Killion and Lenni

Life, Identity

Fenneck and Natalya meet Killion and Lenni and quickly become friends as they take them to Flottenheim.

The sun beat down on the cold snow, giving the mountains a bright glow in the unusually clear skies. They were farther west than they normally ventured since Dimitri wouldn't have any refugees for them this month. Fenneck smiled back at Natalya as she joined him on the ridge before closing his eyes and trying to get a sense of the different around them as magic coursed from his body into the ground beneath him. He realized a frost giant was close and he started heading toward it's pull, rather quickly and beckoning Natalya to follow him. "Hurry!" he told her as they made their way through the rocks. He hesitated for a brief moment as the heard a scream and the roar of the frost giant before charging toward the sound. They eventually got to a ledge and Fenneck lowered himself to peek over to see in the ravine below them. Natalya leaned down next to him. Below them, in the pass they saw a purple tiefling and an large elk with giant antlers cornered by a large frost giant. The tiefling had a rapier drawn and the elk was baying loudly at it. Fenneck nocked three arrows and moved to the top of the ledge. He shot and hit the frost giant squarely in the back with all three arrows. He tried to lower himself back behind the ledge but slipped and fell into the pass and landed in a pile of powdery snow directly behind the frost giant. The giant turned around and made a move toward Fenneck lying in the snow. Fenneck tried to notch an arrow but before he could, Natalya jumped from the ledge, graceful as a bird, and stabbed her rapier into the frost giants back as she fell. The sword went in deep and she held onto the hilt and braced herself on the frost giants back. The frost giant reared angrily and slammed his great axe down across the side of Fenneck's thigh. Fenneck let out a cry and the frost giant brought the axe back down into the same spot causing a huge gash to cut through the soft elvish chainmail Fenneck was wearing. Fenneck let out a painful shriek as his leg seared in pain. The axe had definitely broken his bone. The elk charged the frost giant and Fenneck watched as Natalya pulled her rapier out of the giant's back and kicked herself off of the monster doing a graceful backflip as she landed on the ground. Fenneck couldn't help being impressed by her agility, even through his pain. The elk ran his large antlers into the giant and knocked him to the ground, prompting the tiefling to run up and stab the frost giant in the leg. Fenneck, wincing through his pain aimed his bow and sent another three arrows into the frost giants butt and Natalya drove her rapier into the frost giants shoulder. The frost giant pushed himself off the ground and swung his axe at the elk but the elk gracefully side stepped his blow and the frost giant slammed his axe into the ground where it lodged into the stone. He grunted angrily and pulled it out of the ground before stumbling back a couple steps. The elk reared and batted his hooves into the frost giants side. He roared in anger as the tiefling rammed his rapier into the frost giants leg. The frost giant yelled in anger and Fenneck shot another volley of arrows into the frost giants neck and back. "Be gone from here you foul beast! Leave these creatures be!" Fenneck told the monster in giant as he clutched his leg in pain. The frost giant turned to him. "Puny little elf." He started taking a couple steps toward Fenneck and Natalya spun around and rammed her rapier into the frost giant's knee causing him the stumble. "He said be gone beast. Or would you like to meet your gods today?" Natalya told the beast aiming her sword at its face. The frost giant spat on her. "You weak little rangers don't have the will to kill. I've encountered this one before. You're all talk." Natalya glared daggers at the beast. "Clearly you haven't met me," she told the him harshly. The frost giant started lifting his axe to swing at her and the elk came up from behind and slammed his hooves into the back of the giants head. The tiefling behind Natalya went to fatally stab the giant but Fenneck stopped him. "No! Don't. Let him go. He knows to run." Natalya gave Fenneck a look, clearly wanting to finish the giant off. "He knows his place my love," he told Natalya in Elvish. She slowly lowered her sword. Fenneck glared at the frost giant. "Run. Flottenheim will respect your people if you respect ours," he told him in giant. "These tieflings are from Lenisily! They deserve to die! I won't allow them to hurt my people," the giant told Fenneck. Fenneck glanced at the tiefling and the elk suspiciously. He doubted they were spies. Tieflings were normally killed instantly or captured to be used as sex slaves under Pufuktin's reign. He could understand why the frost giant would be apprehensive though. "Then I'll take them to Flottenheim and they can face the wrath of Baegla and give us any useful information they might have. Can you walk?" he asked the giant. "I'll be fine. Make sure Baegla teaches these roaches a lesson." The frost giant stood and started walking back down the ravine. Natalya ran toward Fenneck. "Are you okay?" she asked him desperately worried about his leg. He raised a hand and motioned for her to stop before turning his attention to the tiefling and elk. "Show yourself," he told the elk. The elk bowed it's head and slowly transformed into a lime green tiefling with smaller, antler-like horns and darker green hair. The purple tiefling had dark, beautiful plum colored skin and had long curly black hair and elegant white horns. Fenneck continued taking through his pain. "You're Lenisilian?" he asked them. They slowly nodded. "You do speak don't you?" he asked them in Lenisilian. "Yes," the purple tiefling spoke. "Are we in Glitterfjell?" he asked Fenneck hopefully. "Yes. Are you running or spies?" Fenneck asked him. The tieflings shared a look and the purple one continued. "Running, we um... we were captured and they were going to... well." Natalya spoke. "We understand. What are your names?" she asked them. "I'm Killion, this is Lenni," the purple one told her. "My name is Kapelya, this is Fenneck," she introduced them. "We're out here looking for refugees like yourselves. I'm from Lenisily too," Natalya said. She looked at Fenneck to ask if they could trust them. He smiled at her and gave her a small nod. "Welcome to Glitterfjell," he said. He turned to his severed leg and touched the wound. It was a big gash though and Fenneck was tired. Natalya ran to him and helped stand and walk as they led the tieflings to the closest check point. They traveled slowly from Fenneck's leg and by the time they made it to the first check point it was nightfall. It was a small alcove that was safe enough to build a tent in. There was a lock box they kept there with supplies and Natalya pulled the tent out, built it fairly quickly and helped Fenneck inside. The tieflings followed and they ate some rations as Natalya started tending to Fenneck's leg. She was very gentle as she worked and Fenneck's head was growing a bit light and dizzy from the amount of blood he'd lost. Killion spoke as he watched Natalya carefully bandaging him. "Are you two married?" He motioned to Natalya's ring. They had been getting that question often enough now from refugees. "No, we're together though," Natalya answered him. Fenneck smiled up at her lovingly. "Yes, we are," he told her, gently reaching a hand up and caressing her arm. Natalya blushed a little bit and gave Fenneck a playful smile. Killion asked. "Are you two... tera... torr... therum...?" "Thiramin," Fenneck helped him. "Yes, we are." He said proudly looking up at his beautiful partner. "So it's real?" Lenni asked. "In Lenisily they treat it like a myth. A legend." "It's real," Fenneck said looking endearingly at Natalya. "So when you two met, you knew?" Killion asked. "Yeah," Natalya said. "I thought he was putting a curse on me." She smiled at Fenneck. "I might as well have," he said jokingly before pulling Natalya down to him into a very sensual kiss as his hands found her waist. "We have company," she told him pointedly before pulling away. "Oh please, don't stop on our account," Lenni assured them. "He almost died today. I would be acting the same way," Lenni said meeting Killion's eyes briefly. Fenneck smiled at them. "How long have you two been together?" he asked them. They looked startled and both exchanged worried glances. "It's fine," Fenneck assured them. "You're in Glitterfjell now, our duchess is a lesbian halfling. You'll fit right in," he said, laughing softly. They relaxed and their eyes filled with happiness. Killion spoke up. "Only a few months. We never really had the courage to leave until we met one another." He looked at Lenni and smiled adorably. "You almost died today too," Fenneck pointed out. "Just kiss already," Fenneck told them, thinking about how awful it must be for them to have had to hide not only themselves in Lenisily but their love for each other as well. They blushed nervously and Natalya tightly pulled on the bandages causing Fenneck to complain and break the awkwardness he had caused. He scoffed at her and the tieflings laughed. Eventually, they laid down together to sleep, holding each others tails. Fenneck smiled at them and thought about lucky he had been growing up to have been able to be affectionate with Erikur and Alexei. Especially before the revolution. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything else for your leg?" Natalya asked him, concerned by his melancholy. He smiled up at her. "Thank you," he told her lovingly. "Thank you for everything. Without you I never would have been able to help all the people we've saved over the years," he told her adoringly. Natalya smiled. "These two make seventy-five." Fenneck saw a tear slide down Natalya's face as she smiled to herself. He took her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Natalya cradled him in her arms and Fenneck sighed before meditating. The next morning he laid in Natalya's arms for a while longer as she finished her own meditation. The tieflings were still sleeping soundly, wrapped up in each others arms. Fenneck's leg felt better but it was still very sore and he knew it would be a long hard day of travel to try and walk on it. He used some magic to soften the pain and hurry the process along, causing Natalya to open her eyes and look down at him. "Good morning," she told him as she kissed his cheek. He smiled and relaxed back into her arms. "Good morning, my love," he told her admiringly. They started kissing each other and Fenneck scooted up so that he could hold her in his arms. Her red hair was down and splayed out around her face and her green eyes were so beautiful and welcoming. They kissed and loved on each other until Killion woke up to see Fenneck kissing Natalya's uncovered breasts and he cleared his throat, awkwardly interrupting their affections. Natalya gasped in embarrassment and Fenneck pulled Natalya's shirt down and smiled at the tiefling as if this was no big deal. "Good morning!" he greeted him casually. Natalya was blushing as she readjusted her shirt. Lenni was also sitting up at this point and he smiled at Fenneck and Natalya's lack of awareness. "Good morning," Lenni greeted him. "Clearly you're having one." Fenneck smiled coyly. "Forgive me. Natalya tries to remind me that not everyone shows as much affection in public as I tend to," he said offering them a slight apologetic smile. Killion gave him a small chuckle. "I think it's sweet to see two people who seem genuinely happy together. We're just not used to that." Fenneck frowned sadly. "I'm so sorry. Hopefully you find that not to be the case when we arrive in Flottenheim," he told them. "What is Flottenheim like?" Lenni asked. Killion chipped in. "We've heard the city is inside the mountain and that they use magic. Like a lot." Fenneck nodded. "It is. We use magic to grow magical farms and food in the mountain. We make sure to provide everyone with a home and food and basic necessities. After that, you can get a job of some sort, if you'd like. Kapelya and I mostly stay up here in the mountains but I'm also 'technically' a prince so I'm pretty involved politically." Killion and Lenni looked startled by Fenneck's princedom and they went to bow, quickly prompting Fenneck to stop them. "Oh for Corellon's sake, please stop that. I hate that sort of thing. It's just a formality because we joined Thymryu," he explained. "How long have you been a druid?" he asked Lenni. Lenni shrugged. "For as long as I can remember. I grew up an orphan on my own around Rybaslav. I've spent most of my life in hiding, just trying to survive in the wilderness in Lenisily and avoid the government as much as possible," he explained. "Disguising myself as an animal has gotten me out of a lot of trouble." Natalya curled up against Fenneck. "I bet. What's your story?" she asked Killion. Killion sighed. "I was raised in a brothel in Leniscow, actually. I don't know who my father was but my mom was one of the prostitutes there. As I was growing up I was mostly used as a servant there but they also allowed some of the clients to sleep with me. It was normally high-elf males who were members of the KAV or royalty." Fenneck felt Natalya nuzzle him as Killion talked and Fenneck squeezed her comfortingly. "It's actually how we met. They captured Lenni in Ivanhoff and brought him to the brothel. We fell in love and decided to try and flee to Thymryu together." Fenneck shook his head. "I'm glad you both made it. I'm so sorry your lives have been so painful." Killion nodded. "So you're from Lenisily too?" he asked Natalya. Natalya nodded. "I escaped about twenty years ago now. Fenneck found me in these mountains and then we decided to try and help others who were trying to get out," she gave them the watered down version of her story they usually gave to refugees. "I'm no stranger to the pain the royals and the KAV can inflict upon others," she told him comfortingly. He gave her an understanding look. "What about you?" he asked Fenneck. "I helped liberate Glitterfjell, gods, almost a hundred and fifty years ago now. After that, I helped put our new policies in place and helped build the farms and housing we needed to help the city and now I'm out here, trying to help in the only ways we can at the moment," Fenneck told him. "My parents were actually killed by the KAV right before the revolution for inciting treason and the practice of magic. So were Kapelya's actually," he said sadly. Natalya leaned against him comfortingly. "We've been able to help over seventy different refugees in the last twenty years or so," he told them. The tieflings smiled and leaned against each other, growing more comfortable around them. "How's your leg?" Natalya asked him, studying the bandages she put on the night before. "It's fine. It still hurts though so I might be slower than normal," he warned her. Natalya got up and walked over to their supply chest and got out some dried fruit for their collective breakfasts and some fresh bandages for Fenneck's leg. "Maybe we should wait a day to travel back then. It's a hard journey from here to the next checkpoint," she said as she settled down to tend to his wound. Fenneck sighed. "Probably. Sorry," he addressed the tieflings. "It might be a few days before we're in Flottenheim." Killion shrugged. "At least we know where we're going now," he said. "Besides, we don't want you to make your leg worse. You risked your life for us. We're in your debt." Fenneck waved him off and flinched in pain as Natalya started messing with his leg. "Go ahead and eat some food and we'll stay here and rest for the day," he told them, laying back and letting Natalya tend to his leg. Over the next few days they traveled back toward Flottenheim. They finally made it to the cave late into the evening four days later and they all collapsed and rested from the hard travel in the safety of the cave. Each couple had their own side of the cave and they rested well. The next morning Natalya and Fenneck woke up and got to work making a hearty stew for the tieflings when they woke up. Finally they did and they all sat down and had their first warm meal in days. Killion and Lenni were instantly enamored by how wonderful the food was and the garden blossoming in the back of the cave. Fenneck showed them how he used magic to plant things and Lenni quickly figured it out and enjoyed the new magical techniques. They decided to rest for the day before heading to Flottenheim and Fenneck and Killion played dragonchess while they all discussed politics and what life in Flottenheim was like. As the afternoon slipped away, Killion beat Fenneck in the round of chess they were playing, taking Fenneck off-guard because he'd only been playing Natalya for years, and, while she wasn't terrible, she only seemed to win by accident or on an off-day for Fenneck. "Fair enough," Fenneck conceded to his new friend with respect. Killion gave him a sly smile. Fenneck looked out toward the entrance and saw the sun was starting to set. "Hey Kapelya," he called over to Natalya and Lenni who were talking about the different cities in Lenisily they'd been to. "Yeah?" she asked him. "We should go on a patrol," he said, standing up. "Just to make sure the area is clear for the night since we haven't been here in a few days." He turned to Killion. "We'll probably be gone for, I don't know, two or three hours if you two, um, well... I can imagine you've been craving some alone time together," he said, raising his brow at Killion who blushed a little. "There's some oil in that barrel there that you are more than welcome to use," Fenneck said, nodding to the barrel he was talking about. "Shall we, love?" he asked Natalya, not waiting for Killion to respond. He motioned to the entrance and Natalya stood up and went to put her boots on. They left the tieflings and walked out into the beautiful mountains that were glowing in a bright pink and purple hue from the summer sunset. They walked away from the cave and when they were well out of earshot Fenneck grabbed Natalya and shoved her against the side of mountain and kissed her fiercely. They made out for a long time, also enjoying some alone time together. Finally, Fenneck pulled away and plopped himself down into the snow to calm himself. Natalya sat down next to him. "Good idea," she commented on his silly deterrent. Fenneck giggled. "I love you so much. I'm still glad we're waiting. I know it's tough but just imagine how wonderful it will be when we finally get to be together," he told her admiringly. She smiled. "I love you too! I just think you're a dork sometimes," she told him playfully. Fenneck smiled and looked out over the mountains that were quickly growing dark. "I like them. A lot," he said, motioning back toward the cave. "Me too. I hope they like Flottenheim," she said thoughtfully. Fenneck nodded. "They will. Killion's really smart. I like his perspective on things," he said, looking down and picking at some loose fur on his boot. "Does someone have a friend crush?" Natalya teased him. Fenneck smiled and leaned against her. "Perhaps it's high time I made some new friends, huh?" he said, thinking about how much he missed Alexei. He didn't get to see him too often, especially now that Padma was pregnant and they were spending more and more time in Sivania. Natalya found his hand and interlaced their fingers. "I really like them too. They're easy to talk to. I love your old friends in the palace but I always feel so much pressure around them." Fenneck squeezed her hand. "I know. They do love you though." Natalya smiled. "I love this. I love our life together here," she said wistfully. Fenneck kissed her on the forehead. "Me too, Natalya." They waited another hour or so before heading back to cave and gently knocking on the rocks so they wouldn't interrupt Killion and Lenni. "Come in!" Lenni called out. They walked in and say the two tieflings curled up together in their bed, still shirtless, wrapped in a loving embrace. Killion sat up and found his shirt as Natalya and Fenneck walked in. "The area seems to be clear," Fenneck informed them. "The sunset was beautiful though." Killion gave Fenneck a small smile. "I'm sure it was," he said. Lenni smiled. "Thanks for the privacy. It really doesn't bother you guys?" he asked them. Fenneck frowned. "No? Why would it?" Lenni shrugged. "You don't find homosexuality gross and appalling?" Fenneck chuckled. "Absolutely not. The first time I ever had sex was with my two male best friends. Since then, I..." He hesitated as he thought about Erikur. "I've had plenty of relations with men before," he settled on, trying not to make Natalya too uncomfortable. Killion raised his brow in surprise. "In Lenisily it's punishable by death now," he said solemnly. Fenneck nodded as he and Natalya put their things away for the night. "I know. It's quite appalling," Fenneck said. "I often forget how privileged I was growing up as a high-elf male with loving, caring parents who supported me in exploring different sexual experiences and preferences. My best friend's parents disowned him when he told them he was bisexual," he told them, occasionally casting a glance at Natalya knowing she didn't know these things. "He and his sister moved out and they didn't speak to their family again. After the revolution, he went to visit them once, to make amends. We were living together at the time and they essentially slammed the door in his face." Natalya looked mortified and Fenneck felt guilty for bringing up Erikur. Killion and Lenni nodded and sighed sadly. "What was always so frustrating to me was the hypocrisy of the leaders in Lenisily," Killion said. "They would come in to the brothel to have affairs with the male prostitutes there and then turn around and go murder some poor chaps in the street who looked at each other the wrong way. It's fucking disgusting." Fenneck walked over to he and Natalya's corner and changed into some comfier clothes for the night. Natalya hesitated. "Who would come in? Do you know any of their names?" she asked Killion. Killion shrugged. "Always high elves. I had a couple of regulars who I eventually learned the names of. One of their names was Alexandre. I think he was a cousin of Staladin if I'm not mistaken, a lord or something. The other was a KAV captain named Milosh." The color in Natalya's face vanished and she looked horrified. She met Fenneck's eyes and he knew she was asking for permission to tell them who she really was. Fenneck hesitantly looked at the tieflings. "We don't normally get to know the refugees as well as we have with you two," he started off. "Normally its a quick, two or three day journey straight to Flottenheim. You see, there's another reason we're up here. We like you both and..." He glanced at Natalya to make sure this was okay. "Well, can you keep a secret once you get into Flottenheim?" he asked them. They exchanged worried glances with each other before shrugging. Fenneck nodded to Natalya to tell them. "My name isn't exactly Kapelya. It is, but in Lenisily and for the majority of my life my name has been Natalya Ivanhoff. I was in the KAV," she explained. Killion's eyes widened in surprise and Lenni looked a little nervous. "She killed Staladin," Fenneck told them, trying to defend her and enjoying finally letting someone in on their secret. Killion's jaw dropped. "You... you..." he was a bit flustered. Lenni shook his head. "Shit, well, I guess it makes more sense why you'd be out here," he said. Natalya looked relieved to finally tell more people about her past. "I met Fenneck about a year after that while I was hiding up here in the mountains. We found out a few years ago that I'm actually from Flottenheim and that my birth name was Kapelya so we have been using that to help cover my identity so that Pufuktin doesn't find out that I'm here." Killion still looked flabbergasted but Lenni looked intrigued. "So you were the woman that like... I heard you tied him up and killed him?" he asked her. Natalya nodded. Lenni chuckled. "Mad respect, honestly. I mean, you did do it cause he was a monster right? Not the whole it-was-an-inside-job conspiracy thing?" he asked her cautiously. Natalya nodded. "He was an evil warlock. Trust me, I didn't know Pufuktin was his heir at the time." Fenneck chipped in. "He's technically not. Technically the only true royal heir to the throne is Jasna. Pufuktin was a bastard born out of wedlock. In most monarchies he wouldn't have been allowed to succeed his father." Killion looked at Fenneck quizzically. "Who's Jasna?" he asked him. "Jasna is a member of our court here in Flottenheim. She is the only living descendant of the Grand Duke and Duchess Malenthot who died during the revolution. She's quite lovely. I'm sure you'll meet her once we get to the city." Killion nodded and turned back to Natalya. "So... have you met Pufuktin?" he asked her. She nodded. "He..." she looked at Fenneck, as if to ask where to begin. "He stole her and murdered her parents when she was a newborn baby," he explained bluntly. "He then forced her to be raised in a soldier training academy and then he actually hand picked her to join the KAV, despite the fact that she was a wood elf," he tried to help her out, not wanting to overstep and tell more than she was comfortable with. She nodded. "In the KAV he would... charm and rape me," she told them. Fenneck saw Killion and Natalya shared an understanding look. "Eventually he made me a lieutenant and the night before I killed Staladin he raped me for the first time without his usual charm affect and he hit me for not enjoying it or loving him. He then told me that Staladin wanted to spend the evening with me and he sent me to my room. That's when I decided to assassinate the emperor and essentially kill myself. I never expected to escape," she said rather bluntly. Fenneck walked over to her and hugged her comfortingly. He gently kissed her cheek and he and Natalya went and sat down next to their new friends. "Gods, I'm so sorry," Killion said. Natalya shrugged. "Clearly you had it just as bad. I know Milosh. Too well." Killion gave her a quizzical look. "What's your impression of him?" he asked her curiously. She shook her head. "He's a racist asshole. He grew up in the same academy as me. You know how Fenneck and I met and we knew we would essentially fall in love with each other? When I met Milosh I knew we were destined to hate each other," she said, chuckling a little. Killion frowned a bit. "He's really sad from what I could tell," he commented. Natalya looked offended by this. "What do mean?" she asked him. Killion shrugged. "We would always be alone when he slept with me and he was surprisingly nice to be with. He had a tendency to overshare about his life so I got to know quite a few dark secrets of his." He suddenly gave Natalya a look of recognition. "You're the red-head, aren't you?" he asked her. Natalya shrugged. "Probably," she said. Killion explained. "You were sleeping with his brother, Pufuktin's golden boy?" he asked her. Fenneck looked at Natalya in surprise. "He's Dimitri's brother?" he asked her, suddenly remembering that she had actually told him once that Dimitri had one who was also in the KAV. Natalya nodded. "What do you mean golden boy?" she asked Killion. "Pufuktin beat the shit of Dimitri all the time. Not to mention the fact that everyone treated him like actual dragon shit," she said, getting a bit defensive. Killion shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I know from Milosh. He might have been lying for all I know. He told me that his father had had an affair with a human and that's what caused his mother to have such a horrible life. He said they were cast out into the country and he was sent off to the academy. He said Dimitri was always being favored by Pufuktin and given better ranks even though he was a bastard and a half-elf," he explained. Natalya shook her head. "He got better ranks because he's a better fucking soldier. We both had to work twice as hard as all the other pretty high-elves did because of our parentage. Fuck, he's such a privileged little shit!" she exclaimed, clearly taking this very personal. Fenneck rubbed her back, trying to calm her. "Killion is just telling you what Milosh told him. It's just another perspective, darling," he tried to sooth her. She was pissed though. "He's a jerk, Fenneck. You never met him!" she exclaimed. "Natalya. I understand, but no one is arguing with you," he tried to explain. Natalya huffed. "Sorry," she turned to Killion. He shrugged. "I'm not questioning you. I can totally see him being a jerk. He just... wasn't around me. I actually kind of enjoyed it when he would come in," he said, a bit disappointed that Natalya had such a different opinion of the high elf. "I think he just... saw the world in a very different way. He was extremely insecure and he... unlike a lot of the other KAV soldiers who would come in for fun or to dominate someone for a few hours, he seemed to come there to let his defenses down and he always treated me with respect, almost affection sometimes. I could tell he was very pent up." Natalya seemed frustrated by this perspective of her old rival. Fenneck kissed her forehead and turned to Killion. "Dimitri, Milosh's brother, is the real reason we're here," he told them. "He and Natalya decided, after she escaped, to help his targets escape through the mountains where we would find them and get them to safety. They actually stayed together for a few years at first and Natalya and I decided not to pursue our thiramin relationship because she wanted to be with him. Unfortunately, he's a half-elf and he's gotten a lot older over the years, not to mention the dangers of our operation and her sneaking over the border to be with him. He started pushing Natalya away and encouraged her to be with me instead. He still sends us refugees though," he explained. "This month we weren't expecting any so we decided to venture west a bit where we found you." They nodded in understanding. "You two have had a crazy life," Lenni observed. Fenneck chuckled. "And that's the watered down version!" They all chuckled and Natalya leaned against Fenneck, still looking conflicted over this new information she had. Killion gave her a comforting smile. "I'm not trying to defend Milosh. I know that the environment in the KAV is very toxic and I'm sorry you had to go through what you did." She nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just hard for me to see him as anything other than an angry asshole," she said. She considered this for a moment before looking up in alarm. "Wait. He knew Dimitri and I were sleeping together?" she asked him, suddenly concerned. Killion nodded. "He mentioned it in regards to having leverage over his brother or something." Natalya looked concerned. "No one ever found out?" Fenneck asked her. She shook her head. "I should warn Dimitri that he knows. Even with me gone it's a potential weapon Pufuktin could use against him," she said to Fenneck. He nodded and kissed her head. "How long ago did you learn this information?" he asked Killion. Killion shrugged. "Last year? Last time I was with him was about six months ago." Natalya leaned into Fenneck, worried about Dimitri. "It's okay love. He'll be okay. Dimitri hasn't mentioned anything about Pufuktin finding out right?" he asked her. Natalya shrugged. "No. Pufuktin might have punished him for it though and made it so that he doesn't remember." Fenneck squeezed her comfortingly. "We should probably get some rest," he told Killion and Lenni as he rubbed Natalya's back. "It's a full day of travel tomorrow and then we'll hit the city." Killion nodded. "Yeah. I didn't mean to make you upset," he told Natalya sadly. She gave him a soft smile. "I know. I'm okay," she told him. Fenneck helped Natalya up and they went over to their corner of the cave. "Goodnight," Fenneck told Killion and Lenni who were settling into their bed. "Goodnight," they both said comfortingly. Fenneck pulled Natalya in his lap and she curled up into his chest. He hugged her tightly as she softly cried a bit, worrying about Dimitri and Pufuktin. Eventually she started meditating and Killion and Lenni were both sleeping soundly. Fenneck started meditating, happy that he and Natalya had these new friends in their lives they could share these secrets with.