The situation settled itself over time. Blackthorne explained recent events to the guards and they accepted it well enough. Though, it became obvious that they would be quite happy to be free of their current duty soon.

Isera proved to be a slightly more difficult proposition at first. Whenever Blackthorne looked her way she would turn her head to the side and murmur random sentiments such as, "I'm uncertain..." or she might babble something about her beautiful future while her face reddened like a ripe tomato.

After roughly an hour passed, however, she finally regained some sense of decorum. She proved to have a far friendlier temperament that previously shown as well.

"I see, so you dreamers really do transition here from another world through some form of body exchange?" asked Isera. She tapped her lower lip then said, "How quaint."

"I don't know how quaint it is, or is not... but it's the only way we have to get here," replied Blackthorne.

"In this other world, you have another body and go by a different name?" she pressed.

"Correct. I look relatively similar there as I do here, though there are a few obvious differences," he told her.

The formerly cold and dour matriarch smiled warmly at him then nodded her head. "This method of travel between worlds... It is a bit imprecise is it not? What happens should you simply awaken earlier than planned?"

"It hasn't really happened to me, yet. I've begun to suspect that as long as I am focused on being here I can stave off awakening back where I come from. At least, I think it can be done for a little while," he said.

They chatted amiably for a while about various topics. Isera treated Blackthorne like an old friend of the family, though from her mannerisms and occasional giggle she clearly saw him as potentially more than that.

"Beloved, won't you accept something for my rescue? You did go through a great deal, and it would mean a lot to me," said Saelil.

"I don't feel comfortable taking money for something like that," he said.

Isera made a slightly intrigued humming noise then clapped her hands together. "You are not the sort of man who simply sells himself for profit... That's admirable in its fashion."

She thrust her fingers toward him then offered him a bright smile, "What if we grant you nothing but our thanks and the promise you requested as a reward. Instead we will grant a gift from our House to you as a token of our esteem?"

"Isn't that essentially the same thing? Mrs... Ah, Lady— Lothuialeth, I—" began Blackthorne.

The matriarch cut him off with a throaty chuckle, "No. No, call me Isera. You do not need to address me as a lady..."

"I suppose I can do that, Isera. I don't know much about your culture, so I didn't want to presume..." He offered her a smile and a nod of the head for emphasis.

Isera made a strangely cute murmur and her cheeks reddened once more. "So... you want to know more about my, culture, was it?"

"Mother..." growled Saelil.

Isera glanced down at her child, a merry twinkle in her eye. "Such an angry sound, dear one. Whatever is the matter?"

Saelil gazed intently into her mother's eyes then leveled a childish scowl at her. "You know full well what is wrong... Requesting a male from outside of our family address you by your first name on purpose..."

"Does he not call you by your name, dear one?" asked Isera lightly.

The little elf girl made a coughing noise then turned away, her cheeks reddening much like her mother's. "He is mine. It is only right and proper that he address me with such familiarity."

Blackthorne eyed the little girl then looked to her ridiculously attractive mother. Dark elves were an odd lot as far as he could tell, but these two did seem to have a friendly family dynamic despite their verbal sparring. "Is this the part where I say, 'Not hers.' once more?"

The elves snorted loudly in unison then immediately responded in their own fashion.

"No. It is not," said Saelil.

"Of course, this is the time," disagreed Isera.

Saelil turned toward her mother once more than offered her a frown. She crossed her arms over her diminutive chest and made an inquiry. "Must you be so bold with my beloved, mother?"

"Ah, but my dearest... he was the one who chose to become bold with me. Do not deny your lonesome mother her simple pleasures," replied Isera.

"If you're that lonesome, you can always just visit your harem when you return home. How many is it now? Twenty-seven? Thirty?" asked Saelil.

Blackthorne's eyes widened. The matriarch of House Lothuialeth certainly knew what she wanted.

Isera threw the back of her hand to her lips then laughed beautifully at her daughter's attempt to lessen her mother's position with the man she now fancied. A surge of pride welled up within her dark and mysterious heart. She could not help but mentally voice her true thoughts, 'Oh, you have grown from this experience, haven't you my little one?'

"My harem has expanded to forty-two, my dear one. I laid claim to a lesser house just before our trip to this charming little world," replied Isera. She leaned forward then said, "Not that they matter in the slightest. None of them are truly husband material, and easily sent off to live their lives in far less perfumed and comforting surroundings."

Blackthorne's eyebrow rose heavenward as he realized that she just blatantly referenced kicking her boy toys to the curb without much regard for them. Just what sort of thing did dark elves get into when they started relationships?

Saelil snorted at her. "You would truly toss them aside?"

Isera shrugged pleasantly then waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Such men are nothing to me but well-muscled pleasure toys. If any of them were worthy enough to be considered a true husband they would have the title by now.

She glanced surreptitiously at Blackthorne, "Though, the female members of my harem would remain.

"You have women in your... harem?" asked Blackthorne. He was unable to keep the interest from his voice.

"Ah, yes. It is a requirement for any powerful house, after all. Every daughter sent to become a part of House Lothuialeth is a treasured tribute from the lesser houses under our banner," replied Isera.

"But... they're girls. It's not like they can give birth to your children... Can they?" asked Blackthorne, his expression perplexed.

Isera laughed warmly then leaned toward him in a way that provided a clear view of her ample real estate. "It's not about having children with them, it's about obedience. They send their most eligible daughter to serve the main house. Their daughters become official daughters of our house and are trained in our arts."

She wiggled her finger at him a little. "It takes a great deal of life force to cast powerful spells, and the most pleasurable way in which to get that energy is utilized."

"They put up with being used as a magical battery?" asked Blackthorne, his eyes still wide. He learned so much today!

"Put up with it?" Isera laughed beautifully and even Saelil covered her face a little while she snickered to herself.

"My dear, dear, Blackthorne... they fight each other tooth and nail for the honor of serving under me," said Isera. Her body swayed a little then she continued, "Also, they must give up the silly notion of laying with a man for the most part."

"For the most part?" he asked.

Isera winked at him in a saucy manner. "My future husband will no doubt find my female tributes quite welcoming during those hours when I am busy with important household matters."

She brushed a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "Of course, they will be even more welcoming during times when both I and my husband make use of their special talents..."

Blackthorne coughed slightly into his hand then rubbed his eyes. "I see..."

"Trash!" wailed a voice inside his mind. "Disgusting. Vile. Filth!"

In order to change the subject a little and to get the voices in his head to be silent once more, he said, "What of Saelil's father?"

"What of him?" asked Isera.

"Why would he matter, beloved?" asked Saelil.

"Why wouldn't he matter?" he asked.

"My mother is clearly attempting to steal you away from me instead of acting in the manner of a proper parent who loves her child," said Saelil, as though that answered anything.

Isera smiled warmly at her child. "I cannot steal that which never belonged to you, dear one."

Saelil eyed her mother, a sour expression on her face. "This has been established. He is mine."

Blackthorne frowned at them both. Arguing over him was one thing. Hell, a powerful woman with her own harem was one thing. The fact that they both just blatantly disregarded his question was another thing entirely. Why didn't her father matter? Was he dead? Was he merely one of Isera's man-sluts? Did she conjure a demon from hell and have a fun Tuesday night?

Was it even worth pressing the issue to find out since they would both leave this world soon? In truth, he was not certain that it was worth the headache.

"My dear little one," said Isera softly to her child. "It makes your mother proud to see you fight for what you believe to be yours, but you are so very young."

"My age is irrelevant. He is mine. Accept your defeat, mother," said Saelil imperiously.

"Dear, when you are older and have a harem of your own you will better understand that this is a mere infatuation. When I was you age, I—" began Isera.

Saelil cut her off mid-sentence, a heated look of determination in her eyes. "I do not want a harem. I need only my beloved."

Isera made a strangely unladylike noise. Her tongue had poked out slightly and her lips flapped together to produce it. Her eyes widened comically just before her weird noise became an overpowering laugh. She placed her hand to her mouth to try and lessen her humorous rebuke, but what her child just told her was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard in her life.

"Mother..." said Saelil, an edge in her tone.

"Saelil, my sweet little one, you may toss aside your desires for other men but as the future matriarch of House Lothuialeth you will certainly have a harem. The other houses will go to war if we don't claim their daughters as tribute," said Isera in a calm voice. Her eyes, however, were cold and glittered like the eyes of a serpent.

Saelil copied her mother's rude noise from before. *Pbbt!* "I know that, mother. I can't very well rule as matriarch unless I keep the women of the lesser houses in line."

"What if your beloved decides to dally with them?" asked Isera. "As your husband, it is his duty to impregnate your harem after all."

Saelil placed her hands to her hips then snorted loudly, "What does it matter? He will have long since learned his place and my role in his life. He is mine. I am his one true queen. Other women will come and go, as will whatever issues forth from their inferior loins, but we are eternal."

"Because he gave you an apple?" asked Isera, a smug smile upon her lips.

The little elf maiden leaned forward and spoke clearly to her mother. "Because that is how things are to be."

Isera's eyes widened and then began to sparkle. She chewed on her lower lip briefly while she gazed into the determined eyes of her daughter. Without warning, she lunged forward with impossible speed. Saelil barely had time to squawk before Isera had her wrapped in her arms.

"Oh, my sweet little girl has become a proper woman at last," cried Isera while she hugged her protesting and thoroughly embarrassed child to her mighty motherly bosom.

The dark elven duo remained locked in place for a time. Despite the seeming aloof and distant nature of their relationship, they seemed perfectly at ease when cuddled together. Blackthorne watched them quietly for a time, then looked away. A slight smile on his lips, nodded his head. There was no reason to believe that Isera was negligent toward her daughter. They were both far older than they looked, and she clearly cared for Saelil in spite of the way they greeted each other earlier.

Eventually, they separated from each other. Isera stroked her daughter's hair and Saelil allowed such doting familiarity without complaint.

In all honesty, Blackthorne was more than a little disturbed by what he had heard so far. Due to the lull in the conversation, he opted to steer the topic completely away from relationships and focused on something said earlier. "All of that aside..."

The two ladies turned to look at him simultaneously. In the current lighting it was impossible to deny that they were in fact mother and daughter. Saelil was a miniature version of her mother as far as he was concerned.

"In regards to the original topic, I really can't allow myself to take a reward for what happened. I don't mean that with any animosity or disrespect," he told them.

"Ah, yes! I nearly forgot in all the fuss," said Isera. She ignored Blackthorne's statement completely and reached into a stylish black bag worn on her hip. A moment later she pulled out a rolled up bit of vellum that was clearly far too large to have fit inside its previous container.

"Just before my darling Saelil was stolen off of the streets I was locked in a heated trade agreement with a merchant who dealt with rare antiquities," said Isera. She showed the item to Blackthorne then continued. "Given what my sweet child has said about her miraculous rescue, it almost seems that this was destined to be yours."

"What is it?" asked Blackthorne. He did not want a reward for saving a little girl from kidnappers of his own accord, but that rolled up bit of vellum clearly looked like some sort of fantasy world map or scroll.

"Mother, isn't that..." began Saelil, her eyes going wide.

"Yes, child. This is a map to a lost temple of the dark goddess hidden deep within the confines of a long abandoned mine overrun with monsters," said Isera. She looked to Blackthorne then smiled. "Another miracle it seems, that very mine is less than two hour's travel from this town by foot."

Blackthorne's eyes sparkled slightly, his interest obvious. While he wanted no monetary reward, this sort of thing was well within his true goals. He wanted to live a life of adventure in this world and exploration of an abandoned mine seemed like a good start.

"With this map, you can find the lost mine and then possibly even seek out the temple. While it is probably long since looted clean due to its proximity to this town, there may be something of interest there for someone who boldly seeks to claim their future with their own two hands," said Isera. A twinkle appeared in her eyes, "Especially one who was led to rescue my daughter by the guiding hand of the goddess of darkness herself."

Blackthorne could not help himself. His lips quirked up into a broad grin. "Well, I must admit that while I did not want a monetary reward... If you insist on giving me such a thing, I won't deny you."

"Excellent!" cried Isera. "A man of noble character might not desire to be enriched off of the troubles of the innocent, but a courageous one never turns down an opportunity for adventure..."

"I don't know about noble or courageous, but wandering around in the dark while seeking out an ancient temple does sound like fun..." admitted Blackthorne, his grin widening even further.

"Doesn't it!" exclaimed Isera. She handed the map to him then clapped her hands together and looked down to her child. "Does this also satisfy you, dear one?"

"I would rather I be his reward mother..." said Saelil in a serious tone.

Blackthorne choked a little then covered his face with his hand. 'Dammit, Saelil...' he thought, a little laugh bubbling up inside at the idea of her shamelessness.

Isera, however, had a different response. She cried out, "My darling child has grown so much!" and pulled Saelil into another tight embrace.

The trio spent quite some time after that discussing various things of lesser import. Blackthorne learned more about how dark elves from their world, a place known as Fear Rune, operated. Apparently there were several versions of that world. The inhabitants who knew the secrets of realm travel had discovered at least three variant realities.

Dark elves from Fear Rune were both similar and grossly dissimilar to the fictional tales he'd read and the games that he played. A matriarchal race, every important government position and household was led by a matriarch. They were quite free with their bodies and lived for the acquisition of knowledge and pleasure. A race that trusted rarely, but doted upon those whom they did come to believe in, they were a strange and prideful people.

For all of their inhuman oddities, Blackthorne came to think highly of his two new associates. At the very least family seemed important to them. Although they placed great importance on personal dignity when in the public eye, it was obvious that there was love in their household. In fact, there was perhaps a little too much love in their home if all of the harem hijinks that Isera related were legitimate.

At any rate, the more Isera and Saelil spoke of their world and family, the less inclined he was to believe that the little girl would be stolen again. It was quite a relief, even if it also filled him with a sense of sadness.

Soon, she would leave this world at the side of her disturbingly attractive mother. While he knew her only a short time, the similarities to his sister had cheered him slightly. He failed his sister, but he did not fail Saelil. That was a truth that would stick with him for the rest of his life.