fandomania | The Adventure continues...

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Our eggs:

Our hatchlings:

Donal was still dead to the world when I got up the next morning. I quickly dressed and went to check on the two boys. They too were sound asleep. I then went to the nursery where I found Yusaf awake and sucking on his toes. However, when he saw me he decided that breakfast was more important. I picked him up and once in the rocking chair, I started nursing him, singing to him as he fed. When I finished one song and was about to start another, I noticed some movement to the right of me. It was Maxel, still in his night clothes. His little face looked so sad, with tears running down his cheeks. “I was having a bad dream. May I sit in your lap, please?”

“Okay. If you want to. Just be careful of the baby.”

He climbed up onto my lap and let me cuddle him a bit. I started to sing another song and rocked back and forth as I did. Midway through the song, Maxel pulled on my dress and began to suck on my other breast just as Yusaf was doing. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. But he seemed to need the bonding that nursing brought, so I decided to let him continue. I wondered what kind of motherly affection he had received in his short life. Given the description of his mother from Donal, I felt that he needed to be mothered and I was willing to do that for him, not only because he was Donal’s son, but also because he seemed to be a child who must have been so unloved and neglected.

Yusaf finished quickly thereafter and I noticed that Maxel had fallen asleep. Fortunately, one of the maids came in and I gave Yusaf to her to take care of. I carefully got up and carried Maxel back to his bed.

I spent the rest of the morning with my usual duties, checking in on the new boys every so often to make sure they were coping all right. I also checked in on Donal periodically as he continued to sleep.

Donal finally woke up about an hour before dinner. He stirred as I walked into the room. He stretched his arms sinuously as he wakened unintentionally showing off his well-muscled arms and his nicely defined chest and shoulders. Just watching such unconscious movements as that stirred me. He then opened his beautiful emerald green eyes and smiled at me broadly.

“Good … um … morning?” he asked hesitantly.

“Evening,” I answered briefly.

“Ah. Hopefully, dinner is soon, because I am starving.”

“Chef Ifon says it will be ready in an hour.”

“Good” was what he said as he lithely got up and went to the privy. Afterwards, I heard him splashing in the bathroom. He returned to the bedroom stark naked and showing me for the thousandth time how beautiful his body was.

“I am so hungry,” he said. “Would you bring me an appetizer?”

“Sure,” I replied. “What would you like?”

“You” he said, as he pulled me tightly to his body. He then kissed me deeply, thoroughly and completely until my knees started to give out and my body became enflamed with desire. He then laid me back onto the bed and quickly undressed me. He then proceeded to make slow, sweet, achingly wonderful love to me.

When we were finished, as we lay entangled in each other, Donal said to me in a passion-filled voice, “I love you so much that it hurts so badly when we are apart. You dominated my thoughts every night I was away, because I missed having you in my arms. I missed feeling your body under mine when you give yourself to me and writhe in ecstasy at my touch. I missed having you there to talk with, share thoughts with and help me get through the tough times together. Thank you for being my friend, my lover, my wife and the mother of my children. I know that I don’t say this often enough. I am resolved to express my love to you every day. You deserve no less.”

Without giving me a chance to respond in kind, Donal started to make love to me again, but we were interrupted when Mahli and Nichol knocked on the bedroom door to inform us that dinner was ready to be served. After we were dressed, I asked Mahli to ask Chef Ifon if we could have our dinner again in the nursery.

“I would milady, but the children have already had their dinner an hour ago.”

“Really? I didn’t authorize that. Do you know who did?”

“No, ma’am. I don’t.”

So Donal and I changed our plans and had dinner with the other adult members of the family. I realized that I had been hiding in my room and grieving alone too long. I found I was ready to start being more social and I allowed my family to help me be happy again. It was good also to have adult conversations once more.

Donal was also watching me like a hawk as I ate. If I put a small spoonful of something on my plate, he then asked me add more. When I protested, he said very matter-of-factly, “Love, when I left here ten weeks ago, you were a beautiful woman with a lush, curvaceous body that drove me mad with desire. I returned to find you still beautiful and still desirable, but your body is now way too thin. Almost painfully thin, in my opinion. I love you and will always love you however you look, but, please, give me back that wonderful body of yours? You can’t do that if you don’t eat.”

“But if I eat all that, I will get fat. Do you want me to be obese?”

“No, love, I just want you to be healthy. Think about it, please?”

I found that I could eat a bit more and I even ate some dessert just to please him.

Afterwards, we did have to return to the nursery playroom where our children were gathered. The oldest were studying for school, with Izshaq supervising them as he dandled Yusaf on his knee. The younger ones were playing with each other and Donal and I joined in their games. I did have to stop playing for a while, because Yusaf, Eryssa and the twins needed their nighttime feedings before going to sleep.

Yusaf had been fed and already asleep, while I suckled Eryssa. She was almost finished, when I found Maxel standing next to me looking very envious. When she was done, I put her back into her crib and I returned to the rocking chair. Maxel eagerly climbed into my lap and began to nurse almost immediately. Ten minutes later, he was fast asleep. As I carefully got up to take him to bed, I noticed Donal in the doorway watching the two of us. He looked lost in thought.

“Yes, Donal, I know he is too old for this, but he seems to need it. I don’t mind at all. I think that this will help him feel part of our family. I am sure he will outgrow it when he feels more secure.”

Donal nodded in agreement and then took Maxel from me, saying that he wanted to put him to bed. So I went and got Vâlen and Gælen and gave them their bedtime milk. Watching them at my breasts reminded me that they soon would be old enough to be weaned. I sighed and pondered how rapidly my children were growing. When Donal returned, he helped me put his sons to bed. Then gradually, one by one, the rest went to bed on their own, but I went and tucked them all in before they went to sleep.

When I finished and returned to the nursery, Donal and Izshaq were having a very long and earnest discussion. I decided not to intrude, especially since I could tell from their body languages that they were enjoying themselves. I felt it was a good thing for them to get to know each other better. I left them there and took myself off to bed. I don’t know how late it was when Donal came to bed because it was very dark. He woke me up, made love to me again and we drifted off to sleep together.

The next morning, when I woke up, Donal was no longer in bed. Surprised, I got dressed and went to find where he had gone. I eventually found him with Izshaq, Captain Quinton and several of the guards in the weapons training area of the compound. They were going through exercises that were part of the unarmed combat form. Watching Donal and the others bare-chested and moving as they warmed up their muscles sent my pulse racing. They were a very beautiful sight to see. So graceful and manly and totally unaware of their affect on me.

My life fell back into the familiar routine that I had had before Donal had left. The two boys gradually started fitting in with the other children. Maxel and Loysa seemed to become great friends and they were always playing together. Maxel’s desire to nurse gradually tapered off as he felt more and more at home. It wasn’t long before he started calling me Mommy like the rest of the children.

While Donal did his combat training, Orlando finally started schooling me in magic. I still wasn’t the best student he had ever had, but this time, I wasn’t completely hopeless. He encouraged me a lot, telling me that I would have been better if my training had started at puberty, as all other magic users did, when a human’s mind was more open and flexible to learning. He said that it would take me longer because I had many more obstacles to overcome because of my age. However, he said that I had the potential to do awesome magic. I just needed extra time and persistence to achieve this.

It seemed that Donal’s training left him tired briefly when he finished for the day. Over the next week he grew stronger and more alive as the days went by. On the other hand, my daily training left me exhausted. By dinnertime, I could barely stay awake long enough to eat. I probably would have gone to bed without dinner, except that Donal insisted I eat. Although I had gained some weight, Donal still felt that I was still too thin. Donal was especially unhappy when we were making love, I fell asleep before he could finish. Several times, I heard Donal and Orlando arguing, although neither of them would tell me why. They always stopped when I came within earshot.

At the end of that week, a message was received that Piatrus’ ship had been sighted and that it would dock at Garmay the next day.

True to form, the family wanted to throw a huge party welcoming their patriarch back home. So plans were made, the house was thoroughly cleaned, all his favorite foods were made and his favorite wines were retrieved from the cellar. The whole house and the whole compound were made to look festive. Just before noon, everyone climbed into carriages and drove to the port to welcome Piatrus as he disembarked.

A couple of hours later, the ship, the Merry Nell, came into port. They brought the port pilot on board and small boats were used to slowly tow the larger ship to the dock, where it was fastened to the pier with huge ropes.

When Captain Bayard ordered the gangway lowered, Piatrus finally came out of the main cabin. He looked as if the voyage had agreed with him. He looked tanner that he had been before he left. He seemed to have a spring in his step, but his face was as usual. He wasn’t a man who let his emotions show on his face, especially in public. He was wearing his usual black outfit, which showed off his tall, slender body. He looked like a man much younger that he actually was, only his white hair contrasting his unwrinkled face.

Behind him, emerging also from the main cabin, came a young girl with great, but exotic, beauty. She was barely five feet tall. Her hair was black as jet, her skin the color of pearl, her lips as red as rubies and her beautiful jade green eyes were unusually shaped; just like almonds. She was wearing a red silk robe with a long train, embroidered in gold, with huge sleeves that hung to the ground. The robe was held together by a black and gold sash which was tied together with a small bow in the front. Her lustrous hair was pulled back away from her face and fixed into a knot, which was covered by an elaborate hair comb made of gold, with many rubies and pearls. Her only other decoration was earrings of gold, rubies and pearls that showed off her long elegant neck. She took very small, mincing steps that made her look like she was floating and that seemed to allow her to keep her robe in place and her pose was flawless.

She was quickly followed by two older women, also exotic looking, with much plainer robes of cotton. They appeared to be the girl’s maids. As Piatrus walked down the gangplank, the girl followed him but kept her distance.

When everyone was off the ship, the family came forward to greet and hug Piatrus. He accepted everything with his usual somber mien. When everyone had a chance to greet him, he walked over to the girl, who gracefully kneeled and kowtowed before him, as did her maids. Piatrus motioned the girl to stand, but she stayed kneeling. They exchanged some words in a foreign language.

“Okiru! Haji-o-kakaseruyo:na!” Piatrus barked at her. [Get up! You are embarrassing me!]

“Iie! Kono tekisetsuna watashi-no dekurasse!” She replied in an excited tone. [No! This is appropriate for my status!]

Piatrus frowned at her severely. He sighed and turned back to the family.

“This is Su Wei. She is my …” he struggled to find the correct word.

The girl smiled, bowing down again and then said in a sweet melodic voice, “I am your saseko; your whore.”