The wargame between the Freya, Loki and Hestia Familia´s was over, it was the Freya Familia´s loss. The outcome of that game...that was something between the three gods of the Familia´s and some of their children.
The life in Orario would return to normality and Freya would pay for every damage that was caused by her children. Still, the Freya Familia was forbidden from entering the Hostess of Fertility...with one exception but this wasn´t officially.
When the wargame ended, Mia had gently squeezed Ahnya´s shoulders to get her attention. She showed her that her brother wasn´t hurt too badly and that Bell was alive and well. Ahnya still sobbed with a trembling, lower lip, even as an adult cat-girl...she was still a cry baby.
In the end, Mia would leave the pub to her staff and took Ahnya with her, at first the guards at Folkvangr wanted to stop her, until she showed them "The Glare"...then they let her pass.
Mia wasn´t interested in talking to Freya, she would surely return to work soon enough, but she was headed to the rooms of the healer. Hogni and Allen were taken care off in different rooms, Allen was still too weak to get out of the bed...which was to be expected.
As soon as Mia opened the door, Allen groaned he wanted to be let alone...he expected someone else to come.
"Allen..."
"Ack...Ahnya..."
"Allen..*hic*..I..." Ahnya sobbed and walked to her brother, who was too weak to fend her off. "Big brother!"
"Irgh!" Allen whined when Ahnya suddenly hugged him.
At first he wanted to yell at her, but then he saw that she was crying again...and he saw Mia´s murderous glare from the door. Mia would make sure that Allen talked to his little sister.
"She was afraid of losing you...she won´t stop crying."
"Argh...shut up, old hag."
"Hooo?"
Allen wasn´t in the mood to quarrel with Mia...but he wasn´t in the condition either to fight against Mia. And even if he showed his rough side and snarled like that...deep, deep, deep inside him...Allen felt sorry for making his little sister so worried...so sad.
Freya knew that Allen loved his sister more than any other person on the world, even more than her. A curse in the past had shown this...Freya had told him that he was what the gods called a "Tsundere"...whatever that meant.
"I will go now...don´t make her sad like this again. Also...you should probably know, that the Gullivers really hurt Ahnya, her feelings and her body."
Days later when Allen was healed fully, and his spear repaired, he would fight against the Gulliver brothers and beat every one of them nearly to death...for hurting his sister. And after Ahnya had finally stopped crying on his chest...Allen had apologized to her for the first time. Losing against Bell made his head a bit clear again.
Not everything was good and okay again...but it was a start.
.
.
.
After the wargame had ended, Bell and Ais were brought to the hospital of the Dian Cecht Familia, the celebration had to wait after both got healed. The problem was that in the moment they entered the hospital, Bell collapsed. Ais was wounded too and had to be taken care off, especially her stabbing wound, but Bell´s body had reached it´s limits. The constant fighting, use of potions and healing, together with the duel had brought his body and mind too far.
"Okay, everyone out! I need space to work!"
Amid shooed them out after they had carried Bell to a bed. Welf had helped her to take off Bell´s armor parts since she wasn´t familiar with it, but after that only healing personal was allowed to enter the room. Riveria had explained to her what kind of training Bell had went through and even showed her the Bezoar they had used.
"Hmm hmm, exhausted...completely exhausted and maybe poisoned."
The Bezoar had neutralized much of the poison inside of Bell, but now his body was poisoned by something else. His body poisoned itself, since the organs were not working properly. Eating only light meals and getting beat up, healed and beat up again, all that while using potion after potion was just too much.
Soon he started to pant and sweat, Amid felt his forehead, he was burning. So far only the fear of dying and the will to win had kept him going. But now that they had won and the fight was over, his body started to relax, his brain knew it could finally let go of all the tension. It was similar to a person that worked and worked and worked...and when the person finally had a vacation it got sick, due to the body shutting down.
It wasn´t actually that dangerous for Bell, all he needed was rest. There was only one problem, his wounds needed to get healed, his nose was broken and other body parts damaged too. But healing magic would take a stress on his body again, it needed rest from magic. There was a kind of healing magic that would work on Bell right now, but the Dian Cecht Familia had no healer of such a kind. But Amid knew a person that could do that...that used this kind of healing magic. Magic was parted in categories or elements. Some elements were obvious like Bell´s fire or lightning, they went under the category of elemental magic, like Ais´ wind magic too.
But for healing magic, most of them used light as their element, while it worked great, it could put a burden on Bell´s body right now. What Amid needed, was a healer that used natural healing magic...like elves did...like a certain elf she knew did.
"Clean his body and use herbal compresses where possible. No potions and healing magic, he needs to sweat it all out, I will be back shortly."
Amid left the room and sent a nurse to the Hestia Familia to inform them that Bell wasn´t in a critical condition, but needed rest. She walked fast through the corridor, shooing the Loki Familia out of her way and entered the room of Ais. A female healer was busy with the wound of her, Riveria was present and looked worried at her "daughter".
"Lady Riveria, I need you for a moment."
"Of course."
Riveria followed Amid into the corner of the room, where Amid started to whisper. She didn´t wanted to disturb the healer and the sleeping Ais.
"I need the help of a natural healing magic user for Bell Cranel, an elven healer in the best case. Do you know someone like that? Maybe from your Familia?"
"I know someone, I will go and ask her to come."
"Thank you."
Amid had no time to wait and returned to Bell´s room.
Riveria sighed in her mind. It can only be her...CURSIVE!
.
.
"Noah heal."
A gentle green light enveloped Bell´s body, his wounds were cleaned but clearly visible.
.
.
Ryu had to swallow when she saw him like this...she had hoped to never see him again in such a state.
After she had seen that Bell had won the duel, Ryu had calmed down and washed her face. She thanked Astrea for staying at her side, the goddess only smiled and gently hugged her daughter.
Ryu thought about what to do now, when they heard steps on the outside of her room and soft knocking.
"Nyu, nyou have a visitor, Meow."
Chloe left before Ryu could open the door, she was surprised by her visitor.
"Lady Riveria?"
"Lyon, I have to ask for your help. Bell Cranel needs your help."
"Bell?!"
The reaction of Ryu was too easy to read for Riveria. She had guessed right, Ryu was deeply in love with Bell. So Riveria explained shortly to her why they needed Ryu for the healing part.
The change in her behaviour was immense, Ryu only excused herself for a moment and shortly after opened the door, changed into normal clothes. Riveria´s eyes widened when she saw the goddess inside Ryu´s room too.
"Goddess Astrea!"
"Ah, Riveria." Astrea smiled gently. "It has been a long time."
.
Ryu moved her hands slowly over Bell´s body while she used her magic, a few potions to regenerate her mental power stood ready on a small table. No one was present, since Ryu had asked the healer and her mother to leave her alone with Bell.
If someone had to describe the difference between her healing magic and Amid´s, it was more than just the color. Amid´s and the healing magic of the other Dian Cecht healer were white...one would have the feeling to see small light rays and clouds...a heavenly attribute. Ryu´s healing magic was green and someone could almost see leaves dancing through the air around her. It gave the feeling of being deep inside a forest on a glade with a small river on the side, a very natural feeling. And Ryu´s healing magic contained another part that Amid´s magic could have, but not for Bell. And that was...love. Magic was powered by emotions, if Bell was angry or upset, his magic was a bit more aggressive and wild.
Since Ryu loved Bell, her magic had a stronger effect on him than anyone else. The only other person that would get healed like this was probably Syr, Ryu loved her as much as Bell, but in another way. Of course Ryu loved her mother very much, equally to Bell and Syr, but healing a god with mortal magic was impossible.
"Bell..."
"Nnh..."
Ryu just had to smile when she looked at his face, while her right hand wandered over his chest, gently touching his skin, her left held his right hand. The skin contact with her helped the magic and calmed him down. That he was healed with this magic often also helped, his body rememberred the feeling.
That and...that Bell loved Ryu too. There was no other way to describe his feelings for Ryu, Ryu was not a friend or a special person...what he felt for her was love. It was one part of the conflict in the young boy, Bell loved Ais more than anyone...but Ryu...was in his heart too. After his talk with Riveria, Bell had calmed down for a while and focused on the duel for now. Love was not an easy topic for such a young boy, and Bell wanted to make the people he loved happy.
Ryu took her hands away from Bell and drank a potion, she made a face by the taste.
She took a deep breath and sat there for a moment, giving herself and Bell a moment of rest. Her heart pounded and her hands were a bit sweaty..seeing Bell was not easy for her right now.
"Bell..."
"Nnh...Ais..." Bell mumbled in his sleep.
Her expression got sad when she heard the name he mumbled and her ears dropped.
"Nn...Ryu..."
Eh?
She raised her face and her ears...she had heard right...had she?
"Ais...Ryu..."
"Bell?..."
But he got quiet again and kept sleeping.
He talks about me in his sleep...what does that mean...
She couldn´t help it...Ryu was a young woman in love...she made herself hope. A few tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, Ryu was emotionally unstable at the moment. First the sadness that Bell loved someone else...the fear to see him die...to lose him...then the joy that he was alive. Now the worry about seeing him like this...and now...that he talked about her in his sleep.
"Bell..."
Ryu took a deep breath and spoke the next sentence in her mother tongue.
"I love you."
She had finally said it...after a few moments, Ryu chanted her magic again and continued to heal his body.
Who knows what the future might bring.
.
At the next day, Ais sat in her bed and looked at Amid, who treated her wound, and Riveria.
"Can I go and see Bell?"
Riveria just had to smile in her mind, it was too cute to see Ais so in love. Ais had pulled up her shirt, just far enough to see the underside of her breasts, so that Amid could take a look at the wound.
"Sword Princess, I will be honest with you, you will keep a scar."
"Oh?" Ais looked down. "A scar?"
"Yes, even when we healed you and used magic tools to make sure that your body isn´t poisoned by the curse, the scar will remain. I have to say I was amazed when we used the tools, your body had fend off the curse already, as if something inside you nullified it."
Riveria and Ais said nothing, they knew why Ais´ body wasn´t affected by the curse...but that wasn´t something that Amid needed to know.
The scar was as long as Hogni´s blade was wide, so not very long. But Ais didn´t seemed to care about that right now.
"Can I go and see Bell?" She repeated her question.
"Mr. Cranel is asleep right now, you can go to him but I have to tell you, the only armchair in his room is taken right now."
"Does he have a visitor?"
"Yes, one that has to remain by his side for now. Ms. Lyon was kind enough to help out."
"Ms. Lyon...that...elf?" Ais looked at Riveria.
She nodded. "Lyon had to use her healing magic on Bell, no other healer could do that for some reasons."
"And she has to stay at his room, in case he needs more healing immediately."
"Is Bell in danger?!" Ais sat up more, but got pushed back into her pillow by Amid.
"Let me do my work, Sword Princess."
"Sorry...Is Bell...in danger?"
"No, Mr. Cranel´s body is extremely exhausted and just needs rest, his wounds were healed by Ms. Lyon, but we say here "Better safe than sorry", so she stays in his room."
"Oh."
Riveria eyed Ais. Is she...jealous?
Ais sat up again, which made Amid click her tongue. "Sword Princess..."
"Sorry..."
"You can go and see your husband in five minutes."
"H-H-Husband?!" Ais got instantly red.
"He called you his wife in the arena, did he not?" Amid raised an eyebrow.
Riveria had to chuckle when she saw Ais acting bashful.
Ais tried her best to remain calm while Amid finished her check up. "Okay, except for the small scar at your rib region, you won´t have any other visible wounds."
"Then I can go now?!" She already tried to get up from the bed.
"Ais...your shirt..." Riveria sighed.
Riveria made sure that Ais was clothed properly when she helped her to get up, Ais limped a little bit, but Riveria was a better help than a crutch.
"Ahm, Ms. Teasanare I..."
"Before you ask to get a shared room with Mr. Cranel, the answer is no."
"Mou..."
"Ais!" Riveria was shocked that Ais would ask that in a hospital.
"Mou..." She pouted.
"Your pouting won´t help you, young Lady!"
Slowly and carefully, Ais walked the way to Bell´s room, they waited for a moment but Riveria only heard soft breathing. As quiet as possible, they opened the door and looked inside. Bell was sleeping in his bed,
Ryu curled up in the armchair, covered by a blanket and was sleeping too. Riveria noticed that Ryu´s ears twitched in the moment that they entered the room.
"Bell." Ais only whispered and hobbled to the bed, sitting down on the edge.
He didn´t reacted, Amid had given him a natural sleeping potion, made from herbs, it was more of a tea than a potion.
"I´m so glad..." Ais smiled and gently stroked Bell´s forehead with the fingers of her right hand.
Riveria and Ais looked over to the armchair, when they heard Ryu mumble something in her sleep, it was elvish. It was a good thing that Ais didn´t looked at Riveria this moment, or she would have seen making a strange expression.
"Riveria, what did she say?"
"That...is something I can´t tell you Ais."
Now Ais looked at Riveria.
"Why not?"
"Too personal."
"Okay."
Ha...I wish I hadn't heard that...
A sentence like that was only meant for the ears of one special person.
Now Riveria knew that Ryu loved Bell...very much... The sentence she had mumbled in elvish, was the purest, most innocent form to declare the eternal love for another person...only meant to be said to the partner.
Translated into common language, it would mean "My life is yours", but in a more lyrical way...Riveria never thought she would hear Ryu speak such a line.
They remained there for ten minutes, when Ryu started to move in her armchair and opened her eyes, blinking.
"Lady...Ri...veria?..Sword...Prin...cess?"
"Lyon." Riveria smiled lightly.
"Hello, Ms. Lyon." Ais smiled too.
"Is Bell..." Ryu´s eyes wandered to the bed.
"He is okay, thank you very much for healing him."
Ryu closed her tired eyes for a moment and nodded, she hadn't slept very long.
"I will get you some tea, Lyon. And you too Ais."
"Thank you, Riveria."
"You have my thanks, lady Riveria."
Riveria would take her time, when Ais had thanked Ryu, she had glanced to Riveria. She knew Ais better than the most people in the world, so Riveria knew what that glance meant. Ais wasn´t good with words, but she wanted a moment to talk with Ryu.
After the quarter of an hour, Riveria returned with a tray with three tea cups. Ryu was fully awake now and sat in the armchair, whatever the two young women had talked about, now they both looked at Bell. Riveria wouldn´t ask what the topic was, that was something between them.
At the morning of the next day, Ryu could leave the hospital, there was no danger for Bell anymore...she looked way better than before the duel. And when she returned to the Dorm of the pub, Ryu would take a long hot shower and after that...the first good sleep in a while.
.
Ais knocked softly on the door and looked inside, a smile bloomed on her face when she saw that Bell had woken up.
"Bell!" She whispered excited.
"Ais...morning..."
The problems with her leg were mostly gone, but she still limped a bit. Bell looked worried when she hobbled over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
"Are you okay?"
Ais smiled. "Thanks to you, yes."
Both looked at each other for a moment, their cheeks got a bit pink...then Ais leaned forward and kissed Bell. It was a long, loving kiss that both sighed into, she felt a gentle touch against her cheeks when Bell gently cupped them with his hands.
After half a minute, both separated from each other, smiling happily.
"Hmm..."
"Ais?"
Bell watched as she got up again, hobbled to the door and locked it, then she returned to the bed.
"Ais?..."
Carefully, she climbed into the bed and snuggled up to Bell.
"Ah...I missed this..."
He chuckled lightly and put his arms around her. "It had only been three days since the last time."
"Way too long..."
Ais had put her cheek on his chest, she glanced up to him...after a moment they kissed again. For a while no words fell between them, just cuddling and kissing, while they enjoyed the others presence.
"Ais?"
"Mh?"
"There was something you wanted to talk to me about...is now a good time?"
He could feel that Ais tensed up a bit.
"Ais?"
She took a deep breath and sat up, looking at Bell for a moment. He sat up too and both leaned against the backrest of the bed, Bell felt her fingers against his right hand. Her behaviour confused him a bit when they entangled their fingers.
"Bell...this...I mean...what I will tell you...is...very personal...very important."
Ais made a serious expression while she looked a bit troubled...as if she was...afraid.
Bell gently squeezed her hand for a moment. "I won´t talk to anyone about it."
"Thank you...but...I´m more afraid...of you...thinking different about me..."
"What do you mean?"
She took another deep breath, Bell had never before seen her so worried, not even before the duel. "Only Loki, Riveria, Finn and Gareth know about this...I wanted to tell Tione, Tiona and Lefiya...maybe the others of the Familia...but I´m scared."
Scared? Ais?
Ais looked deep into his eyes. "Bell...I..."
"Hm?"
She glanced down for a moment, then looked into his eyes again. "Bell...I am...not human."
"Eh?" He was confused.
Ais let out a long breath. "I am not human...not entirely...I am...a..."
She swallowed. "Half-Spirit."
"A...half...spirit?"
Ais nodded. "The child of...a spirit and a human."
A spirit child...
Bell had read stories about that, in the distance past there were cases like this...extremely rare cases.
"Oh..."
"Bell?" She looked afraid.
"Well...this is a surprise."
"Are you..."
Bell smiled to her. "But it won´t change my feelings about you."
Like a crack, her worried expression shattered and was replaced by a beautiful smile. "Really?"
"Really."
"Really, Really?"
"Really, Really."
"Really, Really, Really?"
"Ehe...Ais...I mean it..I love you."
She blushed strongly. "I love you too..."
The joy in her heart forced her to kiss him again...Ais really liked to kiss Bell.
"But Bell..there is something else...something you need to know."
"I´m all ears."
"It has to do with my parents."
"May I ask...who they are?"
Ais nodded. "My father...is known under the name...Albert...Waldstein."
"Eh...eh...Eeeeeeeh?! Albert Waldstein?! THAT Albert Waldstein?!"
"Mhm...he is...was...my father."
"The legendary swordsman was your father?!"
"Yes."
"But Ais...he lived...so long ago...over thousand years ago..."
"It is...not easily explained."
"Ha..."
"Bell?"
"Please give me a second..."
He had to let that sink in for a moment. "Okay...please continue."
"During his time back then...my father got to know my mother...and they...fell in love."
"So your mother...was a spirit?"
"Mhm..."
"And..."
"Aria."
"The...Dungeon...Oratoria..."
"Is...actually...the story about...my parents..."
"Wow..."
"Bell?"
"Please..another second..."
Bell knew the story about the "Dungeon Oratoria" very well, he loved to read about the adventures of Albert Waldstein.
"But...it isn´t mentioned in the book...I mean...it is written that Albert had a child...but the mother was never mentioned."
"Mother and Father fell in love during that time...so they told me."
Bell saw Ais blushing a bit, as if she was embarrassed to talk about her parents falling in love.
"But...how...I mean...after so long...the story told that he vanished...and how did you..."
"The one eyed black dragon." Ais spoke that name filled with hatred, Bell felt her hand trembling.
Bell got goosebumps when she spoke that name, the black dragon was the ultimate monster, one of the three calamity class monsters from the past. The Zeus and Hera Familia went on the "Three great Quests", they defeated the Leviathan and Behemoth, but were wiped out easily by the black dragon.
"What happened?"
"I don´t remember everything...the black dragon attacked us...my father was the one...that cut out one of his eyes..before...he..."
Ais swallowed. "Killed him..."
Bell put his arms around Ais when she started to sob and gently pressed her against his chest.
"So he...I mean...both of...your parents?"
"The black dragon...kidnapped...my mother."
"Kidnapped her?!"
"Yes...she used her magic...to defend me...both...protected me..."
For the next minutes, Ais told Bell the whole story about the attack of the black dragon and how it came to be that she was in Orario now...1000 years later.
"So...your mother...is still...alive?"
"Yes...I hope so..."
"And imprisoned..by the black dragon."
"Yes..."
He felt that Ais was breathing too fast, she was too agitated.
"Ais.."
For a while Bell was just there for her, spending her comfort.
"Bell I..."
He looked deep into her eyes and spoke before she could even muster the courage to ask. "I will help you, to free your mother."
"Huh?..." She blinked, perplexed.
"That is your goal, right? Why you want to become so strong? To free your mother and protect those you love?"
"Mhm..." Her lower lip trembled.
"I understand. I want to...I will help you. To tell you the truth...you are the reason why I wanted to get strong too."
"Hm?"
"I...wanted to catch up to you."
"To me?"
"Yes...because I was in love with you..since you...saved me."
Her cheeks turned red again. "But Bell...do you know...what you...are...saying?"
"That it will be extremely dangerous...that I will have to risk my life to save the girl I love and spare her from crying? Yes...that´s all I ever wanted."
Ais was overwhelmed by her feelings...she just had to kiss Bell. She was at first so afraid...Ais would never be able to truly be in love with Bell if she hadn´t told him that. To give herself to him...to share her life with him...and let her mother suffer...that wouldn´t work.
And she was afraid he might think different about her...maybe doubting her...but Bell believed everything she had told him. He had no reason to doubt her, she had no reason to lie to him.
"So we have a long way ahead of us."
"Bell..."
Ais couldn´t say with words how much she loved Bell...how strongly her heart pounded at this moment. .
.
.
.
A few days later.
.
.
Eventually, Bell was able to leave the hospital, Ais was a bit sad since she had to leave the hospital before him, but visited him whenever possible. He was visited non-stop by his Familia and friends.
And today, they would finally celebrate the victory over the Freya Familia. Bell didn´t knew what happened in the meantime at a certain place...that a certain silver-haired girl finally returned to her work...the true silver-haired girl. Changes happened in the Freya Familia, Freya would skip many events of the gods now...not caring about rumors. Syr and Freya couldn´t be at two places at the same time anymore. Helun loved Freya, but after these events she couldn´t play Syr anymore...it would break her.
So...the Hostess of Fertility got a new waitress...for the others it was just another day, but when Freya returned to work as Syr...she brought Helun with her. Helun was at first extremely embarrassed to wear the uniform with her true appearance.
But she was really happy about the person that had to show her the ropes...Ryu.
Even though Helun made Ryu nearly cry when she did every task flawless...some of them way better than Ryu did.
After the talk with Ais...whatever they might have talked about...and finally talking with the true Syr about the matter...Ryu felt much, much better.
And so came the evening of the celebration...
"Lady Loki, here is your drink."
"Ah thank you Syr, my dear! You are as lovely as ever!"
"Ehe...you flatter me." Syr giggled and returned to the counter to get the next load of drinks.
The whole Loki Familia and Hestia Familia booked the pub for the evening...but it was paid by Freya. It amused Freya very much to serve those who defeated her Familia as a waitress now...especially since Loki didn´t knew it was her.
The situation was a bit kinky for Freya in it´s own way...and seeing Bell...it hurt a bit in her heart...but what was bad...really bad...about that...Freya enjoyed it...the pain.
Aaaah...such...precious...paaain...hnnnngh...
Syr shivered comfortably when she brought drinks over to Bell.
Mylady...I´m glad that you are feeling better...but...could it be...are you...an...M?
Helun´s cheeks were a bit red, since she didn´t used the magic, she didn´t received the feelings of Freya...but she knew her beloved goddess well enough to see her shake...from joy.
She didn´t knew how much her words shook Freya...Bell had given Freya desparation...pain...and other negative feelings...things she never knew before. And Freya enjoyed those...it made her life less boring.
Well...this is...how she is...
"Heeeey Heeeluuun! Stop dreaming." Syr walked past her and winked, using her tray to cover her hand when she gently slapped Helun´s butt.
Kya!
And another waitress got everyones attention...mostly because her unfirom was still not really fitting her womanly body. Astrea helped out at this evening and enjoyed it very much to work together with her daughter.
Ryu wouldn´t stop glaring at the men and blocked the view to her mothers behind or chest with her tray when she felt stares at the heavenly body.
"Here is your drink."
"Mmmh..."
Riveria felt uncomfortable that Astrea...a goddess...brought her drink...dressed up as a waitress.
"Th-Thank you..."
"Ehe, enjoy it...Riveria." The goddess winked.
"L-Lady Riveria...here is your food."
Lefiya worked too on that evening...at first she had squealed in embarrassement...how her Familia would tease her. But they were glad to see her again and that she was well, some bombarded her with questions.
Even though...Loki drooled by the sight of Lefiya in a waitress uniform.
"Leeefiyaaaa...how about...I have a maid uniform at home...if you want to try?"
"Never!"
"Ah come on...heeeey Aiiiis...what about youuu?" Loki was slightly drunk, but in a very good mood.
"No."
"Whyyyyyy?"
Ais fidgeted a bit on her chair, sitting next to Bell. "I would...wear it...only...for...Bell..."
Riveria nearly choked on her drink when she heard these words.
"M-M-Ms. Ais! S-S-So you two really are a c-c-couple?!"
"Yes we are, Lefiya."
Ais smiled to Bell, who returned the smile.
"A-A-A-And what B-Bell said in the a-a-arena?"
"Hm?"
"Calling you his w-w-wi..." Her brain stopped forming that word.
"Oh yeah Ais, congratulation to your engagement!" Tiona raised her glass and cheered loudly.
"Engagement?" Ais tilted her head, confused again.
"I mean Argonaut called you his wife, he proposed to you in the middle of the fight. Soooooo romantic!"
Tione nodded in agreement with her sister.
"But...we aren´t engaged..."
"Whaaaaaaat?!"
Ais glanced shyly to Bell. "I mean...we are a love...and in couple...that means...to marry later...doesn´t it?"
Hnnnngh!
The people at the table had to grab their hearts by Ais´ pure innocence.
"You are...a love...in couple?" Bete raised an eyebrow.
Ais squealed a bit in embarrassement about her mistake. "I mean...a couple...in love..."
No one of the Loki Familia could be mad at Bell...for taking their princess...when she was so adorable.
Hours and hours of drinking and eating went by...Bete stopped drinking alcohol at some point. Some left when they got tired, Loki grinned widely when she saw Raul and Anakity leaving together.
"Be gentle with her, Raul!"
"Mmmh!"
"Hiii!"
The sight of her fiercly blushing children was too precious for Loki, she had noticed how those two had looked at each other the whole evening.
When Ryu walked past his table, Bell turned around and raised his hand to stop her.
"Ms. Ryu?"
"Be...Mr. Cranel?"
They used the polite form when they were in front of others.
"Do you and lady Astrea have a minute? There is something I would like to talk to you about."
Ryu looked around at the pub, at the moment it wasn´t too busy and Mia nodded from the counter.
"Give me two minutes, at the stairs."
Bell excused himself from the table and took a small bag with him, Ais was chatting with her friends and Lefiya, who took a small break to spend some time with her Familia. He waited at the stairs for a short time, until Ryu came to him, followed by Astrea.
"Oh, hello Mr. Bell."
"Lady Astrea." He nodded.
He saw that her cheeks were slightly red, Astrea was really excited about the evening, it was so much fun.
Ryu looked at him. "Bell, what do you want to talk about."
"Ryu...at first...I want to apologize..."
"For...what?..."
"You know...that I...so suddenly...told you..."
"I-It´s...okay..."
"No...it is not...I´m sorry."
"Don´t worry..."
"But I do..."
"Bell...I..."
Ryu turned away shyly, but yelped in surprised when Bell slammed the palm of his hand against the wall, next to her head. Her cheeks got really red, Astrea covered her mouth with one hand, amazed to see a real wall slam...and used against her daughter.
"Ryu! I´m sorry! You are way more than a friend for me...I can´t call you a friend...nor a special someone...you are more...way more...so...I´m sorry...for hurting you..."
"Bell..." Her legs were shaking slightly...he basically confessed his feelings for her.
Bell didn´t knew anymore if that was the right thing to do...but Ryu had to know that she was important to him. How their relationship would change or develop would bring the future, he wanted to make her happy too.
"Ahm...Mr. Bell...is that...everything...you wanted to talk about?"
Astrea was a bit flustered by seeing her precious daughter and Bell acting like this.
"Oh eh right...s-sorry." Bell got a bit away from Ryu.
Ryu breathed hastily, her heart pounded like crazy.
"There is something I would like to tell you two. Do you have seen the fight?"
Both nodded.
"Then you have seen Olympus...my sword."
Nods again.
"My sword is made from a very rare metal, Elementium."
The eyes of goddess and mortal widened, but they kept listening.
"What I try to say...not all of the metal was used for my sword...and I kept thinking about what to do with the rest of it."
He raised the small bag he carried with him, it was too small to fit a piece of metal inside. Bell took a deep breath and continued.
"This is for you...for you two."
Ryu raised her hand when Bell turned the bag around, a key fell out of it in her hand.
"What is this?"
"The key...to the "Stardust Garden"."
"What?!"
"Huh?!"
Both were equally shocked.
"I sold the last bit of metal to a god who is really interested in collecting rare things...or rather I exchanged it...for the Stardust Garden."
"B-B-But why?!"
It may be the first time that Bell saw Ryu stutter...Astrea looked too perplexed to answer.
"Because, it is your home."
"That is your reason? That metal was so valuable!"
Bell slightly shrugged his shoulders. "Not as much as you."
With a slight poof, Ryu got deep red. "B-B-Bell..."
"Mr. Bell...does that mean..."
"I give it to you, Lady Astrea...and you Ryu. It is your home like you told me...it should be returned to the rightfull owners."
Elf and goddess were at a loss for words.
"The god told me that it wasn´t used...it should look the same as it did when you left it...only a bit more dusty. So...go and make it your home ag-"
Astrea interrupted Bell when she moved forward fast and hugged him.
"Thank you...thank you...so much...Bell..."
"Lady...Astrea..."
It was hard to talk the way she hugged him...his body got stiff when he felt her literal heavenly bosom getting pressed against him. But Ryu didn´t lashed out at him for acting like that with her goddess...
she leaned forward...and gave Bell a small kiss on the cheek. That gesture meant a lot, coming from an elf.
"Thank you...Bell..."
Only the future would show how their relation would change or develop...
.
Ryu would never be Bell´s girlfriend...
.
Or his lover...
.
Nor his wife...
.
Because...
.
Elves didn´t married...
.
.
Elves chose a partner for life.
.
.
.
At the table, Ais smiled as she noticed the scene in the corner of her eyes...who knows what she had talked about with Ryu. All that was clear...Ais was aware of Ryu´s feelings for Bell...she hadn´t understood the sentence Ryu had mumbled...
but Ais understood enough elvish to hear the "love you" part...
And Ais was a really good hearted girl, she knew from Riveria what happened with an elf that fell in love but couldn´t be together with the one she loved. Elves were much different in that matter to the other races.
Ais just couldn´t do that to Ryu...
Because Ryu would be sad and suffer...and that would make Bell unhappy.
Bell would do his all to make Ais happy...and she wanted him to be happy.
So...
Why not...making two people...happy.
That was what Ais had talked about with Ryu in the hospital.
For an natural airhead, Ais had a really sharp mind sometimes.
.
.
Yet Ais still didn´t understood what Riveria tried to tell Ais when she told her that she was afraid of Ais "Sharing the bed with Bell so soon".
We slept next to each other many times now...
Ais tilted her head, confused.
An "elven mother" and a natural airhead was not a good combination when it came to..."The talk"...
What did she mean?...
In not even one year...at her next birthday...Ais would understand what Riveria meant...
.
.
.
.
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Authors Note: So this closes the first big Ark. The next chapters will be a bit slice of Life of the two over the course of one year...ending with let´s call it...a "special night".
(Will only contain a light, soft lemon).
Ryu.
Like I said this won´t become a harem story and it won´t be one...because there won´t be enough to be called a Harem. What doesn´t mean that Bell won´t have risky situations or accidents with other girls.(no accidental sex before someone asks)
So I did tell the truth...from a certain point of view. (wise words from an old man)
Also, this story will still be 95% about Bell and Ais, about their relationship and the dangers that wait ahead of them. That was also why I didn´t wrote what exactly happened with Freya, how she returned to the pub and her talk with Ryu.
Because Ryu had her own story and this here will nearly only be about Ais and Bell.