Surprise

Laertes, Euphemia’s father, was waiting for them when they arrived. The village’s perimeter guards Salute her before and ignore Nathan as they enter. That was the only acknowledgement that they got. Their ‘escort’ was silent during the entire one hundred and thirty minute horrendously long trek. He never wished for his ‘majikal’ vehicles more in his life.

For Euphemia was stoic and silent during the entire journey. However, Nathan had a sense that she felt conflicted as she pulled him into embracing her more tightly. She was fiercely protective of him for some strange reason. They just met and he could certainly understand her reciprocating his own attraction but these were her people. Nathan never felt for anyone that way but he understood enough to know it is strange.

Yet, Nathan did exactly as Euphemia wanted mostly because he wanted her body flushed against his too. The afterthought of the lack of any sense of subterfuge from her, did a little to assuage his own mental harangue over his willingness to acquiesce.

The village was hidden in the overly large trees above the forest floor. It was an architectural marvel to be sure, made even more special with it being comprised of mostly large chunks of granite. Nathan is unsure how they got the trees to support such mass but they did. If he thought about it, he would remember before they went up, there had been thick granite pillars that various trees had grown around and absorbed.

As Euphemia came to a stop she reluctantly dismounted the stag. Nathan followed her lead with much less concern than before. Standing with Laertes were three other men and five women, Euphemia’s mother being one of them. At least, that is what she will point out later to Nathan.

Still Euphemia stands partially off to the side but with a foot and hip between her father, Laertes, and Nathan.

“As you can see father, I am of abundant good health and everyone can easily see why I stayed away from the village.”

What lead Nathan to be less concerned is the rest of his squad, including Olivia standing with the village ‘Elders’ and arrayed on either side. They all still had their weapons and armor on, thus suggesting that relations were good so far.

That is so long as Laertes’s daughter refrains from declaring undying love for him, as teenagers are sometimes prone to doing. Personally he would rejoice at the idea but he suspected Laertes would be of the opposite opinion and ruining his mission.

Any books Nathan has read are of the technical, or historical, sort. Therefore, the idea that the young woman, which looked like a beautiful lithe svelte teenage human gymnast with pointy ears, could be drastically older than him is beyond his experience.

Olivia was showing interest in Nathan ironically now of all times. However, Euphemia’s possessive posture of him was inspiring jealousy within Olivia. Apparently him saving her life had been relayed to her, and impressed her. At least, impressed enough to question whether she wanted what he had been unmistakably offering by ogling eyeing her from before.

Olivia is far from the only one smitten with the one who saved their life.

“Yes daughter, I see that you seem to have finally found a man worthy of your interest…” *Damn…* there goes the dream of that flying under neither Laertes’s radar.

Seemingly unphased by the challenge, Euphemia, instead of disputing the claim, disputes why he imagined was their judgement about his species.

“Nathan, a Nathan Barton of the United Earth Naval Forces Special Operations group of the Star People Klan, single handedly killed a mature adult blood dragon.”

Euphemia evidently has already decided to ignore Olivia’s objections, even before she coughed *alone.?. bullshit*

“This is while at great height as dragons are known to flee when mortally wounded. After the dragon’s **** Nathan survived a fall that would have killed any one of us, and completely decapitated the dead Blood Dragon.

“I challenge any male here, to achieve the same.”