The second event occurred approximately two months before Nami began constructing the sixteenth floor. She had a day off, and just like usual, she wandered over the wall of her citadel and observed how the city around the oasis grows. Some people, bold enough or just those who met her, waywed to her, and she always smiled brightly and waywed at them in response. Being a celebrity was a strange feeling for her. In the past, people pretended she didn’t exist, and now she was at the center of attention. Thankfully, her noble rank, equal to the kings, or even higher, keeps people at a distance. Naomi regained her lost confidence and ability to interact with people normally, but becoming someone like a pop star or Hollywood actress wasn’t for her.

  She turned her gaze to the construction site of the elephant golems. After the departure of the castle builders' company, works slowed down, but did not stop. After half a year, the first one was finished, the second was undergoing test runs, and the third required a month or two of work to be completed. This winter, those three will change the first platoon on their mission. The men need rest, and their machines require repairs as well.

  Naomi spotted someone running to her. It was a young sun elf boy, judging by his attire, he was still learning how to become a true desert warrior.

  “Easy, boy.” Naomi smiled at him when she stopped in front of her. “Fast delivery of the message is important, but you also need to conserve your energy for delivering the answer.” She added, repeating one of the first lessons Paoli taught her.

  “Understood, Dungeon Mistress.” He saluted, standing at attention, and Naomi nodded, recognizing his gesture. She wasn’t an officer, and even a warrior, so it feels wrong to her to pretend to be the one.

  “So, what happened that you needed to almost lose your breath trying to find me?” Naomi asked with her gentle but firm tone reserved for official talks.

  “Dungeon Mistress, I was sent to inform you that my King will reach the oasis within the next hour.”

  “Oh. That is indeed important news. Do you know from which direction your king will arrive?”

  “The north, dungeon Mistress.”

  “Excellent. You can inform Lady Itylara that I will arrive shortly.”

  “At once, Dungeon Mistress!” He saluted and ran away.

  Naomi wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. She was counting on more time, preferably years, to decide what to do with the mess she got. The story was simple. She fell in love with the King of the sun eves, or at least she was strongly attracted to him. She can’t tell because her experience with dating was nonexistent. All men avoided her because of her two-meter-tall and muscular body. And to be fair, she also doesn’t look forward to dating someone shorter than her. While she was trying to understand her feelings and eventually how to approach the king, Lady Itylara mentioned she was his wife. In a way, for Naomi, it was not unexpected and good news. She knows how to deal with disappointment. Then Lady Itylara added that he was interested in courting her and maybe even proposing to her in the future.

  “What! What about you! That’s cheating! You should divorce him!”

  “Divorce? Why? It’s normal for elves to have a few wives or husbands.” Lady was surprised by her outburst. “We live long, Dungeon Mistress. It’s normal to find more than one person that you are attracted to.”

  And so she fell in love with the king, who was also interested in her. The King, however, was married, but it was no problem, and even his wife had nothing against it.

  “Welcome, my King.” Naomi greeted him politely after completing all the formalities and checking all the people who had arrived with him. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon. According to our previous talks, you have not planned to visit my oasis for even a decade.”

  “Welcome, Dungeon Mistress. Indeed, that was my initial plan. However, the situation at the northern borders forced a change of plan.”

  “Something bad is happening there?” Naomi looked at him seriously.

  “No, Dungeon Mistress. Nothing beyond the usual small groups of marauders. And I will even say that because of your assistance, there are fewer of them than usual.”

  “Uff.” Naomi breathed in relief.

  “Yes. Your golems made a lot of problems for cultists, and with the help of local armies and reinforcements from the south, the invasion was stopped. Regrettably, we don’t know if that’s all they have, and within a year or two, they will retreat or attack us with new hordes of undead. So we need to be prepared. Thankfully, in your dungeon, our warrior can gain a lot of experience. And those who have not found a spirit companion yet could try to do that in your halls. And judging by Lady Itylara's warriors' successes, I’m fairly confident in their chances.”

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  “This is a dungeon, my Lord. A place where people are tested. I think your people were lacking a place, not skills.”

  “Thank you for your words, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “My King. Can we meet on the fifth floor? I will show you some things I prepared for your warriors, and also discuss future cooperation.”

  “I will be honored. However, I need to point out that no one can make demands of you.”

  “True. But my mission is to help the war effort. I can’t do that, not knowing what is needed.”

  “Understood. Then let’s meet in a few days.” The King agreed.

  Two days later, both of them went on a stroll through the fifth floor.

  “You have given us, Lady of the Dungeon, much more than I dared to expect,” King Alduin said.

  “I have a problem with overdoing things.” Naomi laughed. “Anyway, I want to ask you, my King, about some news that reached me. Is it true that you are interested in me? That you want to court me?”

  “Yes, Dungeon Mistress. My wife told me that she informed you, and I confirm her words. I admire the strength of your spirit and will. You were sent to help with the war, but you think about people first and how to help them. And somehow it helped with a war in a way no one could predict.”

  “Ok. This is a moment I need to stop you.” Naomi sighted. “While it’s true I care about people, the rest is a misunderstanding. None of those was planned or something. There were accidents. I’m not some grand strategist. Let me tell you about my old self.”

  And for the next half an hour, she told him about her past. He doesn’t understand the details of her story, but one thing was clear to him, and it makes him angry. The people of her world did not let her follow her path. That was outrageous. No one was allowed to do that. And they were doing that because she was looking different, not because her path required bringing despair to the people, like the paths of cultists.

  “So, my King, as you see, I am just a girl with some emotional scars from my past life. I will never say that my previous life was particularly bad. I had a loving family, and there are a lot of people who will never receive help from anyone, despite their struggles. But like you see, I’m also not some scholar, or even a sage. I can’t properly predict the consequences of my actions, especially because of the differences between our worlds.”

  “Thank you, Dungeon Mistress, for sharing with me the secrets of your past life. I will not share them with anyone. Dungeon Mistress, I'll be honest with you. To me, your story only proves my words about your strength. However, I have a question. Until now, you haven’t said no. Are you perchance considering my proposal seriously?”

  “I don’t know.” Naomi sighted. “I was never in any romantic relationship. I admit that I find you attractive, but I don’t know why, and most importantly, if this is love or something else. And there is a difference between the cultures we both grew up in. For you, it's normal to have multiple partners, while I was taught about finding my other half and spending the rest of my life with him.”

  “Yes, I can see your dilemma. But I think there is something else that makes you hesitant.”

  Naomi looked at him, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “I’m afraid. I believe, and I have strong evidence for that, that good and bad things need to be equal to each other. It’s not always work for everyone, but usually it works that way. It definitely works for me. So when I became Dungeon Mistress and finally was able to follow my path, the price was the lives of adventurers. When I started helping people, the invasion happened. What will happen if I say yes to you?”

  “With all respect, Dungeon Mistress. This is stupid. Bad things happen regardless of our best efforts. Your mind is full of baseless worries. When I struggle with decisions, I take my sword and train until my mind gets clear. And I heard you, Dungeon Mistress, are learning how to use the sword too.” He said, touching the hilt of his sword.

  “It’s nothing. Just a way to maybe better understand this world, and hopefully not, but a way to defend myself or others.” She shrugged. “And I’m stuck at the advanced level. Without fighting real opponents, it will never go further.”

  “And I promise to you to do my best so that it will never happen. But if you are interested in a real fight, I will think about something.”

  “No, thank you,” Naomi answered and pulled her sword.

  King Alduin was surprised by what happened during their sparring session. Itylara told him how diligent and serious Dungeon Mistress is, but this? While she had proper skill and understanding of swordfighting, the gap in experience between them was just too wide. And yet, no matter how many times he hit her, made her fall, she continued without complaint.

  “I think that is enough, Dungeon Mistress. I think you are reaching your limit.” He said after some time.

  “Yes, you are right. Thank you for your time.”

  “You're welcome. And I must admit, you surprised me, Dungeon Mistress. I was told how diligently you train with Itylara, but I wasn’t prepared for that. Your will is as strong as the will of the best sun elf warriors.”

  “Giving up because I lost will be rude to Lady Itylara. And there is no way I will ever win against her, or you, anyway. Also, I’m quite a stubborn person. Without it, I would not have been able to survive my previous life.”

  “Yes, without your strong will, it’s hard to say how much worse your life would be. But let’s not dwell on the past, and let’s see what the future could bring us. I also can wait, if you, Dungeon Mistress, need more time to think on your answer.”

  “Can you promise me that you will get me out of any mess my agreement causes?”

  “But that is a given for those who decide to walk side by side together.” He smiled.

  “Then let’s see what will happen. And after we know each other better, who knows, maybe I will become your second wife?”

  “I promise to stand by your side, regardless of your future decision, Dungeon Mistress.”

  “Naomi. Please use my name from now on.”

  “Then I request from you the same. I’m Alduin.”