WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE OLD MAN

"My lord?" the troll said as softly as he could given his deep, gravelly, rumble of a voice.

I looked away from the two boys that I was reprimanding. Gant the Troll was at the entrance of the great-hall, on his hands and knees and with his forehead pressed to the stone threshold. I really don't approve of that sort of thing, but the dark-elves brutally train their slaves into abject servility. We freed the surviving war-slaves of Malekith's army, but old habits die hard. And nobody has ever accused ogres, trolls and giants of suffering from too much intellect.

"Get up, Gant," I ordered distractedly. Gant clambered to his full nine feet of height, crouched and fully entered the great-hall, and then gave the two Blood youngsters who were with me a baleful look. The boys stirred uneasily. Gant was quite possibly the ugliest two-legged creature on Earth.

Gant lives under the moat bridge that leads to my front gate. He helps keep an eye on my holding and my family and I greatly appreciate his loyalty and service.

"What is it?" I asked.

"May is talking to ghosts again," Gant reported.

May is my youngest daughter. She has light blue skin and a tail that - much like the rest of her - never seems to stop moving. You can see so much of her mother in May, but she's tall for her age, has eyes that are more Blood than Elvish, and possesses a sharp set of claws worthy of any Blood female.

Also, May can see spirits. We found that out when she began telling us that about her special friends. Friends that most other people couldn't see - like the dark and pretty lady with white hair. The dark lady visits every now and tells May stories. May is always eager to see her again.

I looked back at the two youthful Blood ronin. They were barely old enough to shave. Their fathers had died in battle against the dark-elves, but they were far too young to be allowed to duel without permission. In the absence of their fathers, the local Blade priestess had asked me to assume that responsibility.

"You may not duel," I said coldly. "And if you disobey my decision, the survivor will answer to me."

Gant let out a soft growl to reinforce my words. Both boys took deep breaths, looked away, and shuffled their feet. They weren't exactly scared, but they understood that they were in well over their heads.

Actually, I had the impression they were relieved by my decision. After all, not long ago, the boys had been friends. Perhaps they could become friends again.

"That girl you two are quarreling over... what's her name?" I asked in a less harsh tone.

"Lisa, my lord," one of the boys answered. The other just nodded.

I sighed. "For pity's sake. Little Lisa? Carl the blacksmith's daughter?"

Both boys shot each other a jealous look and then more-or-less nodded in unison.

"She's come to breedable age, my lord," Gant informed me imperturbably, "but she too much likes to shake her shakables at stupid young bucks and make them dance for her. It's a terrible scandal."

Trolls are surprisingly knowledgable gossips. Apparently living under a bridge gave you many opportunities to overhear passing conversations.

Gant glared at the boys. "Stupid young bucks," he repeated in a low growl.

Both boys were smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Good for them.

"I'll talk to Lisa," Emma said as she entered the hall.

Gant and the boys immediately bowed. Emma was wearing the simple and severe gray robe of a truth-teller, but she commanded instant respect from any who were in my holding.

I absently noticed that Emma's blonde hair was wet and neatly combed back.

"Lisa's a good girl," Emma told me with a wry smile, "but she's become very pretty and boys are paying attention to her for the first time. That's gone to her head. I'll chat with her and her mother. We should be able to calm her down."

I nodded as I continued glaring at the boys. "Stay away from each other. I haven't ordered a whipping yet, but the very sight of you two acting like dolts tempts me. Now get out."

The boys bowed and fled.

"Your littlest cub is in the orchard," Gant hinted.

I nodded and then kissed Emma.

*I rather like this domineering side of you,* Emma sent to me.

*So you keep saying,* I responded just before I kissed her again.

*You know..." Emma said thoughtfully, "I was just getting out of my bath when I heard you yelling at those two boys. I was in such a hurry to get dressed and put in an appearance - and maybe prevent you from doing something dreadful - that I simply didn't have the time to put on anything except for this robe. I'm shockingly bare underneath it.*

*I can tell,* I replied as I let my hands slide up and down her back. I could feel the ridge of scar tissue located just below her ribs. My thumbs brushed against the sides of her unsecured breasts.

Gant coughed mildly. He does have a one-track sense of duty.

*I'll be waiting for you,* Emma promised. Mischief and anticipation were dancing in her eyes.

Gant escorted me out of my hall. Two samurai waiting outside the gated entrance formed up behind us.

Talking to spirits isn't intrinsically bad. After all, I've done a lot of it in the past, and occasionally still do. But May is very young and I want to know precisely which spirits she's communicating with. Spirits come in many forms and natures.

In the orchard, May was indeed having an animated conversation with a spirit. In fact, the spirit was telling her about a wondrous place across the sea that's called Japan. May seemed fascinated.

The spirit was a short and very tough-looking older man. His clothing was very informal - a pair of denim pants, heavy brown boots, and a dark leather jacket over an oddly thin shirt of what looked like white cotton.

I froze when I saw the spirit. Gant barely avoided running into me. My samurai immediately became worried and moved around to flank me.

Lifting a hand, I waved my samurai back. They slowly retreated back to the orchard gate.

Gant stayed with me. It would hurt his feelings if I told him to leave.

"Hi, Daddy! Hi, Mr. Gant!" May called cheerfully as she waved to us. The spirit simply looked at us, with a trace of a smile on his face.

I walked over and put a hand on May's head, smoothing down her tangle of wild blue-black hair. No matter how hard Anna tries, she just can't seem to set May's hair into a workable style. I reminds me a bit of how Rahne looked when we first met.

"Go find your first mother," I told May. "It's time for your lessons."

May's face brightened. Anna's injuries have forced her to give up the life of a wandering bard, but she still teaches our children to sing, tell stories, and play instruments. Some of the children don't find the lessons to their taste, but May loves them.

"Bye!" May told us brightly. Then she took off at a run. I swear, the girl never walks anywhere. It hadn't yet been established if she could teleport, but I dreaded the possibility. She would get into everything.

"Keep an eye on her," I told Gant. He immediately nodded and turned to follow May. She didn't really need a bodyguard, but that gave Gant something to do that he felt was appropriate to his station, and left me alone with the old man.

I looked back at the old man and bowed politely. "It's been a while," I told him.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah... not since the night we had that foursome with Jeanie and Emma."

I really couldn't think of a way to respond to that.

"Cute kid," the old man said, nodding his head in May's direction. She and Gant were now holding hands as the troll walked her back to the keep. "Holding hands" consisted of May maintaining a two-handed grip on Gant's little finger.

"May's my favorite," I admitted, "but I try not to let it show."

"That happens," he said sympathetically. "Just do your best to be fair. Y'know... I think Kurt would have been happy to see our blood joined together. I bet your little girl is going to grow up to be something special."

There were some worrisome possibilities in those words, but I decided not to pursue that.

Then the old man paused thoughtfully. "Kurt's not with the rest of us. His after-life took a different path. But I hope he can see this."

I just nodded. That made sense.

"What's Rahne up to?" I asked.

The old man chuckled. "Speaking of favorites... Rahne, Rose, Olivia, and Faye are up in Maine. There's a local lord who's a jackass. He treats his people like crap and starts fights with other holders and lords at the drop of a hat. The entire region is going to hell."

I considered that. "Are they going to overthrow him? Shea is still trying to sort out the mess they left after they dealt with lord Washton."

The old man shrugged. "I think that's something for those four to decide. I trust their instincts."

Then he cocked his head at me. "How do you think things are working out with Shea?"

I paused to consider before answering. "Very well. A phenomenal number of holders and lords swore themselves to him after we destroyed the dark-elf host. There are some who already call him the next Great Lord. Even the Captain and the Iron Men have sworn alliance with him. That's something the old Great Lord never accomplished."

"Where do you think it's gonna go in the long run?" The old man seemed genuinely curious about my opinion.

This time I didn't hesitate. "Daken's becoming a pain-in-the-ass and eventually he'll go too far. It will mean another war, but I'll help Shea and the Captain put him down. Thereafter, with a little luck and perhaps some pushing and nudging, the region will finish stabilizing. We should have a half-century or so - maybe more - of wise and just rule. But after Shea passes, we'll be back to the usual chaos."

The old man nodded in agreement. "Unless, of course, somebody who knows the Huds valley and its people can manipulate a talented lord into becoming the next Great Lord after Shea's gone."

"I've considered that," I replied slowly.

"Consider it harder," the old man said flatly. It wasn't a suggestion.

I bowed my head in acquiescence. I am not a seeker any longer, but I am - as always - a loyal servant of the Old One and the three goddesses.

"So how's it going otherwise?" the old man added.

"Two beautiful wives, four healthy children, and a place to call home. What more could any man - Blood, Wilder, or Folk - ask for?"

The old man barked out a laugh. "Some men would say they want buckets of gold, power without responsibility, and a harem filled with so many cuties that he can't remember all their names."

I sighed. "If I was ever like that, those days are gone. I don't need the wealth, power is a burden, and Anna and Emma are more than enough for me."

"Is Anna still walking with a cane?" the old man asked suddenly. I could see concern in his eyes.

I shook my head regretfully. "Yes. She does her best not to let others know, but that bothers her."

The old man seemed to consider my words.

"Y'know, there's a kid who'll be passing through town in a few days," he said eventually. "His name's Carson. He's a mutant healer - one of Josh Foley's kin. But he's a real sharp youngster and he's also studied both medicine and healing magic down in New York city. That makes him pretty special. Maybe he can help Anna."

I felt a surge of excitement that I was careful not to show. "I'll track him down."

Then I paused thoughtfully before speaking. "Mixing healing powers, magic, and formal scholarship? That is a new thing. It could do a lot of good and strikes me as something to encourage."

The old man smiled at me. "It does, doesn't it?"

I decided to take the hint. "I'll keep that in mind," I promised. "Perhaps I can talk to Cyrus and the Healer's Guild in Nyack and get them to cooperate. Is there anything else?"

Then the old man seemed to consider me for a long moment.

"Yeah, there is, but it's something that I can't order you to do."

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully.

"There's a set of bloodlines that it might be important to mix," the old man said with a very dry smile. It was the smile of someone who knew he was about to get an angry response. And that it was probably deserved.

I waited.

"You should consider taking Olivia on as your junior wife," the old man finished matter-of-factly.

I just stared at him. I can only imagine the expression I must have had on my face.

"Think about it," the old man continued. "Olivia and Emma think a lot of each other. Anna likes her. She'd be a strong addition to the family. She's of the age when her temple expects her to get hitched. And a man of your rank really should have a third wife - it's expected."

"As far as I know, Olivia has no interest in men," I finally choked out.

"She respects you a lot," the old man pointed out reasonably. "That's a good start."

"And I think the world of her! But she..."

The old man held up a hand to calm me down. "Just think about it. Offer to be her beard with the temple. Then see how things work out."

I didn't understand the 'beard' reference - I don't wear one. But I caught the gist of what he was trying to say.

It was an ridiculous request.

Utterly ridiculous.

Of course... there was something to be said for having Olivia in the household as a final line of defense for Anna, Emma, and the children.

And Olivia's own children would undoubtedly be strong and healthy. And she was very attractive in a strong and scarred way. And Olivia was definitely someone you wanted watching your back and giving you counsel - she had a quiet and deep wisdom to go along with her boundless courage. And with her in the family, I'd have the Storm Temple and perhaps even Thor himself as allies. And a third wife meant that the other regional lords and holders would finally stop throwing their dreadfully young daughters at me...

The old man grinned. He was obviously ready to leave. "Give May a goodbye kiss for me. She's well on her way to becoming my favorite descendant."

"Wait..." I said suddenly, before he could go.

The old man paused.

So did I. This was going to be difficult to put into words.

"After killing Malekith, there was something I realized..." I began slowly.

The old man nodded slowly. "Yeah. You told Rahne. I heard that conversation in stereo."

I wasn't sure how to respond. What was 'stereo'?

Then the old man looked into my eyes. "What we do... What we are... We're not saints, Jimmy. Never have been, never will be. We're hunters, predators, killers - and the best of us try to be protectors. That bastard Malekith had to go, and we had to convince the dark-elves to back the hell off and leave our world alone. And there's no way that would happen without a lot of pain. I'm not picky about what was in your heart when you did what needed to be done. Maybe you shouldn't be either."

And then he left, walking off down the road that lead away to my holding. After while, he simply vanished, leaving me with much to consider.

Benjamin approached. He was wearing a chainshirt and the grips of pair of shortswords were protruding over his shoulders. Rather than leaving him alone to fret full-time over what Faye was doing, he was now one of my senior samurai. I made it a point to keep him busy.

"Gant and May said something about a ghost?" he asked worriedly.

I nodded. "It was just a visitor."

Sensing that I didn't want to talk about it, Benjamin nodded.

"I need you to go into Cats Kill," I said after a brief pause. "Keep an eye out for a Wilder named Carson. He's a healer. It may be a few days before he shows up. Offer him whatever it takes to get him here. Do not take no for an answer."

Benjamin nodded immediately. "I'll grab my gear and hit the road. Anything else, boss?"

"Stop off at David and Rahne's home. Tell David that Rahne's up in Maine and she's safe for the moment."

Benjamin didn't ask how I knew any of what I'd just told him. Instead, he took his leave and headed over to the barracks.

Back at the keep, Anna and the children were filing out of the gate. Anna had a cane in one hand and her guitar in the other. She spotted me, smiled broadly, and waved with the guitar. The children didn't have their instruments, so today was singing lessons.

Emma came to the gate and leaned against its stone frame, watching Anna and the children. Her eyes met mine.

*I love this,* Emma told me.

So did I.

And that's the end of this tale. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read. I especially appreciate all of the kind comments I received. Thanks!

Will I ever return to this rather odd story background? Perhaps. After all, it's a big world with an intricate past and a big future. I do like it a lot.

And besides, the future adventures of May and her younger brother Oliver do present some interesting possibilities. Oliver will have the blood of Logan, Ororo, Rogue, and Thor running through his veins. I think the Fates just might have something in mind for him.