Racknar hovered over Elizabeth who was laying down on a bed wearing only her night clothes. He was breathing heavily and seemed to be sweating. Elizabeth also breathed a bit hard as he hovered over her as her face became flushed. Racknar smelled of a mix of passion fruit and charcoal with a small undertone of ozone. She looked away, unable to lock eyes with him. She knew all she had to do was give him permission, and he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. She nodded slowly, swallowing hard as she lifted her nightgown slightly with one hand, exposing more of her thigh.. “I'm… ready.” She spoke softly.

  Elizabeth woke up with a start, covered in sweat and breathing hard. It took her mind a moment to adjust to the sudden change of perspective as she looked around her temporary room in the castle of Camelot. She was alone in the large and luxurious room. She laid her head hard against her pillow as she caught her breath and spoke under her breath in a frustrated tone. “Either let the dream finish, or don't give me them at all.” She grumbled. She eventually slowly got up and dressed before going to the kitchen to find Lisa already there making herself a pot of coffee. “You're up early.”

  Lisa looked up, dark circles under her eyes, before looking at a window. “Is it morning already?” Elizabeth’s expression dropped. “Oh, so it's more like you're still up. You really need to sleep and stop pulling all nighters.” Lisa rubbed her eyes as she added sugar and milk to the coffee before drinking it. “You people keep telling me that, but I've been doing things this way for years. Besides, this time it wasn't my fault. Racknar kept me up all night.” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and looked at Lisa. “Oh?” Lisa nodded as she quickly dawned the coffee. “The mad lad handed me a second batch of notes containing knowledge from his old life. You know me, I have a hard time stopping in the middle of a task.”

  Elizabeth chuckled and nodded as her body language eased up and became less rigid. “Ah, so you were up all night reading his notes. That makes sense.” She poured herself some coffee as well with Lisa gesturing to the cup. “You look like you didn't sleep spectacularly well yourself.” Elizabeth nodded before sipping her coffee. She then responded to Lisa. “I had a restless dream last night.” Lisa nodded as she refilled her now empty cup. “Nightmare or spicy dream?” Elizabeth hesitated to answer as her lips hovered on her cup. She then chugged the remainder of her coffee before setting down her cup and responding. “The later.”

  Lisa smiled softly. “Oh~? Well don't leave me hanging. I want details sister. Mamma needs her spice.” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at Lisa saying that. It felt weird to hear that from the reincarnation of Leonardo Da Vinci of all people. Elizabeth fiddled around, moving her hands in a nervous motion. “I woke up before things got good.” She blushed. Lisa sighed before chugging her second cup and setting it down. “I hate when that happens. Well, I suppose I should get back to work. I'm not going to pry for more details even though I am curious as to who you dreamt about. If you wanted me to know, you would have told me.” Lisa then walked away with a tired wave.

  Elizabeth took a moment to study herself again. First the crown showed her a life with Racknar as her husband, and now she had a dream about him bedding her. Even if she didn't get to that part, the intention behind the dream was clear. She may have had a thing for Racknar when he was Jon, but now, despite the obvious complications, her feelings continue to grow and blossom. She couldn't deny she had feelings for him, both romantic and sexual. “(Knowing him, it is probably best to be honest and forthright. Maybe then he'll take my feelings seriously.)”

  She looked throughout the castle and even the garden but didn't spot him before eventually checking his room. It was empty. She returned to the kitchen to find Racknar had just entered the dining area and was eating with the rest of the Monster Mashers. Or rather, the other two that needed food to live. Krys'tal and Marionette simply sat at the table and talked with no food in front of them. Elizabeth sighed in realizing she could have just stayed where she was and found him quicker. “Yeah, my brain is definitely not fully awake yet.” She joined the table and grabbed some food that had been prepared.

  Elizabeth fidgeted while she ate, regularly looking up at Racknar before looking down at her food. She was suddenly less determined to confess her feelings now that everyone was here. “So… What's the plan?” Elizabeth asked as she looked at her food. Racknar looked up from his plate. “What do you mean?” Elizabeth pushed a piece of food with her fork. “Today is the last day of our little vacation. What's next?” Racknar looked confused despite his limited ability to emote with his face. “That should be obvious. We have to go to Londinium to show your dad the crown, while there we'll hit the guildhall and grab a few quests to get back on the grind.”

  Elizabeth felt silly for asking. “You know… the rest of the crown was to figure out it was an illusion and then sacrifice what you desire most. It even fills the gaps with fake memories so you don't catch on right away. It took the illusion giving me something I wanted but knew wouldn't happen for me to realize it was fake. I think you'd be able to pass the test too.” Racknar shuffled his food around on his plate. “I… I don't know. I honestly don't think I could pass.” Elizabeth waved dismissively. “Nonsense. Even if you can't take it off on your own I can take it off for you. This way, unlike how my father had me do it, failing won't result in death for you.”

  Racknar took a few bites as he considered his options. “(What is my greatest desire? I don't even really know what I want for myself. I suppose there's nothing to lose if Elizabeth is going to stand by as a security.)” “Sure, why not. I've got nothing else going on today. However, if I do pass we aren't making that fact public knowledge. We have nothing to gain by doing so. In fact, it could be detrimental as it would cause some to question how valid the artifact is if a beast-kin from another kingdom can pass its test.”

  Elizabeth nodded, she understood fully the implications of what Racknar passing the test would mean. “After we eat I'll help you set up someplace safe and comfortable so you can be uninterrupted for a few hours.” Racknar nodded and everyone focused on eating. After they were finished and everyone else went to do their own things Elizabeth was led by Racknar to his room. Racknar shut the door behind him and sat on the bed. Halfway on her short walk across the room, Elizabeth suddenly froze as her face became slightly flushed.

  Racknar waited for a moment before acknowledging the fact she stopped for seemingly no reason. “Eli?” She didn't respond at first. “Elizabeth?” He repeated louder. Elizabeth shook her head and snapped herself out of her little stupor. “S-sorry. Guess I spaced out there for a moment.” She then took the crown off her head and walked the rest of the way to Racknar before hovering the artifact over his head for a moment of hesitation. Racknar moved in a bit and bowed to make it easier for her to reach his head properly without fully extending her arms. “... Are you wearing perfume?” Elizabeth blinked. “No, I actually forgot to pack my usual perfume and scented body wash. I've been using the unscented soaps you keep here.”

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  Racknar hummed. “Ah, okay. Continue.” Elizabeth placed the crown on his head and watched the color in his eyes fade. The blue dots became a dull almost grey in the black sclera. She waved her hand in front of his face with no reaction. “That's kind of creepy. Guess I'll just have to wait a few hours.” She adjusted Racknar's posture so he was sitting upright and gave him a gentle Peck on the cheek before patting his head. “You better come back to me safe, you hear me?”

  Racknar snapped into focus to see Elizabeth snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Earth to Racknar~ Hello~” Racknar shook himself into focus. “Ah, sorry about that. I must have spaced out a bit. What's up?” Elizabeth put her hands to her hips. “We've spent the last two months doing quest after quest without a break again. Are we ready to take on Lolith yet? My dad is due to pass any day now.” Racknar put his hand to his chin. “Check stats.” The command caused a blue notification screen to appear in front of his face. Up at that top was his current level; twenty two. “I think we should be good with the proper equipment.”

  Racknar went to gather the rest of the party. Ariagoria was talking to Sir Kennith about efforts to restructure the church one day. Marionette was talking with Gallows, they were gently holding one another’s hands. “Mari and Gallows have gotten surprisingly close over the last few months.” Racknar commented. Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, I think they might be officially dating now. Does that bother you?” Racknar shook his head. “As long as she's happy and it doesn't interfere with the mission, I'm happy for her.” Elizabeth nodded as they next got Krys'tal and Davy who were sitting with their foreheads pressed together.

  After grabbing the party and getting ready the drive elves that were living in Camelot city came into the castle insisting they help. Racknar was somewhat hesitant but agreed to let them tag along. “Alright, all that's left is to grab some stuff from Ivory and Lisa. Maybe we should take some animated armor too, but I don't want to risk losing them since we'll need them later. So we should be ready to go otherwise. Are you coming with or staying here Eli?” Elizabeth smiled. “I'm coming with of course. I just need to offer my farewells to someone before we go.”

  Racknar nodded and they grabbed all the equipment and potions they were taking with. Before leaving Elizabeth stopped at the main office where Leonardo was sitting and doing paperwork. “Hey Leo, we're heading out to kill Lolith now. I'll see you later.” Leonardo got up and walked over, grabbing Elizabeth's hands and rubbing them in his. “You come back safe, alright?” Elizabeth smiled and looked away while blushing. “I'll do my best Leo.” Racknar cocked his head before gesturing between the two. “Are you two… an item now?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “It's recent so I'm sorry for not telling you. I was helping him out with some work stuff and we sort of hit it off. He's smart, charming, handsome, and he knows his way around diplomacy and politics. I know it's a bit early to say something like this but I think he'd make a great leader.” Racknar smiled. “As long as you're happy Eli. If things go well Leo would make an excellent king consort.” Elizabeth blushed. “It's far too soon to say that. Anyway, we should get going. The sooner we leave the sooner we get back.”

  Racknar came into focus from a mind fog, his breath ragged and heavy, his body stinging horribly as blood dripped everywhere. The broken, bloody, and dead body of Lolith laid at his feet. He looked around at all the dead drive and drider that sided her as well as the fallen on his own side. Several drow faithful to Arachne who lived in Camelot joined in the fight and many of them died in the battle. He grabbed the last two artifacts of Arachne and they were finally ready to restore the goddess. The ritual broke the artifacts they had but after a bright light Arachne stood in front of them.

  She thanked the party for their efforts as the remaining drow bowed. She gave her goodbyes saying the drow needed her to fix all the wrong Lolith had done. She recreated the badge that summoned spiders to give to Racknar before leaving. Racknar started getting healed by Ariagoria. “I need a vacation. I think we're going to sit still and relax until Elizabeth is officially queen.” Everyone nodded and cheered. Racknar blocked as he cleared away some fuzziness and was sitting at the Camelot Castle dining area having just finished off a feast. “Everything okay?” Elizabeth asked, currently sitting next to Leonardo who occasionally used his free hand to rub her’s.

  “Yeah, it's just… are you sure this is what you want?” Racknar questioned. Elizabeth smiled before kissing Leonardo’s hand. “Yeah. After the feast to celebrate my ascension to the throne, I'll officially announce Leonardo as my consort. We get along really well and I'm confident he'll make me happy for a long time.” Racknar smiled. “That's all that matters to me. The war for independence from the Empire will be long and difficult so we won't be seeing much of one another for a while. So you take care, okay?” Elizabeth nodded. “And you come home safe, okay?”

  Everything seemed to shift and Racknar was standing in front of the castle at Londinium. He felt slightly dizzy and disoriented, he grabbed his head and steadied himself before slapping his face lightly. “I think I need a vacation. I haven't had a solid rest in five years.” He entered the castle for a huge celebration in his honor where he received a medal as a war hero. A toast was made in his honor as well for his efforts in the war. Not only was Bramble independent, but they inspired other nations that were now turning on the empire as well. The Empire was falling, and the church might soon follow.

  After the feast and ceremony Racknar decided to talk to Elizabeth and Leo. “Hey Eli, it's been a while. How is everyone?” Elizabeth grabbed a little girl, around three years old, and placed her on her lap. “Well Davy and Krys'tal have been living in the geode near Camelot for a while now and are in their fifth kid since they can use his psionic energy in seeding a Shatterkin crystal. Marionette and Gallows took a trip to Nidalvir to ask Ambassador Lisa for help in creating an artificial soul from scratch so they could start a family. Ariagoria is still traveling the mainland continent with Sir Kenneth in order to reform the misguided who are still following the church of Longinus. Last I heard she decided to let go of her old chastity oath and date the man.”

  Racknar nodded with a smile. “Looks like everyone got a happy ending. How about you?” Elizabeth pointed to the three year old girl in her lap. “Allow me to introduce you to princess Lillianna. My first daughter. I'm already expecting my second child. What about you?” Racknar chuckled. “I've been busy but plan on taking a long break. After that I guess it's back to adventuring and clearing out monsters. Not that I'm needed for that as much. I'm way over level for most normal threats.” Elizabeth hummed. “I could use an ambassador to Dokkalfar. I know you're not exactly a diplomat but I feel like it would be a good change of pace for you. Besides, you might find yours a dark elf you want to settle down with. You deserve to be happy too.”

  “...And that's how you create Sky Silk en masse.” Racknar had just finished explaining the process to Ebony who was now the dark elf ambassador to Bramble. Ivory cocked her head. “Are you sure you want to give us this knowledge? You could easily keep it a secret and trade us the material at exuberant prices.” Racknar shook his head. “I just want everyone to prosper, to give everyone the chance for happiness.” Ebony nodded. “I see. And you?” Racknar shrugged. “What about me?” Ebony reached out and grabbed his hand. “I mean… it's almost like you're not putting in an effort to get your own happily ever after. You keep working for everyone else’s sake. It's okay to be selfish every now and then.” She pulled his hand to her face and kissed it. “If you allowed me to indulge in my own selfishness I think it would be mutually beneficial.”

  Racknar looked at Ebony’s hand and frowned slightly. “You're only attracted to me because of my pheromones. Hardly the foundation of a healthy and lasting relationship.” Ebony moved her hand away. “It could be a short fling, and we'll never know if we work unless we try. You have to at least put in an effort. Everyone else got their happy ending. It's time you got yours. All you have to do is let go a little and open up.” Racknar grumbled to himself before speaking. “Settling down isn't exactly my style, I'm too restless. I've fought tooth and nail just to survive. All I've known is struggle. I've been fighting for so long I've forgotten how to be at peace. I just can't imagine myself retiring.”

  Ebony continued to stroke his hand. “Just give it a try. What's the worst that could happen?” Racknar sighed. Then, there was a light quaking as the earth itself seemed to shake. “What was that?” Racknar stood up. “I don't know, but I'm going to find out.” Ebony frowned, but let go of his hand. “If that's what you want, I won't stop you.” Racknar then ran to the main hall of the palace aiming for the exit when several dark elves in armor came in through the door and barred it shut. “What's going on out there?” Racknar gestured to the door. “It's an invasion sir. We're under attack. There's demons at the gate.”