"If I recall correctly, Louie did everything
in his power to obtain a new wand…"
"And didn't Louie fight your ex-fiancée
Conrad in a duel, even though you volunteered him for it, and he did not
want to fight…"
Melissa slid deeper into the warm water of her
tub. She scooped up water into her hands and poured it over her wavy blonde
hair, the water trailing down her face, coming to rest on her frowning
lips.
She thought about everything Jenny had said and
found truth in it, which she had expected with some annoyance and frustration.
"Sure Louie is a good fighter,"
she thought aloud. "And when he can control himself, he's even a good magician.
But being a valiant champion means more than that! It takes wisdom, perseverance,
determination, patience, and humility. Why can't Miss Jenny see that Louie
doesn't have…"
She sighed to herself and shook her head.
"Or maybe he does… I
mean, he certainly needs work in the wisdom, humility, and patience areas,
but…"
Then, Miss Jenny's earlier advice when she had
started having troubles with Louie found their way back in her head.
"…sleep with him…"
Melissa groaned and she blushed as she thought
this.
"So against my will…"
she murmured.
Louie paced his room silently.
Iya watched him with an amused expression as she ran her fingers along
the patterns of the covers on his bed.
"Louie, why don't you
give it a rest? All this thinking can do damage to a person with your mental
capacity… Melissa will cool down eventually."
"You think so?"
"Uh, of course!"
Louie stood still and ran a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Iya glanced down at Louie's bed and got a sly
smile on her face.
"Say, Louie..." she started.
There was a knock at the door. Louie went to answer
it and Iya sighed.
"Melissa!"
Melissa waved a little.
"Hello, Louie. Hello,
Iya."
Louie stepped aside and let her come in.
"What's up, Melissa?"
Melissa looked at Iya.
"Iya, would you mind
if I talked to Louie in private?"
"No, not at all," she
said, standing.
She patted Louie on the shoulder.
"See you later, Louie."
Louie closed the door behind Iya and turned back
to Melissa. She fumbled with the folds of her dress absentmindedly.
"Louie…I wanted to talk
to you about what I said yesterday…"
"Yeah," Louie nodded.
"I got the feeling I made you pretty mad."
"Yes… Well, the thing
is, Louie, I…I want to apologize."
Louie blinked in surprise.
"Apologize?"
"Louie, I wasn't really
thinking properly when I said all that. It was all against my will. I suppose
I do believe…"
She smiled at him with a soft expression and shining
eyes.
"You are my champion,
Louie. I have no doubts."
Louie returned the smile and nodded, but didn't
say anything. Melissa swallowed and averted her eyes.
"Oh, and…there is one
more thing…"
"What's that?"
"Well…Louie…I think…"
she stammered quietly, beginning to blush a light pink.
Louie reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder,
making her blush deepen.
"Just let it out, Melissa."
Melissa met his eyes somewhat reluctantly.
"Louie…in order for me
to truly serve you and have you as my champion…I think that…in order to
put my full trust in you…we should…"
She paused and took a deep breath.
"Louie?"
Louie sweatdropped.
"Yes?"
"Louie, I think we should
sleep together!" she blurted.
Louie stared at the flushing priestess for a few
seconds. She bit her lip and hoped she didn't look and sound as embarrassed
as she felt. She held her breath as he opened his mouth to speak.
"I'll bet you say that
to all your valiant champions."
"Louie!"
He smiled weakly.
"Kidding, kidding!"
She sighed and looked away.
"Why do I even bother?"
Louie turned her face back so he could look at
her.
"Listen, Melissa. Do
you really think that?"
"Yes. Even though it
is against my will."
"It is?"
Melissa stared into his eyes and really thought
about it.
"Well…maybe there isn't,"
she whispered just before he pressed his lips to hers.
She felt her heart flutter as he did this, but
she still had more to say.
"After all, Miss Jenny,
did say I should," she muttered against his lips.
Louie pulled away abruptly.
"What? Auntie Jenny told
you to sleep with me?"
"Well, she more or less
suggested it."
Louie rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I don't know what
to think about that…"
Melissa grabbed his arms.
"Look, let's just…do
this, okay?"
Louie shrugged.
"Okay, Melissa."
She barely had time to blink before Louie's lips
were on hers again. This time, she opened her mouth, kissing him back.
She placed her hands on his well-built chest as his hands rested on her
slender waist. Melissa's mind was yelling at her at how against her will
this must be, but she simply turned her mind off as Louie began leading
her to the bed.
The next morning, Melissa
awoke with her head resting on Louie's chest. She brushed away her hair
from her face and sat up, momentarily forgetting she was naked. The cold
chill that slipped in from Louie's window quickly reminded her though,
and she slipped back under the covers.
"I can't believe it,"
she said as she shivered. "How could I have… What came over me?"
She felt herself moving closer to the warmth of
Louie's body as his arms held her to him.
"Against my will," she
muttered.
But she smiled, feeling Louie nuzzle his face
into her hair and she knew that it wasn't at all against her will.
Merrill and Genie sat
beside each other at their usual table at the tavern.
"I wonder where Melissa
is," Merrill remarked.
"Well, wonder no longer,"
Genie said.
Merrill looked up and blinked as Melissa and Louie
approached the table together.
"Hello, girls!" Melissa
chimed happily.
"Hey!" Louie greeted.
Genie nodded to them and Merrill waved. The two
sat down across from them.
"I take it you two have
worked things out?" Merrill asked.
Melissa nodded.
"Yes. When I had time
to think things over, I realized that Louie really is my champion, even
if he messes up sometimes."
Genie nodded.
"To err is human."
"Exactly," Melissa agreed.
Merrill smiled for a second then looked at Louie.
"Louie, you better be
thankful you have a priestess as forgiving as Melissa to serve you!"
Louie smiled at Melissa.
"Oh believe me, Merrill,
I am."
Melissa smiled back and slipped her hand into
his under the table. Merrill and Genie raised their eyebrows as the two
gazed at each other. Merrill leaned towards Genie and whispered to her.
"Is it just me or did
I totally miss something?"
Genie looked at the light shining in their eyes.
"Oh, I believe we've
definitely missed something, Merrill," she whispered back. "I don't know
what, but we have missed something."
And at the table beside them, Jenny chuckled and
raised her coffee to her secretly smiling lips.
End!
