing Melissa so that she can turn around and actually answer his question.
Melissa's righteous indignation at having been doused in less-than-clean fountain water is interrupted by Saleh's whirling hug and kiss.
She's about to reply to his flirtatious comment when she also notices the woman that he's referring to. Her levity turns to concern and she furrows her brow. "That's Miss Christa, my Miss' older sister," she says. Her frown fades to a sad smile. "And that's Master Philip in her arms. He's such a cute one." She leans in close. "They're looking at us. Why are they looking at us?" She raises a hand to give a half-hearted wave. To her surprise, the two women beginning to walk towards them.
"Oh, gods, she can't see me like this!" she gasps, looking down at her soaked clothes. "Tell them I'll be right back."
Without another word, she turns and dashes away towards the mostly-cleaned living quarters.
As the women approach, Elizabeth watches Melissa make a hasty retreat, but the other woman eyes Saleh with a shy smile.
"Mister Saleh," Elizabeth offers in a formal voice. "Allow me to introduce my sister, the Lady Christa Lancaster. Christa, this is my ... one of my fiancés, Saleh el'Dinn." She looks over to where Melissa made her exit. "You already know Melissa, but I imagine that she'll be back shortly?" she questions with a raised eyebrow in Saleh's direction. "Was she on fire and you felt the need to douse it?"
"Lady Christa." Saleh replies with a good approximation of a formal bow, taking the woman's hand and brushing his lips across it. "Apologies for my current state." Shirtless and dripping wet Saleh is definitely not properly dressed, although from the appreciative glances Christa keeps giving his muscled torso she doesn't seem to mind excessively.
"I was worried that her tongue was going to catch fire the amount she was using it." He continues, turning his attention to his fiancee. "I'm sure she'll be back soon. It is a..." He pauses briefly, trying to find the appropriate words, "pleasant surprise to meet you Lady Christa. You are the first Adamell I've met apart from Elizabeth." His tone is not at all judgmental, more curious.
"And unfortunately as a reflection of the character of our family, I'll probably be the only other one you do meet," Christa responds with a smile. "Our father was, as you may have experienced, less than pleased with Elizabeth's life decisions."
"Father can go piss up a rope for all I care," Elizabeth mutters under her breath. Christa's eyes widen in surprise before she covers the growing smile on her face with her hand.
"Mister Saleh," Elizabeth says with resumed formality. "I should also introduce you to Philip Lancaster III - my nephew. Don't get too close, projectile vomiting has occured in the past." Christa gives her sister a playful shove. "That only happened once and I warned you that he wasn't feeling well," she says with a laugh. "Besides, you'll have to get used to it if you're going to have your own some day."
Elizabeth turns to give her sister such a look of disgust that the woman breaks out in quiet laughter again. "I have no desire whatsoever to bear a child," the sorceress states flatly before turning to look at Salah. "And if Mister Saleh wishes for any children he'd best be having that discussion with our partner, Melissa."
"What kind of discussion is Mister Salah supposed ta have with me?" Melissa questions, making her reappearance. Her soaked clothes have been replaced with fresh garments appropriate for guests.
"Children," Elizabeth states succinctly. "I was just explaining to my sister that I have no plans on bearing any."
"Oh, I'd love me two or three wee ones running about," Melissa says, clearly excited at the idea. She wraps one arm through Saleh's. "When can we start?" she adds with a giggle. "Hello, Melissa," Christa offers with a nod of her head.
"Hello, Miss Christa," Melissa responds in a much quieter tone.
"We're going to be related, Melissa," Christa says with a soft smile. "I think you can just call my Christa now."
Melissa's eyes drop down to the weed-filled flagstones. "I ... uh ... I'm sorry, Miss Christa, but I don't think I can do that."
Christa looks confused for a moment. "Why ...?" she begins, but then understanding fills her face and sadness follows. "Of course." She swallows and then frowns. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about that. I didn't know about it until after and I was horrified that ..."
"Isn't little Philip such a cutie?" Melissa interrupts Christa to step forward to tickle the baby under the chin.
"Horrified about what, Christa?" Elizabeth asks, suspicion slipping into her voice.
"About nothing, Miss," Melissa says, looking up at Christa. "You never told her?" Christa questions.
"Told me what? Melissa?" Elizabeth continues to question.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself about!" the red-head states flately. "I gots other things I gots to be doing. It was good to see ya again, Miss Christa. I hope you and Master Philip can come back and visit once we get the place in shape. Good afternoon." With that she turns and makes a quick exit through one of the gallery arches.
"Melissa!" Elizabeth calls out and storms off after her, leaving an awkward silence between Christa and Saleh.
The woman that looks an awful lot like one of his fiances finally turns back to Saleh. Slightly bouncing the infant in her arms, she plasters on a smile. "So how does that work? Are you going to have a schedule regarding who sleeps with whom?" she asks with a nervous giggle. "I know that sounds a little personal, but I live a boring life and if I can live vicariously through my sister's unconventional choices I'll take what I can get."
"Then your husband does not appreciate you as you deserve!" Saleh replies with a gallant, and slightly theatrical bow. The worried look he shoots after his fiancees is noticeable however.
"Perhaps," He offers, matching Christa's smile with one of his own, "We might exchange information? I'd like to know more about Elizabeth's family. She and Melissa share so much that I just don't know about..."
He escorts Christa to a (dry) bench and offers her the seat. "To answer your questions, no we do not have a schedule, it's more a matter of when the mood strikes. Some of us are more... enthusiastic more often than others but since no-one is shy things tend to work out well enough." He pauses and then adds, "And if you want more details that will be another question."
The silence stretches for a moment as the large man seems to weigh the question before speaking again. "Miss Christa, I will defer to your judgement here, but would you tell me what happened between you and Melissa? If I need to mediate I would like to know why."
Christa accepts Saleh's flattery with the grace of a skilled socialite. When he bring's up Melissa, her facade fades slightly.
"I don't know if it's my story to tell, buy you will be marrying her still and perhaps it'll give you some insight into ..." She waves away the rest of her statement.
"I don't know how much you know of Melissa and my sister's history. So some of this you may already have heard. Melissa's parents came to work for my family many years ago. When her parents died, Elizabeth was insistent that Melissa be allowed to remain as her personal companion. My parents weren't thrilled with that idea. That gets too close to crossing the line between 'family' and 'staff'. And when Melissa got sick ..." She shakes her head. "Let's just say that when my sister decides to put her foot down about something ..." She gives Saleh a smirk. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself in to."
Christa turns to look across the courtyard.
"So ... Yes ... They became quite close, spending hours and hours together and something probably would have set him off even if ..." She turns to look back at the warrior. "One of the more ... emplaced ... servants overheard them playing and felt it was enough of a breach of etiquette that she just had to tell my father." She settles herself on the bench and shifts Philip to a more comfortable position. "She discovered that when they were alone, Melissa had begun calling Elizabeth directly by her first name. Not 'Miss Elizabeth' as was proper. Elizabeth had even encouraged her to do so."
She lets that grave sin sink in.
"My father was furious. As punishment, he sent Elizabeth off to our Aunt and Uncle for a week without her companion. And for her companion, he decided that she needed to learn her place." Her eyes look away. "I didn't find this out till years later, but he sent her down to the stables for the duration of Elizabeth's absence and instructed our stable-master, Big Yanas, to let her know the touch of the horse whip." She clinches her jaw. "I've heard large stallions scream when he set it to them. I can't imagine what it felt like as a twelve-year-old girl."
"The more I think about it the more I can see Melissa not telling her. My sister has a temper and if she had known ..." She shakes her head. "Elizabeth is quite capable of doing something in a fit of anger that she would regret otherwise. And perhaps I shouldn't have told you this as well," she continues, noting Saleh's posture changing and his muscles tensing. "Just be aware Mister el'Dinn, that I can tell that you're a man of action. But I can't believe that my sister would have feelings for someone that gives in to their impulses. Our father is a powerful force, Sir and not one to cross lightly. So please don't take it into your head to attempt to right wrongs that are best left to the past."
Saleh's hand clenches around the edge of the bench as Christa speaks until with a soft crunch a chunk of the stonework comes away in his fist. He breathes long and deep until his face calms, but a trickle of dust from his still clenched fist shows that he isn't as calm as he looks.
"It seems that everything I hear about your father paints him in a worse light." He says, trying for a reasonably light tone. "And frankly a number of your servants seem no better. Forgive me if I mis-judge him. Now, your turn I think?"
Christa grimaces at Saleh's reaction. "I won't attempt to convince you that he's really a good man at heart, because he's not. But he is my father. But in any case ..." Her eyes wander off to where the other two ladies vanished. "Since it's my turn ... It may be a prurient question, but I just absolute cannot imagine my Elizabeth in the throes of physical passion. Does she actually ...? I mean do you and her ..." She turns back to looks at Saleh and her face is a delicate pink. "Or is it just her and Melissa? Which in itself boggles my mind."
She smiles slightly.
"Whatever she may have told you, I do care for my sister and I want her to be happy. So that is why I ask."
The woman's eyes move down the length of Saleh's scarred arm to his strong, large hands.
Saleh finally manages a real smile at the question. "Do you?" He counters. "I can't imagine Elizabeth finds it any easier to imagine you than you find it for her. But yes, we do. It wouldn't have happened without Melissa but Elizabeth wanted it. She'd decided it was time to overcome her past and I'm sure you know how she is once she's decided on something." He smiles again. "And that's all I think you want to know. I don't want to have to fight your husband because I 'corrupted' his wife. Apparently I'm a very bad influence on noble-born women..."
Checking, and seeing that neither of his girls have emerged, Saleh decides to continue with the game. "What is the most embarrassing story you can tell me?" He asks, "Something about both of them would be best."
"Oh, no need to worry about my Windell," Christa says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm sure you could snap him like a twig," she adds with an almost casual brush of her fingers along Saleh's arm. "I think I will have to come by for more regular visits; Elizabeth is my sister after all."
She considers the man's request for a moment, the finger of one hand tapping on the front of her very straight, white teeth. "Something embarrassing, you say? There are a number of stories that would satisfy that for them individually. The time that Elizabeth decided she wanted to mount a saddle like a man. The time Melissa ended up neck-deep in our muddy duck pond. But both of them ..."
She sits quietly for a bit, unconsciously bouncing Philip up and down in her arms. "The cherry pies," she says finally with a nod and a grin. She leans in closer to Salah conspiratorially and begins to speak quietly.
"When Elizabeth was fourteen, she decided that one of the skills she wished to conquer was baking. If you know Elizabeth then you know that once she fixes her mind on something, it becomes all consuming. She devoured every book on the subject in our library and even visited one of the nearby monasteries that was renowned for their bread with Melissa in tow to read the scrolls they had on it. She wasn't interested in anyone showing her anything personally. No, that would be the trait of a weaker person. It was knowledge and she didn't need anyone's assistance."
Christa covers her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.
"Oh, Mister el'Dinn. A couple of weeks later and she had convinced herself that she now knew everything there was to know about the subject. Mind you, she hadn't baked a biscuit one, yet. She declares to the family that she would be providing the dessert for the evening in the form of cherry pie - three cherry pies to be exact. Our baker was only too willing to provide assistance in the kitchen, but Elizabeth would have none of it - she felt that she'd mastered baking and so exiled the staff from the kitchen to commence her masterpieces. Melissa hadn't helped any, bragging to the staff for the prior week about how smart my sister was and how she was going to show everyone how she could master anything with just her mind."
The woman takes a deep sigh and shifts the infant in her arms.
"I honestly don't know what she did wrong. I know nothing about baking. All I know is that about an hour into her 'project', there was a huge 'bang!' from the kitchen and before anyone could race in there to see if they were unharmed, Elizabeth came stalking out of the kitchen with Melissa right behind her and they were both covered in dough and cherry filling. I'm sure it was hot, but they both refused any assistance and walked with calm dignity back to Elizabeth's rooms. We didn't see the two of them for three days. They took their meals in her room and wouldn't talk to anyone. The kitchen was a shambles and Cook was furious, but there wasn't really anything she could do."
Christa smirks.
"She never set foot in the kitchen again and I imagine that Cook wouldn't have let her. Not a word about baking was mentioned by either of them again."
Elizabeth's sister stands, shifting Philip to her hip. "Now, Mister el'Dinn, I would love to remain and hear more details on the ... physical ... dynamics of three people - and I expect more details next time - but my son does have certain needs and they must be attended to with a certain degree of urgency, so I will bid you a good day. Please extend my apologies to Elizabeth and Melissa that I wasn't able to say goodbye to them myself. Good day, Sir."
With that, Christa takes her leave with a lingering look at the warrior before vanishing through the arched gallery to the city street.
Saleh watches Christa go, shaking his head softly. 'This is getting ridiculous.'
--------------------------------------
The shop is as dark and crammed as Saleh remembers, although the taxidermied bat apparently did not survive its encounter with Lachrymosa’s thugs so there is more headroom at least. The old woman is perched on a stool behind the counter and looks up with a smile when Saleh steps in. The smile is more gap-toothed than it was before, but otherwise the wrinkled old woman seems to have recovered from her ordeal remarkably well.
”Ahh, my young giant. How are you young man?” She asks, hopping off the stool. ”I hear that we have you to thank for Lachrymosa’s… retirement. And congratulations are in order?” She reaches up to shake Saleh’s hand before pulling him down to her height for an embrace. ”So what are you coming here for today? A wedding ring perhaps? Or even two?” Her dark eyes twinkle in the dim lighting. ”I may be old young man but my ears still work. And people do love to gossip with an old lady.”
Saleh manages to stop himself gaping and accepts the woman’s embrace with a gentle pat on the back. ”We’ve never been introduced.” He says eventually, fumbling for a slightly more normal conversation. ”My name is Saleh el’Dinn, although I imagine you know that?” He offers his hand along with the question.
”Grinna Stonesdottir.” The woman replies, accepting the handshake with a surprisingly strong grip of her own. ”Last time you wanted magic. What about this time young Saleh?”
”You were right.” Saleh replies, having recovered his composure somewhat. ”I’m looking for rings, and possibly other jewels. My fiancees deserve the best and I was… indisposed for a while. I know that your shop was ransacked but I was hoping that you might have picked up some new stock, or could point me to where I could find some?”
Grimma nods, thoughtfully. ”My son. He ran a shop too. We combined our stock after we got away from Lachrymosa’s people. Come with me and lets see what we can find.”
Being led into the backroom Saleh gets a brief shiver down his spine and keeps his eyes firmly on his host. ”Promise you won’t hit me again?” He asks.
”Aye,” Grimma responds with a smile. ”Sorry aboot that lad. You seemed like a stubborn sort and I wasn’t going to let you get hurt on my account. So I gave them my magical items and hoped. You seem to have come out of it alright.” She nods towards a heavy candlestick on a low shelf. ”But I won’t touch that again. I promise.”
The safe has gone, replaced by more shelving, and Grimma opens a cunningly concealed latch to swing a large section of wall out to reveal another room with a steady light and the gleam of precious stones.
”My son dealt in jewellery mostly.” Grimma says. ”Always had a good eye. Not so much in nerves though. He doesn’t work much now, but I’m an old woman, too stubborn to stop. So, take a look, see if anything catches your eye.”
Saleh steps into the room and looks around at the fine jewels, impressed. As rich as he now is he’s rarely seen such a display of wealth concentrated in a single room. He turns slowly from piece to piece, rather dazzled and more than a little intimidated.
”Tell me about them.” Grimma offers from the doorway. ”What do they look like? Hair colour? Skin?”
”Red hair.” Saleh replies, grateful for the assistance. ”Vivid red with pale skin.”
”You’ll want gold then, simple metals to set off the warmth of her hair. Look to your right, I keep the gold there. And how about your other lady?”
”She’s darker.” Saleh replies, bending a little to examine the golden ornaments arrayed around him. ”Still red, but much darker. Close to brown, and her skin is darker too. I thought perhaps this?” He picks up a fine necklace of silver filigree studded with chunks of amber that glow hypnotically in the soft light. ”This ring goes with it I think?”
”You’ve got a good eye young man.” The proprietor says approvingly. ”You been shopping for sweethearts before?” Her wide smile takes any sting from the words. ”They go together very well. There, on the bottom shelf. Those should suit your red-headed lady too.”
Saleh nods in approval as he finds what Grimma was referring to, a golden ring, bangle and earrings, all set with small diamonds and elaborately engraved. ”These are perfect Grimma. Thank you.” He pulls the jewels from their low shelf and coughs in startled amusement as he realises what was holding the earrings. ”Is this really…?”
Grimma doubles over chortling, ”Oh yes young man. Finest ivory from the east. My husband carved it for me many years ago.” Her chuckles redouble as Saleh replaces the item as though it burned him. ”Oh the tales I could tell you young man, but your ears are too innocent no doubt.” Trying to cover his embarrassment, Saleh collects his prizes and retreats from the storeroom, leaving the chortling Grimma behind him.
The woman emerges a minute or so later, still wheezing with delight and wraps the purchases with the swift efficiency of long practise. ”Forty gold pieces young man, after the laughs you’ve given me you deserve the discount.” Saleh pays without quibble, it’s a small fortune but he has a small fortune to spend and the cause couldn’t be more worthwhile.
”And this you get for free.” Grimma adds, placing one more package on the counter. ”In thanks for saving my life and my sons. There’s a good smith five doors down the street, tell him I sent you and he’ll make you what you need to go with it. And Master Saleh.” Saleh pulls up sharply, just before the door with his armful of packages. ”I wish all three of you well. You deserve happiness together.”
-----------------------------
Back at the monastery, now fully habitable if not entirely restored to its former glory, Saleh goes looking for the loves of his life and finds them together, examining an old book. Elizabeth’s cheeks are slightly pink when she looks up. ”Saleh look. This is a drawing of how the monastery originally looked. It would be a bit more work but I believe we could restore the façade just as it was. A stonemason for the cornices and then…” She’s cut off by Melissa’s hand falling on her shoulder. ”I think Mi- Saleh has something to tell us.” The red head says, plucking the book from Elizabeth’s lap.
Having been set up so well Saleh smiles and advances on Melissa. ”I know I’ve done this once, but now I’ve actually been able to prepare, so. Melissa Daylenne, would you do me the honour of being my wife?” He kneels, unfolding the cloth parcel to reveal the golden ring her purchased an hour before. ”And this is my apology for the first time.” He adds, offering the bracelet and the matching earrings. ”I love you Melissa. Absolutely and unconditionally.”
Leaving Melissa examining her jewelry with delighted squeals he turns to Elizabeth who has been watching the scene with a genuine smile of her own. ”Elizabeth Rose Adamell, would you do me the honour of being my wife?” He produces the second package and unfolds it, the soft amber eyes winking from the black cloth. ”Neither of you need any adornment. You are perfect in my eyes, but I’ve never had this much coin in my life and I wanted to spend it on you both.”
Elizabeth nods wordlessly and then reaches up to brush at her eyes. "If you're trying to incite me to physical intimacy by doing this a second time," she says, standing and wrapping her arms around the large man's neck. "You might be on to something," she whispers into his ear.
Any further words from Elizabeth are drowned out by the louder squeals Melissa lets out. "Oh, Miss!" she exclaims, bouncing up and down. "Does ya see how beautiful these are?" She holds one hand behind one of the earrings that she's already added to her ears and turns her head slightly.
"Yes, ... Saleh, I will marry you," she says with a grin so wide it threatens to reach her ears. Her hands reach out and pull Saleh's face towards her and she presses her lips to his. Unable to contain herself, she then repeats the same gesture with Elizabeth before pulling back in surprise.
"I'm so sorry, Miss," she says, clearly unsure as to what is allowed or not. "I shouldn't have ... I should ask first."
"I'm going to be your wife, Melissa, if you'll have me as well," Elizabeth says in a soft voice, her arms still wrapped around Saleh's neck. "And so you should never have to ask for permission for that."
Melissa resumes bouncing up and down again. "Oh, Miss, how could I ever say no to you?" she says before looking back at Saleh. "I am so happy." She wraps her arms around both of them before running off down the hall to show off her new jewelry to some of the other ladies of the compound.
"Well that went better than last time..." Saleh says with amusement. "Now, you were saying something about physical intimacy?" He sweeps Elizabeth off her feet in one easy motion and heads for their chamber, intent on making good use of his fiancees current mood.
---------------------------------------
Saleh, reclothed, takes Melissa aside for a private conversation. "So, a while ago when we were dealing with Lachrymosa we had a discussion about 'back doors' and the like." He says, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Well... Grimma gave me something else when I bought your rings, a 'wedding gift' she called it." He unwraps said gift, revealing a carved rod of ivory, lovingly shaped into a male organ.
"There's a harness that goes with it." He says, color rising on his cheeks. "I can't honestly say I want to be on the receiving end, not yet anyway, but I would like to know how serious you were... this could be fun for the three of us, or even just the two of us?"
Melissa's eyes light up at Saleh 'bonus gift' and she laughs. One hand quickly moves to stifle her laughter and she looks around quickly before covering the phalus back up. "Put that away," she says in a hushed whisper. "Unless you want to break m' Miss's big brain." She moves in closer and Saleh can see the heat rising to her face. "We should probably keep this between us for now. No need to scare her away after I finally got to have her the way that I've always wanted."
She gives the large man a wink. "You and me can use it later tonight maybe. I've always wanted to be on that end of it. I'll be gentle, promise." She looks up at him and blink her wide innocent eyes. "You wouldn't deny a lady the chance to take her beau up the bum, now would ya? I do you and then you can do me, that's fair, right?"
She giggles again and gives Saleh a quick peck on the check before she heads off to see about her chores.
She gives the large man a wink. "You and me can use it later tonight maybe. I've always wanted to be on that end of it. I'll be gentle, promise." She looks up at him and blink her wide innocent eyes. "You wouldn't deny a lady the chance to take her beau up the bum, now would ya? I do you and then you can do me, that's fair, right?"
She giggles again and gives Saleh a quick peck on the check before she heads off to see about her chores.
"Well since you'd only pay a copper I may have to decline." Saleh replies, although Melissa can see a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. He does as she suggests however and conceals the 'gift' once again.
"Or two, I said," Melissa clarifies with a laugh. "But if that's not enough," she says as she leans in closer and her voice grows husky, "how much would it cost me? I gots gold to spare at the moment." She laughs and leans her head against his arm. "I'm only kidding. You never have to do nothing you don't want to do. You can just use it on me." She turns away and wiggles her bottom in his direction.
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In an attempt to keep Melissa on tenterhooks until the last minute, the day before the wedding threatened heavy rain and preparations were made to move the ceremony into the small meeting hall, just in case.
"It will be fine," Elizabeth said in an effort to keep the woman from breaking down entirely. "But Kragga said that it needs to be done under an open sky and on the plain earth," Melissa responded, her voice nearly breaking. "Love, please," Elizabeth insisted, taking Melissa's shaking hands in hers. "We are getting married tomorrow come thunderstorm, tornado, or flood. The ceremony is just that - a ceremony. You, Saleh, and I will be spending the rest of lives together no matter the weather."
"But I want it to be perfect," Melissa said as her lip began to quiver. "Oh, Love," Elizabeth answered with unusual tenderness, "If we're all there - and we will be - it will be as perfect as life gets."
She leaned in to give the red-head a soft kiss. "Now you head off to your room and I'll see you and Saleh tomorrow."
~~~~~
To Melissa's relief, the clouds were clearing by the next morning and the benches were arranged in the small garden the monastery maintained. It was surrounded on three sides by wings of the stone building and on the fourth by a tenement building that had sprung up years after the building of the stone structure. Nothing had been planted yet as the work within was still ongoing, but the weeds had been cleared courtesy of a neighbor with a half-dozen goats. Two small cherry trees provided a pleasant amount of shade and a natural chorus of birdsong as the wedding guests gathered. It wasn't a large crowd by any count. A half-dozen women and a single effeminate looking man filled the few benches on one side of the garden - all students of the newly-formed school of the arcane. On the other side sat a large orc - Kragga's husband, Deathripper - and a few men, all dressed roughly and marked by hard work. There were also a few shadier individuals. At the front sat Elizabeth's sister and her husband. Behind them was a young maid holding a fussing Philip.
To Christa's credit, she wasn't wrong in regards to her comment about Saleh's relative size to her husband. Mister Lancaster wasn't a short man, but if he weighed ten stone it would only be because of his heavy coat. He was balding and clearly nervous. Although, whether that was his normal state or just the result of sitting within arms reach of Kragga's husband wasn't clear.
A round-faced man with a thin blond goatee sat on a stool in one corner of the garden, strumming a quiet melody on his lute. Between the two trees where the ceremony was to occur, a small table stood with a basket on it.
After the guests had sat long enough that the whispered conversations began to rise in volume, a stout woman with a bald head appeared out of one of the side doorways and approached the lute player. After a whispered word to him, she retreated back the way she came. The man stopped his strumming and reached down to strike a small bell sitting next to him. The gentle ringing reverberated against the stone walls surrounding the small oasis and the whispering ceased.
At the sound of footsteps, everyone turned to see a statuesque orc in a homespun robe come walking into the garden. She moved down the aisle between the benches to stand in front of the small table. From the basket she produced a bowl and a pitcher to set on the table. Another smaller bowl followed filled with herbs. Taking the pitcher, she walked over to a rain barrel sitting along one wall and filled it with clear water.
Returning to the table, she lit some of the herbs which began to fill the area with a fragrant smoke. Holding the small bowl in both hands, she turned to face four different directions and whispered quiet blessings before setting it back on the table where the smoke wafted down to the ground.
Kragga then pulled out a small chime from the basket and struck it three times. As the echoing faded away, she turned to the gathering and spoke.
"We are here to celebrate the joining of three people," she began with no preamble. "Elizabeth Rose Adamell."
At the announcement of her name, all heads turn again to see Elizabeth coming down the row between the two benches. She wore a simple, almost-sheer, white robe. Her face was serene and she walked with a simple grace, keeping her eyes on Kragga. Her hair was pulled up high and styled on the top of her head and there was even a hint of makeup on her face. She approached until she stood just before the table and then stepped to the left and turned to face the gathering.
"Melissa Gabriella Daylenne."
Heads turned again to see Melissa coming up the aisle next. She also wore the same simple white robe. Her demeanor, however, was drastically different from Elizabeth's. Where the sorceress emanated the essence of water, Melissa was fire - energy barely contained. Her hair was loose and flowing, shimmering in the morning sunlight that was shining down into the garden. She bounced on her feet and couldn't resist giving a small wave to some of the gathered ladies. When she reached the end, she stepped to the right. Rather than looking out over the guests, her eyes were fixed on Elizabeth. She gave the woman a small wink and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Her blush and grin, however, betrayed her feelings.
"Saleh el'Dinn"
For the third time everyone turned to look at the last member of the union. Saleh's hair was freshly cleaned and cut and he filled out the requisite robe very well. The energy of earth flowed from his strength and confidence. His robe was slightly shorter than that of the ladies, and ended about mid-thigh. The large man approached and halted facing Kragga. The two ladies also turned to face the orc priestess.
"This is not the beginning of their relationship. That has been growing and maturing for some time. But they have decided to declare in front of all of us, their commitment and dedication to each other." Kragga said as she reached into the basket and handed Elizabeth something from within. "Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked across at the red-headed woman opposite her.
"Melissa," she began. "I don't think I can remember a time where I couldn't count on you by my side. You have been supportive, faithful, and ..." She blushed slightly. "Loving. Even before I understood what that meant. For the longest time in my life, you were the only one that loved me for who I was rather than who they expected me to be and it took a long time for me to see that. Even when I was demanding and cold ..." She paused and swallowed. "You were still there for me. You've helped me to achieve my dreams. And on that road and with some helpful encouragement," she glanced at Saleh, "I've come to realize that the feelings that I have for you are so much more than friendship; I love you, Melissa Daylenne. You deserve more than what I can give you. But I pledge that I will be there for you in return and I will do my best to help you achieve your own dreams." She reached up and wiped at her eyes. "And I might even draw a bath for you once and a while." Melissa giggled.
She turned to Saleh.
"Saleh," Elizabeth continued. "You haven't been long in our lives, but your arrival was a change in the weather of our world. You brought strength and the excitement of the unknown. You showed care for Melissa and that's what first endeared you to me. Later, I realized you saw me. You didn't see a beautiful woman. You didn't see a wealthy woman. You saw me. The scared girl that was too afraid to let anyone close because she'd become so cynical about human nature. And you stayed. You dared to attempt to get closer to me in spite of my repeated rebukes." Her smile turned into a smirk. "You called me on my b+%+&@*#."
There were few gasps and mutters in the audience, but Elizabeth ignored them.
She held up the item that Kragga gave her. A single band. Looking close, one would see that both silver and gold comprise the loop of metal. She reached out and took his left hand in hers. "I promise that I will stand by you, support you, and love you. And I promise to try to give you less opportunities to call me out on my s*@@." She then slipped the ring on his finger.
Kragga reached into the basket again and what she found, she handed to Saleh.
"Saleh?"
"Elizabeth." Saleh began, drawing in a deep breath. "When we met I had nothing, no coin, no purpose and no future. The man that I am today owes all of that to you. I was aimless and empty. Then you treated me better than I had ever been treated. You were a b!@*~, true, but you respected me as a person without condemning me for my past. I could never thank you enough for that. It has been my honor to be beside you, supporting you and helping you and I vow to keep doing that, from this day until our last." Brief, as most of Saleh's speeches were, but heartfelt none the less.
Taking the delicate golden band with its single diamond sparkling between his fingers Saleh turned to Melissa, towering over her petite form.
"Elizabeth gave me my life back," he began, eyes fixed on Melissa's. "But you made it worth living, Melissa. You are the joy in the world, the sparkle in the night sky and the fire in my heart. When I was... away,"[/b] There are some nods and significant glances between the well-worn men in the audience. "It was the thought of your laughter that kept me going. And fear of what Elizabeth would say if I was late for dinner." He paused to shoot a smile at the woman in question and let the chuckles die down.
"Life without you, and your smile, is not life I want. I want to see it every day from now until the end of time, and even that won't be enough but I will do all that I can to make sure that it is there." With infinite care Saleh slid the ring onto Melissa's hand and stooped swiftly to press a kiss to it as well.
For the third time Kragga reached into the basket to extract the last ring and handed it to Melissa.
"Melissa?"
"Saleh," she began with a twinkle in her eye. "I remember how the first time you spoke to me you clarified that you didn't think that I was a doxy." There was some nervous laughter in the gathered people. "I was a mite hot after that, but in all honesty I'm not sure if I were mad 'cause you thought I was one or if I were mad cause you thought that I wasn't." More laughter. "But you've since made your feelin's known to me and whether or not you think I can make a livin' at it, I'll be happy to be your doxy for the rest of our lives."
She turned to Elizabeth.
"Mi..." she began, but stopped. A silence followed that began to stretch out. Elizabeth's brow furrowed in concern.
Kragga reached out a hand. "Melissa?" she questioned, but Melissa held up a finger. She stood just breathing for a moment before looking back across at Elizabeth. Saleh gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Elizabeth," she began again. Elizabeth's eyes widened. "I think I've loved you since the first time I saw you. Many people will say that a six-year-old can't understand what love is, but I don't know what else you would call it. And that feelin's done nothing but get bigger and bigger as we've grown. I could never figure out why no one could see the beautiful and warm-hearted girl that I could see and it broke my heart. And then as I got older, I realized that, selfishly, I didn't want them to see her, because then there was a chance that they would steal her heart and I knew by then that I wanted it for m'self."
Melissa continues as Elizabeth attempts to ignore the tears streaming unabashedly down her own cheeks.
"And then Saleh came along and there was a wonderful man for you and I was so torn. On one hand, I knew you had found someone to make you happy and on the other, m' heart was breaking 'cause it weren't me. I never in a million years thought that ..." Her voice broke and she took a moment to calm herself. "So if this is a dream, I'm just a hopin' that I never wake up." Without another word, she reached across and slid the ring onto Elizabeth's hand.
Without preamble, Elizabeth pulled the red-head in for a teary embrace before Kragga interceded to finish the ceremony.
The orc priestess turned back to the table and poured water from the pitcher into the large bowl. She spoke the Earth Mother's blessing over the water and turned back to the trio. Reaching down she untied her worn robe and removed it revealing that she was nude underneath. She folded it and set it on the table behind her. She then turned to the others and nodded at them.
Without a moment of hesitation, Melissa shifted her shoulders and her robe dropped to the ground revealing that she also wore nothing else underneath. Elizabeth took a few breaths before closing her eyes and slowly removing her robe as well. "Only for you, my Love," she could be heard to whisper. Saleh glanced over his shoulder before divesting himself of his own robe, revealing numerous tattoos and scars covering his chiseled physique.
Among the many military tattoos, slave brands and scars a new piece of artwork stood out on Saleh's body. Across his chest wove an intricate knot of entangled lines, ensnaring the eye without beginning or end. Encircled by the knot, over his heart, sat three entwined letters, S, E, M and a word in the jagged runes of the Dark Tongue. "It says forever," Saleh whispered as Kragga grunted her approval.
In spite of the solemnity of the occasion, there were more than a few mutterings of appreciation for the man's form. By Windell Lancaster's reaction, one of them came from Christa.
Kragga cleared her throat regaining the audience's attention and the mutterings quieted. She gestured for the trio to step closer. They did so and clasped hands. The priestess dipped her hand in the bowl of water. "This is for long life," she said and brushed her wet hand across first Melissa's forehead, then Saleh's, then Elizabeth's. She dipped her hand in the water again. "This is for happiness," she intoned and then brushed her wet hand across Melissa's, Saleh's, and then Elizabeth's chest. She dipped her hand in the water a third time. "This is for many children," she said and brushed her hand across Melissa's belly, then Saleh's. However, when she reached out to Elizabeth, the woman took a half-step back. "No offense, Kragga, but I'll pass on that blessing." Kragga's response was to laugh heartily. She dried her hand on her robe and then turned to take Melissa and Elizabeth's hands forming a circle with the trio.
"Earth Mother, we call upon you to honor your blessings and watch over those that have declared their commitment here today. And they will honor you with their love." She released the ladies hands and gestured for them to turn around.
"I present to you for the first time the bonded ... throuple ... of Melissa, Saleh, and Elizabeth Daylenne." she said.
Melissa's mouth opened in surprise and she turned to her partners who looked upon her with love. They each gave her a small nod. She put her hand to her mouth as tears began forming again. "You may kiss ... each other," Kragga concluded.
The onlookers laughed and clapped as Saleh took first Melissa in his arms for a quick, but heartfelt kiss. He next reached out to Elizabeth who was still considering whether she should make a grab for her robe first. Figuring that it would wait just a moment longer, she acquiesced. The kiss might have a bit longer this time. Finally, the two women faced each other. "Melissa Daylenne," Elizabeth whispered. Melissa looked back with a smile. "E... Elizabeth Daylenne," she whispered back after a moment of hesitation. There was no hesitation at all, though, when Elizabeth drew her into her arms for their kiss.
The final kiss was met with more cheers and applause. And not all of it was from the gathered watchers. The ceremony, it seemed, had drawn a few extra viewers from the open windows of the nearby tenement who took that moment to add their own approval of the nude goings on.
Robes were quickly drawn back on and with much back-slapping and hugs, the assemblage went inside to the food that was waiting in the meeting hall.
The newly married throuple spends some time settling into their new lives. The World Mother has blessed their union, and she extends that blessing to her oracle Kragga, who gives birth to a pair of strong, healthy twin boys. She and her husband enjoy some seclusion for the infants' earliest days, but after a few months, she returns to Gateway to accompany Elizabeth, Melissa, and Saleh.
Eager to bring more young women into her burgeoning school, Elizabeth hears of several promising candidates in the city of Crossings to the west. So you travel through the hills and forests to Sixton, the capital of the Northern Reach. From there, you head north along the Emperor's Road as you make your way towards Crossings.
After a few days, the weather starts to turn bad. A storm is brewing, forcing you to go off the beaten path a bit to find shelter. You arrive at a small village called Rowanrest in a vale a few miles from the main highway. When you arive, you find most of its people are gathered around the biggest building in town—a modest inn with a signboard that identifies it as the Creekside Inn. Two windows have been smashed out, the roof has several gaps, and there is a hole in the second-story outer wall in which a sheep’s corpse is embedded.
Closer inspection shows tufts of wool, spatters of blood, and other gory bits scattered all over the scene. Inside, the bodies of a dozen more sheep are lodged in the rafters, sprawled out across tables, or lying on the floor amid debris from the broken roof. Several villagers are grimly working on removing the carcasses.
The innkeeper, rushes from place to place, wringing his hands and shouting, “This is terrible, terrible! No, be careful, don’t break any more glass! There, over there, it’s a leg! Oh, get it down, get it down!”
"Wow, they like to party hard around here, don't they?" Melissa questions as her eyes widen at the ovine carnage.
Elizabeth rolls her eyes. Stepping forward towards the innkeeper, she speaks up.
"Excuse me, Sir," she asks. "Is there another inn around? My companions and I need quarters, but it appears that you have an infestation of ... sheep. So I'm not sure if we're comfortable staying here."
Saleh doesn't bother to get involved in the conversation, his wives are much better at that sort of thing than he is.
The innkeeper, a lean, balding man, glares at Elizabeth. ”Are you joking? How could you joke at a time like this! Oh, horrible, horrible!”
After a bit, a round-faced man of sixty approaches, shaking his head. ”It was the giant, Roog. He got angry, I guess, and must have thrown Jall’s sheep in a rage. Gods, what a mess! I wonder what’s crawled up his arse? That damned giant’s never done anything like this before.”
"A giant, you say?" Elizabeth asks in surprise. "Do you have many of them around here?"
The man shakes his head. ”Just the one. For ten years or so, a giant named Roog Muttonfist has been living nearby. Like most giants, Roog is a fat, stupid lout with a mean streak, but he’s lazy, and he doesn’t cause much trouble as long as the townsfolk see to it that he gets ‘tribute’—some livestock or beer—every now and then. A couple of days ago the farmer Jall Erskin drove a dozen sheep up to Roog’s cave for this season’s tribute, but Jall never came back. Last night Roog came over the hillside and thundered toward the town, roaring and spitting in anger, bombarding the inn with flung sheep.
“When Roog finished, he bellowed a new demand: ‘I don’t want your filthy sheep! Send me six people, young or old, or I’ll take and eat you all! Bring them to the old windmill tomorrow at midnight or face my wrath.’ Madness, I tell you!”
Elizabeth knows that giants are primitive, backward, and incredibly stupid. They pay little attention to where they go and leave a trail of smashed houses, flattened wagons, and partly eaten livestock when wandering through settled lands.
"So either his appetite or his nature has changed," Elizabeth says with a nod. "That could be magically influenced or someone else has been manipulating him." She turns to looks at Saleh and Melissa. "Should we investigate?"
Melissa looks surprised. "What? And get sheep thrown at us as well?" she says in shock. "I think we should just camp in the woods. Hunting down angry giants ain't really what I thought we was doing, Miss. Right, Mister Saleh?"
Saleh shrugs, "I don't mind, but we could help these people. If having sheep thrown at us is the worst thing that happens its no trouble. I don't want a giant eating six people because we were too lazy."
"You're reverting." He adds quietly in Melissa's ear. "Perhaps I should spank you as a reminder..."
”Helping these people is the right thing to do,” Kragga rumbles.
Melissa's eyes widen slightly at Saleh's whispered words. She gives him a shove with her elbow as she giggles. "Not now, Mister Saleh," she says with a twinkle in her eye. She takes a deep breath. "Fine, let's go find out what got this giant's knickers all up in a bind."
The older man, who introduces himself as Elder Warren, is grateful that you have decided to help. ”Look, no one likes it, but as giants go, Roog hasn’t ever been that much trouble. We give him some mutton and beer, and he leaves us alone. His cave is near the head of the vale, about eight miles off.
“Jall Erskin had the job of driving a small flock of sheep up to Roog’s cave, but he never came back. His farm is about four miles up the Vale. We sent someone up to check on him first thing this morning, but there’s no word yet.”
"I guess we'd best get going then." Saleh says, squinting at the sky. "If we want to be inside tonight."
Unless his wives disagree he turns his horse and sets off up the Vale.
Elizabeth nods and directs her horse to follow Saleh's.
You ride north from Rowanrest, and after an hour or so, you come upon the Erskin Farm. It’s a small stone house on a hillside surrounded by large pastures with fieldstone fences. When you arrive, you find the place is destroyed--dozens of sheep lie slaughtered and the house is a smoking ruin. You can hear the sounds of crunching and growling coming from just behind the farmhouse.
Saleh dismounts, not wanting to have to deal with a spooked horse in combat, and draws his weapons before heading around the building to track down the source of the noises.
Saleh can see a pack of six wolves currently engaged in devouring sheep carcasses. One looks up from its bloody meal and growls a warning at the fighter.
"Wolves." Saleh calls over his shoulder. "They've got food, if we move on should be fine."
Unless someone disagrees he falls back to his horse and swings into the saddle again.
"I suggest we press on, this place is no good to us right now."
Elizabeth eyes the carnage and then shakes her head. "Something has changed the balance that existed here. What is the new element?"
A spell follows to enhance her magic.
Searching around the area, Elizabeth discovers odd tracks around the farmhouse—oversized wolf-like pawprints, mixed with the marks of sheep hooves. The tracks head back into the woods.
Elizabeth points out the odd tracks. "Aren't those a little large to be a normal wolf?" she questions before looking at Saleh. "Should we see if we can discover what made them?"
"It might be part of the same problem as the giant." Saleh speculates, "But they aren't a problem to the village right now, the giant is... I say we head for the giant first, we have to come back this way anyway."
"We can do that," Elizabeth says with a nod. "I think we will want to track it down eventually. Something has changed here recently. So anything out of the ordinary should be investigated."