Misc. Erotica Asian Experience becomes an Isekaie

Two months prior...

"Father? Where are we going?" Adam asked, standing behind Jake and Shion as they had been on the road for an hour.

"Eslar, it's a Dark Elf village; you'll like it, Adam," Jake said, feeling Adam's hand on his left shoulder, using him to steady himself. His eyes glanced over to Shion as her silver hair was tied high, and her trained eyes kept an eye out for monsters and bandits. If you told him if he barely saw a nipple, that would mean getting married, he would call you crazy or smoking too much crack on his Homeworld. Nevertheless, he knew Dark Elves were very stringent with their traditions and very cruel to those who disregarded those traditions. Still, he found it a very, very weird way to get married.

"There will be plenty of other children there," Shion said, smiling back at him.

"But I want to be father's squire," Adam stated, knowing Jake would make an excellent teacher.

"Adam, you're too young for that," Jake said in a fatherly tone, getting a soft chuckle out of Shion. "When you can read and write properly, then we'll discuss it, not before."

"Yes, father," Adam said with determination.

"And I'll teach you how to hunt in elven woods," Shion said motherly. "Jake, are there any Inns along the way?"

"I don't know, why?" Jake uttered, confused.

"We don't have any camping equipment or bedding for Adam; what are we going to do when night fall comes?" Shion asked, thinking he would be so careless.

"I don't know about you, but I planned on sleeping in my own bed," Jake uttered, ignoring how Shion just stared blankly, blinking at him in her befuddlement.

"I know I'm going to regret this, and how are you going to do that, Jake? You told me you took up your anchor," Shion said, mentally pinching the bridge of her noise at that smirk of his.

"You're under the assumption that it can only be placed once over a period of time; that's not the case," Jake informed her.

"Oh?! Then I'll keep a lookout for a perfect spot for us that's out of the way," Shion said, humming at the thought of sleeping in her bed and not on the hard ground.

"Father?!" Adam uttered, clearly lost in what the two of them were talking about.

"You ever play hide and seek before Adam?" Jake asked, keeping the horses on track.

"Yeah," Adam drew out the word.

"Then you'll love your new home since only those attuned to my anchor can enter it, and that would just be the two of you," Jake said, seeing Adam struggling to understand what he was saying. "Don't worry about it too much, Adam; you'll see when we stop for lunch."

"Does this attunement mean I can come and go like you?" Shion asked, noticing how he glanced out the corner of his eye at her.

"Like how I do?" Shion nodded along. "No, since you aren't the creator of the anchor. But I have something that will allow you to return without me being with you. Just have to make it when we get to Eslar," Jake informed her.

"Good, your wife and son should be able to come and go as we please," Shion said, sitting prim and proper on the wagon seat.

"Father, what does that mean that it hides?" Adam asked, his mind still stuck on how a house could hide itself.

"It means only you two will be able to see the anchor once you're attuned to it. It means you can come and go without worrying about being cut off from it. Only you will be able to see our home. Let's say kids are chasing you; they will only see empty space, and then you disappearing into said space. Then you can watch the fear on their faces as I walk out about to discipline said boys," Jake uttered, seeing the growing smile on Shion's face. "Adam, close the canvas on the back of the wagon," he ordered, noticing the dark clouds growing rapidly in the distance.

"Jake, maybe we should stop and wait out the storm," Shion said, reaching over and laying her hand over his. The crack of thunder was enough for the both of them to look for a good out-of-the-way place to set his anchor and be able to get back onto the road. "There!" she uttered, pointing out a grove of trees they could ride the storm out in. She nodded when she took hold of the reins. Her hand lightly patted Adam's as he climbed onto the bench seat as Jake bent down and pushed something into the ground. "Shh..." Shion hushed Adam when he began to question what Jake was doing. Only telling Adam to watch as Jake opened the doorway to his home, large enough to drive the wagons through.

Adam just stared wide eye at the strange door as Shion drove the wagon forward. Shion nodded when Jake pointed to where she could park the wagons and where the horses would be housed. Adam's whole body leaned across Shion's lap as he rattled off question after question at Jake as he walked beside them. His eyes moved around rapidly as Shion helped him down to the ground as Jake unhooked the horses before the storm hit. Adam ran up to his father's side, keeping out of the way as he created walls high enough to corral the horses for the night.

"Father, is this all ours?" Adam asked, looking around him in awe.

"Sure is Adam, you think you'll like living here with us?" Jake inquired; he simply just smiled down at Adam as he hugged him tightly and nodded against him. "Let's go inside and I'll show you to your bedroom. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" Adam shouted, taking off into a run towards the front door.

"Go on, get him settled, I'll feed the horses," Shion said sweetly as her hand brushed along the horse's neck.

"Now, Adam, don't be afraid when you enter. It's only there to deter thieves," Jake said, seeing the confusion on Adam's face as they stood in front of the door. Adam instantly latched onto his leg when he came face to face with Jake's demon skull. "It won't hurt you, Adam," he said, gently rubbing his son's back. A fatherly warmth spread throughout his core, remembering the same feeling he had when his eldest son was born before he was taken from him. "I was thinking we turn this into your room," he stated as he and Adam stood in the empty third room he had rearranged for Adam to have his own space. Jake just lovingly brushed the back of Adam's head as he started to cry, not from pain or misery but from happiness that he finally had a place to call home. "Let's get your bed off the wagon before the storm hits and get it set up for the night."

"Way ahead of you," Shion chuckled, carrying a part of the bed frame into the house. They were at least able to unload the rear wagon before the storm hit them. Which they would use to bunk down in if they had too. As the storm began, she watched how Jake helped Adam understand his letters. She sat there confused as Jake was teaching Adam a form of math she had never seen before. That all vanished when she saw how Adam's face lit up when he showed Jake his answer with the fingers on his hand. "Jake... is this math from your world?"

"Mmmhmm," Jake hummed as he set up a problem for Adam to solve on the slate board he had made for his son.

"You will teach me this math as well, so I can teach our children as well," Shion said, sitting properly in her seat. Her eyes looked oddly at the scroll he held out to her.

"Then you might want to study," Jake joked. "Now I'm going to prepare supper, hope dragon roast is fine with the two of them." He nearly saw the drool forming in the corner of Shion's mouth while Adam had a confused look since he's never heard of dragon roast before.

"Before that, you, young man, need a bath," Shion stated, seeing the scowl on Adam's face of having to bathe in ice-cold rainwater. "So do you, mister," she said, flashing Jake a coy smile.

"Seems a bath is in order. Come along, Adam, I'll show you something cool," Jake said, smiling at Adam's vehement shout as he followed after him. He watched how awestruck Adam was as the hidden passage was revealed. Jake made sure Adam knew the word to allow him entrance after making him repeat it fifty times.

"Father, what's in there?" Adam asked, pointing towards the door that had no handle or keyhole.

"Just a storage room, Adam, nothing exciting, and that one," his eyes flickered to the other door, "cold storage, where I keep our meat and other perishable foodstuffs indefinitely," Jake said as he undressed. Adam looked oddly at him when he tied a small towel around his waist. Enough to cover his privates, just like he was doing with Adam. Showing how families from his world practice kinship in the last years of his life on Earth.

Unbeknownst to him Shion had heard every word. Her shadow darted into the little changing room she didn't know was there. She hurriedly undressed so she could join in as she heard the splashing of water on the mosaic tiles. She made sure nothing was revealed. She didn't want to harm Adam's young eyes with her body. Shion enjoyed the surprised look on Jake's face, as well as the smile of being apart of a family on Adam's. Families in elven societies all bathed together, so she saw no reason to buck tradition. Adam giggled as he left the two of them before slipping into the now-heated pool.

"Kinship is important, you said," Shion said, holding up her hair and undoing her towel while keeping her back to the both of them. Her left arm covered her breasts. Her yellow eye peered back at him.

"Adam, just face away from us and let the heat soak your body. This is an endurance test if you want to be my squire," Jake said, smirking proudly at how rigid Adam's back got as he took his words seriously.

"Yes, father," Adam quipped.

"Shion this soap might be too sensitive for your nose, I have another if you would rather I use it?" Jake spoke, holding it over her shoulder. He watched how her nose wiggled. He wondered if he would be considered perverted that he was enjoying how her eye was twitching; the rouge of her cheeks grew redder as the pad of his finger inched up her back along the nerve endings of her vertebrae.

Shion's mind was melting as the pad of Jake's finger danced along the knob of her neck. Her teeth kept a hold of her lip to still her tongue, which she knew would turn traitorous the moment it was free. "P-please," Shion stammered, panting in her mind. Her mind finally reminded her of his past elven experiences. While her body showed her years of training in its calmness, her mind was in a torment of emotions after seventy-five years of celibacy. She knew she had to control herself. She couldn't give in to how his touch felt, at least not with Adam in the bath.

"Is this one better for you?" Jake asked, knowing it would be since it was elven soap to begin with as he held it out to her. Her soft touch on his fingers drew him in. He was so glad he tied his manhood to his thigh, or she would be staring at his one-eye monster. He was not expecting her to lift up his towel slightly or smirk at what she saw. He, however, couldn't stop the low grunt as he felt the soft brush down the length of his shaft. The washcloth was straining under the pressure as Shion leaned back and lowered her arm, allowing him to view her heavenly orbs to his heart's content. He nearly blew his load when she kissed his crown.

"Perfect, Jake," Shion said, returning to her former position. Her breath came out in silent, heated need as Jake's soapy hand moved over her back. Her teeth tore at her lip as a drop of her nectar dangled from her labia. Her body moved on its own as she leaned back against his chest and, brought his hands around her and placed them on her chest. "You can't have kinship with only washing my back," she said in a sultry tone. A soft moan finally escaped her lips when the bar of soap and the palm of Jake's hand ran over her very hard nipples. Jake kept his smug smirk from his face at how Shion's thighs were trembling as he washed her body. Only to have Shion place one of his hands back onto one of her orbs. Before it could get out of hand, Jake moved off so Shion could have time to get her body under control before she joined them in the pool.

"Jake," Shion's voice was light and alluring as she sat elegantly in the chair of his common room as she and Adam watched as he prepared their meal for the evening.

"Hmm?" Jake hummed as he tied the thinner part of the roast beneath it so it could cook evenly.

"I thought you said you only had dragon jerky left," Shion said, not taking her eyes off the roast as Jake seasoned it.

"No, I didn't; you assumed I did," Jake said, grinning like mad when he felt Shion's burning gaze on him.

"And just how much more dragon meat do you have stored and if it's all rancid or fresh like that one is," Shion said in a hard tone, pointing to it.

"Enough for me to live off of for a long time," Jake uttered after a moment of thought, knowing she would need to know about the cold storage sooner or later. "I'll show you after I get this onto the fire."

"You better," Shion said harshly. She was not about to live a life of no dragon meat now that she had a taste for it; any other meat, no matter how fine it was, would never measure up. She watched as Jake added some onions, both green and yellow, three carrots chopped into large pieces to survive the long cooking, the totoes (the root Jake found that tasted like a potato on Earth) were cut into long strips and added to the Dutch oven before he placed it on the stone hearth. The small scoop carefully placed coals around it and on top of the lid leaving it to cook for the next hour and twenty minutes that it would take the meat to cook.

"I think we have enough meat to last awhile, don't you think?" Jake spoke at their stunned faces as they looked at the shelves lined with meat frozen in time from the moment he had butchered the dragon it came from. He also stored his vegetables the same way. So that way he didn't need to worry about hunting or butchering animals when he needed meat. Then again, hunting didn't always land him a kill. So he thought, why not just make it where he didn't need to hunt... ever.

"Pa... is this all for us?!" Adam mumbled; his eyes just couldn't understand what he was looking at. The days and nights when he thought he would never see another crumb of food again played out in his mind as his stomach growled, urging him to gorge himself on the meat in front of him.

"Sure is, Adam; you never need to worry about food again, at least while you live with me," Jake said fatherly as he hugged Adam into his side.

"Jake... Jake... is all that dragon meat?" Shion stammered her question, pointing out to the vast room.

"Yeah, seems I'm going to have to make some dragon summer sausage once we get to Eslar," Jake said, taking a handful of the hand-length, thumb-thick smoked summer sausages he made for when he went on a long quest. "Lunch and breakfast for us tomorrow," he stated, seeing the grin on Adam's face when he answered Shion's question about what he was doing. "I'll teach you the spell depending on if you have the mana for it. Otherwise, I'll have to make a control crystal for it," Jake replied to Shion's inquiry about access to the room.

"I can live with that, but if we are to be wedded, then we both must bear the responsibility of providing for our family," Shion said, leading the way up the stairs. Her silver hair swayed along her back. Her hips swayed in front of his eyes, hypnotizing him to her feminine wilds.

"You're just using me for my meat!" Jake uttered in mock indignation.

"Of course, the dragon meat is just a bonus," Shion countered, taking Jake by surprise with her smarminess. Her coy smirk followed her out of the stairwell, daring him to do something about it.

Jake noted how quickly Shion and Adam came within eyesight of the roast as he lifted the lid off the oven. After he made sure the vegetables were cooked through. He cleared the coals and placed them back into the fire, pulled the meat from the oven, and placed it on the cutting board; he almost had to come to blows with the two of them in their need to devour the roast. It was only when he told them they had to wait to eat it. Otherwise, the meat would be ruined. Then, he scooped out the vegetables from the oven and placed them into a wooden bowl. His wooden spoon scrapped the bottom of the oven as he sprinkled some flour into the drippings to make a gravy. When it was hot and ready, he added the vegetables back to the pot, gave it a stir then proceeded to slice the roast into square chucks to fit into their spoons. Then he gently folded it all together so as not to break the meat apart. Shion poured them all glasses of wine; she had watered down Adam's glass since he was a child. It was something Jake had to get used to due to the lack of clean water. Sure, people could conjure water out of the air if they wanted to; however, that one act would usually leave many of them panting for breath. Not practical.

"Good, huh?" Jake mused as Adam dug into his meal after he had his first taste of dragon.

"It's so good!" Adam exclaimed excitedly, bouncing in his seat. Shion just giggled softly at Adam's antics. "Can we have it every day!" Jake felt their eyes boring into him as they waited for him to answer.

"Well... how else am I going to eat all that dragon meat in the basement?" Jake uttered aloud. He just shook his head at how Adam threw up his arms in glee.

"Thank you for the meal, betrothed. It was delicious," Shion said, setting her spoon down in the bowl.

"I would hope so; why else would the two of you want three helpings," Jake said with a joking grin.

"Do all dragons taste that good?" Adam asked, so very interested in the life of the man who saved him.

"Shiron tastes extraordinary, better than the others," shadows played across his face, "but yes, Adam, every dragon tastes like that," Jake said, seeing the confusion in Adam's eyes about the name.

"Who's Shiron?" Adam asked with the innocence of a child.

"A very deadly dragon that tormented many people throughout the kingdom it was in. So I and five others traveled to this far, far off mountain where it laid and did battle with the beast," Jake said, giving life to his tale with his magic. Watching the awe play across Adam's face as he watched the spell play out something he had created for his eldest son to help him sleep before he was taken from him.

"What happened next, father?"

"The battle was hard fought; I lost four friends on that day, and another was never the same and died soon after," Jake said; a thought crossed his mind if the ranger suffered the dragon's curse as he did since Shiron had cursed the both of them. He wondered if it drove the owner crazy. If it did, what did it say about him? It didn't affect him because he was already crazy, or was it something else altogether? "But the kingdom fell, nonetheless."

"Why?"

"Greed and lust for power are what brought that kingdom down," Jake said, seeing Shion hanging on to every word.

"Didn't you help them?"

"No, my acts of heroism already cost me too much by then, and I had no wish to be drawn into a civil war," Jake said truthfully. He knew it would be bad if he lied to Adam. He couldn't build trust with him if he started out lying to him, even if Adam didn't know it was a lie. It would still be a lie.

With their meal and dishes cleared away, the storm was still going strong. Adam lounged in front of the fire, reading one of the books his father allowed him to browse. Shion was going over the scrolls Adam had already mastered. She wanted to show Jake that she took Adam's and any other child they might have education just as fervently as he did.

"Jake," Shion's soft voice, "have you given thought to your dowry gift when we arrive in Eslar?" she asked, eyeing his bookshelf. She knew her mother would sell her soul or her favorite child for it, which wasn't her for the book her eyes were currently staring at.

"No, am I required to?"

"Yes, it's the same. If I were a man and you a woman, I would offer one to your father if he was alive," Shion said, her eyes holding the mirth of their inside joke as Jake chuckled into his cup of tea.

"I see, I'll give it some thought," Jake replied, setting aside his cup before leaning forward and pronouncing a word for Adam as he pointed at it.

"Please, do so."

A month later...

"We'll resupply our more limited stocks while you handle the land deal," Shion said, over the month-long trek she has taken on the role of wife and mother with the duty of an elf. Her features softened when she looked down as Adam slipped his hand into her hand.

"Right, find me if you need more coin," Jake said, waving to the two of them as Shion flicked the reins. While he wasn't in his full armor he was wearing his breastplate along with his guild plate on display. He saw the intrigue in their eyes as the townspeople he past whispered to one another. If he had to guess they didn't get many adventures around those parts. With the help of a kind man, he found his way to the town's hall. It took him an hour and a half of looking through deeds and the descriptions of the lands around the town to find the one he wanted. The twenty gold coins tumbled into the clerk's hand after the man was silenced when Jake produced the seal of blood. With the deed in hand, he set off to find the two of them. As he ambled through the streets, he could see their surprise that he could speak Sylfayn, which was the regional dialect of the Eastern Dark Elven Kingdom before the Wood Elves absorbed the small kingdom into its own. Once they knew he could speak their language they were rather helpful in locating where Shion and Adam were within the town.

The bag of Octivine Red bounced in his hand, remembering his promise to Marlin. His cloak hid how his hand moved, and placed the bag into one of his pouches as he noted how he was being tailed. His eyes were scanning the area as he walked on like he hadn't picked up on his shadows. Even if they were in elven territory, that didn't mean there weren't bandits about. Adam's smile greeted him long before he drew near enough.

"Did you find a good place for us?" Shion asked, not voicing how Jake seemed to be on edge.

"I did, even has a waterfall not too far from the property if what I read was true," Jake said, slyly pointing out with his eyes were his shadows were lingering.

"We'll have to find it; won't that be fun, Adam?" Shion asked as Adam took the small crate of foodstuffs from her and placed it in the empty wagon.

"So what did you get?" Jake asked, wondering how much gold she had spent.

"A lot of vegetables to make up for what we used on our way here. Spices since you were lacking in some of the ones I enjoy," referencing the more pungent ones elves use in their cooking, "salt, lots of salt, restocking our tea leaves, two bags of normal wheat flour, and a sack of elven wheat. Some more clothing for Adam, given the climate here, will be turning cold in a few months," Shion said motherly, seeing the blushing of Adam's cheeks. She knew his story, and it broke her heart to learn how his own parents had tossed him away. So, no matter if he was born human, to her Adam was her family, and to Dark Elves, family means everything.

"How much more do we have to get for today?" Jake asked, wondering if there would be enough land to start a garden given the tools he saw in the rear of the wagon.

"As soon as I get the seeds I got for us, we'll be ready to leave," Shion said, already planning on the layout of her garden. Her eyes took on an intensity as she lifted the lid of the crate. Her lips moved as she counted each small basket that held different seeds or root cuttings to establish her garden both for relaxation and for food.

"I'll walk beside you," Jake stated, getting a nod out of Shion as she released the brake and flicked the reins. He watched as Adam climbed into the rear of the first wagon when Shion told him to do so. He glanced at the tri-bladed flamberge dragon bone daggers that rested against her hip. His mind recounted how she acted when he gave her her own set of daggers once he had finished their sheaths which she took as presents for their wedding. Which he wasn't going to stop her if it got him out of it down the road.

"Shion! Are you just going to leave without speaking to your family?!" Jake's left eye glanced over to the elven voice and then to Shion as she slammed the brake back on. He wondered what or who, in this case, could cause her to act so quickly as she jumped from the bench seat of the wagon. He paid no attention to the guards around Shion and the woman he took as Shion's older relative as he went about ensuring his spells were in place to protect the wagons against any attack should there be one.

"Jake," Shion called out to him as he turned to look at her as he was speaking with Adam. "Betrothed I'd like for you to meet my elder sister, Sarahi, mistress of the House of El."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Sarahi greeted, holding out her hand to him. Her eyebrow rose when she heard Jake whisper to Shion if the name of her husband's house was important or something.

"Do forgive Jake he's not accustomed to our ways," Shion said, covering Jake's error while shooting Jake an amused look.

"I would expect you to have informed him of our ways, sister," Sarahi uttered with a snobbish tone.

"No, I'm quite versed in the way of Dark Elven Houses... at least the important ones; I've never heard of this House of yours in the grand hall of the King or the Duke for that matter," Jake mused, catching Shion off guard and getting an annoyed twitch out of Sarahi. "However, I'm sure its risen quickly since the last time I attended the Duke's ball two years ago."

"Oh yes, you are correct; we have risen far since then to at least be well known at the Duke's palace," Sarahi boosted, taking the out he was offering.

"Shion, you most come to the house at least once before you run off to wherever you went to, Sir Jake. I look forward to speaking to you again if we see each other at the Duke's next ball," Sarahi stated, putting on airs.

"Jake... that true? About the Duke and the King?" Shion asked worryingly, knowing her sister would look into the truth of Jake's words.

"Yeah, if I'm ever around in spring, I tend to join the Duke on his yearly hunt for the green stag," Jake said, not seeing Shion's gapping mouth as they headed off to their new home. When they were three-fourths of a mile up the road, Jake turned off of it and led them deeper into the forest. Once they reached the water source, they turned northward and sought out its headwater. "Treat it like a real knife, Adam; it will cut you just the same. Protect the horses while Shion and I make sure the area is safe," he directed when they arrived in an area he thought would provide a good, safe area for Adam to grow.

"Yes, Father," Adam nodded, yet his eyes would dart around wondering just where they were. He tucked in the light cloak Shion had just gotten him as he felt a chill under the ancient branches. He kept the horses quiet with a few sweet oats, hoping the two of them returned quickly. He clutched the hilt of his magical dagger tightly as a thundering sound rumbled through the air as well as the ground after what seemed like hours when, in truth, it had only been fifteen minutes. What Adam wasn't aware of was at that moment, Jake was processing all the trees he had just felled into firewood for the most part; he kept a few whole since Shion had asked him to.

Once the land was cleared with magic and all the wood put aside for later use, he began his hour-long chant to sink his anchor for a more permanent stay. As the last syllable fell from his lips, Adam watched in awe as the barrier of his anchor receded, allowing him and Shion to peer through them as the space between the two realities lessened. With his anchor secured within the ground, Jake preceded to place a barrier up around the clearing he had made while Shion and Adam unhooked the horses and began to unload the last wagon into their home. It took him another two hours to create the stone-paved carriageway to the main road. Smoke billowed out of his chimney when Jake returned from his task. He saw the horses corralled for the night, knowing they would be returning to the town to sell the horses and wagons since they had no need for them.

"Where is it?" Jake asked the moment he entered his home.

"Put away," Shion said as she stood over the chopping board as she prepared the stew she was making for their supper. "It works just as well hidden away as it did at the door," she uttered, pointing to where it was. "Honestly, Jacob, I don't know why you have that up. From what you told me about how your anchor works, it's not needed in the first place. You're not into some demon cult, are you?"

"What? No," waving her off, "I just like the macabre, is all," Jake said, taking the skull out of the nock it was in. He didn't say anything to the look Shion was giving him before he stepped back outside. After sending the skull and its copies off to patrol the property, he went back inside to help Adam with his schooling.

"Betrothed, I must inform you, we must see my sister again after we sell the horses and wagons," Shion stated. She was not eager to deal with her sister's attitude. "What did you do with that skull?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's keeping an eye on the property, keeping those unwanted from stepping onto it. He won't see it, but it will keep him safe when we aren't here," Jake whispered into her ear.

"Alright, but the moment it hurts him. I'm taking a testicle, clear?" Shion uttered low.

"Damn, that's fucking cold," Jake muttered, seeing the resolve in her eye to fulfill that threat.

"Of course Jake, a mother must protect her children," Shion said proudly, seeing Adam sinking deeper into the book in his hands. "Jake, are you sure we don't need to leave in a week to arrive in the capital?" she asked, knowing if they didn't leave by then, they wouldn't make the gathering the King was putting together for their defeat of the Dark Emperor if what Mark had told them when he contacted them three weeks into their trek.

"Yeah, I've been to the capital plenty of times, know a few places inside of it that we can appear in without being seen," Jake said, relieving her fears. Although he would rather not deal with meeting a King or any ruler for the most part given the stress that normally brings. However, such things were necessary in their line of work. His eyes flickered over to Shion, who poured herself another cup of Osage Orange.

"You make excellent tea, worth enough to marry," Shion sighed as she smacked her lips. "So Jake, have you given thought to your dowry gift?" she asked, hoping her parents, who were visiting her sister, wouldn't make too much of a fuss tomorrow.

"Yes."

"Is it whole, or do you need more time?" Shion asked, casting him a glance.

"It's complete, why are you asking?" Jake asked, shooting her a questioning look.

"It would do well for you to bring it with you tomorrow; my parents will be there tomorrow," Shion informed him. "May I see what you chose?"

"What? Don't trust me?" Jake uttered; his eyes flickered over to Adam as he was working on the small slate he had gotten for him.

"Not when it comes to this; it needs to be perfect; otherwise, we would never hear the end of it," Shion sighed loudly as she stared up at the ceiling. Already feeling the tension on her shoulders at the fact that she would have to face her parents and her sister when they ventured back to the town.

"I see, they're those kinds of in-laws," Jake muttered, leaning back in his chair.

"They might be, but I still need to see what you got them," Shion stated, hoping it was something good.

"Don't lose your mind. It's just a copy," Jake said, holding out the copy of the book Shion had been staring at for weeks. He didn't know if the old elf knew he had put a curse on the pages or not since a copy couldn't be produced magically like he had tried. While the book itself could be copied magically, however, the contents of the pages were not so he spent a few hours every night copying every page. He even made the correct type of ink the man was known to write with just to give it the same feel in anyone's hand. He watched how Shion just blinked confusingly at the book he was holding out to her.

"You're giving my parents a copy of the book my mother would sell my sister for?" Shion asked dumbfoundedly.

"Yeah, like I said, it's just a copy," Jake responded, not understanding why Shion was acting like she was. His eyebrow rose as Shion snatched the book from her hand. His head shook as Shion buried her nose into the pages of the book. He watched as her eyes widened as the flowy and flowery letters of the Wood Elf language flowed along the pages. He wasn't going to deny magic made a near copy of the man's work if it wasn't for the small add-on he put on the title page stating that it was a copy made by him.

"It's perfect!" Shion exclaimed, slamming the book close. After that, the three of them enjoyed the quite night in their newish home. Adam's laughter filled their home. Shion's alluring melodies drifted out the windows, and Jake's spellwork filled the night sky, bringing joy to his son.

The next morning after breakfast, it seemed to Jake they would never tire of eating dragon meat after they had polished off the breakfast sausage that he had made a week ago. He had ten chain links of summer sausage curing as they ambled down the road. His curing cabinet had been altered by him to speed up the curing process. He didn't have the patience of months of waiting for the sausages to ferment in their curing process, nor did he want to wait years for hams to dry out enough to be considered ready to be consumed as country ham. However, ham was a rarity in his household, given the quantity of dragon meat he had stored in his basement. He only killed the boar just to have country ham. Plus, the boar's hide would make Adam perfect, practicing garments in his quest to become his squire. The image of Adam jogging around the perimeter with a weighted carrying basket on his back appeared in his mind. The sound of the rocks justling rang in his ear as he watched Adam do his four laps around their property to build up his stamina in wearing heavy plate armor if Adam became a knight. Once his laps were over, Jake ran Adam through his daily push-ups, squats, and sit-ups.

"Father, why do I have to do all this? I never see Mom exercising," Adam bemoaned as he wiped himself down.

"I've told you why you're doing this. Do you think some weakling can just wear plate armor? No, Adam, you have to have the strength to even stand in it without falling down. You need it to move your arms, swing your sword, and block with your shield. Just as I needed to practice this and this," pointing to his head and arm, "to become a battlemage, so must you if you want to be my squire, and in time a knight if you wish to be one," Jake said, standing shirtless over his son. He didn't want Adam to get discouraged hence why he exercised with Adam, even egging him on to push through the soreness of his body. "As for your mother..." It wasn't lost on him how attentive Shion appeared to be to their conversation without doing so. "She's an elf. Naturally, they're stronger than us, so they don't need to exercise like we do just to wear armor. However, they still need to be taught how to use it properly. Still, she does have them, Adam; let's go bathe before it gets too dark." A cocky smirk was on Jake's lips as he entered his home after Adam when he noted how Shion was checking out his chest.

Jake was going to inquire about the dress Shion was wearing. It had caused him to dress more formally when he first saw it when she exited his bedroom, where she's come to dress and undress before and after bed. He wondered if she was doing that just to make him so horny he would do something. In all honesty, he was about to take that option since Shion didn't leave much to the imagination when she changed clothing. Not that he minded; he loved seeing a naked elf. Then again, he was sure any horny man would, regardless if they were from his world and thought elves weren't real, they still wanted to see their orbs bounce and hear their squeals as they orgasm. Although all that could just be his perverseness being cast out onto his view of things. He might not have a clear idea of all the nuances that go on between Houses; he had a general idea of how they worked. He wasn't privy to that kind of information. So, for the moment, he would follow Shion's lead when they arrived at her sister's home.

"Shion, I've been thinking how these people will see us if all we are doing is walking. So what do you say about keeping one of the horses and using the money to buy a really fancy one? Bet that will get beneath her skin," Jake whispered to her, seeing the slight smirk she returned at his idea and what he had said.

"Then we must get hay delivered and somewhere to store it for the animal, Adam; you will be in charge of its stable if you wish to be a knight; a knight must know everything about the care of his animal," Shion uttered, sitting prim and proper on the bench seat beside Jake. "We must build a proper barn for the wagon and horse."

"Already planned for it," Jake said as the cart rolled through the western gate. With the offload of the three horses and the wagons at the wainwright, as the money hit the palm of his hand, Shion dragged him across the property to stand in front of a very elegant carriage. His eyes ran over the gold leaf trim, the bronze runner that shielded the riders of road wash wrapped around the front of the carriage. It wasn't lost on him the richness that went into making it. He wondered why it was stashed all the way back there.

"This. I want it," Shion stated firmly.

"Sir? Is this carriage for sale?" Jake asked, his voice carried loudly across the field.

"Aye, if you have the coin for it. That's years of work and a lot of money that went into making that for a noble who refused delivery. Now, if you can come up with twenty gold pieces, then it can be yours," the wainwright said as he approached them.

"Some reason this noble refused delivery?" Jake inquired, eyeing the man skeptically.

"Hell no," the man snapped. "There isn't a damn thing wrong with it; the only thing that pompous ass couldn't stand is that little dent got during its construction that we couldn't get it out without undermining the carriage's durability," he said, pointing at it.

"Really? That tiny thing? He got prissy because of that?" Jake asked in exasperation. "Can I ask who was it?" he uttered, the sounds of the coins tumbling into the man's hand. "Adam, come hitch up the horse," Jake ordered, who had been standing off waiting to be called. "Are those faystone lights?"

"They are; I spared no expense on this carriage of yours," he said happily as every coin was there. Jake just smiled warmly down at Adam as he watched the faystones light up as his flame took hold in the center of them. "The man was from some house of El. Doesn't mean much to me," he spat in disgust.

Jake saw how Shion was grinning like mad at the man's words. He wondered what kind of family dynamic the two of them had. Also if he even wanted to get involved in that. After all, Shion did say they could call it off if they didn't match up. Plus, if it didn't work out, he still might enjoy himself at the nobility's expense. Jake held out his hand, stopping Adam from hooking up the horse when he heard a call from the past.

"You have loceros elk here?" Jake asked in all seriousness.