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This work of fiction is part of a series; if you did not already read the preceding chapters, please do that before starting this part of the story.
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~~~ Reunion ~~~
Eryn's mom didn't want to talk about how she came to be excluded from my bond-mate's life. She didn't want to talk about Eryn's father. She didn't want to talk about any of it at all. I was really okay with that.
We spent the next two days sharing meals together and just visiting and getting to know each other. The second day, I begged for permission to run home and check on Sunley. I left in the morning and returned after lunch. I just used Sunley as an excuse so that I could stop by Bree's and grab a few more casks of Greedy Bear Mead - and pick up a few other gifts from the house that I thought Eryn's family would like. I had plenty of those items at home but not very many in my storage-ring.
Nymphs aren't big drinkers but - if they can be tempted with alcohol - mead is a good choice. Eryn's mother (and the other two women we'd been talking to) seemed to enjoy Bree's concoction.
Discussion about the mead turned into a discussion about honey-harvesting and beekeeping which led to Eryn's mom introducing me to one of their resident experts on the subject. She spent a couple hours sharing her knowledge with me and showing me their hives. She also gave me an extra queen that I could use to start a second hive at the cave.
As Eryn took advantage of the opportunity to spend some quality-time with her mother and other relatives, Tala and I sat together quietly and just enjoyed not being busy with anything. At one point, she snuggled up against my side, pulled my arm around her, and wrapped her arms around me. I looked down into her eyes - which didn't have any of her usual playfulness.
"I know you want to try to find my mother as well," she told me. "I don't think my story will end up like Eryn's and I don't think my heart can take it. Could you let it go? Just for me? I have a husband and a sister. It is so much more than I ever hoped or dreamed that I could have."
I reached down, picked her up, and set her on my lap. Her arms went around my middle. I embraced her - with my arms, my heart, and my soul.
I truly DID want to know what had happened to her mom but I had no desire to put her through turmoil that she didn't think she could handle. I would wait until she was ready. If she was never ready, I would simply be content to hold my girls in my arms and give them all of my love.
"Stop worrying," she snickered, looking up into my face and seeing that I was looking THROUGH her instead of AT her.
"Yes, mother," I said, seeing her finally, and returning her smile.
She pressed her lips to mine. I didn't lick or suck her tusks first this time - though I wanted to. I accepted the kiss she gave - and gave the kiss she asked for. It was perfect.
As our lips separated, she growled, "Do NOT call me your little dung-beetle."
"Am I that predictable?" I gasped, trying to sound wounded.
"Yes!" she hissed.
"I am so fucking lucky that you two turned up that day. I was missing Ashlyn so much. I never thought I would be happy again - but now I have two bright flames in my heart. You have no idea how full my heart is."
"I know how you make me feel," she whispered. "If you feel like that, then I am so happy that I can be a part of that. I know you don't NEED me."
"That's where you are wrong, my little ..."
"Stop!" she ordered.
"I was GOING to say 'orc'," I told her, snickering wickedly.
"You WERE not, and you know it," she growled.
This time I did lick and suck her tusks - and then her lips - and then her neck. I was part of the way down her chest, deciding which breast to taste first, when a female voice cleared her throat.
I jumped back like a fox caught in the hen-house. Tala giggled at me - and then nipped at my jaw.
"Come, please, and sit with us," she said.
I picked up my little dung-beetle and set her on her feet - then she pulled me up. She giggled at me as I pretended to be unsteady on my feet and caught her for balance - only to sneak a quick kiss. The nymph who came to retrieve us smiled at my not-so-subtle antics.
We arrived at a circle of individuals that included Eryn and her mom. We were directed to sit. Nuts, grains, vegetables, fruits, and berries were brought and spread out in front of us. I pulled a couple small wheels of cheese out and held them up for Eryn's mom to approve. When she nodded, I added them to the buffet.
"I need to go for a while," Eryn's mom said. "I cannot tell you how delighted I am to meet you two," she said to Tala and me. "I never thought I would see my little sprite again and, now, to be able to meet those to whom she has bound herself - and to find you to be so full of love for her ... Only the goddess knows how full my heart is right now."
She wrapped an arm around Eryn and gave her a squeeze.
"Thank you for bringing her back to me. You are welcome to come back any time. I travel a great deal and might not be here when you visit but, if I am, I would be delighted to be able to spend a little more time together with you."
After that, we shared food together. When the meal was over, we stood and gave Eryn's family hugs. Her mom made sure to give Tala and me kisses on each cheek. It was easy to see that my bond-mate had gotten her looks from her mother. I was pretty sure my little elf got a good share of her sultriness, spunk, and orneriness from the nymph woman as well - although I hadn't personally gotten to glimpse much of that.
As we said our goodbyes, Eryn's mom told us that the ability to hide within a sunbeam was one of the ways that the nymphs used to disappear or sneak around. When they had seen me do it - and then we had told them that Eryn had taught it to us - it was one of the things that helped the reclusive group feel comfortable with revealing themselves to us.
The woman who had originally greeted us was one of the last to slip away. She kindly reminded me to put the illusions back on the circlets and the collars - and to recharge the defensive spell on the diamonds.
I undressed, transformed, and the girls climbed between my wings. I took to the air and then slipped inside of a sunbeam. We flew southwest, cruised over Eryn's dad's city, and then headed for home.
It was full dark by the time we landed. Sunley was passed out, lying on his back with his arms and legs flung wide like he'd been shot. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth - which was hanging open as wide as it would go.
I cast a silence spell over us and we giggled at him as we snuck past and slipped into the house. Tala, of course, wanted a hot shower. Eryn agreed and so it was another hour before they let me sleep - and then only after scrubbing each other in the bath - which led to foreplay - which led to the two of them taking turns coaxing a freshly-churned load of cream from my balls.
I told them I was tired and ready for bed and that - if they wanted it - they were going to have to work for it. Apparently, they both wanted it. I contented myself with running my fingers up and down their hips, groping their ass-globes, and teasing their tummies. They manhandled (or woman-handled) their breasts as they bounced up and down on me and I just enjoyed the view. Once they were both satisfied, we cuddled together and fell asleep.
~~~
We slept through breakfast, took another shower, and stepped out of the house to scare the shit out of Sunley - the poor fellow. He wanted to wrestle and play tag for a bit. I played with him for a while and then I told Tala to try using Wild Shape. After a couple tries, she successfully turned into a brown bear that was slightly larger than Sunley.
Tala's clothes and armor disappeared into the fur of her bear-form. Her neck had a charcoal-colored ring around it. The crown of her head showed a little coloration that matched the tattoo of the circlet she wore in her human form.
Eryn went with me to see if we could figure out where we wanted to place the new queen bee - to try to establish the second bee-hive. Tala and Sunley followed us into the fields of wildflowers and clover and wrestled and played tag as the wood elf and I worked.
The problem was that the new queen had to be close enough that the swarm from the original colony could find her and decide if they were changing their allegiance. Once they were established, we could only move the new hive a few feet every other day. If we moved it faster than that, the workers lost track of where they lived and we'd lose them.
Once the new queen was placed, I told Tala that we were heading to Mire's Edge. I am embarrassed to admit that I made a rather undignified sound as Tala dodged in behind me, stuck her head between my knees, and threw her head up - tossing me onto her back. Eryn laughed at me as Sunley came over and waited for her to climb aboard.
It took almost a mile for me to relax and trust that Tala wouldn't throw me. Eryn was already quite accomplished at looking right at home on the back of her mount. By the time we finished climbing down the mountain and moved across the flat terrain to merge onto the road, I was a seasoned professional. In my defense, the first part of the journey had been with me facing downhill. It was much easier riding - now that I was sure I wasn't going to tumble onto my face. Eryn told me I was being a whiner. I swear that the barking sound coming from Tala and Sunley was laughter.
Captain Arden was standing in front of the brewery has Eryn and I came riding up on our bear mounts. He just shook his head when he saw us coming down the street. Bree stepped out of the doorway to see what he was smiling about. They laughed out loud when Tala changed forms and ended up standing next to Sunley while holding me in her arms.
We visited for a while, catching up on the news and rumors. Arden told us that the traders from the east were reporting that the hill giants that lived in the mountains to the east of Southtown were stirred up about something. The captain said that - from what he had been hearing - Eryn's dad had joined forces with the king of Southtown and that, together, they were fighting to keep their frontier settlements from being overrun or destroyed.
We had only visited the city itself - and not the smaller, outlying villages - but the girls were immediately concerned that the lady who made their fancy underwear might be in mortal danger. Priorities, I guess.
We chatted over our options and decided (the girls decided; I just didn't have a good reason to say 'no') that we would go check it out.
Sunley had finished his half-mug of mead, so he was ready to head home for a nap. The girls couldn't come up with anything that we needed to stop by the house for - so we accompanied our oversized watch-dog until he left the road and headed up into the hills. Then I transformed and we headed east.
It was dusk by the time we knocked on Mabel's door but she pretended to be happy to see us. I pulled some already-prepared foods from my storage-ring - to minimize how much we were screwing up her night. When the stable boy slipped out of his room to use the outhouse, we realized that we were imposing even more. Mabel offered to take the couch but I insisted that she have her bed. In the end, she and the girls went to her bed and I slept on the couch.
~~~
We ate breakfast with her and the boy. I'm not sure how much sleep the girls got. All three of them looked a little blurry-eyed. I wondered how long they had stayed up, chatting.
I slipped her a few more silvers as we headed out of the door and then the girls and I took off for Southtown.
As we flew in, over the city's main gate, I brought us down in the courtyard just beyond the walls. The girls climbed down, I began to transform, grabbed a sunbeam long enough to dress, and then appeared next to my riders. A burly guard headed our way.
"Are you answering the summons?" he asked.
"I received no summons. We live near Mire's Edge and I heard there was fighting. We came to see what was going on."
"If you'd be kind enough to follow me, I will take you to the king. It would be best if you spoke directly to him."
"Lead on," I replied.
He didn't ask any dumb questions. I liked him. The fact that the girls' armor matched my dragon form - and that I had arrived as a dragon - no doubt helped - but it was refreshing to be treated like something other than a criminal.
"How should I introduce you?" he asked, as we walked.
