chronicles of eden - act I (42 page)

"I'll be your proof and guardian, Daniel, I mean it. You can trust me and my kind, I'll show you that," she reassured softly.

"Does that mean you'll keep Lucky under control?" Daniel asked raising an eyebrow. Alyssa smiled a bit and nodded, then glanced to Squeak.

"Yeah… sorry about that, Squeak," she said softly. The ant girl looked at her for a moment then slowly nodded. Alyssa smiled then looked back to Daniel.

"I can get a little overprotective of Daniel… but I'll try to work on that," she said with a slight giggle. Daniel smiled at that then looked to Triska, the others also doing so as she was watching Daniel with a gentle expression.

"Triska?" Daniel asked softly. She then smiled slightly and walked towards him.

"Daniel… I… you know I'd never leave your side," she said walking up to him. Smiling softly she looked down, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face.

"I'll help you on your journey, just like I wanted to from the start. I won't leave you to face this by yourself," she said gently. After a pause she then glanced over to the two other girls.

"But… I would like to make one request," she said looking back to Daniel. He looked at her curiously as she smiled gently at him.

"I get a kiss too," she said softly.

"What?" Daniel said with a jump.

"What?" Alyssa yelled out.

Squeak just squeaked loudly with a jump as well.

"Hey, it's only fair. Squeak kissed you, twice even. Hell, even Alyssa got a kiss from you. I should get one as well," Triska accused, putting her hands to her hips with a stern expression. Daniel stammered something as Squeak and Alyssa looked to each other with surprise.

"But wait, why… a kiss? Here? Now? But…" he stammered. Triska looked at him with worried eyes and walked closer to him.

"You said you'd be fair in considering any kindhearted girl, well… this should make things even with all of us," she said softly.

“What? But… wait, you mean…” Daniel said nervously. Triska smiled and slipped her arms around his neck, looking at him with a gentle smile.

“If you’re going to consider them as possible mates Daniel, you need to do so with me as well,” she said before pulling him a kiss. Alyssa and Squeak stared with wide eyes as Daniel looked at the girl with surprise. She held onto him around his neck as she had her eyes closed, finally feeling what it was like to kiss the boy she was so in love with. After a while she backed up and looked at him with gentle eyes and a slight blush.

"Triska…" he said quietly.

"Fair's fair, Daniel," she said with a timid smile. He looked at her with wonder as she stood before him, taken aback by her sudden gesture.

"Triska!" Alyssa yelled as she aimed her staff towards her. Squeak reached back for her pickaxe before Triska looked over to them with an arrogant smile.

"What's the problem? Both of you stole a kiss from him as well; I'm only evening the playing field. Besides, he deserved to know what a real kiss was anyway," she said crossing her arms before her. Alyssa and Squeak looked at her with frustration then over to Daniel as he was still staring at Triska. She glanced to him and smiled gently, her blonde hair with its blue streaks flowing behind her in the breeze. Daniel opened his mouth to speak then stopped as he seemed to fail with forming any words. Triska giggled as she saw that her kiss had left Daniel speechless then winked at him.

"Just consider me too, Daniel, after all you promised to consider
any
kindhearted girl," she said with a nod. Alyssa looked between the two then to Daniel with urgency.

"That's not fair, I should get a kiss too!" she cried out as she tried to run towards him. Triska grabbed her by the back of the collar and held the witch in place with a stern expression.

"Like hell you get one, you already stole one from him before, you're not getting another!" she shouted. She then looked to Squeak as the ant girl took a step towards Daniel.

"Don't even think about it, Squeak, you already got two kisses from him!" she yelled out at the girl. Squeak glanced to her with a curious eye then back to Daniel, the boy just staring at Triska still with wonder. He blinked then looked down in thought as Triska and Alyssa started rolling on the ground yelling and cursing at each other, with the human trying to yank away the witch’s focuser and with the witch yanking on the human’s hair. Daniel slowly held a hand to his lips, and then looked back at the bickering girls.

'Well… didn't see that coming.'

*****

With the sun high up in the sky the group of travelers were heading across the rolling plains towards the city of Ashwood. Daniel was walking ahead of the group deep in thought, his eyes not really focusing on the road before him. He was on his quest to try to unite the monster and human races in peaceful coexistence, and even had two types of monsters volunteering to go with him as his proof that it could be done. However, he was also dealing with the fact that all three girls that were traveling with him wanted him to choose one as his mate. There was the witch, Alyssa, who had been smitten by the boy's noble and caring heart. The ant girl, Squeak, who desired the human that chose her over all the other ant girls in her nest. And then there was Triska, the swordswoman that was his childhood friend and had been like a rough sister to him during his youth. Yet it seemed now that she may not see him like a brother, but instead as something more.

As he walked down the trail in thought, his mind replaying Triska’s kiss and her request that he consider her as well, two girls were walking closely behind him while a witch was riding on her horse. Triska had her duffel bag slung around her shoulder with one hand as she watched Daniel walk in front of her, trying to figure out how to confess her real feelings to him, and what it would take for him to return them. She had finally gotten to kiss him after having dreamt about doing so for so long, and was still relishing the feeling of it. Although she couldn't bring herself to confess her true feelings to him afterwards, she had clearly made herself known to him that she did indeed want to be his.

Next to her Alyssa was riding on Lucky, still hoping Daniel would pick her as his mate in life as long as she helped him on his journey. She wanted him like no other, feeling her heart beating faster for him the more she watched him walk in front of them. Even though she had charmed and subdued many men during her life, never once did she feel such a strong attraction to one like she did with Daniel. Although she was upset she wasn't able to get a second kiss from him earlier, she still hoped for another opportunity to do so, and to have him pick her as his mate in life.

And walking next to Lucky and Triska was the group's new companion, Squeak, the ant girl having her pickaxe slung behind her as she watched Daniel with a hopeful smile. She was under orders by her queen to assist Daniel with his cause and be his proof. Not only that, but she knew she wanted a confident and brave human like Daniel as her mate, and would do whatever it took to earn his affection and make that a reality. Although kept away from making her attempt to get a third kiss by Alyssa's magic, since Triska wasn't able to hold the strong ant girl at bay with all her strength, she was determined to stay by his side and earn his love. Daniel may have picked her only to be his proof, but she was confident she could convince him that she could be more than that for him.

As they all walked together Triska glanced to Squeak then to Alyssa, catching their glances as well.

"So…" she said quietly so Daniel wouldn't hear.

"You stealing that kiss from him won't change anything, I still say I'm the best one to be his mate," Alyssa said firmly. Squeak looked to her with dull expression and a low squeak. Triska glanced to each of them then back ahead.

"Looks like we all share that mentality," she said softly.

"So how are we going to settle this then? If we start another fight we're finished with him," Alyssa asked cautiously. Squeak glanced to the girls then ahead with a quiet squeak. Triska nodded and smiled slightly with a shrug.

"There's only one way we're going to settle this, girls," she said softly. Squeak and Alyssa glanced to her as she smiled at Daniel walking ahead of them.

"We do what he wants. Help him with his quest, and wait for him to choose the one he wants as his mate," she reasoned. The girls all looked ahead at the boy that all wanted as a mate, the one they were all now rivals over. Either because of his bravery, his kindness, or downright attractiveness to them, they all desired him to be their mate in life. Charming and hexing him wouldn't earn his heart, and fighting amongst each other would only push him away. They only had one option left; to coexist with each other as was his desire, and hope that he would choose among them the girl he truly wanted.

The ground rules were clear as day; no fighting, no deception, and wait for him to make the decision on who he wanted. Of course, it wasn't against the rules to remind him what each girl could offer him.

Both for his noble quest, and otherwise.

In the world of Eden, monsters were driven by their inner nature to breed and create more of their kind with human mates, using many different methods by any means they could. The way they went about their breeding differed greatly from one race to another, with some being primal and savage with their prey while others were more gentle and caring. Some would use the humans to breed with then kill them should they lose interest, while others would use them to satisfy their urges then let them go peacefully afterwards. There were even some monsters that wished to marry the men they found, either by force or by his choice, and become a loving wife to him. It may have been hard for some people to believe, but it was just as true as it was with humans.

Even monsters can feel love for their mates.

*****

For a long time Daniel had a firm belief that monsters and humans could coexist, that they could help each other survive in this world against their common enemies, and even help each other grow and prosper. There were stories and rumors about monsters having aided humans that were in distress, with certain types helping mankind with their magic and respected crafts. Although such stories were few in number and rarely believed, Daniel was convinced that monsters could be trusted, that not all of them were evil. He had every reason to believe that they had the capacity to have a heart and be true allies to man.

Especially since he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for one of them.

"Daniel?" Triska asked curiously. Daniel blinked and then looked over to her, the two sitting on a grassy hill with their monster companions. A few clouds drifted by above as they had stopped to eat a small lunch, eating simple sandwiches that Triska had packed in her duffel bag. Lucky was grazing nearby in his normal form while munching on a patch of tall grass, while Squeak and Alyssa were sitting on the blanket with the two humans, both girls looking at Daniel curiously as he had been rather quiet while just looking down with a distant gaze.

"You ok?" Triska asked again. Daniel smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry, just daydreaming," he said before taking another bite of his sandwich while the girls looked at him curiously.

"You've been just staring at your sandwich without saying a word, what's on your mind?" Alyssa asked before she took another bite of her sandwich as well. Daniel smiled and just shrugged.

"A lot of things really. Nothing to worry about though," he said simply. Triska watched him with concern as the wind gently blew by, and then looked down in silence. Squeak gazed around the surrounding landscape then squeaked something at Daniel. He just looked at her curiously as the ant girl was trying to say something, squeaking at him again with a curious expression.

"Um… what?" he asked. Squeak looked around at the others then pointed towards the dirt road.

"We really need to figure out how to communicate with her," Alyssa commented while shaking her head. Squeak looked at them then pointed to Daniel, then down to the road again. He looked over towards where she was pointing then back to her curiously.

"You want me to go over there?" he asked puzzled. She shook her head and waved her arms around while the three travelers watched her, the ant girl squeaking again and again.

"She's trying to tell us something," Triska said with a simple nod.

"I'm ok with her coming with us since she's more proof for Daniel's cause, but how are we supposed to talk to her when all she can do is squeak?" Alyssa questioned. Squeak face palmed and shook her head, then looked around carefully. After a moment she pointed down to the road again. The others glanced to each other then back to her as she repeatedly pointed down to the road.

"Um…" Triska said puzzled.

"We just stopped to eat; do you want to go already?" Alyssa asked. Daniel examined Squeak's motions as she pointed around to them all then down to the road again, showing a curious expression while squeaking a few times.

"I think… she's asking how long before we all get to Ashwood," he guessed. Squeak nodded and pointed to him with a smile.

"Huh, didn't get that from her, but alright then," Triska said with a shrug.

"I think we're almost there, we should be arriving before it starts to get dark," Alyssa said looking down the road that stretched out across the rolling plains. Daniel nodded and looked up at the sky, chuckling bit with self-amusement.

"What's so funny?" Triska asked. He shrugged then looked at her with a calm smile.

"It's just kind of funny to think about," he said. Triska looked at him puzzled as he gestured over to Alyssa and Squeak with his hand.

"I set out to find monsters that could coexist with us, and I find two before I even made it to Ashwood," he said with a smile. Alyssa and Squeak smiled at that while Triska nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess your quest is off to a good start after all," she said looking to the two monster girls. She and Daniel didn't expect to find any monsters until after they left Ashwood into the surrounding territories, and yet they stumbled across two before even making it to the city.