Ch 24 The Recap and The Secret

I awoke to Luv tapping my leg.

"Dinner will be ready soon. I would like it if you could join us."

I was still a bit hazy. I could still see the red sunlight as the sun is setting. I didn't get to nap very long.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be in soon."

"Okay, see you then."

She smiled and left. I rubbed my eyes and lowered my hands to my side. I felt a cloth that was not there when I fell asleep. I had a blanket on me. It was soft.

I saw something else that was not there before I fell asleep. There was more cloth folded over the top of one of the chairs with a note on it. I got up and read the Eysian note.

'I thought you could these. I think this will fit you nicely. Luv-'

I lifted the cloth. It unfolded into a pair of brownish-red pants and more cloth fell out.

"Sweet. These leaf coverings made me feel stupid while walking through Juiyo."

I whispered to myself.

I tried on the pants and picked up the other piece of cloth. It was a clean tan shirt. I found some hot water in a bucket nearby. She seems very considerate. I took the pants back off. I cleaned myself up with the hot water and a scrubbing cloth before I dried up and put my new clothes back on. They fit great. Not too tight or loose.

I made my way to the main hut where the others were. A torch was lit on the front porch and some candles were lit throughout the hut. I managed to find my way to the main dining area due to chatter between the three girls.

Estheria had on a loose white tunic and a pair of long green shorts. This must be some of her casual wear. I usually see her in armor of some kind.

Luv let her hair down and had on a tan dress. It was a thin fabric that clung tightly to her curves and light muscle. The dress was only long enough to go down to her knees.

"Hi there, sleepyhead."

Inu remarked.

"Well, I still feel like I can go back to sleep. I just figured I would take the time to talk some with our gracious hosts."

I found the only empty seat at the table and sat down.

"This looks good. Thank you for the food."

It was a hot bowl of stew. Some kind of fowl or poultry with vegetables in a tasty stock with fresh fruits on the side. The stew was good but I enjoyed the fruits more.

"Lake. How did you get to know Sophie? She is always a great help around here and has a positive attitude. She talks about you like you rescued her from a fate worse than death."

I don't see a problem in telling the story but, if Sophie talks so much about me, why has Luv not heard all about it?

"Well, I'll just assume that Estheria had already told you about how I was brought to the mansion where I first met Sophie."

"Indeed, she has."

She leaned toward the middle of the table and began to whisper.

"Including the fact that your body has absorbed the potion of Rage."

She leaned back and let out a smile.

"That makes some things easier. I have become immortal and got a power that comes from anger. It frightens me now. I don't want to hurt anyone. I try my best to keep my anger in check. It's not too hard. I'm naturally a very passive person. I did let some of this power out on the same night I met Sophie. It was the first time that it really sunk in, the fact that I have this power. Where I'm from, people would kill for power like this. I think I would be happier with just the regeneration. But I guess I have to take the good with the bad."

Estheria gained interest.

"You used your power that night?"

"Yes. Rahmik Lethroh was my host that day. He was the high society type. I tried my best to have an air of superiority around him in an attempt to be more acceptable to him. That was impossible after, I found out the kind of cruel environment Sophie was living in. It was worse than a barn for an animal. He slapped her hard for something that was not even her fault, the first time I met them. I helped her up and introduced myself. Later, I talked with her as I was taking a bath."

"You move fast."

Inu spouted.

"I was covered by bubbles. She couldn't see anything and I wasn't showing anything."

"So defensive."

Luv spoke this time. I shrugged

"Hey! All we did was talk."

I took another bite of some fruit before continuing.

"His wife, Y'gdrim, tripped Sophie while she brought expensive deserts after dinner that night. This enraged Rahmik. I think it was a sick sense of humor on Y'gdrim's part. He hit Sophie a few times. I was ready to get up and punch him. He stopped before I was forced to react. Then, he did the unthinkable. Sophie was already in pain and tears while she was cleaning up the mess. He kicked her in the stomach and I couldn't sit still any longer. I stood up and smashed my fist on the table. I had no idea the table would break. Or, that the floor of the house would split in two halves. He and his wife were scared into a corner. I used this opportunity to try and help Sophie. I attempted to barter for her freedom under the threat of harm. I... had no clue about the rules for slaves at the time. Freedom was not an option so I had him transfer ownership to me instead. That's how we met. Not the best of circumstances. I was just happy to get her away from him."

Estheria and Luv were both in shock. Estheria spoke first.

"He really did that to her? That, sweet little thing? I knew he was a horrible man before, this is just..."

She looked down. Tears nearly forming in her eyes. Luv reached over and began to rub her back in an attempt to comfort her. Luv then spoke.

"So, the next morning is when you were summoned to the Elders? That's the day when you asked Esther to take care of her, right?"

"Yeah. That morning is also when I had ownership over Sophie's slave seal transferred to me. That was also the day when the Elders sentenced me to an eternity of imprisonment for the safety of Eyse."

"So what happened after you were imprisoned?"

I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed.

"Honestly it wasn't bad there. At least not for someone with an immortal body. They fed me regularly. I think the idea was to keep me satisfied so that I would not become angry due to a lack of necessities. I was in there for several months. Mostly just daydreaming. It was there that I had met my first panther."

Inu decided to chime in.

"That's where he met my sister. They got married about five months ago now."

Estheria and Luv were both surprised.

"So... you were just enjoying the married life? Is that why it took you so long to get here?"

Luv made it sound worse than it was.

"Uh, well. It took some time to get to that point. I wanted to come sooner but, circumstances were not so forgiving. Mery, my wife, didn't think she would survive captivity from the elves. She basically proposed to me before I even knew what it meant for a panther to reveal their full name."

Inu spoke up again.

"She wanted that connection before her life could be forfeit. My people only marry once in a lifetime. If their partner dies or leaves, there is no remarrying. Not usually. It's rare. It's also looked down upon if one does remarry."

Luv and Estheria began to speak at the same time. They then began trying to get the other to go first.

Luv gave in to speak first.

"Us trolls get married all the time. When we find someone we truly love, we stay together for as long as we can. Many get married to fill a void but it rarely lasts. It can even end violently on occasion."

It was Estheria's turn to talk.

"Among the elves, we rarely marry. When we do, it is because we are sure we want to be together. It is rare for a marriage to end before one of the partners passes away. That said, it is neither forbidden nor looked down upon to remarry. We live such long lives, it would be torture to some if they could not seek love if a partner does happen to leave or die."

Inu was curious.

"How long do your races live? My tribe usually live around 200 years."

Estheria went first this time.

"The elves can live up to 5000. Those are the Elders. An average elf lives around 3000."

"The troll shamans have lived for 500 years or more. Normal trolls mostly live 300 years, give or take 50."

All eyes turned to me.

"My turn, I guess. Where I came from, it was rare for a human to live past 100 years. That said, most of them were almost useless after 60 or 70 years. My world was bent to the human's will. Technology advanced so far that, medicine increased our lifespans more than double. Before we had medicine, Sickness would take us. We were only living around 30 or 40 years. Similar to the humans of this world."

Estheria spoke up.

"Such short lives... What about the marriage habits of humans?"

"I can't say I know much about this world's humans, in my world, it was probably more similar to the trolls."

All three girls had an almost sad look on their faces.

Estheria broke the quiet.

"I suppose that makes sense, for the humans to marry so casually if they only live for such a short time. It's hard to comprehend the feeling of knowing you will die so soon after birth. I'm already older than, apparently any human and I'm not even in my prime. How can you live, knowing that you will die sooner than any other race?"

"I think, something that helps 'my' people cope with such a short lifespan is the fact that there are no other races to compare to. Humans can be very jealous of others. At times, to the point of violence or murder. Since there are no other races to be jealous of, individuals come up with their own reasons for living. These reasons are usually either the justification of living a short life or an excuse for living a long one. Family, friends, pets, wealth, fame and items. There are more reasons to live in my world than you can count."

Luv had one more question.

"But, what about your reason?"

I leaned forward again and scratched my head.

"It may sound a bit cheesy. Before I came here, all I wanted from life was to find someone I could love and, who would love me in return. Without that possibility, I felt I would be miserable. Since I am here now, my goal is to nurture the bonds that I have formed with my wife."

I gave a shy smile without looking up.

"I am proud to have you as a brother, Lake."

Inu placed a paw on my leg and nuzzled my arm.

"I guess we got a little off-topic. We were talking about your travels on the way to get here."

Luv reminded us.

"Right, I left off where I met Mery. The guards refused to feed her. I was giving her my food to help her. She was not cruel to me so I felt bad that they did not give her any food. One night, a few panthers broke her out. That was the same night Estheria told me that Sophie was safe. The Elders said they were going to find her and hold her hostage. If I tried to escape or use my powers, she would be killed."

Estheria shifted in her seat before speaking up.

"I am still upset at them for saying that. I have been a guard there for a long time. Never have I heard of such tactics being used by the elves. That is part of the reason I left. Luv and keeping Sophie safe are the other reasons I left."

"Thank you for that, Estheria. I really would have been lost if Sophie had been hurt or worse."

She crossed her arms and nodded her head.

"She was worth keeping safe. It was not just for you."

"After Mery left with her rescuers, I got myself out. I did not need the key, Rahmik was there in the prison with me. He pissed me off again talking about Sophie like a thing. I was angry enough that I had been granted massive strength, from the potion I assume. I left the prison. This is when I found Atouk. He was also searching for Mery. I told him she was safe so he decided to escape from the elven city with me. The giants were attacking. This distracted most of the guards that night. I felt bad for the innocent victims that were getting killed. I decided to fight the giants with the strength I was granted. I managed to get rid of a few with Atouk's help. I was launched over to the southern coast of the peninsula with an unconscious Atouk by a giants tree mace. After we regained ourselves, we traveled back toward Lak'Tambu. Before we got there, we met up with Mery. Her guards returned without us. Atouk, Mery and I traveled together. We stayed in a cave one night while Atouk kept watch outside. That"s when Mery and I were unofficially married."

"Oh! Details!"

Inu remarked.

"Nnnnno."

"Aw! I like those kinds of stories! They keep me up at night sometimes."

I almost did a facepalm.

"Maybe you should find 'someone' to keep you up at night instead of stories."

I don't think they know I saw but, Esther and Luv looked at each other and seemed a bit embarrassed. Maybe sexy talk is a bit much for them?

"After I got introduced to Lak'Tambu, the King wanted me to save his other daughter from Bastion."

"That's the Human city, right? Did you really go there?"

Luv was curious.

"I did. I only went because Estheria said Sophie was safe. The King's daughter was an unknown. She could have been dead already or alive and in danger. I chose to believe that she was still alive. It was a good thing too. I spent almost a month there before I was able to find and rescue her."

"What was it like there?"

Luv asked.

"I think a simple description would be, nicer buildings and worse people, compared to here. There were many humans but I only met a handful of good ones. After Delicia was rescued and brought back to Lak'Tambu, I was given a double ceremony. The panther people made me one of them and I was officially married to Mery. I wanted to come here sooner than later but Mery was busy and she wanted to come with me. I only finally made it here due to the information about the mermaid attack. I came here without Mery but I left her a note."

"That sounds like you have been through a lot since we last met, Lake."

Estheria said. Luv then spoke.

"After hearing all of that, I think you are an okay human. Sophie did tell me about Rahmik before, I just wanted to see how you told the story. I wanted to see how you portrayed yourself. The selfish hero, The ultimate human with unrivaled strength. From what I have heard, I feel like you are just a person who happens upon good and bad situations and tries to make the best out of them. I was not about to let Sophie back into your hands if I felt you were not worthy of her."

"Honestly I was afraid that she might hate me or had forgotten about me since I've been gone for so long. I thought that she might want to stay here anyway. I don't care where she ends up as long as she is safe and happy."

"I am sure she will be happy to see you tomorrow. It is good that you came."

"Thanks, Luv."

"My little brother is such a good guy."

Inu rubbed her head on my arm again. I could hear her purring.

"And he has such a caring older sister."

Estheria teased.

"I think I will retreat for the night. Sleep well, girls."

They all said goodnight and I went back to Sophie's bed to get some more sleep. The girls spent more time talking through the night.

I awoke in the middle of the night. I had to pee. I don't remember seeing a throne in Sophie's hut. It must be in the main hut.

I sat up. I felt Inu near my feet. She was sleeping next to me. I got out of bed as carefully as I could to not wake her. I walked outside and saw some trees nearby. I thought for a second about just going over to a tree to relieve myself. I wasn't sure if that would be bad manners or some spirit tree. I'll just go inside.

I walked up to the main door and pushed aside the cloth curtain to enter. I walked through the living room and began my walk down the hall that leads to the kitchen. The master bedroom was on my left while a storage room and, I am assuming a throne room is on the right. I passed the storage door first. I had to pass the master bedroom door on my left before I could get to the throne room door on my right.

I heard a noise coming from the bedroom. I was so determined to go pee that I had not processed what I might be hearing until it was too late.

I looked into the bedroom where the door curtain was not pulled closed. A gentle moonlight was revealing the scene before me. Luv was leaning back in a chair against the wall holding one of her bare breasts. Her other hand was on top of Estheria's head which was vigorously engaged in between Luv's legs.

They were lovers.

Shit.

I was still half asleep. I wasn't trying to intrude.

I turned around and began to quietly attempt an escape. I managed to get to the front door before my arm had a hand placed on it.

I was caught.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just trying to find the throne room."

I didn't think they had enough time to dress so I didn't turn around.

"Why didn't you just go on a tree outside?"

Gah! Damnit.

I hate being unsure of myself and having it backfire.

My arm was being pulled away from the hut entrance. I could easily resist this gentle pull but, I didn't. I looked straight down to where I could only see feet.

The color of her skin, this was Estheria that had me in her grasp. She pulled me further back into the hut. She stopped and began to turn toward me. I closed my eyes and was pressed up against a wall. I'm guessing in the hallway.

"Lake... Please... I'm begging you."

I could hear her voice tremble. Not with passion. She was afraid.

I opened my eyes and followed a trail from her toes to her face along her nude skin. She had tears in her eyes. I heard a noise to my left. Luv, also in the nude, approached and grabbed my left hand with both of hers.

"Don't tell anyone. Please."

She was more composed than Estheria but, she was also distressed.

"What? That I saw you? Do you have husbands you are cheating on or something? I don't understand why you are so afraid."

Estheria began to cry and placed her forehead on my right shoulder.

Luv continued.

"It... It's forbidden. For women to be lovers. If you tell someone... If someone finds out... we could... be executed. This is just how it is for most races in this world. It's... unnatural for two of the same gender to be lovers."

I wanted to let out a hearty laugh. I wanted to but, I knew what the result could be from my power. I gently squeezed Luv's hand and showed her a loving smile.

"You two."

I turned my head to Estheria. I brought my right hand up to her head. I kissed the side of her head.

"You have both done more for me than I can ever repay. Where I come from. This kind of love is commonplace. Two women or two men can be in love with each other, out in the open. I was used to seeing that kind of thing. What you two have is beautiful and I would never condemn you for it. If keeping this a secret will keep you safe, I will take it with me until the end of time itself."

Estheria began to cry harder and pulled her body against mine. I could feel her body shake as her fear left her. They both fell to their knees in relief. I went down with them to avoid an awkward position.

I had to keep my mind off of the situation. I was just praying that I would not activate my 'shame drain.' That name kinda works. I think I'll call it that.

After some time had passed. They both went back to bed. I was finally able to relieve myself in the throne room. I went back to bed next to Inu.

"Is something wrong?"

She sounded so sleepy. She may have been talking in her sleep.

"Nothing. Get some sleep, Inu."

"Mmmmmkayyy."

A slow, almost mumbling, drawn-out answer. Darkness took me yet again. The dim light was back. I stepped into it. It changed to red again. The boy was nowhere to be seen. I heard a voice behind me. Unintelligible.

"...is wa...."

"OW!"

Something sharp hit a nerve. I lurched up in a hurry.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I was stretching and let my claws out. I forgot you were next to me. I didn't mean to wake you, Lake. I'm sorry."

I reached out to pat Inu on the head with one hand while I rubbed my eye with the other.

"It's okay. I think you hit a nerve and it just surprised me. No harm, done."

It was morning. I didn't even get two words out of the boy this time. Oh well.

Today is the day that, I get to see Sophie again.