So, what did that make me?
KOARTHANDRIS
“What. The. Hell!”Izzy hissed, pacing. She looked like she needed to hit something. “Marry me,” she muttered in a bad interpretation of Bayn’s rather extreme bass voice. “Make me your king. Give me your armies. I’m a big, bad titan with serious control issues. Ugh!”
She reached one end of the small room and turned back to face me.
“Can you believe that?”
When I didn’t answer right away, she stopped her pacing as she drew near.
“Koar… he was way out of line… right?”
I sighed.
“You agree with him?” she accused me.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say anything.” She playfully slapped my arm and gave a heavy “harrumph.” “Which makes me think you think Bayn’s right. Do you really want me marrying him?”
“No,” I said instantly. Then I winced a little even before I added, “But…”
“But? There’s abut?”
I sighed. “Izzy, please.” I grabbed her as she passed me again, pulling her against me. Skies Above! She felt so amazing, the warmth of her body hot against mine. “The thought of you and him together makes me want to level mountains and boil the ocean.”
“Right answer,” she mumbled against my chest.
“But…” and to minimize the word I gave her ass a playful slap. Her body stiffened… in a good way and had my body responding in turn, but I continued saying what I needed to say before we got distracted. “He’s not wrong when he says we need the titans. If the dwarves and undines stay out of this, we won’t have much of a chance without the titans.”
Izzy deflated in my arms.
“Yeah… I know.” She nuzzled into my chest, her arms encircling me, not quite reaching around me, but still giving me a tight squeeze. “I’d hoped to avoid the politics of being queen untilafterthis whole war I’ve started. But… an arranged marriage!”
Her arms tightened around me.
I grunted as my ribs compressed. Izzy wasn’t always aware of her elven strength.
“Oh… sorry,” she mumbled. I barely heard her as she pressed her face harder into my chest. She sounded so… lost.
I held her tighter.
Sometimes we all forgot that — not so long ago — Izzy had been a normal person, and still probably wasn’t used to being a super-strong, magic-wielding elf-nymph hybrid with all the pressure of an expectant throne weighing on her.
“Don’t forget,” I whispered. “You have people to help you. People you can lean on. People you trust. Bayn… sounds like he doesn’t have anyone. And as much as I don’t trust titans, he did help us against Saldrea’s minions. I’m not saying you should marry him, just that… maybe weallneed to rethink some of our preconceptions.”
She turned her head to the side, still snuggled up against me. “When did you become the levelheaded one?”
“I’ve always been levelheaded,” I said. “I just go a little nuts when you’re in trouble and I can’t help.”
“You’re helping now, thank you, Koar.”
I smiled.
While Bayn had been talking, an idea had germinated in the back of my mind.
“Perhaps… there is a way to have Bayn prove himself, prove he’s worthy of the position he so desperately wants.”
