>>5666139You both look to Ekaterine, and you tilt you head slightly, affecting an apologetic smile—accurate, at least, of your own abashedness to bring this up this way.
“Love can mean many thingsss… Community, family, friendship, romanccce,”
You pause, and nod, confirming the suspicion you see forming in your princess’ eyes, her heart.
“‘Teharisssa’ and I are… Well, loversss iss not the proper word.”
“Not with you acting like this, that’s for certain,” the Novice mutters angrily, still speaking your shared first language in her embarrassment.
Ekaterine just stares, at both of you, but mainly at you.
“B-but, but we are… Yous aid that we…”
“I am your husssband,” you assure her. “Conssider thisss… A cultural differenccce. But alsso know that I feel sssimialrly about you both becaussse in sssome waysss you ARE sso ssimilar!”
>18Both females fall silent. They look at you, and then at each other.
“I… Wang, or Theral, or whoever you are…” Ekaterine begins, voice hitching a little, brow knotted, her arm and unresponsive in your grasp.
“Unforgiveable,” the Novice sneers, and then reverts to the Northern common-tongue: “Absssolutely reprehensssible male idiocccy.”
Ekaterine nods, slipping her arm from your grasp. Both females look at each other, back at you, and as you stand there—heart full of equal parts hope and confusion—they step forward without you. The Novice even uses her magic to produce a dim, silvery mage-light for the female human to see by, so she need not rely on you. They are not arm-in-arm, not even side-by-side, but they are in some undefinable way TOGETHER in this.
Did you… Did you do it? Did you win?
Olu the Archer claps a hand on your shoulder, mirror to your own action of camaraderie after the slaying the paladin Prince.
“The enemy of their enemy has become their friend,” he says, with the smallest of smiles.
You sigh, and nod, and follow, with your fellow male for company.
