Chapter 17

Stone and Persimmon were married a week later in Glint, the home of the elves. The Blackseed brothers and their families were there as well as Alaina the Queen of the Fae, and Lira's Aunt Sasha who was the Elven Queen since Lira now ruled with her husband at Evandorm Castle.

"I knew you two would marry all along," said Lira as they sat down at a long table in the courtyard for a feast. Lira had served as Persimmon's maid of honor and Aithrod was Stone's best man. Fang had walked down the aisle carrying a small box that had the ring in it that Elric had once given to Luna. Elric said he wanted Persimmon to have it as a remembrance of her mother, even if he and Luna had never been married. It still was a symbol of their love for each other.

"So, are the two of you ever going to want to go back to Taelgonoth?" asked Darium, smiling because he already knew the answer.

"Never," Stone answered. "Aithrod and I decided that Mura is our home now." Stone helped Persimmon to get seated and then reached down and petted Fang on the head. "Fang likes it better here, too.

"I was talking about you and Persimmon," said Darium.

"Yes, Persimmon, you never told us how you felt when King Kapion told you he was your father," said Talia, holding on to Darium's arm. "Don't you want to go back to get to know him?"

Persimmon looked over to Elric who sadly sat by himself, not even looking up. Ever since she had come through the portal and told everyone that King Kapion was really her father, Elric had become distant and sad. She didn't like seeing him this way. She had always wished for the presence of a father in her life, and now that she finally got what she wanted she realized it wasn't important anymore.

"King Helix Kapion is an evil man, just like my husband has said." Persimmon reached over and kissed Stone. "So, nay, I don't ever want to go back to Taelgonoth. Here is where I belong."

"It's a shame, sister, that you finally discovered you are a princess and now can't do anything about it." Lira sat down and her daughter Valindra climbed up on her lap.

"The only princess I want to be is the one I'll be in Stone's eyes." Persimmon smiled and they kissed again. She looked up to see Elric slipping away. He seemed so sad that her heart was breaking.

"Elric, please come join us," she called out. "I have something for you."

"What?" The elf looked up in confusion.

Persimmon reached down and unclasped the bag of gemstones at her side and held it out. "I'd like to give the gemstones to you."

"Why?" asked the elf. "Only the Chosen One, which is you, can use them. I'm sure you don't want to give up all those powers." He shuffled over. It was so odd to see the elf moving so slowly since he always zipped around at a high speed. The man seemed to be giving up all hope. He no longer had a spark of life within him.

"I don't need them," said Persimmon. "I want you to take them and give them back to the gods of Mura instead."

"You do?" He approached the table, looking at her in question. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"So they can forgive you and so they will never take away your powers. Plus, we need you as sage of Mura. You are the wisest man we know." She reached out and took his hands, tucking the bag between them.

"All right," he said, and sighed. "Thank you."

"Did Elric just say thank you?" she heard Rhys ask.

"He never says that. He must be sick," Zann answered.

"Sister, where will you and Stone be staying now that you are married?" asked Lira.

"Well, I had hoped we'd be welcome here in Glint."

"In the home of the elves?" asked Elric, looking up in surprise. "Why in the world would you want to stay here since you found out you are not even part elf?"

"I want to stay here to be close to my father," she said with a big smile.

"What?" Elric wrinkled his nose as if he'd smelled something fowl. "Your father is in Taelgonoth, not Mura.

"Nay, that's not true," she told him.

"Persimmon? What are you saying?" asked Stone, obviously wondering where she was going with this.

"Since Stone and I professed our love for each other I've been able to scry using the gazing crystal. I am getting good at it and have seen a lot of things."

"So what?" asked Elric.

"So I am going to try something, just to make sure."

"What does that mean?" Elric didn't seem at all interested.

She pulled out the gazing orb and held it up in her hands. "I am now going to ask a question, and the gazing orb will show me the true answer."

"That's nice." Elric sighed again and tied the bag of stones onto his belt.

"Gazing orb, I want to see a vision of my father. My true father."

Elric sighed again and looked at the ground.

"Is it working?" asked Medea excitedly since no one but Persimmon could see the visions within it.

"It is," she said with a nod. "And I see…you, Elric! King Helix Kapion is not my true father after all. But you are!"

"I am?" Elric's head snapped up. "Are you sure about that?" He looked at her in a suspicious manner.

"Mother always told me that the gazing ball doesn't lie," she said, not directly answering his question.

"So, I'm your father then?" A smile spread across his face. "You're half-elf, even though you don't have pointy ears?"

"That's right. I think I must have inherited more of my mother's looks instead."

"Thank the gods," said Darium under his breath.

"You did?" Elric's face got brighter and happiness spread up into his eyes now.

"I suppose it is possible," said Stone with a nod.

"Daughter. You're my daughter! I have two daughters now, as well as two sons. Yippee! I'm going to the pyramids of the gods right now to give them back the stones. I want the gods to smile on me from now on. I also want to be on my best behavior and be the best father ever."

"You'll have to be the best grandfather as well. And I'm not talking about Lira's children." Persimmon put her hand on her belly and looked over to see Stone's very surprised look on his face.

"What are you saying?" asked Elric. "There is no way you are already pregnant. You haven't even known Stone long enough."

"What are you saying, sweetheart?" asked Stone, putting his arm around Persimmon's shoulders and pulling her closer.

"I am not pregnant yet, but the gazing orb has shown me that I will be with child very soon," Persimmon answered, and giggled. "I actually can't wait."

"And neither can I," added Stone with a big smile.

"Oh, I've got so much to do. We need to prepare for the baby," said Elric. "I hope the little tyke at least gets my ears and not the big oaf's ugly nose. That would be nasty." He was speaking about Stone and everyone there knew it.

"Now wait a minute, I'm not a big oaf," said Stone in his defense.

"It looks like Elric's accepted you now, Stone. You've joined the rest of us big oafs, so welcome to the family," shouted Zann, making everyone laugh and cheer since Elric always called the Blackseed boys the same thing.

"I'll see you later." Elric sped off in a blur, still whooping and hollering in joy.

"Can you look into your gazing orb and see if we're going to have a boy or a girl?" asked Stone, nuzzling her neck and kissing her behind the ear.

"Nay, it doesn't work that way, Stone." She put the orb back into her pouch. "I can't ask the orb questions. It only shows me what it wants me to see."

"What?" He pulled back and looked at her in question. "But you just told Elric that you asked to see your true father and you saw him. And you said we'd have a child soon."

"I did say those things, didn't I." She smiled deviously.

"Persimmon?" He looked at her in a scolding manner. "Are you lying about being able to scry again? The same way you were when you first got to Mura? Because, remember how much trouble that got you into."

"The answer to your question is yes and no," she told him. "I really can scry now, and I am thankful that our love awakened the crystal's magic." She reached up and kissed him.

"But you only told Elric what he wanted to hear, right?" he said, tapping his finger against her lips. "That is being a naughty girl. Plus, you told me what I wanted to hear as well."

"Elric was so forlorn. Didn't you see the way he perked up once he thought he had sired me?"

"Still, that was being dishonest. I'm not sure you should have done that."

"Well, we only have King Kapion's word to go on that he is really my father. So, I'm not sure that Elric didn't really sire me after all. No one knows the truth. My mother didn't even seem to know."

"Well, you don't look like you have an ounce of elven blood in you."

"Weren't you the one who just agreed that it was possible that I inherited more of my mother's looks instead?"

"Mmm hmm," he said, still giving her the scolding eye. "Because I wanted to support you."

"And you knew it was want Elric wanted to hear," she said with a knowing nod.

"Well, it could be true. I mean, yes, it could have happened."

"Stone, you need to remember something. I never even knew about King Kapion before I came here to Mura. However, I grew up thinking Elric was my father for the last twenty-five years. Granted, Elric wasn't all that kind to me, and didn't visit me but a few times in my life. Still, those few visits meant something to me. It gave me hope. Hope that someday I would have a relationship with him the same way that others do with their fathers."

"You mean like Elric has with Lira?"

"Yes."

"But you don't."

"Not yet, but these things take time. And remember, Lira didn't get along with Elric either until recently."

"I'm not surprised. I don't know how anyone can really tolerate that man."

"Stone, that's my father you're speaking of. Please, be nice."

"Yes, I suppose I can see your point. I think mayhap you might be Elric's daughter, after all. Or, at least, I'd like to think so. Even if the man is irritating, he's a much better choice of a father than King Kapion who never had and never will have love in his heart."

"I agree. So, I have to go with the one man that I feel in my heart is the one who sired me. After all, I am sure I was born on love and not hate and lust."

"Me, too."

"Persimmon, are you sure you will never want to go back to Taelgonoth to talk to King Kapion again?"

"Never. And just to make sure I won't be tempted, is one of the reasons I gave the stones back to Elric. I don't ever want that portal to Taelgonoth opened again."

"Good idea."

"Will you miss your home, Stone?"

"Nay. I have no one there anymore. Everyone I care about is here in Mura. Besides, this is my home now, Persimmon. With you. In Mura."

"Yes. And Elric is my father now and will always be. That is all that matters. I have no need to look any further. I have found everything I have ever longed for right here. Especially you, Stone. I wouldn't give that up for anything."

"I am only thankful that the portal brought us together in the first place." He hugged her. Fang's head came up between them, looking for food.

They both laughed.

"I never expected that the sky would open up one day and the man I would marry would fall atop me and knock me to the ground, but it happened, didn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly did, sweetheart. If that's not a sure sign that we belong together, then I don't know what is."

"I propose a toast," Lira called out, holding up her goblet of wine. "To my new sister, Persimmon and her husband, Stone. May they always be as happy and as in love as there are right now."

"I'll drink to that." Stone raised his glass and so did Persimmon.

"Stone, tell us how you feel being married to Persimmon?" asked Aithrod.

"Well, I feel lucky and loved and as if I've met someone special who I almost didn't meet. I feel as if everything bad that happened really happened for a reason and if it didn't, Persimmon and I never would have met, being from two different lands only connected by a portal. I also feel as if my new life will be so much better than my old one. I have so much to be thankful for. Not only being a husband to the woman I love, but also looking forward to one day becoming a father and raising a child even though I don't know the first thing about raising children but I am willing to learn."

"Egads, the man is a windbag." Elric was back from the pyramids of the gods already and standing in front of the table holding up a goblet of wine as well.

"Father, did the gods forgive you?" asked Persimmon.

"Of course, they did," said Elric. "Stone, if you're going to be married to my daughter, I'm going to insist you don't talk everyone to death like you're doing now."

"Father, that's not nice," said Persimmon, smiling all the while she spoke.

"He's right, you know. We're hungry so let's get this over with, can we?" called out Zann, always anxious to eat.

"Just sum it all up. Give us one word to describe how you're feeling, Stone, and then let's eat." Darium held up his goblet and waited. They all did.

Stone looked back at Persimmon and smiled widely. "All right. One word, let me think.

"Just say anything, Stone," whispered Persimmon. "Everyone is waiting."

"Nay, I want to make sure it explains exactly how I feel, sweetheart."

"All right. Take your time."

"I don't have to. I know the answer now." He raised his goblet higher. "The one word to describe being married to Persimmon would have to be no other than Charmed!