Kierra tried not to think about her time in the Enchanted Forest. While her punishment ended rather well, the two decades of enforced solitude had been…trying. Going from the boisterous Dusk province to a life void of even the most basic pleasures had been torture. The only true kind her mother could inflict on her. Others would have cut and bled her until her resistance to pain crumbled. A futile effort with her affinity. Her cruel and crafty mother attacked her mind. Doing more damage than she intended, unaware of her daughter’s secrets.

After a while, she became accustomed to the silence. She told herself that she had even come to like it. The bustle of her home had seemed strange once she returned. Besides her strong urge to be far from her mother while still under the sway of her unusual sexual cravings, her unease being in the thick of Dusk’s bustling nature drew her to the human continent. Lou thought she had made a great sacrifice leaving her family. She always reminded her otherwise but she didn’t say that coming north had been a timely and much needed escape.

Though perhaps she had come too far north. Amazingly, Victory reminded her both of the home she had run away from and the forest that served as her prison for two decades. The fort was too quiet, especially at night, and the people’s suicidal zeal resembled the elves of Dusk far too much. The place irked her in a way few things could. She blamed it for why she had been unable to shake her bad mood and her questionable actions.

The worst being how she had pushed Lou. She would freely admit that she exerted influence on the powerful young woman in order to mold her into a more ideal partner, but she never did anything to hurt Lou or that she thought her wife would truly hate. Until the March.

In hindsight, the signs that she was pushing too hard were obvious, but she had wanted to fight. She didn’t need to think about uncomfortable things when she had enemies that needed defeating or prey to be slaughtered. The more intense the battle, the better.

When she was clawing her way through the body of the goliath, the world void of anything besides muscle that felt as tough as the bark of the trees in the Enchanted Forest, a sea of blood she could struggled not to drown in, her heart thumping with excitement, suffering from mana strain as she drained her magic like a Twilighter with a barrel of wine, the creature’s magic robbing her of all sounds, she’d been in her element.

If there had been more excitement like it, perhaps her bloodlust would have devoured her other emotions. But there were no more fights of such an epic scale and all too soon they had turned around. Marching back to the silence.

Kierra could be stubborn but she didn’t think of herself as foolish, and using violence to avoid her problems was a bit foolish. Especially when it didn’t work. When they returned to their home in the Grand Hall, she would have to…address her problems in a different way. If only to prove herself to Lou.

They had settled their grievances but a blind woman could see that things were different between them. Things might always be different but she would be a wyvern’s dinner if she didn’t do whatever she could to make sure they got better instead of worse.

That was a trial for later. Today, she had a part to play in saving the little star’s brother. As her lovers spoke with Alana’s mother, the elf knocked on the barbarian’s door.

She was rather surprised when Eleanor responded rather than Kalise. The other woman seemed similarly caught off guard, her normally stoic expression compromised by her eyes widening before she composed herself.

Kierra grinned. “Am I interrupting?”

“No,” Eleanor replied as Kalise shouted, “Yes!” from inside. Quickly followed by, “If that’s Greenie, tell her to come in. No, tell her to come in once she brings back more of that Herb stuff.”

“You don’t need any more drink,” the duke’s first wife snapped back. An arrangement Kierra shook her head at. Multiple partners were quite normal in the provinces. However, harmony in the family was also important.

Taking a lover for the night was one thing, with few consequences that needed to be considered, but to unify with another was a lifetime oath. It was unseemly to inflict a lifetime of quarreling and grudges on someone. That is why it was so important that all lovers approved of new additions to the clan. Why she had stressed to Lou the importance of selecting partners and the right of rejection. Something the people of Victory didn’t understand.

They also didn’t understand the concept of flowers. Gentle spirits like the duke’s third wife, Ariza, who had a vital role in their violent culture. The fighters challenged each other while the flowers promoted harmony. She should have been the one smoothing the tension between Eleanor and Kalise. Instead, the duke isolated her, caring only for his own peace. Leaving his other wives to butt heads until they killed each other.

Kierra strongly disapproved. If it had been her, she would have beaten the man within an inch of his life, assumed his role, and taken control of the clan herself. Though she’d never have been in such a position. Other people’s relationships weren’t her problem but, having spent too long amongst the family, she couldn’t stop herself from considering it.

“I do not have drink with me, but I think you will want to invite me inside besides.”

“We don’t have time for whatever game you are playing.”

“I want to speak to the loud one about her son.”

The blue eyes narrowed into a glare. “That’s not something to joke about.”

“I am bad with humor. Will you let me inside?”

Eleanor scrutinized her from head to toe before stepping back, opening the door wider. Kierra followed her into the room. It was cleaner than the last time she’d visited. The elf attributed that to the first wife. It certainly wouldn’t be the work of the brooding woman seated on the edge of the bed.

She looked up as they stopped beside her. “You really came empty-handed? Damn. I expected more from you, Greenie.”

“This did not seem the occasion for indulgence.”

“She wants to talk about Khan.”

Kalise sobered at the words. “And what’s brought on this sudden bout of generosity?”

“It is not generosity. It is practicality. We believe we can unravel his mind and what we find inside will be valuable, but we do not want to chain ourselves to this fort to accomplish this goal. Alana intends to petition her father to release him into her care. I told them that you would be eager to speak on his behalf.”

Kalise jumped to her feet. Her mouth opened, likely to give her quick consent, but the words were stopped by Eleanor grabbing her arm. She glared and Kalise met the look with a scowl. “It’s better than what we were going to do.”

“Simpleton. You don’t know their true intentions.”

“I just told them to you.”

Eleanor scoffed. “And that’s the end of it? No one is that simple.”

“Hold on, mama cat.” Kalise pulled her arm free of Eleanor’s grasp. “I may not know a lot of things, but I know about her kind. She doesn’t play your games. Isn’t that right, elf?”

Kierra grinned. “I do love games, but this is not the occasion.”

“Yeah.”

“Kalise—"

“I know want you want to say but I really don’t care one way or the other. All that matters is that she wants to help. I want to listen to what she has to say because, right now, all our plans are shit.”

“Infuriating woman. You do understand that things can get worse, don’t you?”

“How? We’d be walking under stormy skies for the rest of our lives if we sneak Khan out of Victory. If Greenie wants to take the risk, I say we let her and thank her for the sacrifice.”

“You are welcome but there is no risk. Your husband will give us your son willingly.”

Some of Kalise’s excitement waned. “You got a miracle in your pocket?”

“Wait.”

“Oh, so now I’m the one doubting?”

Eleanor shook her head. “If they think they can convince our lord to pardon Khan, then there truly is no risk. If they are not inciting the hatred of the north, and by consequence forfeiting the assets promised to them by the March, I’m more willing to trust their motives. The question now is, what do you want for your help?”

Kierra shook her head. “The two of you are determined to make this complicated. Very well. Shall we say a future favor from each of you?” One thing she did hate about living amongst humans was their wily nature. Deception was rare amongst her people. There was no need when it crumbled so easily before true strength. It got tiring after a while.

“That’s it?”

“Is there anything else you can offer my clan?”

“…I suppose not.”

“Good. Then, shall we discuss your roles?”