“I was already a paladin by then and Geward Marchog. I might even have been an Awst by the time he pulled that stunt. Even if I couldn’t visit Nia, I could go to the Temple or my office. Once the Ban Gwyr offer came, I was far more valuable unsullied, so they left me alone. I was more worried about Arwydd since she was just a bit younger than I was,” Emlyn shakes her head, “I didn’t want them filling Myfanwy’s head full of that drivel. When I was away, they were left undefended. I had it all planned. A bit of a certain flower in their whiskey, and they’d have followed me to where I was going to take them apart. They all liked to sit around, drinking that whiskey, and congratulating themselves. I had a whole decanter of it hidden, already spiked. I’d found a duplicate decanter and filled it by stealing their whiskey a bit at a time. All I had to do was swap the two bottles out. If I thought that Mama would forgive me for it, I’d have done it long ago to make sure that my sisters were safe. They’d have gone on one of their famous hunting trips and never come home.”

  “No wonder you’re so willing to put an end to people being forced to do things,” Atres says, “You were forced into some terrible situations. Nothing like that will happen to you again while I’m still breathing.” Atres reaches for her and stops. “Can I hug you?” Emlyn nods, and Atres wraps her up against him, rocking her for a moment. He feels some of the tension in her release. He looks down, “Can I kiss you?” Emlyn looks puzzled but nods.

  Atres hooks a finger under her chin and tilts her head back. He nibbles at her lips, and his tongue sweeps across them, seeking entry, asking permission. To his surprise, Emlyn yields. The kiss is slow and unhurried, filled with emotion, a silent exchange of love and care. It’s the kind of kiss that leaves a lingering feeling of connection and tenderness, making Emlyn’s heart flutter.

  “I wanted to be sure that you know, even after hearing all that, I still want you.” Atres releases her and looks at her, “My bonnie lass, they tried to defile something that should be almost sacred. The ways that men and women touch each other should provide love and comfort, not violence and abuse. I’m so glad that your sire didn’t follow through on any of it. I’m so sorry your sire is such a rat bastard. If you’ll let me, I’ll show you how nice, how loving it can be to be touched. It doesn’t have to be anything inappropriate. Just holding your hand, stroking your hair, or gently moving a strand of hair off your face. If I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me to stop, and I will.”

  Emlyn nods and smiles, “This hug is pretty good.” Atres laughs, “You can have all of those you want. Whenever you want, too. I was a bit surprised at the guard post when you approached me and hugged me. I don’t mind a bit. I enjoyed it, but it surprised me.” “I was quite angry with that man,” Emlyn shrugs, “It wasn’t all for show. I was starting to lose my temper, so I knew I needed to get away from him for a bit. I also needed to do it in a way that wouldn’t tip my hand to him that I wasn’t going to skin him and use his hide to recover the seat cushions. I caught sight of you, out of the corner of my eye, looking rather amused. Since they were your relatives, it seemed only fair to include you in their rescue.” Laughing, Atres hugs her again. “So it was. Well done, you. I thought you might be ready to tack his ears to his head and give them a proper pinning back...”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Henga walks out, and Benger nudges her, “They’re fine, leave them be. We can watch from here.” “What exactly are your mama’s rules?” Henga asks. Benger grins, “If my mother had her way, he’d never get within a mile or two of her. He’s not allowed to be alone with her, even for a few minutes. I’m supposed to make sure that nothing ‘untoward’ happens. Since Mama wasn’t very specific, I’ve decided to give Atres a bit of leeway there so long as he doesn’t start trying to seduce her. A kiss here and there or a hug now and then is allowed.” “How many times has he kissed her?” Henga asks. “Three so far,” Benger shrugs, “Once when she said she wasn’t going to set him aside because he’s not rich or powerful. Once when she pretty much declared for him, too. Once, just now, over whatever they’ve been talking about. I suspect that he hauled her out here to ask exactly what her father tried to do that would have kept her from marrying.” “If it had been Midir, Cian, and Gwladus, nothing that man could have done would have put them off,” Henga shrugs, “It would have only made them more desperate to get her away from him.”

  “I think she had her plans for that. Something about branching the house,” Benger shrugs.

  “My, my,” Hegna grins, “That would certainly have tied their tails in a knot. If she were able to do it, none of them would have had any say in who she married. She’d have been the ranking head of the House. With no males old enough to assume the role, anyone she married would have taken over her House.”

  “She says that she’s the ranking survivor,” Benger grins, “I never thought I’d have a queen in my cohort.”

  “A queen who can’t lie,” Henga considers this, “I’m not sure how that’s going to work.” Benger shrugs, “If she becomes Morrighu’s champion, she’ll basically be immortal. Not sure how that’s going to work either.”

  Henga shrugs, “We can cross those bridges when we get there. If we ever get there. I remember The Culling, and it might already be too late to try a normal resurrection.”

  “If that doesn’t work, what’s left?” Benger asks.

  “If I understand this champion thing correctly,” Henga grins, “she holds out long enough to become a Goddess herself and wishes them back into existence or whatever it is that gods do.”

  Benger laughs and shakes his head before heading back inside, leaving the pair under Henga’s watchful eyes.

  Benger sits watching Henga watching Emlyn, and Loket scrubs his face. “Damn it all, I owe Henga a big apology. Henga has always been sensible, and I listened to her about plenty of other things, even at that age. I should have listened to her about that, too.”

  “What exactly did Henga tell you?” Otrin asks.

  “He would do things to humiliate Girlie. He’d tell all his friends about every tiny misstep she made, no matter how difficult the thing was, he’d tell it in a way that everyone was laughing at her. He started in with that before she’d even made her first tournament. All the belittling comments about her in front of others were just more attempts to make her seem like she was less than she is. Then there was all the blame about not having enough money because they had to pay for things for her, like her kit for the annual tournaments. Her father and brothers would blame her for their poor performance. Henga said that he had so much contempt for all the girls. Henga said he’d try to get in her head before the tournaments to make her self-conscious so she’d fail. She placed in the top five of her age group nearly every year, and he’d always act like he was disappointed because she didn’t win. No one wanted to win because they might get pushed forward by an age group. If you placed highly consistently and won a time or two, they’d advance you. Competing with kids a year older would mean that she might not perform as well. Most of those who got promoted didn’t fare nearly as well. No one wanted that.”

  

  
• 
  
    The Spiked Decanter: Emlyn reveals she had a plan to eliminate her father and brothers using poisoned whiskey to protect her sisters. She only held back because she didn't want to break her mother's heart.
  
    


  
• 
  
    A Proper Kiss: Atres asks permission (a true gentleman!) and gives Emlyn a kiss that actually leaves her heart fluttering. He’s teaching her that touch can be about love and comfort, not just violence.
  
    


  
• 
  
    The Queen in the Cohort: Benger and Henga discuss Emlyn's status. She’s the ranking survivor of her House and Cymry, which technically makes her a Cymry Queen.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Divine Ambitions: Henga suggests that if normal resurrection fails to bring back Emlyn's family, Emlyn might have to hold out long enough to become a Goddess herself to "wish them back." No pressure, then!
  
    


  
• 
  
    Loket’s Regret: My fellow dwarf, Loket, finally realizes he should have listened to Henga sooner about how much of a psychological monster Emlyn’s biological father truly was.
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    The Tall Obstacle Rating: 5/5 Tankards.
  
    


  
• 
  
    Review: The lad is a natural. "My bonnie lass, they tried to defile something that should be almost sacred." He’s patient, he’s protective, and he’s winning her over one "pretty good" hug at a time. He even kept his cool when she admitted she used him as a "get away from the guard commander" tool!
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    Oso and Usurg: Still safely inside eating, but I suspect they’ll be hearing all about this "three kisses" count from Benger soon enough.
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    Review: He scores a perfect 5 for the "asking permission" move. It’s a bold strategy, but it paid off.
  
    


  

  

  That was a masterful bit of... well, romantic development.

  the Discord via this invite link.