Chapter 80

Freya had finished with her gardening chores and was about to go inside the house to check on Anita when as if on cue, she came out of the house dressed in the 'Portland grunge' outfit worn by so many young people in the area.

Faded, snug fitting jeans, Doc Marten boots (Anita's favorite choice) or scuffed up Converse sneakers (Freya's favorite choice) and a sleeveless top with a faded plaid shirt and a shoulder bag in Anita's case.

Her hair was tied back in a pony tail and she was grinning from ear to ear.

Roger smiled at her display of perfect dentition and was about to remark on it when Anita called out excitedly, "Hey everybody! Anna's coming up next week and she wants to talk to me about a writing project!"

The tiny girl looked fit to bursting in her excitement and she explained,"I just got off Skype with her and I can't wait to see her ideas. This is soooo cool!"

Warren smiled and said with a wink, "Does this mean I'm to lose an assistant? And who is this 'Anna' you speak of?"

Anita beamed broadly and exclaimed,"'Anna' is Anna Karlsen, AKA Anastasia Karloff, the famous author of Gothic romance novels. We became friends a while ago and now she wants to write with me!"

Warren, visibly impressed, clapped his hands and cried, "Bravo!"

Anita smiled happily and said, "I'm really excited over this, she's told me to keep her abreast of my writing so she can gauge my progress. I guess she feels I'm ready for a collaboration with her."

She paused a moment to pinch herself and grinned, "Yep! I'm awake, this is not a dream!"

Warren grinned at her and asked, "Will Anna be willing to speak at a fanclub meeting while she's here? Will she be needing a place to stay?"

Roger smiled and remarked, "She usually stays here at the house, in fact one of our spare bedrooms is pretty much hers to keep and has some of her furnishings in it. I can't say if she'll be willing to speak at your club meeting, we'll find out when she gets here."

Anita looked thoughtful and muttered, "I guess we'll have to let Silky know she'll be having another guest to look after for a time."

Warren looked puzzled and asked, "Silky? Who is Silky?"

Roger and Freya looked at each other for a long moment until finally, Roger looked at Warren and said, "Silky, or 'the Silver Lady' is our housekeeper, she is rarely seen even by us, which partly explains why you haven't seen her yet. The other part is she never speaks, it seems her voice would deafen us so she chooses to remain silent. She takes very good care of us and we respect her wishes to keep a low profile. When she wishes for you to see her, you will and we'll just leave it at that."

Warren blinked a few times then said, "Okay...She's shy I take it."

"We'll go with that, yes, she's shy." replied Roger with a grin.

Anita smiled at Warren and said brightly, "Anyway, I'm ready to go hit the book stacks!"

He chuckled and replied,"It is Saturday you know and you just got back from Canada."

Anita grinned and replied, "True that, but I don't have any plans for today and we still have some boxes to go through before I go back to school and face the real world."

Warren laughed and replied,"Well, if you insist. Just let me fill my tankard first."

Anita grimaced and said, "No thanks, I'll pass! Freya's great uncle gave me a tankard full and it clobbered me! I had no idea that Jotun ale was so...Strong! I've tasted the ale you guys drink down here and figured 'when in Rome' when Old Harald offered me that 'wee tankard' as he called it. I don't remember much after that, I guess Freya carried me to bed 'cause that's where I woke up with my first hangover."

Warren smiled and remarked, "I'd like to think I'd do a little better than you in that regard..."

Roger smirked and remarked, "Don't bother, the physics are not in your favor. Freya's dad is enormous and his idea of a 'swally ay ale' would have you under the table post haste! Besides," He continued, "Gudrun makes these teas that are amazing and if I'm guessing right, our little Anita has a thermos full of her favorite brew in her shoulder bag."

"And you'd be guessing right, good sir!" cried Anita as she held up her shoulder bag.

Warren laughed and said, "I know when I've been outmaneuvered, have it your way then!"

with that, the two of them set out for the library up the hill from the house and were soon out of sight.

Freya smiled and remarked," 'twoods seem they hae become friends an' she hae sae few real friends in skale."

Roger nodded in agreement and remarked quietly, "Shy, introverted types often lead lonely lives. She expresses herself through her writing and her costume making but is awkward in a social setting. We know her to be quite witty and charming while to her classmates, she's a weirdo."

Freya nodded in agreement then announced, "Ah'm gang tae th' rec center tae shoot some hoops with Deirdre an' Tamara, Lorna may cam if she can get away frae th' ramen shop."

Roger nodded and said, "Have fun, we'll see you around dinnertime?"

Freya grinned at him and replied,"If Ah dornt wind up havin' some ramen!"

Roger chuckled and remarked, "Yeah that too! Anyway, I'll see you when you get back."

Freya grinned at him and went into the house to change and grab her bicycle.

Minutes later, she reemerged wearing her gym shorts and a loose top.

Slung across her back was a net bag holding her well worn basketballs.

Going into the garage work shop briefly she wheeled her specially built bicycle outside and threw a very long leg over it.

With a cheery "See ya later!" she pedaled off to the rec center.

Roger smiled as she rode off, a bicycle builder specializing in bicycles built for really tall people had built it for her in exchange for a picture of her posing with her bicycle next to a retired NBA player who stood well over seven feet tall.

The image was of her at nearly eight feet tall, standing next to the former NBA player with a bemused look on his face as he only came up to her nose, heightwise. Naturally there were comments of 'photoshop!' and there were defenders who retorted with "Dude, that girl goes to school with my younger brother, she really is that tall AND she's still growing!"

Her choice of wearing gym shorts in the photo quickly established her as a goddess among the leg lovers of the world and the former reigning queens of the leg lovers world were quickly relegated to an also ran status.

Freya herself thought it was all pretty stupid and had commented, "Ah dinnae ken aw th' fuss abit me legs, they're jist legs."

Roger had laughed although privately, he thought her legs were simply wonderful.

Finding himself alone at last, Roger picked up the shopping bag and went inside the big house he lived in.

Inside the kitchen, Silky smiled as he marked the two glass bottles of fresh cream "For Silky" and placed them in the large refrigerator.

He smiled at the pastel silk clad house spirit and said, "Anita says our friend Anna Karlsen is coming to stay with us for a spell, she'll be staying in her room, the one we have reserved for her."

Silky nodded to let him know she had heard him and he continued, "Anita doesn't know this but Anna is a vampire, a vampire who gets her blood from the blood bank so she needn't go hunting. I don't know how you feel about such things but I just wanted you to know."

Silky's lavender eyes searched his face for a long moment and her lips parted as if she was about to speak, then she abruptly closed them before averting her eyes and flushing slightly.

Roger said quietly,"I owe her my life, without her giving me a 'rose kiss' I would have died the day I was shot. I would not have come to the fae hospital where I first saw you."

Silky looked at him suddenly, her beautiful eyes searching his face.

Roger smiled at her and said gently, "I saw you when you were a lost banshee without a family to haunt. You were hardly more than a bundle of black sack cloth, ashes and grief sitting in a hallway I passed through."

He grinned and said cheerfully, "Now you have a house and a family to take care of, a family that loves you, dearest Silky."

Silky put her hands together against her modest bosom, bowed her head and pressed herself against his broad chest.

Roger instinctively wrapped his arms around her and simply held her closely for a few moments.

Silky looked up at him, her wonderful eyes brimming with tears of joy and Roger said, "I know we're not supposed to show signs of gratitude or offer you gifts or payment but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate all that you do for us. That, you cannot stop us from doing, appreciating you, dear Silver Lady."

Silky smiled through her tears and suddenly rose on tip toe to place a little kiss on his lips, it was the merest of kisses, a brief peck on the lips given by a very shy being.

Roger squeezed her briefly and released her, whereupon Silky blushing furiously, fled from the kitchen and went to her room.

"Noo yoo've dain it!" Declared Dena's piccolo of a voice from behind him."Yoo've gain an' gart 'er loove ye jist loch ye gart me loove ye."

Roger turned to face her, his face a study in surprise. "Whatta ya mean by that?" He spluttered.

Dena smiled at him from her perch on the kitchen table.

Standing up, she strutted about in her designer jeans and sleeveless knit top given to her by a fashion doll maker.

The outfit displayed her curves to great effect, the tiny wood elf was a knockout by anybody's standards.

Pausing in mid stride, she looked over her shoulder at him, her golden hair cascading down her back nearly to her perfect fanny, the delightful terminus of her beautiful legs.

Turning around again, Dena threw her shoulders back, her firm, well rounded bosom straining the knit fabric of her skimpy top.

Roger smiled at his tiny tease of a wood wife companion and said, "Lovely outfit you're rockin'. Now what did you mean by what you just said?"

Dena pouted very briefly then she said, "Silkies arenae supposed tae gie 'at close tae onie cheil ur hen fur 'at matter."

"Okay...Please elaborate." said Roger, "What are the rules regarding Silky...I just told her that she was loved and she took it to the next level by kissing me in a very sisterly manner."

Dena smiled and replied, "Silkies an' wuid wi'es arenae supposed tae loove mortal men. But it diz happen, it happened tae me an' it seems tae hae happened tae Silky. She is probably askin' th' Spriggan tae come an' gie 'er reit noo."

"Can she do that?" was Roger's startled reply, "I mean just leave like that? Really?!"

Dena could only shrug helplessly and remark, "Silky has ne'er gotten sae close tae onie cheil afair, she main feel she has overstepped 'er boonds."

Roger pursed his lips and said quietly,"I don't feel that way at all, Silky is very important, not just to me, she's important to this household and that includes you, my flirtatious little elf."

He stopped suddenly and said, "Wait...What did you mean you loved me?"

Dena laughed and said merrily,"It took ye lang enaw fur 'at tae jawbox in! Didne mah sleepin' wi' ye teel ye anythin'? Ah didne sleep wi' ye jist fur th' warmth."

Roger stood there blinking until the meaning of her remarks registered, then he blushed to a near scarlet hue.

He spluttered a bit until he finally managed to say,"You mean to tell me you were being romantic? How? I'm three times taller than you, it could never happen, I'm simply far too large for you!"

To his dismay Dena smiled and replied softly,"Ah ken 'at but it doesnae mean Ah cannae loove ye an' want tae sleep wi' ye. Sex woods be verra nice but Ah can abide withit it."

Dena giggled at his reddened appearance and said, "Dae ye hink Freya woods allaw me tae sleep wi' ye if Ah coods make loove tae ye? She allows it coz Ah cannae dae whit Ah wish tae dae. If Ah waur Anita's size it woods hae happened lang ago!"

Roger reached back and felt around for the chair he suddenly needed to sit in and parked his butt on it.

He shook his head and muttered, "Rachel was right, I do have a harem...Shit!"

He looked at Dena and said almost apologetically, "I never intended for any of this to happen...I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings."

He smiled at the tiny wood elf and said ruefully,"I made a pretty good mess of things, haven't I? I've slept with both of you many times and while Freya is certainly big enough, she's far too young and while you are certainly old enough, you are far too small. I value both of you very much and do not wish to mess things up. Now...What are we going to do? First, there is Silky may be leaving, then there is your declaration of romantic feelings and what ever Freya's feelings may be and my being too dense to see it coming."

Dena came up to him and stood right in front of him at the table.

She smiled at him then reached out her tiny hands and held him by his jawline.

She kissed him in a slow and unhurried manner, her tiny lips caressing his for a long moment.

Straightening up again Dena smiled at him, wiped a tear from her bright blue eyes and said, "Ah dae loove ye, ye dear, daft man an' Ah ken Freya looves ye too, e'en if she willnae admit it. An' Ah ken ye loove 'er too, e'en if ye willnae admit it. Dornt frit nane, it'll aw wark it."

Silky swept into her room closing the door behind her.

Her heart was all aflutter and her mind was all awhirl.

Sitting on her bed, she reached up and touched her delicate lips with her silk gloved hand, had she really risen on tip toe and kissed her master?

Shaking her head as if to banish the memory, she got out her writing paper, pen and ink and an envelope.

Taking up her favorite quill pen she penned a brief note to her friend, the spriggan.

"To My Dearest Friend,

I fear I may have to leave this house and family, I allowed myself to become too familiar with the lord of this house and overstepped my bounds.

I forgot my place.

Is it too late for me to return to my former station in life, a haunter of old families who wails at a person's death?

I need advice."

Silky looked her brief missive over before sealing it inside an envelope and placing it inside the basement window mailbox Roger had installed for her.

With mixed feelings, Silky took the hazel wand and rapped it against the mailbox twelve times.

It was done now, Hazel would come fetch the letter with his usual efficiency and the spriggan would have it before midnight.

Silky lay down on her bed and closed her wonderful eyes, she slept.

While she slept, a tear trickled onto her pillow and moistened the fabric.