Chapter One

-The world is at peace. The Archfiend is defeated... Then why do I feel so... uneasy...?- The young man walked around in the middle of the wilderness. He had a lot on his mind. It was months after he and his friends had put the Archfiend, Mortamor, in his place, yet monsters were multiplying again and there was a general feeling of uneasiness. Most didn't seem to notice, still celebrating peace and good times. He had his hand on his chin, fingers clutched tightly to it, staring at the ground as he paced.

He was oblivious to everything around him. This area was sacred, filled with the power of the Goddess, monsters instinctively avoided it, he didn't have to worry about one attacking him. This allowed him to mentally be somewhere else. The spiky haired youth paced back and forth, the grass matted under his boots. He didn't notice the strange noise coming from above him. He kept pacing, back and forth, back and forth. It wasn't until the faint noises became a loud whistling that he looked around.

Whatever it was, it was getting louder. Unfortunately for him, he looked up far too late to do anything about it. "LOOK OUT BELOW!!!" was his only warning. A flash of navy blue and crimson landed on top of him. He crumpled to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Luckily for him, he was built rather solidly. It still hurt, though. "Ow..." The girl, since it had been a female voice he'd heard, panicked. "Oh, shi-- uh, sorry! Lemme help ya up!" She grabbed his wrist and yanked upwards.

Despite his weight, she managed to haul him to his feet without an issue. She looked as panicked as she felt, brushing him off. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Meant to land somewhere else!" It took a while before his vision cleared, his eyes had watered a bit. But he stopped and stared, blinking a few times. "Ashlynn!?" She stopped her panicked flailing, having been babbling a tad incoherently, to look at him. She seemed flustered at the mention of the name. Then it hit her, like the proverbial ton of bricks, ironic since she had just done the same to him, literally.

"Oh, wait... you're--" She tackled him, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a huge hug. He panicked, for a moment, flailing his arms, then just patted her on the back, "Good to see you again too..." She had tears in her eyes, turning away from him to wipe them away, shaking her head before turning back to face him. "No... I..." Her voice was cracking, she couldn't get the words out. "What's wrong, Ashlynn? Aren't you happy to be back?"

She turned a little red in the face, cheeks flushing. "My name's not Ashlynn... I... argh!" She couldn't seem to get the words out, swaying in place, hands laced behind her back, skirt ruffling a little. She dug the toe of a boot into the ground. She was certainly a dead ringer for his old friend. She wore the same, or at least a very similar, outfit. A short skirted blue dress, a dual layered cape, violet on the outside and crimson on the inside. The same large violet eyes peered at him.

She even had the same red hair. Albeit it was considerably longer. It was tied up in the same fashion as he remembered, but it fell nearly to her ankles. He just tilted his head, utterly confused. She was now pressing the tips of her index fingers together, still staring at the ground. He took a step forward, causing her to spaz out, flailing and jumping backwards. He was convinced she was someone else. She waved her hands around in front of her.

"No, really! I'm not her!" She was still struggling with how to tell him. She was confused, he was exactly as he was described. In fact, he didn't look a day older than he was described. After some internal debate, she stomped her right foot and tensed her arms up at her sides, jerking her head up and staring him straight in the eyes. "I'm your daughter! My name's Ashelea!" She flushed again, quickly covering her face and looking away. She had dreamed of this day for years.

She hadn't pictured it happening this way, however. She thought it would take a lot longer to find him. She hadn't, in her wildest dreams, ever imagined that she would land on top of him right after casting the spell. He was white in the face, staring at her in disbelief. She peeked over at him from between her fingers, noticing the stare. "Hey, what? You don't believe me!?" He shook his head, clearing his throat, "Uh, I don't... yeah... how to say this...?"

He took a moment to ponder how he was going to respond, "I think you must be mistaken. See, my wife hasn't even given birth yet. That and I'm way too young to have an adult daughter." She seemed a bit offended by his words, stomping her foot again. "What? You must be... like... uh..." She stopped to count in her head, nodding to herself and going on, "At least thirty six by now... I mean, if I'm nineteen and you got mom pregnant way back when, you must be that old by now."

His turn to be offended. "Hey! Whoa... I don't even look anything older than eighteen, which I am!" She huffed and puffed, then stopped to think it over rationally. "Er... what's today's date?" He didn't need to think it over, it was a pretty simple thing, giving her the current date. She went pale, ghastly pale, as white as a cloud. "Whaaaaa!? But... But... That can't be! That's... but... I..." Something was terribly wrong. Then a thought popped up in the back of her head.

Something one of her teachers had told her. Time passed differently where she had been born. This was of no comfort to her. She grabbed her face and fell to her knees, "I'm OLDER than my own father!? This is every teenage girl's nightmare!!" He just stared at her, as if she were as crazy as she was coming across as. She took a while to notice, but she snorted at him, getting back to her feet, "I'm not lying! I have proof!" She pulled a heart shaped locket out from under her tunic.

She popped it open, showing a small portrait of a girl that looked like her, much younger, with a woman standing behind her. He took a closer look. Sure enough, though older, it was certainly whom he had mistaken her for. The girl in the portrait looked like she was ten years old, the woman looked to be in her late twenties. Most importantly, in the background, was a painting hanging on the wall. He recognized the room it was in, the Eldress' home back in Sorceria.

Hanging on that familiar wall was a portrait that looked exactly like him. In fact he was sure it was him. He just shook himself and then shook his head. "No, not possible." She seemed hurt by his words. "Oh, sure, whatever." She turned around and started to walk away. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?" She shrugged, continuing to walk on, heading downhill, towards the castle in the distance. "To find my father, I guess, since you so vehemently deny being him. How many princes of Somnia can there be?"

He frowned and strode after her. "Just the one, me." She shrugged again, continuing on, her stride matching his own. "Why are you following me?" She spat it out at him, she was hurt, he was exactly how her mother described him. Right down to the last strand of spiky blue hair. Of course he was also EXACTLY how she had described him. Barely looking even a day older than he was described. She was starting to realize that time in the lower world, or real world, passed differently than in the dream world.

He scoffed at the question, "I can't let a girl walk through the countryside alone. The monsters are getting more and more vicious by the day." She snorted and stopped, wheeling around in place, hands going to her hips. "So I'm a defenseless little girl, is that it!?" He nearly walked into her, but stopped a step short. "Well, no... I just... that is." She scoffed again, glaring at him. "I can handle myself, you know!" She grinned as an idea came to mind. "I got it!"

She pointed her palm at a tree and closed her eyes, she muttered something unintelligible. She cried out "Magic Burst!" and a small blast of light shot out of her hand. It hit the tree, causing the trunk to splinter, but that was it. She turned to him, a smug look of satisfaction on her face. "See!? How many people do you know that can cast that spell?"

She ran a finger under her nose, beaming with pride. It was the first time the spell had actually worked, ever. He just looked at her, his expression just seeming to say "That's it?" But she didn't have time to get offended. The color left her face. She swooned, falling forward. He caught her, her chin falling on his shoulder. She was out cold. She had just used up all of her magic in one moment. She didn't have a lot to begin with. He sighed, not sure what to do.

"Well, if you are her daughter, you certainly are as much trouble as her." He slung the girl over his shoulder and carried her, all the way across the plains, to Somnia. He took her to his house, carrying her in. There was an appetizing smell wafting around. His mouth would have watered if he wasn't so occupied. He walked to the rear of the house and laid the girl on the bed. He was standing up to turn around when he heard a voice. "Is that you, dear?"

He turned to face the woman who asked the question. Her blue eyes were locked on him, still stirring the stew with her free hand. Her other arm was wrapped under her belly, which was protruding a fair ways out. She looked very pregnant and she was. She was seven months along now. She was half glaring at him, for a few reasons. He had just wandered off on his own again, that was enough for her, but he had also brought some strange girl in with him. "Who is she?"

He was at a loss for words, stammering out an attempted response. She just rolled her eyes, walking over, arms crossed, tapping the wooden spoon in her hand. "Whatever, just stir the stew and don't let it burn." She walked past him, slapping the spoon into his open hand. She walked over to the bed, pulling up a chair, taking her seat and leaning over the girl. She thought he had brought home some wounded traveller he had wandered upon, needing healing.

She bent over to cast the Heal spell on her, to wake her up and get her out of their home, but she stopped. She gasped, looking back at him, "It's Ash--" But he shook his head, staring into the pot of stew, "No, I don't think it is... she says she isn't, at least." The blonde girl stood up and rushed around, grabbing a bucket of cold water and a cloth, heading back to her seat by the bed. She dipped the cloth into the water and wrang it out, then started dabbing the girl's face and neck.

After a few attempts, she finally came around. She groaned and writhed around in the sheets, then blinked a few times. "Huh? Wha? Where... am I?" The blonde girl sighed softly and patted her on the head. "You gave me a scare there. What happened?" She turned to the man, still idly stirring the stew, narrowing her icy blue eyes. The question was for him. He explained what the girl had done, but left out the parts about her claiming to be his daughter. "Oh, so you can cast Magic Burst?"

The girl nodded, still weak and pale. "C-Course I can... I'm... I'm the... daughter... of the... Acolyte... after... all..." She passed out again, snoring as soon as her head hit the pillow. The woman ruffled her hair and got up, holding her stomach as she went, heaving a heavy sigh as she got up. "Ugh, you're so much trouble, Brandon." She waddled over to the stove, shoving him to the side and taking the spoon back, mixing a few spices into the mixture. "Go make yourself useful... Chop wood or something."

He rolled his eyes, but quickly did as he was told, grabbing the axe and heading out the back. There was a pile of uncut wood just tossed haphazardly around an old stump. He took a log and placed it on the stump, one swing of the axe split it in two. It wasn't the most conducive thing to do when you wanted to think, but it was quiet enough. He was still troubled by the general unease in the air and the fact that the monsters, which had been subsiding, had suddenly exploded in numbers again.

He hacked away at the pile off wood, until he was beckoned back inside. "Oh get back in here, your stew is getting cold." He wiped some sweat off of his forehead, pulling his tunic back up over his shoulder and fetching his jacket off the branch of a nearby tree. He'd gotten a little warm and had removed them. He wandered in, his stomach rumbling. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't realized that he hadn't eaten yet today. He sat down at the table, noticing the redhead was up.

She was shoveling food into her mouth, barely chewing any of it. He chuckled a little, noticing a giggle from his wife. She certainly had the appetite and manners of their dear friend. She stopped, a large bite of bread in her mouth, holding the piece in her hand, noticing the staring. She swallowed the bread and blushed. "Uh... sorry... get hungry when I use magic." She had never admitted it to anyone in her life, not even her mother, but she just wasn't gifted with magic.

For a Sorcerian, much less the daughter of the Acolyte, it was quite a big deal to not be able to use magic. She could cast spells, sure, but more often than not they blew up in her face. She had thought her Magic Burst would backfire for sure, hence her satisfaction at successfully casting the spell. She went back to eating, though trying her best to look like she had some semblance of table manners. She started taking smaller bites and chewing what she had.

It didn't work, however. The blonde woman was still staring at her. She had to stop, setting down her spoon, to ask "Wh-What? Did I get some on my face?" She picked up a cloth napkin and started wiping at her face. The woman giggled and shook her head, "No, no... sorry. I just can't help but notice how much you look like a friend of mine." She nodded, "Oh, oh... Got it... Yeah, that's cuz I'm her daughter. My name's Ashelea, nice to meet you... uh... miss?"

She gasped, but when the girl offered her hand, she took it, giving it a shake. "You're her... oh, now it makes sense... Oh, it's Missus... Mireyu... Married this big lug a while back." She stopped, though, when the girl frowned, about to ask why, before the more obvious question came to mind, "Wait... what? Her... daughter? But she's... much too young to... and... Who is your father?" She giggled, the frown vanishing, her father's exploits could be discussed later.

"He is." She pointed at the man sitting across the table, who choked on his stew, flailing around and whacking at his chest. "Uh... uh... no, we already discussed the impossibility of that!" Both women turned on him, glaring at him. "You calling my mother a liar!?" "You already had a child!?" Both women looked angry enough to kill, causing him to shield himself with his arms, "Hey now! No lynching! I couldn't possibly have an adult daughter! I'm only eighteen!"

The redhead huffed, crossing her arms, tucking her chin to her chest, "Well scuse me for being your daughter... I WAS born in the dream world you know." Mireyu looked her over, taking a good hard look. "Her aura is clear, she's not lying." This was not something he wanted to hear, this was all too much for him to take in. He fell forward onto the table, ruffling his fingers through his hair. Mireyu scooted her chair closer to Ashelea and gave a good long look into her eyes.

They were the same general color as her mother's, but they had a more familiar quality to them. She eventually pieced together why it felt so familiar. They were the same eyes she looked into every day. "You have his eyes... well, that settles it... you must be related." She nodded, smiling. "Finally, someone who gets me!" She gave Mireyu a big hug, the two giggling. It was a scene he had seen before, when they had all traveled together. Mireyu and Ashlynn had gotten along famously.

When they settled back down, Ashelea wiped a lone tear from her eye, "Though, it's a little weird being older than my father." Mireyu stopped, blinking in a confused fashion. "What, dear?" She sighed, slumping back into the seat. "I'm nineteen years old. I've been waiting my whole life to find my father. I had to go through the most complicated series of rituals and spells to get here and then I find out that not even a year has passed here. Mom's not gonna like this."

She stopped, scoffing at herself, if her mother found out she even left she'd be in huge trouble. It wouldn't be as big a deal if he hadn't aged, not as much as she thought. She would live to be well over a hundred years old before age would take its toll on her. It was more the fact that he was married, in Ashelea's opinion far too soon after losing her mother, that would likely cause Ashlynn to lose it. "Better not tell mom that just a couple months after she vanished you got married to someone else."

It clearly stung him, her words, as he grumbled and ran his spoon through his stew. He had been in love with both girls. Truth be told, if she hadn't vanished that day in Somnia Castle, he might have chosen her. But she had been gone for a few months before he decided she wasn't coming back. "Well, I did... so sue me." She shrugs, scratching her cheek, staring at the window. "Oh, it's not me you're going to have to deal with... It's mom... and her magic is a lot stronger now."

She beamed at him, taking a little too much pleasure in his pain. She looked down at Mireyu's stomach and giggled. "So, I'm going to have a little baby brother or sister?" Mireyu giggled back, holding her stomach in her hands, "Yes you are... and soon I hope... I feel like I'm going to burst I'm so large." The girls cackled with glee, the humor a little above the man's head for now. He was wallowing in his despair. He was a dead man once the girl's mother found out about him marrying Mireyu.

His problems had doubled, or perhaps tripled, today. After dinner, he was sent to the kitchen basin to wash the dishes, while Mireyu helped Ashelea find a cot in the closet and show her how to set it up. She couldn't actually help, there was very little she could do these days in her pregnant state. But Ashelea seemed good with her hands and she had the strength to accomplish the task on her own. "My, you're rather strong for a magician, aren't you?"

Ashelea heaved a sigh and pouted, but didn't say anything, she just kept on assembling the cot. "Did I say something wrong?" She shook her head, forcing a smile, "No no, I'm fine... perfectly fine... I just got a lot of my father's... uh, strength... yeah, that's it." It wasn't a lie, she did take after her father in a few ways. She couldn't match her mother in magical strength, though no one really could, but she couldn't even cast spells at a first grade level either.

She'd always preferred physical arts over the magical arts. More than once her tutors found her playing in the mud instead of studying her books. She was a classic tomboy, right up until she hit puberty. Once her body developed, she had to "stop being such a tomboy" and "buckle down to study". But she had continued her study of the sword. She was good with a blade, no one could deny it. But no one in Sorceria knew much how to handle a sword and they threw a fit if she left the city.

How she had wanted to go study in another town how to wield a blade more effectively, but she was stopped each time and hauled back to the library. She got the cot set up and started to make the bed, tucking the sheets in. Once that was finished, she was dragged off by the elbow by the pregnant Mireyu. "We're going shopping, dear, don't wait up!" This was his warning that they would be out late. He didn't mind as much as he usually would have, he needed some time alone with his thoughts.

He sat at the table and folded his hands, placing his chin on them and staring out the window. -This has been one hell of a day.- He wandered off mentally again, oblivious to the world around him. Mireyu dragged Ashelea through the market of town, stopping at each and every place to look at their stock. More than once, the redhead stopped to look at a sword. How she wanted it. They didn't have any back home, she'd made her own out of wood. It had broken several times in practice, though.

Meanwhile, far off in the countryside, a young man was standing at the village gate. He was protesting what was going on, but no one was listening. "Listen, I'm trying to tell you... I'm just a farmboy, I'm no warrior... I can't do this." But the mayor shook his head, reaching up to clap the boy on the shoulder, "Nonsense, boy! You're the toughest lad in the village, that's why this duty falls to you to complete... You must deliver our letter to the king of Somnia, m'boy, or the village won't last."

He sighed, slumping in place. His mother was standing there, the diminutive woman she was. She was getting on in years, but still sharp as a tack. "Mom, tell them, I've never held a weapon in my life. I'm a farmboy, no warrior." But the woman was beaming with pride. Her son had been chosen for this noble task. "You're going to go save our village, I'm so proud of you!" She wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a big hug. He flushed bright red, rubbing the back of his head.

He was head and shoulders taller than the next tallest man in the village. He was only slightly above average in his weight, though. His muscles weren't what you'd expect in a warrior. But he did plow the fields, so he was no runt. He wore glasses, however, suffering from eternally bad eyesight. Before he knew what was going on, the village girls were hustling around him, strapping on the most dilapidated suit of leather armor you could imagine. The mayor went on about the mission.

"The entire village scrimped and saved to get you this suit of armor. You have to get this letter to the king as quickly as possible. Don't stop for anything, understood?" He nodded, as an iron pot was slapped on his head for a helmet. "Oof..." He blushed again, this was the most embarrasshing thing ever. He'd been grabbed and doubled over just to get the helmet on. A small child was the one who had slapped it on for him. He had to smile at her, no matter how uneasy he was.

He was then handed the scroll of paper, turned around and shoved out towards the wilderness. "Now go, m'boy, save yer village!" He sighed, wandering along, clutching the Cypress Stick they'd given him. -I'm going to die, I just know it.- It wasn't even a moment later that a slime wobbled out of the tall grass and jumped at him. It took everything he had not to run screaming back into town. It took him a whole five minutes to beat the slime into submission with the stick.

It kept dodging him, leaving him to chase after it and attack. He took more than a few hits from it as well. He had to sit down, finding a medicinal herb just lying there in the grass. He shrugged and ate it, feeling a little better. "Yup, gonna die for sure." He got up and started walking along the path again. There was something he was supposed to remember, but what was it. He just couldn't remember. He got so lost in thought that he wandered off of the small road and into the grass.

He was ambushed by a Slime and a Dracky. It took a great deal of effort to fight them off, leaving him doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. But, he felt strangely different. The small amount of experience from the fight had left him with a better knowledge of combat. It felt like he was brimming with life, that he was somehow faster, stronger, wiser and more resilient than he had been just moments before. It filled him with some small amount of confidence.

"Maybe I can do this." And so that's how it began. He wandered around for days, getting lost a few times, circling the same areas. What should have taken him only a day and a half, ended up taking nearly five days. He finally wandered into the city of Somnia, collapsing just inside the city gate. In all their planning, they hadn't seen fit to pack any food for him to eat during his journey. He just laid there, groaning in pain. Both from the constant battles and hunger pains.

A girl walked by, noticing him. She crouched down, holding a small paper sack in one arm. She had her legs pressed together, skirt pinched between her legs, not completely immodest it seemed. At least not until she picked up a stick and started poking him. "Hey, are you alive?" He groaned again, lifting his head to look up at her. She flushed a little in the cheeks, seeing his face. Sure he was in the strangest attire. The armor looked like it was barely holding together.

He had a pot lid for a shield, a stick for a weapon and a cooking pot for a helmet, but he was also cute. "Do you have to do that? I've been... lost in the wilderness for five days..." He eyeballed the sack of apples she had. She knew he was, frowning at him. -Sheesh, he could at least stare at me.- She pouted, but pulled an apple off the pile in the sack, handing it to him. His eyes were grateful, but he tore into it, unable to speak. He even at the core. He was that hungry.

She sputtered and fell backwards, clutching the sack, keeping the apples from tumbling out. "Ugh... wow... and they say -I- have horrible manners when I eat." He snorted and pushed himself up, he felt better now. He got to his feet and started brushing himself off, dust and dirty flying off in a cloud. She hacked a few times and stood herself. She then blushed again, whining softly. He was so tall. Far taller than her. She stood on her toes, raising her arm.

She held it about level with the top of his head, then sank back to her heels, holding it over her own. He was at least a foot taller than her. She blushed redder still, tucking her chin into her chest and staring at her boots. -He's so... cute... gah, my face is burning up... I should run.- She wanted to bolt, but she couldn't get her legs to move. He stretched, rolling onto the balls of his feet, arms up high. He cracked his back and then relaxed, but that was his mistake.

The armor finally tore off of him. It was so old and beaten up, the leather never stood a chance. "Awww, crap... That cost the village all they had." She looked at him, trying not to laugh. It was funny to her. Until he spoke at least. "Village?" He frowned, crouching down to pick it up, "Yeah, village is being attacked constantly by monsters. They pooled their money to buy armor so I could... Oh, that's right!" He had a job to do, his hunger had made him forget.

But he couldn't go to the castle like he was. "Do you know where the market is?" To this, she nodded, "Of course I do." She was lugging the sack of apples, of course she knew, that was a stupid question. But he was new in town and he had no way of just knowing she knew. "Can you show me?" She tilted her head, she wanted to get away from him. Sure he was cute, but he seemed a little slow. "Uh... why?" He pulled a sack off his belt, bulging at the seams.

She knew what it was, she could hear the coins. "I have to... uh, what's it called... re-equip myself?" She was now staring at the sack. Somehow she just knew it was full. She could almost guess how much. Despite her poor skills with magic, she was still smart. -Huh, he's loaded...- She shook herself, blinking it off. She didn't want to seem like "that girl".

The type who was after a guy's money. "I guess." He smiled at her, taking her free hand and squeezing, as she had been pointing. He looked in that direction and went, holding her hand. She squeaked, almost doubling over. He was stronger than he looked. She couldn't say a word, couldn't stop her legs. -Argh! No! Stop! Bad legs, bad! Don't follow him!- But her legs refused to listen. She was holding hands with a boy to boot. This was the furthest she'd ever gotten with one.

Even if she found a boy, normally a traveler visiting the city, that she even remotely liked, if she tried to do anything with him, her mother just showed up. She swore the woman could teleport to wherever she was, having some kind of sixth sense that told her when her daughter was trying to woo a guy. Instinctively, she craned her neck, looking around. This would be the moment it would happen. But it never did. He got her to the market and stopped, looking around.

"Where can I find decent gear for a reasonable price?" She scoffed, pulling her hand away, rubbing it, swaying around and wiggling the toe of a boot into the stones paving the street. "With how much you have on you, doesn't matter, can shop anywhere." He blinked, looking down at the sack in his hand. "Huh, is it that much?" She nearly fell over, groaning. -He's really... dumb... Cute, but dumb.- "How do you not even know the worth of the coins you're carrying?"

She seemed upset, but he didn't know why. "Uh, well... I didn't count it. Monsters kept attacking and after they were beaten, I'd find money. I figured it would be a waste to just leave it there." This time she fell over, face hitting the street. Somehow she held the bag up, keeping apples from spilling. "Ugh... anyone ever tell you that you're kind of slow?" He nodded, honestly, "Yes, sometimes." She sighed, getting up, rubbing her face and fixing her hair.

"You've got at least three thousand coins, you could buy and sell the merchants here. But don't let them know that, they might try to gouge you." He nodded, smiling again. -Argh! Don't smile at me! My heart can't take it!- Indeed, it was thumping in her chest now, threatening to jump into her mouth. She showed him to the "best" merchant she knew. The man who ran it was a kindly older gentleman. He wasn't "cheap" but he also didn't price gouge and he sold decent equipment.

He knew the girl, she'd been hanging out there for the last five days. He walked over, patting her on the shoulder, "Back to ogle my wares again?" He said it in a joking tone. She smiled warmly at him, eyes eventually passing back over to the sword she wanted. "Not today, no. This, guy, uh I never got your name, well he needs to buy new equipment. Just look at what he's wearing." She motioned to the boy, who frowned, "Hey, it's not that bad... saved my skin from a ton of monsters."

The man chuckled, seeing the attire the boy was in. "Ah, beginner's equipment. Well it's good for short journeys and weak monsters, but let's get you into something more... sturdy?" The boy nodded. She took a seat at a nearby chair, staring at the swords on display. Meanwhile, the man helped the boy pick out just the right gear. It was fairly reasonably priced. He sold the boy an entire set, a suit of Iron Armor, an Iron Helmet, an Iron Shield and a Steel Broadsword, for one thousand gold.

Even the girl knew it was a steal. But there was something about the boy, the man couldn't put his finger on it, but he could tell the boy had a good heart. He immediately pulled it all on, looking over his old gear. He didn't have the heart to sell it, that was what his village had paid for. He pulled out his bag and tossed it all in. There's always room in your bag. He now had two thousand gold left in his bag. He looked over at the girl, seeing her staring, bewitched, at the sword.

He looked at the man, who shrugged, before pulling the Steel Broadsword off the rack. He nodded at the boy, before wrapping it. The moment it was gone, she turned her attention to another sword on the rack, figuring a customer had bought it. -Damn, that's the one I wanted. Oh well, Copper Sword would work too. Not as durable, but it would work.- She looked up, seeing the boy in front of her. "Oh, done already?" He nodded, looking like a proper adventurer now.

"How does it look?" She thumbed her chin, before standing up, balling up her fist and whacking him on the helmet. He grunted, but didn't feel it. Though he could tell a lot of force was put into it. She then whacked him on the chest plate with the same side of her fist. She wasn't going to whack it with her knuckles. She banged the shield as well. "Looks good, should probably make you sturdier." He chuckled, strapping the sword to his back. He tucked the package under his arm and motioned at the door.

"Oh, where are my manners, I forgot to give you my name twice. It's Kyu, miss?" She turned around, bending over at the waist, walking backwards, fingers laced at the small of her back, staring up at him, "It's Ashelea... but you can call me Ashe, or Lea... I don't mind." She flushed red yet again, blush crawling across her cheeks. She never let anyone call her by a nickname. But he nodded to her, "Okay, Ashe." She whined and wheeled around, she didn't want him to see her blush.

-Why am I acting like such a chick? Gah... I'm a swordswoman...- He looked around, trying to find the inn, it was usually by the market, somewhere. Weary travelers who wanted to rest after shopping needed a place to do so. He just said it out loud, "I should rest before I try to get an audience with the King. Need a bath." She giggled, mischief spreading over her face. "The King? Are you some big, important person?" He shook his head, "No, I have a message I'm supposed to deliver."

She snickered to herself. She wasn't going to tell him just yet. He didn't need to know the King was her grandfather. Hell, she hadn't even told him herself until a few days ago. No one seemed to believe her at first. She had to bring Mireyu everywhere to explain. Her step-mother, a strange thing to call a girl a year younger than herself, had the ability to read auras, to see if someone was lying. He stopped in front of the inn. "Well, I guess I should get a room for the night."

She smiled at him, putting on her innocent face. When mischief was involved, it didn't matter if the guy was cute. "You COULD come spend the night at my place." He went red, at least as far as she could tell. His head was mostly covered by his new helmet. But what she could see was his face going red. A girl had just invited him to her place. What he didn't know was that she was temporarily living in the guest room of her father's house. She kept her smile on, trying to play innocent.

He couldn't deny, she was cute. Her large blue eyes went well with her long red hair. "Um... I... that is... you... but we... and then... we shouldn't... and... it's n-not proper." He was stepping all over his tongue now, not sure what to say, not at all. She giggled and took his free hand, pulling him along this time. He was surprised that a girl her size was so strong, but then everyone was. She took after her father, a lot. She got her mother's looks and personality, but she got her father's strength for sure.

She dragged him all the way across town, to her father's house. He could live in the castle, but he felt a little strange there. He had been two separate people for so long after all. His parents understood and it wasn't like he was halfway across the world, he still lived in Somnia. He was still the Prince. He had memories of both men he had been. It wasn't a huge house, but it was large enough. It had to be, he had a wife and a baby on the way. Plus he often entertained guests.

His companions on his quest to save the world often came to visit. So he had a few spare rooms. She had moved into one. She didn't exactly have that much, just a cot and a desk right now. But it had only been five days. She wasn't sure what to do. But, she just looked at the boy and grinned. He was sweating bullets now. He was at a girl's house. She wanted him to spend the night. But he slowly looked at the house, then back to her, before the obvious question hit him.

How could a girl her age afford a house this large. He lived in a small one room home with his mother. He slept in the main room. His mother slept in the bedroom. He had never left home, she wasn't a large woman, she couldn't work the fields her husband had worked until the day he died. He was a simple farm boy. Generations of his family had grown up in that house, worked that land. She tried to keep her straight face, but cracked. She broke into laughter, cackling at him.

"If... I-If y-you could... s-see the look, on y-your face... right now! BWAHAHAHAHA!!" He frowned, stomping a boot in anger. "Th-That wasn't funny!" She giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. But she meeped, covering her head with her free arm, suddenly whacked over the back of the head. "Behave, young lady." She grumbled and stuck her tongue out, "I'm OLDER than you." The man glared her down, which made her shrink. Younger than her, but still technically her father, and much, much stronger than her.

"Okay, okay... I'll behave... sheesh... Mom said you were a LOT more fun than this. Nyaaaaah!" She peeled an eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at him, before taking the apples in. Mireyu was probably wondering where her apples were. The man turned to the boy, holding out his hand, "Name's Brandon, you?" The boy took the hand, shaking it. -Wow, strong grip.- "My name is Kyu. How do you, know Ashe?" He sighed, slumping a little, this was going to be hard to explain.

"She's... my daughter." Kyu blinked, the wheels in his head spinning. Brandon seemed to get this, chuckling grimly, "But, you..." He was stopped, "Look too young to have an adult daughter?" Kyu nodded emphatically. "True, I didn't believe it myself five days ago. But she's not from around here." Kyu furrowed his brow, this was way over his head. So, Brandon put an arm around him and showed him towards the house, explaining at great length everything he could.

It took a little explaining, but by the time they walked inside, after spending some time in the yard to get it explained, Kyu had his head around the situation. "Dream World, huh?" Brandon chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Yes... it's hard to believe, but it's true." He walked off, leaving the boy to unstrap his armor and put it on a rack by the door. It was bad manners to wear it inside. Ashelea was already detailing her day to Mireyu. Despite being her step-mother, she was more like a best friend, the sister Ashe had never had.

Mireyu, or Milly as her closest friends sometimes called her, giggled along to the entire story. "Oh Ashe, you're a handful sometimes. So much like your mother." Ashe stuck her tongue out, then cackled to herself. But Milly knew more than Ashe wanted her to. Since they were alone in the girl's room, she smiled at her. "I can tell you like him." She tried to play it off like she wasn't, but she giggled once and her face flushed with color. "D-Do not!"

Milly chuckled, sliding closer, her own mischievious grin spreading across her face, "Oh, really? But your aura is darkening, wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" She tensed up, that was going to get her into trouble, having a step-mother who could literally tell you were lying to her. "Gah, I pity my little brother or sister! There's no fun in your mother ALWAYS knowing if you're lying or not!" Milly slid closer again, eyes lighting up. Ashe knew what was going on.

"Argh, no! No no no! You're pregnant, that's unfair!" But it happened before she could stop it. Milly threw herself on Ashe and pinned her down. "Oof... blargh... cheating!" She thrashed around, but her strength was useless. Milly had gained quite a bit of weight during her pregnancy and she wasn't exactly weak to start. "Spill!" Ashe thrashed around and whined, she was embarrassed. "Nuh uh! I dun wanna! You aint the boss of me!" But Milly cackled and started to tickle.

Ashelea's eyes bulged out. She had one fatal weakness, she was utterly ticklish. "Nooooo! I'll spill! I'll spill! Doooon't tickle meeeeee!" Her eyes watered, cackling in spite of herself. She couldn't handle being tickled, by anyone. "I like him, okay!? Please stop! Gah! Haaaaaalp!" Milly stopped tickling, but kept her pinned down. "Aha... well, don't know how I should feel about this, my step-daughter bringing home a young man? Ooooh, this could be practice for later when my child is an adult!"

Ashe groaned, waiting for her to shift her weight and rolling away, pulling back into the corner, arms pressed against the wall. She had to protect herself from another onslaught of tickling, by any means necessary. Short of harming the woman and her unborn child. Milly stood and walked over, one arm under her belly. She cornered the girl and got her to spill all the details. Ashe told her everything she wanted to know, her aura clear the entire time. This was the first time she had actually felt this way about a boy.

There had been cute boys in the past, sure, but none had made her blush so much. Outside, Kyu was telling Brandon why he was there, laying the letter on the table. "Oh, you came to deliver this to the King?" Kyu nodded, "Yeah, but I wanted to rest up and bathe first. You know, can't go in to meet the King all shabby and smelly." Brandon chuckled and shook his head, "No, you can't... believe me. But, I can help you there." The boy looked at him, curious.

"Oh, well, that's one of the benefits of being the King's son, you see, I can go in to see him whenever I want." Kyu's jaw hit the table, staring and pointing, "You mean you're!?" The man nodded. "Argh, Your Highness, I had no idea! I mean... you... and then... but..." He had a habit of babbling when he was flustered, overwhelmed. And boy was he. He was talking to a Prince. But Brandon waved a hand, "No no, none of that. I'm just a person, like you."

Kyu furrowed his brow again, but he didn't have time to think it over, he was seized by the elbow and dragged off by Ashe. She had to flea. Milly was going to try to interrogate her again, she just knew it. She ran out the door with him. He barely had time to grab his sword and the package. She dragged him off, with her uncanny strength, once more, all the way to a secluded part of town. She stopped at a little paved square under a large Oak tree. She vented a little, ruffling her hair and squealing.

He sat down on a bench and let her have it. It wasn't wise to upset a woman who was already frustrated. She worked it out and stormed over, sitting next to him, folding her hands in her lap. She finally noticed the large package in his hand. "What's that?" He chuckled softly and handed it to her. "In all the chaos, I forgot to give this to you. It's a thank you for all your help and offering me a place to stay." She nodded, not sure what it was, but she loved presents.

She tore the paper off and gasped. In her hands was the Steel Broadsword she had been ogling earlier. Tears welled in her eyes. It's what she had wanted since she was a kid. She dropped it on the ground and threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He tensed up, going red all over, steam almost shooting out of his ears. He hadn't expected her to be that grateful. She kept kissing him, sucking on his lip for a bit, before pulling back, blushing herself.

She tucked into herself, curling up a little, giggling and wiggling around. Her first kiss. His too. "Um, wow, uh, you're welcome?" She giggled, leaning against him, head on his shoulder. "Sorry, I... I was just so happy. I've wanted my own sword since I was a kid... no one would let me have one... They all wanted me to be a magician like my mother. But I don't take after her in that regard." She frowned, but then giggled again. She felt tingly all over.

She took his hand in hers, lacing her fingers around his, giving his hand a firm squeeze. She bent over and picked up her new sword in her hand, setting it in her lap, before laying her head on his arm again. She couldn't really understand why she liked him, she just did. It hadn't dawned on her how much he resembled her father. The only real difference was he was older. Well, not exactly. He too had blue hair. He had blue eyes. He was tall and although not broad, he was strong for sure.

She started rubbing her cheek against his arm, dragging a finger up and down his arm, feeling his muscles. He would argue he was "just a farm boy" but swinging an axe and a hoe wasn't exactly work for the weak. Without a word, she stood, his hand still in hers, tugging him to his feet and leading him off again. She wasn't dragging like earlier, she was leading. The difference being she wasn't in any danger of pulling his arm out of the socket, she just wanted him to follow.

She walked all the way across town, back to the inn. She didn't speak a word, paying her own money for the room. It wasn't expensive, two people was a simple twenty gold. She could find that much on a monster or two. He was utterly confused, but she wasn't. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to thank him for the gift. It meant more to her than he could know. "Uh, Ashe, what are you--" She placed her finger on his lips, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.

She locked it behind herself and turned around, pressing her back to the door. She unhitched the sword belt from around her torso and pulled the clasp on her dress, letting it fall to the floor as well. He sputtered, eyes going wide. She pulled the clasp on her bra, the hook coming undone, cups falling apart, thumbs already in the band of her panties, pulling them down. It was a matching set, white with bright blue stripes. She tossed her long flame red hair and put her hands on her hips.

He whined, his pants suddenly very tight, shifting his weight to ease the pressure. "A-Ashe? Wh-What? I... I don't..." She slipped over, rolling her hips, placing her finger on his lips again, her free hand undoing his belt, causing his pants to drop. She unlaced his shirt, causing it to fall open and down. His blue and white striped boxers, oddly matching her own underwear, were tented, catching the shirt as it fell. She giggled, tugging the band and working them down.

His cock slapped right up to his abdomen. "I've never seen one before." She stared for a while, whining. She was already wiggling, thighs rubbing together. She was wet, she knew that much, she could feel it slowly sliding down her thighs. She grabbed him by the cheeks, leaning up and kissing him. His cock slid against her hip, prompting her to slide her leg up his body, pinching it there and rubbing, as she ground her hips against the thigh of his leg.

It felt good, so why not. He tensed up at first, but eventually melted into her kiss. Slow he might be, stupid he was not. His hands slid down her back, coming to her hips, pulling her against him. She melted to the touch, cooing and biting his lip. She pulled back, tugging his lower lip and releasing, then sucking on it. She didn't know why she was doing these things, it just felt right. She knew the basic mechanics. When her tutors left her alone in the library, she would run off and find "those" books that were hidden.

She lowered her leg, her hip sticky, pre all over her skin and pushed him towards the bed, never breaking the kiss. She spun him around and dove on, backfirst, bouncing around and spreading her legs. "I can't take it... let's just do it!" He blinked and stared for a moment. He had never so much as seen a woman naked, let alone thought this would ever happen to him. He had to process it. For all of one moment. He crawled onto the bed and knelt between her legs. "You're absolutely sure?"

She nodded emphatically, that long red hair whipping around, "Uh huh!" He didn't need to be told twice. He slowly got into position, resting the head between her legs. He took her thighs in his strong hands and was about to push in, before he stopped, "Uh... well... it's my first time... but... how do I ask this without being a jerk... is... is it yours?" She nodded, hands sliding down her hips and thighs to meet his hands, caressing them. "Yup... but don't let that stop ya... come on... I'm all hot and bothered and... just do it, okay?"

She had this feeling like her mother might show up at any moment and stop her. "Uh, okay... just I heard... you know... it hurts." She groaned, reaching up to grab his face, making him look in her eyes, "Do. It." He meeped and just thrusted his hips forward. She whimpered slightly, face screwing up for a moment, before blinking and looking around. "That's it? Pfft... here I thought it was going to be like mind-blowing pain. I've had worse scraped knees."

She was putting on the tough routine. It stung, sure, but not as bad as she thought. He sighed, wiping tears from her cheeks, "You don't have to lie, you know." She looked at him, but then noticed her body was trembling, -How did he even know? Maybe he's not as slow as he looks.- She scooted around, getting closer, he wasn't in "deep" enough yet. He pulled back, though. She whined, her efforts foiled. "What are you doing?" He scoffed, "Well, letting you... get used to it?"

She rolled her eyes, sitting up and swatting him. "I'm fine... dork. Just, get the whole thing in." He snorted at her, which made her giggle, but shoved his hips forward, pushing the entire length in, his balls against her ass. She squealed, toes curling. Maybe it was more than she thought she could handle, but she had asked for it. She grabbed his arms, strangling them. It hurt a litte more now. But she was a big girl, she could take a little pain. She hadn't counted on the base being wider than the middle.

"Wow... uh... yeah, you can... uh... let me adjust... this time." He rolled his eyes, but laid over her, kissing her neck and shoulders. She whined, feeling his weight on her, but cooed, the kisses tickled and not in the bad way. She slid her arms around his back and rubbed her hands around, just getting a feel for his body against hers. When she could feel her legs again, she slid them around him, locking her ankles behind his back. She kissed him again, she liked doing it, it felt right.

He kissed back, wrapping his arms around her, holding her as well. She broke the kiss, eyes foggy as well as her mind, a dreamy expression. "You can move... it doesn't hurt much... anymore." He nodded, leaning in and kissing her neck again. She giggled and wiggled around, it tickled a lot. But he pulled back, accidentally going too far, pulling out. He pushed forward again, but it slid between her body and his. "Oops... uh, sorry." She cackled with glee, he was apologizing for something she wasn't even mad about.

It had rubbed her clit the entire way up, why would she be mad. "Ooooh, do it again!" He blinked and shrugged, but did it again. Spikes of pleasure shot up her spin, hips leaping against him. Her eyelids fluttered, eyes rolling back slightly. "More! More!" He chuckled, pulling an arm free and pressing it down, rolling his hips. She squealed, he did whatever she told him, it was exciting. After a little bit of that, she looked at him, feeling a little empty. "Put it back in."

He nodded and slid it down, a lone finger pushing it down and finding the hole, before pushing back in. She whined, grabbing him and squeezing. But it only hurt a little and certainly less than the first. "K-Keep it... in th-this time, kay?" He nodded, seeing her hiding her face in his chest, pulling himself up and starting to roll his hips. He needed some stimulation and it felt great being inside of her. Hot, soft, tight and wet. It was a unique sensation. Her skin was strangling him, yet it let him in so easily.

She whined and gurgled, nibbling his shoulder as he pumped his hips against her. It took a minute, perhaps two, but the pain went away, replaced with a warm tingling sensation. She released her death grip on him, instead caressing his shoulders and back with her hands, kissing his shoulders. She liked him, a lot, she couldn't even explain it to herself. The only thing she could come up with was love at first sight. He was kind and gentle, she had seen that.

She started jerking her hips up to meet his, their bodies making wet slaps. The more friction she felt inside, the wetter she got, so it was just about everywhere now. More than once she got her clit to rub against him, biting her lip and inhaling sharply. It felt better than great. She slid her hand up his back, found his arm and slid her fingertips all the way along it until she found his hand, still rolling her hips, guiding his hand down her side, wriggling as it tickled like she knew it would.

She slid it to her hip, then around her hip and between her legs. She kissed him and placed his palm on her abdomen, thumb on the hood of her clit, rubbing his thumb around with her fingers. She broke the kiss, looking deep into his eyes. He nodded, he understood without even a word. She inhaled again, feeling him doing it on his own, more strength in his thumb now. She arched her back, her hand going to one of her breasts, grasping it and squeezing.

Her glasses slid down her nose, then came off one ear, hanging askew across her face. She didn't really need them right now, her vision kept blurring, white spots all over. Her stomach felt like it was tightening all over. But not in a bad way, it felt as good as everything else. She moaned and whined, thrashing around under him. This was nothing like the stories, it was way better. She wrapped her left arm tighter around him, squeezing her thighs to tighten the grasp of her legs.

She used the leverage to buck her hips wildly against him. She wanted it harder. She eventually let go of her breast and snapped the arm around him, pulling his body down on hers, growling. She started biting at his shoulder, then licked up to his earlobe, grabbing it in her teeth and tugging. He grunted, slapping his hips down into her a bit harder. She cackled, it had been what she wanted. He seemed to get that, repeating the motion, making her growl again.

He pulled his body up enough to free his hand, smacking her lower abdomen just above the clit with his palm. She cried out, body jerking around. "Again! Again!" He did it again. She cried out and begged him to do it again, so he did. She loved the feelings. The tightening was getting harder to ignore, her muscles clenching in her lower torso. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was a good thing. She sunk her fingertips into the flesh of his back, pulling him down again.

He oofed, forgetting until that moment how strong she really was. She growled again, louder this time, jerking her legs against his back, making him thrust harder, "Harder! Harder!" He rolled his eyes, looking down into her own, "There's a line between helpful and bossy." She cackled, leaning up and kissing him, before licking his cheek. "Ooooh, should I punish you for calling me bossy? Not let you finish?" He meeped, shaking his head immediately, "No! I'll be good!"

He was close, he wanted his happy ending. But she grinned, that wicked feline grin she had, "Gah! I'll be good! I promise!" She tapped his nose with a finger, "Say 'You're the boss of me, Ashe.' and maybe I'll forgive you." He groaned in agony, her leg-lock had tightened to the point he couldn't even move his hips. He looked at her, like a lost little puppy, before he said it "You're the boss of me, Ashe." She squealed, that was what she wanted to hear.

She loosened her legs and started rolling her hips as fast and hard as she could. She came, just too excited. Her body leapt against his, back arching so much she lifted him up with her. He could almost feel her abs clenching against him as the spasms shook her body. What he could feel was her pussy now strangling his cock, the walls fluttering around him. He grunted, unable to hold it in. It felt way too good. His hips rolled a few times, before his cock swelled and spasmed.

He shot his ropes of hot, sticky seed all over her insides. She growled again, nibbling his shoulder, scratching her fingernails down his back. All she knew was 'this feels great!' the white hot lightning coursing through her veins and the white spots marring her vision. The world seemed more colorful when it actually became clear again, slumping back against the bed, her body still writhing. He immediately turned a vivid red, realizing what he had just done.

She didn't seem to get it, or perhaps she didn't care, not right now. Her first orgasm, which she had her first time with a man, took priority. She started to giggle, then broke into a fit of cackles. He had pulled out already, her legs having lost strength in her afterglow, seated and staring. His cock softened and shrank, cum trailing along the bed as it seeped out. He was staring between her legs. A pinkish mixture of blood, juices and cum was oozing out of her. -She's going to kill me, I just know it.-

She pouted, seeing him with such a serious expression, "Sheesh, was I THAT bad of a lay?" He blinked, coming back to reality, looking up at her, "Huh? Oh, n-no... I... that is to say... I m-meant to... pull out." She stopped, freezing up for a moment. It hit her like a ton of bricks. She threw herself forward, landing on her knees, pulling her thighs together. She tucked her chin against her chest, arms pinching her breasts together, her chin in her cleavage now. "Uh... oh..."

Lightning split the sky outside, making her screech and dive on him, grabbing him tight and peering around the room. She had forgotten everything the moment the roar of thunder hit. She was afraid of it. Not a very "grown-up" thing, being afraid of thunder and lightning, but she was. "Don't let it get me!" He sighed, her warm body against his easing his apprehension. He stroked her hair and shushed her every time thunder struck. It was probably late, which helped him.

She passed out, though he wasn't sure if it was exhaustion from what they'd just done, or overwhelming fear of the storm. But she fell asleep in his arms. He pulled her with as he laid down, laying her head on the pillow, pulling her hair out of the way and finally pulling a blanket over them. -Well, came to deliver a message, but instead I met a beautiful girl... and then...- He definitely needed a bath now. Meanwhile, Milly was panicking, she knew Ashe was out in the storm.

But Brandon just put a hand on her shoulder. "Shhh, she's a big girl... she's older than us, remember?" He laughed at the bad joke, but he got an elbow in the stomach for it. "Oof... yikes, was the joke that bad?" She nodded, but he shrugged. "They probably got inside and out of the storm well before it hit. Come on, a father knows." He seemed to be taking more and more to the idea that she was his daughter. Didn't make it less weird, just didn't seem wise to fight it.

He managed to talk her out of running out into the storm to find them. Though it was strange, the weather had shown no signs of turning like this today. He'd had a bad feeling when lightning split the clear blue sky earlier, then minutes later another crack of thunder, before this storm just came out of nowhere, but he had no explanation for it. Then morning came. She woke up in his arms and giggled, hugging him close. -Awww, that's so sweet, he held me all night.-

She remembered the storm and lifted her head to look around. The sky was clear outside, heaving a sigh of relief in response. "That's lucky." Then she noticed she felt sticky all over her legs. "Ewwww... oh, wait." She blushed all over, realizing again what had happened. But there was nothing she could do now. It had been hours since it happened. Plus it happened. She got up and wrapped the sheet around herself, heading to the window. She cracked a grin as she stood there, palm on the wall, gazing out over the town.

-I win, mom. You lose this time.- She had finally lost her virginity. Good thing too, she'd been wanting to for more than five years. Ever since her body developed and she practically grew breasts overnight. She turned as she heard him stir, giggling. He had an erection, tenting the sheet left on the bed. "Well, hello there... Too bad about that... you can handle that on your own. I need a bath." He groaned, furrowing his brow. But it was true, she did. "You can come with if you like."

She winked, pulling her clothing on and heading out. He thought it over, but shrugged to himself. He gathered his own clothing and took the key on the way out. He found his way down to the bath and let himself in. He wasn't sure if she was serious or not, until he walked in. He sputtered, seeing her there. He was sure he'd walked into the wrong side, so he jumped out. He then looked up, seeing the sign, "BATH" but only one door. "What?" He looked around, normally there would be two doors.

But this inn had a mixed bath. He timidly stepped back in. She saw him, actually had seen him the first time. "Welcome back, stranger." She was rubbing hot water and soap all over herself, getting ready to go in the large stone bath. He whined a little, but slowly got out of his clothes and walked over, sitting on the little stool next to her. "H-Hello, Ashe." She giggled, leaning over and laying her head on his arm, "Why so shy? We're practically dating now."

He froze up, going beet red in the face, but then he sighed and relaxed. It could be worse, dating a beautiful redhead was by no means a bad thing. He grabbed a wash cloth and spurted a little soap on it. He then started to scrub up, pouring buckets of the warm water over himself. It was a little trough of hot water that ran down into the bath. Once he was clean, he joined her, since she had left after scrubbing up. She patted the water next to her and he obediently waded up and sat next to her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him, looking up into his eyes, her chin resting on his torso. "So... we're dating now... kay?" He nodded. "But you can't tell my dad what we did. I have a feeling he'll kill you." She giggled, but she also meant it. Now that he knew her father's identity, he was worried. Everyone knew about the prince of Somnia, he had, after all, saved the world from the Archfiend. The two young lovers bathed and dressed, before heading home.

Milly was there in an instant, feeling them approaching. She gave Ashelea a piece of her mind, for not coming back before the storm. She looked tired, like she'd been up half the night waiting. Ashelea apologized and then introduced Kyu to her father again, properly this time. He wasn't happy that his little girl, that he just met, who was older than him, was dating a boy she just met, but she was an adult, it was her business whom she dated and not his.

Brandon took Kyu to the castle, the boy bathed and in his clean new armor. He handed the letter to the King, who immediately read it and dispatched a group of soldiers to the village. They were on horseback so it didn't take long. Kyu went with as well. Ashelea insisted on going with, to meet his mother. She was overjoyed to find out the woman was the same size as her, giggling and bouncing around with her after the woman gave her the biggest hug.

Kyu was left to go defend the village with the men. Ashe was dragged off kicking and screaming by all the village girls. She could fight as well as any man, she didn't want to be "protected" but there were too many of them to fight off, even with her strength. "Gah! Lemme go! I can fight!" But she was dragged off. Once Kyu's mother, Anna, had her alone, she cornered the girl. She grinned wide, making Ashe nervous, "Uh, Anna, you feeling okay now?"

She walked up and planted her palms on either side of Ashe, keeping her in place. She was a miniscule woman, but she had her secrets. Kyu hadn't gotten his strength from his father. "Hmmmm. Let's see... can you be an honest girl for me, Ashelea?" She gulped and nodded quickly. She was almost as scary as her own mother was. "Y-Yes?" Anna smiled again, but her aura felt different. "Now tell me... you and my son... I can tell what you did, so you should just be honest."

She started sweating bullets, pulling her head down, into her shoulders, like a turtle trying to withdraw into its shell. "Y-You c-can?" She nodded again, "I can... plus you practically just admitted it." She swallowed again, chuckling nervously. Anna smiled again, but grabbed her around the neck, putting her in a headlock. "Now, naturally you had my boy pull out when it was time to finish, didn't you?" She gasped, grabbed so swiftly she hadn't seen it coming.

"Rgh... Ummmmm..." She started bumping her forefingers together, that same old habit she had. The woman blinked, then pulled her head up to look into her eyes, "You did, right?" She swallowed again and slumped, shaking her head. "I... uh... we... that is... Argh! I was just in the moment, okay!? It slipped my mind!" The woman let go, Ashe falling to the floor, blinking her eyes. She frowned, her violet eyes narrowing on the girl, wheeling around, her long curly purple hair bouncing around.

"Hmmmm... what to do with youngsters these days." Ashe scoffed, getting up "Youngsters? You can't be more than fifteen or twenty years older than me, if that, don't look any older than thirty." She cackled and slapped the girl on the shoulder, crumpling her to the floor again, "Oops, let me help you up, sorry. I'm much stronger than I look." She brushed the girl off, having lifted her in one arm. Ashe noticed for the first time that she had very defined muscles under her dress.

She pinched her own arm, then Anna's. The difference was night and day. She was soft and weak compared to her. She grabbed the arm and slid the sleeve up, looking at it. "Holy shi-- Wow... you're built like a brick house." The woman chuckled, shaking her head. She walked to the corner of the room and pulled a book down on the bookcase. A creaking sound came out of the wall, a hidden door snapping out of the locked state it had been in. Dust poured out of the seams.

The door looked like it hadn't been opened in twenty years. She motioned Ashelea closer and led her into a secret room. Anna lit a torch and the door shut. Ashe jumped, startled by the sudden closing of the door. Anna motioned with her head and Ashe followed, down into a hidden root cellar. There, covered in dust, was a suit of armor. Well, if you could call it that. There was a winged helmet, some sizable shoulder pads and not much else. The mannequin had a breast plate and a leather strap around the hips, a piece of armor hanging off of it. In its arms were a large round shield and a sword.

Anna smirked and wiped a lone tear from her eyes. "Been a while since I've been in here. Kyu and his father never really knew, but I used to be a soldier in the Somnian military." She ran her fingers over her old armor. "But that was a lifetime ago. When I met his father, I gave up soldiering and settled down to raise a family." She turned around, looking at Ashe, who was standing there, jaw open, unblinking. "What? Don't act like that. People have done stranger things for love."

She nodded, pulling her jaw shut. "Oh it was love at first sight. Sure he was a poor farmer, but the man was handsome, Ashe... hehehe... he would have to be to get me to quit the army." She nodded agian, blushing. She thought Kyu was the most handsome man in the world and she had only known him a day. She twisted her arms and laced her fingers together, swaying in place. Anna noticed, grinning, "Oho... so you think the same about my little boy, eh?"

She stopped, jaw dropping again, "Uh... uh... y-yes?" The woman chuckled, walking up and putting her in another headlock. She led her around the room, mementos of her former life. Sometimes she missed it, but quiet village life wasn't so bad. She'd had a lot to prove in her youth and she felt that in Ashelea as well. She was always short and people picked on her for it, so she trained every day to make her body stronger. By the time she was old enough to enlist, those "big strong men" in the army had nothing on her.

She stopped near the back of the room, another suit of armor on display. This was one was more modest. She looked down at Ashe and grinned wickedly. The poor girl shook her head, before she was pulled up straight and her dress was yanked off over her head. She squealed and covered herself immediately, bright red in the face, pouting and glaring at the same time. "Whoa! Not cool! I don't swing that way... and... a-and not with my boyfriend's m-mother!"

But the woman howled with laughter, pulling armor off the rack, setting the helmet down on her head. The back was open, to let her ponytail through. She hummed and pulled several tunics out, before deciding on a blue that matched her dress. She pulled the girl into it, then hooked the armor on. She then knelt down and pulled the armored skirt on. It was made of thick leather with steel plating bolted on. She then took the girl's boots off and pushed her feet into the armored knee-high boots it came with.

"Not bad... you're pretty lucky you're about the same size as me." The girl frowned, grumbling about being stripped and dressed like a doll. "Are we done now?" The woman shook her head, pulling the shield off the display, handing it to her. "Not even remotely." She handed Ashe her sword and then walked off, pulling her dress free and dropping it. She was nude underneath, making the girl sputter. But she strode up to her armor and pulled it all on. It still fit, like a glove in fact.

"Do you know the reason, little Ashe, why I wear this armor?" She shook her head, she really didn't. Anna turned to her, smirking, "Because men find it really hard to fight when they're distracted." She launched at the girl, who barely got the shield up in time to deflect the sword. "Wh-What're y-you d-doing!?" She giggled and swung again, the girl barely managing to block again. "I'm training you while the "big strong men" go off to play war with a few monsters."

She swung again, the sword in her arm moving like it was a part of her arm, banging against the shield. "You might want to draw your blade. Or do you plan to defend all day?" She frowned and grabbed it, yanking it out of the sheath, holding it up. Anna took note of her stance, her posture. It was unrefined, but she clearly wasn't completely without knowledge. She banged her own sword to her shield, "Come on... try to hit me." Ashe charged, shield up in front of her, bringing her sword arm down.

Anna pulled her own shield up, deflecting the blow and making one of her own. But Ashelea still blocked it. She didn't know how she was doing this, she just was. "Not bad. But sloppy." She wheeled around, smacking the shield on Ashelea's rear, causing her to stumble and wheel around to face her again. "Nice recovery..." She leapt, kicking off the ground and going for the kill. Ashe panicked on the inside, but kept a straight face, watching. Something dawned on her.

"Do you plan to defend all day?" The words echoed in her mind. She gripped her sword tightly and slashed up with it, knocking Anna's sword arm off balance, bringing the shield down on the woman's behind. "Oof!" Anna dropped her sword, her body bouncing across the floor until she came to a stop, getting up and turning to Ashe, who was already on the defensive again, shield raised, sword held low, to the ready. Instead of picking up her sword, she dropped the shield and clapped.

"Very well done... Though I haven't actually had to fight for twenty years, so I let you win." She chuckled, Ashe knew that she hadn't really let her win, nor did she know how she won. She simply reacted, in the moment. Anna walked over to the rack and stripped out of her armor, placing it back on the rack, picking up her sword. Ashe groaned, looking to the side. Anna cackled with glee, trotting back up to the display and placing it back on. "Eyeballing my can? Naughty."

Ashe flashed with anger, stomping an armored boot. "I was not! I have a boyfriend! BOYfriend, key word!" Anna howled with laughter, her breasts jiggling, putting her hands on her hips. She wasn't tall, but she was well-built. Ashe sighed and walked over, clunking her over the head with the shield, "Stop. Teasing. Me." She oofed and rubbed her head, giggling, before walking back up to her dress, pulling it over her head and struggling back into it. "Oh, let me have my fun, you're the first person I've sparred with in forever."

She grumbled, going back to the rack, starting to pull on the armor. Anna walked up, hand on her shoulder, "No no, you keep it, my gift to you." Ashe wheeled around, shaking her head, "No no, I couldn't!" But Anna giggled, ruffling her hair, which was poking through the helmet, "It's a spare. I have a bunch. Never bothered to sell them and they don't fit anyone else. Fits you like a glove. Well, sort of." Ashelea snorted at her, but giggled. It would be nice to have her own suit of armor.

She flexed in it and hopped around, getting a feel for it. Somehow it felt like it didn't weigh anything. Good genes perhaps. "I do have to ask how you did that, earlier, though. No one has ever been able to do that." She stopped, then giggled, "Oh, uh... maybe you've heard of my father, Brandon?" The woman sputtered, nearly falling over. She had in fact heard of him. He had been born a few years after she left the military, but she still knew the crown prince of Somnia.

"Your father is... the prince!?" She nodded, "The prince who... saved the whole world?" She nodded yet again. Anna furrowed her brow, looking her over, "Wait... you're... clearly... but then... and you look like." She looked exactly like a girl who had been said to travel with the King, and several others, in their quest to save the world. Ashe explained it all, like she had so many times already. Born in the Dream World, where time passed differently, heavy stuff.

She chuckled and put an arm around the girl, leading her back to the house proper. "You look good in that. You would probably look good in mine." She gave the girl a swat on the ass, under the skirt, which made her jump and pull away. She was an odd one, but that was part of her charm. "Whoa, no touchy! I really don't swing that way!" She howled with laughter, finally having a woman around her own size was fun. "Oh, relax, I'm straight... well, mostly... there was that one time..."

She trailed off, as Ashe held her new shield up again, ready to bash her with it. "Teasing... teasing... mostly." She ran off, holding her skirt up. The girl was good, but no way she could match the power of her legs. Ashe chased her around for the better part of half an hour, before she fell to her knees, gasping for air. "You... ch-cheated..." Anna walked up, ruffling her hair again. "Not really, I just have better legs." She grumbled, she hated being treated like a kid, even by her elders.

It was around this time that the "big strong men" were returning from wiping out the monsters in a nearby cave. Anna meeped and put her facade back up, running up to her boy and gushing over him. He was covered in the blood of all the monsters. He apparently had done his part in fighting them off. She swatted him over the head and then ran off, dinner had to be prepared for everyone. She was sure none of the soldiers were old enough to remember her, but she also wanted to get lost before one had the chance to do so.

And so, after a lot of pushing and prodding from his mother, Kyu moved to Somnia to be with Ashelea. She told him she could handle the farm on her own. Honestly she probably could, but he didn't know that. Time passed and the day came. Mireyu went into labor. There was a lot of screaming and blaming. She was laying there, Ashelea there to help, Brandon holding her hand, which she nearly crushed a few times. More than once there was a "You did this to me!!" spat at him.

Anna was there, though not in the room. The woman actually delivering the child was a friend of hers, named Meru. She was a Cleric, she dealt with healing and medicine, so it was natural that she would deliver the baby. Another friend, Anya, was sitting nearby. The three women were all part of the same unit in the military. They were also the best of friends, all from the same village. Anna flopped around, "I'm boooooored, I wanna see the baby being born!"

Anya whacked her over the head, which took a lot of courage. She was a mage, frailer than the warrior she just bopped, by far. She knew too well Anna's true strength. "You've HAD a child, you know what it looks like already." She frowned and whined, acting far too immature for her age. "But I didn't get to see from the other side... I was in too much paaaaain!" She was whacked again, the short haired redhead nearly at the end of her rope. "Stop acting like a child or I'll put you over my knee and tan your hide."

Anna giggled, sitting up and laying her head on her shoulder, "Ooooh, but you know I'd like that, don't you? Hmmmm?" She slid a finger along Anya's chin, making her blush and stiffen up. "Ugh, that happened once... why won't you let it go?" Anna cackled and thrashed around. She was excited. Sure, it was just her son's girlfriend's step-mother, but it was a baby. A royal baby to boot. A woman walked in, in a plain white tunic, more of a dress really, with a fetching blue cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

She set a staff against the wall and walked over. "Sorry I'm late, but, I was out in the wilderness, training." Anna jumped out of her seat, tackling the woman, "Naru~~~! You made it!" It was now a reunion, all four of them were in one place. This hadn't happened in years. Anya and Meru lived in the same village, but Naru, Meru's twin sister, was always off training herself. She was one of only a handful of true Sages left in the world. Anna bounced around, definitely not acting her age.

"Naru! A baby! A baby!" She sighed, patting Anna on the top of the head. "Good to see you too." She was eventually let go, the door opening. Meru walked in, wiping her hands off on a towel. "Oh, Naru. You came. It's wonderful to see you." Naru smirked, walking up and giving her "big" sister a noogie. "That's what you have to say to your baby sister?" She shoved Naru away and rolled her eyes, "Baby? You're five minutes younger, that doesn't make you the "baby" sister."

They both giggled, Anna bouncing around. "Is it a baby yet? Huh? Huh? Huh?" She was on Anya's last nerve. A fireball appeared in her hand, Anna feeling the heat and diving behind the twins, "Whoa, foul! I call foul!" She peeked out, cowering. She was a tough woman, but magic wasn't something she could bat away with her strength. The Frizz spell fizzled out, Anya going back to flipping the pages of her book. Meru ruffled Anna's hair, "Yes, it's a baby, a strapping baby boy."

Anna squealed and tossed her arms up, jumping around. She acted far too immature for a forty year old woman. But she didn't have to pretend anymore. Ashe had talked her into telling Kyu. He handled it fairly well. Finding out your mom used to be a member of a unit feared across the world for their combat prowess was a lot to take at once. He now knew why Anya and Meru hung around a lot. Kyu was sitting nearby, groaning every time his mom acted younger than he was.

Ashe came out of the room. She had helped out as much as she could. She got to help her baby brother come into the world. Ironically, had she been born here, she would have only been born a few months ago. Meru nodded to her, so she beamed, "I have a baby brother now." She had always wanted one. Granted she was now too old to play with a baby brother like she'd always wanted, but she had one, that was what counted. She was all smiles. How could she not be.

Bringing a new life into the world was something special. She had no real part in it, but she had helped. Kyu walked over, putting an arm around her shoulder, leaning close to her head and giving her a kiss to the top of said head. It was also so he could whisper, "Can we please get out of here now?" She nodded and put an arm around him, walking by. She waved at Anna, who was still bouncing around, which made her giggle. She brushed past Meru on the way out, who snapped to attention.

She stared at the girl as she went by, feeling something from her, but shaking it off. "That girl is special... I can't quite put my finger on it..." She had felt a spark. A spark of magic from the girl. She didn't know what it meant at the time, a little out of it. Delivering a new life onto the world always left her a little woozy. She had cast a few Heal spells on Milly to take the edge off the pain. Ashelea took Kyu outside and walked around town, snuggling up to his arm.

He always felt so warm and she liked to be warm. "Mmmmm, I'm a sister today." He chuckled and ruffled her hair, "Yes, you are." She squealed happily and bounced around. "A baby brother, I always wanted a baby bro-- urp." She pushed him away and scurried off, leaning over a fence and losing her lunch. He came over and rubbed her back. She chuckled and smiled nervously, "I guess maybe I wasn't ready to see a baby actually slide out of someone."

He grimaced, he didn't want to picture it really. "Ugh, my lunch, now I'm hungry again, let's go get some food!" She pumped a fist and marched off, swinging her arms and legs in a fairly animated manner. He didn't know how someone could witness a birth, be made physically ill by it, then want food right away, but he followed obediently. He would be paying, he just knew it. It was fine, they were still living off the reward the King had paid for getting rid of the monsters.

He took her to a tavern with an outdoor patio and ordered her what she wanted. Everything she wanted. She ordered a roast, some beef stew and a slice of cake. He got himself a bowl of stew as well. He was used to her appetite by now, she always ate a lot. But, ever since Anna had hired people to work the farm for her, she was spending a lot of time with Ashelea, training her with a sword. She had even gotten Anya and Meru involved in the training, the girl taking her magic studies a bit more seriously.

Her appetite had increased after she started to study magic seriously. She wasn't that bad now. She was casting spells higher than first grade now. She didn't dare try Magic Burst again. You had to master the top level spells before you could. She squealed and attacked her plates when they came. She took a large bite of the roast, washed it down with some juice, then had half her cake. Kyu snorted and chuckled, shaking his head, "You eat dessert last, silly."

She stuck her frosting covered tongue out at him. She wanted the flavors to mix in her mouth. She didn't know why, but she did. She then grabbed her bowl of stew and tipped it, taking a large drink of the broth. He knew better than to get between her and food. It might cost him touching privileges. She had him trained and trained well. When he was a good boy, he got to touch. When he wasn't a good boy, no touching. He let her have a meal in peace. She finished long before he did, despite having three times as much.

But then she urped again, holding a hand over her mouth. She looked a little green, but she fought the urge to vomit back down. It wasn't something you did in public if you could help it. Once her stomach settled, she rubbed it, giggling. She was so full, her belly was poking out. It was hilarious. He paid up front, so when he was done, he stood up. She crawled to her feet and hopped over, wrapping around his arm again, nuzzling up. "You're so warm Kyu, don't ever even think of leaving me."

He took her back home, everyone now allowed into the room, gushing over the new baby. They were each given a chance to hold him. Ashelea took her turn last, so she got the most time. She held her infant baby brother in her hands, tears dripping down her cheeks. But she was smiling, "He's so tiny... coochie coochie coo." She tickled his strong little chin, which made him cackle and grab her finger. "Oof, strong grip..." She cuddled him a little longer and handed him back to his mother.

"So, what's his name going to be?" Milly smiled, cradling him and rocking him gently, "Kevin." It was a name she and Brandon had chosen together. The two women smiled at each other, before everyone was shoved out of the room by Anna. She knew what was coming and there were no men allowed. It was family only as well. That means she had to go too. Only Ashe was family. She didn't really want to watch though. But Milly held her hand when she tried to leave.

"I still feel weak, please stay... in case I doze off." She nodded, standing against the wall. She didn't watch, glancing once or twice perhaps out of curiousity. Watching her baby brother breast feed felt weird. But she wanted kids some day, it would be good to know how it worked. "Oh, that tickles." Ashe groaned, turning around, staring at the wall. She didn't like being tickled very much, only Kyu was allowed to tickle her at all. "Okay, done." She heaved a sigh of relief, turning around.

Milly had little Kevin on her shoulder, rubbing his back. What he did next made Ashelea burst into laughter. He started to yawn, then let out the loudest belch you could expect from a tiny baby. He rubbed his little nose with his tiny hand and finished his yawn, before closing his eyes. He drifted off to sleep in his mother's arms. She dozed off a little bit after him. Ashelea left the room, standing with her back to the door, all expectant eyes on her. She froze up, blinking slowly.

"What?" They were all curious. "Sheesh, you're all a group of weirdos. All she did was feed him and then fall asleep with him." Brandon walked past her, ruffling her hair, "Sure thing, kiddo." She huffed and shoved his hand away, "I'm older than you." He just did it again, "And I'm STILL your father, as weird as that sounds." She squealed indignantly and stomped a foot, but he was already through the door. She heard the lock click and sighed, storming off to her room.

Time passed quickly after that. Kevin got bigger every day. He was eating a lot. As was Ashelea. The monsters kept multiplying, stories of them encroaching on cities were more and more frequent. The weather was going crazy all over the world. Larger storms were brewing all the time. There was talk of a constant storm raging in the sea south of Swanstone. Brandon stll had that uneasy feeling, that he couldn't explain. But there was a much larger problem at hand.

After being confronted by Meru, after a training session, something big had come to light. She begged the woman to keep it a secret, especially from her father. The woman begrudgingly agreed, with one stipulation, the girl had to tell him herself, before he figured it out on his own. It was getting harder to hide. Today, she was going to do it, before he really did find out. Six months had now passed since she came here, he was finally comfortable with the fact that he was a father, twice over now since four months prior.

Kyu was visiting his mother off in Romm, Mireyu was taking Kevin to visit his grandparents in the castle. This was the best time. She walked into the main room of the house, peeking around the corner, "Dad?" He turned from what he was doing, getting lunch ready for the two of them, a huge pot cooking on the stove. She had his appetite. "Yeah, Ashe?" She fidgeted a little, whining softly in her throat. "Uh, can we talk?" He nodded, pulling the pot off the stove and setting it nearby, so it wouldn't burn.

"Sure." He motioned to the table and she slowly made her way over, sucking it in for the moment. She sat in the chair, easing herself in, she wasn't as bouncy and energetic lately, for good reason. She swallowed hard, seeing him staring intently at her face, beaming. Despite his concerns, he was damn proud of being a father. "What's on your mind?" She whined again, fumbling with her skirt in her hands. "I have... something I have to tell you... please don't be mad, kay?"

She looked up, putting on the face her mother taught her. He couldn't say no to that face. She knew, it was the face that got her conceived. "Alright." She inhaled deeply, steeling herself. "I'm... I'm uh... I'm..." It wasn't working, she tried to relax, but she was tense. She was going to hyperventilate. She reached out and took her cup, chugging back some water. It calmed her nerves. He was still staring at her. "I'm... uh... Dad, I'm pregnant!" She could only ever be straight with people, give them big news, when she was belting it out.

He stared at her blankly for a moment. It frightened her. "Uh, dad? Hello? Dad?" The lights were on, but nobody was home. He was staring into space. "I knew it, you're mad... you said you wouldn't be." In fact, he wasn't mad. He wasn't anything. He fell forward, having fainted sitting up. He hit the table hard, it would probably leave a mark. "Dad!?" She ran up behind him, rubbing his back, casting Heal like she had learned. He came around slowly, groaning.

"Oh, Ashe, hey... I had the strangest dream... you told me you were pregnant... How funny is that?" She groaned, helping him up, giving up her attempts to hide it, letting her belly stick out. She put an arm under it, rubbing. "It... It wasn't a dream, kay? I am... see?" She stood there, facing the side, both arms under her stomach. For the first few months, she just thought she was putting on weight. But when Meru had confronted her, having sensed it, she couldn't deny it anymore.

The woman was just gifted at sensing things. She could feel the life force growing inside Ashelea. Anya could as well, the child was, after all, the grandchild of Ashlynn. As Ashelea's powers grew, so too did her unborn child's. He stared blankly at her again, but that made her frown, she whacked him on the head. "No fainting! D-Dammit! Y-You're gonna be... a grandfather... b-be happy!" She ran off, or waddled. He was making her upset, or her hormones were out of balance.

She wanted him to be happy. She was happy. She thought she was happy. She was sure she was happy. Then again, she wasn't sure she was sure of anything. Her head was swimming. Her mood swings were getting a bit much even for her. Brandon sat there, mulling it over, as Milly walked in, bouncing their baby son. "Brandon? Your aura is... very troubling, what's the matter?" He turned to her, seeing her, putting on a brave face, a smile for her. "Oh, Mireyu... uh... how to... I don't know how to say this."

She walked over and sat next to him, putting her free hand on his. "What's the matter?" She seemed concerned. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, before laying his head on the table, ruffling his spiky hair with his free hand. "Uh... Well, Ashe was just here... she told me... she's pregnant." Mireyu gasped and put her hand over her mouth. It was a shock, yes, the girl had hidden it fairly well. Which was even more of a surprise. She should have seen something in the girl's aura.

"Well, isn't that, uh, good news?" He shrugged, he honestly didn't know. "A grandfather though? I'm barely getting close to my nineteenth birthday. I mean... how many grandfathers do you know at that age? Know what, don't answer that, the math can't add up no matter how hard you try." She giggled, true it would be impossible. The youngest you could be was more than a few years past that. But she patted him on the shoulder and rubbed. "You should be happy for her. You know she always wanted a family."

He knew, not as well as she did, but teenage girls talked about those sort of things more often with each other. Meanwhile, Ashelea was sitting in her favorite spot, under the large Oak. She was still sniffling and rubbing her eyes, but she was angry about that, "Gah! Why am I crying!? I expected him to not be happy right away... but I can't... stop c-crying..." She wanted Kyu, he was missing and she wanted him. He still didn't know yet. She hadn't told a soul.

He had no chance to figure it out on his own. He was a little too dense. She kept rubbing her eyes, until someone got up behind her. She didn't feel their presence at all. She felt hands over her eyes, someone leaning in and going "Guess who!" She was a little emotional and they were affecting their voice. "Um... uh... I give up?" He frowned and ruffled her hair, like he always did. "Don't know how I should feel about that." She squealed, getting up and diving on him over the bench, "Kyuuuuu~!!" Another mood swing, she was now overly happy. He oofed, falling right over.

She snuggled up against him, rubbing her body to him. He laughed and patted her on the head, "Has anyone ever told you that you act very much like a cat?" She nodded enthusiastically, "Yup yup! Mom said that ALL the time!" She didn't care, he'd been gone for a week, let people stare. Kids pointed and laughed, or asked their parents questions. Questions those parents couldn't answer. He eventually started drumming his fingers on the ground. "Can I get up now?"

She pouted, then giggled, crawling to her feet and dusting off, before helping him up, arm under her belly again. "We have to talk, you sit." She shoved him onto the bench. By now he was conditioned to obey. She sat next to him. She wanted to crawl into his lap, but that might excite him too much for public. Plus she didn't want to do that right now. It drove her crazy, she had needs, she was a healthy teenage girl, but she had to think about the baby. "Kyu, darling? I have to tell you something."

He nodded, feeling her taking his hand. He was preparing for her to lace her fingers around it, when she pulled his hand over, placing it on her belly. She rubbed it around and he smiled, "I thought you were ticklish." She rolled her eyes, her free hand balling up, bopping him. "Goofball... pay attention." It was then that the baby kicked. He blinked, then tilted his head, "What did you eat today? Do you need me to carry you home because you're feeling sick?"

She screwed up her face, cheeks puffing out as far as they could go, her pouty face. "Gah!" She whacked him again, less gently this time. "You're really slow... reaaaaaally slow... but I still love you... and our baby." He froze up, color leaving his face. "Our... Our wh-what?" She rubbed his hand around again, the baby really starting to kick frequently. "Our unborn child growing inside me, goof. Remember when you didn't pull out?" He would have to, it was the only time.

Every time after, she made him pull out and sucked on it until he was done. It was embarrassing, because she had to taste herself and him at the same time. It made her spontaneously giggle, remembering it. He went blank in the face and she growled, "No! Don't you DARE faint! Dad did the same thing!" She swatted him over the back of the head. It worked, he came to his senses. "Sorry, but... it's a lot... okay? I mean... I'm going to be a father? I only turn twenty-one this year... Y-You only turn t-twenty."

She nodded, rubbing her belly with both hands, he was rubbing now on his own. "True, I didn't think I'd be this young when I had my first child, but I did know I was going to have them... and... and with you... cuz... cuz it was love at first sight." He couldn't be anything but happy when she said it. It was how his parents had fallen for each other. "Heh, baby... that's okay... Of course our baby's uncle is going to be the same age as our baby." She giggled, then broke into cackling.

It was hilarious for some reason. Her baby brother was going to be the same age as her own baby. She got to her feet, dusting off the back of her skirt and taking his hand, helping him up. She grabbed him, hugging him tight, baby still kicking. He could feel it between them. "Kyu... will you marry me?" She looked up at him, her eyes watering. He had been just about to ask her, but he smiled and nodded. "Yes, I will." She cooed and tucked her face into his chest, tears of joy were going to come out and she couldn't cry in front of him.

She snuggled up to him a while longer, before sliding around him and wrapping an arm around his waist. She started towards home when lightning split the clear blue sky. She shrieked and hid her face against him. She almost wet her panties. She was still scared of loud noises and bright flashes of light. It might be because she tried to cast Magic Burst as a child and it blew up in her face. He wasn't too worried, aside from lightning from a clear sky.

But he became more worried when a vortex of wind kicked up in the town square nearby. He looked up, seeing dust kicked up into a mini tornado of some kind, before lightning split the sky again, this time in the center of the vortex. Ashelea screamed again, she didn't see it, but the thunder was deafening. The wind died down suddenly, a woman standing there, very displeased look on her face. But that wasn't what disturbed Kyu. He sputtered, seeing the woman.

She looked exactly like Ashelea. She tossed her shorter red hair and cracked her neck, before thumbing her nose, "Still got it." She looked around, marveling at the place. "Wow, twenty years later and it still looks the same?" She turned, seeing the mass of red hair trying to hide against Kyu. "Aha!" She ran over, glaring the girl down. "There you are, young lady, you have a LOT of explaining to do!" Ashelea screamed in utter terror this time, worse than the lightning strike had gotten from her.

"KYU! RUN!" She squeezed his hand tight and tore off, running as fast as she could. He didn't know why, but he knew better than to fail to listen to her. "Ashe... uh... she looks... uh... like you." She had no color in her face, eyes wide with fear. "JUST RUN!" But she was lugging a man around almost twice what she weighed and she was six months pregnant. They never had a chance. They were run down and captured. The woman cracked a whip, which tightened around both of them.

"Gah! No! No no no no no no no!" She was terrified. She was in deep trouble. The woman walked over, coiling the whip up as she went, until she was inches from Ashelea's face. "Deep. Trouble. Young. Lady." Ashe foamed at the mouth, flailing around, trying to get free, but the whip was enchanted, not even she could get free from it. "Gah! No! Mom! Lemme go!" Kyu just looked between the two of them. But for the hue of Ashe's eyes and her longer hair, they could be twins.

She was seized by the ponytail and the woman pressed her face to the girl's, "The. Biggest. Trouble." She shrank, something she rarely did. "M-Mom... leggo... I'm... oh shit..." She knew her mother would not be pleased. But she also wasn't listening, "I have been looking for you for MONTHS, young lady! I scoured every inch of the world... Then I find out you performed a forbidden ceremony to come HERE of all places!?" She glanced up at her mother, then away.

"I wanted to find my father! Do you know what it's like being a nineteen year old girl who has NEVER met her father!?" In fact, she did. But she also didn't have a father. But that was neither here nor there. "And to do that you performed a ceremony that is both dangerous and forbidden!?" She nodded, defiant now, her mood swings kicking in, "You're damn right I did! And it worked too! I cast the spell perfectly and found him RIGHT away!" The woman growled at her.

"Ashelea Soren, you are in very deep shit right now... Don't make it worse." She growled back, both women acting like angry felines. "Oh yeah!? Whatcha gonnna do about it, huh!? I'm a lot better at magic now! I... I c-could take you!" The woman howled with laughter, holding her free hand up, snapping her fingers, a massive fireball appearing in it, "Kafrizzle." Ashelea gulped, the master level fire spell. "Uh... Uh... Ummmm... Let's uh... keep it... civil... uh... yeah."

The fireball vanished, a mere show of force for now. "Take me, eh? Maybe when you can cast a spell." Ashelea growled, getting her arm free. She snapped her own fingers, "Frizzle!" The fireball that appeared wasn't as large as her mother's, but it was large enough to impress her mother. "Well, at least you can cast a spell now, that's something." She dragged them along, via her whip, keeping them in tow. "Still have to work on your respect, though. I am your mother."

She groaned, pulling on the whip with her now free arm. She wanted to get it off. Electricity started crackling through her fingers, the spell on the whip weakening. "Get. This. Off. Of. Me. NOW!" The spell cast itself, crackling through the whip, causing the woman to yelp and drop it. "Yeowch! Since when can you cast Zap!?" She had her fangs bared, figuratively speaking, foaming at the mouth again, huffing and puffing, ready to rip her mother to shreds, before she snapped back to her senses.

"Don't you EVER do that... AGAIN!" Her fingertips were crackling again, she had inherited Zap from her father. Her mother retrieved the whip and coiled it, placing it back on the loop attached to her belt, cracking her knuckles and assuming the same stance as Ashe. "Oh? A magician's duel then? Hmmmm." Ashelea snapped out of it, remembering that in a magic duel she had no chance, she scoffed and tossed her hair, puffing up her cheeks, "Hmph!"

Her mother giggled, relaxing herself. "Well, you grew a spine. You almost had the guts to take me on, that's something." She turned on her heels and started to strut off, towards the castle. Ashe nearly fell over, but Kyu caught her. "That's... your mother?" She grumbled and nodded, "Yes, she is." He stared in awe, "You two could be--" She cut him off, "Twins? I know, Goddess, why does everyone have to point that out? I get it, we're similar. But she looks just like every other Acolyte who came before her, it's not THAT odd."

He whistled innocently for a moment, before asking the obvious, "Where's she going?" She shrugged, walking on, "Probably the castle, she'll assume that's where he is. I don't really want to be around for this. But..." She took off, as fast as she could risk. "Oh mooooooom!" The woman stopped, turning to her, "What? I'm going to go visit your father." She grinned wickedly, "Oh, sure, sure... but you're going the wrong way." She stopped to frown, looking over her shoulder at the castle.

"What? Your father is the prince... probably the king by now... he lives there." She snickered, covering her mouth with her hand, this was becoming interesting now. "Nope... he lives over here." She jerked her head and walked towards the house. It was the only house on the road to the castle. "What? But, hey, get back here! Ooooh, troublemaker!" She chased her daughter. The girl ran with impressive speed and right into the house. Her mother came in after her.

Brandon was still there, taking care of lunch while Mireyu bounced Kevin on her knee. She stopped to look up, seeing the two lovers running in. "Oh, hey Ashe, I heard the news, it's wonderful. Congratulations to both of you!" She smiled warmly at them, about to go on, when the door burst open. "Get. Back. Here. Young. Lady! There is no escape from my wrath!" Mireyu froze, going pale. Brandong jumped at the stove, he knew that voice. What Ashelea had said six months prior was going to come to pass.

He slowly started to sneak off, towards the hallway. But he stopped, feeling eyes on him. Everyone was staring. He was apparently not as stealthy as he thought. -Crap. I'm gonna die.- He turned around slowly, every woman in the room was staring at him. Kyu was trying not to look for too long, but he was curious what was going on. The love triangle had come to bear again. He was a dead man. "Oh... oh hey, Ashlynn... uh, long time... no see?"

She looked at him, then frowned, tilting her head one way, then the other. She hadn't gotten it yet. "Why do you... look so young? Using the Amor Seco Essence on yourself?" He groaned, this was the part he had dreaded. Ashe explained to her that time passed differently between the two worlds. To which Ashlynn scoffed, "Please, you've only been missing for six months... if what you said was true, that would apparently be almost ten years up there."

But the girl shrugged, "I've only been here six months... but explain to me why I'm a year older than my father then." Ashlynn turned to him, tilting her head again, "What? You should be thirty-seven by now, at least." He was partially offended again, "I'm eighteen, going on nineteen." She frowned, she had always hoped she'd find a way back, now she had, but he hadn't aged and she had. "Gah... I'm thirty-six and the love of my life is half that? I'm gonna faint."

She was joking. But she heard a gurgle nearby and looked at the baby in Mireyu's lap, "Milly! How've ya been? It's been ages! Who's the kid?" She walked over and tickled his chin, giggling as he grabbed her finger and squeezed, "Oooh, strong grip. Is he yours? Who's the father?" Mireyu didn't know how to answer this, holding her son with both hands around the waist. "Uh... well... that is to say." Ashlynn noticed the ring. "Oh, you got hitched, to who? Carver?"

She rolled her eyes, tempted to swat the woman, "You're lucky you're older than me now, or I'd give you a wedgie, heh. I married... him." She pointed over at Brandon, who was trying to escape again, back to the wall, arms raised, sliding as slowly as he could, a matching ring on his finger. -I'm dead.- Ashlynn looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Well, well, well... You married her eh? And from what I understand I haven't even been gone more than a year, year and a half?"

He cleared his throat, groaning. "I waited two, three months for you. We looked everywhere. We... didn't think you were coming back, okay?" She cackled, falling over and rolling around. "Oh that is rich! Who do you think I am? I'd be so petty as to get jealous and kill you for moving on? Sheesh, give me SOME credit." She wiped a lone tear from her eye, then looked at Mireyu again, ruffling her hair. "Well, can't say I blame him, I always thought he would choose you over me."

Ashelea was now trying to escape, much like her father, tiptoeing across the room. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Her mother just had a sixth sense about this. "Uh... to my room? Yeah, my room...aaaahn, need a nap." She yawned and stretched, but both were fake. But that was her fatal error. Her mother saw the stretch and was on her in an instant. She grabbed the girl and wheeled her around, holding her shoulders, "Either you got fat, or you did something VERY bad."

She whined, writhing around in her mother's grasp, there was no use lying about it. "It's not bad! How dare you call my baby a bad thing!" The color left Ashlynn's face. She stumbled back into a chair, landing and swaying around. "Oh Goddess... this has been quite a day... My daughter's father is married and has a kid... and... my daughter is pregnant... Oh, I'm too young to be a granny." Brandon chuckled a little, but didn't bring up his own dilemma.

Then it dawned on the woman, "Oh, that's why you got so upset about the whip. I see... I see... But, you nearly attacked your very own mother. I may have to put you over my knee." To this, Ashe yelped and pulled her skirt down. She only let Kyu do that to her. "No! No way! I'm pregnant! I will bury you if you harm me or my baby!" Ashlynn cackled, kicking her legs around, it was too much. Her daughter was exactly like her, except her physical strength.

"Hmmmm, so rebellious... But I guess I would have been at that age too. If an entire city hadn't been put into my hands. Hell an entire world, I guess. Speaking of, we need to get you home. I have my suspicions that what you've done has synced the worlds back up. Since time seems to be passing in both worlds at the same rate." Ashe growled, baring her figurative fangs again. "NO! I'M STAYING WITH KYU! WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Kyu sputtered, feeling her wrapping around his arm, hissing at her mother.

"Ummmm... true, she did propose to me, a moment before I was going to propose to her... but... um... Ashe, you... you can't disobey your mother. She's the only mother you have, or will ever have." She frowned at him, pinching his arm, "You're SUPPOSED to agree with me, dummy." He yelped, her pinches actually hurt. "Ow... I... Well, I could live with you there." But Ashlynn shook her head. She could travel the worlds, she had the power, Ashelea had blood from both worlds so she could theoretically live in either world.

But a denizen of the real world couldn't exist in the dream world. "No... unfortunately you couldn't. But, I'm thinking the worlds being linked again isn't a bad thing. Though, when this happens, it normally means something BIG is going on here." To this, Brandon chimed in, "Like monsters multiplying? Becoming more violent? Strange shifts in weather?" Ashlynn nodded to each point, "Yes, something like that." He nodded back to her, stroking his chin.

Ashlynn stood up, brushing her skirt off, dressed exactly the same way as her daughter. Not really attire for the Sorceress to wear, but they were her traveling clothes. "Well, it looks like I'll be sticking around then, you can't fight whatever's coming on your own. You need someone with my power around, don't you?" She was acting sweet and innocent, but there was mischief in her heart. She wanted to torment the man who knocked up her daughter.

He had to squirm a little. Brandon was thinking along the same lines. It had been a lot to let his daughter date him, to let him have a room. But he sighed, "Ugh, I should charge rent. We're turning into a boarding house." Mireyu giggled softly at his joke, as did Kyu. Ashlynn marched off, finding a room she liked. She should, it was made with her in mind, back when Brandon still expected her to show up out of the blue. She settled in quickly. Ashelea, feeling drained, actually did head to her own room, right next door.

Kyu walked her to the door, but at a clearing of the throat from Brandon, didn't follow her in. He turned to go towards his own room, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "We should talk, Kyu." He started to sweat, it was time for the talk from the girl's father. He kept a stern expression until they were seated in the kitchen. But then he smiled. "We have a wedding to plan." He nodded along, having been convinced he was about to be brutally murdered.

Much planning was needed. Mireyu put Kevin in his crib for a nap, before coming out, finishing up lunch. It was a good thing Brandon made so much for himself and Ashe, because now they had three more people to feed. She had come home a little early, Ashlynn had shown up and Kyu had also come back early. There was still that uneasy feeling in the air, but Brandon felt as though the weight of the world was off his shoulders for the time. None knew what their futures held.

~The End, For Now