“Have you ever wanted a husband, my grace?” Daniel asked, startling the witch who quickly blushed and stammered something in response. “I’ll take that as a maybe. Well, you should know you’ll have much better luck finding one to be happy with if the man truly wants to be with you, not because he has no other choice.”
“You… you think a man would ever… want to marry me?” Charlotte scoffed, looking away and trying to force a laugh. “That’s… that’s just ridiculous.”
“It is if you’re a wicked witch,” Daniel agreed, earning a worried glance from Charlotte. “If you’re a loving woman and considerate person like Alyssa has proven herself to be with me, then it’s not such a ridiculous idea at all. Take some time to think about it, if it’s something you or any witches in your town would ever want, and consider the fact that you all could have that in your lives, if only you would be willing to try and make it happen.”
“Yeah, I’ll give it some thought,” Charlotte quietly replied, taking another drink from her cup before glancing towards the archway.
“Good to hear. Now, are there any other problems with my ideas that you wanted to discuss with me?”
“No, not tonight. It’s late and I should be returning to Rystone. I have other matters that need my attention,” she answered, shaking her head and setting down the cup. “Thank you for the tea, Daniel. And… for proving me right.”
“I did? With what?”
“I had hoped you would have been worth my time and patience after we went our separate ways,” Charlotte smirked at him. “I had faith you would have been. And it seems you’ve proven me correct. I certainly do respect this Daniel Sorres far more than the bumbling boy who trespassed in my town on that night.”
“Glad to hear it. I’m rather proud of the man I’ve become too, and I have my lovely family to thank for that. I don’t know where I would be right now if it wasn’t for them.”
“Probably dead in ditch somewhere,” Charlotte shrugged. After an uncomfortable pause from Daniel the witch giggled and shook her head. “Just joking with you, Daniel. Turnabout is fair play after all.”
“Well played, my grace,” Daniel conceded with a small smile. The witch hopped off her chair and began walking towards the archway, with the squirrel on her shoulder running up to her hand that she then covered with the other. With a fanciful toss she threw out her brown cloak from her hands that she swiftly fastened around her neck, giving the cape a brush with her arm to fluff it out before she stopped before leaving the hall.
“One last question, Daniel,” she said, glancing back to him. “You claim we have an image problem in the eyes of humans, and this may very well be the case. That said, what could we do to clean up our poor image?”
“Like I said, stop acting like monsters,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “Show the world your generosity, your heart, your compassion. Show humanity that you would be perfect candidates for friends, allies, and even wives. Bewitch us with kindness and love.”
“You don’t say,” Charlotte quietly mused, then nodded at him with a curious smile. “I’ll be sure to write that down when I return. Thank you for the advice. Goodnight, Daniel Sorres.”
“Goodnight, Charlotte,” Daniel said with a small wave.
The witch eyed him over one last time before walking off, making her way across the main court towards the doors, until she suddenly stopped in the middle. She paused for a second before chuckling to herself as she lightly tapped the wand against her thigh.
“And, Alyssa?” she knowingly called out before looking over to the side. Keeping close to the wall outside the dining hall was Alyssa and the rest of the girls, minus Specca, Pip, and Snapper as they were still sleeping, and Rolian who was actually sticking to the wall above them. Although they all appeared to be nervous from being spotted by the witch, Falla stood out as she had a deep blush on her cheeks and seemed to be taking shaky, deep breaths to help calm herself down.
“Yes, my grace?” Alyssa replied with a cringe.
“It’s rather rude to eavesdrop on a private conversation,” Charlotte reminded her. “Don’t let me catch you doing so again.”
“Yes, my grace,” Alyssa whimpered, lowering her head in shame.
“Good. Now make yourself useful and watch over that man in there,” Charlotte ordered, earning a curious look from Alyssa and the other girls. “I’m rather interested to see if his quest will bear fruit. Make sure the odds are in his favor.”
“My grace?” Alyssa wondered.
“Does this mean you believe in his cause?” Doku asked.
“I’m curious for what will happen next,” Charlotte cryptically replied. “That should be good enough for you.”
She gave them a simple wave before leaving the hall, gently closing the door behind her and speaking not a word more to the girls. They turned to each other in question before noticing Daniel leaning against the archway while smirking at them with a raised eyebrow.
“Girls?”
“Um…. hi, Daniel,” Luna weakly said.
“Master, I… uh… we…” Sheal stammered in a fluster.
“We were just… um…” Doku tried to say.
“We couldn’t hear you in the bedroom,” Cindy explained. “So we came out here to listen.”
“Cindy,” Alyssa hushed her.
“Why did you lie to that alpha witch?” Felucia asked. “Wouldn’t telling her the truth with how you killed the gemini make her like you more? I mean you did slay a near-immortal Darker One, why not brag to everyone about that feat?”
“The only way I could have explained how I killed the gemini would be to tell her about Ragnarok,” Daniel reasoned. “That alone would have risen so many more questions from her, some of which I don’t have the answers for. I didn’t want to bring up that sword’s existence if I could help it, especially since I don’t know what exactly it is I’m dealing with regarding that thing. For now, I want to keep that particular detail quiet until I know more about Ragnarok myself. Given how dangerous it is, I want to be careful with who I reveal it to.”
“A wise decision, master,” Sheal complimented. “No offense to Alyssa here, but you never know if you can trust a witch or not when it comes to otherworldly power and relics.”
“A little offense is taken from that, Sheal,” Alyssa flatly commented.
“Daniel?” Luna asked, helping to hold up her sister who appeared to be quivering uncontrollably in delight. “I think Falla is really starved for sex. She started getting really horny in the bedroom after you left and I don’t think she can hold it in anymore.”
“I imagine she did,” Daniel said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry if that was a little too much for you, Falla.”
“If what was too much?” Doku asked. “What are you talking about, dear?”
“I’m so… hot…” Falla panted with a hungry eye on Daniel. “And… wet. You did this to me, didn’t you, Daniel?”
“Guilty as charged,” Daniel remarked with a shrug. “My apologies, but I needed a little help speaking with Charlotte about a sensitive matter. I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed a small boost from your aura.”
“Her aura?” Alyssa wondered, with all eyes turning to Falla as she slowly began calming down now that Daniel wasn’t drawing upon her aura with his magic. “Daniel? You were using Synergy on Falla from the dining hall?”
“Falla has a unique gift,” Daniel complimented with a knowing smile. “She’s able to speak without fear the most imaginative lies and difficult truths with the straightest face you’ve ever seen. Her cunning is incredible without question, and something that I’ve often felt touching me whenever I drew upon her aura in the past.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Felucia asked, shaking her head.
“Thanks for helping me out in there,” Daniel winked at Falla. “I was caught a little off-guard with her sudden visit, something I wish I could have had more time to properly prepare for, and didn’t want to miss this opportunity to h
elp sway her onto our side. I hope you can forgive me for doing that to you without your permission.”
“You kidding?” Falla purred with a slick smile. “You can do that to me whenever you want. Though for the record I prefer it when you physically act upon me to make me feel that way.”
“As do I,” Daniel agreed with a twitch of his eyebrow.
Falla glanced around at the girls with a smug look as she felt elated from receiving special treatment and arousal from Daniel, with the maids and Cindy watching her curiously as they didn’t understand any of what they were talking about, while the other girls expressed amusement and also some jealous smirks towards their co-mate.
“Lucky bitch,” Alyssa dryly mentioned, getting a giggle from Falla in return. She shook her head at the giant butterfly before turning to Daniel with a curious eye, the little witch slowly stepping towards him as something about the conversation she had overheard earlier returned to the forefront of her mind.
“Um… Daniel? Did you mean what you said in there? You… you want to marry me?”
“You girls already know I love you and wish to have families with you,” he replied with a shrug. “I think you can imagine what that will entail in our near future.”
“How near?” Alyssa eagerly asked. “How near in the near future? Like, is there a date set already or-”
“Get your ass to bed now, little lady,” he ordered, pointing to the bedroom. “This is something we’ll discuss at a later date.”
“You mean my ass which is your property?” Alyssa purred with a coy smile, wiggling her rear in excitement.
“Go,” Daniel loudly said, with the girls quickly rushing off to the bedroom with giggles while Sheal, Rolian, and Felucia remained behind. As they rounded the entryway and entered the bedchamber, with Alyssa halting at the archway to flash Daniel her panties one more time before heading inside, Daniel shook his head a bit with an amused chuckle as he heard the playful laughter of his harem inside the bedroom.
“Master?” Sheal asked, stepping closer. “Your most puzzling conversation regarding Falla’s… aura aside, is everything alright between you and the alpha witch?”
“I believe so. She just had some concerns about my beliefs that she needed help with understanding. I think I convinced her they’re not so crazy after all.”
“Is that all she came here for? Just to ask you some questions about your beliefs?”
“No,” Daniel said, shaking his head and glancing to the doors. “I get the feeling there was more to her visit than what was brought up. But I suppose those answers will have to wait for another day.”
“I see,” Sheal acknowledged. “I’m glad to hear there aren’t any problems between you two.”
“As am I,” Daniel said as he started walking towards the bedroom. He stopped and glanced back to the three girls, with Rolian watching him curiously on the wall, Sheal showing a focused gaze on him with a slowly waving tail, and Felucia having a bored look on her face while she gazed at the doors as if contemplating escaping her current situation right then and there.
“This is awkward. I know we agreed you’ll be our new maids, but I don’t think we’ve discussed your sleeping arrangements yet.”
“I’ve got a nest in the dining hall, I’m good,” Rolian assured him with a thumbs-up.
“Yes, we did notice that earlier,” Daniel sighed. “I suppose for now you can just sleep in there.”
“I’ll sleep outside, if it’s okay with you,” Sheal raspingly proposed. “I prefer to be around a fire during the night anyway. Plus I can keep watch for your family when they return. I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I see them.”
“That would be nice of you, Sheal. Thank you.”
“I don’t sleep,” Felucia dryly stated. “At all. I don’t need a bed or anything.”
She marched up to Daniel and got in his face with a stern scowl while he continued to show a calm expression towards her.
“Though I will be joining you in the bedroom, master. I have to make sure my baby is okay while everyone else is asleep, and I need to make sure you don’t try and stick your damned penis into her at any time during the night.”
“Oh good, the girls will be overjoyed to hear of this,” Daniel flatly remarked.
“Oh shut up. I’m not going to eat you or your girls while you’re asleep, my Cindy would never forgive me if I did such a thing. I’m just going to make sure you keep your hands and genitals off my baby girl. That’s it. And if I catch you trying to shove your dick into my daughter, I’ll rip it off and shove it down your fucking throat instead! You hear me?”
“I’m starting to get the impression you just don’t like me, Felucia,” Daniel casually replied, earning a frustrated growl from the woman. “At any rate, you can relax; we’re not going to be engaging in anything carnal tonight. Not until the rest of our family is reunited with us.”
“Good,” Felucia sharply said, giving him a warning glare before looking away with a huff.
“Well, I guess that settles it then,” Daniel said to the other maids. “Have a good night, you two.”
“Sleep well, master,” Rolian giggled with a wave.
“Sweet dreams, master,” Sheal said with a curtsey.
Daniel nodded and headed towards the bedroom archway with Felucia while Rolian skittered off towards the dining hall, slipping out Juggy from her pouch and coddling the bottle with giddy laughter, and Sheal began walking towards the doorway. Before she opened it the salamander woman glanced to the side and watched Daniel and Felucia walking into the bedroom and immediately coming to a halt with a jump.
“We’re ready for bed, Daniel,” Alyssa sweetly called out.
“Cuddle time!” Luna cheered. “Cuddle time! Cuddle time!”
“Hurry up, Daniel,” Falla coyly insisted.
“We miss you, dear,” Doku shyly said.
“Look, Daniel!” Cindy joyfully exclaimed. “Look! This is what you like, right? Right?”
“Why is my Cindy naked?” Felucia roared at Daniel, the man smiling weakly and holding up his hands as he saw his harem gathered atop the bed without any clothing on whatsoever. “You said you weren’t going to be doing anything, so why is my baby girl fully naked on your bed? You fucking pervert, you’ve been touching her already, haven’t you? Haven’t you?”
“Oh, this is going to be a long night,” Daniel sighed as he walked into the room.
“Cindy, manifest your clothes back on right now!” Felucia ordered as she stormed in after. “Right now, young lady! Goddammit, stop bouncing them in front of Daniel! Manifest your clothes on this instant!”
Sheal slowly shook her head as she heard the girls yelling and arguing in the bedroom before she smiled with a faint wisp of smoke coming from her mouth.
“I think I’m going to like it here.”
Chapter 10
In the Shadow of the Huntress
In the world of Eden, there existed those of exceptional ability. From great physical prowess, strict control over the mysterious ether, or possession of a skill that shined brighter than most; these talented folk were respected and admired for their outstanding abilities. They might inspire hope in some, fear in others, or perhaps spur those who shared interest in their craft to reach for newer heights in order to match them. Maybe they would be thought of as teachers, role models, or even legends if their triumphs were so great. But no matter what title they earned, it was important to remember one thing.
Before they became masters of their craft, they too were once beginners.
*****
After a long night the sun finally began to rise once more. The beams of bright celestial radiance pierced the cloudy sky above and gleamed across the countryside near the towering mountains of Red Peak. Nestled at the base of the steep cliffs was an expansive abbey, its walls standing strong to protect those inside while statues of harpies that rested atop the monastery were basked in the sunlight as they constantly stood watch over those resting beneath. Though th
e day was just beginning, many were already busy with their morning chores, while others continued to rest as they recovered their strength and spirits after troubling times.
“Good morning,” Bermuda cheerily said to a passing troll, the larger monster wearing a simple gray dress with bandages covering her head and right eye. The troll smiled slightly as she waved to the passing arachne who skittered by with a heavenly aura surrounding her.
“Good morning, Estiva,” she said to a lycan, the wolf having similar resident garb on along with her arm in a sling while she waved to the arachne with the other.
“Good morning, child. You seem to be in high spirits today as always.”
“Oh yes,” Bermuda giggled. “I’ve been looking forward to today, it’s finally time.”
“Really? I thought they weren’t serving the Icida flounder until this weekend.”
“No, I’m not talking about exotic fish, Estiva. Although now that you mention it that does sound really good and you’ve gotten my stomachs rumbling. But today is a special day for me. It’s practice day with father!”
The arachne hopped and wiggled her abdomen as she had stars in her many eyes, something that only brought a small laugh and amused grin to the lycan.
“Ah, honing your magical craft again, I see. So I should expect the walls and ceilings to be shaking later as usual?”
“No, no,” Bermuda insisted waving her arms. “Today’s the day I prove to father and all of you that I can control myself with my magic. All I have to do is use less of it this time and problem solved. How hard could that be?”
“Child, I’ve known you for about three months now,” the lycan told her with a worrying smirk. “And in all that time, every day you have practice with your dear old dad is another day this place threatens to buckle from the explosions you set off.”
“It hasn’t been that bad,” Bermuda groaned.
“I remember screaming for my life the first time you had ‘practice’ with your father. I thought Shadow’s Refuge was under attack, and in a way I wasn’t wrong.”
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act II Page 30