"I'm so glad we were able to settle this in a civilized manner." Said Radulo as he poured some wine into his glass.
"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." Said Jero.
"See?" He looked up at his husband, "You had nothing to worry about. You were just being paranoid." He chuckled.
"I suppose you have a point." Jero rubbed the back of his neck as he peered down, feeling very sheepish.
Radulo took a step closer to him and placed his hand on the bearded man's shoulder, "I appreciate your concern, my love." He spoke in a soft tone.
He looked up at Radulo, "Really? You didn't think I was being too annoying?"
Radulo shook his head, "I don't think you were being annoying at all. Paranoid? Yes, definitely. But annoying? No."
Jero gave him a soft smile, "Thank you, dear."
Radulo leaned in and kissed him, causing Jero to kiss him back.
Saphrin and Mairey were in the living room with Lemar. Mairey was holding a glass of wine while the lass was drinking some fruit punch.
"I can't believe I lost." The young lad sighed.
"I can't believe General DiMero let you step foot in this house after you tried to kill him." Said Mairey, "Why did he even invite you here?"
"My uncle says that Lemar is only allowed near me if he stops trying to date me." Explained Saphrin.
"I doubt that's going to last long," said the elvish woman, "It won't take long for Lemar to go back to hitting on you again."
"Oh, shut it, darkie!" The lad snapped at her.
"Hey! Don't talk like that to my best friend or else my uncle will throw you out."
Lemar looked down and sighed, "Alright, alright."
"Apologize to her."
He looked up at the lass, "What? For what?"
"For calling her a darkie."
"But …" He sighed, "Fine, I will!" He faced Mairey, "I'm sorry I called you that." He spoke in a very insincere tone.
"I accept." Responded the elvish woman, smirking.
Lemar looked over at Saphrin, "Moria, where's the bathroom in your house?"
Saphrin pointed to the door that led into the hallway, "Take a left after you pass the dining room."
"Thank you, m'lady." The lad then left the living room. As he walked down the hall, he hung his head as he reminisced about his failure.
Mairey looked at the lass, "So how was school, Moria?"
Saohrin shrugged, "Not bad but not great either." She sighed in relief, "I'm just glad that I'm finally done with school and ready for the adult world. What about you, Mairey?"
"I have a few more months to go before I can graduate from Heishter." Explained the elvish woman.
"That must be really exciting!" Saphrin smiled, "Do you know what you wanna do once you graduate?"
Mairey sighed and shook her head, "No, I don't, lass. But I'll figure it out soon … I hope."
"Oh ... Well how's babysitting for that pub owner going?"
"Great, actually!" The elvish woman smiled, "His daughter is so adorable and such a well manner child. She really likes it when I read to her. She recently started reading her favorite books all on her own."
"She sounds like such a fast learner." Said the lass, sounding quite impressed.
"She most definitely is!"
How did I lose so badly? Lemar wondered, I'm such a good swordsman and the blade I used was a very extravagant, expensive one that father bought for me. It was even made at the hands of dwarves. That's the only thing those abhorrent beings are good for, yet they've failed me in that department. He sighed, All those years of training have gone to waste.
As he passed by the kitchen, he heard the sound of Jero and Radulo conversing with one another.
"I'm so glad everything turned out the way it did," said Jero, "I was so worried that my vision would come true."
The moment he heard that, Lemar stopped near the door and hid behind the wall. Vision? What are they talking about? Wondered the young lad.
"But look at everything now," responded Radulo, "We're both alive and well, our home isn't ablaze, and our daughter is safe."
'Our'?! But Moria is just Mr. Wischtara's child.
"You're right, dear," Jero smiled, "I should really stop paying attention to those odd dreams I keep having. By the way, do you have any ideas on what our daughter should do after school?"
"To be honest, I'm not really sure. You know I'm not the type to dictate what our child does with her life. However, there aren't many places that would accept a female knight."
"How about a guild? A mercenary guild to be exact."
A mercenary guild?! For a lady such as herself? That's so inappropriate for a woman. No guild would accept her.
"Sounds like a terrific idea, dear!" Radulo smiled, "Tomorrow, we can help Moria find a nice guild she can join."
Jero gave him a quick nod, "Sounds like a plan!"
Radulo wrapped his arm around Jero's waist and pulled him in close before the two of them kissed each other on the lips.
"I love you, my dear." Said Radulo.
"I love you too, my love." Responded Jero.
Wait a minute! Those two are … Lovers? Thought Lemar as he stared at them in shock, So not only are they homosexuals, but General DiMero is also intimate with his late sister's widower? The young lad paused for a moment as he made a small analysis, Which means that Moria was raised by two men after the death of her mother. That explains why she doesn't act like a proper lady. If her mother was still in her life, then she would've accepted my proposal a long time ago.
"I'm gonna head to the living room and let the kids know that the sandwiches are ready." Said Jero.
"Alright, I'll be in the dining room in a few minutes." Replied Radulo. The two men leaned in and kissed each other on the lips before the shorter man left the kitchen through the other door. Radulo took a sip from his wine glass as he watched his husband leave the room.
Now is my chance! Thought Lemar, I must make things right so that I shall get the girl and do a great justice to society by getting rid of that disgusting sodmer. He entered the kitchen with sheer confidence and a smug look on his face.
A few hours later, Mairey and Lemar had finally left the DiMero/Wischtara house. Once the sun began to set, everyone got into their night attire and climbed into their beds. A few hours later, Jero slowly woke up once he realized that he was alone in his bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before something caught his attention. A small, folded piece of paper on the nightstand which had his name on it. He moved over to the nightstand, while still on the bed, before he turned on his lamp and picked it up. He opened the note and read it slowly. His expression then quickly shifted as the more he read, the more unnerved he became. The door to Saphrin's room opened abruptly, causing the lass to suddenly wake up.
"Dad?" Asked Saphrin as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Moria," began the man, in a very urgent tone, "We need to leave!"
"Huh?" She seemed very alarmed as she hopped out of bed, "Why? What's going on?"
"No time to explain," said Jero as he placed a large suitcase on her bed, "Pack up your things. I'm going to get Mairey. We need to leave as soon as possible."