Every head turned to stare at Aiden as he walked with Laela and Arianna beside him and the attention was so intense it felt almost suffocating.

Arianna leaned closer and whispered to both Aiden and Laela.

"According to some of stories I've heard, some of these women have never even seen what a man looks like," she said quietly. "They live completely separate from the rest of the world."

They continued walking until they reached a large structure near the center of the settlement that served as the palace and

Selara dismounted again before turning to face them. "Lady Thalyra is yet to return from the coronation," she explained.

"She's on her way back as we speak but regardless of that we can make provisions for you within certain chambers in the quarters. You'll be comfortable there while you wait."

Aiden shook his head. "We don't intend to stay," he said firmly. "We just want to be on our way."

Selara smiled slightly. "It would be discourteous of us to let you leave without proper hospitality," she replied. "And of course we don't intend to keep you here against your will, but we would like to provide you with a guide who can help you with your journey toward Dellheim."

She paused and met his eyes. "I guarantee you'll need the guide's help to find Dellheim much faster than you would on your own.

Moving to that place is filled with uncertainty and you'll most likely find nobody on the road who can describe the right path to take."

Aiden considered this and glanced at Laela and Arianna who both looked at him and nodded in agreement.

He turned back to Selara and gave a single nod. "Fine."

"Excellent," Selara said with satisfaction. "The guide I have in mind went to the coronation with the queen and will be back with her tonight. Until then please make yourselves comfortable."

They were ushered into private chambers that were spacious and well-furnished with soft cushions and carved wooden furniture, and once they were inside Selara turned to Aiden with a polite smile.

"If you have any need for women who can keep you company during your stay," she began carefully, "we can arrange that."

Laela and Arianna both shot angry stares at her immediately and raised their left hands to reveal the engagement rings on their fingers.

Arianna gestured between herself and Laela. "He has all the care he could possibly need," she said sharply.

Laela nodded and muttered in agreement. "More than enough."

Selara's eyes widened slightly and she bowed her head. "My apologies," she said quickly. "I meant no offense."

She then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

The moment the door shut, Aiden came up behind both women and slipped his hands down to grab their backsides with a sly grin.

"You're right about one thing," he said playfully. "I do have all the care I could possibly need."

Both women chuckled and Aiden pulled them toward the bed until all three of them fell onto it together with Laela and Arianna landing on either side of him.

Outside the room, Selara called over several maid servants and gave them instructions. "Go see to it that our guests are well fed and that all their requests are fulfilled," she said firmly. "Show them the proper respect they deserve."

Not long after, there was a knock on the door and when Aiden called out for them to enter, a serving Amazon stepped inside carrying a tray of food.

She was young with orange hair tied back and moved quietly as she set the tray down on the table near the bed.

Aiden was leaning back against the headboard with both Laela and Arianna resting on his chest and he spoke without looking at the servant. "I can feel mana around this place," he said thoughtfully. "But I'm not sure if the women of Yul'thera use magic."

Laela nodded slightly. "They practically look like warriors, not mages."

The maid servant who had just finished setting down the tray turned boldly and spoke up.

"That's because the type of magic we practice involves borrowing from the gods when it's needed," she said clearly.

All three of them looked at her in surprise and the servant's eyes widened as if she'd just realized she'd spoken out of turn. "I apologize," she said quickly and turned to leave.

"Wait," Aiden said and held up one hand. "It's fine. Explain further so I can understand."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The girl hesitated for a moment before moving back toward them and her posture relaxed slightly as she began to explain. "My name is Aeris," she said.

"The gods grant Amazons many things. Each of us is at least twice as strong as any man and we possess speed and durability that no regular human can naturally achieve."

She paused and gestured vaguely toward the window where other Amazons could be seen moving through the settlement. "When we have need for spells, we call on a god directly and they lend us their magic so we can use it. We don't channel mana the way other mages do, we borrow power from divine sources when the situation requires it."

Her face turned sour at that point and her voice took on a bitter edge. "Unfortunately we also owe the gods our existence," she said quietly. "Unable to…"

She stopped abruptly and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I've spoken too much."

Before anyone could respond, Aeris bowed deeply and turned to leave the room in a hurry, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

The three of them glanced at each other with confusion written on their faces and for a moment no one spoke.

After a long pause, Laela shifted against Aiden's chest and looked up at him. "Can we talk about what happened earlier?" she asked.

"When did you suddenly become that violent against people who pose you no threat?"

Arianna nodded and propped herself up on one elbow. "Right before you attacked them, you also referred to them in such a condescending manner," she added.

"This has been a growing concern because you've spoken like that before and it's getting worse."

She was referring to that time at the guild and once or twice after then.

Aiden looked genuinely surprised and his brow furrowed as if he was processing something he hadn't fully realized until now. "I didn't realize I was doing that," he said quietly after a moment.

He let out a long sigh and ran one hand through his hair. "It's the dragon's curse," he admitted. "It's rooting in much further. I see it's influencing how I've begun to see things."

He sighed again, then said. "I'll deal with it I promise."

Laela reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "We're not angry," she said softly. "We're just worried about you."

Arianna nodded in agreement.

Aiden then pulled them both closer and held them against him. "I know," he said quietly. "And I'm grateful for that."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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