Icarus sat in silence with Ulfrick as the dwarf finished
his story. It was nice to hear that even Terra wasnt always the person that Icarus knew. Looking over Icarus held his hand over Ulfricks shoulder. He was a bit uneasy with communicating with people beside of Nyarl and Terra, but he had some questions. Thankfully Terra had left the covering of his sphere open to allow him access to his magic. Ulfrick felt a cool shock go through him as Icarus laid his hand upon his shoulder.
[So even Terra wasnt perfect when she started out?] asked Icarus as he eyed the older dwarf. The conversation that he had had with Terra, along with the oddities that he had seen on his adventures helped Ulfrick with the sudden voice that resonated inside of his head.
Are you kidding me? Ive seen that lass get her ass handed to her on a silver platter several times!
This caused Icarus to giggle internally. It was odd for the dwarf to hear the laughter inside of his head, while the elf made no noise. The best that he could do was join in as well.
[Do you really think that someone like me could someday be as self reliant as her?] asked Icarus.
Everyone has their strengths boyo, replied Ulfrick as he thought out the question. Given enough time and training I believe that you could stand your ground against most normal fighters, but people like Terra are meant for something greater.
[She really is amazing huh?] thought Icarus fondly. Icarus had seen both Terras fierce side along with her gentler side. How someone that great had fallen for him still seemed surreal.
She can be at times, but at others she is just as mortal as the rest of us. I remember one time that Terra had tried to capture a mountain boar with her bare hands
For your sake, I wouldnt finish that story if I were you. came a familiar voice. Terra had soon joined the two of them. Kneeling downwards she extended her hand towards Icarus. With a gentle tug she was able to bring the small elf to his feet once again.
Im sorry for what happened back there, said Terra as she gazed into Icarus eyes. Her hand held the side of his face as Icarus leaned into it.
[No, Im sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me.] replied Icarus.
Now come on you two, the King has called for a meeting with us.
Icarus was glad to walk beside of Terra as the group made its way back to the training ground. Nyarl had just finished up his third round of sparring as the group entered through the tunnel. The boy quickly ran up to Icarus and gave him a playful punch in the arm. It stung a bit due to Nyarls greater strength, but Icarus didnt mind as he threw a punch of his own. On their journey to the throne room, Nyarl gave Icarus a play by play of his skirmishes. He was currently on a 1-3 streak if you included his match with Ulfric. He had been able to outmatch the dwarves when it came to speed and dexterity, but their raw strength, durability, and experience proved too much for Nyarl to overcome. Nyarl bragged that given a year or two he could stand toe to toe with any fighter that crossed his path. Terra chimed in to say that he had a ways to go before catching up to her as she ruffled his hair.
The trio soon came upon the bridge that Nyarl and Icarus had visited the night before. The group was now standing in front of the golden line when Ulfrick brought them to a stop.
Give me a moment to grab you guys some passes to get into the Kings study. said Ulfrick as he stepped across the line.
Why dont we just walk in? asked Terra as she eyed the golden line that stretched across the ground.
Feel free to try it yourself lass, but this is an anti kiddo line. Only mature adults such as myself may pass. laughed Ulfrick as he stood smugly on the opposite side.
Terra waved away his warning as she took a step forward. He had only made it half a step when her foot struck an invisible wall. The sudden stop caused her to fall forward, but luckily the wall was able to stop her. Terra spent several seconds examining the mysterious force before hitting it. To her surprise it didnt feel solid so her fist was fine, but even she couldnt make headway against this magic.
Alright then, what exactly is this? asked Terra as she stared down at the dwarf.
As I said its an anti kiddo line. You have to have reached adulthood in order to pass by. replied Ulfrick.
But Im a good bit over 18 though. said Terra.
That may be, but a dwarf isnt considered an adult unless they are a hundred! laughed Ulfrick. It has its uses, but most humans will never pass this line which required us to make special passes for the younger folk to enter.
While the two continued their talk, Nyarl and Icarus was staring at each other. Nyarl for his part was amazed to finally understand the reason that Icarus was able to cross the line the other night, while he couldnt. Nyarl motioned for Icarus to take a step forward in which Icarus replied by shaking his head side to side. Icarus had looked back up to Terra when he felt a pair of hands give him a push from behind.
[NYARL!] shouted Icarus as he stumbled forward. He would have fallen on his face if Ulfrick hadnt caught him.
Looking up to the dwarf, Icarus found a look of surprise as Icarus stood on the opposite side of the line. Turning around Terra had the same look as well as she knelt down closer to his level.
Icarus, began Terra as she looked down at her partner, Just how old are you? Inside Terra felt a bit conflicted. She had been with Icarus for a while now, and could hear his thoughts. Combine that with Icarus history it didnt make sense for him to be able to cross a barrier such as this one.
[I
.dont know] replied Icarus as he stared back at Terra. He hated the fact that he couldnt give her a proper answer. His memories only started back by the nine years that he had been at Windhook, but that started to feel like a lie. How did he know the things that he did? The history of places he couldnt have possibly known, or the very magic that he had access to. What about the tears that fell from his face when he saw anything related to the elves?
Well, there is one fact that we can all agree on, said Ulfrick as he stared down at Icarus. Icarus felt small underneath of his gaze. Ulfrick looked back up at Terra with a small grin on his face.
Looks like Icarus here is a cradle robber!
Ulfrick burst out into laughter and was soon joined by Nyarl. Nyarls laughter was quickly cut short and Terra slapped the boy across the back of his head. Ulfrick was lucky that a barrier was between them as Terra would surely do the same to him.
[Im sorry
.] thought Icarus as he locked eyes with Terra. [I swear I had no idea about any of this]
Its okay Icarus, replied Terra as she placed her palm against the wall, there are still a few mysteries about you that we dont know, but whatever they are we will learn about them together.
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
For the longest time it has felt like I had lost all ability to write a story. I would begin one and quickly quit after a few paragraphs because it felt like trash to me. I would look back and wonder how I had made something like this or the other stories on this site. I still feel a bit rusty and not as skilled as I use to be, but I'm glad to finally be able to add to this story once more. I apologize to the people that enjoyed this story for the hiatus that I have been on. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter and any others as I get the chance to write them.