Damon woke up feeling like a god. Vel and Lilian were both still asleep, naked bodies curled against his, all of them huddled blissfully together under the quilt. He didn’t get up right away, rather simply staying where he was, listening to their breathing and luxuriating in the collective warmth.
Eventually, he slipped away, driven in no small part by the knowledge that he’d wake one or both of them up with grabby hands if he remained in bed much longer. He pulled on his undershorts and strode into the common room, and it was there that the smile faded from his face. They had made a surprising amount of mess the night before, despite him remembering how he’d been actively cleaning up after people.
Cups with varying amounts of leftover wine in them sat on the table. Dirty clothing and muddy boots arrayed the floor, tossed aimlessly to the ground wherever had been convenient in the moment. Damon himself had made the mistake of leaving the stew pot to warm over the fire, and all the moisture had evaporated, leaving a thick layer of food glue cemented to the bottom.
He handled as many of the easy tasks as he could, grumbling and lumbering as he always did in the morning. He took the pot out to the lake after noticing that that washbasin was nearly empty. The weather outside was comfortable, still perpetually overcast, but warm enough to be inviting.
He didn’t stop to think to grab his sword or even put on pants, but he didn’t take either of those facts for granted. It felt good to be back, to have Myr’s enchantment on his side once more. Even though he often used the broken myrblade as a channel for it out of habit, the power came from within him now, and he was just as formidable bare handed.
“I think you take too much pleasure in walking around mostly naked,” whispered Myr.
“Are you reading my thoughts now?”
“Nope. I just know you.”
He chuckled and shrugged, stooping to dip the pot into the lake. The burnt stew came out easily with a rock and some heavy scrubbing, and he rinsed it well before heading back toward the tower.
A flash of movement just beyond the trees stole Damon’s attention. He stared, eventually deciding that any threat that necessitated him putting clothes on would also be one that would benefit from him pursuing immediately. He took off into the forest, his target resolving into view as he pushed through the bushes and branches.
It wasn’t a revenant, which was no small relief. A Remenai rider on horseback was slowly navigating through the woods. Damon recognized him as their eyes met and even offered a wave.
“Joyell,” he called. “Hello.”
He spoke the greeting in the Remenai tongue out of politeness, though he knew the other man spoke Merinian as well. Damon and Joyell’s tumultuous history had, at least in Damon’s opinion, been put to rest.
He still knew how much Joyell cared for Ria, but in a world where Ria was putting herself in harm’s way to defend innocent people, he figured she could use one more person watching her back. Joyell returned the wave as he drew his horse to a stop and climbed off.
“Damon,” he said. “I am reassured to see that you are alive.”
Joyell’s flat tone of voice, in context, almost completely undercut the meaning of words, and Damon couldn’t help letting out a sour laugh.
“I’m sure you are,” he replied. “Is Ria nearby?”
Joyell shook his head. “She is to the south, perhaps a day, day and a half’s ride. She sent me to… ah, alleviate her concerns.”
“You’ve fulfilled your quest, then,” said Damon. “I’m alive and comfortable. Can you take a message back to her?”
Joyell gave a small nod.
“Tell Ria that she needs to come back to the tower as soon as she can,” said Damon.
If Joyell was put off by carrying the message, he didn’t let it show. He simply nodded again and mounted his horse without another word. Damon watched him ride off, lifting a bare foot to pull a small nettle from between his toes.
Lilian was making breakfast when he arrived back at the tower. She’d coaxed the fire back to life and was setting several slices of buttered bread into place over the griddle. She wore only a shirt, one of Damon’s, in fact, which wasn’t long enough to preserve her modesty completely, the bottom edges of her full buttocks peeking out from the hem.
“Good morning.” Damon pulled her into a hug from behind in front of the fire, feeling more than just the heat from the hearth.
“Good morning.” She leaned back into him, attention shifting off breakfast and toward something more interesting. “An early riser, I see.”
“I like to start my day off right. Get all the hard tasks out of the way first.”
Lilian let out a soft moan of agreement, body undulating back into his. He ran his hands up her front, fingers counting the buttons up the front of the shirt and treating each nipple like a curious addition.
“Good morning!” called Vel, in a singsong voice. She skipped into the room and added herself to the hug, holding Damon tight from behind and swaying from leg to leg until all three of them were off balance and amused.
He gave them each a kiss, Vel first, since she was Vel, and then Lilian. Vel was clad in her girlshorts and a threadbare half-shirt that must have been an ancient resident of her wardrobe. Truth be told, the sight of both of them was intriguing enough to make him want to suggest they all go back to bed, and from the way their eyes kept drawing toward his bare chest and barely covered lower half, odds were good they’d be just as eager.
The smell of the toast combined with Lilian returning from the pantry with a big jar of raspberry jam was enough to supplant one need for another. They ate a hearty breakfast, sitting around the common room table and basking in one another’s company.
“So,” said Vel. “Lilian and I came here to find you. I suppose we didn’t really stop to think about what would happen if you were alive and well and safe. We’ve basically accomplished our goal.”
“So you have,” said Damon. “Though at this point, I think it would be a tremendous waste for you to turn around and head straight back for Silke.”
“I’m staying here,” said Lilian. “The tower is comfortable and not without interesting company.” She flashed Damon a smile that brought back thoughts of an early morning romp in bed. “Not to mention that it’s far easier for me to be active during the day within a tower than while outdoors.”
“I spoke with one of Ria’s guards earlier,” said Damon.
Vel furrowed her brow. “Today?”
“I was outside before you woke up.”
She glanced under the table. “Without any clothes on other than your underwear?”
“Does it matter? My point is that I told him to let Ria know she should come back this way. She’ll be here soon, and I suspect aesta will, as well.”
The conflict on Vel’s face was obvious. She would doubtless welcome a reunion with Ria, but after everything that had happened, it was still complicated between her and their aesta. Damon continued on before she could sink too deeply into her own thoughts.
“There’s a reason that I want you all here beyond mere sentiment,” he said. “We might have a chance to… change things.”
“That’s awfully vague,” said Lilian.
“I’ve no intention of presenting my full case until everyone is here,” said Damon. “I’m going to need a lot of trust. From both of you. From Ria. From aesta, most of all.”
Vel let the knife she’d been using to spread jam with clatter noisily to the table, folding her arms and pouting. He didn’t push her. There would be time to do the heavy lifting and convincing once the rest of his family had arrived, and maybe even a chance to repair some broken relationships, though he was careful about hoping for that.
“Anyway,” he said. “In the meantime, we should make ourselves comfortable. There are still chores that need tending, if the two of you don’t mind helping out.”
“I’m always willing,” purred Lilian. “Though, obviously I’m only suited to indoor jobs.”
“If you could just do some cleaning up around the house, that would be more than enough,” said Damon.
“I’ll help her,” said Vel.
“You’ll do the laundry,” said Damon.
“What?” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m a tailor by trade, not a washwoman.”
“Your other option is to chop and carry firewood.”
Vel bit off another complaint. “Laundry it is.”
“Be sure to, ah… wash my sheets while you’re at it?”
He glanced down at his breakfast, aware of the fact that he wasn’t the only one with a guilty smile on his face.
“Also, let me know when you’re done,” he added. “I plan on using the lake for my training later today, and I want to make sure you’re out of range.”
“I’m sure the lake is big enough for the both of us, Damon,” said Vel.
“I’m sure it’s not.” He grinned, noticing the curious glance Vel and Lilian exchanged. “Not for what I have in mind.”