A/N: There's a less lemony version of the chapter on RR if that's what you prefer *** “You did it, Rummy. You really did it!” Emma said as tears freely flowed out of her lake-blue eyes. I puffed up my chest and smugly smiled. “Of course, love. When I promise something, you know I’ll deliver on it sooner or later.” “Shameless boasting aside, I do want to thank you for the work you’ve done. Without you, there would be no Pridwen.” Tali joined in as she opened the doors to her office (after enough people have individual houses, we converted one of the longhouses into a City Hall). The 3 of us entered her office. It was a simple office with a depressingly plain table (Cut me some friggin’ slack! Carpentry wasn’t my specialty!) and 3 bookshelves and 2 drawers placed against the walls and corners. Compared to her old office back in Carnwennan, this place was a shabby downgrade. The room itself only had 1 window, so the lighting was pretty bad, especially during noon when the sun was dir
Skera and I were waiting at the door of her office when she opened the door. “Come in! It’s so nice when the three of us can just sit down and enjoy what little tea we have left.” Tali cheerfully said.“My Lady, a simple brute like me has no right to waste your precious tea! I shall stand guard instead!” Skera stiffly replied. Sigh, the tomboy in her was as strong as her sword swings.“Oh come on Skera, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying something feminine once in a while with your friends.” I dismissively said as I gingerly walked the chair in her office. My husband sure gave it to me last night. I could still feel some of his warmth inside of me. Whew, the very memory of my wedding night got me a b
“And this concludes my presentation on the long-term security threats to Pridwen and my plan to neutralize those threats.” I said in my best professional tone. “I imagine you have a lot of questions for me, so please ask away.” Skera raised her hand. “I’ve got one- are you bloody insane!?” Fair enough, I supposed. After all, I did just tell her that on top of our probably-hostile Elven neighbors who could summon hordes of mana-beasts straight to our doorstep, we were in direct conflict with the Imperial Pantheon that she worshiped for most of her life. I wryly smiled. “I wish.” I walked towards her. “They are coming for us, Skera. Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.” I’d always wanted to say that line from that classic movie from my old world. Skera, however, did not share my enthusiasm for the quote. “So what upcoming threat is so terrifying that the Pantheon thought it was necessary to send you memories of a foreign world? And why you? If anything, you’re the wor
As I ended the meeting, I gave Rummy my “please stay after the meeting” look. He raised his eyebrow and nodded.“I’ll catch up with you later, wifey. We’ll do our daily questions then.” Emma gave me a smug look before nodding and departing with Skera. Soon, it was just the two of us in the office. A nervous tensionI fidgeted my hands before speaking. “Thanks for staying, Rummy. I have a question for you.”“OK. Shoot.” He nonchalantly answered. The way he casually assented sure didn’t help my nervousness. But fortunately, I had prepared an important question as a preamble.“These… memories you were given. Did they contai
“Ugh…it was disgusting.” Emma sniffled. “I felt so… soiled, and helpless…” Tears continued to leak out of her eyes as she cried into my chest on our bed. Sigh, I really shouldn’t have asked about her distaste for BJs. I mean, I could’ve guessed why she didn’t like it, but me and my curiosity just couldn’t leave well enough alone. And now my wife was crying while confronting her tragic past in the Galahad household. Stupid Rummy! Stupid! “Wifey, you’re so brave for sharing your past with me.” I kissed her salty cheek. “You didn’t have to go through this pain for me… I’m really sorry for bringing it up.” I said apologetically. “No, it had to be done. These people are all dead and they no longer have any power over me.” I nodded silently. As sorry as I was for triggering her past trauma like that, I was glad we got to have this conversation. After our talk, I felt even closer to her. Maybe true intimacy wasn’t all about baring your bodies and putting the P in the V, or claiming her
Authors’ notes: This was an excerpt from the journal of Imperial Prince Avalon of House Artorius. ‘Why me?’ I sadly thought to myself as I walked toward the darkness within my mind. This pitch darkness could only mean one thing- I’ve been summoned to meet with the Imperial Pantheon in the Hall of the Round Table. I should feel honored- after all, not just anybody gets a summoning from the Pantheon. But it is likely that they have a quest for me- a quest that’ll probably send me far far away from Caliburn and waste months of my life on some seemingly-pointless errand. For a prince in the middle of jostling for position in the Succession, being absent for that long is disastrous. There are over 42 legitimate Imperial Princes, and I am confident that at least half of them are more competent than a hunting dog. Why choose me, Honored Ancestors? Why? After waiting in the darkness for a while, a light suddenly shone on me and the 15 members of the Pantheon. I knelt down and placed my ri
A/N: Hi people! Hope your summer is going well! After a month-long break, I've build up enough chapters to get back into the rodeo that is Book 2. The new release schedule will be every Monday morning. So July 4th would be the first Lastly, this chapter is a fun discussion amongst Rummy's children. There is some light/minor spoiler in there. So if you're a spoiler purist, just think of this chapter as an announcement chapter and skip it. But if you're not, enjoy! =D *** “Well, I’d learned more about my parents than I ever wanted to know.” I sigh as I put down the giant book on an ornate table. Most of my siblings are still in the family reading room, despite the fact that it was way past midnight. The miracle of electrical light- a miracle that I took for granted all my life- keeps the room well-lit. Gods, what a marvelous city Dad has built for us. My younger siblings have already all retired to bed. So fortunately, my job as the smut censor has ended for now. Only Aubrey, Braxt
“PUSH!” I urgently yelled. “PUSH!” “I… I can’t!” Nairi replied with a strained voice. “You’re almost there!” “Ughhh!” Nairi grunted and groaned until she managed to push a heavy metallic box all the way up a hill. “You’re… so… mean… Forge-master…” Nairi complained as she gasped for air. I shrugged my shoulders as I looked towards Pridwen’s direction. “Sure, I could’ve helped you out with my >, but you needed the workout. Without decent strength, you can’t be a good forge-smith. And you sure as hell can’t be a good soldier with that wiry frame.” “Between the… drop-hammer… and the MG-42s… I don’t need… to be strong….” She argued back between pants. I sighed a bit. “Nairi, it’s fine to appreciate how technology has improved your life. But it’s not good to rely on it like a crutch. We live in a death jungle- it’s never a smart idea to rely on any one thing out here…” “This bloody weapon… better be… worth it…” She panted some more as she began to get her wind back