《Promised Treasure》


 Chapter 1

    The sun was peaking through the wooden shutters, Aliza lay on her bed, slowly falling a sleep after a long ass night of work. Guarding the temple of Volaris was an honor, but she rather be in bed during the night hours, than standing guard in the sleeping quarters of the priests. Especially when they have overnight visitors. Her father Priel li Shay, the Goddess blesses his soul, had made her simple breakfast before she got home and went to work himself inside the Chain Cloths Co. A small business that he uses as a front for his secret assassin''s guild the Manus Cultri. She turned towards her left side, away from the window. Hoping that Hodes, the God of Sleep, would take her to the Realm of Dreams soon. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, in the hope that it would speed up the process. She started to drift away, when the door of her bedroom was kicked in. Two men in black and golden armor entered the room.


    "Aliza li Shay, you have being summoned by the Voice of Volaris." one of the men said, Shovi Aran. He is, like her, a member of the Paladins.


    "Good morning to you too, Paladin Shovi. I will be right there, give me some time to get dressed." She replied, pushing herself from the bed. Both of the men looked a bit confused. "What does the Voice of Volaris want to see me in my sleeping clothes?" They shook their heads. "Well, then step outside the room, so that I can change. Or is there a reason why you are not able to do that?" Shovi bopped his head, so there was a reason. "I am not going to run, I swear this upon the Goddess of Strenght and Honor." Which was a vow that shouldn''t be taken lightly, especially by members of their order. "And if that still makes you uncomfortable, you can leave the door slightly ajar. But no peaking," this seemed to put the men at ease. The left the room, but didn''t close the door completely. She started to get changed, her armor and the clothes she wore during the night shift were still in her room. She put it on and quickly brushed some knots out of her soft spice brown hair. Her two swords, which were the common weapons inside her order, were placed in their special scabbards on her back. It was strange being lifted off her bed like this, there better be a very good reason behind it. But knowing Dorian Eldar, there was a very good reason, and she might not like that reason one bit. Because right now, she was treated like a criminal. Not even allowed getting dressed unsupervised, meaning that there went something down last night. Something shady and she had nothing to do with it, besides the fact that she was on duty that night. She pulled open the door and stepped outside. "Alright, let''s get this over with." she said with a sigh. The two men flanked her as they walked out of the house. There were standing three horses ready for departure, she climbed in the saddle of one of them. "Well, I will see you snails at the temple!" And she drove off.


    "Paladin Aliza wait!" Shovi screamed, but she shook her head. She loved to ride this fast on horse back, the wind that rushed through her hair. The sound of the hooves in sink with the beat of her own heart. She didn''t slow down, when she arrived in the park filled with trees that had gray bark and leaves. The temple was like a beacon that called out to her, she considered it to be her home ever since her mother passed away. She was only ten at the time, her father brought her to the temple for a reason unknown to her and there she met her best friend in the whole world Harel Eldar, Dorian Eldar''s son. After that, she went to the temple every single day to play, and talk. When they became older, she joined him when he trained with swords, and learned how to ride a horse. It surprised no one that she joined the church as a Paladin as soon as she turned eighteen, although Harel was no longer living at the temple. He had moved to the Eldar Manor to live with his grandfather. She halted the horse when she reached the giant double doors of the temple, and climbed off its back. A stable boy, a child of one of the priests, rushed towards it and grabbed the reigns. She handed the kid a silver coin, while she remembered that she was once in his shoes. Taking care of the Paladin''s horses, feeding them, helping inside the stables.


    "Thank you," the boy said with a large grin edged upon his face. "When I grow up, I want to be a Paladin, just like you." It was the boy who said those words, but in her mind she heard her own voice.


    "Then you need to work real hard, becoming one is not an easy journey. And being one is even harder, but if you stay true. Not only towards the Goddess but also to yourself, you will have a change." she replied, while wishing that one of the Paladin''s gave her the same advice. The boy nodded and took the horse away.


    "That was so nice of you, Liz." she smiled, there was only one person in the world who called her Liz. And that was her childhood friend, Harel.


    "It is the truth, demon boy." she answered, while turning towards him. He was a man grown, with night sky blue hair and blood-red eyes. Both of those features were signs of his demon blood. He smiled at her, and nodded.


    "True enough," he said, and his gaze darkened slightly. "Let''s get inside, before your guards have a chance to report you rushing off to my father." She rolled with her eyes, his father probably already knows what she did. He was the one who taught her, and he knew the way she rids.


    "Do you know what is going on?" she asked, while they entered the temple, and he nodded. "And are you going to share that with me?"


    "The map to Silora has being stolen out of the vaults, during the night shift. All the Paladins who were on duty are being brought in for questioning. My father and some priests know that you have nothing to do with it, but they can''t afford to make an exception for you." he explained, and before she was going to ask if he knew who did it, he hissed. She knew that his all to well, he was having a vision. Harel was a see?r, he was able to see in someone''s past, present and possible future.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "May, I ask?" she started. He shook his head, meaning that he saw something involving her. And they have agreed that he never shares something when it comes to her. "Alright, but tell me at least that you know who stole the map."


    "No, I do not know. Which means that I never met the thief, or if I did, he or she is already dead." Which was a blind spot in his gift, other than that he can''t see stuff that involves him. "I only know that it is not you," so he hasn''t seen who committed the crime, but knows because of who she is that she is not the thief. They walked past the large statue of Volaris the Goddess of Strenght and Honor. Behind her would be the hall where she would face, every Priest and Paladin that served the Goddess other than those of her unit. Aliza looked up towards the stone face of the deity.


    "As the Goddess as my witness, I will face this test with both honor and strenght. I will speak only the truth, and if I committed any crime, let the Goddess punish me in any way she sees fit!" she said it loud enough so that all the members inside were able to hear it. Proving beforehand that she has nothing to hide, and was willing to corporate. She gave Harel a brief smile before entering the hall.


    *******


    "Paladin Aliza li Shay," Dorian Eldar said, he was sitting on a chair that was higher than the others. He was the younger brother of the Emperor and Harel''s adoptive father. Aliza held her held head high as she walked towards him. "I do not see your escort with you, what happened?" She smiled.


    "Oh, they fall behind. You know how I am, when I climb on a horse''s back, Father Dorian." she replied, and he nodded with a smile. As she predicted, he already knew. "But let us not dwell upon matters irrelevant to the matter, Father. I am here because an artifact has being stolen out of the fault. And now you all want my account, I arrived at the temple a half hour before duty, which is around eight o clock in the evening. I reported to my commander, Paladin Tara Wood. I was given the hallway in the east wing, which is in the same hallway in which your bedroom is placed, Father Dorian."


    "I know where my bedroom and office are placed, Paladin Aliza." he replied. "Have you being there all that time?" She shook her head.


    "I took some bathroom breaks, Father Dorian. Which is just around the corner, I also have enough priests that saw me in that hallway on their way to that same bathroom. Or when they went on their nightly visits." she replied, she was not going to give more information. Does inside the room knew what she meant by that, and that was more than enough. Dorian nodded again.


    "Thank you, Paladin Aliza. You..."


    "Are lying," screamed one of the Priest. Father Haim Ilia, that was his name. He joined the church around the same time she did, and he has given his opinion about her being a Paladin more than once. Women shouldn''t be allowed to become Paladin''s, she wanted to roll with her eyes. She even heard someone chuff, but she turned to Father Haim Ilia and smiled.


    "But Father Haim, even if you never left your room. You two lady friends, did, and now that I think about it, I even wonder if they know that you have two of them?" she said, he jumped up to say something. "Do I need to remind all that are present here, that those heavy doors that are closing the room are not soundproof, and that the Paladin inside the hallway can hear just enough to know what is going on there. Or do I need to supply the names of the various Priests I have seen throughout the night, which I am happy to do."


    "That really is not needed, Paladin Aliza. You have being at this temple..." Father Dorian started.


    "What does that matter," Father Haim interrupted him. "She joined the church three years ago, just like the other Paladins of her order."


    "Actually, I came to the temple on a daily basic after my mother''s passing. Father Haim, I was ten. I joined the Paladins when I turned eighteen. Now do your math again." she said. He folded his arms and grumbled something under his breath, she knew that she won that battle, which Dorian set up for her. She didn''t know why he did it, maybe the Goddess told him to do it. But it didn''t matter, she had won and that was the end of it.


    "Again thank you, the rest of the Church will bow over this matter. And I know you, so I know that you are not going to like this. But you and the rest of your unit are being suspended. You need to leave your armor and swords at the temple until this matter is resolved." Father Dorian said, and he was right she didn''t like it one bit. It felt that she was being punished for a crime she didn''t comitte.


    "Because I know also know myself and the lack of sleep, that I something about this it would be seen as an insult. So I will leave this room and then explode. Have a nice day." she said, turned around and walked out of the door. There she grabbed her two swords out their scabbards and threw them towards Paladin Shovi. Who was waiting for her outside the room.


    "Liz?" Harel sounded conserned. "What is going on?"


    "I am not ready to talk right now," she snapped, which he didn''t deserve. She walked towards the dressing room, where she had left some tunic''s just in case and started to take off her armor. Tears of anger streamed down her cheeks, this was so fucking unfair. But there was nothing she could do or say to change it. This was an order from the Voice of Volaris, maybe from the Goddess herself and she was a faithful servent. She put on her clean tunic, walked out of the room. "The armor is inside, Paladin Shovi. Please take good care of it, I need all of it back. Once this shit show is over." Shovi could only nod, which was a wise decision on his part. She did not want to talk, she wanted to hit something or someone and she rather did that on the training grounds. Which she couldn''t use, so there was only one place were she could release this anger in a somewhat healthy way.


    "Liz where are you going?" Harel asked as she left the temple.


    "To the wolfpack training grounds," she replied in other words his home.

 Chapter 2

    Aliza didn''t go towards the mansion to great the Silver Fox, which would have being the proper way of doing things. But she was not in the mood of doing things proper, she wanted to work out her pant up frustration first. Before setting foot in a mansion filled with priceless knickknacks. She went straight towards the practice grounds of the Wolfpack, which was the nickname of the House Eldar guard.


    "Hey, Aliza. Young master Harel." Shir, the captain of the guard, said. She didn''t return the greeting, but went straight towards the chest that held wooden weapons. "I smell trouble."


    "You have no idea," Harel tuned in. Aliza once again didn''t join in, instead she looked around the training grounds. But saw that there was no one to spar with. There were only the younger recruits, and releasing her anger upon them seemed a bit unfair. Then there was Shir, but he was badly wounded a couple of years ago, and then there was Harel, who was not much of a fighter. The frustration and anger was reaching the boiling point, and she needed to let it out in a way she wouldn''t hurt someone else.


    "Aliza, Harel, I saw the two of you coming. But when the butler informed me that the two of you didn''t come in, I was slightly confused. Oh, I see someone that is ready to explode, unless she has a challenger that can keep up with her." Lord Eldar, Harel''s grandfather, approached together with the Imperial family. Empress Meyda, Emperor Ginat and the twins Crown prince Artal and Young Mistress Nilith. Emperor Ginat raised his hand up with a sly smile.


    "I will offer myself up as tribute," he said, and Shir scoffed. "Is something the matter, captain?" Shir shock slowly his head.


    "There is nothing, Your grace, but I have to warn you. Aliza li Shay is my best student to date," Shir replied, which filled her with some pride. She started to train with Harel and Artal so that she wouldn''t feel left out, and Shir let her. He didn''t turn her away, or treated her differently because she was a girl. Instead, she trained hard, which was her saving grace when she joined the Paladins at eighteen. Still, Shir''s and Artal''s warnings didn''t stop the Emperor. She had heard stories about this man, the Black Wolf, who was a master swordsman when she was pretty young. But that was in the days before he became Emperor. But he was willing, so she wouldn''t stop him. He grabbed a wooden sword out of the box, and she directly attacked him. Not giving him time to get his bearings.


    "Wait, who," he said while blocking her attack. "You aren''t taking any prisoners, aren''t you." She smiled and attacked again, and again. He blocked all her attacks, and wan not able to get any attacks in.


    "So are you going to enlighten us," Ginat asked, clearly out of breath. She smiled, and sighed, but didn''t stop her attacks.


    "My unit, including me, are being suspended. Because someone stole the map to Silora, during our late night shift. I was not even near the vaults, and I have worked so hard to earn my double swords." she sighed. "So here I am, beating up the Emperor with a wooden sword, without my black and gold armor, without my swords. Without any ounce of sleep and a bit of food in my stomach. But please, Your Grace, do not go easy on me now. I am a trained warrior."


    "I am not going easy on you," he said with a labored breath, but he was still able to keep up with her. "But the map you speak off, is that not the same map that nobody is allowed to see?" She nodded and he frowned. "Because of the curse," she again nodded. "And how large is a whole unit?"


    "Thirty, we have thirty Paladins inside our unit." she replied.


    "So you are probably not the only one feeling slighted, but I can understand that you are frustrated. Because I know how hard you worked, how hard you have being training. And how much you place value in the duty of presenting the physical strength of the church." his words hit the sore spot. He was right, she was not the only Paladin that got suspended. But she forgot them completely. She halted her attack, threw the wooden sword away and screamed loudly. "So, is it out of your system?" he asked. She shock her head, what in Volaris name was she thinking? The short answer to that question was simply, she didn''t think at all. She was too angry to think straight, she was done with the fighting, though. "You didn''t lie about her being your best student. She didn''t leave me any room to breath?" That was directed to Shir, and she was glad that the attention was no longer any attention on her. "But now that we are done, I think it is time for us to have a family conversation. What do you think, father?"


    "Well, your brother is not here, because of the breaking, but let''s do it. Aliza, please wait for us in the drawing room." Lord Eldar asked. She stood up with the help of the Emperor and walked behind the Eldar family.


    *******


    The drawing room was a large room with two couched in the middle, a large fire place was inhabiting one wall and windows on the other wall. A small coffee table was standing between the couches, Aliza sat down on one of them with a large sigh. She wondered what was being discussed, in the Silver Fox''s office, knowing Harel she will learn about it soon enough. Milly, Shir''s wife and former ladies'' maid of the Empress, entered.


    "Aliza, how nice it is to see you. Can I get anything for you?" she said with a large smile upon her face.


    "Good to see you too, Milly. Something to nibble on would be nice." Aliza replied. Milly nodded and stepped out of the room. She was such a nice woman, and Aliza was glad to know her. Aliza looked once again around the room, although she knew this place as good as her own house. She has read many of the books inside the library, learned how to swim in the pound inside the garden. This place felt so much like home, just like the temple. She smiled, and the Eldars have treated as one of their own. Her father, in the beginning, often disliked the fact that she was at the temple or at this manor. But he has learned to live with it, and that was all that mattered. Milly entered with a tray filled with some snacks, and a cup of coffee. Aliza smiled at her, coffee was a luxury and this was another sign that she was accepted inside this manor. Although she preferred tea, over coffee. But she would take it, with a smile. But first a biscuit, she reached out to grab on and started to eat it. The coffee was nice and warm, it was laced with some chocolate. Normally, coffee was used to wake people up, only in her case it didn''t help.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ********


    "You can''t mean that, I am not even a full-blooded member of this family!" Harel screamed. But his grandfather placed his both hands on the desk.


    "I know that Harel, that is why we do this. To give you a better life." his grandfather said, Harel looked at Nilith, and she was not happy about it either. She was raised in the knowledge that she would be grandfather''s heir, and she knew that she needed to marry well to keep their house going. And apparently marring well-meant, marrying him. Something the both of them never would have seen coming. They don''t even like each other, she was such a spoiled princess. And he, he was in many ways, not spoiled. He knew that he was not an Eldar, but in name, and he never dared to dream about inheriting anything. But marrying his cousin, no, never crossed his mind once. Harel needed to process it, he stood up and walked out of the office. He was however followed by his uncle.


    "Harel, I know this is not what you would have wanted. But..." his uncle started. But Harel shook his head, a female head of a Major house is not widely excepted. And to have the female heir already married or even engaged would help. But why does it have to be him? The entered the drawing room, where Aliza lay fast a sleep on one of the couches. Milly was just in the process of placing a blanket over her.


    "My Lord, young master. I gave her some coffee and something to eat, like you requested. But I think the call of Hodes was a bit too strong." she said and Harel nodded. He already knew that she was tired, it was written all over her face. And it was part of why she couldn''t control her emotions.


    "I will bring her towards one of the guest rooms. Milly, can you send one of the page boy''s towards her father?" Uncle Ginat said.


    "I have sent my son already, My Lord." Milly replied. "The room next to My Ladies old room is almost ready for her." Harel smiled. That room has become Aliza''s room at this point. She stayed over a lot when they were younger, now that they are older everything has changed. She now goes directly towards her own home after a shift, or from her home towards the temple. Even on her days off, to train. Which meant if he wanted to see his best friend, he needed to drag his ass towards the temple. Uncle Ginat walked out of the room, with Aliza in his arms, Harel followed them with his gaze. Nilith entered the room not soon after they left, she looked at Aliza with narrowed eyes. It was not a secret that she didn''t like Aliza, she made that more than clear. But aunt Meyda and uncle Ginat corrected her every time.


    "Is there something going on between the two of you?" she asked, after a brief period of time. But Harel shook his head, it was not that strange of an idea, so he can''t blame her for asking. But other than a kiss, when they were children there was nothing but friendship. "I know you two are friends, but as your fianc¨¦e. I need to know," she was going to throw the fianc¨¦e cart.


    "No, there is nothing between us then friendship. I see her more as a sister than a love interest. And I know you do not like her," he said. She huffed.


    "I simply do not understand her, that is all. And I indeed do not like how close my brother, and you are with her. All because she knows how to handle a sword." she said, it was maybe a wrong move to point out that Aliza was able to handle two swords at the same time. So he didn''t say that. "But I know where you are going with this, and I will not say that the two of you can''t meet up. I will not play the jealous girlfriend, fianc¨¦e, however you want to call it." That was good to know, not that he needed her permission.


    "I will be your fianc¨¦e, but let us agree on one thing," he said. She looked at him with her head slightly tilted. "That we let each other go, if we find someone we actually love. And I do not mean a fling, or the incling that we love that person. I mean the kind of love your parents have." To his surprise Niltih nodded.


    "That sounds agreeble," she said. "And I think, my parants and our grandfather, can agree on that as well."


    "I do," aunt Meyda entered. "I think that it is more than fair, but the both of you have to know that it was not love at first sight. Ginat didn''t marry me because he loved me. He married me, because that was the only option he had to keep me safe." Harel knew the story, he was partly in it as well. The former Emperor wanted aunt Meyda dead, all because she had some Oran blood in her veins. Which made her a threat. Uncle Ginat, and aunt Meyda met each other inside a tower of her families manor during the purge of her family. A practice that allowed the crown to eliminate major and minor houses, if they didn''t behave accroding. Aunt Meyda''s father and the rest of her family was, according to her own words awful, and she has the scars to proof it. But the Purge is being outlawe, by her and uncle Ginat. Stating that it is a relic from the past. Which in his mind makes sence. Nilith hugged her mother, with a large smile.


    "Thank you, mother," she said. Harel nodded, he was grateful to her. Not only because she supported them now, she was the one who got him out of that orphangage. The one who brought him to his father, the one who gave him a loving family. His grandfather entred with a large smile upon his face.


    "Well now that we all agree on something, Harel I think I have found a solution to Aliza''s problem. Your uncle and aunt has reqeusted someone of the wolf pack to join their crew on their next voyage. Shir has asked his men, but none of them are willing to do it, sea sickness and other excuses. But I am not one to force them in doing something they do not comfortable with. Especially when it is taking them to sea. But Aliza is free, a good warrior and she needs something to distract herself. This would be the perfect solution." he said, and Meyda nodded in agreement. And to his surprise Harel argeed with them as well. He know that he was going to miss his best friend, but this was the right choice. Aliza needed a purpose now that she was not able to train with the Paladins or preform the rest of her duties.


    "Is currently is fast asleep, so we need to bring it up when she wakes up." Harel said.


    "Good, she seemed really tired. I know that she is trained to function on little to no sleep. But learning that you have being dismissed, because someone in your unit didn''t act accordingly, well that is emotionel draining." aunt Meyda said.


    "Not only that, she didn''t let herself explode. She was holding it in until she was on the trainingsfield." Harel added, aunt Meyda nodded in agreement.


    "She is a good kid, and always was." she added. Harel looked out of the window. This was indeed a good idea, but the vision he had seen earlier this morning came back to him. And he know that as soon as Aliza steps on that boat, her life would never be the same again. And he hoped that she, and he was up for it.

 Chapter 3

    Aliza didn''t know the last time she had woken up inside this room, but it was a while ago. Just like the drawing room, this room with the broken white, turquoise and golden colors was not strange to her. She used to sleep here all the time, shortly after Harel moved into the mansion. She even showed it to her father, when he picked her up the first time. Back then, Lord Eldar assured her father that they would take good care of her if she stayed the night. A promise he still kept even it had been a while, she smiled when she saw that nothing has changed in here. There were some of her clothing laying ready for her, she only has to draw on a cord that hung next to the large bed and one of the maids would rush towards her aid. But she knew how to draw up a bath, she didn''t need a maid for that. She pushed the covers off her, and went over to the large bathroom. This bedroom, had a separate bathroom and tearoom. There was a small balcony that looked out over the big garden, rose bushes had claimed the railing as their home. If it was the Yxjun''s season, then the whole room would smell like the flower. A smell she right now longed for, so she placed the bath soap that smelled like roses into the water. She turned off the tap when the turquoise glass bathtub was full, she undressed and slid in. The warm water was a nice feeling, after all, what happened. She humiliated herself by acting like a spoiled child that didn''t get her way, in front of the Imperial couple no less. She had fallen asleep on the couch, and most likely the Emperor had carried her towards the room. He used to do that too when she was a bit younger, but now she was an adult. Which made the whole thing even worse, but the whole family knew how she was. She has showed that more than once, and she keeps losing control of her emotions when she got tired. And she lost her job, temporarily. Still, she would not be welcome in the temple, her home away from home, for quite some time. The though of it made her almost lose control, all over again. What was she supposed to do with all that time. Work for her father, no, she wouldn''t feel comfortable doing that. The smell of the place would stay with her for days, and that was only the front of the whole business. The back of the business was busy with, in her opinion, honorless killing. So that was not an option, still what other option did she have? She was not going to stay home, doing nothing. She could come here, like she has done in the old days. Train with Shir and the new recruits. That might be an idea she was going to bring up during dinner. The door of the bedroom opened up.


    "Aliza?" it was her father. What was he doing here?


    "I am taking a bath!" she said loudly, she looked at her wrinkled skin. How long has she being in here? She didn''t know, but the temperature of the water has changed too. "Wait a second, I am coming out of the water." she said while climbing out of the bathtub. She opened a handle that opened up a tube through which the water could escape. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the room.


    "There is my girl," her father said as soon as he saw her. He sat down on the bed, while she walked behind a screen that gave her some privacy while she got dressed. "I heard what happened. I am so sorry that it happened." he was not sorry, he never liked the fact that she joined the Paladins instead of the ''family'' business. But he never said it out loud, and he supported her over the years. She sighed, and closed her eyes.


    "I do not know what is worse. The suspension, or the way I acted after." she said. "I almost beat the Emperor to a pulp, if he hadn''t brought me down to reality." Her father chuckled.


    "I wish that I was there to see that, but I always believed that he was a very reasonable guy. And it is not the first time that he has seen you at your worst." her father reminded her. "I remember the time your first period surprised us all. You had a complete meltdown, not that I could blame you. You didn''t know what was happening to you, because, and I still blame myself for it, I didn''t tell you. I thank the Gods and Goddesses that Empress Meyda was there to help you through it. There are more things they helped you with, and I never can repay them for their kindness." Aliza nodded, she remembered those events as well, as much she wanted to forget it. "But enough with the heavy stuff, so I am going to be the first to tell you that you have being a sleep for a whole day. Which gave me the time to order something special for you, and right now it lays right in front of you." She frowned and there it was, a small package in brown paper laying on the small vanity table. She unwrapped it and in it was a black outfit with gold elements. It looked so much like her Paladins armor, but she had the feeling that this was not a normal outfit.


    "Are those armored clothes?" she asked.


    "Yes they are, provided by the Chain Cloths Co. finest weavers and alchemists. I hope you like the color scheme." he said, well she was not banned to wear the Paladin colors. But then the coin dropped about what he said earlier, she has slept for an entire day. She quickly dressed herself in the armored clothing, it looked a lot like a tunic with stockings. And a jacket that goes with it. With a brush in hand, she walked past the screen and looked at her father, who still sat upon the bed. He seemed a bit out of place, because that was the way he felt.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Did you say that I have been a sleep for an entire day?  Meaning today is the 20th day, Month 2 in Chenton''s season?" she asked and her father nodded.


    "Harel explained to me what happened in detail, and I can say that you probably needed the sleep to come to terms with all of this." he replied, but she was not so sure about that. But she was not going to argue with him.  A knock landed on the door, and Harel entered.


    "You look good, Liz," he said with a smile. "Grandfather has sent me up here to inform you that diner will be served in fifteen minutes." Aliza nodded, so it would be almost be the 21st then. She can''t believe that she has slept for an entire day. "There is something else you should know, during yesterday''s meeting my grandfather and uncle shared their plans for my future. And I am right now engaged to Nilith." he said, and it was clear to her that he wasn''t enjoying this one bit. Not that she could blame him, Nilith is a bit spoiled. Not a pleasant person to be around. But the girl was only eighteen, so she has time to grow up.


    "Congratulations. I gaze." she said. "I know you have your doubts, but you will grow to accept it. I know you are."


    "We have an agreement, one that is supported by my aunt. We will break off this engagement if we find someone we truthy love. I do not want to marry her, and become the next Lord Eldar. I was fine with the role I had. The adopted grandson, who might inherit a small piece of land with a small house upon it. I really do not want more than that." he said, and he looked so defeated. She shook her head, now he was in the same state of mind as she was in twenty-four hours ago. She felt for him, she really did. But there was nothing she was able to do to help him out. Not this time, because there was nothing but friendship between them. They shared a kiss, when she was twelve. But that was purely out of curiosity, not because they had feelings for each other. Her father cleared his throat, he finally stood up from the bed.


    "I think it is time for supper." he said.


    ******


    Diner was a bit uncomfortable, the Imperial family was present, so was Dorian and Lord Eldar''s daughter and son-in-law, Lord and Lady Inaam. Their two daughters were not present, which was not that strange.


    "I am glad that you got some sleep," Empress Meyda said with a soft, and warm smile. "You were so.."


    "I am so sorry for my behavior, it was so childish and unprofessional." Aliza cut in, she knew that it was impolite to do so. But she has being sitting on this for the entire meal. Dorian sighed and lowered his head.


    "You were tired, and the church took away something you are proud off. It is more than understandable that you are mad about it. Then add the lack of sleep to it, and well you were not thinking straight. I am just grateful you didn''t break anything valuable, this time." he said, and Aliza turned a bit red. He was talking about a vase that once stood in the same hallway she was guarding a couple of nights ago. Harel, Aliza and some other children played tack inside the hallway. And one of the boys pushed her a bit too hard against the vase and it broke. Right now, there was a replica placed.


    "That was not my fault, I got pushed." she said loudly and the whole table, all of them knew the story, laughed. Lord Eldar sighed and took a deep breath.


    "Now we got that out of the way, let us discuss the matters at hand. All of you know about the engagement between Harel and Nilith. She is still my heir, and her engagement doesn''t change that. But now she was someone to support her, and this also gives Harel something I believe he deserves. He is a member of this family for eighteen years now." Lord Eldar said, but nobody congratulated the couple, because all of them knew that this was not something to celebrate. "Katelin, you and Mizmor requested that members of the wolf pack join your crew upon a voyage to... sorry, the county and city escapes me."


    "Duchy of Tresania, Father, and yes, there are a lot of pirates roaming those waters. And some extra men, or women, with weapons would help." Lady Inaam replied.


    "But here is the thing, I have asked Shir and none of the members of the wolf pack wants to go. Seasickness and some other myths and legends. But I think I found someone that is more than capable of handling a weapon and has some free time upon her hands." Lord Eldar said. He was talking about her, and all the details, an unknown city, pirates being on a ship sound exciting. She looked over to her father.


    "I told Lord Eldar, yes he shared this plan with me already, that I wouldn''t stand in your way if you really wanted to go." her father said. She gave him a warm smile, he was again not happy with this. But again he was showing his support.


    "Thank you daddy." she said softly. "I really want to go, when those the ship leave? What is the main religion of that country, what it the cargo?" Lord Inaam started to chuckle.


    "The ships will set sail next week, the cargo are spices and slik." he said.


    "They worship Rhuldite, God of the Volcano above and Darena, Goddess of the Volcano below." Dorian added, Aliza started to jump up and down in her seat. She loved to see their temple, try out new food and see new things. She loved her trip to Sodora, a couple of years ago. And this was even further than Sodora. She once again turned her attention to her father.


    "Am I really allowed to go?" she asked.


    "You are an adult, Aliza. I can''t hold you here even if I wanted to." he said. "I only want you to be careful. Lady Inaam said that there might be pirates and I do not want to lose you." Like he lost her mother. He didn''t say the words outloud, but she knew that they were inside his head, as they were in hers.


    "I will be careful daddy, I promise."

 Chapter 4

    She didn''t know how it happened, but right now it didn''t matter. There was nothing but the blue water above her and the black abbeys below. The abbeys that drew closer with every second, she was sinking fast, not able to move. She was going to die, that was a certainty.  She was going to drown, and she was not even that far from home.


    They just left the Cresdes port, on their way towards the Duchy of Tresania. A voyage that would last two to three weeks, but it didn''t even take an hour before there was another ship on the horizon. One without a banner, pirates. Their attack was swift, there were even some pirates already among the crew. The battle was bloody, they didn''t stand a change. She fought off three pirates at the same time. With the double swords, Lady and Lord Inaam provided, but in the end she lost the battle and was thrown overboard. With the rest of the dead members of the crew, and some pirates. But she didn''t know how hurt she was until she hit the water, the pain was unbearable when she tried to swim. So much that she almost lost conscience, and now she wished she had lost it. Because this appending doom would be lost on her, the wait until her lungs couldn''t handle the water anymore. Or a predator snatching her up, killing her for food. She would die, that was not the question. But how she was going to die. Something black shot across her vision, was that a shark or another creature. I didn''t matter, black spots started to appear. She slowly closed her eyes. Awaiting Godva''s embrace. She felt two strong arms embracing her, her body got pulled in another direction, then down. The water rushed past her body, and there it was air. She threw up all the salty water, and she kept throwing up. Someone in a male voice said something, and they kept on repeating it. Only she was not able to understand it, but the water out of her body kept on coming. Until she didn''t have enough energy to continue, some sighed.


    "All of the salt water has left your lungs, but your ribs are broken." it was said with the same male''s voice. But with some kind of accent. "That explains your unwillingness to get to the surface, I will bring you medicine and food from time to time. But after your bones have mended, you have to get to your own kind." Her own kind, what that even mean? She didn''t have the energy to ask it, or to open her eyes to see for herself. "Rest, woman of the surface. Rest." And she did fall into a deep slumber.


    *********


    Norch¨®n LeMahieu didn''t know what came over him, this woman of the surface, she would have drowned. Just like all the others before her. The sea was not a place for the weak, her broken ribs made her an easy target to pray on. But so were the newborn babies inside the underwater city, and they had their families to protect them. And this woman was only weak because she was injured, but he had seen her fight against three male members of her own kind. She was strong and without fear, she only got hurt because of a fourth male joining the fight from behind. He was the one breaking her ribs and throwing her overboard, together with the dead and the injured. At first, she fought against the water that was his home, but she soon gave up. Also, due to her ribs. She should have drowned, if he hadn''t intervened. He should have swum away, not looking over his shoulder. Not to be bothered with her death, but he couldn''t after he saw her strength. Not after he saw her beauty, she lay in front of him. In one of the secret underwater caves, even his brothers, his own sire and mother didn''t know about them. These cave were not far from the city, but they have little air pockets in them. The black rocks were not soft, but she slept like the dead. Her black outfit with hints of gold was plastered against her body, her beautiful well-formed body. Lean, strong, and with curves in all the right place. Ohh, by Tagasis, he was such a clownfish. He was only able to think about one thing, which was not strange for a man his age. His brothers all had one or more offspring around his age, and his sister was gone up towards the surface twice, only for her to come back home pregnant with two sets of twins. They all called him a guppy for his lack of sexual interactions. But this woman has awoken that sleeping part within him, not that he would act upon it without her consent. He shook his head slowly and let himself glide down into the bottleneck of the cave. He snuck out of the caves and looked around, there was no one outside waiting for him. Maybe it would be wise to get his mother involved, though, with this woman being injured and all. He didn''t know how bad it was, or if one of the ribs has damaged some important organs. It wouldn''t matter to him if she called him out on it. He looked once again at the woman that was laying on the black rocks of the cave, and left her alone. Hoping that she would be safe, and still alive, if he returned.


    ***********


    "By the Lords of the Sea and even by the Gods of the world above," a gentle woman''s voice woke him up. "I do know what you were thinking, Norch¨®n LeMahieu. She is a beauty, but try to explain that to Lord Chaim. She is not allowed to get to the surface, you know the rules a bit better than I do, from time to time." A soft hand went over her stomach, Aliza hissed from the pain. "I know that it hurts, but you have to be strong for now. I heard from the fool that is my youngest son that you are a brave and strong women. Fighting against three male specimens from your species, at once. You were only defeated because a fourth joined the fight from behind." Aliza didn''t know if that was true, she was not able to remember a fourth man. And this woman, didn''t carry an accent like her son. Aliza slowly opened her eyes, she was inside what seemed to be a cave, the ceiling was covered in luminescent plants? Or algae, she was not sure, but she was able to smell the salty seawater and even hear it. The woman said right next to her, she had silver hair that shimmered in the luminescent light, her eyes were the deepest blue that Aliza had ever seen. The woman placed her hand to her naked chest. "My name is Ente LeMahhieu. My youngest son, Norch¨®n, brought you here." Her hand waived towards the man, that was sitting beside her. And Aliza needed to swallow, this man was the most captivating man she has ever seen in her life. And she has seen plenty good-looking man, Harel and Artel to name a few examples. But Norch¨®n was it, defeated them with ease, he had long black hair, which was a bit tangled up, and he had a three-week-old beard that matched his hair color. But what mostly got her attention were those ocean blue eyes. "What is your name," Ente asked softly, breaking the enchantment.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Aliza," her voice was soft, and sounded not like her own. "Aliza li Shay. I am, or was, a Paladin of Volaris."


    "That means that you were coming from the Sharax Empire, none of the other countries carry that much about the Goddess of Strenght and Honor." Ente said, with a soft smile. "Get some rest, you are going to need that to heal." Aliza nodded slowly, and her eyes fall shot. But she didn''t fall asleep. "I am going to inform the rest of the consortium, and that of your sire."


    "Do you have to?" he asked, he sounded worried.


    "Yes, you rescued her. Which as you know is against the law, so now both of our respective consortiums have to prepare accordingly. Do not worry, I will defend you and her until my dying breath. And I believe with all my heart that your brothers will too." she said. Aliza didn''t understand at all what was happening here. The handsome man saved her, and somehow that is against the law. Not only that, but his parents do not from one unit. And they kept on hinting that they were not of the same species as her, what ever that meant. The sound of water became audible, and then there was silence.


    "You haven''t fallen asleep, have you?" Norch¨®n asked with his thick accent. She shook her head and opened her eyes, he chuckled slightly. "You should take all the rest you can get, my mother is right. I have pulled you into our world, which is not for the faint of hearted."


    "Your world?" she asked. "What does that even mean." She was not able to look away from does deep blue eyes.


    "The world below the surface, the world of the sea." he said, and again she didn''t know what that meant. She was missing something for sure. She looked at him and that is when she saw it. His naked muscled chest with a pale ivory skin, but then her gaze went down. The pale skin transformed into a with rubbery pale blob that was mostly hanging in the water. But as far as she was able to see, there were no legs. A tentacle rose up from the waters, the water dripped from it. Slowly it came towards her, she shot up and immediately regretted the movement. "Easy, easy." His hands rose up, trying to calm her down. Well, that didn''t work. She was hurt and there was not a lot of space inside the cave. So she didn''t have any place to hide, from this strange creature. Which had the torso of the most beautiful man she has ever seen, and the lower body of an octopus. Was that how the creature was called, she was not sure about that. Naming sea creatures was not something she needed to survive.


    "What are you?" she asked. He smiled softly.


    "We call ourselves, Erveapus." he explained. "We are created by Dhoeyar, God of Greed and Endings, and Tagasis, Goddess of Madness and Tricks. After the great flood that took our city, they were simply not ready to let go of their power over the citizens of Silora." Aliza frowned, did he just say Silora? As in the city that was given to the sea, by the other Gods and Goddesses. Because the citizens were overtaken by the Mad Hunger. "Or rather, they changed our autonomy so that we can live underwater. Only Zuses, the God of life, can grant a new species life." She has learned the same thing, Harel was a fine example of that. But this man didn''t have magical blood, at least as far as she knew. His whole body seemed abnormal, the lower half that is. She moved a bit further away from him. "I am not going to hurt you," she was not sure if she believed him or not. He sighed, closed his eyes. The water around his abnormal lower body started to bubble, it also seemed to light up. But that was probably just a reflection of the plants that was inside the cave. Athough she has not seen it there before. The trick of the light and the bubbling of the water stopped as soon as he opened his deep blue eyes. No matter how afraid she was right now, those eyes she could drown in them. But then he stepped, yes he had legs now, out of the water.


    "By Volaris," she said shocked. "You have legs!" he chuckled slightly.


    "How else do you think that we were able to go unnoticed for so long." he said, so magical blood check. Was there mayde another type of magic he was able to do? She was a bit too shocked to ask him that, he walked over towards her and knelt down. His hand placing on her shoulder. "I am not going to hurt you, Aliza. My mother will not hurt you, but that is the only thing I can say for sure. Because there will be others who will try, so I need you to rest up and heal. Because the sea will be your downfall if you can''t fend for yourself."


    "Why did you safe me, your mother said that was illigal to do so. So why did you do it?" She asked. He shrugged, and looked into her eyes.


    "I do not know, but there was a spark inside you when you were fighting those men." he said, she knew somehow that he was not telling the whole truth. "I wouldn''t have saved you if I haven''t seen that spark, the sea is not a place for the weak." Again it was not the whole truth, she was apperently on an information di?t and she didn''t like it one bit. He took a step back and looked down towards her lips. "Get some rest, I will bring food and a weapon in less then a hour." After that he turned around and left.

 Chapter 5

    Aliza didn''t know when she had fallen asleep, but it was Norch¨®n in human form who woke her up. She smiled for a brief moment when she looked into those deep sea blue eyes. But that smile quickly faded, when she remembered what he was. A half-human, half-octopus creature that was created by the God of Greed and Endings, and his wife, the Goddess of Madness and Tricks.


    "I am so sorry, did I scare you?" he asked. Why in the Volaris''s name was he so handsome, and not only that. He sounded so sweet when he asked her that, even with his thick accent. She shook her head, no, he didn''t scare her. She was only not sure if she could thrust him, although he had saved her life. "I have some food, and a knife. My mother is not far behind me to check upon your wounds." She had slept for only an hour, she doubted that her ribs would have being healed up in that short period of time. But then again, she didn''t feel the same levels of pain as before. She pushed herself up, and her body didn''t punish her for it. Which was strange. Norch¨®n pushed some fish inside her hands, raw fish. She looked at it puzzled, not sure if she was able to eat it like this. "Use the knife to clean the fish," he smiled softly. Her head almost spun out of control, but she indeed started to clean the fish. It was still raw fish, and she was not sure how healthy this would be for her, but she was hungry. She didn''t realize how hungry, until she took the first bite. "I begin to believe that I didn''t bring enough food." She looked at him, and saw that it was just the one fish. It was a large fish, one that could feed an entire family, and she ate it in a matter of minutes, she believed those were minutes.


    "Sorry," she whispered, a bit ashamed of herself. But he shook his head.


    "Don''t be, your body is healing, so you are in need of the energy. That means sleep and food." he said, but it didn''t take her shame away. He was right, but still.


    "Ahh, look at that. You have some color on those beautiful cheeks." his mother emerged from the water. Aliza couldn''t rip her gaze away from the lower body of the woman, there were no legs, only tentacles. "You better get used to that, my dear. Because thanks to my son, you will see it on a daily basics."


    "Why?" Aliza asked. "Why am I not allowed to go back home. I do not want to get you guys in more trouble." Ente smiled and sighed.


    "I know that, but those are the rules. We can''t risk being found out, after the Gods of the world above gave the city to the sea. Which according to our history they were smart in doing, but that is beside the point. But our whole city and those who lived in it are considered lost, and with our strange bodies, but also with our strange magic, it is better to keep it that way." Aliza was able to understand the body part, but not the magic part. Probably she will learn about that over time. Because it seems that she was stuck here, for now at least. She locked eyes with Norch¨®n, he seemed to understand what was going on in her mind.


    "Mother, our world and rules are a strange concept for an outsider. You said this so yourself, to Ochnia when she went to the surface for the first time." he said, and his mother nodded.


    "You are right about that, but Ochnia was not going to live in the world above the surface. Aliza here is going to live here, so she needs to learn. But she doesn''t need to learn everything in one sitting. Please let me check your wounds." She said, while she reached out towards Aliza''s chest. Aliza hesitated for a brief moment, but still came towards her. "Your ribs are healing nicely. It is good that you had some sleep, and now food. My magic can only do so much, it is up to you to help it."


    "Magic?" Aliza asked. She only knew a handful of people that were able to preform magic, Harel was one of them. But he had the Blood of the Demon. Mister Alter was able to write stuff down with his mind, and then there was Sun be Lion, the Imperial wizard.


    "Another gift, that the God of Greed, bestowed on his people. To make sure that we were all loyal to him, and his wife, the Goddess of Madness and Tricks." Ente said, with some kind of pride. "That all backfired on them, when we tore down their temples. To make sure that they couldn''t course any more trouble for us." Aliza didn''t know how to feel about that, she was a Paladin, after all. Serving her Goddess was her sole purpose in life. But the God of Greed and Endings, and the Goddess of Madness and Tricks were, according to the legend, the main reason why Solaris was given to the sea. To protect the whole world against the illness called the Mad Hunger. "I would give it half an hour, some extra food, before it is completely healed." Ente turned towards Norch¨®n. "I will send your brothers to fetch the both of you, the extra protection can''t hurt." Norch¨®n just nodded and Ente left them.


    *********


    Aliza sat against the wall of the cave, she was done eating all the fish and if she was honest was a bit stuffed. Norch¨®n was sitting next to her in his human form, his eyes closed. They were waiting for his brothers, to arrive. To take her to the Gods know where. She frowned, they were underwater creatures. They were probably living underwater, and were able to breath. But she was not one of them, she was a human. One that was not shaped into a being that was able to survive without be able to breathe in air.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Uhm," she said. Her voice was a bit wobbly. "Your brothers are on their way to get us, to..."


    "My consortium, which is a small community just out of the city of Silora. My brother''s and sister with her children live there, as do my mother''s brothers. The consortium, next to ours, belongs to my father''s sister. He lives with her and her son''s and a few of his brothers." he said, which was a bunch of information she didn''t ask for. "Marriage, is a concept that is strange to us. The females chose a male when they are ready to have children, sometimes it is a male from another consortium. Like my mother choose my father when she got my sister and me. But at other times, our females go above the surface to get pregnant there, and give us some new blood. My brothers have all human fathers, so does my sister''s children."


    "Thank you for all of that information about your culture, at least part of your culture. But, uhm, those this consortium exists in a giant air bubble or inside a gave like this one." she said, motioning towards the small cave around her. "Otherwise, keeping me alive would be an impossible task." he chuckled.


    "It already is an impossible task, but now I do understand your question. There is a way for you to breathe underwater, it is called Erveapus breath. And I was already contemplating how to tell you." he said.


    "Why?" she asked. Funny that he was directly sharing parts of his culture, but was hesitant about this magic called Erveapus breath.


    "Because all our magic, need physical touch to work. My mother needed to touch your wounds to heal you, Erveapus breath needs physical touch to work as well." he said, she looked at him as he looked at her with his sea blue eyes. Only his eyes were not locked onto hers, they were locked on to her lips.


    "What kind of physical touch?" she asked. He smiled slightly, she stood up and pressed herself against the slimy wall. Away from him, on one hand she really wanted to know, but on the other hand, maybe not. The smile on his face however didn''t fade away.


    "I need to breathe the magic into you, so this magic needs a kiss." He said, while he stood up. "I understand that this is a pretty intimate thing for your kind." He can say that again, a kiss in her world is only shared between lovers. In his world, this might be a different story. He moved a bit closer. "In my world, it is normally the female who makes the first move, but I will not do anything without your consent. I am not a monster." Well, that his a bit of a relief, but what other choice did she have? They made it clear that she was not allowed to go home, and she was not able to live inside this cave forever. He lay a hand on her cheek, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn''t noticed him coming into her personal space. "It will be one kiss, and then you are able to live underwater for three days." So this wouldn''t be the one and only kiss. She looked into his eyes, those deep sea blue eyes.


    "Alright," she whispered, not able to produce more sound than that. He chuckled slightly.


    "Do not tell me that this is your first kiss?" he said, she shock her head.


    "I have being kissed once, when I was twelve." she admitted. He chuckled, and repeated her words. "I am now twenty-one. So nine years ago." He nodded, and looked once again to her lips.


    "Then I have a job to make you forget that kiss," he said softly, and she played with the thought that this was not for her ears. His lips softly stroke over hers, he didn''t press right away. He made sure that she was able to draw back if she wanted. But she closed her eyes, still her heart was beating like crazy. He pressed, and the world exploded into a million pieces. Butterflies rose up in her stomach, as she opened up her mouth to let him in. One of his hands found a way into her hair, and the other wrapped around her waist. Her hands were well on his back. She didn''t know how long they were strangled into each other, and she didn''t care. She could be taken by Godva, the Goddess of the Death, and she still wouldn''t care. But someone else had other plans, the sound of someone clearing his throat echoed against the cave walls.


    "I am sorry for the interruption, little brother." a heavy male voice said. Norch¨®n broke off the kiss, by taking a step back. She opened her eyes, but his were still closed. Only not for long, his pupils were small, and his deep blue eyes looked deeper than normal. Clearly he was hungry for more, and if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn''t have a clear mind to stop him.


    "Terrible timing, Sull." Norch¨®n said, and the man in the water chuckled. Aliza looked at him, the only indication she had that they were brothers was by the fact that they had the same deep blue eyes. But where Norch¨®n''s hair was black, that of Sull was red.


    "You will be glad to know that I am the only one who saw this. I left our other brothers, and your father at the entrance of the cave." Sull said, Aliza frowned. She was not able to hear an accent from Sull. And now that she thought about it, Norch¨®n''s accent was gone too. Norch¨®n let out a curse.


    "Mother only said that she would send you lot, she didn''t say anything about him." Norch¨®n said. Sull simpy shrugged.


    "What do you want me to say, little brother. He was at the consortium when she came back and decided to tag along. But now that you have given her the breath, let us be off. I am wasting my time that I have with my off spring. You know that their mothers are very paticular about the time I spend with them, especially with my sons." Sull said, so Norch¨®n was right women had all the power here. Norch¨®n sighed, and nodded.


    "You are right," he said, while taking her hand into his. "Follow me Aliza," he guided her towards the water. Before grabbing her into a tight huge and jumping into without a warning.

 Chapter 6

    Norch¨®n knew what awaiting him once he left the cave, his brothers might wait with teasing him once they were safe inside the consortium. But his father would keel haul him with a stern look and some chosen words. Sull left the cave first.


    "She is a beauty, I will give him that." Sull said to the other men. "She seems strong wearing armored clothing, and I believe mother when she told me that she was able to hold her own against three males." Norch¨®n smiled, Sull was the oldest of his mother''s children. And that showed, he has accompanied their sister on her first journey to the surface and learned a thing or two from the world above the water. Aliza looked at him, her bright amber eyes were full of wonder. The green edges were enchanting, Norch¨®n closed his eyes for a brief moment, building up the courage to swim out of the cave.


    "Come on, little brother, share your treasure with us." that was N¨¢l, who is the middle child, and the second youngest of his mother''s sons. Only their sister Ochnia was between them. Norch¨®n opened his eyes and swum through the opening, the eyes of N¨¢l and Brird grew wider when they laid eyes upon Aliza. But his father didn''t seem to be that impressed.


    "She is just a pretty girl, I can see her muscles. But those need to get used to moving underwater, she will not able to swim as fast as our kind. So that makes her at this moment as weak as a newborn. You broke the rules, and all of us need to prepare accordingly to protect this girl." his father said. "And why, because your cock did all the thinking for you. But your mother supports you, although I do not know why."


    "Because our mother same something that is called empathy. I know it is rare among our kind," Brird said, that was typical for him. Defending their mother, with the same kind of passion, he uses to makes love with various females. "But let us not discuss this matters where the sharks can listen to our every word. Let''s go to the consortium." All of them nodded, and they went on their way.


    *******


    Aliza was not able to believe that all those men were related to each other, beside the older man. He looked a lot like the older version of Norch¨®n, besides the deep blue eyes. She was still inside Norch¨®n''s arms as he swam through the ocean, and she was able to understand what his father meant by that she wouldn''t be as fast as they were. But right now she was able to look around, and there was so much to see, so much to take in. Various fish swam around them, some she knew by name, some were part of a species she had never seen before. Kelp was growing in some places towards the surface of the ocean. Sea stars and coral covered the sea floor, with too many colors. This was his world, a world she was now forced to be part off. And she had learned from her time on the Eldar estate that beauty was only the front of great danger. The former Emperor was adorned with beautiful jewels, living inside a beautiful palace surrounded by women and gold. And still, he was the most dangerous man the empire has ever faced. The beauty which she currently saw would be the same, overwhelming and dangerous. The coral gave way to a large open space, filled with small buildings strange green light was emanated from behind the windows. The group of buildings were not surrounded, she could see why, everybody would be able to swim over it. But still she believed that this small village, or hamlet, was not as defenceless as it might seem. The sound of little once playing became louder and louder as they drew closer.


    "Those are, probably, my sisters and Sull''s children." Norch¨®n explained. "The smaller building are the housing for the males inside the consortium. My house is a bit on the outskirts. The females and the smaller children are living in the large building." Aliza looked at him, and he looked at her. "You will be living with them for the time being."


    "You mean I would live with your mother and sister, until the day I die. Which might come pretty soon, according to your father."  she said.


    "You will prove him wrong, I make sure of it." Norch¨®n said, one of the redhead brothers, not the one who broke them up, snorted.


    "No offense, little brother. But you are not that strong, your magic is, but the rest not so much. Let mom, and Ochina teach her. And then Sull and Brird will educate her on self-defense. But you are right, she would prove that old fish head that is your father wrong." he said. "I am N¨¢l, the last one of my mother''s sons who was consifed in the world above the surface. Ochina, our sister and Norch¨®n here, are consived with that old male over there. They are the babies of the family. The one you met earlier is our oldest brother Sull, and the other one who looks like a male version of our mother is Brird. But do not worry about getting the names right away. We are a large family, not even considering the uncles and my sister''s children." Which was indeed a bit of a relief. But now the polite thing to do was introducing herself.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "I am Aliza, nice meeting you N¨¢l." she said. "Do you have children live inside the consortium as well?"


    "Children do not live with the male''s consortium, they live with their mother''s. And it will be only by their grace''s if we are allowed to see them from time to time. I have two sons with two females, but both of them are too young to visit me here." N¨¢l said.


    "How old are they?" she asked.


    "The oldest is almost a year, and the youngest a couple of months." N¨¢l said, and he looked right in front of him. This was clearly a topic he didn''t like to discuss, but she needed to know all of this. She needed to know what her role would be inside this world.


    "I am sorry if I upset you, this all is so strange to me." she said, he gave her a watered down smile.


    "I know," and he swam away.


    "The mother''s of his sons are sisters, which was a bit of a mess when the both of them found out that they were pregnant from the same male. It is not something that happened that often, but it happens from time to time. N¨¢l will most likely never be involved inside their lives. It pains him, but on the other hand, he knew what he was doing." Norch¨®n said.


    "Like you know what you were doing by saving me?" she asked, and he nodded. "Your world is so strange to me, in my world the man has the upper hand. Down here, the women are the once making decisions." Meyda was the Empress of the Sharax Empire for sixteen years, and she was the one with royal blood in her veins. But still there are men who believe that she only sits upon that throne because of Ginat. Yes, he also had a link to the Royal family through his aunt, but she married into the family. Meyda''s grandmother was an Oran Princess.


    "Don''t get used to it, though, you are not one of us," it was Norch¨®n''s father, who said it. "You will be on the very bottom of our society, so do never think that you are the same as our females." There was some kind of hatred in his green eyes.


    "I didn''t recall that I ever implied that I would," she shot back. "I just stated the fact that our worlds are so different and that I have a lot to learn. Thank you for pointing out where my place is, but please do never again place words in my mouth." Norch¨®n and his brothers started to chuckle.


    "I already start to like her, she just got here, and she is already showing that she can be as fierce as a barracuda." Brird said, Norch¨®n''s father wanted to say something. "There is mother, Ochnia and your sister, P¨¦asgor. Maybe she is more welcoming than someone else I know." Brird pointed towards the three women that appeared into the doorway of the largest building, the happy screaming from children came from behind them. Ochnia, at least Aliza believed that the younger women was their sister, didn''t look like her father and brother. She didn''t even look like her mother, besides the sea blue eyes. She looked a lot more like her aunt, P¨¦asgor looked at the three and his gaze softened slightly. The third woman, with golden hair, swam towards them.


    "So the rumors are true, our little Norch¨®n finally has chosen his first woman. A woman from the surface, no less. And look at her, her brown hair with a soft tint of the fire that is burning inside her. Her strange colored eyes, tell me that her mind is sharp and looking from the faces of Ente''s older sons, she has a tongue might reflect that. You have done well, Norch¨®n." The woman said.


    "Please do not praise him, sister. Otherwise, he is going to believe that it is alright to break the rules." P¨¦asgor said.


    "I did praise him for his excellent pick, I didn''t praise him for picking a woman from the surface." the woman said, and now she focused her attention towards Aliza. "I welcome you, although it is not my place doing it in a consortium that is not my own."


    "Sister, you can''t mean that. She is from the surface, her kind has shown that greed influence their moral compass each and every time!" P¨¦asgor shouted.


    "I believe that legend stats that Silora was given to the sea because her citizens were driven mad by greed. But forgive me if I am mistaken. I am a Paladin, or rather I was a Paladin of Volaris, Goddess of Strength and Honor. And I never did anything to make my Goddess ashamed of me." Aliza said. And the woman started to chuckle.


    "Sharp mind and tongue, just as I said. You are not wrong, and although you are below my brother in our society, you let all of them know that you aren''t an easy target. Again Norch¨®n you choose well. P¨¦asgor, it is time for us to leave. We need to inform the rest of our consortium that I approve of this girl and that we are standing behind Ente and her consortium." P¨¦asgor wanted to say something. "I do not care about your opinion, brother. I do not even want to hear it, I have spoken, and my word is final." P¨¦asgor lowered his head.


    "Yes, sister," he whispered. As he followed her away, from the consortium. Ente had joined them and smiled towards Aliza.


    "I have to agree with, ... . You indeed showed them that you aren''t so defenceless as you might seem." Ente said.


    "Just like this consortium," Aliza said. Ente tilted her head slightly. "It doesn''t have any fortafications I know, but still it is guarded by something magical I believe. Some kind of invisible barrier," Ente nodded.


    "... , was right about your mind. It is sharp, which makes all the things a lot more easier. Do you have any flaws?" Ente asked.


    "My temper when I do not have enough sleep." Aliza answered.


    "Good to know, well welcome in our consortium, Aliza. This is going to be your new home."

 Chapter 7

    "Do not mind my father," Ochnia said. They were alone inside one of the bedrooms. It was smaller than her own bedroom at her father''s house, but it had a bed made out of some kind of coral. The walls were made out of gray stone. "This was Norch¨®n''s room when he was little, my room is at the end of the hallway. Tomorrow you have lessons with my two oldest, and we will clue you in on all the other stuff you need to know. Let''s pray to the Gods that you will be ready for when Lord Chaim calls upon you."


    "I know how to act and what to say around nobility, my best friend is the nephew of the Empress, and let me say that was a fun childhood." Aliza said. "I do not want to sound dismissive, because I know I have a lot to learn. But at least do not worry about that." Ochnia nodded slowly.


    "The nephew of the Empress, you say." she muttered. "Well, that is good to know, and again do not mind my father. He is just worried. You are, right now, without any form to protect yourself. So that task falls upon my brothers and uncles. But I know from experience that you are tough, because this is not the first time we met each other." Aliza tilted her head slightly. "Granted it is being eight years ago. I was above the surface, with my oldest brother, Sull. To find a mating partner for my first child. And I found one in a tavern just near the harbor. It was a noble man, that was quite eager." Aliza frowned, there are quite a few taverns near the harbor, sailors love a stiff drink and a fresh cooked meal after their time at sea. But there was one tavern that was popular among the noble''s, The Golden Anchor. She has seen the inside of that tavern eight years ago, with Harel and Artal. And it was not a pleasant memory. Pe''eri Karniel, the second son of House Karniel, saw to that. "Yes, you and I met inside that tavern. When I pulled of my mating partner from, I believe your best friend. And you were doing the same thing with said best friend." Aliza blinked a few times. She indeed remembered that.


    "Wait a second, you mated with Pe''eri Karniel?" Aliza asked. Ochnia wiggled with her head.


    "I honostly do not remember his name, but yes. I mated with him and he is the father of my two oldest. Not that it matters, they will never know him and he will never know them." Ochnia said. "Which I belief is for the best, because from what I have seen, he doesn''t seem to be a very nice person." Aliza nodded.


    "He is not, he is a bully. Harel is his favorite target, because he was adopted into the Eldar family. Which is horse shit, he is as much part of that family as any other member." Aliza said. Ochnia frowned, maybe adoption doesn''t excist here. "There are a lot of children, that lost their parents and sometimes they get adopted by other families." Ochnia nodded.


    "That is indeed a strange concept for us, if a mother passes away. The rest of the consortium will takes care of the child." Ochnia said. So Aliza was right, sort off.


    "So the consortium, adopts the child and raises them. Until they can stand on their own, or better said swim on their own." Aliza said and Ochnia nodded. "But still I can not believe that we already met, each other. Although the encounter was brief. I belief you and Pe''eri left soon after that."


    "That is correct, and what I remember was that you had to contain not only your best friend. But also that other man that was with the you." She said, Aliza lowered her head. Artel and Harel were so mad that day, and she needed to use all that she had learned to keep does two from going after that jerk.


    "It was my first and last time inside that tavern, we were no longer welcome after that. Neither was Pe''eri, because the owner knows all to well that he was the one that started the fight. But of course, Pe''eri blames Harel." Aliza sighed and tried to sit down upon the bed. Swimming under water was tough, even though she concidered herself an experiance swimmer.


    "I am sorry, although I had nothing to do with it. Besides the fact that I mated with him after all of that. But that is enough for today, your body has healed up nicely. But right now it needs some rest. Tomorrow are your lessons." Ochnia said before she swam out of the room. Aliza was already fast asleep when the door closed behind her.


    *******


    The sun was already low, the streets near the harbor were packed with sailors and merchents. who were on their way home or to the nearest tavern. Nothing beats a good pint of Sharax Empire Ale, or another stiff drink. A good freshly cooked meal, and a nice bed to sleep in after the belly was full. Probably with an extra body to warm the sheets. Harel and Artal were pushing each other, talking loudly and making a lot of fun, she was walking closely behind them. Knowing that they only asked her because she was already inside the Eldar mansion, like always. But she didn''t mind, it would be her first time inside a tavern though and not just any tavern, The Golden Anchor. It was the place to be for young nobles, in other words, she wouldn''t be allowed in if it wasn''t for those gooveballs. But they were nobles, Artal was in fact the noble. He was the crown prince and Harel was the adoptive grandson of Lord Eldar. So he might not be a noble by blood, but by name and they were her friends. Their laughter made her laugh as well, which was something that was rare these last couple of days. Her father has tried to get her to join the family company, but she wants to be a Paladin of Volaris. Something she has told him over and over again, but as usual he will not listen to her until she got the position.  But that was neither here or there, right now she was on her way to have fun. Harel turned towards her.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Come on, Liz. No sour faces today, we are going to have some fun." he shouted, so that the whole street was able to hear him. She chuckled and rushed towards him. Both of their arms landed upon her shoulders, as they walked through the streets. The Golden Anchor overlooked the crystal blue ocean. The yellow brick shimmered in the midday sun, it almost looked like gold, which was the whole point. "Look, Liz, we are finally here. They have the best ale, in town, according to father."


    "My father said the same thing, I can''t wait to try it." Artal said, does two sounded more like little children, but she can''t deny that she was curious about it as well. "Come on," Artal pushed open the door, a little bell echoed through the establishment. Not that anybody heard it, because the laughter and loud conversation rushed towards them.


    "Ahh, your highness and excellently welcome in the Golden Anchor." a female server said. "If you follow me," she turned around, ready to guide the three of them towards their table.


    "What in Volaris''s name is this. I believed that this establishment was for the nobility. Not for the trash rats that were picked up by them." A loud male voice said, the whole laughing chamber died down. And all that were present looked towards the one who said it. Pe''eri Karniel, he was the second son of Lord and Lady Karniel. A young lady with golden locks and deep sea blue eyes was sitting next to him. Her hand was laying upon his arm, probably to stop him from saying something. She failed in that regard, but it was not a secret that Pe''eri hated Harel and her. "And it seems that a prince also took a skank with him." Aliza placed a hand on Artal''s shoulder, who was ready to charge. Something he has done a lot in the past, Harel on the other hand was the more level-headed of the two. But she was able to see that he was fuming as well. Pe''eri looked at the girl who was sitting next to him, she was not one of the nobles. At least not one of the Empires, maybe those of another kingdom or duchy. "She is not even that pretty, but I do not doubt her ability to please the two of you." And Harel was on him, before Aliza was able to stop him. Harel''s fist rained down upon Pe''eri, again and again. Aliza shoved Artal on one of the chairs, and rushed towards her best friend. Not to help him, but to pull him off Pe''eri, which was not an easy task. And he was trying to fight her, but she put him in a tight grip. While the unknown girl dragged the angry Pe''eri out of the tavern. Atral tried to rush after them, ready to do more damage than Harel, only for her to let him trip over her feet.


    "Have the two of you lost your minds!" she said loudly. "By reacting in the way that you two did, you are proving his point. So the two of you, put that noble but of yours in one of does chairs and I do not want to hear from you."


    "Do you really think that I want two of does loss canon''s inside my tavern!" That was Samuel, the owner and head chef of the Golden Anchor. Aliza shook her head, no.


    "I do understand where you are coming from, but they are currently too hot headed to leave." Aliza said, and she was right about that. As he was right for kicking them out for their behavior. But there was not much time between Pe''eri''s departure and now. She will not be able to stop those hot headed fools from killing Pe''eri, not after what he had said about her. Samuel frowned, and he was ready to say something about it when the door opened up and Emperor Ginat stepped in.


    "And what is going on here?" he asked. Samuel turned towards him.


    "Ha, your majesty. Good that you are here. Your nephew just beat one of my patrons to a pulp, I want him to be removed from my establishment. Together with your son and that tanners'' daughter." Samuel said. One of Ginat''s eyebrows rose up.


    "It is rare for my nephew to fly off the handle like that. So the one on the receiving end probably deserved it, but it is your establishment. Artal, Harel, get moving. Aliza, if you want to be so kind to follow us." Ginat commanded, they just bowed their heads and walked out in shame. Aliza smiled at the Emperor, before she followed them outside. Worried that the Emperor would give them grief over this. The door of the tavern closed behind him and she shrunk a bit awaiting what was coming next. "I saw Pe''eri leave, before I came in. Was it really Harel who lost his temper?" the three of them nodded. "Well then I believe that he said something very upsetting."


    "He, called Aliza a skank. And said that Harel and I both were sleeping with her." Artal said. Emperor Ginat''s eyebrows shot up.


    "He did?" he asked and again the three of nodded. "Well, then he would be glad that I wasn''t there." All three of the them looked at him in disbelieve. "Aliza you are as much part of the Eldar family as I am. And I do defened the members of my family. So that includes you, and I in return expect from you the same in return."


    "I will," she said. "I will."

 Chapter 8

    Norch¨®n was peeking through the bedroom window, his heart was pounding like crazy inside his chest. Aliza was sleeping inside his old bedroom, and he was standing outside watching her sleep like a creep. What will his mother say when she found him here, maybe his brothers will be worse. Love was not so common, it was even quite rare. Females rather pick a male to mate with, then a live partner. But he has heard that there were some couples among their species, where the father sees his children every day. Where he is able to see them grow up, teach them important stuff, protect them against the cruel world above and below the surface.


    "He, little brother." Sull appeared next to him. "Oh, oh. We have a love sick puppy shark, on our hands." Norch¨®n sighed, his oldest brother was clearly worse than his mother. "Alright, baby brother. I am going to take you away from this, because mom will make delicious calamari from your member, if she finds you here." Norch¨®n shivered, Sull slammed the rusty nail upon the head. Their mother would be capable of doing something like that. He glanced inside the room, she seemed to happy. Hopefully, her dream brought her towards the Realm of Dreams, towards her happy place. "Come on," Sull was right now pulling him with all his might. But still, Norch¨®n didn''t make it easy. But he was able to do it, Sull took him towards his house, where N¨¢ll and Brird were already waiting for them. With fermented seaweed fruit, they never invited him to get drunk with him before. He knew that every brother was invited after their first mating, but he didn''t mate. He brought a human to their world, he kissed that human. And by the Gods, that kiss. Hot water geysers exploded from all sides, and even that was a weak description. "Sit down, little brother. It is time we talk like males. Uncle D¨®illal did this with me after my first mating, and I passed that tradition down to our brothers, and now it is your turn."


    "But I didn''t mate?" Norch¨®n asked. Sull nodded slowly.


    "No, you didn''t and from what I noticed about the females, in the limited time I spend above the surface. I know that it would take a while before she consent, to mate with you. But you made a very adult decision, and that makes you in my book an adult." His other brothers nodded, slowly. Norch¨®n sat down and Brird gave him his first ever fermented seaweed fruit.


    "Here you go, little brother. You are going to need it, because we are going to discuss the possible outcomes of your decision." Norch¨®n looked at the orange fruit with a yellow shine on it, this was one of the lighter ones. Purple, who were also present, are stronger. But he didn''t take a bite, knowing that he wanted to be sober for this. "N¨¢l, needs to go to work in the morning. And he might face the wrath of Lord Chaim, so tell him why you did it. And do not come with the ''I do not know'' excuse. That ship has sailed, when you saved her." Norch¨®n lowered his head, N¨¢l was one of Lord Chaim''s guards and Brird was right he might face his wrath. Or, he needed to start the negotiations, and it is only fair that he wants to know why.


    "I do not know," Norch¨®n started, Brird wanted to interrupt him, but Sull interrupted him. "How to describe it, but there was something drawing me towards her. The strength she showed while fighting three males, the cleverness she presented after wards. The sharpness of her tongue, I know she those not take whale crap from anybody. She will do her best to learn everything that there is to know, and she will be able to defend herself." He started to smile. "I am losing all comic sense."


    "Ohh, boy. He is further gone than I thought." N¨¢l said, with a large grin upon his face. "I do not know if that is a good thing or not. But for now we are going to role with it. There is only one other thing that Lord Chaim wants, and that is the chance to mate with our sister." Norch¨®n tensed up. This is not the first time that N¨¢l said this, and it will not be the last time until Ochnia mates with that slim ball. Ochnia is one of the most beautiful females, and like their mother in her prime, very popular with the males. But she had four kids now, two sets of twins. Three girls and one boy, in other words, she didn''t only provide new blood to their race, she also secured the future of the consortium. She still can choose to mate again, she can choose to select a new mate above or below the surface. She can reject any male, and still held her head high.


    "Well, that decision doesn''t fall upon any of us, I am not going to force her to mate with someone. Not that I could. But I believe that we need to prepare ourselves." Norch¨®n said, and his brothers nodded.


    "Prepare yourselves for what?" It was Ochnia, she entered Sull''s house without an invitation, which was her right.


    "For the possibility that, Lord Chaim demands to mate with you, in order to keep Aliza safe." Norch¨®n said. "And you reject his demands, which is your right." Ochnia nodded.


    "It is indeed my right, as the future leader of this consortium. But it is my duty to protect my consortium in every way that I can. And if I can offer Aliza my protection by mating..." Ochnia said.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "No, I will not ask you to do this for Aliza. Protecting her is my duty." Norch¨®n said, which was naive of him. But his sister doesn''t have to do this if she didn''t want to. Ochnia lay her hand on his shoulder.


    "I am not only doing it for her, I am doing it for you. Our mother, brothers, uncles and my children." she said. Norch¨®n crushed. Of course her children, she would do anything for her children. Their mother would have said the same thing, and still would. Sull nodded.


    "Brird, you and I need to talk with the mothers of our children. We most likely need to visit them at their consortium if we want to see our offspring." he said. "Norch¨®n eat that piece of fruit, you are an adult, act like one."


    "I did, by staying sober until we were done talking about the heavy stuff." Norch¨®n countered. His siblings started to laugh.


    "Ohh, we aren''t done with that," Brird said, and to Norch¨®n''s surprise he was right.


    *********


    Sull almost hated the fact that he missed out on his time with his boys. N¨®dea, their mother, always made it clear to him that their time with him was a privilege. And he hoped that he would be able to spend some more time with them, when he was at their mothers'' consortium. But he was here for another reason, and seeing them would be a bonus. N¨®dea came out of her house, which like his mother''s place was the largest building inside the consortium, and she took his breath away. Her hazel eyes and brown hair, she was so pretty and smart. He considered himself lucky that he was able to mate her twice, which resulted in their two boys.


    "Funny to see you here, Sull. I wondered how long it would take you, and to my surprise you waited until the morning." she said. Oh, by the Gods from below and above the surface, she knew him so well.


    "I hope the boys do not hate me for bailing on them," he said, but she shook her head.


    "They said that you needed to help uncle Norch¨®n, and I taught them that members of our own consortium comes before doing things we love or like to do." she said. He smiled and sighed, it was good to hear that his sons were understanding. Still, that didn''t mean that it didn''t hurt them. "So, what was so important."


    "That is the reason why I came to you, Brird is currently at the consortium of Blath Allais. Norch¨®n has rescued a human girl, and she is now at our consortium." Sull said, and her mouth fall open. He nodded, "that was my reaction too when I heard it. I can''t lie, she is pretty and has a temper to match with it. But little Norch¨®n is in love with her."


    "I love?" she asked. But then chuckled slightly, "tell me more. Norch¨®n was always an odd guppy, but how do you know that it is love?" Sull sighed, that was the same question he Brird asked Norch¨®n yesterday while they were eating fermented seaweed fruit. Norch¨®n did answer with some strange answer, an answer he was not going to repeat. So it was better to state what he has seen.


    "Well there is the first time I saw her, and well I do not know how far things would have gone, if I hadn''t interrupted them." he started. "But then there is the way he lights up when he is thinking of her, the way that I needed to drag him away from the bedroom window. How he speaks about her. Yeah, my little brother has turned into a love sick puppy shark." N¨®dea smiled brightly.


    "I am glad to hear that he has found someone that special," she said, but then her happy expression faded. "What does Lord Chaim say about this?"


    "N¨¢l is on duty now, we will learn pretty soon what he thinks about it. And we are prepared to protect this girl, and I understand completely if you are going to say that it will be no longer possible for me to see the boys." he said. "It will break me, but I will understand." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.


    "I am not somebody who makes that kind of decision on a whim. But it might better if you visited them here, until we know what Lord Chaim wants. And I met that pretty girl." she said. Sull looked into her pretty hazel eyes, he was so lucky with her, and he thanked his lucky sea star that she was so understanding. He also thanked that same star for the fact that he was still allowed to see his children. He knew for a fact that Brird might not be as lucky, Blath made it already difficult for him to see his little girl. And now with this, he might face the possibility that she will cut him completely off. "I will also speak with Blath, to see what I can do for Brird."


    "You do not have to do that," he said. She answered him with a small peg on the lips.


    "I know, but Brird is a good male. So are you, it is not for nothing that I choose you as my mating partner, twice." She said. "You are respectful, and takes care of not only our sons. But you are also a fatherly figure for Ochnia''s children. Which makes me want to mate with you for a third time." His mouth fall open, how was it posible that they landed here.


    "Daddy!" Istenn swam out of the house, his arms stretched out towards him. Sull moved away from N¨®dea and caught him.


    "Hello buddy," he said. Istenn was his youngest and was the most effectionet of his sons. Brerd his oldest appeared into the door. "Hey Brerd."


    "Father, is uncle Norch¨®n alright?" Brerd asked, showing his carring nature. He might not swim in for a huge, but that didn''t mean that he was cold blooded.


    "Uncle Norch¨®n, is fine. More then fine, but he needed my help yesterday." Sull said.


    "Your uncle has fallen in love with a women, and needed your father''s help. We will meet the lady in question, when the dust clears up." N¨®dea said. "But for now, your father is coming here. Instead of you two going towards your father." Brerd nodded with a smile, and swam towards his mother. Istenn placed his face against Sull''s neck.


    "I love you, daddy." Istenn whispered. Sull''s heart swell up and he breathed in deeply. He was pretty sure that there would be tears inside his eyes, if he wasn''t under water.


    "I love you too, buddy." he said to Istenn, he then made eye contact with Brerd. "I love the both of you."