Chapter 3

“Yes.” I didn’t hide anything from Gorum. There was no point, too, especially because he already knew what I was and what the Dragon Maiden was entitled. 

“What is she talking about, Gorum?” Khor walked over towards his brother, trying to find the answer which he couldn’t quite understand what was going on. “What is this Dragon Maiden that you speak of?”

Gorum didn’t answer Khor’s answer. Instead, he took a deep breath and let out a sigh. With a nod, he spoke. “That’s wonderful to hear. How many Legendary Weapons have you gotten?”

I tilted my head, confused about the answer he was asking. 

‘Wait, brother. What do you mean Legendary Weapon?” Khor asked, baffled by his brother’s words. “How in the world would she be able to get the weapon? That’s impossible.” 

“No, it’s not,” Khor spoke, cutting off his brother’s words, who seem to rant on and on. 

“The Legendary Weapon is missing, and you’re saying she has it? What kind of preposterous notion is that?”

“Khor,” Gorum spoke with a gruff voice, telling him enough. 

Khor went silent. He knew instantly that his brother wasn’t to please with his constant chatter. 

“What do you mean, how many am I supposed to have?” I asked, wondering if this was a trick question.

“Well, your mother had only five with her.” 

“Five?” Wondering if that was the normal number, “But what if I have all eight?” I asked because it wasn’t making any sense. 

“Eight?!” Gorum exclaimed at the number of legendary weapons I had. “Does that mean you have a Bone Crusher?!” He was excited at such a thought.

“Yes.” I slowly nodded my head, getting uncomfortable at his stare, which seemed to sparkle. 

“Your mother never had the  Bone Crusher on her. It was Mockingbird, Gala, Laurel, Pulse, and Starlight. I wonder when she has gotten the rest.” 

“Wait, can you explain.” I raised up my hand to stop him from continuing the conversation from diverging away from the topic. 

“As in?”

“Why does my mother only have five? Is that normal?”

“No.” Gorum shook his head, “Most of the time, the Dragon Maiden only has three weapons on her while the others are either missing or the kingdom held on to them. Most of the time, the Dragon Maiden only has one or two of them depending on the circumstances to counter the Legendary Creatures that Spawn that year.” 

“Oh….” I thought over what he had said. 

“I’m guessing my mother told you this?”

“Yes.” Gorum shook his head. “She hasn’t told me much more than that.” 

“I see…”

Khor eventually couldn’t hold it in anymore. He spoke in excitement. “You have the Bone Crusher on you? Could I see it?” He asked, hoping that I would show it. 

“Khor.” Gorum gave him a glare. 

“What brother? This is THE Bone Crusher” Khor was jumping up and down. 

“Yes. I know.” Gorum rolled his eyes, getting annoyed at his brother. 

“We haven’t seen the Bone Crusher for over five thousand years. For her to have it is like saying that we have a chance to see it.” Khor said excitedly, shuffling his way over towards her. He rubbed his hand. 

“I-” I was suddenly cut off by Gorum.

“Khor!” Gorum said with an angry voice at his brother, “respect the Dragon Maiden. For she has the faith of our people’s lives in her hands.” He hissed, displeased at how his brother was reacting. 

In that instant, Khor realized what his brother was implying as he paled. “My apologies, my lady.” He bowed, shaking. 

I couldn’t help but stare at the two, unsure how to take in their action. To hear such respect from Gorum threw me off at the same time didn’t realize that I had such power over their people. It didn’t hit me until now that he had said to make me realize that there was more to this than I thought. 

“It’s alright,” I replied, getting uncomfortable at the way they were looking at me. At any moment now, I was afraid that they would burst out singing praises and kissing my feet at the level of intensity they were giving me. 

“I was going to show it to you guys anyway.” I tried to wave away the awkwardness as quickly as possible.  

“Thank you.” Gorum nodded, relieved at my answer. 

Closing my eyes, I drew upon my powers. I could feel the magical flow spread across my core and every reaches of my body as golden energy poured out around me. The magic swirled and condensed, forming into a ball. The golden light brightly shone forth as a massive battle hammer appeared floating in mid-air. 

With a loud thunk, the Hammer slammed into the ground, creating a large indentation. Both Gorum and Khor gasped. Streams of tears erupted from Gorum eyes, relieved to see the majestic Hammer appear before them undamaged. On the other hand, Khor was frozen in place, breathing hard. 

I opened up my eyes, a bit tired from summoning the weapon itself. With a huff, I clasped my hands in front of me and walked over to check out the Legendary Battle Hammer. Upon inspection, I was awed at the intricate design of the Hammer itself. 

Engraved neatly in jagged letters were ancient symbols that read, “To the Beholder, I give you strength. To the Beholder, I give you Courage. To the Beholder, I give you Eternal Flames.” I was quite taken back from being able to understand the words that were written on the handle itself. The handle was wrapped tightly with tan leather, while the edge of the battle hammer had three distinct red feathers that seemed to light up like fire, flickering and swaying with the gentle breeze. 

“Amazing!” Khor was excited as he stumbled over to get a better look. He reached out to grab the handle, the Hammer hissed and crackled, lighting up into flames. With a yelp, Khor pulled back his hand, afraid to get burnt. 

“You idiot!” Gorum smacked him against his head. “You don’t just casually touch the hammer as if it’s a normal weapon.” He hissed. 

“But-”

“It chooses its master, and if you’re not careful and you are the wrong one, you will get burnt!”

“I just-”

“Next time, think before you act.” 

“But-”

Gorum pulled Khor’s ears, bringing him back next to him. It was kind of funny to watch the two. I couldn’t help but chuckle and smile. 

“Why don’t you try?” I asked Gorum, “You could possibly be its new master.” I waved my hand in front of myself to tell him to go and test it out. 

“I-” Gorum stood still in his place while I waited, wondering if he was the next Hero. 

Gorum took a step forward, looking over towards the battle hammer anxiously. He then took another, this time much more confident than before. The moment he reached out, the magical flames burst forward, creating a spark of fire. 

At first, Gorum flinched. He has shook and sweated. He gulped, unable to move. It took a few more seconds for him to move forward again. This time the fire increased in size and ferocity. 

I watched, realizing that this was a test. Wondering if Gorum was able to push past the second blaze of flames and courageous grab the hilt. As Gorum got even closer, the fire burst blueish white. The fire’s heat was ten times stronger than before to the point that I could even feel its heat hitting my skin. 

Gorum sweated profusely, his hand shook, and I could see his fingers turning red as blisters formed. He was inches away when he couldn’t go forward any longer as he pulled back his hand. 

I sighed, realizing instantly that he didn’t have what it took to get to the last push. 

With trembling hands, I saw the savage burnt, leaving an ugly scar. Gorum winced in pain, holding his hand tucked to his chest. 

“I am sorry you’re not the one,” I replied, knowing full well that the burn on his hand would leave an ugly scar. 

 Gorum grimaced hearing what I had said. He nodded, stepping back.

“Brother, you alright?” Khor asked worriedly; seeing his brother with a badly burnt hand, he knew his outcome if he was the one who attempted to grab the legendary Hammer himself. 

“Yes.” Gorum weakly chuckled, “it’s just a slight burn.” 

“That’s not a slight burn.” Khor chastised his brother. “We need to get you healed right away.” 

“I’m fine,” Gorum replied, pulling his arm away from his brother. 

I stepped forward, drawing the Legendary Battle Hammer back to me as it magically disappeared. Then I walked over towards Gorum, taking a look at his badly damaged hand. 

“Give me your hand,” I commanded power in my voice. 

Gorum looked up, wondering what I would do. He didn’t say anything else and complied, sticking it out in front of him. 

I reached over, my hand glowing white. A soft tickle of warm energy spilled out from me, wrapping itself around Gorum’s hand. Quickly, the burnt healing was healed in moments, leaving behind a fresh skin tissue. But upon finishing, I noticed a deep patter of fiery scar on his hand, telling me that it would never be fully healed. 

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have a scar,” I said, saddened by how far my healing could go. 

“It’s nothing to worry about, Dragon Maiden,” Gorum spoke, happy that his hand wasn’t hurting him anymore. “This is just a reminder, that is all.” 

I took a step back, tilting my head. 

Phil spoke, bringing all their attention back to him. “Well then, with the appearance of the Legendary Weapon, I’m quite sure you guys don’t need the crystals anymore.” 

“Yes,” Gorum spoke, agreeing with Phil. “We will go back to inform our people about the appearance of the Legendary Weapon: Bone Crusher and its Maiden.” 

Even though Gorum wasn’t chosen, he was still excited at the prospect of what this entitled. 

“This isn’t enough,” Khor spoke with a frown. “The king won’t just go off of words, you know. He would want proof.” 

“The proof is on my hands,” Gorum spoke angrily at the thought of their king not wanting to free their parents.

“They won’t believe it. You know that.” Khor was getting frustrated at his brother’s words. 

“They need something more tangible. Instead, he will think everything we said is a joke.” 

Gorum grunted, knowing full well what his brother meant. It was something that they couldn’t figure out by themselves, mostly because they couldn’t bring the battle hammer with them. 

“You know, I could make a recording for you guys,” I replied, hoping that this would help their predicament. 

“Recording?” They asked, not quite understanding what was going on. 

“Yes, I have a few things back at the Elven city that I need to get to make it,” I replied. It wasn’t such a big deal, plus it didn’t take too much time and effort. 

“You could do this for us?”

I nodded, the thought of them creating a cursed weapon wasn’t something that I wanted, and from the looks of it, Phil wasn’t going to give up the crystals any time soon. This whole cave was his sanctuary, and he wasn’t going to let anyone vandalize it. 

“Thank you.” Gorum gratefully spoke, relieved that the major problem was solved. 

“Well then, is that good enough for you, Phil?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. 

He grunted, turning around to leave. 

“It seems like it.” 

We followed behind Phil, leaving the cave behind. As we stepped out, Phil raised up his hands towards us as magic flowed through his palm. 

“Wha-at?” Khor stuttered, looking with wide eyes at Phil’s action. “Are you trying to kill us?”

Phil didn’t say anything. He sent out a burst of magic, which went straight towards Khor.

With a yelp, Khor dove out of harm’s way, splashing into the water itself. 

A blast of energy smashed into the cave wall, leaving behind a pile of rocks. The entrance was destroyed. I glanced over my shoulder and back at Phil. 

“Did you have to do all that?” I asked. 

“Yes.” Phil turned around, strutting forward as if nothing was wrong. 

I wanted to sigh but couldn’t. Phil was the type of person who would do whatever he wanted, and it was already hard enough to stop him. There was no point anyway, mostly because he was sporadic in what he did. 

“Hey! Elf!” Khor shook his hand in frustration at the sudden attack. He swam over, fuming. 

“You could have killed me!” 

With a grunt, Khor pulled himself up. He shook himself like a dog, drying the best he could. I had to step back not to get wet. 

“You’re fine, aren’t you?” Phil rolled his eyes. 

“No! My heart almost exploded out of my chest!” 

“Highly doubt it.”

“You don’t know that!” 

“Whatever.” Phil trudged through the forest, leaving us behind. 

“Elf!” Khor ran after him, not letting him go. 

“My name is not elf!” Phil’s voice rang out in the forest as the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, busting through the forest floor as Khor followed after. “It’s Phil.”

Gorum gave me an apologetic look. Embarrassed, he scratched his neck. 

“Well then, shall we go?” I asked, knowing full well that the two would be a loud bunch as we headed back to the elven forest. 

#####

A pleasant breeze whistled past us, bringing with it a welcoming smell of breaded honey. I couldn’t help but sniff the air with glee at the thought of the beautiful scent. My lips quivered, and my mouth salivated. These elves knew how to stir up my taste buds because I could smell food a good distance away. 

The moment we stepped into the city’s entranceway, I could hear the rustling of lively chatter, echoing out with a welcoming tone. 

“We’re here~” I spoke in glee at the thought of tasting the delicious homemade bakery that seemed to fill up my very nose. Just the idea of food made my stomach grumble with excitement to taste the chewy dough that melted in my mouth. 

Looking from left to right, I searched for the first sign of the bakery. My nose lifted up in the air, following the sweet call of honey-filled bread.

“What is she doing?” Khor asked, looking at me curiously.

“She smells food.” Phil bluntly replied instantly, knowing precisely what I was doing without thinking.

“Really?” Khor grunted, sniffing the air in the hopes of finding the source of food that I was smelling. “I don’t smell anything but flowers and…more flowers.” 

I didn’t listen to any of them as the draw of food drew me to a store. My feet scampered forward, taking me instantly to the source. 

“I found it!” I squelched in delight at the delicious food in front of me. My hands hit the glass window, seeing the honey backed bread with starry eyes.

“Miss.” A soft but beautiful lark like voice spoke towards me gently. 

I glanced up, and my mouth dropped. “Such a pretty lady.” I instantly spoke, realizing that it wasn’t normal for me to blurt out something like that. Mostly because most of the elven ladies were unearthly beautiful themselves. But this lady, something about her scar-faced look, gave her an enchanting look. She wore it proudly as if it was some kind of badge of honor, staring intensely into my eyes, not afraid of what people would say. The confidence she gave off was enchanting, almost lustrously exciting.

That wasn’t all. The clothes the lady wore were earthy in color, giving her a homely feel. It wasn’t too revealing or obnoxiously crazy, also giving her class. 

“Why, thank you.” She gave me a bewitching smile, winking at me. “Is there anything that fancy you today?”

I nodded, my stomach grumbled, telling me that I needed to eat now. “I’ll take the honey bread, please.”

“How many?”

“Could I have….” I thought it over. The thought of only having one sounded like a bad idea, mostly because I couldn’t savory the bread’s sweet taste for long periods. If I stopped there, I would probably hit myself for wanting more. “Ten, please.” 

“No problem,” She walked over, picking up some honey bread with a tongue. She put it in a clear plastic bag and tied it up with a pink bow. I fished in my pocket, pulling out some silver coins, and slipped it towards her. 

Gratefully, she took the coins and spoke. “Come again.” 

I snatched the bread from the counter and greedily chuckled. “Oh, I will.” Smacking my lips a few times, I picked through the bread to see which one of the ten I would eat first. Instantly, I realized that there was one extra bread in my package.

Spinning around, I looked over towards her. She gave me a wink, telling me it was a secret between us. I gratefully took it with a slight nod as I dashed out of the store. 

Taking bread out of the bag, I slipped it into my mouth. 

“Delicious~” I spoke in excitement, munching it with fervor. 

“Oh?” Phil came over beside me. 

I raised up to take another bite, he snuck in. With a chomp, he took a large chunk of my bread. 

“Hey!”  I replied in an annoyed screech for stealing my food. “That’s mine!”

“Sharing is caring.” 

“Not on my watch,” I replied, stuffing the rest into my mouth. My cheeks were full like a chipmunk. 

Phil gulped, eating all the food in one go. “If you eat all that, you might get a bit….” He looks me up and down. He coughed once. 

“Rude,” I spoke, huffing. 

“How cute.” He chuckled, “if you eat too fast, you’re going to choke.” 

I gulped, “I’m not.” 

“Anyways, let’s go get things done for now.” Phil licked his lips.

“We have all the time in the world,” I stated. There was no way I would gobble up this food so quickly to the point where I didn’t enjoy it. 

“You want to lug these dwarves around with you all day?” He asked, raising up his eyebrow at me, then he crossed his arm. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” I replied. “After I finish this. I’ll go and make what they need.” 

Khor and Gorum walked over, watching me eat the bread. It disappeared like water as I inhaled the food one after the other. 

“You should slow down,” Gorum replied.

“I will,” I took another bite. 

We continued onwards. I enjoyed my honey bread, half shoving and half gulping it down in one bite after another. Our trip down the elven city was a lot more peaceful than I thought. By now, I would have assumed that the busy streets would be nosy with the gossip of yesterday’s incident one way or another. So far, there wasn’t anything going on that had a hint of such occurrence. It felt like yesterday was just a dream as we strolled in for a walk. 

Luckily, it didn’t bother me much; recalling last night was a bit too much, where I choked from thinking about it. Still, I played it off cool, not minding as much.

We made it to the crystal shop, where I bought the necessary ingredients to make the recording. Which didn’t take too long to complete. Still eating a honey bread while working on the recording, I quickly finished the necessary things that the two dwarves needed.

“Here you go.” I gave them the finished product. It was a 3-inch marble that was clear as glass. Even a simple drop wouldn’t shatter it, which I was proud of.  My skills in creating these marble crystals have become second nature, that it didn’t take so long to make them. What did take a bit of time was recording the whole process of showing that I had Bone Crusher with me. Even Khor and Gorum entered the video with excitement. 

Luckily, the whole process didn’t take more than three hours, eventually letting me go to do whatever I want for the day. While Phil was lazing around, eating a few of my honey breads. I ate the majority of them, which left me feeling a bit okay. But suddenly, he disappeared on me, leaving me alone. 

 With that being said, I roamed around the elven city mindlessly. Enjoying the scenic view of the up and down of the hidden buildings against the trees. Everything was meticulously planned as if it was meant to be there. The homes melded in well with the surrounding giving it all a natural feel. 

I walked around the bridge, where on both sides, the waterfall came crashing down, bringing with it a gentle lull. I couldn’t help but enjoy the sound as I walked by. There wasn’t as much time to listen to nature back at home, mostly because the city life’s hustling and bustling was a lot noisier than the elven city itself. 

All I could usually hear were the elven voice’s soft, humming songs, singing with joy and bliss. It was a reassuring feel as my mind melted while I walked onwards with my hands behind my back. 

My mind was in turmoil, thinking over the past years that went. The moment I came to this world, I was clueless and lost. I didn’t even know who I was exactly I was. I knew I was once human that probably died, somehow. Which was still a hazy thought. I knew that chapter of my life was over, embracing the life that I was given now. Regretting about my past life wasn’t something I was going to harbor over. Vera Lee was dead. That was the closure of my life I have come to a conclusion upon.  

 Finding out that I was a dragon was a natural thing. Even being able to eat gold was fantastic. The only downside was that the gold itself wasn’t endless, so eating it often was out of the question. Still, I wanted to continue to eat more to this day, but holding out on it was still a discipline. 

Then I met Phil. Just the word describes everything about him without explaining anymore. He was and is a swirl of an emotional rollercoaster ride that brought trouble and even gave me a new type of feeling that I never really understood. 

Who knew that the Goddess of Light would even send me across dimension to Earth and brought Heroes from Earth, which made it a reality that my memories weren’t fake at all. The only problem I have was, what happened to the real Dragon Maiden that I was inhibiting, or was it all just made up? I learned more in favor of taking over the body itself. 

Eventually, moving Phil’s people over to the vicinity of my castle was an unexpected thing. Finally, having a war against the Dragon Kingdom wasn’t a pleasant thing to go through. I could still feel the bone snapping experience of humans dying under my claw as I breathe fire and ice down on their heads, killing them. This was when I understood the joy and the difference between who I was. There was no turning back. It was the moment I accepted what I had become and truly become a dragon myself. 

After that, going on an adventure to meet up with the Heroes was a mind-blowing experience. Each species was exciting, but meeting up with the Legendary Monsters was deadly from the Black Gryphon, the Titan, Phoenix, and Hydra. None of them were dead, and that was a serious problem and a headache that I didn’t know how to solve. All I did was to give the power of the Legendary weapon to their respective Hero to deal with the monsters that were bent on destroying our lives. 

Knowing that was all I could do made me feel a bit relieved but, at the same time, disappointed. I couldn’t destroy the Legendary monsters, which frustrated me. It was like fate was throwing me a curveball to be the helpless damsel in distress. Well, I take that back. I was no damsel in distress, and I honestly was probably on equal terms of strength with these Legendary monsters. But fighting more than one was too much.

Having these heroes was a benefit that I was grateful for. 

With a sigh, I kicked a pebble, a bit frustrated. One problem after another, this was life. 

Something I wished I could hole up in my castle and stay in slumber for a thousand years. Then again, I slept for five years, and my city had changed so much that I could hardly tell what happened. Maybe oversleeping wasn’t too good of an idea. 

Ugh. I was a walking contradiction. There was one thing I wanted to do, then I wanted to do something else. At the rate I was going, I believed I would never make a decision, which I didn’t want. 

“Berry?” A strong voice called out from behind me. I looked over. Phil gracefully walked over as if he was floating. Sometimes I wonder if all elves glided over, but I realized it was just Phil when I saw the other elves.

“Yes?” I tilted my head and stopped. Wondering what he was going to say, I waited with cross arms. Wondering where he went, I noticed his buttons were slightly undone, showing off a bit of his chest. Blushing, I glanced away. 

What was wrong with me? It was like every inch of his skin I see, I keep turning red. Better yet, I need to stop overthinking about this. At the rate I was going, I probably would turn into a perverted dragon. How embarrassing would that be? Very. 

Smacking myself on the cheek, I turned back to my usual self. 

Phil halted for a moment and stared at me, strangely at my odd behavior. 

“You…alright?” He asked, wondering if I had hit myself too hard. 

“Yes.” I curtly replied, there was no way I would show him that I was ogling at him. 

“You sure?” 

“Most definitely.” Without letting him ask anymore, I walked forward towards him. “What’s up?” I asked, wondering why he came to find me. 

“I just wanted to see you,” Phil replied with a gentle voice that struck my heart. 

I swooned. 

“W-w—why?” I hiccuped, hoping that he didn’t ‘catch my embarrassment. 

“Do I need a reason?” Phil was sad at my reply, almost pouting. The large puppy look in his eyes made me waver. 

“N-n-no.” I quickly stated. It was hard not to look away. He was just that good. How is it that the longer that we stay together, the more childish and intense he becomes? I didn’t know, but it was striking arrows into my heart.

“Good,” He snuck his hand with mine. I froze. “Let’s go. I wanted to hang out with you.” With a light tug, he drew me forward beside him. A soft, gentle smile erupted on his lips, taking me somewhere I didn’t know. 

We walked a good distance away from the bridge, silently enjoying the brisk walk with a peaceful disposition. The thought of talking during our moment sounded like a bad idea. I enjoyed the tranquility that was between us as we enjoyed each other’s presence. 

Passing by the bakery shop that I had bought my honey bread once again tickled my nose, but my stomach didn’t growl as we passed by. The soft jingle of elven children’s laughter could be heard; jubilantly, they sang and ran around the town square, bringing smiles to the elders. 

“Berry.” His gaze was cast forward towards the kids, watching them with a soft expression.  

“Yes?” I asked. I was stuck to his arm naturally as if I was supposed to be there. 

“Have you ever thought about kids?”

“Huh?!” I blurted out, confused and unsure where such a topic was suddenly brought up from. 

Phil chuckled at my blatant confusion. He turned his gaze towards me, waiting for an answer. 

Flustered, I turned red. Unsure how to answer. Was this Phil’s confession, telling me he wanted kids? My mind raced with so many scenarios that I became dizzy.

“Are you alright?” He brought up his hand to touch my head, making me jolt in surprise. 

“Yes?!” I squeaked, backpedaling until I tripped. 

With one fluid motion, Phil grabbed me by my arms. He yanked me into his warm embrace, filling me up with a soft feeling of home. It never hit me until now that his embrace became a safety net for my mind, soul, and body. This feeling of sanctuary was powerful, almost difficult to stash away from bubbling up from my heart. 

“I think you might need to rest.” Phil sighed, picking me up into his arms. 

I squealed. “What are you doing?!” I yelled, shocked at his bold move. 

“Taking you somewhere to rest.” He bluntly replied, walking quickly through the crowd. Eventually finding a small shade under a tree. With a plop, he sat down with me still in his arms. 

Throughout the whole time, I didn’t dare to move for fear of falling. I know it sounded stupid, but falling from his arm sounded like it would hurt. Not only that, he was holding me tight, which made it difficult to move. 

“That’s better.” Phil let out a satisfying sight, reaching over to push back my hair. 

Heavy silence was apparent in both of us. I wanted to answer Phil’s question, but at the same time, I knew I never thought about kids in the first place.

“I had thought about kids many times in the past.” Phil’s voice went off into the distance. “I honestly do not like them.” 

“Why?” I cut in. He stared into my eyes. 

“Because…” Phil went silent, averting his gaze away. “I am not good with children.” 

“Is that all?” I pouted. That was a lame excuse for a reason.

“Well, no.” 

“Then?”

Phil sighed. His eyes darkened as he recalled his old memories. “I have told you that my parents died, but they didn’t love their parents.”

I nodded, engrossed in his storytelling. The thought of him not having a “normal” loving family wasn’t what I had envisioned. From the amount of sufferings he had in the past and his immense dislike for the Elven race, I understood there was some strife somewhere down the line. 

“My mother…..was cold to me. I never felt a warm embrace from  her as she abhorred the thought of the union between man and elf.”

I was dumbstruck by what he had said. “What? Why? Wasn’t the union between the two races supposed to bring peace?”

“Yes and no.” He shook his head. His demeanor changed cold as his voice dropped an octave down. “My father was a lovestruck idiot. My mother never loved my father.”

An “O” formed from my lips. A typical romance story? I wasn’t sure, but such a thought popped into my head. Maybe I was reading too much of them, but I do love a good romantic story. From the way this was going, my thoughts raced with a tragic ending. 

“Then why did she agree to marry?”

“Politics.” 

“Oh.” 

Phil shrugged his shoulder. “Either way, their first union, they had me. But after that, my mother would turn my father away. I remember her exact words….’I have completed my deal with you of having your child. Now let me free.” 

My jaw dropped, realizing what his mother said. For a child to hear that from his mother’s mouth could be mind-numbing, especially knowing that his mother and father didn’t love each other and did it out of wedlock. 

“My father… he couldn’t bear to lose her and kept her cage her whole life. The strife between them turns into an unquenchable toxic relationship, becoming a festering wound. At times, my father would hit me in rage, saying how I reminded him of his mother. From there, it went down into a dark spiral…wishing that they would both disappear.” His voice went into a whisper, his eyes glazed over. 

I could feel the pain from Phil’s words as he squeezed me a little tighter. 

“Miraculously as my wish was granted, they both died on that fateful night.” He hissed with a low growl that was close to anger and despair. “They were murdered.” 

“What?!” I almost bolted out of his arms to stand up, but Phil gripped me tight, making this impossible to do. Settling down, I cast my gaze at him. 

“Who would dare?”

“My father.” 

I went silent, completely shell shocked by what I just heard. 

“One could say that when my father heard of my mother’s secret lover, he went crazy. While my mother confessed, she did have someone she loved, and it wasn’t my father. Such mind-blowing words destroyed my father’s heart, putting him into a fury of rage and hatred. He stabbed her in the heart and killed himself right after. It wasn’t until later that I found my father’s letter, stating the guilt of killing my mother was something he regretted and wished that he could undo. It wasn’t until later down the line, I found a message of my mother’s diary stashed away in a hidden compartment next to her jeweled case. There I have found that she was threatened to tell a lie. A lie so deep, she had no choice but to state it to my father over and over again.” 

I was a bit reluctant to hear what it was. The thought of a lie to cause a family to rip apart and even cause so much pain was horrible. My lips quivered, just asking him what came next.

“The Elven Council.” He spat with disgust. “A group of them threatened her.”

“You serious?” I was appalled at the audacity that the elves had. Honestly, I thought all elves were respectful and honorable. Maybe I was over-dramatizing them to think they were some high social creatures assuming such thought was a bad idea. 

“Yes, and when I find them.” With a low animalistic growl, he snarled. Heavy power subtly echoed outwards, making me shiver. It wasn’t often to see him so heated over something, and this was one of them. 

At first, I stood there, silent. Unable to do anything. The oppressive power from Phil made me gulp, but I steeled my heart. Raising up my own power to match his to cancel out the damaging effect. Anyone near us scuttled away from total fear, knowing full well that if anyone approached them, they would die.

I raised up my hands to reach over. Gently, I patted Phil’s head. 

Phil’s snapped out of his dazed expression, staring at me straight in the eye. All the oppressive energy disappeared, a soft gaze was replaced. His hand reached up, bringing down my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. 

“Thank you, Berry.” 

“Your welcome,” I replied. “So, is that why you don’t like kids?”

“Yes, I’m afraid that I would become like my father.” 

We sat in the shade for a while, unable to speak any further but to silently wait. I just couldn’t think of anything to refute and tell Phil straight in the fact that he won’t be like him. Hell, it’s not like we were going to get married or something. I didn’t think THAT far ahead. 

But to hear a little piece of himself made me happy as I got closer to knowing who he was. There were many times when he got on my nerves, but I blew those aside. 

Eventually, we stood there in the warm summer breeze until the sunset, letting the warm light warm our bodies. Both getting up, we left hand-in-hand as we went back to our rooms. 

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