Aiden stepped through the portal into his room and imdiately knew his wives were not within the guild.
The Dragon’s Bond confird it, given that the shared connection told him they were nearby, just not here. Then he turned toward the door and made his way downstairs.
The main hall was alive with its usual energy. Ambrose sat at one of the tables, locked in a board ga with Fred, Sorkin, and Oliver.
Their faces showed varying degrees of concentration as they studied the pieces before them.
And in the captain’s office was Elena and Alia who had just returned from a mission. Both won stood before Katherine, delivering their report.
Aiden paused at the base of the stairs and observed the scene. The new mbers had integrated well into the guild. They worked together and much better now.
He nodded to himself in approval, then turned toward the exit.
His wives were on their way back to the guild. He could feel them drawing closer with each passing mont. But instead of waiting for their return, Aiden chose to walk out and et them halfway.
He stepped outside and followed the pull of the bond, moving through the streets of Dragonhold until he saw them in the distance.
There were four figures walking together. Laela and Arianna were at the center, with Rin and Aeris flanking them on either side.
Just as Aiden moved closer to them, they also felt his presence and at a certain proximity, his wives spotted him which brightened their expressions.
Both won quickened their pace toward him, and Aiden smiled as they got close. They embraced him at once, and he held them both for a mont before gently pulling back.
"Hi, Aeris," he said, turning his attention to the Amazon.
Aeris inclined her head in greeting, with a little smile tugging at her lips.
Then Rin stepped forward, with an expression full of excitent.
"Aiden!" she said. "I’ve made so much progress. You should have seen what I did today!"
Aiden’s grin widened as he looked down at her. "I do see it," he said. "All your hard work. And I know you’re going to turn out to be a great mage."
Rin expression bead up even more at his words and she nodded enthusiastically.
Aiden then turned back toward the four won and spoke again.
"I’m sorry, but I’ll have to borrow my beautiful wives for a second."
Aeris nodded in understanding, already stepping back. Rin followed suit, though she looked a bit disappointed to see the conversation cut short.
"We’ll see you later," Aeris said, placing a hand on Rin’s shoulder and guiding her away.
Once they were out of earshot, Aiden turned back to Laela and Arianna. Laela spoke first.
"Why do you need us, my love?"
"I want to spend the next few hours with just you two," he said.
Both won’s faces lit up even further as they exchanged a glance before Arianna spoke.
"We haven’t had ti like that in so long," she said.
Laela’s eyes sparkled as an idea ca to her.
"What if we return to that dinsion?" she said.
They already knew which one she spoke of. The one with beastfolk people.
Arianna turned toward her, then back to Aiden, her face lighting up with the sa excitent.
"That would be perfect," she said.
Aiden looked between them both, and with a smile he asked, "Can I say what I want?"
Both won nodded.
Aiden took a breath before speaking.
"In the next few hours, I want it to be just us. No world around us. Just so place quiet, with the two of you. The most important people in my life."
They both had no problems or argunts with it. When it ca to their happiness, Aiden always put them first, so it only felt right they did it his way too.
Besides, alone monts with Aiden? Yeah that was probably going to be a better experience too.
Laela reached out and took his hand. Arianna did the sa on his other side.
"Alright then lead the way," Laela said.
With a thought, a blue portal tore open before them. Aiden stepped through with both won at his side, and the gateway sealed shut behind them.
They erged into a different world.
The air was filled with the scent of flowers, and everywhere they looked, gardens stretched endlessly in every direction.
There were no buildings or roads just vast expanses of cultivated beauty.
Flowers of every color blood in perfect rows. Trees with low-hanging branches ford natural canopies over winding paths.
The sky above was a soft gradient of gold and violet, as though the sun was always setting.
Laela turned in place, taking it all in.
"Where is this?" she asked.
"Another dinsion," Aiden replied. "This one is quiet and pretty much everywhere is a garden."
Arianna knelt down and brushed her fingers over a cluster of white blossoms growing near her feet.
"Are there any inhabitants?" she asked, glancing up at him.
Aiden nodded.
"There are," he said. "They’re called slis. They live in the small bodies of water scattered across the planet. They never co out of them."
Arianna nodded, rising to her feet as she turned her gaze toward a nearby pond, trying to spot the planet’s inhabitants. Their forms blended seamlessly with the water, making them nearly impossible to see unless they chose to move.
"I’ll take you to the spot where we’ll be staying," Aiden said.
He took both their hands again, and in an instant, they vanished.
They reappeared in another section of the garden, this one more secluded. Trees ford a natural ring around the clearing, and their branches created a covering overhead.
Soft grass covered the ground, and at the center of the space, a table had been set.
But it was not a traditional table.
The surface was low to the ground, no taller than a foot. Upon it rested an array of food that looked fit for royalty. Roasted ats, fresh fruits, cheeses, bread still warm from the oven, delicate pastries, and pitchers of wine and water.
Spread beneath the table and extending outward was a wide white blanket, soft and clean. It covered the entire clearing, inviting them to sit.
Both his won looked too shocked to speak as they took in the sight, until Arianna finally began,
"Aiden... how did you...?"
He smiled and said, "That is not for you to worry about."
But the truth was different and If he told them, it would lose its magic.
This had not been planned for long. In fact, it was barely planned at all.
The thought had co to him the mont he stepped out of his Pocket Domain, and he had transmitted it imdiately to the avatar stationed in this dinsion alongside the ti variant.
It was the variant and avatar who had prepared everything. They replicated the food, the table, the blanket, all of it, just before Aiden and his wives arrived.
They were still within this dinsion now, just in another part of it, far enough to give the three of them privacy.
They both looked at him with warmth in their eyes, as if about to cry or sothing.
Laela then stepped forward and pulled him down onto the blanket, laughing as she did.
Arianna joined them, settling on his other side
User Comments
0 comments from readers