"Sound Barrier!" A few moments after we finish enchanting everything, Zahariel sets up a privacy barrier. When did he learn it? "Now, Beowulf, let's have a chat, shall we?"

The way he spoke is too suspicious. "What is the matter, Zahariel?"

"Why are you so focused on eloping with Helen alone?" Those words and the tone they were spoken make me feel very uneasy.

"I beg your pardon? I'm not eloping. We are already engaged. Weddings in this world are just a declaration."

"This will be harder than I thought. You are too dense in these matters, for holiness' sake!" He sighs. It is strange that his demeanor and stance shifted a bit after the girls left. He is usually childish and aloof, but now he is serious with a very mature aura. "I used to be seven foot two inches tall, did you know that?"

"During the war?"

Zahariel lets his full glory shine. His body glows, wings of light sprout from his back and he floats up. The whole warehouse is lit as if it were a summer noon. "During the war and the countless eons that came to pass before it. I was the seraph of the sun, healing, and earth. Guardian of children. One of the great nine."

I'm dumbstruck. I can feel my heart race, my hands tremble. If I were a more religious person I would have prostrated myself right away. "Wha-Why are you telling me all this?"

He returns to the ground and to his usual little kid appearance and mutters to himself, "It won't work this way..."

I am still fearing something. "Is there some problem? You can talk to me straight away! But why are you beating around the bush and talking about things that don't relate to one another?"

"Calm down. What do you think about leaving Marcy and I behind?"

"It sucks. I'd like to take everyone with me, but I can't just barge into people's lives and say 'hey, I like you, can you please follow me to the monster country?' It is hard for me, you know?" My anguish and pain make even talking about this hard. "My worst fear is to be left alone in this world. I may play a hero here, but in fact, I was a bullied shut in back on Earth. I would bury myself in games and comics and in a virtual life to detach myself from my real life. But even there I had friends online and was connected to people. Here, what do I have? I'm trapped in a monster's body, hunted, poisoned, cursed, and now even the 'great blessings' I received are killing me."

On my knees and clutching my chest I barely notice that Zahariel came next to me and is patting my shoulder. "Go on. Let it all out."

"I will die, vanish. What purpose my life here will serve? Why am I even struggling? I don't know. But what I know is that I don't want to be alone. I want to be surrounded by those that I like and like me back. Monster, people. All of them are important. But I am a freaking troll! From day one I learned that showing myself is bad. I still remember the terror in those kids' eyes as if it happened minutes ago."

"You want a place where you could be among monsters and people at the same time? A place where you could remain as a troll without any problem, right?"

"Yes."

"And you would keep the girls right by your side, right?"

"Yes. I want them as close to me as we were when we walked here."

"Both of them?"

"But I can't. Marcy wants to stay behind. It sucks, but I have to respect her wishes."

"And do you know her wishes? Do you really know them?"

Is there a hint in his voice that startles me. "What?"

"Didn't it ever cross your mind that she might be just trying not to be a nuisance?"

"Why would she be a nuisance?"

"Getting between you and Helen, for example."

Things begin to make sense to me. "Did she lie about wanting to deliver the baby?"

"No. But delivering and nursing a baby is something that almost any woman in this world can do. Her connection to Bredda is not that tight. The real question is, do you want Marcy by your side?"

"Yes. I want to take both of them with me. You too."

"Then why didn't you speak up? Why is nobody being honest even after all that big talk we had?"

"I am not lying... to my companions, at least."

"Not lying and being honest are separated by a thing called disclosure. And omission is one form of lie."

"You got a point. Come, I'll settle this right now." I stand up, cradle Zahariel on an arm and leave the warehouse. Dusk is setting in a lazy pace. It is still early, but that is winter for you.

I make a beeline to Helen's house. Hilde and Bredda greet me, it seems the men have not yet returned from work. Azelinus said this morning there would be some food shipment to inspect.

"Welcome home, my son," Hilde greets me. Bredda does the same but calls me brother.

"Are the girls in their room? I'd like to talk to them."

"Sure, go ahead. This is your house, Beowulf. You don't have to ask," Mother-in-law says in a heartwarming tone.

I hug her and kiss her cheek. She is flustered. "Sorry! It is just that in my country the sons kiss their mothers' cheeks. I got carried away."

She ruffs my hair. "Not a bad custom, not at all! Now, hurry. I am sure there is someone else you want to kiss more than me. But you stay with me." She grabs Zahariel for the usual hugging session.

I walk to the girl's room full of renewed enthusiasm. Time to put all the cards on the table.

I throw the door open at once, "I have something very important to talk to you..." They were bathing.

The room is full of steam and both girls are sitting on stools at the sides of a hot water tub. Helen is on my left. They each have a washcloth in their hands and for a brief moment, all three of us just froze there, startled. After a while, Helen covers herself with her arms. My head feels foggy, but I think it is the titillating scene. I am a teenager boy inside... and outside too, right now.

Helen seems slightly annoyed, "Beowulf! Can't you knock?"

"Hey, hero! Either get out or get in, but close that door right away! There is a cold draft coming in!" Marcy commands. Yes. Helen is awesome, but Marcy is...

Before I can think straight, my body had already stepped inside and closed the door behind me. It is like a moth being drawn to the light. My foot hits something. I look below, there is a rolled up rag at an angle that was probably pushed aside by the swinging door. I crouch and put the rag back in place, but freeze facing the door when I finally realize the situation I am in.

Skill Charm Resistance level 4.

I can hear dripping sounds of the bathwater falling from their bodies, feel the flowery scent of the essences they use to spice the water. The splashing sounds they make when they move around. I can hear even my own racing heart. The hazy steam of the hot water gives the whole situation a dreamy frame.

Marcy breaks the silence. "Are you going to stay there? Since you are already in here, come and take a bath. I am sure you are all sweaty from all the going back and forth you did today."

"Yes, Beowulf. Come and wash, I am sure you are tired. Don't be shy, just come."

"Helen, get that tall stool over there for him to sit on."

I guess I should take up on their invitation. I undress and trade my clothes for a clean washcloth using the item box. There is a wood grinding sound as the chair is moved next to the tub. Summoning courage, I turn around and walk to my place. Helen is covering herself with an arm, but Marcy just placed a washcloth over her chest.

Helen reassures me, "It is fine, Beowulf. Just wash."

"In fact, it is very strange that you avoided taking a bath with us all this time. What is wrong? You are red like a tomato!"

In silence, I dip the washcloth in the tub, gently squeeze the excess water and begin to rub my body with it. My mind is dizzy, the back of my head is throbbing, my heart is racing. Some voice in me screams 'why the heck didn't you shut the door the very moment you saw what was going on!'. The answer is that I froze seeing the beautiful girls naked in front of me.

"Beowulf, are you feeling well? You are trembling." Helen gets off the stool and kneels next to me. "Give me this washcloth. Let me wash you."

Marcy calls my attention and I instinctively turn to face her. This gave me a good look at her naked form. "Hey B, what is this important thing you had to talk to us that could not wait for our bath to finish?"

I shift my gaze back to the tub and answer, "I was talking to Zahariel, and I realized that I do not want to leave Marcy behind. I want you with me when I go south."

"Why do you want me?" Her voice becomes meek.

"I... Marcy is a very important person to me. The thought of being apart from you hurts me. As much as being apart from Helen. I want both of you with me."

Helen stops rubbing my back and presses herself against me. She asks softly but there is no sadness or jealousy in her voice. "Do you like Marcy?"

My sight drifts to the water pool in front of me. Do I? I know I love Helen, and surely there I feel attracted to Marcy. It has a bit of lust mixed in, but there is this warm feeling born of camaraderie and the desire to be closer. I want her. And it is not just her body. I want to walk down the street laughing again. I want a cranky Marcy to demand food from me just to beam a big smile right after I feed her.

Marcy snaps me out of my thought train. "Yes, Beowulf. Please answer. Do you like me? Look at me!"

I raise my head and look at Marcy in the eyes. She removed the washcloth that was protecting her front. Here we are. Face to face without anything to hide the truth.

As it should be. "I like Marcy. I like Helen. I want you both to be mine." My right arm reaches out for Marcy's face. She doesn't refuse or flinch. The left grabs Helen's hand that was lying on my shoulder. "Can I be selfish like that?"

My body reacts to the skinship. Marcy's gaze wanders downwards and she answers, "I like that kind of honest selfishness." She touches my hand and presses it against her cheek. "Be more honest, be more selfish. What is a country girl's heart for someone that stole a king's treasure?"

Instead of answering her I fire questions at both girls, "Does Marcy like me? Did you know, Helen?"

Helen answers first clinging to my back. "We... talked. She decided to stay behind so she wouldn't get in our way."

"... Or steal me away from you, is that it?" I feel her head bobbing up and down behind me. She is afraid.

It is a delicate situation right here. The wrong words can bring everything apart. The three of us are scared like the children with barely any life experience we are.

"Come here." I lean forward a bit and grab the back of Marcy's neck, gently pulling her in. She does not resist. I also pull on Helen's hand and spin her to my other side.

I press Marcy's head against my chest and kiss her forehead. I turn to the other side and pull Helen in by the waist, kissing her on the lips.

I say facing Marcy, "You're forbidden to sell yourself short like that. There is no amount of gold that can buy your heart. And yes, I am taking that heart for myself." And then I stare at Helen's eyes. "There is no one that can steal you away from me. Nothing can set us apart. But are you fine with me taking another girl?"

"You are not taking 'another girl'. It's Marcy. I don't mind if it is Marcy." She opens a smile. "It means the three of us will be together forever!" She gives me a passionate kiss and with her free left hand, she pats Marcy's head.

"You are unusually silent, Marcy. Is something wrong?" She makes a little hiccup. Once past the rehearsed hard shell of everyday Marcy, there is a softie inside. "You haven't answered me. Do you like me? I love Marcy. It is clear now. I love both of you."

After a long pause, Marcy looks up with a mischievous smile. She winks at Helen, faces me and says, "Hmph! Don't make me say it out loud," before taking the initiative and going for my lips.