As I sat by my bed spooning the hot milk soup with cinnamon that this beautiful Drow prepared for me and introduced herself to me as Naldela when I woke up, I watched her as she seemed to be arguing with another Drow, a very muscular one, and wondered what was going on. I wished I had learned the Drow language. Then I could listen and understand them. Only a 'No, I will not leave him' from Naldela was possible for me to translate, but otherwise I could only tell by the wild gesticulation that they were in disagreement. I wonder if they were sisters. They already looked very similar, and they also argued with each other, rather like me and Sunih did.
When the well-trained Drow, who I later learned was her sister Miara, left the room and Naldela turned back to me, I pretended to be lost in my food and thoughts and hoped that my attempt to spy on her hadn't been noticed. Why did Naldela seem to care so much about me? Why did she know me so well, and why was she serving me as if we had been married for years? Or were we already, and I couldn't remember? I quickly shooed off that thought because I would definitely remember that!
She knew my favorite dish, wore a tempting scent of lavender and mint that I found hard to resist, and even with her eyes so spectacularly pitch black, I thought I could tell she was looking at me as if she's adoring me and simultaneously undressing me flatteringly with her eyes. Not that I was complaining because I was clearly enjoying a woman like her wooing a farm boy like me. She really put significant effort into it and even sat completely naked and submissive in my bed one night. A view that I really feasted on and probably started to stare a little bit, yet handed her clothes back to her. She already did so much for me, so I didn't want to take advantage of her obviously desperate situation even further. Especially not in that way!

She spent a lot of time with me the last few hours, talking to me about the past 2 years that I couldn't remember anymore. The baby we were expecting as a family, our upcoming wedding, our first dance, our first kiss, and how I rescued her from prison and thus initiated our romance. Everything was not only confirmed by her sister, who could probably knock me into a deep sleep with just a single punch and clearly had to be restrained, but also by a very young, smart Tiefling lady, as well as the local medics were confirming my amnesia.
Even with all the confirmations I received from different sources, I was already believing every single word Naldela said to me without hesitation, yet I was unable to understand why. I couldn't understand how I, an orphan raised as a farmer and an outsider because of my origins, would have such luck. I never had. Apart from the many defeats, pains, sorrows, and even deaths that they told about. And what did mom and dad say about my romance with a Drow? They were very bigot, when it came to the topic of Drow.
In addition, I also felt that I had something like a bond with her. The closer she was to me, the more comfortable and secure I felt. I could relax and briefly forget about my worries for a moment. However, it also seemed as if I was able to feel her pain as if it were my own. I felt her despair, her frustration, her apparently eternal love for me, and also her desire for my love for her.
As I stood up and, with ›I need to go out the door.‹ wanted to step away for a short time to gather my thoughts, this bond with her flooded me with probably the strongest despair I ever felt, and the frustration clearly etched in her face. As much as I heard from tales about the Underdark that Drow women were some of the strongest, it seemed this one to be broken, and her pain threaded through each of my veins. I knelt in front of her and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, when suddenly she grabbed my face, gave me a quick kiss, leaped up and spoke in Drow, crying:
»Usstan h'ros plynn ol jalamzild.«
She nudged her sister out of the way and rushed toward the door. But she collapsed halfway there. Only a solid punch into my stomach from Miara kept me from rushing to Naldela's aid.
»You goddamn wimps! You and Naldela! I told her from the beginning that she was much too young for such a serious relationship!« Miara growled angrily as she lifted her sister and placed her on the next bed.
»I wish you two had never met!« she followed up.
When I tried to approach Naldela, Miara pushed me away
»You have time off!« she growled angrily at me.
When I attempted it another time, she got angry, straightened up and punched me in the face with her fist.
»No« she only said briefly, and she lashed out again when she noticed that I was trying once more.
This time, it seemed she had used her full strength, and I thought I could have momentarily felt her fist breaking all the bones in my head. I staggered back slightly, stumbled, and felt only a hard hit on the back of my head. When I regained consciousness, I groaned briefly in pain, which made Miara pay attention.
»Just stay down!« she admonished gruffly.
But I stood up, took a little run-up, and rammed into her so that we went down together, and I was on top of her. Her reaction wasn't long in coming, and I felt her fist in my face again before she flung me to the side. I had clearly underestimated her strength, and yet I got myself back up. But before I could even face her, she gave me a powerful punch in the stomach and pressed me against the wall with her elbow on my neck.
»You may be a weakling, but I applaud your persistence, courage, and spine. You're like a weak version of...« she abruptly interrupted her rumble, letting off me, and suddenly seemed thoughtful.
Weakly, I took the chance to sneak past her and sat down at the bedside next to Naldela. While I dabbed her forehead with the damp cloth Sanise brought, a few memories came back in fragments. Only now have I noticed that she was wearing my ring on her left ring finger. A ring that I had bought expensively on a marketplace in my mid-20s and swore to give it for engagement to only this one special woman who appeared to me at night in my dreams.
»By the gods. You are just like Dad. That's why she loves you so much. She idolized him. That's even more sick!« it suddenly burst out of her in disgust.
She continued to mutter incomprehensible things and moved away from us. But Sanise stayed, knelt down next to me, and dabbed the blood from my face with a wet cloth.

»Interesting« the normally chirpy Tiefling began seriously »You're taller and wider than Miara, and yet she kicks your ass with ease.«
I only grumbled lightly in response
»How do you intend to take care of your family, Naldela, the newborn and me, if you're such a weakling?« she said nastily, and for the first time I felt the urge to lock her away. Instead, I continued to focus on Naldela and let Sanise do her thing.
»Well, you have other qualities. So you're not completely useless.«
She stood up, patted me on the shoulder, and continued.
»You're smart, protective, and loving. You just need some training.« paused for a second, added a soft »Dad« and gave me a kiss on my head.
»You'll manage it.« she said, and she also moved away.