"No, Avalon stands apart, it is no one's Shadow though you could say it casts an infinate number of Shadows. Whether they loop upon themselves or are that vast I cannot say, I have only walk among a few hundred of them myself and there has been no looping. Some realities if you will are so alike too where someone may not exist in one," he paused, thought over some of his history. He could have said something to the effect as imagining a world where Hitler was never born but during that particular bout in history he was a prisoner of Sable so he had used something along similar lines of thought. "Imagine is Alexander the Great did not exist and chart the flow of your own history, or where Columbus was never born ... I am hard pressed to find current examples in history being a guest of Sable's at the time but you get the idea."

He considered for a moment. Flowers? A cave? A village. No it seemed more likely that things left from this realm into there's and drew them here. While it was possible that one of the girls possessed the gift for both of them it was unlikely. He tested a hunch though as they walked along the river bank. He looked down at her now, for he was slightly taller than her now.

"Tell me, this village, was in occupied by gnomes?"

He waited for her to answer before making some sense of it all. He did not know all of what they experienced so this was a best guess on his part. "The gnomes in that region of the forest often walk the Shadows collecting flowers that they use in their tonics, you and Kim probably got wrapped up in something they were doing or something happened, perhaps it was Sable's minions that walked the Shadow to here, chanced upon the two of you and drew you here to give to Sable. You winding up in that cave might have been the result of a gnome rescuing you, they are not found of Sable, at least they weren't the last time I was allowed to walk the realms and even then Sable was growing in power and sacrificed a great many gnomish women to keep her beauty. Theories of course, we'll get more answers at the village itself and the surrounds of course. What is important is that you were drawn here and I got to meet you. Think about it, if you never came here I would still be wasting away in the castle, this forest would still be dying rather than recovering and Sable would still lord over the realm.

"Pretty much ... there are a few legends that are just made up but most are true in some respect. Santa Claus? He's a fey, why else would he still be around and it's brownies not elves that traveled to the Shadow with him, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, all fey that have existed at one time or another or currently reside in the Shadow. Their appearance left a ripple on some other realities as well where parents take on the role instead, so, yes Virgina there is a Santa Claus."

"I know of a dragon in Avalon, there may be more but I've never taking to hunt them down. Oh, yes, there are dragons here too, though you have to do some extensive traveling to run afoul of the real nasty ones so the ones around these parts are the smaller sort that have been driven out by their parents or can't compete with the other larger dragons. I guess you might say there big but the largest I've seen here was horse sized. Even the small ones can be nasty, they vary according to their species, there are some benefical ones out there too though these are rare.

"We don't have all that many dragons here though save for a few faerie dragons," he paused and thought for a moment. "Think dragons the size of butter flies that can grow as large as your clenched fist. Instead of traditional wings they have the wings of butter flies and are quiet mischievous but generally harmless. They can go invisible and have instead of fiery breath the ability the exhale an euphoric gas that causes fits of giggles."

Oberron nodded, not surprised that Merlin was a passing reference. But she had heard of him as he assumed, her reality was close to this one after all. "Merlin is a child of Avalon with fey blood, thus magic comes easy to him and he can walk the Shadows with ease. He has not done so in quiet some time as he took the dying King Arthur there, set him to sleep and restored his wounds, well partially. He's slowly regenerating and once he fully recovers from his mortal wound Merlin intends to bring him back, the once and future king that the legends speak of. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to meet him."

"It could have been.. And probably was." Alynia responsed listening closely but her eyes wandered watching a few long haired nixies splash eachother on the other side of the river. They giggled and shrieked playfully and were very pretty. Though Alynia felt a bit self conscious of thier scant visible clothing, she was more interested in whether or not they had fish tails. It was hard to tell because they were playing in the water. Alynia thought that they were mermaids. She quickly turned away as one of them noticed her staring. They giggled and bowed their heads and waved flirtatiously. She didn't know if Oberron had noticed.

"I think you have it just about right. Corwin, he was probably the one who rescued me, did say something about guards taking Kim and coming back for me... I didn't know he was a gnome at the time.. I assumed more along the lines of leprechaun.." she noted that species in this realm were rather like race in hers and hoped she wasn't saying anything offensive. "I would imagine that most people here don't like Sable. She wasn't exactly a benevolent ruler." she mused thinking of the village of terrified gnomes. "It just makes me more glad that I came all the way here to find Kim."

"Really? Santa Claus?" she repeated with an amused tone."I've always learned that St. Nick was real, but the idea of Santa Claus is difficult to believe. All of my life my parents have told me otherwise. But I suppose to say its so then it is so. Still thats incredible. Is he really a jolly nosed man in a red suit?" she asked both playfully and with interest.

"Yes it's true, dragons don't get a lot of love. Dangerous and greedy as they are depicted I still find them to be marvelous creatures. I can't say I would want to meet a full sized one, but the faerie ones sound pleasant." she clentched her hand that was not intertwined with Oberron's into a fist to properly judge the size. "To be completely honest they positively adorable." she admitted particulary amused with the idea of one spewing laughing gas.

Alynia had a bit of a star struck expression as she was introduced to the prospect of meeting King Author. "That would be too good to hope for. I've already met and married the King of Fey" Alynia remarked. "You know where I'm from theres a fair deal of literature on you as well. More or less than King Author, I'm not sure. But you're with a doubt rather well known." she paused. "Of all the people to fall in love with, I've fallen for someone so distinguished. And a king at that." Alynia teased pushing him slightly

Seeing her attention drift upon the nixies he noticed how keenly she was looking at the diminitive fey. Oberron had been good in understanding her mind for the most part, and had a great deal of experience with humans from her version of the Shadow amongst other realms as well. He was a little out of touch but he seemed to follow her thoughts or at least guess.

"Nixies ..." he glanced at them then back at her. "The one on the left is Jessara, the other I do not recognize and can only guess was born in the last few hundred years. They have legs, or were you just interested because it was different?"

Sometimes he forgot there since this was all so commonplace to him. "They have elongated toes with webbing between them, just like their fingers, see," he encouraged her to look for how else could she hope to learn such things.

"They are not related to merfolk, merfolk are not fey in the traditional sense of the word. They are mean and sinister, something your culture tends to overlook and more than one of them has lured a sailor to demise. I guess elements of their habits were atually attributed to sirens, which are among the species that don't exist."

They went on a few paces, Oberron thinking as he glanced at her, grinned for no aparrant reason then looked away.

He froze suddenly at the mention of that name, his grip on her hand tightening then relaxing as his eyes flew to her. "Corwin? Corwin you say?"

He waited for confirmation, nodded though he still looked bedazzled. "Corwin is a leprechaun. I believed him dead, when the wars first began with Sable ... he attempted to steal an artifact from her that was giving us troubles, the orb of storms but he failed in the attempt and was presumed lost.

"There is a village of gnomes on the opposite side of the forest. They once dwelled in it's boundries until Sable twisted it to her will and relocated there. I'm assuming it is one in the same. But Corwin, alive? That of course raises many questions ... I know he hates Sable, in fact his reasons for saving you may have been to spite her but I'd be interested in learning what he's been doing these past few centuries."

He was quiet for a bit considering this development when she remarked about his relevation of the influence of the fey. "Do you wish for me to tell you or would you like to meet him? I don't think he's gone to your Shadow realm all that much so your parents may not have known that their was some truth to the legend. But there are many Shadows and much time to walk them. As old as I am I have only seen a few hundred myself, granted my duties here prevent me from running off ... ok, running off most times and Sable had other vacation plans for me for a while there but I have not walked them in a bit. Perhaps it is nearly time to do so again.

"Well they can be pranksters too but as long as you stay good natured they don't take offense. They can be annoying in large doses but in smaller ones they're not so bad. They are intelligent, most dragons are, though I'd have to say no about a field trip to see a larger one at some time until you get a little more aware of this realm and ..." he grinned "... learn some magic of your own. You have some of my essence in you now, while not a fey you are considered fey touched and such things should come easy to you now with the proper instruction. See, more than one use sleeping with me."

He grinned. "Longer life, able to use some magics, orgasms ... well can't go wrong there." He giggled a little letting her know that he spoke in jest and not out of a conceited nature. You would have thought Oberron would be more like Puck, smug, arrogant, maybe he had been but was humbled by the centuries that he had spent as her prisoner.

He rolled with her push, smiled back at her and then led her to a rock to sit upon. He sat next to her on a log, materialized a basket of muffins and gave her one. A nifty trick at that! He gave it some thought and waited until he cleared a mouth full of food.

"That's not too surprising, I have walked the Shadows though my temperament back then matched the storms ... hence how the orb of storms got it's name. Originally it was a device that was suppose to draw on the storms and my wrath or so the story goes.

"Who wants to meet a has been king," he grinned. "The guy does nothing but sleep now, so, so lazy. I meant meeting Merlin." He smiled to let her no that he was kidding about Auther, took another bit of his muffin and pondered, swallowed. "But a thousand thanks at the compliment."

Alynia turned her head to observe their hands suspecting a bit that Oberron might be regaining back telepathic abilities. "Yes I'm aware of tales of mermaids drowning sailers, but they're still interesting." she defended after being informed that these nixies weren't what she thought they were.

"Oh yes only an few hundred realms" she joked even though she knew that the number of realms could be infinite. "But yes, I'm almost postitive it was Corwin." she nodded confirming her statement. "Even if it was for a long time grudge, he was remarkably kind to me. I never knew he had such a history. Were you two close?" she asked thinking that they two could visit him as they went back, but Alynia didn't want to bring up the thought of her leaving.

She shook her head kindly at his offer to meet Santa, probably the dream of all too many children offered to her. "I wouldnt dare refuse and offer to meet the man, but I think it would off set the beliefs of my entire life." she laughed. "Amazing as it would be." she added quickly meaning no offense at all to St. Nick. "I can say I'm much more interested in Merlin or King Auther even if he is as soporific as you say." she raised her eyebrows playfully

"You really just enjoy hearing me tell you how I love having you in bed." she accused, but even she knew she wanted to say it. "and yes yes, the life, the magic, and the..." her voice trailed off flustered to repeat his words. "Sex with mind blowing, how many time would you like me to repeat that?" she stated pouting slightly. Even though she hoped that absolutely no one expect Oberron was around to hear that, In an odd way she felt pleasant liking the fact that he could have no doubt about what she thought him. Alynia sat down and muttering a thank you as she accepted the muffin taking a bite of the sweet goodness.

As her blush faded she chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. She was thinking hard about what Oberron had said. "Magic..." she mused rolling the word over her tounge. It was hard for her not to appear excited. "Could you tell me what kind?" she asked breathlessly hardly believing what she was hearing. "I'm positive it can't be anything near your stormy wrath, as you put it. Maybe summoning muffins?" she suggested hopefully taking another bite trying to recall other abilities that seemed effortless to the man she was sitting with.

"I was just making you aware that they weren't romantic creatures just incase."

He nodded when talk moved toward Corwin. "You could say that. His family were court jesters for as long as I could remember. He had a hard time of things, leprechaun humor takes some getting use to though he tried harder in finding universal humor."

As they sat and ate their snack he nodded as she explained about Santa though he would have to tell him that she was asking about him and thus she would vprobably be paid a visit by a certain fey vone Christmas morning. It would have to be vin the Shadow since Christmas was not celibrated here.

"What can I say," he leaned in, kissed her cheek seeing that her mouth was occupied. He patted her thigh. "I am a man, and a king so my ego needs stroking every now and again." He grinned. "I won't tire of hearing it, no matter how often you say it. Besides, you look so sexy when you say it, it's cute how you get so flustered at such professions, however true. Relax, I won't have you make any public confessions.

"Conjurations are a little tricky but no doubt you can learn them in time and with a little work. Illusions will come easy to you, invisibility, slight tricks of perception and charms ... those things that most fey excel at. It will take little work to learn them and less to master them once you have a feel for them.

"Other magics may take a little work though you may excel in divination magic as well, seeing through these glamers and invisibility, even detecting some of the thoughts of others. Granted you will have no access in looking into memories but current thoughts should be easy to discern when a target you concentrate is in close proximity to you.

"I excel in a lot of the basic stuff, and divinations as well, plus I have learned a great many things outside of my field of expertise. But you should get the basics down before you tangle with dragons save for faerie dragons of course. As much as I might regret it I should not accompany you in such times, only that if a situation looks bleak you can rub your ring and teleport to my side. I can block the teleportation if I will ... think about an assassin gaining free reign to me but when you rub the ring I get an innate understanding of who calls and expect them. If I'm asleep a slight ping in my mind awakes me from slumber and bestows this information upon me.

"Of course I could always leave you in a sticky situation," he grinned as he teased her, "though seeing how we fey have to renew our bonds from season to season, and the fact that I do not wish to be a bachelor again any time soon you can count on me not leaving you high and dry, I only suggest it because it is a quick means out of a bad situation. Of course it does mean abandoning those that you may be traveling with but if they are already dead there's no use dying too and you could always return with help. We fey, as you have already experienced with the arrival of our army, have means of moving about quickly."

As she chewed and swallowed Alynia had an abashed expression and her blush intensified once more. Not that she didn't like his compliments, she actually relished the warm fuzzy feeling it gave her, but it was because the bold words caught her off guard. "You must stop." She paused for a moment before speaking. "I don't mind stroking your ego. But if you flatter me like that after I do, I'm really going to start liking to talk dirty." Despite the glint in her eye, she wasn't kidding. The more compliments Oberron gave the more she was going to have to hold back. And as great as he was in the bedroom, she didn't want a relationship based solely on her own carnal needs. Satisfying his though, was a different matter.

Her stubborn expression softened as she listened to him tick of magics she might or might not be able to use. After taking off another bite of the muffin he had given she began to think through for carefully. "Conjuring up things should be very useful, and illusions fun, but if I have a choice I think telepathy would be my first pick." she remarked feeling rather giddy thinking about the chance to actually use magic. She had been so impressed the first time she saw Oberron perform such and was elated with the idea she would be able to do anything similar.

Entertaining herself with the scenario of encountering a dragon she ate the rest of her muffin and lightly sucked the crumbs off her fingers. "Yes, I think there would be a problem between us if you wanted to leave me in such a dangerous situation" she teased as she kissed him as he had kissed her. "I'll just make sure to keep you happy and satisfied so the thought won't cross your mind." She lifted her hand peering at the emerald encrusted ring. It really was a lovely piece of jewelry and she told him this. "But my favorite thing about it is that it brings me closer to you." she gave him a cheeky grin taking her hand ontop of his pulling him up to stand. "But as we are together now, shall we keep moving?"

"Oh?" He looked at her surprised. "I don't want that, I sort of like the ... way you talk ... so their shall be little encouragement to keep from scaring you off. My words are true though, I'll simply have to refrain from matters."

He considered her words then nodded. "Telepathy takes more work but can be done, such a power is far more trickier than simple divinations but I have no doubt that you can learn it if you applied yourself.

"Conjurations are tougher, the basket trick a little easier though it requires more concentration and knowing where things you wish ti summon, this is a rather minor conjuration the others of that magical school are far more complex. Bow I could conjure greater things. It is a cross between conjuration and shadow magic where you can make objects."

He explained then was assisted to his feet, her kiss still radiated over him as he smile/ }Pleasing me will be simple. Just keep doing what you're doing and never go off dragon hunting if we're fighting!" He joked as he was encuoraged to his feet. The basket of muffins vanished then as he nodded, contend with moving on,

"Do you like mead? It is an alcoholic beverage mad out of honey. That and wine are amongst the favorites of the fey..."

Alynia giggled a bit, seemingly having surprised Oberron with her words. "Don't get me wrong, I love your flattery as much as you like mine." she reassured with a grin. "I just don't want to be spoiled." She had always been taught to never want too much of a good thing. "You see when I was younger, my family was wealthy, so it was never difficult to get what I wanted. But my father put strict limits on just about everything. While it annoyed me back then, I realized it was probably the only thing that stopped me from becoming a brat."

She paused wondering if what she was explaining was understandable. "So I guess I'm used to holding myself back from too much of anything I really enjoy. And trust me, your affection is on the top of that list" she shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't make all that much sense, I guess the easiest way to sum it up would be a habit."

Glad to change the topic from her past to the more exciting thought of being able to have magical abilities she beamed at the his confidence. "I surely hope your right. I'll make sure to practice and ill he especially appreciative if you guide me." she requested squeezing his hand gently as they walked.

"Hmm, I guess that won't be too difficult." she responded happily to his playfullness. "But I can't be sure, as far as I know dragon hunting could turn out to be my calling. I'll just get so good that I can't resist." she added she laughed hardly even able to comprehend such a feat.

Though she hadn't really been paying attention to where they were walking, they had made of rather far into the woods. Alynia noticed that as they walked deeper into the more mangled parts of the forest, less creatures were present but never the less she felt safe with Oberron. Drawing herself a bit closer to him, Alynia felt very much at ease.

"I'm not familiar with the drink, but I'll be glad to share some with you anyway." Though not the best at handling her liquor, having a small amount wouldn't hurt her. Besides she should be fine as long as she was drinking with Oberron. Maybe he could even teach her how to conjur such objects up.

"Really .... stop you from getting everything you want ..." he paused as he thought. She was a queen now so being showered with praise and items was normal though she did not want that it seemed. Yet he wished to do so but couldn't, thought of something then found himself grinning.

"So, if you really, really want it then deny you, gotcha, though I doubt I could comply with that," he took her in, smiled a little, "But if that is your wish ..." Was he teasing? Probably, though he did make it a habit of listening to her too, he did not wave this matter off or give things away by grinning or smiling so he might have been series, then again he could have been just teasing her too or perhaps, perhaps he would remind her of her words at some point and make her wait despite her wishes at the time, he was playing this hand close to his chest it seemed.

He nodded a bit confused as she continued for the fey weren't use to holding anything back. Still if she was sort of expecting it perhaps he would give it a try. There was just a hint of a grin on his features as he gazed at her. "I think I get it though it will be awfully though, perhaps if I scar you in some way it will be easier to comply with but somehow I doubt it." He grinned then to let her know he did not mean what he said though he gazed at her now as he tried to understand the concept of restraint. He wondered what benefit it brought, this holding back of what you really wanted.

He did not seem too worried that they had traveled far or that they were getting to more mangled parts of the forest. She might not have realized it but they were takin a short cut walking through the Shadow, rearranging things as they went, bending reality to his will to walk into a world similar to this and walk back out into this one closer to the village of gnomes rather than walking all the way there. This was a handy trick.

"All right, the more of my essence you receive the easier it will be to draw upon magic. So ... well if you want to be a good student," he grinned, wriggled his eye brows at her as he teased. "On a more serious note though if you find something difficult it's either probably due to the fact that it has to be worked at or he need a little boost to make it easier. Some things you will find willl be remarkably easy, those traits common to fey should be imparted with little or no effort.

"Most dragons are dangerous but more of a danger here are the goblins," he pointed further west into the thicket of mangled trees. "Until the forest recovers in full they will make their home in the western parts of it. They were Sable's minions.

"There are other things to worry about too. The Deathless ... I suppose the closest thing you have to it would be the minotaur of Crete, a bull headed thing, it is the paragon of it's species and dwells in the forest, one of Sable's dark creations long ago. There are werewolves too, the Dead Men and a slew of other foul bests, most are easy to deal with but things like trolls and the Deathless might be too much to handle for you. Not I, I could probably handle them in my sleep and my full power hasn't returned yet." He gave it a little thought.

"General rule if there are a lot of them or the thing is bigger then you, your probably noth able to deal with it save for the Dead Ones ... they are really only a great danger is they are in large numbers but move to slowly to be much of a threat, plus they have no real minds and are pretty straight forward with what they do."

Alynia put on a cute stubborn expression as she watched with interest as Oberron in response tried to prevent himself from grinning. She giggled and tried to put on a pout. "Oh, You're going to do something mean to me." she guessed having fun being slightly flirtatious. Alynia leaned into him kissing the crook his jaw met his neck. "Do your worst." she dared playfully not really meaning anything of sexual nature but she allowed Oberron to interpret her words the way he wished. Alynia believed that a little restraint makes whatever it is so much better when it's actually received, but Oberron could  disagree and she wouldn't argue. He was a king, and not only that she revered his opinion. 

Despite her confidence before, Alynia still blushed at his words no matter how true they were. "Well if you put it like that, I certainly don't want to be a bad student..." she muttered pleasantly flustered.

Her bashfulness faded as he continued to explain the various dangers.  "Yeah, I remember Puck mentioning something about goblins after we escaped the castle.." she recalled thoughtfully. She found it difficult to believe that goblins were more dangerous than dragons, but she assumed it was because of their numbers.  Alynia turned her head to where he was pointing and made a mental note not to travel in that direction. "If they live in the forest, what benefit did they have from supporting Sable?" she asked out of curiosity. 

Alynia put on a thoughtful expression, she already knew the realm she was in was not safe but she felt it better if she was aware of why. "I believe I've already had a run in with the Minotaur. It attacked us as I was being escorted by the hunter... Not a very nice creature." she pursed her lips and smiled. "Then I simply will remain close to you whenever possible." she paused before she added grinning "For my own safety of course." 

"Until I am proficient enough at magic I will be cautious to avoid werewolves, dead men, trolls, goblins, satyrs and everything else bigger and badder than me." she reassured ticking of just about everything Oberron warned her about.

"I can assume the Deathless are immortal, but can they  not be killed?" she wondered. Even though the word was pretty obvious in itself she found it difficult to believe that they couldn't be. Immortal maybe, but certainly or atleast hopefully possible to slay. 

As they walked Alynia was wondering if they were heading somewhere in particular. Oberron seemed pretty steadfast in his direction. She didn't mind walking around aimlessly as long as she was with him, but if the had to walk around aimlessly knowing him he would rather be in areas a bit more green. But there was also the possibility Oberron wished to see as much as he could of his realm even the less regenerated parts. She brought this up and then asked with curiosity "Are we heading anywhere particular?"

They were of different species and had their own beliefs. Few being immortal creatures did not restrain themselves as much as the shorter lived races. Few things were taboo to them either for most fey, given their long lives tended to try new things without much thought to them as the other races, they simply did not look down on their breathern most times. There were few taboos, most regarding necromancy and the living dead which were abominations to them.

He grinned at her devilishly though, patted her leg, stared at her and grinned. "Really, well alright then." He kissed her then, a long drawn out affair complete with that swishing of tongues that she had taught him. It was then that Aegir tampered with her arousal flooding it as greatly as he dared, then Oberron broke away from her, grinning as he let up on that lip lock.

"Magic," he reminded her, then grinned, "or maybe I'm just that good, I'll leave it up to you to decide." Aegir kept her at that heightened state for a moment longer before he reduced the levels slowly as if the effect was slowly ebbing. "Do you really want to challenge the king of the fey? And to think I'm not at full power yet." Another grin.

"Yes, a good student indeed. See I thought that kiss would change your mind," he grinned pleased with the effects of that lip lock even if her words were unrelated to it he pretended that they were. He teased her again by taking in the fullness of her body then returned his gaze to her own. "I have no doubt that you will make for an excellent student."

"You encountered the Deathless with Arn?" He raised a brow surprised. She was lucky to be alive, so was the hunter and how they both managed to come out of that encounter alive surprised him a little, of course he was pleased that she had survived it but for the Deathless to be used then Sable had to have really wanted her, could she have known then that she was a virgin? How? He pondered that avenue of thought glad though in more ways than one that she would remain safe at his side. One day he would have to deal with the Deathless when the forest fully recovered but not now. "Of course."

He thought about that list she supplied. "Even as a novice you could probably deal with a goblin or two, they are dangerous in larger numbers and are war-like so will be better fighters, perhaps you will be interested in a few fencing leasons to get skilled with some of the basics. Of course, if you submerge yourself in magic you might not ever need it.

"Satyrs are smaller and won't kill you but do your best to stay clear of them and not allow them to see you if at all possible. They are dangerous in ways that differ than most of the other creatures. Phebes has already taken an interest and that is bad enough.

His thoughts returned to the Deathless. "It may be weaker now, Sable is dead and some of it's power came from her magic but my guess is that as the forest revives it will grow weaker so it is still fairly strong. There is only one and we should be thankful of that. It can be killed but continously returns to life, and quite rapidly too so in effect it is immortal as far as I know. Granted I know little of it being locked away in Sable's castle so I hope to learn more by pouring through her books."

He turned to her and smiled. "Yes, we are almost there," he pointed, "that is the edge of the forest, the village of gnomes is nearby. We have just walked through a portion of Shadow to speed up our journey a bit. Things could be worse," he indicated the trees around him with a sweep of his hand. "But there are ways to speed up the healing process. Hopefully Puck recovers the orb of storms, it would help if not there are a few other ways but all of them are tricky."

She quirked her eyebrow noticing he was grinning at her more than he usually did. Still Alynia let out a squeak of surprise right before their lips made contact. As his tongue made her way into her mouth she gripped his hand a bit tighter. Alynia couldn’t help but moan softly. Her eyes blinked shut and she squeezed her knees together. It was that same buzz of anticipation that happened whenever Oberron gave her a direct command to lie down or whenever he began to slowly ease apart her legs. Oh, Alynia was not thinking innocent thoughts right now. As his tongue moved against hers she couldn’t help but shudder remembering other things Alynia knew his tongue could do to her.

As he pulled back Alynia bit her lip looking away embarrassed by what a kiss could do to her senses even if it was magic. She looked at him with a bit shocked. “I think I’ll reconsider my words.” She stuttered breathlessly regaining her oxygen as her arousal slowly died down. Alynia leaned against Oberron lovingly as they continued to walk. “…and to only taunt you when I’m prepared for the consequences.” She stated with a smile. Alynia was slowly learning.

“It seemed that they were willing to only leave the hunter injured if I came along without too much of a fight.” She explained remembering what had happened. “I’m really lucky that skirmish all worked out in the end.” She added as if just realizing how dangerous it could’ve been for her if things were to have gone the wrong way. “I am very thankful to Arn. If he hadn’t come along when he did I’m afraid I would’ve lost my sacrificial value a bit earlier than what was good for me.”

“Even if you are confident, I would rather not find out how well I am at dealing with goblins anytime soon.” Alynia thought it over a bit. “Though I can’t say I’ve ever considered learning to fence.” She paused. “Or to do any kind of magic.” She added “But at the same time I’ve never had a need for any of it. I suspect a bit of sword play would be useful to have under my belt.” She laughed “I doubt intercourse with you will help me in that aspect though.”

“It would be great to be able to defend myself atleast a little, so you can be a bit more at ease of my safety.” She remaked. “Especially if I’ve gotten the attention of someone you don’t like.” Alynia still didn’t understand how that was the case. She personally thought it was just Oberron being protective, which she thought was nice. She had a bad feeling about Phebes but not to the point where she understood his implied intentions.

Alynia turned her attention to the trees around them. “Really, it looks much better than the first time I walked through.” She encouraged then asked “What other ways are there?” She wondered if there was anything she could do to help.

As the two continued walking, they broke out of the tangle of trees. Alynia could see the little village in a distance. Though it was very similar to the one she had passed through a few days back, she didn’t recognize it. It was as if a cloud of misery had been over it the first time she came around and now it had passed. Alynia assumed that the knews of the witch had spread. Though they were not yet in the village Alynia could make out the jovial mood as well as the sound of a few homes celebrating.

"That is the same effect you have on me, so it just isn't a one sided street." He grinned as they walked, he could have lied and actually played things off as if he weren't affected by her kisses to give himself a measure of power in their relationship though Oberron was above playing such foolish games. If he wanted something he would get it one way or another, but when it came to her he relented just a little for it was more important to him to keep her happy. He had to remember her words about the effects of flattery though, he simply could not help praising her though he would have to try to dial it down, for the appeal of her speaking dirty ... well he was immortal, he could wait a bit at that.

"Lost your value ... then Sable must not have known then of your value. So why then would she use the Deathless? I must say both you and Arn are very, very lucky. Had you resisted things may have gone quiet differently, Arn would probably be dead and there is no way I would have been able to draw away enough power to challenge Sable, as it was I would have lost had it not been for you. Chances are that without any real value to Sable other than another sacrifice you would have been cast into the dungeon and perhaps even suffer all kinds of hardships. I probably could have gotten you out of there but would still be trapped there myself so you see how one event shapes the other? Like a stone tossed into a river, the water ripples and effects all those that it touches.

"I do know, it could make you less tense," he shrugged and grinned at her. "Your life will be longer now and you can dabble here and there in fencing if you ever grow bored. Honestly though, I would much rather you toss yourself in magic, I know there will be much fun to be had.

"Dealing with goblins is one thing I wouldn't recommend but they are weak enough, usually poorly trained warriors, they are cowards and fight dirty to try to even the odds. They only continue to exist because they have plentiful numbers and can reproduce quickly and at a young age at that. Their chief, Zog, is a cunning warrior though, the eldest of three triplets, his youngest brother Tog is so so I hear and the second eldest is actually a witch dog with an emphasis on necromantic magic. Clearly he is especially hated amongst the fey and it is chiefly because of him that the Dead Ones lurk through the forest, animated beings usually fallen goblin warriors but he has made a mockery of some fey, humans and dwarves.

"Magic is a great equalizer in size and strength. I am certain it will come easy with you, even some of the complicated stuff should be picked up by you in a matter of time, time that you now have an abundance of. Unfortunately you are not immortal ... yet. I can only extend your life but Sable was centuries on in age, she knew rituals to keep her young though at the price of life. Perhaps there is another way that her magic works, I have yet to see all of her rituals and am versed in a great many of the ancient magicks that she had no understanding of so finding an alternate solution is always possible.

"Well, the most common way, and I do speak loosely here as it is not so common, is the heart of an elder dragon freshly killed. There are other means, Artemis' Blessing ... an artifact of the ..." he paused thinking, translating over to things she would understand, search his thoughts for the right term and continued. "Greek Goddess in your Shadow. The dwarves had it at one stage and their was a feud to get it back, bickering and warfare. In the end the goblins got it, stealing it in a raid against weakened dwarves. That was long ago. Before I was Sable's guest though I doubt they still have it now."

As they cleared out of the forest one of the things she noticed about the village now was that there were children out in the fields and women, though they wore veils over there faces. It took a second for it to click why and Alynia almost thought of it as a customs thing when she remembered that the women here had scarred themselves rather than attract Sable's attention.

"The forest would recover slowly but your words do offer encouragement. Was this the place?" They were walking towards the village and the closer they got the more apparent it was that the people were shorter, the structures smaller.

Alynia smiled at him very appreciative. “Hmm” she hummed happily. “I’m glad I make you feel that way.” She remarked graciously at his honesty. Alynia intertwined her fingers more sercurly in his. “I’m sure I’ll relax more longer I stay by you.” She reassured. “And after all things are safe here, I’m planning for that to be quite some time.” She added brightly. Alynia hadn’t really thought of the fact she had a longer lifespan. There were so many things happening so fast she hadn’t had the opportunity to really marvel at it all.

She stifled a giggle hearing the goblins names. “I know it’s nothing to laugh about, and I guess it’s a bit expected but they are rather… simple names.” She offered with a smile. “I’m sure goblins are nothing the Fey can’t handle. From what I’ve learned you people don’t have to resort to dark magic to have your way.”

“I’m very excited to start learning.” She exclaimed hinting only a fraction of her enthusiasm on the subject of magic. “For now, let’s not mind about all this immortality, as long as you supply me your essence, which I’m sure won’t be too much trouble.” Alynia teased. “I hope that be fine for at least the next century or so.”

“It would be best to concentrate now on returning the forest to its previous spender. I’d really want to see it.” She shrugged her shoulder though having not heard of anything that he named to speed up the process. “There’s still a chance the goblins have it.” She added thoughtfully. Though it was unlikely, it would be much easier if they actually knew where it was.

“I’m not sure.” Alynia admitted honestly. “The first time I went by it was rather… dreary, though I do recall knowing that their women went through some tough times.” She said looking at the veils with a somber expression. She felt a sudden resurgence of anger for the dead witch. Taking a breath to calm down, Alynia reminded herself that there was not much she could do about the past of these people.

She smiled at the children playing whimsically in the field. As they walked by the children stopped to look at the two with interest. Alynia liked kids, no matter what species, so she waved at them in a friendly manner. They waved back with smiles as did a few of the veiled women. Alynia felt a bit less self conscious as she clutched Oberron’s hand. They made their way leisurely to the outskirts of the village. She smiled at the small houses and the gnomes that stopped to bow their heads before carrying on with their business. “Is there something you needed to do here?” She asked Oberron in a hushed voice a bit unsure of why they were here.

"Yes, a very long time indeed," he smiled upon her then, noting that she had been moved by what he said. He could see it in her demeanor after all, the way she was glowing and not the literal kind of glowing.

"Oh, most goblins aren't to bright, some, the smart ones are about as smart as an average human so there names are usually simple or descriptive in some way such as the names of their tribes. Bloody Axe, Darkmoon, Skull Splitters, Marrow Suckers ... fairly simple. Ogre names are simpler though, usually just one syllable they tend to forget longer names.

"Goblins are sort of like the rats of this land, vermin that are too plentiful but easy to deal with. Their tribes squabble and fight against one another and are only dangerous when a warlord or chief riles them up in great numbers. Zog's band is fairly big now, they bested three tribes recently, I only know because they were allied to Sable, so when they were victorious they killed all the man warriors and took the women and chilren killing those that were too old by goblin standards then essentially brain washing the rest. In a few short years their tribe double, tripled or quadripled when those children became adult warriors. Zog is middle aged for a goblin but his father had some success in unifying the other clans through conquest where the Rune Carvers are the strongest tribe in these parts for 100 miles or so."

He explained a little about the goblins at least in this area. He kept the politics about goblins light though so as not to bore her.

"Oh eas - well, I guess it can be done but you'll need to gather a lot of essence," he grinned, a little slow there to catch on. He had not been expecting her to be so forth coming. He fibbed only a little but he sort of made that obvious. He was quite looking forward to supplying her with his essence which only reminded him about why he had brought up the topic of mead earlier.

"There is a substance added to mead that will make you infertile if you drink it regularly, well, it suppresses fertility while it's taken. Each drink is good for about a week, we did not have access to it the first time, human mead is nothing like that of the fey. And recently, well I wasn't about to stop matters so we could search for some. The effects are nearly immediate.

"The goblins still might have it if they haven't lost or broken it by now. There's no way to tell for sure other than interrogating some goblins. Count Marduke told me that Lord Charon had some goblin prisoners from that battle so we may find out. Seeing the forest as it was is easy ... this place is a Shadow of Avalon, the forest exists there as well. I shall take you to see it. There is a reason I dwell here most of the time instead of there, see fey magic is strongest here, and this is where I used the heart of storms long ago ... an old boring tale but the simple fact of the matter is that the heart bolsters my powers within this realm.

"It is depleted of course but will grow in strength once again."

Some of the adolescent girls had veils too and it seemed that they scarred themselves on the cusp of womenhood, perhaps it was a right of passage now amongst the women here. Oberron nodded at her words, always observant, always calculating as they walked along, those gnomes close to them acknowledge them as they passed.

He was silent for the most part as he continued to make observations between now and when last he was here. "I believe there is something -"

He released her hand, rushing up to a fountain nearby as he called for their attention and to gather around. They did and knelt to their king where Oberron gestured her over to his side. He spoke faultering in their language briefly, looked at her and smiled. What he exactly said she was unsure of but by the end of it their was a lot of applause. Then he spoke again, the crowd froze and tentively some went to the veils they were wearing at least those that had them. They took them down and ...

... nothing! No scars, nothing! A collective cheer went up in astounishment and she noted that the mood became jovial at once, song and dance broke out, a lot of the gnomes pressed in on them, speaking in their native dialect to Oberron, some even spoke to her in her tongue, those that spoke it at least.

"You'll make a wonderful queen."

"Glad to see that Sable did not take you."

"You'll make him happy."

Some of what Oberron said must have been an announcement of some sort. It was then that Oberron turned to her. "There are numerous devices that will allow you to read or speak fey, understand it too. Each species has their own languages but there is a pigin language that we all understand, it is what we fey tend to use with one another. At least until you learn it I will fix you up with something before you go."