Errands To Run

After the meeting I checked in with Ava and got a little more healing. Many of the wounded were already back on their feet, such as myself. Others healers had shown up to help but she was by far the most skilled of the bunch. She healed my wound a little more then she had yesterday. She told me that healing wounds were tricky in battle because of the number of people. Use to much magic on one or two people and you get tapped out of magic and others could die. It was heal each person enough that they wouldn't die and move onto the next. The elves cheated in a sense using the pools filled with magic by elder trees but even they had limits except maybe the world tree. Luckily Ava knew much about herbology, alchemy, and generally healing such as good old stitches.

I meet back up with Rose who was sitting on the porch having tea with Emerald who was telling her about some past misdeeds. Emerald never used names but she had no problem sharing the juicy details from her early days as a whore.

Now that I knew the fort was in capable hands I decided to head for the city. First stop was to Tomen's shop while Rose went to the tavern. I walked in to see Hannah manning the store she smiled and walked around the counter.

"My lord." She did a playful bow and I shook me head at her. She smiled and gave me a warm hug. "So what can I get for you my lord."

"I have quit a list. Stuff for the house." I said handing it to her.

"We can get it for you." She nodded after looking it over.

"My lord." A young dwarf said as he came out and did a bow.

"This is my soon to be husband Lars." Hannah walked over put a hand on his shoulder.

"Pleasure to meet you." I offered my hand.

"You as well my lord." He nodded and shook my hand a bit to eagerly.

"Are you working here now?"

"A little my lord to help out." He smiled.

"Lars father owns a merchant company. They are setting up shop here to buy ships so he has free times on his hands." Hannah smiled.

"Are you a captain of one of the ships?"

"Me? Divines no. I love the thought of it but I wouldn't be much of a captain with my head in a bucket the entire trip.Thought it would be hilarious with me giving orders with a bucket over my face." He joked.

"Us gnomes aren't meant for the sea." Hannah shook her head.

"What I am good at though my lord is finding stuff that no one else can. You wanted more land. I found it." He said reaching under the counter and pulling out a map. "Are you familiar with the flood a few months back in the area near hunters rest?"

"Somewhat." I grinned.

"One an area just north east of Hunters Rest was hit harder. Turned the area and a small village into a lake until the river found it's natural course again. It took almost two months to dry up. Catch is it may flood again. Unless." He pointed on the map. "It flooded because the bend here in the river here. The water got backed up and it went down hill into the little valley."

"Make the river go straight and build up the banks." I smiled. Engineering was starting to become a new skill I was picking up.

"And your little town can grow into a proper city. Maybe even build yourself a castle on it one day my lord." He smiled. It wasn't far from huntersrest. Hell it was just a little pass Harry's farm.

"How much for the land?"

"Ten to twenty gold to buy all maybe. No one person owns them all. Least not yet. Though the crown owns the most considerable chunk of it." He said. I knew part of the reason was to expand the city walls outward.

"Guess I will have to talk to the queen." I smiled. I knew about the wall that would go up one day but every thing east of that would one day be part of the city. May as well get start building on it now.

"You can do that?" Lars looked at me.

"He has saved the princess on a few occasions so I think he can ask a favor." Hannah shook her head.

I went by an armorer to get my jack of plates repaired and asked them to stitch in chain mail on the inside to make it easier to put on then having to slip the chain mail on and thin the jack. We headed home and walked in the door to see the queen sitting at the table sipping tea with the dryad Ivy while Aurora poured like they were all in a regular tavern. I was sure I just walked into the start of a tavern joke for a second.

"Your Majesty." I said as I came in.

"Ah. There you are?" She smiled. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion. I was catching up with Aurora and listening to your adventures."

"Not at all your grace."

"You have done a fine job with the place." She looked around then at Rose. "I don't believe we have meet."

"Rose your majesty." Rose bowed again.

"Ah, Seren told me about you. I heard you were reunited with your mother only a few days ago." The Queen smiled.

"Yes your grace." Rose nodded.

"That is good news indeed. She did a lovely job concealing your appearance." The queen touched her chin and then brushed her hair from her ears. "I know it always troubled her having to give you up."

"You know her?" Rose asked

"Yes. Well knew. Though not as much as I would have liked but she supported my decision to marry a human. I think she wished that she might be welcomed here in the human kingdom and you in the elven kingdom one day through my marriage."

"Thank you." Rose said and hugged the Queen.

"You are quit welcome dear." The queen patted her back and wiped away her tears.

"So what brings you here your grace?"

"Ah. I would say this." She smiled and pulled a large seed out of thin air it seemed. "The seed from the Elder tree."

"The dark elves stole only the fruit. Least it is a really tasty fruit mind but not what they wanted it for. Any pact they made with lord Warwick and his son to get it will be void by now." The Queen smiled and handed me the fruit. "Of course we needed a dryad to carry it, Ivy here was kind of enough to volunteer in return for a little concealment magic for her peoples protection. She is curious to see our world beyond the Kingswood so this is a safe place for her right now." Ivy did a little wave and sipped her tea.

"Aurora has volunteered to act as a caretaker given her calling. That should appease the goddess to ease her desires enough for her to cross the barrier without the ring given enough time. Eventually she will be just like the two of you with a sex drive comparable to a human." The Queen looked at Aurora. "All that is left is a concealed place with a body of water to bury the seed when it sprouts."

"The lake out back." I nodded. She had probably picked this spot well before we meet knowing the seed would come here one day.

"A good as place as any until it is big enough. It is close enough that we can guard it if necessary but out of the way enough that no one will know it is here." She smiled.

"I should be going. My wedding is next week by the way. I would love to see the two of you there if you can make it and I know Seren would love to see the two of you."

"We would be honored my lady." Rose smiled. That pretty much assured that now I had to attend. The Queen departed and I showed her to the barrier. I thought it was odd she couldn't teleport in and out of the barrier considering she had made it but at least I knew no one else could.

"Your majesty. I wanted to ask a favor."

"Anything." She nodded

"I was made aware of a chunk of land north west of hunters rest that was hit with flooding a few months back."

"Yes. It's now a lake." She nodded.

"Not anymore after I straightened the river out. Least that was what I was told. I need to check for myself but." I shrugged.

"You wish to buy it?" She smiled.

"Yes. We still have people living in tents in places around the city."

"Careful, you are starting to sound like a lord." She teased.

"I had a good example to follow."

"Scout out the area first and I will talk to my people." She nodded.

"Thank you Rhianna." I smiled and she gave me a kiss on the cheek and crossed the barrier and vanished. I went back inside to see the girls talking with Ivy.

"So how did you get the name Ivy?" Rose grinned.

"He gave it to me when we meet." Ivy looked at me.

"That wouldn't be the day before you came back with all the dryad sap would it?" Rose threw me a grin.

"Yes. That was the night. We really enjoyed it." Ivy nodded and smiled.

"We?" Rose gave me a look.

"I only had sex with her. The rest watched. Dryads share a connection, they don't typically refer to themselves as an individual but instead as a collective."

"That is correct though we feel alone in this place." She frowned.

"Your not alone." Rose took her hand.

"So how do we put the seed inside of you?"

"The same way your species mates silly though sadly much faster. In and done." Ivy shrugged.

"I have heard of a few humans like that." Rose teased.

"That is very sad to hear for their mates." Ivy smiled.

"We might have a problem. Selena was suppose to come here tonight because of the full moon."

"You are talking about a dark elf coming here?" Ivy looked around.

"Yes. Well half. She is a friend." Aurora said.

"We find that hard to believe. The full moon is tonight how do we know it will not come for our sap." Ivy shook her head.

"Okay I am confused. Are we talking about the sap that comes from down there?" Rose pointed.

"No, she means blood sap." Aurora replied. I had heard the word before from Delilah but had no clue what she meant.

"It and its kind hunt us. Cut into us. Bleed us dry to sate their lust. None of our kind survived the dark elves hunger so now they cut into the elder trees themselves." Ivy added. I could see actual fear in her eyes. Selena would never do anything like that, least I hoped not.

"Yeah. We better see that she doesn't come here." Rose looked at me and gave a head nod to the door.

"I will go there instead." I nodded and handed her the seed. "You got this?"

"I think I can manage." Rose smiled. If last night was any indication then I was sure she could.