Dragon emperor 16, p.25
Dragon Emperor 16, page 25
“You ran away?” Skye gasped.
“Yes, and it was one of the best and worst decisions of my life,” Carmen replied. “I had no idea what I was getting into, and I soon learned I had no skills to protect myself. The Nakken weren’t fond of my appearance in your father’s life, and they sent several naiads to battle me. When the Sodala women found me, I was battered and felt powerless, so they trained me to fight.”
“That’s incredibly rare,” Laika murmured. “The Sodala hardly ever welcome someone else into the fold.”
“They made me promise to use my skill only to fight battles of necessity,” she explained. “And once I was trained, they released me back to the naiad city where they’d found me. This time, when the naiads attacked, I was ready.”
“You fought them off?” Skye gaped.
“Yes, though I made sure I spared their lives,” Carmen answered. “I had no desire to harm anyone, but I knew I couldn’t let them dictate my life or my love for Renfrew. He was so impressed with my skill, he asked me to marry him and join him in battle.”
“So, you fought with Papa in the war?” her daughter breathed, and her eyes were so wide it was surprising they hadn’t popped out of her head. “How could you keep this a secret?”
“I never wanted that life for you,” the Nepin woman said as she plopped back into her seat. “Though it seems you were destined to be as much a warrior as I was and then some.”
“Why didn’t his family like you after that?” Skye wondered. “You kicked ass and helped them win a war!”
“It would never be enough,” Carmen sighed. “I wasn’t a naiad, and I didn’t want your father to have a harem. That was all they cared about. I was just shocked to discover Renfrew still sought another woman after everything I’d done to be with him.”
“You’ve been through a lot,” Isabella said as tears glistened in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not anyone’s fault but mine and Renfrew’s,” the older Nepin said with a grim smile before she looked at Skye. “I never wanted to taint the perfect image you had of your father.”
“Well, if he was a jerk, he was a jerk,” Skye retorted. “You’re my mother, and I’d like to say I wouldn’t have looked at you differently, but I understand. I was too young to accept that Papa wasn’t a good husband to you.”
“That means so much.” Carmen swallowed back tears as she kept her gaze locked on her daughter.
Then a knock at the door stopped everyone in their tracks.
“I’ll get it!” Skye sang out as she shoved her chair back.
I stood up and quietly followed her to the door. I knew it was likely Rocco, and while Skye was still excited at the prospect of getting to know her brother, I was still on the fence. He was late for dinner, and I wasn’t sure what his reason was just yet, but I’d sure find out.
Skye yanked the door open to reveal the Nakken, and it seemed he’d cleaned up for the occasion. Gone were the battle leathers, and they’d been replaced by a silky blue tunic and brown trousers. His sword still hung from his belt, but I couldn’t fault him for that.
“Did I miss dinner?” he nearly whispered.
“No!” Skye replied as she grabbed his hand. “Come in!”
She pulled her brother inside, and I stepped out of the way as she dragged him to the dining room. Rocco looked like a deer caught in the headlights when Skye guided him to the seat next to hers, and he looked at his empty plate and the food in the middle of the table with obvious conflict.
“Go ahead and get some food, Rocco,” Carmen said with a small smile. “I’m sure you’re hungry after the duel this morning.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied in a soft voice.
The Nakken carefully set food on his plate while Skye practically vibrated in the seat next to him, and he stared at the food for nearly a minute before the naiad-Nepin burst at the seams.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked. “It’s really good.”
“I’m sorry,” Rocco sighed. “I’m so sorry, Skye. I just… Oh, gods, I’m a terrible person.”
“Why?” I demanded.
Was he about to admit to some awful new plan to get the Sword of Youth back from his sister? Would I have to kill her brother even after I’d spared his life this morning?
“Because I challenged her to the duel,” he moaned and put his face in his hands. “I had no idea she was so… kind.”
“What do you mean?” I pressed, though my wariness had slowly shifted into curiosity.
“Growing up, I had Uncle Rafael to teach me about the world,” Rocco explained. “He knew everything about everyone in the lake, and he was always right. He told me a bully would only leave me alone if I kicked his ass, so I did, and he quit. He told me a girl would kiss me if I made the first move, and he was right about that, too.”
“So, what does that have to do with me?” Skye asked as she cocked her head to the side and frowned.
“He said you were a stuck-up snob who would never be able to train on my level,” her brother replied. “He said you and your mother knew who I was and didn’t care about me.”
“Rafael always was a mean son of a bitch,” Carmen grunted and pursed her lips. “Even when the other Nakken would at least tolerate my presence, he was hateful and cruel.”
“He used to kick my ass every day,” Rocco sighed. “He said it would make me tougher, and he was right about that, too, I guess.”
“Sounds like a prick,” I grumbled. “So, he told you about the challenge?”
“Yeah,” the Nakken confirmed. “He said I could go challenge her, and it’d be a piece of cake because there was no way Skye could match my skills, so she’d probably just concede the duel anyway.”
“Well, I don’t know everything about the sword yet, but I wouldn’t have done that,” Skye giggled. “I think my mother would confirm my stubbornness wouldn’t have allowed it.”
“Indeed,” Carmen murmured with a smile. “A trait she undoubtedly gained from her father-- ah, I mean, your father.”
An awkward pause hung in the air before Skye cleared her throat.
“Listen, Rocco, my mom didn’t know about you,” she said. “I could tell from the look on her face when you told us who you were. I don’t know much about this Rafael character, but it seems he misled you.”
“He’s your uncle, too,” Rocco pointed out with a grimace. “I’m sorry, uh, again. He is your uncle, but he’s also-- as Lord Evan put it-- a prick. He was right about a lot of things, but this isn’t one of them. You’re obviously not a snob who didn’t want anything to do with me, and your mom isn’t a conceited noble who pretended I didn’t exist. He was just… wrong. Or lying. Maybe both, I don’t know.”
“I don’t know which one, either,” Carmen said carefully. “What I do know is if I had known you existed, I would have tried my best to let you two grow up together. It’s not fair that you’ve missed out on a lifetime of a sibling relationship.”
“You would have?” Rocco’s eyes widened in surprise. “I thought because the Nakken hated you…”
“That I would have hated you, too?” the Nepin woman finished with a knowing smile. “No, you were a child, and you had no say in how you came to exist. Yes, I know your tribe hated me, and apparently, some of them still do, but none of that is your fault or Skye’s. I would’ve let you know each other if Rafael had allowed it.”
“He probably wouldn’t have anyway,” the Nakken scoffed. “I have no idea why he despises you both so much.”
“Rafael has despised me for many years,” Carmen chuckled. “Though I’m surprised his hatred extended far enough to keep you away from Skye.”
“He must have known you had Renfrew’s sword,” Laika chimed in. “He knew there wouldn’t be a way to get it back without the challenge.”
“So, he spent years brainwashing Rocco into hating his own sister and her mom to get the sword back?” I cringed at the thought.
“The Noble Swords are not only valuable, but they command respect,” Nike explained. “It wouldn’t be too surprising that someone would care more about it than about tearing apart a family.”
“Rafael always said family was important,” Rocco insisted. “He said that’s part of why he hated what my-- ah, our father had done because it disrespected the family of the tribe, so I’d have to earn it back for all of us.”
“Sounds dramatic,” I said with a frown.
“He has a flair for drama,” the Nakken agreed. “He’s going to be furious when I don’t return with the sword.”
“So, don’t go back,” Skye replied and shrugged her shoulders. “You don’t owe him anything after finding out he lied to you for so long.”
“He’s already so lonely,” Rocco said and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t know what he’d do without me.”
“Is he still single?” Carmen asked suddenly.
“He never married, if that’s what you mean.” Rocco shrugged. “I saw him take a few lovers, but no one ever stuck around once they experienced his temper.”
“Then he’s probably mad I chose Renfrew,” she sighed. “I met them both when I arrived at the Lake of Avmun, but Rafael was angry even as a teenager, and I had no interest in him despite his interest in me.”
“Ahhh, so Mama Carmen was a hot young Nepin,” Trina giggled. “It’s all making sense now.”
“I did alright,” Carmen chuckled.
“So, you don’t hate me?” Rocco asked and looked at Skye with pleading eyes.
“I couldn’t hate you,” his sister replied with a smile. “You’re my brother, and I’m glad you found your way to me, even if it was a little messed up at first. We have it figured out, right?”
“Right,” he agreed as the first real smile we’d seen stretched across his bronze face. “Now, I feel like I can eat.”
The siblings began to chat about a wide variety of topics from favorite foods to worst subjects in school, and I had to laugh as they realized how much they had in common, despite growing up in two completely different worlds.
I watched in awe as Rocco’s guarded expression finally became more open and loving toward his sister, and something told me it would all turn out just fine. She was happy, he was happy, and even Carmen watched with the maternal look of unparalleled love.
After over an hour of conversation, I finally had my fill of dinner and dessert and sat back in my chair with a sigh of contentment. The food had done its job to ease my belly and my mind, and I was sure seeing my newest lover filled with joy had helped, too.
“Oh, Lord Evan, I just realized it’s getting late,” Skye said with a frown. “Do I need to pack?”
“We aren’t leaving until tomorrow,” I replied and pecked her on the cheek. “You two need to catch up, and I need a good night’s sleep.”
“Maybe we have time for a few rounds in the backyard, then?” she asked and smiled mischievously.
“Rounds of what?” Rocco asked in confusion.
“Battle,” his sister giggled. “No challenges, except I think I might be able to give you a run for your money.”
“Oh, you’re on!” the Nakken laughed.
“I’ve got to see this,” Laika snickered.
“Me, too!” Isabella agreed.
Nike and my lovers followed Skye and Rocco out to the yard as Carmen and I sat in the finally quiet room.
“You aren’t going to watch?” Carmen asked after I didn’t move.
“I will,” I sighed. “I just wanted to catch my breath for a minute. It’s been a wild day.”
“That it has,” she agreed before she cocked her head to the side. “You truly care about my daughter?”
“Yes,” I confirmed and sat up. “And not only as a Noble of the Sword, but as a woman. She’s smart as a whip, brave, strong, and, of course, beautiful. I can’t believe the Nepin men here were dumb enough to let her be alone.”
“They didn’t understand her,” Carmen explained. “Not her free spirit, not her will to fight, and definitely not her desire to be more than just some man’s wife.”
She looked at me with the mother-in-law look I’d expected to see at some point, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Carmen was apparently just as much of a warrior as Skye, even if neither of them had been prepared to discover it, and she would do anything to protect her daughter.
“I have no desire to hold her back from being whatever she wants to be,” I assured her. “I know harems aren’t your thing, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure they were my thing, either. Alyona introduced me to this life in a way that made it more than just having a bunch of women who throw themselves at my feet every day. I love each of my women, and they love me and each other. There are no secrets, no hidden desires, just honest to the gods love.”
“You really love Skye as much as you love the other women in your harem?” she pressed.
“I do,” I confirmed. “And harem isn’t even the right word for what we share. We prefer to call it our family. In fact, the women call each other sisters of the heart. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever known, and it’s bound our souls together forever.”
“Including Skye’s soul?” Carmen blinked rapidly and seemed surprised.
“Yes.” I neglected to provide the details of how our souls created the bridge. “She now knows every part of me, and I know her.”
“And you’re going to take her on these wild adventures around the world?” the Nepin woman asked, though a smile twitched on the corners of her mouth.
“Yeah, just like she’s been begging to do,” I chuckled. “I know she’ll be happy.”
“I think you’re right,” she murmured. “But I do have one request, Lord Evan.”
“Of course,” I said and dipped my head.
“You have to protect my little girl,” Carmen whispered. “She’s never known a life outside these walls, and she’ll need you.”
“Nothing will harm Skye,” I vowed. “I’ll keep her safe forever.”
And no matter where our next quest took us, I knew I would keep my promise.
End of Book 16
End Notes
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Copyright © 2021 by Eric Vall
Eric Vall, Dragon Emperor 16
