The smell of contrition in the morning

Vel was awoken very early next morning by the door to his quarters creaking open. He blearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. No light was filtering through his windows, it must have been even earlier than he assumed. He didn’t mind, as he was pretty sure he’d been sleeping since before dinner time yesterday, but he was curious why Adi would wake him so early. He had kind of expected her to join him on the bed immediately, but he never felt anyone sit on the mattress with him. So, being done rubbing his eyes and looking out the window he moved his gaze over to the door. A figure was standing in the doorway sort of hesitantly, and it wasn’t Adi. It was not someone he would have expected at all. It was Dina.

She only briefly met his eyes, as had become the norm for them, then blushed and looked down. “I apologize for waking you, Velas, but might I come in?” Dina being so polite, while appreciated, also felt just a bit wrong. It was kind of like watching a rabbit chasing a fox. Vel nodded, though. “Of course you can, Dina. Please make sure to close the door behind you, it doesn’t always latch properly if you don’t use a little bit of extra oomph.” Most visitors to his room knew that and didn’t ever need reminding, they just did it without thinking about it, but Dina of course was not used to visiting Vel’s quarters.

Having entered and closed the door behind her she hesitantly stepped towards the bed, leaving the shadow of the doorway. Vel got a better look at what his oldest sister was wearing. Tight fitting dark hide trousers were tied at her waist with a blue sash, and tucked into it was a somewhat airy white shirt. By her standards this was downright fancy, as it wasn’t clothing one could wear under armor or that was suitable for combat drills. Vel had to admit to himself that she looked damn good in it. The trousers highlighting her shapely legs and amazing rear, while the sash put some emphasis on her comparatively narrow waist. The shirt, while loose fitting, still came to rest in such a way that is showed off her impressive but and wide shoulders. Her hair looked shinier than usual too, it had clearly been recently tended to. Actually, why should he only admit it to himself? “Damn, Sis, you look amazing. Very hot, but definitely on the right side of tasteful. Still beautiful and elegant as well.

Dina blushed an even deeper shade of red, but actually looked back up at him to meet his eyes. “Thank you, Velas, I… I appreciate that.” She broke the eye contact and kind of jerkily took the last step towards his bedside, putting her right next to the huge bed. “Can I uh, ehm… May I sit?” What in the hells was going on with her? “Yes, of course, please have a seat.” She gave his chin a little awkward smile, clearly not feeling up to eye contact again just yet and sat herself on the bed. She had slid her boots off and folded her legs beneath her, giving Vel a nice look at the sides and soles of her feet. They were surprisingly dainty for such a large and muscular woman, but he spotted a fair few callouses. All in all, he thought they were pretty. He could definitely imagine them grasping his cock someday.

Dina sat there silently, fidgeting with her hands and not meeting Vel’s gaze. She was here for a reason, about that there was no doubt, and Vel was sure it was about more than just craving a good dicking. Perhaps a bit of talk about mundane matters could help put her at ease. Why not start with the obvious and try to get an answer to something that was puzzling him.

“I admit, I am quite surprised that you’re here, Dina. Not just in my quarters, but back at the estate. I thought you and Father were staying in Townton until at least tomorrow.” Dina inflated her cheeks as she let out a big breath. “That was indeed the plan, but I came home late last night and …” She kind of trailed off, then looked up, finally meeting his gaze again. “There’s a reason I came here, of course. I wanted to see you this morning before any of the others woke up and talk to you about something, and it kind of ties into why I came home early”

Vel had expected Dina to continue and elaborate on that, but she didn’t. She just kind of sat there, looking like she’d either lost her nerve or her words. Just as he decided he would have to be the one to break the silence and ask for more, she blurted something out. “I’ve been a fucking idiot!” Vel hadn’t been expecting that, not one bit. She wasn’t wrong though. “I don’t disagree, but in wha-“ Dina clenched and unclenched her fists, gesticulating quite a bit as she began ranting. “He always said you were weak, not worthy of our name. And I believed him, fully and completely. I was so sure you were, that you were… That you were what he said.” Vel could easily imagine a host of words that could be the ones she had chosen to omit, but he decided not to push her on it. He did however cautiously reach for her mind. This seemed entirely genuine to him, but it would be prudent to make sure.

The first thing he noticed was that her membrane once again was less brittle, though still not as sturdy as those of most others in this house. He was also convinced she was being truthful, the complex swirl of emotions raging in her mind left no room for doubt. “But then you beat me. I could explain it away when it was only once and on horseback. But then, you beat me again. And on the ground this time. Still, I tried to deny it to myself, but I couldn’t, not fully.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what came next. “Then after you uh, put me in my place, in front of Lynn, I knew. I knew that he and I were wrong about you. Do you know what happened when I carefully tried to broach that subject with him?” Vel could very easily imagine, but Dina gave him no chance to answer. “He completely brushed it off, didn’t even take me seriously.” He could hear and feel the scorn in his sister’s voice. “And yesterday… Yesterday was the last fucking straw. The last push I needed to see him for what he really is.” She looked at his face again, her expression… Softening? “And to see you for what you really are.”

That was a lot to take in, but it certainly sounded promising. He had thought Dina would take a few more sessions of overpowering before they got this far. “What happened yesterday?” Dina snorted. “You charged in by yourself and saved the fucking elven delegation, that’s what happened yesterday.” Vel tossed his head to the side as if to say “Oh yeah, that” before Dina went on. “The elves were full of praise and told us all about how you rode in and single-handedly turned the tide of the fight. The Princess was adamant that they wouldn’t have made it without your help. Even that creepy tattooed guy gave you some credit.” Dina kind of shuddered a bit, as if recalling the singer was unpleasant for her. “And what did Father do? Nodded along and thanked them for their kind words, but then as soon as they were out of earshot, he dismissed what they had said. He tried to explain it away, that it must have mostly been your destrier or something. I could hardly believe it. When I tried to challenge him on it, he lost his temper.” Her gaze and expression hardened. “He lost his temper on me, called me ungrateful, untrustworthy, and so on.“

Vel could tell that it hurt her, and he could see why. “What an asshole. You’ve dedicated your life to pleasing him, and one instance of trying to stand up for what’s right and that is what you get.” Dina chuckled bitterly. “You’re right, I did, didn’t? Everything I’ve done was to be what he wanted. But I was never quite good enough, was I?” Vel shook his head. “No, because you, like me, were born imperfect in his eyes.” She nodded, and Vel thought tears were threatening to well up in her eyes. “But you weren’t, and it isn’t your fault that he can’t see that. You don’t need a cock to be worthy. Matter of fact, I prefer you without one.” Dina clearly appreciated his attempt at humor and tried to laugh, but he could tell it was ****.

“I really was such an idiot for taking his side. For thinking you were weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. You’ve proven that time and again. Rather than looking down on you because of… Your situation, I should have seen that, if anything, it meant you were even stronger. Considering you achieved all you did even despite your… Disability.” Her eyes flicked to the blanket and Vel realized something. She didn’t know. The elves hadn’t told them.

“You don’t know, do you, Dina? Did the princess not tell you?” She looked a tad confused, her eyes snapping back to his face. “Tell me what? They told us about the battle, but they were quite evasive when we asked about anything. Especially with Father, actually.” Vel felt a bit of gratitude for Lethiliie. Clearly, in the aftermath of his request, she had opted to err on the side of caution when it came to telling his father anything. Dina still looked at him questioningly. “I guess it is easiest if I just show you.” Vel whipped the covers off his bare legs, and Dina gasped.

“What the, how, Vel, what?” Her mouth was gaping, and her eyes were wide. Vel found her shock kind of gratifying. “I was mortally wounded after I was torn from Veldred’s saddle.” Dina’s hand flew to her mouth, covering it, and Vel picked up on genuine concern from her mind and saw it in her eyes. That was strangely heartwarming. “Princess Lethiliie healed me by magical means, and that also fixed my leg.” She reached out to touch his healed leg, then jerked back. “Oh, uhm, may I?” Vel smiled. “Go ahead.” She carefully touched his bare leg, tracing the muscles on the front of his thigh. “You’re going to be unstoppable now.” She was so very right, and the awe in her half-whispered voice was so genuine, her view of him really had completely flipped on its head.

Dina pulled her hand back and shook her head as if clearing it. “But, back to why I am here.” The nervousness returned, at least some of it, his sister began fidgeting again. She seemed to realize she was doing it and clenched her fists, forcing them down to her sides. “I was wrong, Vel. I was wrong about you, and I was wrong about Father. And I am sorry, I am so very sorry.” Tears were crowding the corners of her eyes now, and Vel could tell beyond any doubt that she meant it. Which was touching and all, but not enough. Dina seemed to glean as much from his expression. “I know, I know. I can’t… I can’t undo it, I can’t-“ Vel raised a hand, cutting her off.

“I do understand to some degree, Dina. I really do. When we were kids, I too believed Father’s nonsense, at least to some of it. Hell, even in adulthood it was sometimes hard not to believe some of it.” Some bitterness crept into his tone, and he saw guilt and sympathy in Dina’s eyes and mind. “So that I can understand, even forgive. But-“ Dina nodded, and Vel let her continue. “But I’ve been a woman grown for some time now, I know. I make no excuses, Vel, my failures are my own. If even Viella could see Father’s bullshit for what it was, there’s no reason I couldn’t have.” That might have sounded a bit like a subtle dig at Ella, but Vel knew she was just referring to their youngest sister’s age.

Vel nodded again. “And I do appreciate that, Dina, but it’s not enough. It is not good enough.” It was her turn to nod. “I know that, I know, but I will do anything, if you please give me th-“ She stopped and frowned. “Wait, I want to do this right. Give me a moment.” Dina slipped off the bed and, to Vel’s surprise but not displeasure, began to undress.