Chapter 357: North Gate Reunion

Chapter 357: North Gate Reunion

The northern gates of Eldingholt were quite a sight, Jadis had to admit.

From the moment she had arrived in the empire’s capital, Jadis had made special notice of the unusual walls that surrounded the city. In fact, they weren’t really walls in the traditional sense, since they consisted of wide-open arches that Jadis was pretty sure were broad enough that a jumbo jet could fly through them without issue. With how they were designed, they reminded Jadis of Roman aqueducts that she had seen in pictures with the tall arches and a flat surface running across the top. It was obvious that the arches were huge, even from a distance they towered in the background, but up close they were extraordinary. Jadis couldn’t even begin to imagine how such colossal structures could be made without the aid of magic.

Of course, magic was the whole point of the arches. They constituted a magical barrier around the capital city that would keep any attackers out. Jadis wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but she didn’t doubt the potency of whatever spells and enchantments were on those towering walls. Standing as close as she was to them now, she could feel a tingle on her skin that reminded her of when powerful magic users had been casting spells in her vicinity. It wasn’t unpleasant, and she could put it out of her mind if she wanted to, but it was there and it was constant.

Eyeing the walls, Jadis wondered what would happen if someone tried to pass through one of the arches. No one around them was doing so, even though the space was open wide. Instead, everyone was keeping to the road and passing through the main gates without even glancing at the arches.

“Not thinking about running, are you?” Roy joked from Syd’s side, the dapper goblin using a purple cloth to polish his already shining helmet. “Can’t say as I’d blame you. I’ve met a few parents at different points in my life and it’s never been easy.”

“Have you now?” Syd raised an eyebrow in question as she looked down at the small green man. “Never settled on just one lover?”

“Not yet,” Roy grinned while tossing Syd a wink. “Not everyone’s so lucky as you! I serve the goddess of love, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with dating like everyone else.”

“Well, if I ever meet anyone who’s into pink-haired goblin paladins, I’ll make sure to point them in your direction,” Syd promised with a chuckle.

“Much appreciated!” Roy bowed slightly. “I prefer brunettes, by the by, should the situation come to pass.”

Syd continued to joke with the paladin as they waited, which was helpful to Jadis’ nerves in the exact opposite way that Aila was not helping her nervousness at all.

Aila paced anxiously back and forth, crossing the distance between Jay and Dys with each pass. Her gaze constantly turned towards the large open gates to check the incoming crowd for signs of her parents. Jadis had never seen her stoic lover acting so nervously. She wanted to reassure her, but so far her attempts hadn’t made much of a difference. It seemed that Aila was intent on stressing out over her parents visiting, regardless of what Jadis or anyone else did to try and allay her concerns.

Introducing lovers to parents was a rather nerve-wracking proposition for Jadis, so she understood how Aila felt. She’d rarely gotten to the phase of meeting the parents of girlfriends in her past life, and the scant occasions where she had done so had not been easy. Still, she was doing her best to put on a calm mask and a confident aura. Everything would be fine, she was sure. It wasn’t as though Aila dating her and promising to be her first wife among several and agreeing to bear her children all while the group of them continued to battle Demons while on a quest from a God was all that weird of a situation to drop onto a couple of parents.

Nope. Completely normal dating situation. Nothing weird at all.

“Maybe you should go back,” Aila abruptly said as she came to a stop in front of Jay.

“What? Why would I?” Jay asked, confused by the sudden request. “I’m here to greet your parents with you. It’s the polite thing to do.”

“I know,” Aila said with a nod as she closed her eyes and took a breath. “However, I’m worried they might get... overwhelmed. This all comes across as a bit much.”

Jay opened her mouth to respond, then closed it as she considered Aila’s point. It wasn’t hard to see what her redheaded lover meant.

Jadis’ presence at the northern gate had not gone unnoticed and something of a crowd had gathered. No one was approaching, but there were a lot of people who should have been passing by who were instead stopping to gawk and whisper. The large open circle that led to the giant gates had a great deal of traffic, not just from people entering and leaving the city, but from merchants hawking their wares and city-folk looking to buy fresh goods that had just arrived from the local farms. The fact that there were fresh goods at all was somewhat confusing to Jadis, since it was the middle of winter and all, but maybe these were late harvests? In any case, the circle wasn’t a market per se, but it was damn close to it in most respects.

The attention Jadis drew just by her obviously Nephilim appearance was bad enough, but the guards following her didn’t help. It wasn’t just Roy and his temple knights accompanying her. Much like during her dates with Kerr and Thea, Severina had tagged along as well. The blonde Seraphim was keeping a watchful eye on both her and on the surrounding crowds, her stern gaze probably acting as equal parts shield and lure. Jadis got the feeling that the common folk wanted to approach the revered Seraphim lady, but her intimidating demeanor certainly made her difficult to approach.

Then there was Runar.

Jadis noted that despite her use of Aila’s hated nickname, Aila only smiled even brighter upon hearing it.

A moment later the two were joined by Aila’s father, the big man tromping across the cobblestones in heavy boots. His bearded face didn’t change much, but there was a slight softening around the eyes as he took Aila in his strong arms, hugging her as well as catching his wife between them. Jadis had been right about his height; he matched Aila inch for inch, the top of his head slightly higher than his daughter’s. With gentle softness, he kissed Aila’s cheek while whispering something so quietly that Jadis couldn’t make it out.

Jadis didn’t interrupt the tender moment, only standing nearby and watching as her hearts clenched with longing. Seeing Aila’s parents dote on their daughter made Jadis think of her own parents who were lost to her when she died. Not wanting to let her thoughts wander down a melancholic path, she put aside her envious wish to hug her own parents and instead focused on preparing herself for introductions.

A muffled sound came from between Aila and her father and, a moment after, the two were pushed apart as Aila’s mother freed herself from the embrace of the two much taller members of her family.

“Alright then,” she sniffed, wiping away a tear from her eye and composing her expression. “We’re supposed to meet your... girlfriend, yes? Must I guess which one of those three she is?”

Jadis’ eyebrows rose at the woman’s words. Had the fact that Jadis had three bodies not been communicated in Aila’s letters to her parents? Jadis had assumed that she had, but she hadn’t confirmed when they’d discussed today’s plans. That assumption had been wrong, apparently, which made Jadis wonder what else Aila might have omitted from any letters she had sent to her parents.

Turning to face Jadis, Aila smiled weakly before putting a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“Jadis, I’d like you to meet my parents,” she announced. “This is my mother, Senta, and my father, Vikwas. Mother, father, this is Jadis.”

In the split second after Aila introduced them, Jadis could see the confusion on both Vikwas and Senta’s faces. Their eyes darted back and forth, clearly trying to figure out which of the three giants towering over them was this “Jadis” her daughter had mentioned. Taking the initiative, Jadis stepped forward with all three of her selves and bowed at her waists, attempting to mimic the courtly manners she’d seen others use to help convey her respect.

“Hello,” all three of Jadis spoke in unison. “My name is Jadis Ahlstrom. It is a genuine pleasure to finally meet you both.”

The two stared at Jadis, the silence stretching awkwardly as they processed the implied information that they’d just been given. Eventually, Aila’s father was the first to move. He took a half-step forward and raised his hand out towards Dys who was on the left side of Jadis’ typical formation.

“Vikwas of Red Tree,” he introduced himself quietly as Dys shook his hand. “Good to meet you.”

His words seemed to kickstart Aila’s mother into action. She took in a sharp breath before stepping forward, her eyes locked onto Jay in the center.

“Senta of Red Tree,” she said, giving Jadis a short curtsey. “I’ve heard... some things about you. You had best have been treating my daughter well these past few months.”

“Mother,” Aila tried to hush Senta.

“Yes ma’am,” Jadis quickly assured Senta, “Aila is one of the most important people in the world to me. I’d never let anything happen to her.”

The continued triple-speech from Jadis’ multiple bodies seemed to take the older woman back, her eyes flitting uncertainly between the three giants. However, after a moment, her mouth firmed up into a thin line as her face hardened.

“Hmph. We’ll see what that’s worth,” she said sternly before turning away from Jadis to speak with her husband.

As Senta instructed Vikwas to open up the wagon so she could pull out their travel baggage, Aila and Jay exchanged a look. It didn’t seem like Aila’s mother was quite so eager as Eir’s parents to welcome Jadis into the family. The silent expression of apology that her redheaded lover sent her told Jadis that Senta’s attitude wasn’t something wholly unexpected, either. The shorter, older woman seemed like someone with strong opinions and no compunction against voicing them.

It was a good thing Jadis and Aila had arranged the rest of their group to meet the couple at dinner rather than lunch. From what Jadis was seeing, she, Aila, and Aila’s parents were going to need some private time together to talk.