As Lilly made her way towards the elephant, grumbling with every step, Aoífe was right behind her.
"Is that Boo Boo?" Aoífe asked.
"Yep. Wait, how do you know about Boo Boo?" Lilly inquired in shock.
"I know lots of things, Mummy," Aoífe said while jumping up and climbing onto her mother's back.
Lilly chuckled lightly. "I'm startin' to see that." As the elephant trumpeted angrily at the wolves and the horse, who were, of course, taunting the raging beast, Lilly shook her head and chuckled. "Should we just let them duke it out?"
"As much fun as that would be tah see, I think diplomacy is the better path fer this situation," Aoífe replied thoughtfully.
"Very well," Lilly said before focusing on the elephant. "Boo Boo!" she shouted.
The elephant jerked his head in Lilly's direction, then he let out a loud trumpet sound from his trunk. The red wolf laughed as she trotted up to him. "What's goin' on, buddy?" she asked.
Boo Boo lifted his trunk to touch Lilly's face in various different spots, making the wolf giggle. "Aww, he's so sweet," Aoífe chuckled.
Liath, James and Brian all looked at each other with wide eyes. "Sweet me arse! That bastard almost killed us!" Brian yelled.
"And fer good reason, Uncle Brian!" Aoífe shouted. "Ya interrupted his afternoon nap!"
Lilly snorted while laughing. "Yeah, elephants get very ornery when somethin' disturbs their sleep, believe me! I learned that the hard way." Boo Boo wrapped its trunk around Lilly's neck and snuggled up against her. "It's alright! You can come back out now!"
People's heads started poking out from behind trees, cautious expressions on their faces. "Are you sure?" Lenny asked.
"Yes!" Lilly replied assuredly. "Everyone, this is Boo Boo. Boo Boo, this is my family." She flinched suddenly and nudged Boo Boo off. "Hey, watch the tusks."
People started coming over, slow in their steps as some were still anxious about the elephant. Boo Boo felt around on the ground with his trunk for a little bit until Junior was the first to approach.
"Hi, Boo Boo," Arthur Junior said.
The elephant rested the nose of his trunk on top of Junior's head to smell the boy, making Junior giggle. Boo Boo let out a short trumpet sound and everyone started laughing.
"I think he likes you, kid," Arthur said as he got close.
"Oh Mummy, can we take him home with us?" Aoífe asked.
"Uh, I don't know about that," Lilly chuckled. "I mean, the winters in Ireland would probably be enough to drive Boo Boo insane."
"I could build him a habitat," Darrach pointed out as he came walking up. "It would take a while to make and I'll need some materials from the jungle here, but I can do it."
Aoífe giggled and looked at Boo Boo. "Boo Boo, would ya like tah come live with us in Ireland?" Boo Boo trumpeted excitedly, stomping his large feet on the ground. "Yes, I should say so," Aoífe said with a grin.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
After spending an hour swimming and playing around, while the kids and some adults went on a type of scavenger hunt for the materials Darrach would need to build Boo Boo's new home, it was time to get ready for the tournament. Everyone rushed to their horses and mounted up while other various people found their own way to the arena via teleportation or flight. Lilly was more than excited to finally have decent challenges to face.
When she followed people down the street towards the rather large arena, Lilly gaped at the sight. "How the fuck did I not see this thing?!" she asked in a shrill voice.
Arthur smirked at her. "I think you were too busy drinkin' and fightin' little fish," he joked.
"Shut up!" Lilly cackled loudly and smacked his arm.
"Ouch!" Arthur laughed, rubbing his arm. "So feisty, mo bhean chéile." [my wife.]
Lilly arched a brow at him. "You love it when I'm feisty," she argued playfully.
"Damn right I do," Arthur chuckled, reaching for her hand and kissing it softly. "I love you, baby girl."
Lilly maneuvered Liath closer to lean near Arthur's ear. "I love you too..." she whispered, nipping his earlobe. "Daddy..." she cooed seductively.
Arthur tensed up and coughed. "God damn, woman. Don't get me riled up now," he laughed. "I thought you said you didn't like that."
Lilly shrugged. "I could get used to it," she replied nonchalantly.
"So could I," Arthur growled lightly while pinching her ass cheek, making her squeak and giggle.
"Can I ask what the point of this...tournament thing is?" Liath questioned loudly.
"Well," Arthur began. "It's to pay tribute to my darling wife."
"What for?"
"Because I love her."
"And you just got this all arranged now? After she left three years ago? What the hell took you so long?"
Arthur sighed. "I can't believe I'm gettin' scolded by a horse," he said.
Lilly cackled and pat Liath on the neck. "I think I like that you can talk, Liath."
Arthur made a slightly annoyed face. "Oh, I'm gettin' you later for that."
"I would expect nothin' less, mo chuisle."
Once they were close enough to the Greek-styled stadium, the crowd was packed in to the point where there was just no room to go any further. Luckily, Arthur led his wife around to the side of the stadium where a bunch of horses were saddled up and people were standing around. Tora was amongst them, decked up in her ninja garb, and when she spotted the Morgan's she waved happily. They waved back and got off their horses, then gave the reins to a man who was leading all the horses to a small enclosure nearby.
"Be good, Liath," Lilly said as she stroked his neck.
"Yeah yeah," Liath muttered, startling the stable boy. "Uh...I mean, neeeiiiiigh...?"
Lilly snorted into her hand and walked away, not able to speak. Arthur flung an arm around her and kissed her temple, the roar of the crowd now hitting them as they got closer to the side entrance.
"C'mon, I'll show you your dressin' room," Arthur mumbled softly.
"My dressin' room?" Lilly asked curiously.
"Yeah, everyone's got their own. This ain't just a tournament, it's a show."
"Oh. And it's...all for me?"
"Well, it started out that way," he remarked. "But then I realized I was thinkin' too small. I've become a kind of..." he started rolling his hands, "humanitarian, I think? Because bein' rich is just...well, it's great. So I started spreadin' the wealth around."
Lilly snickered as she kissed his cheek. "So ya became a charitable lad because ya like havin' money?"
"Yes. And I remember what it was like bein' poor, scrapin' for food off the streets with nothin' but the clothes on my back and at one point, not even any shoes. As much as I love that I'm an American, I ain't built for apathy no more."
Lilly grinned as she hooked her arm in his. "Maybe that's because you're an Irishman now."
Arthur led her down a hallway with a chuckle. "Perhaps, although there are many people who still look down on me like I'm some redneck American jackass."
"Like who?"
"A lot of Irish Freemasons, for example," Arthur said as he continued down the hallway with her.
"Freemasons? Oh right, you're a member now, ain't ya?"
"Yes. And I've been tryin' to be more like a noble, but a lot of those people look down on me, too."
Lilly scoffed. "Fuck those people."
"Yeah, but I kinda have to put up with it because it's practice for, uh, other things," Arthur said as he approached a blue door with the name "RED WOLF" on it in big red letters.
"Like what?" Lilly asked with a confused look. "Arthur, what have you been up to while I've been away?"
He looked around then he opened the door. "Makin' treaties with the Ethereal Realms," he replied as he guided her in.
Lilly looked around and gawked at the very luxuriously styled room, completely forgetting about what Arthur just told her. Themes of red and black colored the area with plush carpeting, a vanity mirror, a couple black leather couches with a bamboo table, a fully stocked bar, a walk in closet and a separate room. Lilly gasped when she saw a vase of red roses and white lillies on the vanity table, along with a note. She grasped it and opened the envelope.
To Lilly,
Have fun tonight. You earned it.
Sincerely Yours,
Nhung Ly
"Aww, Mr. Ly got me flowers," Lilly said happily. "That was nice of him."
Arthur chuckled. "Wait til you get a load of what's in the bedroom."
Lilly tilted her head at him and put the note down before walking towards the other door. She opened it and gasped loudly at the amount of wrapped gifts and flowers that filled the bedroom.
"Holy fuckin' shit!" she yelled, making Arthur bark with laughter.
"You like it?"
"I love it!" she screamed, turning and jumping into his arms. Lilly cackled as she pressed her mouth to his as he held her tightly. "Oh, wait," she said. "What if they're, ya know, cursed or drugged or somethin'?"
"Way ahead of you, honey," Arthur said with a smile. "They've already been checked and double checked."
"You're sure?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Yup. Tora, Vu and Mr. Ly made sure of it."
"Good," Lilly said while nodding her head. "Can I open the gifts now?"
"Actually, you'll have to wait until after the introductory song."
"The what?" Lilly asked with a scrunched up face.
"There's goin' to be a song that goes with a very, very spectacular light show. It's when we'll introduce all the fighters."
"What kind of song?"
Arthur smirked. "One of the songs I got from Darrach."
"Darrach gave you songs? When?"
Arthur suddenly frowned. "Um...durin' my extraction procedure."
Lilly's lips curled down to form a frown. "Oh. Was it painful?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty bad," he sniffed. "I uh...I don't remember much about what happened durin' that, but I definitely remember the before and after."
Lilly kissed his chin before snuggling into his arms. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."
"I dunno," he said, shaking his head and sounding very unsure of himself. "I don't wanna add to your troubles, mo stór."
Lilly gave him a "really?" expression before leading him to the bed. "Talk to me, my love. Partners forever."
Arthur nodded and took a deep breath in. "Okay," he said as they sat down, Lilly closing his hands in hers.
"What happened before?" she asked worriedly.
Arthur looked down, apparently unable to look her in the eye. "I almost killed Sean..." he sniffed.
Lilly's grip around Arthur's hands tightened as she gasped softly. "Oh, sweetheart..."
"I...I was havin' a really, really bad night and...he came to check on me in the old bedroom, and I...I hurt him real bad, Lillian. Just one good clock to the head with a fuckin' book and...he went down like a sack of potatoes."
"And then what happened?"
Arthur's eyes flickered to hers for only a moment before looking back down, his gaze full of guilt. "Then I started...changin'."
"...Changin'? What do you mean?"
Arthur shuddered before holding his face. "The dark magic almost burned me out completely...but Darrach intervened. He teleported Sean and me to the tree, healed him and saved me."
Lilly frowned, a little upset that Arthur wouldn't go into much detail of what happened, but she understood why. She, of all people, knew what it was like to face the things that were very hard to speak of.
"And then what happened?" she asked, lifting his face to look at her.
Arthur's eyes were full of tears at this point. "I was knocked out for a while after Darrach drained the dark magic out of me, but when I woke up, it was the first time I could think clearly in months. And my first thought was about you, and how I'd driven you off, and I was..." Arthur sniffed and shut his eyes. "I was devastated."
Lilly sighed. "To be fair, I did tear your arm off."
"I hurt you worse than you hurt me, honey," Arthur said, pulling Lilly into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. "I broke your soul."
"Ya didna mean tah," Lilly said softly, brushing strands of hair from Arthur's forehead as she lightly shoved his hat off. "Dunna blame yerself. I hate it when ya do that."
Arthur rested his face on her chest. "It's a hard habit to break."
"I know," she said, kissing the crown of his head before pulling him closer. "But I'm back and everythin' is gonna be fine from now on."
Arthur choked and held onto her tightly. "No it won't," he sobbed.
"What do ya mean?"
Arthur sniffled and looked up at her. "Darrach can't get the extractors done in time, before the next full moon."
Lilly blinked. "Um, okay? And that means?"
"It means Rose will burn you out before we'll be ready to extract the dark magic from you," he sobbed even harder.
Lilly smirked at him and kissed his lips. "Well, she can try tah burn me out all she wants, but it ain't gonna happen."
"What?" he asked, hope filling his eyes.
"I fell into the River Styx."
Arthur blinked. "Okay, I think I remember you sayin' that...but why is that important?"
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Achilles, honey. Think Achilles."
Arthur blinked, then he huffed as realization dawned on his face. "Wait, so...your soul is indestructible?"
"Just the parts that existed before O'Callaghan healed me. So Rose can burn holes in me but she can't burn me out completely. Not that she wants to, anyway."
Arthur laughed and kissed Lilly deeply. "Oh thank the Gods!" he exclaimed tearfully, holding her even tighter. "Why didn't Darrach say anythin'?"
"Maybe he doesn't know. I mean, O'Callaghan said the timeline had to be changed again, whatever that means." Lilly pressed the blue bead on her bracelet. "Darrach."
Darrach's face popped up and he smiled. "Lady Morgan," he said, a crowd cheering behind him.
"Can you talk for a minute?" she asked.
"For you? Always. What can I do for you?"
"Did you know I fell into the River Styx?"
Darrach arched a brow. "...No."
Arthur looked at Darrach. "How could you not know? You were there when we were watchin' that whole performance Lilly and O'Callaghan did for Charon."
"I was busy building things!" Darrach shouted over the crowd.
"Ya saw that?" she asked, looking at Arthur. "How?"
"Uh, Brigid's been showin' Aoífe how to use runes and she used that to see what you were doin'. So, Darrach," Arthur said, "since Lilly fell into the River Styx, her soul is invulnerable now, right?"
"Yes, but...Lilly, you weren't supposed to fall in."
"Yeah, well, apparently O'Callaghan said the timeline had to change again, whatever that means."
Darrach's eyes narrowed. "May I speak to her, please?"
"Oh yeah, sure," Lilly said before shutting her eyes.
A flash of light hit and Arthur blinked when O'Callaghan appeared in his lap. She smiled at the image. "Hello, Darrach."
"Why are you messing with the timeline?"
O'Callaghan giggled with a sigh. "Well, I-" she paused when she looked at Arthur, then frowned and wiggled out of his arms with a huff and walked to the other side of the room. "Because I had a vision of what would happen if I didn't and that would have been disastrous! And if you didn't have so many projects going on, you would have foreseen it!"
"And Lilly's heart breaking?" Darrach asked.
"That...wasn't on purpose. It just kinda...happened."
"Why?" Arthur asked as he stood up.
O'Callaghan narrowed her eyes at Arthur before turning her back to him and looking at Darrach. "Look, I know you're very busy and you are stretched very thin because of all the things you have to do for everyone, and for that, I thank you immensely, but even as an Atlantean machine/tree hybrid, you have limitations."
Darrach sighed. "I know, and it frustrates me to no end. I'm risking a lot being away from my housing, but I...I needed a break."
"Understandable," O'Callaghan said with a head nod. "But the point is, Lilly, Rose and I all were in the River Styx so you don't have to worry about Lilly or me burning up anymore. We're gonna be okay."
Darrach nodded with a smile. "That does make me happy." Then Darrach said something in a language Arthur didn't understand.
O'Callaghan smiled. "Your sentiment warms me, Darrach. Truly."
"What did he say?" Arthur asked.
O'Callaghan huffed bitterly before glaring at Arthur. "Nothing you need to know about right now," she growled.
Arthur tilted his head to one side. "Are you mad at me?"
"Very!"
Darrach chuckled. "I should let you two talk," he said, and then his face vanished.
Arthur frowned deeply before walking to O'Callaghan. "Is it because of what I said to Lilly about...how I felt about you and Rose?"
O'Callaghan grumbled before crossing her arms and looking away from him. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Because we're also Lilly. And therefore, Rose and I are your twin flames."
"Oh boy," Arthur said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, you're still different people. And Rose tried to kill me."
"That doesn't mean we're not hurt by what you said, especially Lilly."
"So...does that mean you and Rose love me?"
O'Callaghan sighed while rubbing her face. "Rose won't admit it, but yes, Arthur. We love you."
Arthur swallowed hard. "I see. Well, this is awkward, ain't it?"
"Yes, I suppose it is."
"So how do we rectify this situation?"
O'Callaghan shook her head. "I have more than one scenario in my head that would suffice."
"And those are?"
"Well, I..." O'Callaghan frowned. "Ahem...you could choose to just have Lilly while Rose and I could have relationships of our own with others."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I don't like that idea."
"Why?" O'Callaghan asked with a smirk. "Jealous?"
"A little," Arthur said, walking out of the bedroom and being followed by O'Callaghan as he went to the bar, poured himself some bourbon and took a drink. "What's the other option?"
"Acknowledging that you now have three wives that love you and want to have sex with you."
Arthur's eyes practically flew out of his head. "Are you serious?!"
O'Callaghan chuckled. "Oh yes. We all got the hots for ya."
Arthur poured himself another drink and shot it down before eyeing his white wife. "I...um...that's...is Lilly even okay with all this?"
"She is a little hesitant about it, but she thinks it would be a nice symbol of giving all of herself to you, even though she once told you that no one would ever have all of her."
Arthur chuckled while leaning on the bar. "Well, when you put it that way..." he mumbled, motioning for O'Callaghan to come over. "C'mere." With a chuckle, O'Callaghan skipped over to Arthur and he embraced her. "Can we take baby steps with this, though?"
"Oh yeah, we'll go at whatever pace you're comfortable with," O'Callaghan replied, gazing up at him.
Arthur nodded before pressing his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry I broke your heart."
"All is forgiven, my love. Well, for Lilly and I, at least. Rose is going to require more work."
Arthur laughed and shook his head. "I can't even think about that right now. This is all a lot to think about, you know?"
"Mmhmm," she replied, kissing his cheek softly. "But we have all the time in the world now."
Arthur held her tightly in his arms, breathing her in. "Why don't you smell like apples?"
"Because apparently you like the smell of honey, too."
Arthur chortled and held O'Callaghan's face while looking at her. "Would it be alright if I kissed you?"
"Lilly says just one, for now."
"Okay."
Arthur put his lips against O'Callaghan's, eliciting a soft moan from the woman. He grunted into her mouth, the kiss deepening as they held onto each other.
"What the hell?"
Arthur and O'Callaghan looked at the open door to see Vu and Tora staring at them.
"Oh, uh, hi," O'Callaghan uttered, clearing her throat and letting go of Arthur.
"Uh, yeah, the uh, the tournament is about to start," Tora said awkwardly.
"Right." O'Callaghan was enveloped in white light, revealing Lilly instead. "Um, I need to change."
Arthur pulled out a black acorn with a red tribal wolf on it, setting it into Lilly's bracelet. "Here, honey. Darrach made you some armor to wear."
Lilly looked at the bead and blinked. "How do I-"
Arthur pressed on the wolf part of the acorn and Lilly's clothes were immediately replaced with her black and red corset and ankle length loincloth. He took a step back to look at her with a smile.
"You look great," he murmured, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply. "I'm gonna have fun rippin' it off you later."
Lilly laughed before kissing his lips softly. "Ya better get to the VIP section, mo chuisle." With a nod and one last kiss, Arthur left the room. Tora and Vu gaped at him before staring at Lilly with wide eyes, making her shrug. "I know it's very strange, letting him kiss another woman, but it's not that strange when the other woman happens to be me."
Tora shook her head before walking in. "Fair enough. C'mon, I'll do your hair before we go out."
Lilly thanked Tora then settled down at the vanity table and Tora grabbed the brush before starting on Lilly's auburn locks.