Birgit

  Birgit scanned the area carefully to make sure there was no one around who would accost them before moving out of the way so Niles could exit and help her and Susi down from the carriage. It was already after dark. She had purposefully delayed them with some shopping upon their return to the capital. She knew she could not keep Niles from encountering other women at the academy forever, but she would delay it as long as she could.

  Birgit’s mind swam as she thought about how much had changed over the semester break. In some ways, they had changed for the better. Niles was now looking at staying here permanently in a positive light, and that took such a weight off her shoulders. She had felt so guilty about trapping him here and had often worried about what he was going to do in the likely event she could not find a way for him to return. And then there was her mother. Birgit would never have imagined her own mother would not only suggest she become intimate with Niles, but practically insist on it once she had seen the haul of crystals they had brought back from their crystal hunt in the southern wilderness. But then, like her, Birgit’s mother had been a very talented mage, doomed to insignificance because of her below-average magic potential. Birgit was fairly sure it was only her mother’s looks and charm that had won over her father, not her magic.

  Birgit had never seriously considered more than a standard mage-familiar relationship with Niles before the break. Oh, she had thought about it a few times, but never seriously considered it. Now, though, it genuinely seemed that he might be the best option for her. She was even feeling a growing attraction to the big hu man. It was probably the combination of her mother’s insistence, seeing Niles help the people of Hazzerbog, the gentle way he had held her during that rainstorm, and the gallant way he had not only stepped in to defend her from Sinelos but also how considerate he had been to comfort her afterwards. Whatever it was, she now saw Niles in an entirely new light.

  The trouble was, Niles did not see her the same way. She had done everything short of holding him down and kissing him, and he had shown no desire for her. Worse, all the way back from Hazzerbog, he had asked her about her female classmates. She could have almost kicked her father when he brought up the suggestion Niles find someone else to form a marriage contract with. If he could have only kept quiet for a little longer, Birgit knew her mother had been working her way up to suggesting Niles form a marriage contract with her. Still, all was not lost. She was fairly sure Niles had forgiven her for bringing him here, and she thought he even considered her a friend now. Birgit had no illusion that she was as pretty as some of the other girls in her class, but she was not ugly. But how could she get Niles to see her as someone he would want to form an intimate, lifelong contract with? So far, she had not even been able to get him to agree to a contract until the end of the semester.

  “So, are you happy to be back at the academy, or did you like Hazzerbog better?” Susi asked as they entered the dorm lobby.

  “It’s hardly a fair comparison,” Niles answered. “We were on vacation in Hazzerbog, so we were just doing fun stuff. Vacations are always better.”

  Susi laughed. “Fun stuff? Only you would think wading around in swamps and fighting monsters was fun.”

  “I can’t be the only one,” Niles objected. “There must be other people who enjoy that kind of adventure.”

  “Well, a big part of this semester will be crystal hunting,” Birgit cut in. “They call it field study, but it is basically crystal hunting. It is a way for all the students to apply what they have learned and demonstrate their true mastery of magic. Every year, they pick wilderness areas that have not been harvested for decades for the students to explore in teams.”

  Niles’ face lit up. “That sounds so cool. I remember Princess Vedika saying something about having us on her team. Do you think she was serious?”

  “Most likely,” Birgit answered. “You don’t know how much harder it is to hunt for crystals using one of the standard detectors. There is always something of a competition to see which team will find the most and best crystals, and you will give a tremendous advantage to whatever team you are on.”

  Niles nodded. “Good, I like the princess. She seems nice.”

  Birgit suppressed a grimace. He could not possibly be considering the princess, could he? Although, why would he not? She was beautiful, talented, rich, and a princess. But would the princess consider him? Was even the princess a potential rival for Niles?

  They made their way up to her suite, finding everything just as they had left it.

  “Well, at least you will not have to sleep on the floor here,” Susi said, once Niles had set down their luggage. “Though, did you not promise you were going to find a better place for him to sleep than on that old cot, Birgit? You know, Niles, you can always share my sleeping mat again. I promise to try really hard not to wrap you up with my lower half. I make no promises about the rest of me, though.”

  Normally, Birgit did not like it when her sister flirted like that, but this time she could have almost kissed her for giving her such a wonderful opening. “You are right Susi, I did agree in our contract to replace that cot with something better. I have been negligent, and I apologize. So, starting tonight, you will sleep in my bed.”

  Susi furrowed her brows. “Where will you sleep, then?”

  “In my bed. We will share,” It was all Birgit could do to keep from smiling at her sister’s look of total shock. “My bed is big enough for two.”

  “The cot is not that bad,” Niles insisted. “Don’t feel you have to do this. I’m willing to waive that part of the contract.”

  “No, I insist. A contract is a contract,” Birgit countered. “Besides, sharing a bed will have the added benefit of letting me share your magic all night.”

  “You know, this is really… What if… It’s hard…” Niles tried and failed to form a sentence, as if he was having some sort of internal struggle, but then he took a deep breath. “Fine, I guess it makes sense. We can give it a try until our next contract negotiation. That’s only a little over a week away. I do want to boost your magic as much as I can for as long as I can, but I… well… I think I’ll go wash up now if neither of you wants to use the bathroom first.”

  Neither Birgit nor Susi laid claim to the room, so Niles entered, closing the door behind him.

  “What were you thinking?” Susi hissed. “You cannot share your bed with him. What will people think? What if he tries something? What if your mother finds out?”

  “This is practically my mother’s idea,” Birgit whispered back. “She even gave me moonroot powder before I went on my crystal hunt with Niles.”

  “What?” Susi gasped. “Why would she do that?”

  Birgit folded her arms. “She wants me to convince Niles to form a marriage contract.”

  “Why would she do that?” Susi repeated, her eyes still wide.

  Birgit shrugged. “She thinks that will be the best course for my future.”

  “But did you not tell her that Lord Frip was showing interest in you? You could be a baroness.”

  “My mother is a baroness, and she evidently thinks becoming one of the most powerful mages in the kingdom is better.”

  “But Father suggested finding him mage-wives for Niles from the town.”

  “And I am sure my mother gave him quite a talking-to after dinner for that. She was quite insistent that I pursue Niles.”

  “But is that what you want?” Susi asked softly.

  “I… I think so… I do not know,” Birgit admitted. “Sometimes, I am sure it is my best course. Because of Niles, I am ranked in the top ten of the class now. He is very strong, but he can also be very gentle and sweet. And he really seemed to care about the people of Hazzerbog, even though he did not even know them. But he can be so alien sometimes, and part of me is still a little afraid of him. Worst of all, I am not sure if I am someone he really wants to be intimate with. We shared a sleeping mat while out on our hunt, and we shared my bed the last night in Hazzerbog, but Niles did nothing more than hold me. He certainly had the opportunity to become intimate with me, and I dropped every hint I could think of that I wanted him to.”

  “Have you told him that you want to be intimate with him?” Susi asked.

  “No, I could not do that. What if I did, and he turned me down? It would just die of embarrassment. Or what if it is not really what I want?”

  Susi slithered up and wrapped Birgit in a hug. “You have some big decisions to make. Be happy Niles is not making them for you. He is a good man, and I do not think he would ever force you to do anything you do not want to do. But he is a man. You cannot expect him to sleep in your bed forever and only hold you. He will eventually either do more or find another bed.”

  Birgit was glad her sister was there. She could not imagine not having anyone to talk to about this, and she was surprisingly understanding. They talked for a while more before Niles emerged from the bathroom. He wore a shirt, but when he and Birgit retired to her room, he removed it without her asking. They were both too embarrassed to say much of anything as they climbed into bed together. But for Birgit at least, sleeping together was less awkward that night. It was almost comfortable, and Birgit really thought the growth of her magic potential was speeding up with all the extra time she was spending in contact with him. It was also strangely comforting to wake up next to the big hu man, Birgit found the next morning.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Propping herself up on an elbow, Birgit inspected Niles in the predawn light. With his eyes closed and his breathing steady, he looked so peaceful. On impulse, she gently laid her hand on his bare chest. It was so warm, and she could faintly feel his heart beating beneath her palm. She began imagining what it would be like if he were to take her in his arms and hold her to that chest. His mouth was smaller than a kappa’s, but his lips were well-formed. What would it be like to kiss those lips? Almost unconsciously, her hand slid across his chest.

  Niles shifted, and a small moan escaped lips that twisted up into a slight grin. Birgit jerked her hand up and pulled back. But Niles’ eyes stayed closed, and his breathing returned to a slow, steady rhythm. Ever so gently, Birgit placed her hand back on his chest. When he didn’t react, she slowly slid her hand across it again. Niles let out a soft noise that could have been a chuckle.

  Birgit’s heart raced. What was she doing? She should stop right now before he woke up and caught her. But she could not stop. Something inside her revelled in the thrill. She let her hand wander lower from his chest down to his stomach. The chuckling sound came again, deep and throaty.

  “uh,... feels nice…” Niles mumbled, but his eyes were still closed.

  Birgit leaned down and let her lips just barely brush his before pulling back. She saw his lips moving as if questing to find hers, but his eyes stayed closed. She knew she should stop, but a part of her hoped he would wake up and catch her. He would either accept her or reject her, but at least then she would know. She placed both her hands on his chest and slowly slid them up to his shoulders. Positioning herself over him, she slowly lowered herself down to let her lips once more brush against his, but this time she let them linger, and she felt his lips start responding.

  Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her to him. A second hand landed on her upper back and slid up to the back of her head, pulling her into a much deeper kiss. Birgit almost cried out. She almost tried to break free, but in the end, she just kissed Niles back. He had accepted her. He wanted this. And in that moment, she wanted this. It was not her first kiss. There had been a handsome young kappa stable hand back in Hazzerbog when she was sixteen, and a gorgon student at her first ball at the academy. Those had both been chaste experiments born more from curiosity than desire. This was an overwhelming tidal wave of passion in comparison. Birgit found herself swept up in the current, drowning in emotion.

  Just as suddenly as it began, Niles grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away. His eyes were wildly darting about, unfocused. “Cynthia?” His eyes finally stopped their mad shifting and focused on hers. He visibly shook, as if suddenly finding a shocking surprise. “Birgit, oh wow. I am so sorry. I must have been dreaming. I thought you were… someone else. I am so sorry. Did I… did we… I didn’t hurt you, did I? What happened?”

  “It is alright,” Birgit said as calmly as she could, hoping he could not tell she was trembling. “You did not hurt me. I was just trying to wake you and you grabbed me. You obviously did not know what you were doing. I will just have to be more careful about how I wake you in the future. No harm was done.”

  Niles breathed a sigh of relief. “Still, I’m sorry… That was just so wild. I could have sworn… Nevermind. I guess we had better get up and get ready. Can’t have you arriving late for your first class of the new semester.”

  Birgit slid quickly off Niles, and the two awkwardly got out of bed. Birgit remembered Cynthia was the name of his former flame from his own world. He had never gone into details about how involved they had been, but it seemed they had been quite intimate if he had mistaken Birgit for her and responded like that. It had been such a passionate kiss. Just the memory of it sent a tingle down her spine. Could he ever feel that way toward her?

  They got ready quickly. Niles was almost too embarrassed to even look at her. It made her wonder how much he remembered about what had happened. Did he know he had kissed her? Did he know she had started it? It was so frustrating. But she could not ask him. Not after making up that story about him just grabbing her when she tried to wake him up. Well, it was not a total lie. She had been half-hoping he would wake up. But now she was back to wondering if he would ever want her like that.

  She took his hand as they left the suite, and he turned to look at her. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

  Birgit returned his smile. “I am perfectly fine. You did nothing wrong. I am sorry I startled you so. We will quickly grow used to sleeping next to each other, I am sure. I already find it comforting having you there with me at night, and I can feel my magic growing stronger every day.”

  They met Hilaria in the dorm lobby. She hugged both of them warmly in greeting. Birgit tried not to grimace when she hugged Niles. Hilaria had been one of the women Niles had asked about on their trip back to the academy. They had gone to the ball together, so it was no wonder he was thinking of her as a potential mage-wife. Next, they went to Uma’s dorm to pick her up. She at least did not hug Niles. They had only just set foot in the great hall when Farah appeared and practically tackled Niles. She must have been waiting by the entrance for him, and she looked like she was trying to climb him as her hands quested over him, trying to make skin-to-skin contact.

  “Oh, Niles, I missed you so much,” Farah practically panted. “Please hold me. Let me taste your magic again, please.”

  “I am so sorry,” Pam said, running up to join them and seeing the display Farah was putting on. “She wanted to wait here for Niles, but I didn’t know she would react this strongly. Farah, calm down. Let go of Niles. You know we talked about this. You need to ask first. We are creating a scene.”

  Farah finally loosened her grip and stepped back, but she retained her grip on Niles’ hand. For his part, Niles flushed a deep red and looked very uncomfortable. Birgit was going to have to do something about Farah. This was going too far. Niles really must have a powerful effect on elementally aligned familiars. Ruby was all but fused to Niles’ neck now, and her flying mount, Sapphire, always ran right to Niles for pets as soon as she appeared. Birgit made a mental note to be very careful about what familiars she let touch Niles in the future.

  They found a table, and Bonzo joined them shortly after. Farah claimed Niles’ other side, pulling her chair as close as she could manage to him and leaned against him shamelessly. Niles gave a start a moment later and turned to look at the efreet so Birgit could not see his expression, but Farah had a very mischievous smile on her face. At least Pam’s familiar was not competition to be a mage-wife, and with her claiming Niles’ other side, it kept Hilaria, or anyone else, from sitting there. It made Birgit sad to think of Hilaria as a rival. She hoped Niles would not complicate their friendship.

  While they ate, they exchanged stories about how they spent their breaks. Birgit was the only one who had done any crystal hunting. The others had all just visited their families. As Bonzo, Hilaria, and Uma ate quickly so they could get to their first class, Birgit realized she still had well over an hour until her class. She would no longer have to wake up before sunrise to make her first class, now that she was no longer in the bottom ranks. All her classes were now either late morning or early afternoon. She always enjoyed having breakfast with Uma and Hilaria, though, so she would probably still wake up early.

  “Lady Birgit, may I join you?” Birgit turned to see Lord Frip standing by the table.

  “Certainly,” Hilaria answered for her, with a smile. “We were just leaving. You can have my seat.” The gnoll got up from her seat next to Brigit, giving her friend a wink.

  Birgit had intended to leave as well, though she really had no place to be.

  Frip took the offered seat, but then noticed Birgit’s empty plate. “Oh, I am sorry. Are you already finished? I do not want to detain you if you have somewhere you need to be.”

  “Oh, our first class isn’t for a while,” Niles offered. “And I was thinking of ordering more food, anyway. So, how are things in… where was it you’re from again?”

  “Logbobber,” Frip replied with a smile. “I am happy to report all is well in Logbobber. The harvest this year was better than usual. Our wheat crop, in particular…”

  The young lord proceeded to give a detailed report on the state of just about everything in his barony. Birgit had never exchanged more than a word or two with Frip in the past, so she had no idea just how boring he was. He had just finished reporting on the state and output of each of the three iron mines in his barony and started listing an inventory of his father’s wine cellar when the arrival of another visitor saved them.

  “Lady Birgit, I know that we have not been formally introduced, though I met your charming familiar at the ball. I am Ingadrid Iceblade. Would it be alright if I joined you?”

  Ingadrid was the other lunar elf at the academy besides Yarl Nightfall. She was wearing a black dress today that contrasted shockingly with her pale skin and silver hair. The only touches of color she bore were her pale red eyes and dark red lips. Birgit hesitated. Was she angry at Birgit for causing Yarl to drop so far in class rank? Could she have come to threaten or try to intimidate her? Realizing that denying her request to join them would only make things worse, Birgit invited her to sit.

  “I want to congratulate you on your stunning performance during the tournament,” Ingadrid said, once she had taken a seat. “And to tell you how much I am looking forward to being in the same class as you.”

  “You’re not mad at us for knocking Yarl out of the tournament?” Niles asked, cutting right to the heart of Birgit’s worry.

  The pale elf smiled. “Not at all. Yarl should never have been chosen to come to this academy. He was only picked because the selection board, which chose us, was more interested in the deep pockets of his father than Yarl’s merits as a mage. I was actually quite pleased that you exposed his weakness. He was a poor representation of my people, and he will not be returning to the academy.”

  “Did you go back to your kingdom over the break?” Niles asked.

  Ingadrid gave Niles a dazzling smile. “I did. It is quite a long trip, since there are no direct portals between our kingdoms, but I have a very swift flying mount.”

  Niles returned her smile. “So, what is your kingdom like?”

  “It is a beautiful place,” Ingadrid answered with enthusiasm. “Parts of Deca are very nice, but we have cities in Lunaria that are thousands of years old. They contain wonders built using ancient magic no living mage can duplicate. You should come visit sometime as my honored guest,… and you as well, of course, Lady Birgit. Perhaps after we all graduate, we could…”

  “Niles, Lady Birgit, how nice to see you again. May I join you?” the solar elf, Sinja Skyfire, asked, interrupting Ingadrid mid-sentence.

  The lunar elf glared at the intruder, but Niles either did not notice or did not care. “Sure, have a seat.”

  The only seat left open at the table was right next to Ingadrid, and seeing the two next to each other was shocking. Both elves had similar lean, athletic builds and facial features close enough that they could have been cousins, but aside from that, they could not have looked more different. While Ingadrid was almost devoid of color, Sinja was awash in it, her bright green and blue dress complementing her bronze skin and golden hair.

  “I was so hoping I would run into you this morning,” Sinja said, ignoring the glares from Ingadrid as she sat down next to her. “Congratulations on making it into the top ten. I knew you could do it. I so look forward to having classes together with you. And Niles, I have a surprise I brought back from Solaria with me for you.”

  “Really? What is it?” Niles asked.

  “I will have to give it to you later, in private,” Sinja replied, glancing meaningfully at Ingadrid out of the corner of her eye. “Perhaps after classes today you can come back to my dorm with me, and I can give it to you there. I am certain you will like it.”

  “Okay,” Niles drawled, looking slightly suspicious. “That would probably be alright.”

  Birgit was not at all pleased with the idea, and it must have shown in her expression, because Sinja laughed. “Do not worry, Lady Birgit, you may come too. I think you will find what I have brought interesting as well.”