Amelia and Ralan
They reached Blackridge a week later. Lily had given in and stitched Taren's pants back together. After two days she was tired of staring at his bare bum since he insisted on walking in front of them after she did that. Besides it wouldn't look good to a future employer to have your butt hanging out of your pants when you first met them. They asked around town and were pointed in the direction of Sid Tanner's house.
It was at the edge of town, farthest from the forest. It was also very large; this man obviously had money. The trio walked up to the door and Taren knocked. A few minutes passed before a middle aged man opened the door. He looked tired and a little disheveled but still put together. "Can I help you?" His voice sounded as tired as he looked. "Hello sir, my name is Taren Eli; these are my associates Dante Foss and Lily Vale. We heard about your unfortunate situation and we'd like to offer our services."
The man nodded, "Come in." He opened the door wider for the group, "Please have a seat." He gestured towards a comfy living area off the main hall. They sat on the couch while the man took a chair across from them. "My name is Sid Tanner, my daughters' name is Amelia. It's just the two of us, her mother died a few years ago."
"I'm sorry." Dante interjected
"Thank you." He answered automatically.
"Why don't you start with when your daughter was taken." Dante said. Sid shifted in his chair, "Right, well it was four months ago when I heard her screaming in her room one night. I ran in and she had the covers pulled to her chin and she was pointing at the window. I looked out and saw a figure dash behind a house, back towards the woods. A few days later my neighbor Byron said he saw an elf at my daughters' window. It scared him so he just watched it, he said it stayed a long time. Byron said he couldn't be sure but he thought it was speaking, its mouth was moving but he couldn't see if the window was opened."
He sat up and stared at the trio, "There's no way my Amelia would speak with a filthy elf." He sighed loudly and rubbed his face. "Two weeks after she screamed that first night, she didn't come down to breakfast. I went up and saw that her window was open and she was gone. Amelia never would have gone with it, she's a good girl, it took her I know it. Please find her for me." The man's voice was filled with desperation and anguish. It was clear to Lily he wasn't used to speaking with people in this manner. "We heard that you seem to know which elf took her; why do you believe it to be this particular one?" Lily asked.
"My neighbor watched it climb down from Amelia's window. Said it really had trouble, like it couldn't bend its leg very much. It's rumored that the elf I'm referring to took a devastating wound to its leg a long time ago and it didn't heal properly."
Lily nodded, "How old is Amelia, Mr. Green?" she asked.
He sighed loudly, "Sixteen, almost seventeen. We were going to go to Ardenry for her birthday this year." Mr. Tanner shifted nervously in his chair.
"And you know where this disassociated elf lives?" asked Taren.
"Yes, many people in the village know, it's not hard to find."
"Is he as dangerous as a normal elf?" Dante asked.
"He stole my daughter, what do you think?" He scowled at the priest but Dante was still calm. "My mistake, of course he is."
"I wasn't really expecting anyone to help, so I'm a bit unprepared. I can have everything ready tomorrow morning. I'll pay for some rooms at the inn across the way. It's nice so you should be comfortable."
"Thank you sir, that's very kind of you." Lily said.
"I'll have my house keeper make dinner for us tonight, it'll be better than anything you could get at an inn." Sid stood and the others followed him to the door. "I'm grateful for your help, make no mistake. If you succeed and bring my Amelia back I will pay you all three hundred gold pieces, each."
"Well I assure you sir, we will do everything in our power to bring Amelia home to you." Lily said. "Thank you young lady." The three followed Sid across the street and he paid for two rooms. "Come by around six, dinner will be ready by then and I'll have some things for you." He turned and left without another word.
A little after six they knocked on Mr. Tanner's door and this time a young woman answered. "You must be the three that are going to find Miss Amelia. Come in dinner's ready." She graciously showed them inside and led them to the dining room. A long table was elaborately set for four people. "Goodness, fancy." Lily whispered as the young woman disappeared behind the kitchen door. They heard Sid coming down the stairs and turned at the sound, he came around the corner and nodded at them.
"Thank you for coming, please sit." He walked to the head of the table and sat down, as did the group. The young woman walked in with a wine decanter, "Would anyone like some wine?" The priests politely refused but Taren enthusiastically took a glass, as did Sid. The young lady set the decanter down next to a silver soup tureen and started ladling a thick yellow soup into bowls. Lily watched as she set one down in front of each of them before again leaving the room. After each had had a few bites of the delicious soup Sid reached into his pocked and pulled out three rings. "I want you to be prepared when you get my Amelia." He handed them each a ring. "They should help against some of the, charm ability they have. I need you focused, not fighting each other."
"Thank you sir, it's very kind of you." Lily said as she slipped the ring on. She could feel the magic spread from her hand, to her arm then all over her body. Lily had never worn a magic ring before; she wondered if they all had that sensation when you first put them on. "So tell me, what is your plan?" Sid said as he loudly slurped his soup.
Taren cleared his throat, "Well sir, first we hoped to find your daughter alone in his home. It'll be easier to get her that way. He'll come home and find her gone. Naturally the first place he'll come looking for her is here. When he comes through the window, we'll ambush him. Better to fight on our turf than his right?" Taren sipped at the soup waiting for Tanners' approval. The man gave it some thought then nodded, "That makes sense, it's an unorthodox plan but I don't see why it wouldn't work." Taren sighed in relief.
Dante and Lily looked at him with their eyebrows raised; they had never discussed a plan and were surprised that he came up with something so quick. Dante knew his friend would prefer to go in 'swords swinging' than the sneaky route he suggested. Lily noticed a portrait on the wall behind Sid, it appeared to be his family. He stood next to a woman she assumed was his deceased wife. Sitting between them was Amelia. She had brown hair and brown eyes like her mother. Her nose was short but not stubby and she had full pouty lips. Lily memorized that face; she didn't want to grab the wrong girl. The rest of the evening passed with polite conversation and the group enjoyed the best meal they'd had in ages. When dinner was eaten Taren spoke up again, "May we see Amelia's room? There maybe something there that could help us."
Sid nodded, "Yes, Marian will show you. I can't stand to be in there; not right now."
A few minutes later the young woman, Marian led them to a door at the end of the hall on the second floor. She unlocked the door with a key she took from her pocket. The room was dark so Marian walked to the window and opened the curtains. The dying sun filled the room and she easily found the little lamp and lit it. "Here you are sir". She said, handing Taren the lit lamp. "Thank you Marian." He took the lamp and started searching around the notorious window. Lily walked around the large room and noted all the expensive furniture. "She's got a lot of really nice things." Lily said. Her father seemed to buy only the best for his only child. A big chestnut dresser that could hold enough clothes for three people was by the door and Lily noted the pretty flower carvings that decorated it. That pattern was also on the large bed frame and a desk. Sid definitely had money.
Taren studied the window and the surrounding wood work and found a dark stain on the window sill. He licked his thumb and pressed it against the stain. When he lifted it the stain was on his skin. "Hey Dante, come here." He moved over and saw the mark on Taren's thumb, "What's that?"
"Blood." Taren whispered.
"Blood! Oh my goodness poor Miss Amelia." Marian said from across the room.
"Don't worry, its elven blood. She must have got him good with something while he pulled her out the window."
"Are you sure it's not Amelia's?" Marian asked.
"Oh yes, when you're been traveling as long as I have you can tell." Taren wiped away the blood on his dark pants as Dante studied the window, "Looks like you can only open it from the inside." he said.
"Yes all the windows are like that." Marian said, she was turning out to be very helpful.
"Well thank you for showing us the room, it must not have been easy for you." Taren said as he started out of the room. "It's not a problem I assure you."
"What does Mr. Tanner do for a living, if I may ask?" Lily was curious as to what profession could produce such a nice lifestyle for a family. "Mr. Tanner's the best leather worker in the county. People come from all over for his goods." Marian sounded proud of her employer as she locked the door and showed the trio back to the front door. "Come by in the morning, I'll have some food prepared for you."
"Thank you very much Marian, that's very kind of you." Taren said.
"My pleasure. I'll see you in the morning." They said their goodbyes and walked to the inn.
All three went into the couple's room, it was much bigger than Taren's. There was a nice couch under the window and Taren plopped down and propped his feet up on the other end of the couch while the priests sat down on the bed. "So any idea how to approach this?" Lily asked.
"Maybe the elf put a spell on her?" Dante suggested.
"Could be; there was a nail sticking out of the window. Maybe he just caught himself on it." Taren said. Lily had been dying to know about the blood ever since he found it.
"How did you know it was elven blood? It was so old."
"Elven blood smells sweet after it's dried." Taren said like it should have been obvious.
"Oh, interesting." Lily didn't think dried blood smelled at all but like she'd ever been near a bleeding elf to know. "Mr. Tanner said Amelia was sixteen, I think we should be prepared to find that she may not want to leave the elf." Lily said as she tucked her left leg under her right; it was her favorite thinking position. Both men turned to her, their eyes wide in disbelief. "Excuse me?" Taren sat up and put his feet on the floor.
"Well she's young, clearly her father is a little overbearing; and as wild as elves are, they're still exotic looking am I right? If the elf wanted Amelia to go with him, he may have seduced her. Amelia may think she's in love with him." Both men came to a realization neither had counted on. "Never though of that." Taren stood and paced the room. "How would we convince her to leave? It would be cruel to tear her away without explaining but we probably wouldn't even get a chance with the elf there." Dante stood and paced the room with Taren; Lily stayed seated, she wasn't one for pacing. "I think that we'll get better results if we don't just rush in, swords drawn ready to kill." she said.
"That would be nice Lily but elves aren't exactly known for their peaceful nature." Taren said as he flopped gracefully back on the couch. "How did you come up with such a scenario Love?" Dante sat down next to Lily and held her hand.
"Well I used to be a sixteen year old girl. I know what's it like to think you know what's best yourself. I've seen many a girl profess their love for a man who's completely wrong for her and nothing can change her mind. She loves him and only him and not even a fathers rage can suppress it."
"Ahh, I see." Dante smiled and kissed her head.
"Well I can't just sit here," Taren stood, "I'm going to think of something in my room. You two probably want to rest. Good night." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Lily laid her head on the fluffy pillows and closed her eyes. "This is a nice bed." She said stretching and enjoying the soft mattress. Dante moved back and laid his head on the pillow next to Lily. "You're right it is. When we're married I'll make sure and get one for us." Lily turned to him; he was facing the ceiling with his eyes closed and his hands laid across his stomach, like he hadn't just said something life changing to her.
"When we're married?"
"Yes. Did you ever have any doubt as to whether I wanted to be with you the rest of my life?" He kept his eyes closed and wiggled his feet at the end of the bed, tickling hers. "No, but you're going to have to do better than that." She teased.
"Better than what?" His eyes opened and he turned to her in surprise and she giggled.
"I meant that when you do ask me, it should be romantic and spontaneous. Something I'll-we'll remember the rest of our lives."
"You young women all want romance," he said teasingly. "I'm an old man I can't be getting down on one knee, it'll break!"
Lily laughed out loud, "You're not old!"
"Compared to you I am. I was twelve when you were born, that's a big age gap you know."
"Not to me. To me you're my age." She stroked his face gently until he smiled.
"That's sweet; but how do you think your father would take it, marrying such an older man?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think he'd mind. He's always just wanted u-, me to be happy." Dante stroked her cheek; she almost said 'us' but Dante doubted Lily considered Lavinia her sister anymore, not after what happened.
"That's good, he seemed like an easy going man; until he, punched me in the face."
Lily chuckled, "I still can't believe he did that. He knows now that you're not to blame. Papa even said he'd welcome you with open arms if it made me happy." Dante smiled and nuzzled next to her. "Spontaneous and romantic huh? I think I can do that."
"And don't worry about your creaky old knee; you don't have to get down on one knee for me." He jerked his head and saw she was trying to suppress a smile.
"What?" Lily screamed playfully as he began to tickle her relentlessly. She squirmed and squealed but couldn't keep him from running his fingers over her sides. When Lily was out of breath he stopped and she opened her eyes, he was lying on top of her smiling but she didn't mind, his weight was comforting. "I love your laugh." He said, brushing stray hairs from her face. Lily giggled, "I love it when you make me laugh." He traced the outline of her cheeks and her lips with his finger while she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Dante slipped to one side of her and wrapped his arms around her so she could lay her head on his chest. His hands moved lazily up and down her back and she smiled. "Dante I believe this is the first time we've truly been alone."
He chuckled, "You're right Love, it is." Lily looked up and saw that same look in his eyes that she saw a week ago. Something about that look sped her heart and she pressed her lips against his and pulled him down on top of her, there was no tickling this time. They kissed furiously as Lily pulled Dante out of his robe, he chuckled and did the same to her. Lily remembered how wonderful it felt to have Dante kiss and nip at her neck and wondered if he would like to as well. Her hands went to the back of his neck and drew him close to her lips. The first breath from her that hit his skin made him shudder; she smiled and began teasing the delicate skin behind his ear with her tongue.
Slowly he lifted his head and Lily saw the heat that was there before was gone. "What's wrong?" She ran her fingers through his hair and squeezed the back of his neck. Dante sighed heavily and slowly slid next to her. "Have you ever made love before?" he asked her.
Lily was a little taken aback, "Well no. Why?" He lowered his head and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I forgot myself with you again Love." He looked up and held her chin between his fingers. "I love you Lily, you know that right?" She nodded, but couldn't keep the confusion off her face. "Of course I do. I love you too but why-" He shushed her with a gentle kiss. "I would love nothing more than to experience physical love with you Lily, but I feel our first time should be more special, not because it happens to be the first time we're alone." She thought for a moment and the realization of what they were about to do hit her. "I see." Dante had a valid reason for not following through. "I agree, our first time should be special." The adrenaline started to wear off and Lily almost felt embarrassed as she slipped back into her shirt. "Are you all right Love? Did I disappoint you?"
She laid back down and got under the warm covers, "I think I disappointed myself." Lily turned and gently scratched at his beard. "Do you think less of me?" His eyes widened and he held her hand, "What? How could I ever think less of you?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked away. "I'm a priestess, shouldn't I have better restraint?" He lifted her chin and kissed her nose. "I'm a priest and I know I don't have better restraint. It's difficult being with one you love and not being intimate. You instinctively want to be together physically. I'll never think less of you for wanting to sleep with me." He gave a little chuckle. "I should be so lucky that a beautiful smart woman like you would want to." Lily smiled and nestled into his chest. "Think we can hold out until our wedding night?" she asked playfully. "I can if you can Love." It sounded like a dare to her.
"I doubt it, but we'll try our best."
"Deal." Dante kissed her forehead and held her close. "You are the perfect woman for me Lily and if I had to wait a hundred years to be with you I would. No one else in this world makes me feel so happy and loved. I look forward to the day you become my wife." Lily smiled and closed her eyes. "Sleep Love, tomorrow's going to be a hard day."
It was just after sunrise when there was a knock on their door. Dante slowly answered and saw Taren was standing in the hallway, dressed and ready to go. "Morning Taren, not often you wake me up." He said walking back to the bed. Taren sat on the couch and made himself comfortable while the priests got ready. "Wasn't sure how long the walk would take and I wanted to get an early start."
"Good idea." Lily said, sitting up and running her fingers though her hair. The memory of last night made her smile as she got ready for the day.
Taren noticed how Dante kept looking at Lily, like she was the only one in the world for him. Lily didn't see it, she was lost in her own little world as she laced up her boots. Taren wondered what his friends were up to last night that made them so happy and he smirked. Last night was the first alone time they had since Lily came back he said to himself. "Guess you two had a peaceful night last night." Lily looked up and smiled, she didn't hear the teasing in his voice. "We did actually."
Taren chuckled, "I see."
After they were ready they made a quick stop at Sid's for the food that Marian had promised them. They weren't surprised that Sid was already up and ushered them into the dining room. They saw a big map was unrolled on the dining room table. "The elf lives here," he pointed to a small clearing on the map about thirteen hours away. "Just head east until you get to this little stream, you'll have to follow it most of the day before you get to his house. You shouldn't run into any other hostiles, they're much further in."
"Thank you for the map Sid, it's much appreciated." Taren rolled it back up and stuck it in his bag. Sid shook all their hands as they walked out the door, "Be careful and good luck." The trio could see the anxiety on his face before they turned and started for the woods. Lily thought it was because Sid wanted to believe they'd bring his daughter back, but was afraid to think of what it would mean if they didn't. They left, map and food tucked away and walked towards the woods. Word must have traveled fast through the town because as they walked people yelled words of encouragement. "Bring Amelia back to us!" and "Stay sharp!" Lily smiled shyly while Dante nodded at them. Taren waved and played the handsome hero until Dante nudged him to stop. Half an hour later the woods loomed before them, dark and forbidding. Lily stood and stared at the tall trees, Dante's hand was in hers and she fidgeted nervously, "Are you scared Love?"
She nodded, "Just don't want to run into any elves."
Taren chuckled, "Me either Lily-Lou." She scowled at him as he started walking into the woods. Dante followed and Lily allowed him to pull her inside. It was dark; beams of light randomly streamed through the trees so Dante took out a coin. "Otto Light our way." The coin lit up like a miniature sun and he stuck it in a crack at the top of his walking stick. It was nice to see but the light also made Lily nervous. "Won't the light attract things to us?" she whispered.
"Maybe, but at least we'd see them coming." Dante smiled reassuringly at her. It didn't help. They walked hand in hand, following Taren through the dark woods. It took them three hours to reach the stream on the map before they turned north and followed it. The trio only talked when necessary, they were all too nervous to say much anyway. When they got hungry they ate as they walked, it seemed Marian had accounted for that since all the food she packed was easily eaten by hand. As the day progressed they could tell the sun was setting through the trees, but Dante's coin still lit the way. After walking for hours Taren held up his hand, "Wait here, I'm going to look ahead." He walked off through the darkness and left the priests alone. "Have you ever been here before?" Lily asked her priest quietly.
"Once, a long time ago. I got lucky then, let's hope my luck still holds up." They waited for twenty minutes before Taren came back through the bushes. "I found the house. I think we might be able to sneak up to it and just observe for a while." They started forward but Taren help up his hand. "I think you should put your light out, definitely can't sneak with that shining." He said motioning at the coin. Dante sighed and let the light slowly die. They walked for fifteen minutes before they smelled food wafting on the air and their noses lead them to a little cottage under a large oak tree.
There was a figure moving around inside but they couldn't tell if it was the elf or Amelia. Taren slowly walked up to the window and peaked inside. It was Amelia, she was moving around the little kitchen, throwing vegetables into a big pot. "Well maybe our impromptu plan might actually work, I see the girl but no elf." he whispered. The priests looked in through the window and saw what Taren saw. Lily recognized Amelia from her portrait above the dining room table. She didn't look abused or like a prisoner, she was actually smiling as she started cutting slices of bread. "Well, guess we should knock." Lily said backing away from the window. Dante nodded and walked to the door; they hoped that seeing two priests first would keep the girl calm. Taren might make her nervous since he sort of screamed mercenary. Dante knocked three times and they all heard a little gasp from inside. "Who is it?" Amelia called out tentatively.
"My name is Dante Foss, I'm a priest of Otto. Me and my friends were traveling through the woods and were wondering if we might come in and rest for the night." Taren and Lily moved behind him and put on their best smiles. The door opened slowly and Amelia peeked through the crack, they could tell she was nervous. "Did my father send you?" she asked quietly. Taren pushed Dante over a little so he could talk with the girl. "If you ran away, it's none of our business; we just want to sleep somewhere that's not outside."
The young girl bit her lip and gave it some thought. "All right, come in." She opened the door and walked over to the large pot hanging over the fire. All three walked in and Lily closed the door behind Taren. The house was bright and warm; the smell of what was cooking in the pot filled the room and made their mouths water. "Nice house, you here all alone?" Taren asked as he sat on a chair by the window. Amelia was shy and Lily could tell she was thinking carefully about her answer. "No, I'm not alone."
"Are you married?" Dante asked
"No."
"What's your name?" Lily asked.
"Amelia." She said not turning from the pot.
"It's nice to meet you Amelia. I'm Lily." Amelia nodded her head and returned to her pot. "What are you doing in the woods?" Amelia asked, "No one really comes in unless they're hunting elves or something."
"We thought we'd try a shortcut, wasn't so short as it turned out." Dante took a seat by the table and pulled Lily close to him. Amelia noticed the gesture and gave a little knowing smile, "You two together?" she asked, slowly walking over to them. The couple looked at each other and smiled, "Yes we're together." Lily said and kissed Dante on the forehead. Amelia smiled fully for the fist time, "That's sweet. You look happy."
"Thank you we are. What about you Amelia, are you happy?" Lily asked.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" She sat down on the bench in front of Lily.
"You seem kind of sad." Lily noted. Taren was suddenly really glad Lily was with them, some things definitely need a woman's touch and getting Amelia to talk was one of them. "Do I? I don't mean to seem sad, just nervous I guess."
"Why?" Lily said, leaning towards the young girl. Amelia looked down at her hands nervously. "I'm not really supposed to let people in. Ralan said people might try and kidnap me."
"Why kidnap you?" Dante asked.
She looked up and sighed. "Well, I'm sure my father is trying to hire every Merc in the province to come get me. But I don't want to leave."
"So you did run away." Taren said.
Amelia turned towards him and nodded, "Sort of. Ralan wanted me with him and I wanted to be with him. I knew my father wouldn't let us be together but I love Ralan, I can't live without him." Holy shit Lily was right Taren thought. Dante felt it was just teenage over infatuation to be so dramatic over an elf, but he couldn't help but feel the same way about Lily. "How romantic for you." Dante said. "Do you worry about how your father feels, now that you're gone?" he asked.
"I do, but he'll not let us be together and I'm pretty sure he'd disown me now anyway."
"That's harsh, why would he disown you?" Lily asked, putting a hand on the Amelia's.
"Well I-," The glass in the window broke and Taren yelled out in pain. He fell to the ground and they all saw a nasty looking arrow sticking out of his back between his shoulder blades. "Taren!" Lily tried to run to him but Dante shoved her down to the ground. "Don't move I'll get him." He crawled to Taren and pulled the arrow out. It was coated with a white sticky substance. Lily saw Amelia cowering in a corner and crawled to her, "Don't worry it'll be okay." She wrapped her arms around the frightened girl and tried to be brave herself. Taren was bleeding heavily so Dante put his hands on the wound and prayed to Otto to heal his friend.
Before he could check on the wound again, the door flew opened and an elf stepped in. He looked directly at the two men on the floor and started to move his hands like a spell caster. Odd words spilled from his mouth and Dante could feel his eyes getting heavy. "Stop please." He said, more quietly than he wanted. He felt his body go limp and he fell on top of Taren. "Please, don't let my friend die." He whispered before his eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep.
Amelia stood up and Lily tried to stop her, "No! Get down!" she begged. She looked down at Lily with a smile on her face, "It's all right, it's just Ralan." Realization hit Lily like a shovel in the face; in all the violence she had forgotten that an elf lived here. She watched as Amelia walked over and lovingly embraced the handsome elf. He kissed her forehead and lifted her chin to his face, "Remember what I told you about letting strangers in my dear?" Lily was shocked, his voice was soft and tender, he wasn't scolding her at all. "My father didn't send them; the short cut they took didn't quite work out. They were looking for shelter for the night."
His eyes widened, "Oh! I'll apologize in the morning." He kissed the tip of her nose and walked around the table to Lily, "I'm sorry about your friends but I feel if my Amelia were taken back to her father he would just murder her." He kneeled down and held out a hand to help her up. Lily studied his face and could see why he appealed to Amelia. His eyes were kind and his face was fair. He didn't look as wild as she thought elves were supposed to look. Lily gingerly took his hand; it was rough from a long life of hard living, but warm.
He helped her to her feet and she glanced at her friends, they were in a heap on the floor. Lily gasped and ran over to check on them, Taren was first; she could see he was still bleeding some so she laid her hands on him and prayed to stop the bleeding. When Lily was satisfied he wouldn't bleed to death she rolled them both over on their backs, they were both deeply asleep. She laid across Dante and was so relived he wasn't dead she couldn't help but let a few tears fall. "Oh thank you blessed Otto." she whispered. "They are only asleep, they will wake in the morning," said the elf. Lily sat up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Come sit at our table and eat, you must be quite shaken up." he said.
"Surprised more than anything." It seemed that she was only half right, Amelia did love her kidnapper but it seemed he truly loved her back. Lily walked slowly and sat next to the elf. "My name is Ralan, you've met my Amelia."
"I'm Lily, the priest is Dante and the one you, shot is Taren." One of Ralan's eyebrows raised, "Taren Eli?"
Lily nodded her head, "You've heard of him?"
"I've heard of him, glad I shot him. Younger than I would have thought." He looked over at Taren's sleeping body. "As long as he behaves himself I won't kill him."
"Um,Thanks." Lily said, a little disturbed at Ralan's words. It must have shown on her face because Amelia playfully slapped his shoulder. "He's kidding Lily, don't pay any attention" She said as he stood and got bowls out of a cabinet for the three of them. Amelia filled two bowls with the thick stew and set them on the table, Ralan pushed his bowl over to Amelia. "Have mine, I'll get my own."
He squeezed her hand and got up from the table. Lily ate her food slowly and gave worried looks to her friends every once in a while. Ralan and Amelia chatted away during dinner; Lily could feel the attraction between them. She was also trying to figure out what to say to Sid. There was no way they could take her back now. Amelia was in no danger.
When they finished eating Ralan and Amelia laid by the fire. He sang a pretty song in Elvish to her while Lily fussed with her unconscious friends; she was still very scared for them. She was on the verge of tears again when she noticed the couple by the fire. Ralan was still singing softly and rubbing Amelia's belly. "You're with child." Lily said as she noticed the small bump that Ralan laid his hands on. He stopped singing and they looked at her. "That's why you don't want to go home. You're afraid what your father will do."
Amelia nodded her head. "My father can be quite racist when it comes to elves. There's no telling what he'd do to a half-elf born out of wedlock." Some of Lily's fears went away and she could breathe a little easier. "Do you want to marry?" she asked.
"Very much so," Ralan said, "but it's hard to find a willing priest."
"I understand." Amelia sat up and Lily could see she looked very excited all of a sudden, "Maybe you could marry us Lily!"
Ralan put his hand on her back, "We don't want to impose sweetness. I did almost kill her friends."
"Ralan's right," Lily said, "Normally I'd love to, but we need witnesses and they're kind of out of it right now." She said as she gently caressed Dante's cheek. Amelia crossed her arms and gave Ralan a scolding look. He chuckled, "I'm sorry my dear, I never thought in a million years that a priestess willing to marry us would be in our home."
She shrugged her shoulder's, "I supposed we can wait till morning, that is if you'll do it Lily?" Amelia looked at Lily with such a pleading look, she felt she had to do something for the star crossed couple. "All right, in the morning." Amelia squealed with joy and wrapped her arms around Ralan as he smiled peacefully. Lily bet he hadn't smiled like that in a long time. "Thank you priestess, you've healed my soul with your words." He said as he stood and helped Amelia to her feet. Lily watched him waked over and much to her surprise, he hugged her. She stiffened a little but relaxed when her body caught up with her head and she realized he wasn't going to hurt her. "You're welcome, I'm glad I could help."
Amelia came over and handed her a pillow, "I thought this might make you a little more comfortable."
Lily smiled, "Thank you, I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep very much but thank you anyway."
"You are safe here, there's nothing to worry about." Ralan said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know; I just meant my friends. I'm a worrier and I probably won't relax until they're awake."
"Ah, I understand; but try and rest anyway. They certainly are." He chuckled and Lily shook her head, "Yes they are." Amelia was by the table, spreading honey on a piece of bread, "She's worried about Dante, she loves him."
"Oh, if I had known I wouldn't have put that spell on him. I'm sorry your night will be so long with out your mate." Ralan really did look remorseful.
"Thank you, I'm just glad he'd not dead." Lily put the pillow under Dante's hand and caressed his limp hand. Ralan moved over to Amelia and tickled her belly, "Does he want some honey?" He kissed her cheek and she giggled.
"He always wants honey." she said and quickly finished her bread.
Soon after that the couple went to bed leaving Lily the only conscience person in the house. She fought sleep all night, wanting to keep watch over her helpless friends but lost a few hours before sunrise and fell asleep resting on her priests chest.
Dante woke to the sun shining on his face. He couldn't remember where he was or why he felt so groggy. Looking down he saw Lily was sleeping on his chest, she had big circles around her eyes which made her look exhausted but he wasn't sure why. He looked around and saw Taren sleeping next to him and thought he looked a little pale. Then Dante remembered the arrow sticking out of his friends back and sat up with a gasp. They were in the elf's house and still alive. Lily slid off his chest and the sudden movement woke her, "Dante you're awake." She wrapped her arms around him tight.
"Is Taren all right? What's going on?" He asked quietly.
"Yes he'll be fine; he's asleep like you were." He looked around and saw the elf and Amelia asleep on a big bed on the far side of the room. "Come on, maybe we can sneak out." He whispered and started to move Taren when Lily put her hand on his arm. "It's all right Dante. He won't hurt us, or Amelia. I was half right about the situation. She does love him, but he loves her too. They're having a baby Dante, we can't tear them apart."
"I knew it was too good to be true." Dante and Lily turned quickly at the voice. Ralan was sitting up in the bed, his hand resting lightly on Amelia's side. "Her father did send you."
Lily sighed, "Yes, but we won't try and take her from you. You belong together, I see that now." she said. Ralan nodded his head and rubbed Amelia's belly.
"I'm going to trust you priestess because you consented to marry us today. It would be a very immoral thing to go back on your word after saying such a thing." He stood and walked over to them. "I am Ralan, you are Dante are you not?" He kneeled and held out his hand to him. "I am." He said cautiously as he shook the elf's hand.
"Amelia tells me that Lily is your mate. You have good taste." Dante was shocked at Ralan's words but tried not to be rude. "Yes, she's my world." Ralan smiled and went to wake his bride. "Did he say you were going to marry them today?" Dante asked her.
"He sure did." She turned and gave him a little smile.
"Guess we're not getting paid." He teased and gave Taren a once over; he was fine, just asleep like Lily had said. "Why isn't my friend awake yet?" Dante asked. Ralan got off the bed and a sleepy Amelia sat up and stretched. "His sleep was not spell induced; my arrow was coated with the sap of a special plant. When mixed with blood it induces a sleep like state."
"I never knew such a plant existed." He said looking back at his unconscious friend.
"They are very rare priest; they only bloom in twilight once every twenty eight days." Ralan started cutting up a loaf of bread and Amelia sat down at the table. "Thank you again for marrying us Lily. I'll never forget it." Amelia was all smiles this morning.
"You're most welcome Amelia."
"Come, have some bread." Ralan gestured toward the table. Dante quickly got up to give Lily a hand and as the couple sat at the table Amelia noticed Lily still had dark circles around her eyes. "Did you not sleep Lily?" she asked, taking a bite of honey bread. "Not really, I got some."
"I'm sorry you're so tired priestess, it's my fault." Ralan said.
Lily chuckled, "Yes it is, but I'm a worry wart by nature."
Amelia laughed, "Never head that one before."
"My Papa used to say it all the time." Lily said. A loud groaning noise on the floor made them all turn, "What's going on?" Taren was still groggy and his speech was less than perfect. Dante quickly moved back to his friend. "Good You're awake, can you move?"
Taren tried to sit up but yelled in pain, "Feels like my backs on fire." he hissed. Dante slipped his hand under Taren's shirt and touched the wound. "Otto please heal my friend of his injuries." Taren's breathing slowed as the pain slowly ebbed away. "Try it now."
Taren began to sit up, slower this time, "Where are we?" Dante pointed behind him; Taren turned and saw Lily sitting at the table with Amelia and an elf. "Well we're not dead I guess that's a good sign." he said. Dante helped Taren to his feet and he sat on the bench next to Lily. "How ya doing Lily-Lou?" She rolled her eyes as he chuckled and grabbed a piece of bread. "Fine, this is Ralan." She motioned toward the elf.
He nodded, "Good shot." Taren said, munching on the bread.
Ralan smiled at the man's wit, "Quick for a man."
Taren scoffed,"Not quick enough."
Ralan laughed out loud, "I've heard of you Eli, I thought you'd be older."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. I've never met a-" Taren hit the table with his hand and all but the elf jumped at the sound. "Are you all right?" Lily asked, concern filling her eyes. Taren waited to see if Ralan was going to finish his sentence and when it was clear he wasn't he answered. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Lily laid a hand on his shoulder, "What happened?"
"Nothing. A little pain spasm." He tweaked his neck and they all heard it crack in several places. "You sure you're all right? Maybe you should-"
"I'm fine Lily!" Taren snapped and shook her hand off. The second he did it, he felt horrible, especially after he saw her hurt face. Dante laid a hand on Lily's shoulder and tried to pacify the situation. "All right you're fine Taren, calm down." he said. There was silence around the table, everyone waiting to see what Taren would do but he stayed silent and moodily chewed his bread. Lily decided to lighten the mood and turned to Amelia, "So, what time do you two want to get married?" Amelia smiled and Taren choked on his bread. "Married?" Lily turned to him and tried to not act hurt from his previous outburst. "Yes. They're having a baby and wished to get married so I said I'd marry them."
"That's not why we came here." He said, smashing his bread into the table.
"What? What do you mean?" Amelia looked at Ralan and he shushed her with a gentle kiss. "I told you something like this could happen Taren." Lily said. He laid his head in his hands and sighed angrily. "Fate has a funny way of working out Taren; sometimes you just have to go with the flow." Lily laid her hand back on his shoulder but he shook it off and walked outside. "What's wrong with him?" Amelia asked.
"Oh he's probably just mad Ralan got the drop on him." Dante said, fully aware of what was really wrong. "Men." Amelia said shaking her head. "What did he mean when he said that? What did you come here to do?"
Dante cleared his throat, "Amelia I'm very sorry that we lied to you when we first came here. Your father did hire us to get you, but have no fear; we'll not take you from Ralan. You're in no danger and you clearly love each other."
Lily could see her eyes were watering, "Oh I see." She said quietly. "You're really not going to take me back?"
Lily shook her head, "Not unless you want to, and I have a feeling you don't."
"No I don't."
Lily cleared her throat, "Well, let's focus on the day ahead shall we, I have a feeling it'll be a particularly romantic one." She said trying to hold back tears, she hated disappointing Amelia and the way Taren acted was catching up with her.
"Right, moving forward." Ralan stood up and opened a door in the floor, "A celebration calls for a feast." He disappeared into the cellar. When he came back he had a large cured ham and several other jars. "This will be a day none of us will forget. You and yours will be like family and will always be welcomed. Let us prepare dinner and tonight we shall feast and be merry. We'll celebrate love and fertility and the beginning of our lives together."
"Hear hear." Dante said.
The day passed quickly with all but Taren pitching in. The men cooked the ham and the ladies made a cake. Wine was set out to breath and candles decorated the house. While the men worked on other food stuffs, Lily helped Amelia get ready. She had an old fashioned dress that was white as white could be with little pearls down the front and Amelia made a little head band from flowers that surrounded the cottage. While they were outside gathering more flowers for Lily, she looked around for Taren but didn't see him. She couldn't see the pair of dark eyes watching them from deeper in.
It was late afternoon when everything was ready. Lily freshened up the best she could and since there was no conch shell available for the ceremony Dante gave her a nice blue bowl he had found. The ceremony was everything the couple wanted; they voiced their love for one another and Amelia was astonished when the bowl magically filled with water; it was a blessing from Otto. When they kissed, their love brought a whole new feeling of life and love to their home. Lily and Dante felt at peace as they watched the newly married couple smile at each other. "That was beautiful Love." He walked over and kissed Lily's cheek. She leaned her head on his chest and sighed as the sound of his strong heart beat soothed her. "I wish Taren was here." She said.
"He'll be back, he just needed to calm down." Dante stroked her hair, "He's not used to anyone but me caring. I think it makes him feel vulnerable." Ralan picked Amelia up and spun her around while she laughed, both were deliriously happy. "Well all this foods not going to eat itself!" Amelia said as her husband set her on the floor. The two couples sat at the table and began passing the food and wine around. Lily's plate was almost bare compared to the others, she felt bad eating without Taren; even if he was rude to her. "I'm going to find Taren, he must be starving by now." She said, turning to Dante. He rubbed her arm and gave her a little smile. "All right Love, be careful don't wander too far in."
She shook her head, "If he went that far in he's on his own." Dante and Ralan chuckled as she walked outside. There was a warm breeze in the air and it ruffled her robes. She looked around the edge of the forest but didn't see anything. "Taren!" Nothing moved. Lily walked around the corner of the house and gasped. Taren was leaning on the wall, his arms crossed in front of him. "You called?"
"There you are!" She stepped forward and hugged him, "I was starting to worry."
Taren was overcome with guilt for the way he acted and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry Lily, I acted like a spoiled child. Forgive me?"
"What happened Taren? Why'd you get so mad?"
He sighed and shook his head, "I don't know, I guess maybe, I felt like a third wheel. Plus what's Sid going to say? We came here to take Amelia back, not supplant her here forever."
"I know. I just couldn't deny them what they wanted." She hugged him tighter and he laid his cheek on Lily's head. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"I forgive you Taren, I'll always forgive you." She looked up and the smile on her face eased the tension from his shoulders. "Thank you Lily-Lou I knew you would."
She chuckled, "You're really never going to stop calling me that are you?"
"Nope." She sighed and finally gave in to his term of endearment. Taren squeezed her back and stroked her hair, he was surprised how soft it was. "You don't plan on having these fits often do you?" she said teasingly.
He looked down into her eyes, "No. I'm going to work on my temper. I've become to dependent on Dante to help me and I forget you're not him. You aren't used to dealing with me like that and you shouldn't have to." He smiled at her, but he couldn't help but feel a little sad. He had unintentionally changed his relationship with Lily forever. It was only a small change, but he could feel it. "You look sad Taren, why?"
"I'm not sad, I'm just tired." He kept stroking her hair absentmindedly.
"Well I'm glad you're back." She laid her head on his chest and he hugged her tight. Taren heard footsteps and saw Dante walk around the corner, "Hey you're back!" He walked over and threw his arms around both of them, making a Lily sandwich and she groaned, "Oh! You're squishing me!"
Both men laughed, "As it should be my love!" Dante let go but Taren hung on a second longer. "Come on in the celebrations still on."
"Thanks." Taren said and started walking around to the front of the house. Dante stole a quick passion filled kiss from Lily, "Told you he'd be back." She grabbed his hand and they walked back to the little party. Taren had apologized for missing the ceremony and was sitting at the table with a glass of wine and a big plate of food when the priests walked in. "Come friends, a toast now that we're all here." Ralan said lifting his glass. Lily and Dante walked over to the table and picked up their delicate stemware filled with sweet wine and raised them like Ralan. "First, to the priestess Lily," She smiled and Dante kissed her cheek. "For having the courage to do what her heart says is right. We will never forget what you've done for us. Our children will know of you and what you did for our family. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart priestess." Ralan stepped up and kissed Lily on her cheek. "You're most welcome." She said, blushing a little.
The elf turned and raised his glass to Amelia. "To my beautiful bride," She stood and walked in front of her husband. "From the moment I saw you, I was enthralled by your beauty. The first conversation we had I knew you to be smart and witty, though your beauty did not require you to be." She giggled and Ralan touched her cheek, "When you said you loved me I felt like the richest elf in the world and I knew then, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You've given me a reason to live again, where before I merely existed." Ralan laid a hand on Amelia's stomach. "I cannot wait to meet our child, who was conceived in love and will be loved like no child before. I love you Amelia, you are my life, my beautiful wife. I will protect you and love you for the rest of my days. I feel so lucky that I found you." He bent down and kissed Amelia's lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, very enthusiastically. When they parted Taren lifted his glass, "To Ralan and Amelia, may their lives be blessed with peace, love and many children."
"Ralan and Amelia." Lily and Dante said. The newlyweds turned and smiled at their guests. "Thank you for everything." Amelia said as she hugged them all. "I know my father sent you, yet you still married us. I must admit I'm a little worried about what he'll do when you tell him."
"Yes, we haven't really talked about that. But don't worry, we'll be fine." Taren said. "Well," Ralan clapped his hands together, "this food isn't going to eat itself, please help us get rid of it!" He said as he sat back down at the table. Everyone was in very good spirits the rest of the night. The food and wine slowly disappeared and after the sun had been down for several hours, everyone's belly was full and they felt content. Ralan and Amelia decided to spend their wedding night in a nearby glade they knew was safe. Lily admitted to wondering where everyone would be sleeping and was glad for the arrangement. Newlyweds should be alone on their wedding night. Dante and Lily relaxed by the fire like Ralan and Amelia did the night before. Taren stayed seated at the table, still drinking the sweet wine. You had to drink a lot of this particular wine to get drunk, and he had almost drank that much. "I'm proud of you Lily," Dante said, "You're first wedding went off without a hitch."
She giggled, "I guess it did didn't it." Taren looked at the priests, Lily was laying against Dante, and his arms were around her waist. "Yeah it was nice Lily-Lou." he said slowly. She turned and smiled at her almost inebriated friend. "Thanks Taren. You all right? You look kind of, drunk."
He sighed and looked at his glass, "No, not yet. Almost though." He smiled a goofy smile and Lily laughed. He started laughing and put the glass down. Dante shook his head and chuckled, "Yeah I think you've had enough." Taren slowly stood and walked to the pillow that was still on the floor from the night before. "I think I'm going to turn in. Night you two." He fluffed up the pillow and laid his head down.
"Night Taren." Lily said. Dante stood and got a blanket off the bed and unceremoniously threw it on top of his friend. "Thanks." He said from under the blanket. Lily giggled as Dante sat back down. When he was situated next to her, Lily yawned and stretched, "I think Taren has the right idea." She laid down on the soft fur and looked up at Dante. He smiled as he looked down on his sleepy love and gently stroked her cheek as her eyes grew heavy and slowly closed. "Good night my love." He whispered.
The next morning Lily woke when the front door of the cottage opened as Ralan and Amelia stepped inside. "Good morning priestess, I trust you slept much better last night." Ralan whispered.
She smiled and nodded, "Yes, much better." Lily turned and saw Dante was still asleep on his stomach, his arm draped over her stomach; his new favorite sleeping position. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Good morning Dante." She whispered in his ear. He smiled and opened his eyes, "Good morning Love." He sat up and saw that the newlyweds were home and were getting breakfast ready by the table. Taren was still sleeping, but not snoring. "Hmm, that's odd." Dante started inching his way over to his friend. "What's odd?" Lily whispered. He lifted the blanket and saw Taren asleep on his side. "He's not snoring, he always snores."
Lily giggled and stood up. "Maybe it was all the wine he drank, made him too tipsy to snore."
"Maybe." Dante said as he gently nudged Taren. The young man made a loud snort and woke with a start. "What? Ohh," He groaned, "My head."
"I didn't think you drank that much Taren." Lily said.
"Apparently I did, oops." He sat up slowly and saw the house full once again. "Morning." He nodded at Ralan and Amelia. Amelia smiled at him and Ralan nodded his head. "I take it you liked my wine?" he teased. Taren just nodded and stayed seated on the floor. "We should probably be getting back to Blackridge today. I'm sure Sid is crawling up the walls." Lily said as she drank some tea.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he thought we'd be back yesterday." Dante said. Ralan got a cup of tea and put some more herbs in it and handed it to Taren. "If you're to travel today you'll need to be sharp. Drink this and you'll feel better." Taren took the cup and drank it in one gulp. After a few minute he realized his headache was almost gone. "Good stuff Ralan, it's much appreciated." The elf nodded his head as he hugged his wife. "We'll make you some food that you can take with you. It's the least we could do." Amelia said, beaming in her husbands arms. "That would be very nice, thank you." Dante said.
An hour later the trio said goodbye to their new friends. Lily hugged both of them and blessed their home before they left. The trio decided to walk along the edge of the forest instead of inside of it all day and three hours later they broke the forests' edge and the sunlight welcomed them. "Well I guess we should decide how to approach Sid." Taren said as he picked through the food pack that Amelia had given him. "We could lie and say she was dead when we got there." He suggested and popped a small plum in his mouth. Lily shook her head, "No we can't say that, telling him his only daughter is dead when she's not is cruel."
"I agree, besides he might get vengeful and try to go after Ralan." Dante said.
"Well I think whatever we say Sid might go after him." Lily said. "What about the truth? Otto says the truth is best in tough situations."
Taren shook his head, "I don't know about that Lily-Lou, I think it would enrage him more to learn his daughter's married to the elf that 'kidnapped' her than if she were dead." He chewed on a piece of bread for a moment, "How about this, we found her alone in the home and she was ill. She said that the elf left her there to die because she was sickly and he didn't want a sick female. But the trek back home was too much for her and she died in her sleep; we buried her and blessed the grave but we found no sign of the elf. How's that?" Taren suggested.
"I don't know, it feels wrong." Lily said.
"I know it does Love, but in this business sometimes lying is the best solution."
"Do you get used to it?" she asked. Dante thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "No, not really."
She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "Maybe there's a reason you don't get used to it."
He patted her hand, "Maybe Love."
"Just let me do the talking when we see Sid and you won't have to lie Lily-Lou."
"Okay." She said quietly.
Lily thought hard on their trek back; was it better to lie about Amelia or tell the truth. She had never been in a situation like this and was confused. She was raised to tell the truth; Lily understood why some people did lie, 'yes I loved your pie' or 'that shirt looks great on you!', but this wasn't one of those situations. It was around eight o'clock at night when they reached Sid's house. Taren knocked on the door and the priests waited behind him, Lily tried to hide the worried look on her face.
The young maid Marian answered the door. At first her eyes were wide with excitement, "Oh you're back!" Her eyes darted between the adventurers before her smile quickly faded, "I'll get Mr. Tanner for you." She said as she showed them in. "Please have a seat." Her voice was quiet, trying to hold in her grief. Family was allowed to mourn the loss, not the help. Taren paced the room and Dante rubbed Lily's shoulders. He could tell she was nervous. They heard Sid's footfalls running down the stairs and he turned the corner so quickly he slid on the small rug but didn't fall. "Amelia!" His eyes were wide like Marian's, but his were full of concern, not excitement as he looked around the room, "Where's Amelia, where's my daughter?" He asked as he walked into the room. Taren cleared his throat, "Sir, have a seat please."
Sid's face was a mask of grief as he slowly sat on one of the cushy chairs. "What happened?" Taren walked up to the man and laid a hand on his shoulder. "When we found her, the elf had abandoned her. She had gotten sick and said the elf 'didn't want a weak female'." Lily listened as Taren lied pretty convincingly to the poor man. As he spoke the feeling in her gut got worse, she couldn't stand it. "We tried to bring her home in time sir, but the trek was too much. I'm afraid she succumbed to her sickness in the night. We buried her under a nice sycamore tree and Lily blessed her and the grave. Her soul is safe with Otto now. I'm so sorry." Sid covered his eyes with his large hands and wept for his daughter. Taren turned and motioned towards the priests, "Let's go." He whispered. He and Dante started for the door, but Lily stayed put. She stared at the poor man, he was crying because he believed his daughter was dead and it broke her heart. Dante turned and took her hand, "Love, come on let's leave Sid to his grief."
Lily shook her head, "I can't."
Taren walked up and stood in front of her, "Lily this isn't the time. Let's go." He whispered. "I'm sorry, I just can't." She pushed past Taren and kneeled in front of Sid.
"Lily-" Dante started but she had put her hand on Sid's hand and moved them from his eyes. "Mr. Tanner, I'm really sorry, but I can't leave it like this."
"What?" he choked out.
"Lily, don't." Taren warned her but she ignored him.
"It's true we found Amelia alive but she's still alive she's not dead." Sid's eyes narrowed in confusion, "If she's still alive why didn't you bring her back?"
"Lily!" Taren put his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off.
"Amelia and Ralan are in love sir. We couldn't tear her away, not when she's with child." Sid's eyes went wide, "She's, what?" He stood slowly and Lily stood with him.
"They love each other Sid, he didn't kidnap her. Yes, they went the wrong way about it but I've seen their love and it's real. They're going to have a baby." Sid stumbled a few feet away from Lily, he looked pale. "My baby, she's," He leaned on the fireplace and wiped the tears from his eyes. Taren shook his head, he wasn't going to hide his annoyance this time and crossed his arms over his stomach. Dante kept his eyes on Sid, trying to read his body language. "Is that it?" Sid asked. "Is there anything else you haven't told me?" Lily walked next to Sid and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"When they found out that I was a priestess, Amelia asked if I would marry them."
"What!" Sid rounded angrily on Lily, "You married them!" He roared in her face.
"Yes I did, I couldn't-" Sid didn't let her finish, he swung his arm back and punched Lily on the side of her face so hard she fell back onto the floor. "Lily!" Dante ran to her and Taren drew his rapier out and pointed it at Sid's throat. "Now that was uncalled for sir." He said slowly and dangerously. Sid ignored the sword in his face and started pacing, "Stupid priest married my daughter to that filthy elf! She's going to have that thing's child!" He ranted as Dante helped Lily to her feet. Her head was still spinning a little, she had never been hit in the face before. It was as unpleasant as she heard it was. Taren kept his rapier on Sid as he paced and yelled in his living room. "Stupid girl, she's dead to me! I hope she dies bringing that bastard half-breed into the world, I hope they both die!" The priests were shocked at his words.
"Sid you're her father you shouldn't say such things!" Dante yelled at him. He didn't hear the priest, he just stomped off up the stairs. Taren turned to Lily who was holding her cheek, her eyes were teary with pain. "Come on let's go." He said and walked to the door. Dante helped Lily walk and the trio quickly left the house as sounds of smashing came from the back of the house. They walked out of town that night; they didn't want to stay any longer than they had to. When they finally settled down for the night it was near midnight. Taren had started a fire, when he realized they forgot something, "Damn, we left your horse at Sid's."
"He'll probably slaughter the poor thing just to spite me." Lily said quietly. "Did you hear him?" Lily was still touching her sore cheek. "How could he say something so horrible about his own daughter and grandchild?" A few tears fell from her eyes, thinking about such things upset her. Dante gently turned her head towards him and moved her hand. "Let me Love." He touched her dark red cheek with his fingers and she winced a little. He prayed a small prayer to Otto and the pain melted away. "Thank you Dante." She whispered. "Not a problem." He gently kissed her newly healed cheek.
Lily looked up slowly at Taren, "Are you mad at me Taren?" She asked meekly.
"Not mad, a little irked maybe." He looked up and wagged a finger at her. "If he didn't punch you I'd be mad at you."
"I'm sorry. I saw him crying over his daughter who wasn't dead and I couldn't stand it." Taren nodded, "I know it's hard sometimes but now you know why lying can be better. I hope in the future you'll trust my judgment on things like these."
She nodded her head, "I do, and I will Taren. I promise." She looked back down, she couldn't meet his gaze she felt so stupid for not heeding his advice. Taren crawled around the fire and sat next to Lily, "You okay?" he put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. She smelled the vanilla and lemons and tried to ignore it. "I'm sorry I acted so impulsively Taren."
"Don't worry about it, we lived and we learned. Didn't get paid but-" he teased and Lily giggled as Taren patted her shoulder. "Get some sleep Lily-Lou, you'll feel better in the morning." He turned his head and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead. His mother did that and it always made him feel better, but that's what Dante was for. "Okay." She whispered and laid down on her bedroll. Taren crawled back to his bedroll and sat down. He watched Lily as she drifted off to sleep. When she was asleep he looked up at Dante 'Thank you.' His friend mouthed to him. Taren nodded and laid down, thinking of how more wrong the whole scene with Sid could have gone. He was grateful Sid didn't hurt Lily more than he did. Taren fell asleep, grateful they all made it out of the Elven woods alive.