SafeHaven

by Xander Jade

  While I was waiting, I made conversation with the three dwarves that had become my friends. We had a good time and I caught them up on some events they didn’t know about.

  I checked on the titanium and it was ready to pour. Getting the molds in place I poured in the mixture. I put obsidian in because of the she-wolf. She would like it I hoped. I got the designs I wanted in the correct locations. Setting them to the side, I needed to make sure they wouldn’t break. I edged all the blades and then polished them. Looking at my work, I made sure they were smooth and deadly. The dwarves came over to check them out.

  Kralit whistled. “Man, those are some elaborate mixtures ye made. Where did ye learn tha craft?”

  “My dad taught me. He’s a blacksmith in the town where I grew up.”

  “Well, he knows hiz stuff. These are wel made. Ya do awesome work,” Krom responded.

  “Thank you. Is there anything you guys need?”

  “No Max, but we would like to thank ya for getting those other forges built. We were tired of tha complaining from tha others,” Kralit chuckled.

  I laughed. “No problem guys. Pretty soon the walls will be completed, and the town will be secure. That reminds me, did you guys get everyone fitted for armor and weapons?”

  “We did with the help of the others. It really made a difference since those forges were built. We have time now for repairs if needed, and can maybe work on some different projects,” Krom replied.

  “Awesome, well, I will leave you guys to it. I’m going to head out and get some grub.”

  I left the forge and realized I’d been there most of the day. I guessed if anybody needed me, they would’ve found me. Walking to the cabin to get some grub, I sat down to eat when the girls came in the kitchen. They smiled, sat down and conversed with each other till I was done.

  “Max, I see you’ve been in the forge. Anything you want to share with us?” Tia asked with that hope in her eyes again. The others perked up at her question.

  I was still chewing my food while staring at her and shrugged. I smiled when she started pouting.

  “Maybe but tell me what’s going on. Anything to be concerned about?”

  “Nothing at the moment. Everyone is tense, but ready to leave at your command,” Cass responded with an amazing smile. Slade was in her lap. Harmony was cooing in Leena’s arms.

  “Alpha, we need to pick out who we’re taking with us and who’s staying for defense,” Val recommended.

  “I agree. There are so many available. We can’t leave this settlement defenseless,” Soph advised.

  “Are we bringing the orcs with us?” Tia asked.

  “Yes, my elven beauty.” She blushed but I kept on talking like I didn’t see it. “Thank you, ladies, for your advice and counsel. I will delegate to the Inner Circle to choose who will go with us.”

  They nodded and smiled, relieved that I wouldn’t try to do all of this myself.

  Tia cleared her throat. “Max, we need to talk. We should’ve had this conversation long ago. It’s about my family lineage.” She took a lot of calming breaths, trying to get the right words together. I realized it must be serious. She usually just blurted stuff out. “I need you to listen to everything before you ask questions. Can you do that?” I grinned and nodded, knowing before she said anything that she was about to drop a bomb on my psyche. “Okay, my family….”

  When she was done, all I could think about was how fuckin screwed I was. How the hell could she not have told me this shit? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Max, please say something,” Tia pleaded.

  “What do you want me to say? You’re a princess of your people. Someone I shouldn’t even be speaking with. I now know why Morgy was upset with me. I don’t even know what to say to this.”

  “I want you to say that you love and want me. My life means nothing if you aren’t in it. Please, don’t overreact. I’m still me and I love you. I don’t care about my title, it’s not who I am. I am yours and you are mine,” Tia spoke with tears trailing down her cheeks. This was hard for her.

  Man, I’m a sucker for chicks in despair.

  “Tia, if that is your wish, then I will have to rely on the counsel of my wives.” I glanced over to the others and continued, “Ladies, your counsel is needed for our family. You obviously knew what she was going to say. I will await your decision as to whether you want for her to join even though this puts us in a political situation with the high elves.”

  They nodded to me and asked Tia some questions about the politics concerning her people. Finally, when they got their answers, they opted to let her stay.

  “Tia, I know that it was hard for you to tell me about your family. I’m very humbled right now about your decision. Are you sure this is what you want? You could have any man you want.”

  “The only man I want is right in front of me. Please, take me to your room tonight and fuck me,” Tia hoarsely whispered. “Make me yours, Max.”

  I got up and took her into my room. I wasn’t going to wait. If she wanted this to happen, it would be when I wanted it, and it would be on my terms. I shut the door behind me and watched her undress. She was beautiful, erotic in a different way than the others. She had pink nipples and a tuft of platinum hair above her slit. Her nether lips were engorged, glistening with moisture, and evidently, she was ready to rock and roll.

  “Come take your elven princess. I’m willing and ready.”

  I did just what she wanted. We stayed in my room for hours. Tia was a screamer like Cass, and she let everyone around know what was happening. We made love numerous times, petted, and kissed. In our downtime she talked about her childhood, growing up in elven society, and the pressures she’d had to deal with. We were cuddled up with each other, drenched in sweat, but we didn’t care.

  “What is going to happen when your people come for you? How do you want me to proceed? Tell them to fuck off, or would you want to talk with them?”

  She giggled and replied, “I would want to talk with them, of course. My father might send his guards to try and pry me away from you. Don’t worry though, I’m not going anywhere.”

  I nodded and responded, “All right, I’ll let you handle it then. I’m famished, you want anything to eat?”

  “Yes, you took all my energy, but I enjoyed every minute,” Tia said as we got dressed.

  We left the room and headed to the kitchen for some food. The others weren’t around, so we had a nice, quiet meal. We went back to my room and enjoyed each other’s company. I had her moaning my name throughout the rest of the night and we ended up spooning together for some sleep. She woke me up the next morning wanting another round. Tia was insatiable, but the others were too. We finished up some time later, panting and catching our breaths.

  “Damn, Max, I just can’t get enough of you. I will definitely have withdrawals later today,” Tia said.

  I smiled, kissed her tenderly, and advised we needed to get out of bed. She pouted but relented. We got dressed and headed to the kitchen to find everyone was already seated. The girls were broadly smiling when Tia sat down with them. They were whispering and giggling. Gordon smirked at me when I caught his attention.

  “My liege, did you rest well?” Gordon calmly asked with a straight face.

  I stared back at him, “I told you to cut that shit out, my lord.”

  He grimaced and I laughed.

  “Your new home awaits. After we eat, I’m taking you over there so we can move you in. Oh, I told the mages to make your rooms thicker and soundproof.”

  Gordon smiled as he turned to look at the girls. They had the decency to blush. I did no such thing.

  “What’s the matter, are we keeping you up at night?” I cackled.

  “Damn right, not to mention, you’ve got all these beautiful women fawning over you,” he replied.

  “Well, I can have the ladies set you up with some of the women around here if you want.”

  “No, don’t get me wrong, I’m envious, but
the lady I want isn’t here,” Gordon whispered.

  “Ah, I’m sorry man, I forgot. Shall I send for her?” I said trying to keep from grinning.

  “No! Besides, there is no way the king will send her here. He doesn’t know this place even exists. Eventually, someone will come and investigate, though.”

  “I know my friend, but at the moment, I don’t have the time to dwell on it.”

  He nodded and we ate in silence. When we finished, our group went to look at our new dwelling. I scanned the area, marveling at how much it had changed in the past couple of months. The mages and workers had outdone themselves. I would definitely have to do something special for them. The curtain walls and towers were almost done. Men and women were everywhere, working tirelessly to get our settlement complete. I turned and addressed Gordon.

  “Gordon, have the hunters out gathering enough food for a celebration. I want everyone to take the night off and have some fun. They have been at this for a few weeks nonstop. It’s time I show my appreciation.”

  The girls and Gordon smiled.

  “That will be awesome. Consider it done, my liege.”

  I grumbled out, “You just wait my lord, payback’s a bitch.”

  He was still chuckling as we made our way over to the keep. It took a little while because we were constantly stopping, amazed by the intricate work these people had done. We finally made it to the top floor and I was shocked. I didn’t need a whole floor to myself.

  “Is this whole floor ours?”

  He nodded and started giving us a tour of the many rooms. I was dumbfounded.

  “Gordon, why do we have this much room?”

  He stared at me for a few moments and then spoke. “It is for you and your family. Eventually, it will be filled with children from these fine ladies.”

  The girls blushed and smiled broadly.

  “Okay, still not sure we need all this room, but lead on Gordon.”

  He smiled and the girls gushed at the thought of our little ones running around in this space. We found the rooms to be good sized, but I stopped at a room with double doors.

  “This is the master bedroom,” Gordon stated and pushed open the doors to a massive bedroom. The girls were ecstatic, running around looking at the décor. It was humbling to say the least.

  “Gordon, what the hell is going on? Why is this bedroom this big?”

  He had a smug smile on his face. “My liege, it is this way because of your status, and with your ladies, you can all sleep in the same room. Hence the big bed in the middle. We felt it would be beneficial.”

  “Cut the shit Gordon, you know I don’t need anything this extravagant.”

  “I know Max, but you have to understand something going forward. You’re the head honcho around here. Nobody will ever dispute that, and you will need to accept that quickly, because very soon dignitaries will show up unannounced for a visit. I can guarantee someone will notice a fortress being built under the king’s nose, and we’ll have some backlash from our decisions. As to why we built it like this, it is because our people here want to take care of and protect you.”

  “Come here,” he walked, and I followed him over to a window. He pointed to the workers on the ground. “Those people down there had no future until you gave them one. Hope wasn’t even brought up when we were trapped in that mine. People had given up, believing we were going to live forever as slaves. When you came to save us, you gave us hope again. When we left those prisons, you took us in, and gave us a home. At that point everyone that stayed made an oath to you, that we would be here for anyone that needed it, and to take care of our leader and his family. Don’t take this away from them. This is something they can give back to you for the things you’ve done for them,” Gordon advised.

  I glanced around at the girls and they had tears flowing down their faces. They looked at me and smiled.

  “Wow, I didn’t know they felt like that. I’m just a farm boy from BlackCrest. I haven’t done anything besides what needed to be done, and I don’t know how to deal with this. You know I’m no good with this shit.”

  He chuckled softly. “That is why I’m staying with you. By no means am I a master at the politics of the kingdom, but I will do my best for you, my friend.”

  “Good, we’re glad to have you and your expertise,” I said as I hugged him. The girls hugged him too, thanking him for everything.

  “Enough of this sappy stuff. Let’s get you moved in. I will arrange for your things to be brought here. We will have your staff begin today, and you’ll need to introduce yourselves to them. These individuals didn’t want to be out in any kind of battle, but they know how to wield their blades.”

  I nodded and replied, “Good, if that is their choice, then so be it.”

  I took the girls down to the great hall to have a looksee. It was definitely beautiful, and the girls enjoyed discussing the events we would have to plan for. So, it begins. I would rather be out killing something than dancing. Oh well, if it made them happy, then I would try to make an effort. We left the keep after an hour of touring the other levels.

  “Girls, I need to stop by the shop, and pick up some things. Wait here, I will only be a minute.”

  They nodded and I went in to get some knife and dagger sheaths. I gathered them up and came out. The girls were staring at what I had in my hands. I smiled and walked away without speaking. They hurried to catch up with me.

  “What do you have there, babe?” Tia questioned.

  “Could it be our blades?” Soph asked, walking faster to catch up with me. I shrugged as I headed to the forge.

  Tia hurried to get to the door before me and blocked the entrance. Her eyebrows rose, wanting to know what I was doing.

  “What?”

  “You know damn well, what. Why are you going into the forge?” Tia bellowed.

  “Hmm…Maybe, if you step away from the door, I will show you.”

  She reluctantly stepped aside, and I walked inside.

  “What’s up, fellas?”

  “Max, great to see ya! Ya staying awhile?” Kralit asked.

  “No, just come to pick up the blades I made.” I made my way to my work area. I gathered the gifts that I made for my girls and checked them out once more. Satisfied, I placed the blades in their sheaths.

  “See ya later, guys!”

  They said bye as I was walking out.

  The girls were waiting as I stepped out. I handed the women their blades. They looked them over carefully, and for some reason started tearing up. Ugh! They moved towards me and almost squeezed the life right out of me.

  “The blades are gorgeous, my love. I will cherish them, always,” Soph gushed as tears were still falling down her cheeks.

  “Hon, they are magnificent,” Sasha kissed my cheek.

  The other wood elves agreed and did the same.

  “Max, I-I am at a loss for words. This is a special gift.” Tia broke down and sobbed quietly resting her head on my chest.

  The others came over and did the same. Cass and Val weren't going to be left out, so they hugged me too. I held my girls, whispering words of love to them, and kissing their foreheads. We just held on to each other for a few minutes and I realized at that moment I would do anything for them.

  “Ladies, take your blades and try them out. Practice with them, between now and when we leave. I want to make sure they feel right and don’t break.”

  They nodded and left to spar with each other. I took that time to walk around to check on the buildings that were being built for the trade workers. I saw Stan talking with some workers.

  “Hey Stan, how goes it?”

  “Ah, Max, good to see you. It’s going great actually. The marketplace is on schedule to be finished within the next week.”

  “That’s awesome. What trades are we putting in?”

  “As many as we can. Gordon told us that we needed to get ready for merchants coming to trade with us. He has been adamant on that particular project.

 
I grinned and responded, “If he thinks it’s important, then I will agree with him. Keep up the good work.” I shook his hand.

  I left to check out the rest of the settlement. Workers nodded or bowed to me as I walked by, so I nodded back to them. The rest of the day I wandered around talking with people, getting to know them, and thanking them. The hunters came back with their kills and cleaned them. The cooks started on the grand meal planned for that night. Everyone was getting excited for the festivities. The girls were getting dressed in their finer clothes. They had to go buy me a new wardrobe since my body has changed so much. Everything had been happening so fast, it felt like we haven’t had time to blink, but hopefully at some point we could take some time for ourselves.

  The girls and I got dressed in our new rooms. It was surreal. I was enjoying the atmosphere. We were the only ones on this level, except when the staff came to check on us. I found out that a full staff was being used in the keep. Guards would be taking shifts now, and the storage was open on the bottom level for food and goods.

  When the girls were ready, we set out for the festivities and found everyone waiting on us. I stepped out of the keep and nodded to the guards, then made my way towards the center of our little town. Hmm…It was big enough to be called a town. I saw Gordon with his entourage, so I detoured over to him.

  “Gordon, we ready to start this shindig?”

  He smiled and nodded. Everyone came out to celebrate. Things were going great, and I had to make a speech, which was terrible by the way. I am not a public speaker and was a bit nervous, stammering even. Unless I was pissed and commanding someone to do something, I didn’t want to speak in front of a big crowd. I have people for that! But I got through it and thanked everyone for their hard work, self-sacrifice, and dedication. After the speaking was done, we all dug into the grand meal: rabbit, venison, and other meats. They also had numerous veggies and fruits. I was stuffed from tasting everything. The night went on and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was nice to calm down and have some fun every once in a while. The ladies finished up before I did and left to get some rest. I stayed for a few minutes longer to make sure no help was needed.