After their meeting with Zephyr, the hero and his companions made their way back to the inn. Freya was let go for the day as well–mostly due to the fact that her anger towards Aura was bound to be explosive. Needless to say, after a quick change of clothes, she left the fiend and his slaves to deal with whatever preparations were needed for the next step of their plan against the approaching army to commence.
On her way back home, her heart kept pounding, and the burn against her thighs from getting Zephyr's cock rubbed against her body was still stinging her sharply. The way it glided across her smooth rear, the way it pushed against her skin, it was…
'Strangely arousing.' Yet as the thought of her son sitting right in front of her crossed her mind, she tried to reel those thoughts in. 'Don't be stupid! Nothing good comes out of you chasing men!'
Shaking her head, Freya bit on the inside of her mouth and kept walking. Eventually, upon reaching her inn, she made for her room–only to be met with Roxanne standing in front of it. Eyeing the girl while closing the distance, she wondered if something had gone wrong–but then she remembered.
'Oh for the love of…' The confession came to mind, and her shoulders fell. 'I told him not to do it. That idiot!'
Not exactly in the mood to be lenient, she rested one hand on her hip and leaned to the side in front of the young girl.
"Rudy confessed, didn't he?" For a spell, Roxanne's lips parted. However, not a word came out of her lips. With a nod, she dejected her gaze and stood quietly before Freya's room. Being of many minds given the circumstances, Freya moved towards the door and grabbed her by the arm. "Come in, we can talk inside. After that, you can go."
Dragging the girl inside, she quickly planted herself on the edge of her bed. Her bones rattled under the weight, and her legs exuded heat from the pent-up tension they'd been carrying so far into the day. Patting the bed, Freya beckoned Roxanne, and having already come thus far, the girl did as she was instructed.
Sitting next to each other, the two had different types of storms brewing in their heads. One of neglect and longing, and the other of pure confusion and a tinge of hatred. Alas, the silence was broken by Freya, and their conversation was set on its rails.
"Let me guess, he confessed, and it didn't go well?"
"Yeah… I–I ran away."
"Hmm," turning her head to the front, Freya stared blankly at the walls. "Look, I've confessed countless times. And if anything, I wish I could've run from some of those people. Sometimes, you're just not meant to be together, and you don't need to explain to me why you don't want to be with my son. It's your decision."
Staring down at her hands, Roxanne gave some thought to Freya's words. Sure, she didn't have to explain herself, but to turn her back from the only folks who'd helped her after her exile from her real family felt nothing short of a betrayal.
"Still, I thought I should at least–" Grabbing the girl's hand, Freya cut her words short.
"Just trust me on this one, okay?" Looking into her eyes, she leaned her head closer. "You're better off single than with someone you're not sure about. I only wish that I'd known that sooner, but that ship has sailed, so don't make the same mistakes as I did."
Freya's advice was far beyond the girl's age. She had little hope of understanding it completely, but the gist of it did give some comfort to her ailing mind. However, in that silence, another question rose in Roxanne's head. How would she ever know if she'd found the right person? Or will she be no different from the widow sitting next to her? Alone for the majority of her life.
"Uhm, can I ask you something?"
Tilting her head slightly, Freya shrugged.
"What kind of man do you like? I mean, what kind of person would you marry if you were in my shoes instead?"
The question struck Freya like an ice tipped arrow, right through the heart. Marriage wasn't exactly an easy topic for her. Bobbing her head left and right, all the while her mind scoured through bitter memories, a list of things instantly came up. However, none of them were positive, and in the end, she came up with a simple conclusion.
"I guess, I would not marry a weak man." Lowering her head, she looked into the healer's squinting eyes. "I know what it's like being married to a weak man. You give and give with no guarantee that you will receive anything in return."
Lifting her head with a dreamy look in her eyes, Freya fanned her hand pretentiously.
"It's like, uhh… like kissing someone who acts too shy to even kiss you back. It's awkward, and you're left there feeling like scum even though the other person wanted it just as much as you did."
"That doesn't sound pleasant, I guess?" Wearing an awkward grimace, Roxanne stared at her. "Anything else? Something positive that I should look for?"
For a moment, Freya blankly stared at the ceiling, trying to find something nice to say about her past lovers. Not a single thing stuck to her, unfortunately, and in the end, her mind wandered back to another.
"Sex…" Roxanne flinched at the mention of the word, but with her eyes set to the ceiling, Freya pushed further. "I used to think sex doesn't matter, but recently I've been feeling a bit different. Size too, I suppose–although my partners weren't that well endowed, so I can't say for sure."
"O-oh…I see."
With a sigh, Freya shook her head and placed a hand on Roxanne's shoulder.
"Forget that last part, and you should go now before I start saying anything too crazy."
Nodding along, Roxanne decided to take her leave; however, right as she was about to exit, another thought crossed her mind.
'Does she know that Rudy was going to purchase a sex slave?' She wondered, even contemplated telling her, and in the end she did…