Chapter 64: The ghosts of wives past
Rachel slowly woke up, not hearing the usual whispering between Beth, Taloni, and Kendra as they read the Book of Light early in the morning. They never did that when it was Taloni's turn to sleep in their husband's arms because none of them could read the Fey tongue. As Rachel thought about it, she thought it might be a good idea to get a copy in the common tongue, expensive though it would be.
"Morning Sweetheart." Alana whispered to her, which made her smile.
"Morning Sweetie." Rachel replied with a smile as she opened her eyes. The captain's cabin was well-lit, but it didn't look like the sun had risen just yet.
"Morning ladies." Ethan said, then yawned, prompting yawns from the others as well. "We have a full day today."
"Indeed." Rachel agreed as she sat up, holding the sheet against her chest to keep herself covered. "You were going to talk to Myla about Falkaan's proposal, to Luminar Kossel about Lady Ekthros, then try to exorcise Sarah's demon with Aharown, and then I should probably respond to the letter I got from Mage Weston."
"What was in the letter?" Beth asked immediately. "You only gave a brief summary."
"It was a moral choice test." The redhead replied while adjusting to sit cross-legged on the bed, still holding the sheet up. She had almost sat up without the sheet, but hadn't been able to work up the nerve. "The choice is this: You are in Karnas riding westward down the Sienthae lane when your horse gets spooked and starts running, but you can't get him to stop. You reach the fork in the road only to see that down one street, there's several children playing, and down the other side of the fork is someone you love. The question is which way you should guide the runaway horse."
"That's terrible." Taloni's voice said from Ethan's other side.
"It's a variation on the trolley problem." He replied. "And that's the whole point: it's a morally difficult situation."
"Sometimes, that's life." Kendra said, sitting up. Rachel didn't always understand how the raven-haired woman was so comfortable being naked around the others, especially since she had started out being even more nervous than Rachel herself had been.
"That's a dim view of life." Ethan pointed out.
"Sometimes, life is dim." She replied with a shrug that wasn't as convincingly nonchalant as usual, probably because of yesterday's events, then she looked at Rachel. "How will you answer?"
Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but Alana beat her to it.
"Maybe we should wait to talk about it until Sarah is around." Alana suggested.
"You've been very careful to include her in everything." Rachel pointed out.
Alana nodded. "I'm hoping things will work out better in the long run if we get off on the right foot."
"You're still worried?" Rachel asked.
"Um, not really." Her best friend replied. "Having talked with her, I don't think I have any reason to be."
"But?" Ethan prompted.
"No 'buts'."
"Actually, there are five butts..." Beth pushed her own into the air.
Ethan nodded, and Rachel noticed that slight bit of hesitation in him that he always had when he thought about Selene. Rachel missed her too, though Kendra and Ethan were clearly having the hardest time with her departure.
"You're thinking that Selene would have a nice butt too, aren't you?" Alana asked with a sympathetic smile.
He nodded.
"Master, I don't like that Selene left either." Tee's wings flicked slightly and she didn't look entirely happy.
"Since Victoria and Thea are the only two left, which one will you pick?" Beth asked.
"And maybe this discussion should also happen with Sarah present." Alana interjected again.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I suppose it's time to get up anyway."
* * *
Sarah added a few more seasonings to the pot of breakfast stew, gave it a good stir, and then tasted it again. She smiled; that was more like it.
"I appreciate you taking over the meals." Anthiel said from the quarterdeck above her. "I can cook, but I neither enjoy it nor am as talented as you are."
"Thank you." Sarah beamed. "My mother started teaching me before she died."
"I'm fortunate that my mother still lives and I see her occasionally; I do not envy your loss." The high elf said kindly. "If you find yourself wishing for some motherly advice, I would be happy to pass on what I've learned."
"Everyone here is so nice." Sarah replied, feeling herself tear up slightly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Anthiel smiled, then went back to the ship's wheel.
Not long afterward, her betrothed and his wives exited the captain's cabin. He gave her a long hug and kissed the top of her head while holding her. Sarah's heart felt full to bursting at that. Then they all sat down around the pot of stew they had for breakfast, including Myla, Victoria, and Thea. Alana beckoned Sarah over while they were arranging themselves and had Sarah sit next to Ethan.
"Thank you." Sarah mouthed as she sat down next to the most wonderful man-- err, dragon that she'd ever met.
"Holy crap, this is amazing." Ethan said as he tasted the food.
Everyone else either agreed verbally or made approving sounds while hastily taking another bite. Sarah beamed at that.
"So, there's a few things we should discuss." Ethan said when he'd finished eating, then he looked at Myla. "Including one thing that you and I should discuss after breakfast."
"Meelas, I do believe I know what you wish to discuss and it would make my heart happy if it could be discussed with the counsel of others as well." The dusky-skinned woman looked at Kendra. "Your counsel especially would be most welcome given your long association with him, and that I have not had a chance to inquire about him to you given recent events." She then looked back at Ethan expectantly.
"Okay." He shrugged. "Falkaan asked for my permission to marry you. Why did you tell him he needed to ask me?"
Sarah looked at Myla slightly confused. A divorced woman could choose her own husband; why didn't Myla want to?
"Meelas, I have previously said that I wished to have what my parents have." The gorgeous dusky-skinned woman replied in her slight Southern Lands accent. "My prior infatuation with Lord Farbrottan in my youth provides ample evidence that my ability to choose a good man is compromised." She paused. "Yet I would not wish to pass my life alone and so I wish for a husband. However, my heart shrinks when I consider the potential that I could again make a foolish choice in such an important matter."
"So why not simply ask for Ethan's opinion, rather than telling Falkaan that he needed Ethan's permission?" Alana asked.
Sarah had noticed that often, Alana seemed to ask the exact question that Ethan appeared poised to ask. She knew him so well and Sarah was hoping that one day, she would know her betrothed that well also.
"I cannot trust my heart to make such an important decision." Myla replied. "My mother and father repeatedly attempted to impress upon me that true love grows best and without fail in a marriage between two people of good character. I desire only a husband of good character so that I might experience that love. I cannot trust my own heart to make a wise choice in this matter, so I desire that the one man whom I can trust will make this decision for me: my rescuer and the prophet of Illuminar."
Sarah beamed at her betrothed.
