A Journey That Changed The World.

Archer and the three women were deep in conversation when suddenly Dellah, Edith, and Meredith appeared in the treehouse. The moment they spotted him, their eyes widened in surprise, but the shock quickly gave way to joy.

They rushed toward him, showering him with kisses and cuddles, their happiness radiating as they embraced him warmly. After the greeting, the mature Dellah sat in front of him with a big smile. ''Morning, handsome, I wanted to go over some plans with you if that's okay with you?''

''Yes, I was going to come see you once things on Avidia have calmed down,'' he answered before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.

This made Dellah's smile to widen while taking out some plan. ''You see, the fleets are all up to date with our tech, but the airforce and underwater legions are lacking.''

When Archer heard this, his eyebrow rose, causing her to continue, ''I can improve almost every weapon we own but I would need increased funding, another workshop on the island.''

''What if we create an underwater lab? That way I can carve you out a range to test out any new weapons along with everything else the Iron foots need?'' he suggested after thinking for a few minutes.

He watched as the mature dwarf's yellow eyes widened, but she quickly nodded, ''That would be the perfect workshop husband. I could come up with the design if you like?''

Archer agreed but quickly changed the subject, ''I heard Dragonheart City has many restaurants. Would you like to go out so we can talk some more?''

''That would be nice,'' Dellah said with a warm smile. ''I barely leave the workshop now apart from when I'm traveling in between the others sites.''

Afterward, Archer approached the maids who were chatting with Halime, Llyniel, and Vivienne. He addressed them, saying while kissing the five women goodbye, ''Ladies, please wait here. I'll be back in a few hours, me and Dellah are popping out on a quick date.''

The white-haired maid stepped forward and hugged him tightly. ''Please return quick, I want to spend some time together.''

''You need to take us out, husband,'' the brown-haired elf said with a cheerful smile. ''I've missed you so much.''

Archer turned to the tiny Llyniel and, without warning, scooped her up into a tight hug. She squealed with delight as he planted kisses on both her cheeks while she started laughing. ''Arch, stop! You're turning me into a puddle!''

Not missing a beat, he let the wood elf go and lunged at Halime, who tried to dart away like a startled snake. But he was faster. With a triumphant grin, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began showering kisses on her slender neck.
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Halime couldn't help but smile, even as she pretended to squirm. ''You're lucky you're handsome,'' she teased, clearly enjoying the attention.

The rest of the women started laughing at the scene, but they were on edge because he was going to pounce on one of them. Once Archer was done with the beautiful snake woman, he approached the blonde maid.

Meredith didn't flee and welcomed his embrace, but she quickly tip toed to give him a kiss before whispering, ''Can we go out soon? We've hardly spent time together.''

He agreed with a nod. ''The war is picking up, but I'll make time for each of you once it calms down and we've pushed back the Alliance armies,'' he reassured the blonde.

Meredith gave him a radiant smile as she replied, ''Thank you husband, now the last two are waiting for their pampering.''

Archer embraced Vivienne and Edith warmly, planting a gentle kiss on each of them before departing the Domain with the mature dwarf. With a wave of his hand, he opened a Gate, and together they stepped through, reappearing moments later just outside of Dragonheart.

When he saw the city, his eyes widened, as it had grown a lot since his last visit, which surprised him. Dellah giggled before speaking. ''Yes, Dragonheart City is the crown jewel of Draconia, its so advance it shocks the girls and I every time we come here.''

''Makes sense, since this is the city where most of my ideas get tested first,'' he replied before the couple joined the line.

Dellah's brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, ''Why are we waiting? Can't you just walk through since you're the king?''

Archer chuckled at her puzzled expression, shaking his head with a grin. ''I won't use my status to skip the line while my people wait,'' he explained. ''What you don't understand, Dellah, is that I'm not like other kings. I'd rather share a campfire with my soldiers than sleep in a warm inn.''

The grey-haired woman looked surprised before replying with a beautiful smile, ''Yes, that makes sense. You do stuff that a regular ruler wouldn't do. But what about your palaces?''

''I need somewhere to live and the harem is big now,'' Archer answered as the line started moving. ''Plus I deserve a damn palace after saving all these people.''

Dellah giggled softly at his words, her amusement lighting up her face. The two continued chatting casually, their conversation flowing easily, until they finally reached the front of the line.

The moment the Homeguards spotted Archer, their eyes widened in shock and horror at the thought of him. Without hesitation, they quickly knelt, bowing their heads in a gesture of deep respect.

At that moment, a Homeguard Commander approached, his expression a mix of surprise and unease. Bowing slightly, he said, ''My apologies, my king. You didn't need to wait in line. We would have allowed you through immediately without making you queue like everyone else.''

''Like everyone else? Who said I wouldn't prefer that way, commander?'' Archer replied with a raised eyebrow. ''I queued up like the people here and will pay the entry fee just like my citizens, as it's fair.''

The older man and other soldiers standing around looked bewildered as one of them spoke with admiration. ''But why? You're a king? A mighty dragon that burns armies in one fell swoop.''

Archer looked at the younger soldier before answering, ''So what? That doesn't give me the right to hold over everyone's head? After all, it isn't only me building this kingdom, all the people helped.''

After speaking, he noticed someone staring at him and looked down at the mature dwarf, who was looking at him with love-filled eyes. Just then the Homeguards let them through as the commander finally spoke, ''Come through my king, it was good to see the rumors of your character are true and not exaggerated.''

Following that, Archer paid for everyone else entering the city before exploring the new Dragonheart City as even more rumors started to spread. When they were standing at the entrance square.

People were rushing around as carriages traveled down the streets just as Dellah commented with a big smile, ''I'm glad I accepted your confession. Who wouldn't want a husband like you?''

"What do you mean?" Archer asked, tilting his head in curiosity, his voice gentle.

The gray-haired woman chuckled softly, but there was a faint tremor in her laughter, like a fragile thread holding her emotions together. Her gaze briefly shifted to a younger woman nearby, a flicker of longing and jealousy clouding her sad yellow eyes.

She finally spoke, her voice a fragile whisper, trembling with sorrow. ''A young man who's so handsome, so kind... chooses someone like me? An old woman with children and grandchildren.''

Her lips curved into a fleeting smile, but it faltered almost immediately, the weight of her words pressing down like a mountain. She hesitated, as if gathering the courage to continue, and when she spoke again, her voice cracked under the strain.

''I'm not slim, not graceful, not even pretty,'' she admitted, her hands fidgeting as though trying to shield herself from her own vulnerability. ''I'm short, stubborn, and my temper... my temper makes me hard to love.''

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her sadness laid bare. ''So why would someone like you even look at someone like me?'' she whispered, the words barely audible, as though speaking them made the pain too real to bear.

Archer's eyes darkened with frustration when hearing this causing him to grab the dwarf's hands, holding them firmly but gently. ''Stop it, Dellah,'' he said, his voice firm. That made her freeze.

She looked up at him, startled, but he didn't give her a chance to speak. ''I can't stand hearing you talk about yourself like that, Its outright wrong,'' he continued, his tone rising with a rare anger. ''You're not just beautiful,you're breathtaking. Every curve, every fiery spark of your temper, every bit of you, is perfect to me.''

The older woman's lips parted in surprise, but he continued speaking. ''Your age? Your past? None of that matters to me,'' Archer said, his voice softening but losing none of its intensity. ''I love you, Dellah. I love your strength, your kindness, your stubbornness. Everything about you.''

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