Two's Company But Three's a Crowd

The sunlight pours in from the bedroom window and I awaken in a tired, sluggish daze. Believe it or not it wasn't the vigorous sex that tired me out. Zutiria fell asleep in my arms shortly after I comforted her in the bathroom, but her troubles didn't end there.

For an hour or two I simply hugged the petite mage as tightly as I could, and I continued to pet her every time a hint of a bad dream reared its unwelcome head. Whenever I did her terror would quickly fade and she'd recover, falling into peaceful slumber once more.

If I could stay awake the entire night for her sake and ensure that she wouldn't suffer, I would. But somewhere along the way I fell asleep too.

Zutiria...

I knew there was something dark within her, she said as much herself that it was the reason she couldn't speak, even if she was very vague about it indeed.

What in all the realms could an eight year old have possibly said that made her never want to speak again?

I feel bad that she made the effort for my sake. I'm supposed to become more selfish and start using all the tools available to me, but I can't in good conscience feel good about breaking her silence in order to not disappoint me.

She shouldn't worry about me so much.

I'm used to disappointment.

On my opposite side I hear a rising yawn and feel the covers shift as Sam stretches her body out nice and good. After she does so, the Princess of permanent bed head nuzzles up to me and kisses my cheek. "Mornin' Daddy."

She then gets a sight of me cradling the tiny mage in my arms, and it makes her grin. Giggling, she says "She's not your favorite now, is she?" in a mock jealous tone.

I roll on to my back so I can better face Sam, while still keeping the sleeping sorceress wrapped close to my body with my right arm. Sam can instantly tell something's up by the concerned look I can't help expressing, and her smile falls away. "Sam... how much do you know about Zutiria?"

Sam becomes more focused, dropping any and all remaining hints of her bright and playful persona. "Not a lot. She lived with my... family. I guess you could say we're kinda rich and we own a small mansion. My Father always told me never to go climb the west tower buuuut-"

"You were never one to follow the rules?" I hazard a teasing guess.

She giggles, and the tension eases for just a moment. "Maybe. I was like, five? Six maybe? I dunno. Point is I climbed it and inside was a beautiful room filled with more books than the roya..." Sam pauses and awkwardly coughs, knowing she almost let her blunder slip. Zutiria shifts around a bit from this but thankfully does not wake. "It had more books than my Father's personal library. And TONS of fancy magical knick-knacks everywhere you looked."

A thought crosses my mind. 'Maybe I could convert one of the storage rooms into a library?' We have more than we'd ever need even if we get the Guild running back up to full capacity someday. Maybe we could retrieve all the stuff left behind in her tower someday as well. I would love to do anything for Zutiria if I could, I want the mage to really think of this as her home from now on. Somewhere she can feel safe and be at ease.

She needs it.

"Boss? You got all focused and super serious for a second there. It was kinda cute, not gonna lie." Sam laughs again and I smile back at her.

"Sorry, sorry. Just a stray thought. Carry on."

"Right. There's not much more to it though. I met her in her room, my Father gave me permission to start visiting her since I loved hanging out with her so much. Zuzu really liked me too, I guess." The Princess nostalgically looks off with flushed cheeks, remembering all sorts of childhood memories with dear her friend, I'd imagine.

"And neither your Father or Zutiria has ever told you anything about how she came to live in the tower?"

Sam shakes her head somberly. Damn.

"I was a little brat, though I guess that hasn't changed much." She gives me a seductive look before laughing it off and sighing. "We only ever talked about me, now that I think about it... I would always come crying to her with my problems or with new scratches I got from rough housing, and she'd patch me up and hug me till I was done crying it out..."

Sam gives me a serious look. "Hey... What's all this about, Boss?"

I frown and hug the sleeping mage closer to me. "Whatever made her this way was bad, Sam."

"How bad...?"

I don't bother answering. I just stare at Sam blankly and she gets the point.

"Shit... I mean, I always knew it was BAD but..."

I explain the gist of what happened late last night to my concerned lover, and her green eyes widen in horror and she clutches her hands over her mouth to muzzle a gasp. A small bead of sweat trails down her forehead as she gazes back at me.

"What... What do we do, Boss? She can stay here for sure but we can't keep asking her to do magic!"

"If she wants to keep trying to talk, we have to encourage her. She's an adult, Sam... almost twice your age. You can't just tell her what to do." ...Wait a second.

"Well so are you, and look at how well listening to me turned out for ya!" Shit, she noticed the irony.

The two of us are both startled and practically jump out of bed when Zutiria's familiar text appears with no warning and spells out, 'I came here of my own accord and I know what I signed up for. I won't let you criticize my decisions, Sammy. Especially when I've never judged you for a single thing you've done.'

"Zuzu...!" Sam sits up and the blankets fall off of her chest, giving me the day's first look at her bouncing beauties. "You shoulda let us know you were awake!"

Zutiria sits up naked, too, and yawns the quietest yawn I've ever heard. 'I just woke up. I didn't hear much of it but I'm assuming you were talking about me?'

"Er," Sam looks away and blushes. "Something like that, yeah."

"Good morning, Zutiria."

'Morning.' She cuddles up to me and sits on my lap. Using her new position she sees fit to give me a soft kiss on the cheek. Then she turns to face Sam. 'Do you mind leaving us for the morning, Sammy? You've had Sir all to yourself until now so it'd only be fair for you to give us a little privacy. The adults need their alone time, sweetie.'

"WHA- I-I'm an adult now, Zuzu! Don't treat me like a little kid anymore!" Sam blushes furiously and her instant reaction causes both me and the mage to crack a smile. "It's just... I usually hang out with Boss in the mornings so... not sure what I'm supposed to go do, but..."

'Please?' Zutiria does her best to look pleadingly towards the Princess and it works because Sam gets flustered and rushes to leave the room.

"Just let me know if you guys need anything, then..." Sam scoops up her clothing and is off on her way. The door shuts behind her and I'm left alone with the little mage once.

She looks up at me devoid of any emotion and says, ���Sir. Let's talk.'