Page 94 of Eminently Elf
“Harry, that is enough. That is Ellery’s dead mother you’re disparaging,” Debra cut in. Ellery found her to be an enigma. She’d orchestrated this, contacted him on Harry’s behalf after he’d confessed to her that Ellery was likely his son. Debra seemed like a caring woman, so how did she manage to continue in a relationship with a man who clearly thought of himself first?
“Mister Starndraconis, did you confess to Debra about my birth simply because I met Chrysander and became Emperor?”
“What nonsense,” Harry snapped. “Of course not.”
“Then where were you for the first century of my life? You knew where to find Aynleth. How could you leave her pregnant and alone to return to her tribe in disgrace? Everyone in the Council knows elven traditions, even if they do not fully understand them. You knew what her tribespeople would think of the situation.”
“I didn’t know she’d be disgraced. I figured the Fen-Lynthi tribe would help her out. That she’d be okay, and so would you until your first shift. I wasn’t going to stick around for your death. I moved on with my life and had children that had every possibility of becoming actual dragons someday.”
“That’s fucked up,” Escott said as he leaned back in his chair and glared at his father. Ellery turned to Tiri, who wrinkled his nose at the foul word. He gave his best friend a questioning look, but Tiri shook his head slightly, so Ellery refrained from correcting Escott’s language.
“Really Harry, you can be quite the cold bastard sometimes,” Debra shot out. Her voice wavered as she was reining in her tears. She crossed her arms under her ample bosom and frowned at the father of her children.
“I never claimed to be perfect,” Harry growled. “I couldn’t make Aynleth happy in the few weeks I knew her. How in the world was I going to be able to accomplish the task for eternity? I was angry with her. You want to know the truth, Your Majesty? You’re an elf. Tell me, do you know of a way to prevent pregnancy?”
“Yes. Elves use a mixture of herbs which can be quite effective.”
“Your mother explained all that to me. I told her I didn’t want children because I could not have a hybrid one. She agreed never to skip taking her daily herbs. Aynlethlied. When she discovered she was carrying a babe and I grew angry, she confessed she’d never used the herbs. She wanted a baby, and Aynleth believed it was unfair of me to deprive her of one. I told her about hybrid children. You claim you didn’t know, but Aynleth did. I explained to her in detail how your dragon was going to rip you apart. I’ve seen it, Your Majesty. It’s not pretty. I told her I was leaving, and I didn’t know when I would be back. At that point I couldn’t see myself returning to her side anytime soon. I sure as hell wasn’t going to return until after you were dead. You can all call me whatever names you want, but that’s the truth. I can’t help that Aynleth wasn’t honest with you.”
Ellery was stunned and wasn’t sure what to think. Aynleth had been a difficult woman. She wasn’t easy to understand, and she’d lived often in a world of her own making. There was no way for Ellery to know if she’d lied to him or if Harry was the one telling untruths. He turned to Chrysander, and his mate swept a hand over his cheek.
Chrysander gave his attention to Harry. “Aynleth raised Ellery with an entirely different story. She is no longer with us and is therefore unable to defend herself against your accusations. It’s impossible at this point for Ellery to simply discount a century of one truth and to trust a man who knowingly abandoned him before birth, and that he’s just met despite the shared bloodline.”
“I understand, Your Majesty. I figured I’d get the chance to speak with Aynleth at some point, and we could straighten out everything between us. I had no way of knowing she would die or that she lied to Ellery here.”
“Why isn’t your name Elvish?” Eldridge asked.
“My mother waited every day for Harry to return and take us to the dragons. She chose to give me what she called a dragon name, so I would not stand out in our new lives.”
“Why do all three of our names start with ‘E’?” Escott asked.
Ellery had noticed that similarity but assumed it was coincidence. He opened his mouth to speak, but Harry beat him to the punch.
“Ellery was my father’s name,” Harry commented. “He was a good man.”
Wondering how many more surprises were in store for him, Ellery shrugged at Chrysander. “Did my mother know that?”
“Of course. I’d just lost him. We spoke of it often. I was stunned when I heard your name. I figured your name would be Elvish. I nearly gave Eldridge the name Ellery but decided it starting with the same letter as my father was enough. I didn’t want him to feel as if he needed to live up to a ghost, but I have to say it’s nice to know one of my children is carrying on his memory. Especially since you’re the Emperor. I think he must be watching over from the other side of the veil and glad to see it was given to a man who in a single year became legendary. He was arrogant enough to find that fitting,” Harry conceded with a half smile. “Look, I’m really sorry about your mother. Fate may have put us together, but I don’t know that we could’ve ever worked out our differences. I couldn’t forgive her for lying to me, and she was determined to do what she wanted without any regard for my feelings. I told her I’d be back, but I think we both knew I was lying.”
Ellery was at a loss. He wasn’t sure what to say or where any of them went from here. His half brothers were still eyeing him curiously, and Debra appeared as if she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. They seemed like nice people, and it at least made some sense how Harry and Aynleth had split, but it was strange to consider this man as his parent.
“Is it okay if I send you a mourning necklace?” Harry asked gruffly.
“I would consider it an honor,” Ellery managed. He was incredibly moved by that one gesture acknowledging that he did understand Ellery wasn’t a full dragon and that despite his departure, he respected his elven side.
“I appreciate you meeting with us today. I think we both learned a lot, and I understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me in the future. I made mistakes. I know that. I wouldn’t do it the same if I had a second chance, but I love Debra and I’m not ashamed of our two sons. I know it’s not right to have another family when I thought I had a living mate, but life isn’t perfect, and neither am I. If I were, I would ask for the chance to get to know you. I know you don’t need a father, and I can’t begin to tell you how awkward it would be to try and parent an emperor but if you ever want to be friends, give me a call.”
Ellery smiled. “I would not mind being friends. I would also welcome the opportunity to get to know your Debra and my half brothers.”
“Oh, the pleasure is ours, Ellery. Thank you so much. We can’t wait to get to know you and your family,” Debra gushed.
They all stood, and Ellery was pleased when Chrysander pulled Debra into a hug after shaking hands with the Starn men.
“Hey Ellery, would you mind taking a selfie with me? My best friend doesn’t believe you’re my brother, and he’s got a big fucking crush on you too,” Escott begged as he pulled out his cell phone.
“We can do a selfie but if we are going to be friends, you need to send Tiri two dollars,” Ellery said as he walked over to stand next to Escott.
“Can I ask why?”
