After a few choice stops along the way to gather some necessary ingredients, nowhere near the relay stations of course, we made it to Ester's Village without incident. I still wore my army uniform and Mage Henrietta wore her mage robes, so no one really paid us much attention as I brought us to the village dock. They had seen countless soldiers and lots of mages as they passed through the village, ever since the garrison was built.

Mage Henrietta still had to help me walk to the clothing and leatherworking store. We went inside and the woman behind the little counter didn't recognize me. To be fair, I had bought her odd feather stuffed leather coat almost a year ago, so I guessed that if all she remembered of me was the hole in my cheek and my mangled ear, I could be a completely different person to her right now.

“You only need a functioning pair of boots for now.” Mage Henrietta said. “We can go shopping in the capital for other clothing.”

“I should change out of these clothes.” I said and plucked at the army uniform I wore.

“Hmm? Oh, I suppose. We can buy something nice and you can stuff that into your pack with your souvenir.” Mage Henrietta said and walked me over to the shelf of different styles of boots. “I know you want to keep the important things you've gained.”

I nodded and we spent a few minutes looking for the most versatile boot, then we went to the clothing racks and Mage Henrietta rummaged through them. It took her another few minutes to find a sturdy pair of pants and a high collar shirt.

“I don't think you need a tie until we get home.” Mage Henrietta said as she test fit the shirt over my shoulders. “You know my father will demand you dress properly to visit him.” She said with a laugh. “As if a tie will make him like you more! What nonsense!”

I smiled slightly and she touched my cheek that used to be damaged.

“I don't want you to think that you need to change for me, all right?” Mage Henrietta said and held up a pair of pants. “I mean you as a person. The clothes are just dressing.”

I nodded and she kissed my cheek, then she waved at the spot where I could change my clothes.

“I need a bath first before I change.” I said and she caught her breath.

“You didn't even... for two weeks.” Mage Henrietta said with a sigh and her hand reached around me and pat the spot in my pack with the Colonel's arm. “I'm glad you took her whole arm and not just her hand.”

“She stole a lot from me.” I said.

Mage Hentietta smiled sadly and helped me walk as we took our purchases over to the counter. “Is your underwear okay? Should we get those, too? It's a long trip to the capital.”

I nodded and grabbed a pair for me, then she paid for everything. I was going to mention it and she whispered that I could pay her back when we got to my house, as if she knew what I was going to say. I looked at her face and she gave me a sly smile, then she kissed my cheek again.

We took the clothing to the inn and Rebecca didn't recognize me, probably because she was only really looking at the mage with me. Mage Henrietta rented a room for the night, even though we were only staying for a short while for me to bathe and to change into proper clothing. We were shown to the best room, a different one from the one I had stayed in before, and it had the tub in it.

Mage Henrietta closed the door behind us and locked it, then she helped me over to the large tub and sat me down. She took her time to slowly undress me, making sure to fold the clothing to keep my decorations on the top, and her eyes roamed over my bare and freshly healed skin. I fixed my toes to face out properly and drank a healing potion to heal them.

Mage Henrietta urged me to stand and her hands dropped to my underwear as her face flushed red. “David, I... I've seen one before; but, I've never...” She looked up into my eyes and she didn't see rejection. Her hands pulled my underwear down and she took in a sharp breath as she saw me. “By the Son's light.” She whispered and helped me balance as I stepped out of the underwear. “I thought... well...” She smiled. “I was worried that you would be caked with dirt or soiled.”

“I had my clothes off for most of the time I was in the stockade.” I clarified for her and she stood up to help me climb into the tub of water. I shivered at the chilly water, which was new for me, since I hadn't had that reaction before. She waved her hand over the water as she whispered a few words. The water became slightly warmer than me and I relaxed.

“Yes, relax and let me wash you, dearest.” Mage Henrietta said and then proceeded to do just that. It was surprisingly similar to how Gillis had washed me and I had to wonder if all women would wash me the same way. She took her time and used her hands more than the cloth or sponge, and she had even saved my crotch for last, just like Gillis had.

I was soon washed all over and she helped me dry off. Without being asked, I started to strip her off as well. Mage Henrietta didn't say anything as I did so, not even when she was fully naked and stood before me completely exposed. Her nice breasts had been well hidden inside her mage robes and she didn't try to hide them as I looked at them. She had a thin waist and her hips were a good width and similar to her chest size.

Mage Henrietta was only the third woman that I had seen naked and she was quite appealing to my eyes. She must have seen that on my face, because she stepped close to me and gave me a brief kiss on the lips. Her face was only slightly red after that and she had a demure smile on her face.

I helped her get into the tub and I took my time as I washed her all over. She let out little moans and an occasional squeak as I caressed her with soapy hands and a cloth. I didn't touch the sponge, because that was too rough for her delicate skin. I had saved her crotch for last as well and by the time I was done washing her, her face was a deep red and she was breathing heavily.

“D-David.” Mage Henrietta whispered as she stood up from the tub and I picked up the towel to dry her. “Please... please take me to bed.”

“I should dry you off...” I started to say.

Mage Henrietta took the towel and tossed it onto the bed and laid down on it. “Make love to me.”

She spread her legs for me, to show me the same sight that I had seen all that time ago on the boat during that first driving lesson. She was soaked and it wasn't from the water. I knew what to do, thanks to my experiences with the Hag and Diane, so I knelt and started kissing her there.

“Ohhhhh...” She moaned. “...what.... what are you... is that your tongue?!?”

“Mm hmm.” I mumbled and she moaned in response.

“I've never... do all commoners... OHHH!” She gasped as she came unexpectedly.

“I don't know.” I said as I climbed on top of her. “I've only been with the Hag and Diane.”

“A scary sorceress and a domineering commoner... and now a high tier mage.” She responded and stared into my eyes as she felt me touch her opening. “You've risen up in the world, David Drake.”

I slipped inside of her and she gasped and gripped me tightly as both of our bodies started tingling when our magic started mixing together.

“S-s-stop... just... let me...” She whispered between her panting breaths.

I waited for several seconds, then pushed myself all the way in. I knew she didn't actually want me to stop, because she just needed to adjust to our bodies joining together and our magic mingling so much.

“AHH!” She gasped again and came, then her arms wrapped around me and she kissed me deeply. “W-wait, I... I need to...”

I slowly started to move in and out and she looked surprised for a second, then her face was filled with pleasure and she rocked her hips to help me. She let her body speak for itself, because it knew what it needed to feel good, and her mind went along for the ride as she felt my magic react to hers. Her deep moans and her whines of pleasure filled the room... and probably the rest of the inn.

It was barely suppertime and several rooms should have been rented already. The small village was expanding, thanks to all the people coming through to either visit the soldiers or to watch them moving back and forth. The boat traffic had picked up as well for both the army and commercial trade. More people meant more things were needed, more things needed meant more money for the locals.

We had sex for quite some time, because each time I was going to stop and let her rest, she asked me to keep going and her magic spiked. I wasn't sure if it was the constant tingles we were sharing or what; but, I kept going and she kept coming.

When we were done, we had missed supper and it was getting late, so we decided to stay until morning. Apparently, her decision to rent the room for the night had been a good one after all. We went back to bed and Helena didn't mind that one little bit, because we both enjoyed the extra time together.

I wouldn't realize until later that my mind had switched her name in my head. She was no longer Mage Henrietta to me and was Helena instead. I didn't know if it was because we had slept together or I had finally stopped trying to distance her in my head. Either way, that morning when we woke up, she had a huge smile on her face when I said good morning to her and used her first name.

We had another quick bath each and dressed, both of us in new clothing, and left the inn looking like a proper couple. People definitely noticed us now, since we no longer looked like the military, and only a few people noticed me carrying my pack in my hand. I was still walking awkwardly, since my balance was still slightly off from having my toes back on both feet, and we went to the blacksmith.

Helena bought a new lock set for my front door to replace the one I couldn't use anymore, and we left to go down to the dock. As we passed the main road that went up to the old general store, I glanced up to look at Diane's store. The lights were on and I thought I saw her walk by the window.

“He won't survive it.” Helena said and I turned my head to look at her. “You spent almost two weeks suffering to get your foot back and it was horrible for you, even after everything you went through. Spencer has only seen a battlefield and lost his hand, and he's suffering from battlefield trauma. He will definitely die if you experiment on him.”

“It's only a hand.” I said and stepped down into the boat. “I had a lot more damage and...”

“There's not as much in your brain needed to use a foot. A hand, however...” Helena said and took my hand to step onto the boat. “Maybe if you can refine what you did, he might have a better chance.”

I untied us and we sat down on the middle bench. “It took me a week of failures to finally get it to the point I could try it, then it took me ten days of agony to recover from it.” I said and took us out into the harbour and over to the entrance to the waterway to get to my house in the marsh. “What if we put him to sleep with a spell or a potion?”

Helena shook her head. “He'd wake up traumatized, especially if the last thing he saw and felt was the hand being removed. You know his mind is already fragile.”

I thought about that. “Maybe you're right... or maybe he might think it was all a dream.”

Helena looked surprised. “You'd want him to believe that?”

“If it would wake him up from whatever is wrong with him.” I responded.

Helena was quiet for the rest of the ride to the house. It wasn't until I had the boat up onto the dry area that she spoke. “I might be able to get you something when we go to the capital. It's not something that can be bought on the open market, either.”

I held a hand out to her and she climbed out of the boat. “Thank you.”

Helena let out a sigh and then she smiled. “Let's get those potions made and we can be on our way.”

I nodded and we went inside to get to work.