A Beast's Tale

Bonus Chapter: Leon and Melissa

It was a bright spring day, and Leon was riding his black stallion to Freedom again. The town had become his oasis, his home away from home. Things just weren't the same at the palace. They were good, but they weren't the same. Jin, Chevalier, Nokto, and Luke were all married with children, Clavis was in a weird on again, off again relationship, and Licht was courting Nadia. The only remaining bachelor was Yves, and he didn't really count, not since he met Grace in Obsidian eight years ago. She was engaged when they met, and she married her duke as planned, and Yves was still pining for her. His excuse was the advanced age of the duke. The moment he died, Yves was going to propose.

Eight years later, the duke was still alive and well, and Yves was still waiting.

No, the palace wasn't a place for bachelors anymore. Leon liked being an uncle, but he also liked heading to a tavern and knocking a few drinks back with the guys. Drinking nights with his brothers were few and far between. The tavern at Freedom, though, was always busy and always friendly. A fling with an occasional barmaid had its appeal, too. His last relationship ended before it really even started. It's not easy to make love to a woman when your sister-in-law is down the hall screaming from what must have been incredibly painful labor. Theresa, Arianna, Lydia - none of them screamed during labor like Ivetta did that night. His date left in a hurry. He joined his brothers in Nokto's room, drinking, the door left ajar with instructions to Julius to let them know if there was any news.

But that was eight years ago, and he hadn't really felt anything real for a woman since then. Maybe he hadn't even felt anything for that woman on that night. He couldn't remember her name, which was probably a good indication they weren't going to work out. The last woman who really caught his interest was Ivetta. It was pretty clear that she saw him as an older brother, though, and Chevalier was after her, so Leon stepped back and gave Chevalier the floor.

Ivetta was kind of a tough act to follow.

"Hey, Leon, welcome back!" Matt called, poking his head out of his jewelry store to wave at Leon.

"Hey, Matt," Leon called back, dismounting and tying his horse to a hitching post. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad. The kids are in school. Wanna get some lunch?"

"Sure," Leon said, following him into the store. Amber was sitting at the desk, studying page after page of numbers, and she looked up to give him a bright smile.

"Hello, Leon. Is this just a day trip, or will you be staying for a while?" she asked, getting up and leading them through the back door to the living quarters.

"We'll see," he said noncommittally. "If the kids are in school, that means you got a new teacher, right?"

"Yeah. Let's hope this one sticks around," Matt said, laughing.

"Why do you keep losing them?" Leon asked.

"That's simple," Amber volunteered. "They're all beautiful young women, and they keep getting married to somebody from out of town. If they'd just marry somebody in town, we wouldn't have to keep finding a new teacher."

Leon laughed. "That does sound like a problem. Too bad there's so much traffic going on here."

They caught up over lunch, and then Leon was back on the street, wandering aimlessly down the boardwalk. Freedom had come a long way in a very short time. There was still new construction everywhere, because it just kept growing. The ground was as fertile as Leon expected, and the mines were rich in jewels and metals, so trade was bustling. A new bookstore was the latest installment. He'd have to mention that to Chevalier and Ivetta. They liked to come around Ivetta's birthday to stay at the inn for a few days. Her birthday was already over this year, but they missed their yearly visit because Ava was sick. Maybe they could bring the whole family this time. Evelyn was as big a reader as her father.