His Redemption (TheCorsair and Xana)

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Clara smirked at Sue request, pushing her back against a rock. Clara kneeled before her, pulling her leg up so her thigh could rest on her shoulder. Just like the way she saw Matthias do it to Aurianna, the night she watched them. She kissed her way up Sue’s leg, reveling in how Sue trembled after each one. Looking up the length of Sue’s body, as sue looked back at her with eager lust written on her face, Clara teased her clit with her tongue. Long, strong licks, her tongue flicking it and then circling it, finding out which sue liked best. For her part, Sue threw her head back, moaning low and long. Clara continued to experiment, sliding her tongue lower, to fill Sue’s slit with it. Clara groaned at the flavor of Sue’s desire, lapping longingly at her lubrication.

Thora cried out loud as Sigurd pushed a third finger into her sopping sex, pleasant stretched around his thick digits. “Yes…” She growled, bucking her hips both into and away from his hand, her body moving outside of her control as pleasure took over. Sigurd teased her further, nipping at her neck, hard enough to leave a dark red reminder of his love. “Fuck!” Thora cried, as he licked against the tender skin, soothing the throbbing ache. His fingers continued to fuck her, making a wet noise as they filled her cunt. His thumb pressed against her clit, teasing it in a circular motion as fingers drove past her tightness. Thora grew louder as her slick channel overflowed with her arousal, hand fisting in Sigurd’s hair as her pleasure shook her core.

Clara continued to fill Sue’s sex with her tongue, while her fingers played with her clit. Her musky aroma was smeared all over Clara’s face, “Clara… Goddess...yes… Clara …” Sue rasped, her body rocking against Clara’s mouth. Clara slipped her tongue out, returning it to tease her sensitive nub, and filled her with a finger instead. Sue whimpered as the solitary finger moved within her. Clara caressed the silken crevice with her finger, moving in a circular pattern as her digit massaged Sue’s inner walls. “Yes! Just like that!” Sue cried out, as Clara applied just enough pressure to drive the other paladin wild.

Clara and Sigurd’s names echoed throughout the cave, and competed with one another’s for volume. Thora squirmed and quivered as she clenched around Sigurd, while Sue Clung tightly to Clara as her climax tightened in her stomach. Their eyes met, briefly, as pleasure raced through their veins and again as they were both reduced to panting, sweaty messes. Clara brought her mouth up to Sue’s, so she could taste her orgasm.

“So, Clara breathed, lips tracing the smooth muscles in her neck, “Who do you want to taste? Thora or Sigurd?”

Sue looked at Sigurd’s body, lean and muscular, and she could admit he was attractive enough, but there was no desire in her heart as her eyes traced the rippling physique. “I’m sorry,” she gave him an apologetic look, “I don’t think I am attracted to men.”

“It’s okay,” Sigurd nodded, understandingly, before breaking into self-satisfied smirk, “I’m not either.”
 
Limp and shaking with the force of her orgasm, it took Thora a moment to foll onto her side. She stared up at Sue, eyes tracing the lean curves of the two Paladins hungrily. "Not attracted to men, hmmm?"

"I... don't think so," Sue repeated, still sounding a little winded. "I just..."

"Well then," Thora interrupted, "I guess it's me , then." She gave Sue a lazy, knowing smule and crooked a finger. "Come here."

Sue crossed the cave, walking slowly. Mostly she did it to hide her nervousness and her wobbly gait, but it also helped display her long legs to their full advantage. "Come here and do what?" she asked, standing above the reclining Thora. Thora's answer was to reach up and grab her wrist, but the redhead squawked in surprise when - instead of pulling the Paladin down - Sue lifted her arm and pulled her off the ground. She hung in midair for a moment, staring in dumbfounded shock until she let out an involuntary gasp as Sue pressed her bare back against the chill stone. "Didn't Clara tell you?" Sue chided. "I'm a champion in hand to hand, in our age group."

Thora smirked back, then hooked Sue's ankle with her foot. Both went down, Thora straddling the Paladin's thighs. "Didn't Clara tell you?" she gloated back, pinning Sue's wrists abive her head. "I fight dirty..."

Sigurd came up behind Clara, arms wrapping around her waist as they watched the other two wrestle. "She does," he murmured in her ear, groaning a little as Clara pressed her firm rear against his aching shaft. "Really dirty," he added, cupping her small breasts and grinding his meat against her ass.

Clata made a purring sound. "So does Sue," she murmured, watching her grab Thora's ample rear with both hands as the redhead nipped at her throat. "And she learns fast." Thora gasped aloud as one of Sue's fingers traced her ass and found her slit.

"Looks like it," Sigurd agreed, watching Sue's lips fasten on Thora's breast. One hand trailed down Clara's stomach and between her thighs. "Who do you think will win?"

Clara's eyes closed as she sagged against Sigurd's hard chest, giving herself to the sensations of his fingers on her clit and his lips on her throat and his cock against her ass. "Me," she moaned. "If you ever get around to bending me over and fucking me hard."
 
Sigurd smacked Clara’s demanding ass, causing her to yelp at the sting. “You want hard?” he growled, pushing her down to her knees. Strong hands held her hips in place as he pushed into her wet tightness, burying himself to the hilt within her. He pulled her arms back behind her, lifting her body up to arch her back into his strokes.

“Fuck!” Clara groaned, trying to figure out how Sigurd pulled a play form Matthias’ handbook, as he mounted her and fucked her hard and deep form the get go. Powerful strokes stretched her as Sigurd endeavored to fit his entire length within her.

“Are you still winning?” Sigurd taunted her, moving his hips in a circle as he pushed against her far barrier, letting his girth press into all of her walls.

“Yes!” Clara cried, throwing her head back as she gave in to Sigurd use of her. She howled as he drove into her moist core, his heavy balls smacking into her clit each time her plunged into her. He had her bent back far enough to kiss her shoulders as she swallowed his shaft with her hungry slit.

The display distracted both Sue and Thora, as both watched on with interest as Clara was filled with cock, and her tits throbbed in bliss. Thora caught onto Sue’s interest, and nipped at her ear, “Sure you don’t want a turn?” Sue bucked against Thora now, rolling the older girl over onto her back, causing Thora to “ooph” with the momentum.

“Oh, I want a turn,” Sue insisted, moving her body down Thora’s. She latched back onto Thora’s nipple, moaning against the engorged nub as her tongue flicked it. Thora writhed under the delight, before she brought Sue back up to her face by tugging on Sue’s hair. The girls kissed, tongues fighting for supremacy in the humid confines of their mouths. They managed to move into a sitting position, Thora sitting in Sue’s lap, legs wrapped around her waist. From this position they could feel each other, as Thora’s fingers moved down to Sue’s slit, and Sue’s hand palmed one of Thora’s full breasts.

Clara bounced against Sigurd’s thrust, as well as she could, given her position. The nirvana of having her cunt pumped and parted by Sigurd was matched by the joy of watching Sue and Thora explore each other’s bodies. Familiar tension built in the pit of her stomach, demanding release. She jerked one of her wrists from Sigurd’s grip, bring it down to tease her own clit. “Fuck yes!” She exulted, as everything came together to grant her release. Her throbbing clit, her pulsing cunt, Sigurd’s pounding cock. She clenched him like a fist as her body quivered in orgasm.

Thora and Sue found another position to satisfy their mutual needs. Each girl brought her left leg over the other’s right, bringing their hips together until their sexes touched. Rubbing their clits against one another’s, Sue and Thora both cried out their bliss, bucking their hips in rhythm. “So close,” Thora called, groping as her own breasts this time. “Almost there!” Sue agreed, pressing herself into Thora eagerly. Both girls cried “Yes!” as their orgasms erupted, before falling back into sweaty heaps.

The sensual display before him, and Clara’s squeezing orgasm was enough to drive Sigurd wild, releasing Clara’s other arm to hold her hips fast, plowing her with all his strength until his climax coated her folds. Inarticulate cries accompanied each spurt into her slick channel, until he collapsed against Clara, kissing her back as he caught his breath.
 
Clara braced herself on the cool stone floor of the cave with shaking arms, making small sounds of pleasure as her core fluttered around Sigurd's thick, slowly softening length. "Goddess," she breathed, smiling a little at the feel of her juices and his seed trickling down her thighs. "I needed that."

"So did I," Sigurd agreed, leaning forward. His hands covered hers, fingers intertwining as he kissed her neck. She turned her head, finding his lips, and the two kissed lingeringly.

Still tangled with Thora, chest heaving from her exertions, Sue watched them curiously. "How..?" she began, then stopoed. "Why... why aren't you... jealous?"

Thora pushed sweat-dampened curls from her face. "Why would I be?" she countered, curious. "Why are you? You serve Afodisia, right?"

"Well, yes. But..."

Thora leaned forward, pressing a finger to her lips. Sue could smell and taste herself, and it sent a new wave of arousal through her. "She's Lord Verrier's mate," she continued, "and yet they both take other lovers."

"Wait, what?" Sue sounded puzzled, now. "Mate? I don't..."

Clara crawled forward in an exaggerated motion, slinking like a jungle cat. "It's one of the traditions of the Kingdoms, Sue," she said, running her fingers over her friend's leg.

"And you hardly seemed jealous yourself," Thora added, breath tickling Sue'sear as she cupped the young Paladin's breast. "When you were watching my fiancee fuck my best friend while you got yourself off on me."

Sue tried to reply, but words failed her as Clara's mouth closed on her nipple and Thora's fingers explored her spine. "Did you like that? Watching Clara cum on his cock?" Thora whispered, stroking her clit gently with a single finger. "Was it hot, fucking me while my fiancee used her in front of you?"

"...Yes!" Sue gasped, the word a strangled cry.

Clara kissed her. "I think you should try him, Sue," she whispered.

"I..." Sue began to say, only to be cut off by Thora's lips.

"I think you should let me and Clara get you almost to orgasm," the redhead breathed, "and then you should fuck my man in front of me while I eat you out."
 
Sue was at a loss for words. Any protests she could put up were drank from her lips by Clara and Thora, as their hands tore gently at her defenses. Hardly a moment went by where she wasn’t being kissed, between Clara sucking and loving her breasts, and Thora nibbling on her neck and ear. Both women pressed their bodies hard against her as they kissed each other over her.

Clara palmed her breast, thumb rubbing circles into the nipple. Thora’s nimble fingers continued to tease her clit until they slipped into her sopping channel. Sue gasped as her slit swallowed Thora’s digits, spreading over the slender fingers. Clara and Thora took their time wearing down Sue, slow, passionate ministrations that left her sighing in satisfaction.

Clara’s tongue rolled over the nipple, slathering it before wrapping moist lips around it, a soft suckle that grew in intensity as Sue’s moans grew in volume. Clara switched breasts, showing the second the same loving attention, with the occasional introduction of teeth. The moist meeting of Thora’s fingers and Sue’s slit grew louder and hotter, until there was no choice but for Clara to join her. Clara added one finger into Sue’s tight sex, while her thumb played at the clit. The friction of both girl’s fingers felt incredible for Sue, as she squirmed towards and against their hands. Her breaths were quick and shallow and laced with ecstasy as her features took on a pink hue.

“Close?” Thora whispered in her ear, teeth catching the earlobe.

“Ye…Yes!” Sue managed, legs twitching with building pleasure. Sigurd took that as a cue, stroking himself to the erotic display. Thora and Clara backed off, giving Sigurd enough room to move between Sue’s legs. Hooking one of her legs under the knee, he brushed himself against her soaking folds, pressing his tip against her clit until she trembled with needs.

“How close?” he teased, watching her writhe as his cock moved up and down her lips, collecting her juices along his length.

“So close!!! Please!!!” Sue begged, raking her nails into his arms. Inch by inch Sigurd pushed into her tight sex, groaning low as her walls parted around him. Sue couldn’t help but arch into his hips, feeling impending orgasm took control over her body.

“Hmm,” Thora sighed, watching Sigurd cock disappear into Sue, “I want to taste your orgasm.” She brought her head down to the joining of their sex. Her deft tongue darted out to tease Sue’s clit, and graze Sigurd cock as it plunged into the girl’s inner silk. The combination of hard cock and soft tongue was enough to send Sue over the edge, convulsing and gushing and screaming her rapture.
 
Sigurd hung on, groaning at the sensation of Sue's virgin walls clenching around him as she came and Thora's soft tongue exploring his length. He gritted his teeth as she writhed and screamed beneath him, fighting against his own orgasm. "I'm... close..." he managed. "Should... should I..?" And then he gasped as Sue tightened around him again. Thora started to chuckle, then made an outraged sound of protest as Sue shoved her onto the cave floor.

"You're fucking me," Sue snarled, sitting up to grab Sigurd's shoulders. She moaned, eyes wild with lust as her actions drove his shaft deeper. "So fuck me!" Then, as Sigurd gripped her ass for leverage and started pounding into her, she lost her grip on his shoulders. Her back arched, presenying her breasts as she caught herself.

Clara and Thora moved in, kissing her deeply and exploring her with their hands. Sue moaned again, hands slipping as Clara's mouth civered on nipple. Thora caught her, lowering her back to the ground as her fingers slid over Sigurd's shaft and her lips to find ger clit. And through it all came the rhythmic movements of Sigurd's thick meat inside her, balls slapping against her ass as he thrust with enough force to make her whole body bounce and shake.

Lost in the sensations, Sue was caught off guard by the sudden, hoarse cry Sigurd made as he drove into her. But the sudden way his cock pulsed within hercand the flood of warmth streaming into her, combined with the mixture of soft eager mouths and gentle callused hands and hard bodies sent her iver the edge once more. She gave voice to a high, keening cry if pleasure that served as counterpoint to Sigurd's orgasmic moans.
 
Worn from the journey, the outpouring of feelings, and the hours spent exploring each other’s bodies, the four teenagers fell asleep in a tangled mass of soft and hard bodies. As nice as it was to cuddle up to each other, Thora insisted in sleeping in a bed that evening, and everyone else agreed. So they set back off for Monsford.

They rode themselves ragged all day, but it was worth it to come upon Monsford as the sun set on the horizon. Of course, for Thora and Sigurd, it was heartbreaking to see their home ravaged as it had been by the demon onslaught. Still repairs had begun, and in the wake of destruction, there was hope and rebirth. Monsford might never again resemble in the in their memories, but they were alive, to make new memories in New Monsford.


It was a busy week for those who had remained behind. Removing the rubble and restoring building to their original condition was more than enough work for those who had survived, and there were no complaints. The work kept them too busy to feel the extent of their losses to the host of torment.

Most of them at least. Somehow, Aurianna and Matthias found plenty of opportunities indulge in one another. Stolen trysts in abandoned buildings when no one else was around, kissing and groping up against walls in alley ways, washing each other off in the river at the end of the day. That they found any time to work was surprising. It was deemed a necessity when Ingrud awarded them a house of their own, for their valiant efforts defending Monsford. At least now they were keeping their carnal activities confined to their dwelling, Mostly, anyhow.

“It’s good news,” the oracle concluded as she put down the letter received by carrier pigeon. “She is alive and safe, in Monsford.”

“She’s not coming back,” Mykel objected, with his back to her.

“Is that really a surprise? She doesn’t feel safe here,” Oracle explained calmly. Mykel flinched as if the words were an attack on his person.

“You should have told me,” Mykel rasped out, clenching his fists.

“I did what I could to prevent it, but it was the will of the Goddess. Some things I can only see, and not stop.”

“You should have told me!” He roared, turning back towards her, “I would have prevented it!”

“You would have killed seven paladins for a crime they might commit?” Oracle challenged. Mykel’s face remained hard. “Isn’t it a little late to play the role of father to her? After years of choosing to be Lord Commander instead?”

“Don’t you dare judge me. This was where I could keep her safe! Keeping the Order strong was the best way to protect her.” As he spoke, he was strapping on his great sword and shield.

“Where are you going?” Oracle asked.

“To do what I should have done when he first hurt her. I am going to kill that son of a bitch.”
 
MF Smut Scene: Matthias and Aurianna
  • Index
    • A week passed. Then two, and three, adding up to a month and more before he even realized it. For the first time in a decade, Matthias was content. Even happy. He never would have expected to discover that settling into a domestic arrangement would produce that result. Hell, even when he'd been engaged to Rielle, he'd never contemplated that sort of life.

    But now?

    Now he had a small house near the westward gate of Monsford. And sure, it didn't look like a "traditional" house - not with one room turned into a laboratry and another into an armory, but it was his. Theirs, really. And that was what made it so perfect. Every morning he woke up next to her, sometimes still tangled up with her. They made meals together, did chores together, talked together of the things they did during the day - helping with the rebuilding, training the town militia, working to reconstruct the dam, getting rid of the lava that choked the streets.

    A lot of those conversations ended with them tearing each other's clothes off and fucking for hours. Their bed had seen a lot of use. As had the rest of their furnature. It wasn't the only part of their relationship he enjoyed, but he enjoyed that part enormously.

    The part he didn't enjoy was the demon.

    He knew he was the perfect prison for it. After all, there was a hole where his soul used to be that it fit in. What he hadn't anticipated was the way it fought the binding endlessly, how nightly he had to reenforce the runes that held. How it still experienced everything he did, and mocked him with that knowledge. How it described in lingering detail the things it would do to Aurianna when it got free, things that it - that he - had done to hundreds, maybe thousands, of men and women when he'd served Baath-Me'el.



    He woke one night to the sound of thunder, a loud blast that seemed to shake the windows. As it faded he listened to the tirrential rains lashing the walls and hammering the slate shingles. Heart racing from the sudden wakefulness, he snuggled back into Aurianna's sleeping warmth. His arms wrapped around her, her skin soft and warm against his, and he drank in her scent as he breathed. She still smelled of their lovemaking, and the memory made his cock twitch and stir.

    One hand cupped her breast, toying with her nipple and stirring it to hardess. He began rocking his hips, rubbing his hardening shaft against the firm globes of her rear. His teeth scraped gently over the back of her neck, and he moaned faintly as need flooded through him. He had to have her, now. His hand abandoned her breast, fingers parting her slit and playing her clit.
     
  • Index
    • A month in Monsford had left Aurianna soft. It was really the only thing she could complain about, and it was such a minor complaint at that, but it nagged at her. She first noticed it a week ago, her abs no long as firm and tight as they had always been. The definition had faded, leaving her smooth and supple.

    Aurianna tried to piece together the cause. The food was certainly better in Monsford than at the temple, as it was that much fresher here. But it hadn’t affected Matthias, who still looked as good as he ever did, his hard rippling physique just as alluring. She wasn’t training as much, but still she worked just as hard at her other duties around town. Her arms and legs were still solid and strong, evidence of all the effort she was putting in. Just soft in her midsection.

    Matthias either hadn’t noticed, or was too polite to say anything about it. It certainly hadn’t affected his hunger for her, as most evenings were spent in each other’s arms. And many mornings. And some afternoons. So she tried not to let it bother her, reveling in the attention from her lover, but in quiet moments alone, it troubled at her.

    She stirred as Matthias fondled her, her breast filling his palm easily. Indrawn breath accompanied his touch, her soft mounds a tad tender from all the devotion he had paid to them in recent days. Still, the nipple engorged as he teased it, echoing the throbbing hardness pressing against her backside. She was only half awake, her body responding to his touch more than her mind. She rolled over to her back as his hand moved lower, her legs spreading themselves at his insistence.

    “Matthias…” She murmured as she squirmed under his caress. Her eyes fluttered open as his lips traced the veins in her neck, but sight didn’t help much in the darkness of the night. She was left with only sensation to discern his actions, which made everything that much more intense. She found his mouth with her own as he pushed into her slit. Still sensitive from earlier lovemaking, arousal flooded back, summoned by the thick digit massaging her folds.

    It was obvious from the way her body moved along his, the way she drenched his fingers in her longing, the way she moaned and gasped into their kiss, that she didn’t mind being woken up like this. She wasn’t completely alert yet, just hit by a wave of ecstasy as he tended to her desire. Her mumbling cries of pleasure grew louder and more frequent as he drove harder and deeper into her slick channel, as his thumb applied more pressure to her clit. Hips bucking eagerly, hungrily, chasing after release even as the fog of sleep confused her mind. She think didn’t think, she just felt, felt his body against hers, his hands filling her sex, his mouth devouring hers, her nails digging into the straining muscles of his back as orgasm roused from the last grips of slumber. Her eye were wide open as she caught her breath, deep hard inhalations that rocked her entire body..

    “You want more?” She managed to rasp out.
     
    "Do I want more?" Matthias echoed playfully, voice husky with desire. He pressed her down into the mattres with his weight, his body hard and heavy against hers as he found her lips. His tongue thrust into her mouuth as his aching cock, trapped netween them, smeared precum on their stomachs. "I want as much of you as I can get, Ari." His hands fisted in her hair pulling gently, and he groaned against her skin as his teeth scraped against her throat. "As much as I can get, as often as I can."

    He kissed her again, gripping her hair to draw her face to his and drinking deep from her lips. "I can never get enough of you, Ari," he growled, biting at her lower lip. "Not if I live a million years." Again his hungry mouth found hers and his hands roamed her body, caressing her face and shoulders, encouraging her flesh and steel arms to hold him close as he gripped her hips and slid over her thighs. He shifted against her, rising up over her ss he sank into her velvet depths with a long, slow thrust that drew a shuddering sound of pkeasure from him.

    Lightning flashed once more, casting stark light and shadow across their joined bodies for an instant. His eyes lingered on her even in the darkness, tracing barely-seen curves on the shadows. Reaching up, he caught her wrists and gently lifted her hands from his shoulders, presing them to the mattresscabove his head. He leaned forward, letting her feel his breath on her face as his weight drove his shaft deeper into her. "I want you to scream my name," he whisoered, tracing her lips with his tongue. "I want to hear you above the storm."
     
    Slow deep strokes drove Aurianna wild underneath Matthias, feeling him fill her completely. Every inch of his meat, caressing her sex, drawing out slowly, letting her contract, before plunging back into her core, opening her body to his longing.

    “Fuck, Matthias,” She sighed, clenching tightly as he bottomed out in her. She cried out as she feel him pulse and flex against those yielding folds. This measured pace was intense, and perfect in the moment. Dreamily intimate, as rain battered their home. As their bed creaked and groaned beneath them, reverberating with his momentum.

    “Matthias…yes, fuck…yes. So…so fucking…good,” Aurianna gasped out, the pleasure he pounded into her making words difficult. He held her hands down, as he drove into her, and she held him just as close with legs wrapped around his waist. Kisses interrupted her incomprehensible speech, maddening bliss taking hold of her mind. “Matthias, Matthias! MATTHIAS!!!”


    Mykel rushed to get out of the rain, finding shelter in an abandoned house. There were many leaks in the thatched roof, but it was still better than being out in the open. Besides, after sleeping on the hard ground for nearly three weeks, his back ached for a bed. He really had been away from campaigning for far too long. Sinking into the water damaged furniture, Mykel let out a long sigh, the small dwelling bringing back old memories.

    He cradled a sleeping Aurianna in his arms, carrying the small child over to the bed. She stirred slightly as he put her down, brushing her hair out of her face and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. For a few moments, he just stood over her and stared, watching the peaceful expression on her face, wiping his eyes as the weight of her existence fell upon him. A deep sigh of contentment left him as he left the room.

    Lyara finished scrubbing the last of the dinner dishes as Mykel came back around her, wrapping arms around her waist. She sighed approvingly as he kissed her cheek, and giggled as his lips traveled lower.

    “She is so beautiful. Just like you,” Mykel remarked, rubbing his cheek against hers.

    “Perhaps. But she acts like you, more than a little,” Lyara teased, trying to drying off the plates, even as he distracted her. “She isn’t afraid of anything. It terrifies me.” Mykel chuckled.

    “I’m not without fears Lyara,” He corrected, “I worried about you every day I was away from your side. I still worry, even now.”

    “Oh, but I have a big strong Paladin to protect me now,” Lyara reassured him, turning to catching his lips in her own.

    “I am but one Paladin, “ Mykel countered, trying to be serious, even as her kisses ignited a fire within him. “Every day the demon’s claim grows larger and larger. We really aren’t safe here. Can’t I talk you into coming to the temple with me?”

    Lyara sighed loudly, “I know you have a duty to the Goddess, and I can’t dispute that. She laid claim to you long before I did. But, Aurianna’s all I have. She can’t have you both, it’s…it’s not fair.” She rested her head against his chest, not wanting to argue tonight. She had only just gotten him back.

    “It’s not like they are going to take her the moment we arrive. Her training won’t start until she is eight or nine.” Mykel explained, caressing her face.

    “Eight? That is so young,” Lyara protested, clearly not comforted by the idea.

    “That’s just the beginning of her training. They aren’t going to send her into the field until she is thirteen or so. And then she will be with an instructor. Maybe…maybe even me. I could be her instructor,” Mykel reasoned, holding Lyara tight against him, “It not unheard of for parents to train their own children. I would never let anything happen to her.”

    “You promise?” Lyara looked up at him, hazel eyes filled with uncertainties.

    "Promise.”
     
    "Goddess," Matthias broaned as he felt Aurianna clench around him. "You feel so fucking goid..."

    'Goddess?' mocked a dark inner voce. You abandoned Her years ago.

    He shifted his grip, pressing her wrists deeper into the mattress as he rose up over her. His grunts mingled with her gasps as his thrusts became faster, harder. "That's it," he groaned, his body responding to her desperate demands. "Goddess, yes. Beg me to fuck you." Her body bounced and rocked beneath him, moved by his thrusts as he drove himself harder and harder into her. She arched beneath him, screaming his name as her legs tightened around his hips and locked him in place, and then he uttered a wordless roar as he found his own pleasure within her.

    Gasping for breath, still twitching and pulsing within her, Matthias slumped down against her. "I love you," he whispered, stroking her cheek. I…" He bit the rest of the sentence off, suddenly troubled, and then kissed her. "Goddess, I love you."

    Dark, mocking laughter echoed in his mind.
     
    Worn from their second coupling of the evening, it was easy for Aurianna to fall asleep. So easy, she was hardly able to mumble “I love you too,” before sinking back into dreams.

    It had stopped raining by morning, leaving a light layer dew lingering on the ground. Perfect running weather. After a small breakfast Aurianna took off for a morning jog, before Matthias awoke. If he was still sleeping when she finished, perhaps she would have to repay the favor with “Good Morning” sex.

    Those hopes were dashed when, an hour and half in, she had to stop to let her breakfast up. Leaning up against a tree to recover from throwing up, still occasionally gagging, had sapped any motivation to keep running or have sex this morning. Paladin’s didn’t get sick from natural causes, like normal humans. It was one of the gifts of the Goddess, one Aurianna was especially grateful for as nausea gripped her gut. Physiker Martin came up, as Aurianna was putting together the pieces.

    “Morning sickness huh? Come by my place, I have some ginger tea that should help with it.”

    Pregnancy. It was so obvious even Martin could tell with a cursory glance. And it made perfect sense too. The softness, the tenderness in her breasts, the nausea. She hadn’t bothered with moon tea in over a month. It wasn’t a surprise, except for maybe how quickly it happened. But well, they had been going at it like crazy. Perhaps it was inevitable.

    By the time she returned home after getting the ginger tea from Martin, Matthias was already up and cooking breakfast. Quite a substantial breakfast, as the scents hit her nose. Sausage and Bacon, Eggs, thick slabs of toast. It smelled good, but it also smelled strong. Somehow the smell made her both hungry and queasy.

    “Morning, love.” She greeted with a kiss on the cheek, “I have something I need to tell you.” She took his hand as he turned to face her, “I’m…” Another wave of nausea hit her as the scent of cooking onion filled her nose. She turned away, trying to hold back queasiness.

    “I need some boiling water, please.”
     
    He wasn't surprised that she was gine by the time he woke up. For all her orotests, he could see that domesticity didn't suit Ari. She fretted, nearly all the time, about losing her edge. About the slight rounding of her belly that - as far as he was concerned - merely put a soft, feminine edge on the lean-framed war goddess he'd fallen in love with. And so, dragging himself out of bed, he wiped himself down with a damp cloth and dressed.

    Really, he reflected as he lit a fire in their cast iron stove, it was probably the girl's fault. Clara's fault. He knew from experience how hard it could be to see your first student surpass you, and despite Ari's gifts and skills the girl had done just that. Assuming the dragon hadn't been mad, that was.

    The scent of wood smoke and warming metal filled the air, and he gave off woolgathering for a time. Instead he busied himself with cracking eggs and slicing smoked bacon and generally indulging his taste for the foods he'd nit consumed in a decade. Honestly, he'd probably need toeithger pace himself or join Ari on her early morning runs.

    Lost in thought and work, he barely registered Ari's return until she was kissing his cheek and asking for boiling water. "Bathing or drinking?" he asked, considering his options. "And... are you all right?" Turning, he examined her features. "You're awfully pale - are you coming down with something?" Without waiting for an answer, he drew up a chair. "Here, let me get you some water, and..." A quick check of the pantry. "Yes, water, with a little apple cider vinegar. It helps with nausea."
     
    “Clara!” Else called, bursting into the mayors house, “Clara! By the Dragon and the Goddess, I have the juiciest gossip!”

    Clara looked up over her food, mouth still full, “Wha izit?’

    “So, Lady Aurianna came by Martins house this morning for tea. Not moon tea though…ginger tea!” Elsa explained, eyes wide.

    “Huh?” Clara asked, face full of confusion, “I don’t get it, what is ginger tea for?”



    “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Aurianna chimed in as Matthias took note of her condition, “I’m okay, mostly okay, anyhow…” He was looking through their cupboard, for something. Aurianna would have protested further, but it took all her concentration not to throw up again. She drank deeply of the water, really quite dehydrated given her intensive morning workout and regurgitation. An empty cup clattered on the table, as Aurianna felt her gut relax.

    “Thanks, that did help, actually,” She said with a smile, before insisting “Sit though, we need to talk.” She gathered her words as he took a step a across from her at the table, reaching her hand out towards his. “Matthias…” Looking into his eyes, feeling the word get stuck in her throat…

    “By the Goddess! Congrats you two!” Clara’s voice boomed through their house as she let herself in. She threw her arms around Aurianna before she could protest or question the girls presence here, “I can’t believe it, you guys are going to be parents!”

    Aurianna just sat there, mouth wide open, stunned, embarrassed. “Clara, how do you know?”

    “Elsa told me! Oh, do you guys have any names picked out?”

    “Clara… I hadn’t even told Matthias yes,” Aurianna explained, disentangling from the girl’s bear hug.

    “You don’t know that she’s pregnant yet?” Clara asked, turning towards Matthias now.
     
    Matthias' eyes went wide at the statement, and his mouth worked a couple of times befor he managed to say anything. "I... I guess I do. Now," he added meani gfully, casting a baleful glare at Clara. The teenage Paladin flushed and shrank back before her mentor, but said nothing further.

    "I... that is..." His eyes met Ati's, and there was a sort of stunned panic in them. It faded quickly, though, replaced by a broad grin. With a whoop of joy, he lunged forward and swept his lover up in his arms. "Pregnant!" He whirled her around and kissed her thoroughly. Then, eyes wide, he set her back down gently. "Pregnant," he repeated, a trifle embarrased. "I guess I shouldn't be quite so... uhm... rough."

    "A little late for that now, isn't it?" Clara smirked. "I mean, it's not like all of Monsford hasn't seen..."

    Matthias ran his fingers through his hair. "I think that's quite enough, girl," he interrupted, sounding a little embarrased. "But, well, that means..."

    He turned away, hurrying into their bedroom. A few minutes later he returned, holding something behind his back. "I'd planned to wait another few months," he said, "and make a proper thing of this. But, well," he grinned, "events have forced my hand. Nit that I could think of a better time than this. But..."

    He dropped to one knee, takaing hrr hand. As he did he showed the hand behind his back, which held a ring of braided yellow and white gold. "Will you marry me, Aurianna?"
     
    “You have a ring…” Aurianna murmured, tracing fingers over the delicate band. She laughed lightly, taking her turn to feel flustered. “If I thought you were doing this solely out of some misguided obligation to me, then I would have had to say no. But…” She slipped the ring on her flesh hand, marveling at its fit, the braided metals glittering in the light that filtered through windows. “Of course I will, Matthias.” Another kiss, initiated by her this time, cheered on by Clara.

    “A wedding and a baby! Oh, I will have to throw you an engagement party! Or a baby shower! Which…which one first?” Clara asked in earnest, looking down on the couple.

    “Engagement party, “ Aurianna announced with a laugh, leaning her head against Matthias now, “Don’t think it will be a long engagement, all things considered.” She sniffed a few times, and looked over at their stove, “Oh hun, I think breakfast is burning.”


    Mykel ate the last of his rations, soaking a hard husk of bread into some water to make it edible. He was running low on supplies and patience. Monsford was nearby, and he could be there tonight if he pushed himself hard enough. Besides Monsford was where she was…A deep sigh. He had hoped to have that bastard’s head before going to her, before assuring her that she would indeed be safe once more. There was no two ways around it now. Besides, it would be good to see her with his own eyes. Maybe get it from her mouth, how she and her apprentice managed to down a demon lord. That had to be one hell of a story.

    He stepped out into the day, and made his way over to the Sarn. Had it always been so wide and rough? As hard as it rained last night, it couldn’t account for the excess volume. No matter, he splashed a bit on his face, and filled his canteen. Off to the side of the riverbed, he caught the sight of blackberry bushes, wild and overgrown. Just like the other ones…

    “Think Mommy will like these?” Aurianna had asked while chewing, perched up on his shoulders. She held a basket with one hand while the other clutched at his head.

    “Perhaps, if you can manage to save her any,” Mykel teased, smirking up at her. She had a big one in her hands when she stopped half way before putting it in her mouth. She feed it to Mykel instead. He laughed as he chewed, feeling the sticky juices dribbling down his chin. A touch overripe, bursting with flavor. Despite that, there was something else wafting through the breeze. Smoke.

    “Is Mommy baking something?” Aurianna asked, but Mykel knew they were too far away for that answer to make sense. Terror gripped him, as he looked around wildly.

    “Here, Ari,” he said in a calm that betrayed the dread he was feeling. He lifted the small girl up into a high tree, “Let’s play hide and seek. Mommy will never find you up here.” The girl smiled big, holding her basket of blackberries close to her body. Mykel took off like a flash, hurdling himself towards her cabin. A fierce inferno had engulfed the dwelling, while a half a dozen fiends gathered around a single point. One lay dead to the side, head smashed in with brute force.

    Mykel let out a feral yell as he charged the group, hacking one purple skin creature in half before they could even turn to see him. Blood and viscera hung from the razor field of fangs that made up their mouths, as they rose from their victim. Four came at him at once, but none could withstand the Paladin’s blood rage. All that was left was the pallid , pain etched features of Lyara, fingers still white knuckled over a cast iron frying pan.

    “Ari…?” She whimpered, reaching for Mykel.

    “She’s safe,” he swore, looking down her body at the damage the demons did, It wasn’t good.

    “Not…not yet…take her…temple…” Lyara groaned, gasping in agony. Was there even enough of her left for healing to matter? He began saying the prayer of lay on hands, and watched in vain as the golden light closed the wounds, over the missing pieces, Lyara shook her head. “Too…too late. The Goddess has me now…Sorry, I didn’t…tell you… that I’m…again…”

    “Shhh, don’t talk,” Mykel told her as he tried again, hands soaking in her blood. Once more the golden magic flowed through her veins, too little, too late.

    “Keep her…keep Ari…safe……..” She whispered, before the light left her eyes.

    “No!” He screamed at the body, again and again, surging divine healing through her corpse. He sobbed hard for a moment, before the sound of distant rustling caught his ear. Aurianna was still alive, and she needed him now.
     
    "Misguided obligation?" Matthias laughed, kissing her. "Which one of us is still a Paladin, hmm? Shouldn't you be trying to make an honest man out of me?"

    "Because that'll happen..." Clara muttered.

    "Hush, girl," Matthias said off-handedly. "Don't make me come over there and..."

    "And what?" questioned the young Paladin.

    "And make me embarrass myself trying to beat some manners into you." He smiffed the air, catching a scirched odor. "What the hell is that?"

    Ari sniffed tge air aswell, then looked around him at the stove. "Oh hun, I think breakfast is burni g."

    "Shit!"



    After much heroic effort, Matthias set three plates of partially-salvaged, partially-remade breakfaston the table. He hadn't originally planned to invite Clara, but the young Paladin had babies on the brain and couldn't be dislodged. And besides, even though he'd never admit it aloud he'd come to like and respect the young woman. Not just because she made Ari happy, but because her enthusiasm for her calling and for life in general reminded him of himself as a much yoinger man.

    "...and if it's a boy?" Clara asked eagerly, still gushing at the news, "what if it's a boy? What name do you think you'll..." she took a bite ofbacon, and made a face. "Hey! This is burnt!"

    "You're a teenager," Matthias answered. "You can eat anything, so stop bitching. And we clearly haven't thought about names yet, but... what about Mykel? If it's a boy? He's... hey!" The last came as his hand lashed out, pinning Clara's wrist to the table. With his free hand, he lifted a strio of bacon and popped it into his mouth.

    "Too slow, girl," he grinned, chewing as he spoke. "Avatar or not, you've still got a lit to learn."
     
    “Mykel,” Aurianna repeated, as she mulled over the name, chewing her eggs slowly as she watched Clara and Matthias fight over the non-burnt bacon.

    “Oh yeah! Because he is your father!” Clara pointed out, chewing around the scorched edges on her piece.

    “He’s not my father,” Aurianna snapped, her tone harsher that intended. She sighed a calming breath before continuing, “At least, I don’t know that he is or isn’t my father. But…well he is the closest thing to father figure I’ve ever had, in any case.” Aurianna reasoned, dragging her fork over her plate. “And he was your mentor too, wasn’t he? It really is quite fitting, all in all.”

    She reached her hand out to caress Matthias’, meeting his warm gaze with her own. At the same time her other hand selected a thick piece of bacon, smirk growing on her face as she brought it up to her mouth.



    Monsford might have been significantly bigger than the temple, but gossip seemed to spread just as fast. The rest of the day felt as if it were spent receiving congratulations and words of wisdom from the various townsfolk. It was early afternoon when Aurianna caught up with Ingrud.

    “I suppose I have you to thank for the whole town already knowing that I’m with child,” Aurianna concluded, “Or your daughter at the very least.”

    “Well, kids will do that,” Ingrud warned playfully, “You will learn that lesson soon enough.” Aurianna laughed despite herself, and Ingrud continued, “I may have spread the word a bit myself, but it’s what we need right now. A celebration of life and love as we rebuilt Monsford. A symbol of hope amidst the darkness we survived.“

    “That’s a hell of a thing to carry,” Aurianna objected lightly, unconsciously rubbing her stomach.

    “Well, you are a paladin, a symbol of hope already,” Ingrud argued, and Aurianna nodded along. After a moment she followed up with, “So, did he propose?”
    Aurianna laughed and twisted the ring on her left hand, before holding it up for Ingrud to see, “Yeah.”

    “Well then, I am guess you are thinking a quick engagement? Because if need be I can put together a wedding in a weeks’ time.”

    “I should probably talk that over with Matthias-,” Aurianna started, while Ingrud got an inspired look in her eye.

    “Oh! We need to get you a dress!” Ingrud started, pulling Aurianna along.
     
    In the quiet of their house, Matthias sat and tried to focus on the book he'd located. It wasn't working, though. He'd read the same page a dozen times now, and couldn't have said what any of the text had meant. He was too busy with his thoughts, and with the black mood that had settled over him. A black mood that ran counter to everything he would have expected from this moment.

    He should be happy. He was human once more. And he wasn't dead at the talons of Yarost’cherv, or the tools of Hydranes. And he was in love with a woman who he knew could do better than him, but who loved him back. And he was engaged to her. He should be happy. He should be ecstatic. Delirious with joy.

    Heh, a voice sneered in the back of his mind. You don't get happiness. You don't get redemption, or mercy, or love. You get me.

    Gouxahl was getting stronger. He could feel the Demon in his mind, shifting and flexing and testing his bonds. He'd bound the Demon as well as he could, in the only cage he had to hand that could have bound it for long. But there had been a flaw in his plan. The Demon knew him well, too. They'd been one for a decade. Hell, they were dark mirrors of the other now.

    I'll be free, Gouxahl taunted. Eventually, I'll be free. And Aurianna won't even know the difference. Not until it's too laAAAIIIII! The taunt broke off in a shriek of pain as Matthias applied the wards and bindings, shattering the Demon's words with agony. But they still lingered, haunting him.

    How long could he last? And how long, he wondered as he stared at his weak human hands, did he want to last?
     
    Honestly, it was fun to get swept up in the romance of it all. Marrying Matthias. It was 13 year old Aurianna’s dream come true. She didn’t want to wait any longer; even a week felt like too long. With each dress she tried on, the realization suck in deeper and deeper. Her fiancé. Her soon to be husband. The father of her child. The journey to this point had been difficult, but now their life together was beginning.

    It was early evening once she finished trying on dresses, and had actually found one she liked. It was a bit embarrassing, to have Mayor Ingrud fussed over her, hard not to feel as if she had been adopted into the family against her will. But she couldn’t deny a great deal of respect for the woman, and everything she had accomplished in her life. So she didn’t argue too much as Ingrud planned half the wedding that afternoon.

    Walking with Ingrud back toward her home as the sun set, Aurianna knew she was enjoying all the planning, the fantasizing about the big day. But she was also looking forward to spend some time alone with her fiancé. Discuss the wedding that was half planned without his input. Talk about the life they had created. She had to admit, the name Mykel was growing on her.

    “Aurianna?” As if summoned by her thoughts, she heard a familiar voice calling out her name. Turning at the same time as Ingrud, she could see the Lord Commander Mykel coming through the western gate. He looked weary. Ingrud followed as she approached him.

    “Lord Commander. I was not expecting to see you,” Aurianna acknowledged, bowing slightly out of respect. “This is Mayor Ingrud Kelvasdottir, Clara’s aunt.” Lord Commander took her hand in respect.

    “An honor to meet you, Mayor.”

    “It would have been an honor to meet you a month ago, When the host of Torment was knocking on our dour.” Ingrud responded, a hardness in her voice.

    “I sure it would have been, and had we known of the situation in advance, I would have been happy to have a battalion of Paladins to fight beside your people. Thank the Lady of Love and War that six of my most gifted warriors were here to assist.” Mykel tried defending himself, diplomatically.

    “Yes, and additional thanks that the traitor was here to stand at our defense as well. Without his magics we might not have seen victory in the siege,” Ingrud further asserted.

    “Traitor…You mean Matthias. “ Mykel reflected thoughtfully before nodding. “I suppose it was the Goddess’ grace, that saw him here as well.”
    “You look like a man who could use a warm meal and a drink. My treat,” Aurianna suggested, leading towards the tavern.



    “So, we three of us were down, Justine was out of arrows, and it was Sue against Hydranes,” Aurianna explained, sipping at her cider while Mykel ate a hearty meal. He nodded, intently focused on her story. “Only a miracle could have saved us then.”

    “Well,” Mykel spoke, washing his food down with a long drink of beer, “Clearly you survived, and defeated her. So, what form did your miracle take?”

    “Well, as I mentioned earlier, Clara had left to seek out the aid of Lord Verrier. Goddess be damned if they didn’t return to Monsford just at the right moment. Clara feel from the sky to face Hydranes, while Verrier and Yarost’cherev fought over Monsford. Seeing her, my apprentice, alive and fighting gave me the strength to stand once more. Together, our blows struck true, and Hydranes fell before us.”

    Before Aurianna could continue her story as to how they then fought Yarost’cherev within the Sarn, Alva and Xander approached, Alva placing a soft hand on Aurianna’s shoulders. “Congratulations, Lady Ari, I wish the two of you much happiness and love. And might I add thank you. If you two weren’t taking the plunge, I swear Ingrud would have tried to arrange our wedding!”

    “Oh I wouldn’t think yourselves off the hook yet. Ingrud has wedding fever, and she may yet get you two to tie the knot,” Aurianna teased in response. Laughing fondly the couple left, leaving Aurianna with a curious Mykel.

    “Did I hear right? Engaged? Did you meet someone here in Monsford?” There was a delighted smile on his face as he finished his beer. Aurianna called for another beer for Mykel before she dared answer that question. She didn’t think she would miss wine much while she was with child, but she really could have gone for a glass now.

    “Not exactly.” She took a sip of her cider while another drink was procured for Mykel.There was no hiding it, if he stayed in Monsford he would quickly find out. Taking in a deep breath, she clarified, “It’s…Matthias.”

    “The traitor?” He grimaced, feeling the eyes on the pub turn towards them. “After what he did to you, Aurianna?”

    “After what he saved me from, twice? After what he saved this town from? Yes. We are in love, and I am carrying his child.”
     
    Mykel gaped. Clearly caught off guard, he opened his mouth and then closed it again. Then he tried once more, and closed his mouth again. Words failed him, and he settled for sipping at his beer once more. "That's... unexpected," he finally managed. But... was it? It seemed like ages ago, but it hadn't been all that long since he and his former apprentice had played chess through the doors of a cell...

    Matthias was being deliberately obfuscatory, and he gave the man - demon - a long, hard look "Then why did you save her? Again?" Aurianna - his daughter - had been through Hell because of his former student. And then she'd been rescued by the same... man? He had to know why.

    "I... don't know," Matthias answered with a sigh. That much of it rang true, to Mykel's divinely-granted gifts. "Because I wanted her for myself. Because, in the end, I'm no better at being a demon than a Paladin. Because I'm trying to commit suicide in an elaborate and protracted fashion. Because I'm a traitor, and it's in my nature to betray my Lord."

    None of the statements were lies, precisely. But all of them danced around the truth. Maybe... just maybe the Oracle had been right? Maybe, somehow, there was hope for his one-time student. So, in a fit of humor, he let a smile crook the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps."

    He set the mug back down. "I..." he began again, then shook his head. "It's not what I would have anticipated, surely. But I suppose you know your own mind better than I do." He only had to force himself a little to manage a smile. "I wish you both the blessings of Afodisia, and the happiness you deserve."

    Staring into the dark eyes of his daughter, so like his lost Lyara, he felt pride and sorrow swell his heart. I should have told her, he thought. Should have acknowledged her before the Order. "Aurianna," he began slowly, "there's something I need to tell you..."

    Just then, pounding feet sounded and a compact bundle of energetic teenager joined them. "Mistress!" Clara gasped, grinning. "Jude - the tailor Aunt Ingrud recommended - is just about ready! He just needs you to pick which fabric you want for your dress!" She spread out two swatches of cloth, both satin, one white and one gold. "Now, if you want my opinion, you should go with this!" She stroked the golden fabric.

    Sue, looking horrified and embarrassed, came up behind them. "Clara!" she remonstrated. "Lady Aurianna is speaking with the Lord Commander!" Blushing, she glanced at Mykel. "I'm so sorry. She's been like this ever since the wedding was announced."
     
    "I wish you both the blessings of Afodisia, and the happiness you deserve."

    Mykel seemed to take it better than Justine, Diana, and Roland had and she was immediately reassured. Not that she didn’t respect the opinions of her fellow Paladins, or that his disapproval who have had her calling off the engagement, but getting his blessing felt good. Felt right. Relief took the form of a smile upon her lips.

    “Thank you,” She answered softly, Clara words, about him being her father rang in mind in the moment but she pushed them down. How would she even go about asking such a question? “…Lord Mykel.” Yet using his title made him flinch, ever so slightly, as he began again. Before he could speak however, Clara had interrupted them, gushing about fabric swatches. Sue apologized for her friend, but Mykel could only laugh, proving that Clara’s enthusiasm was indeed infectious.

    “For what it’s worth, I agree. The gold would suit you better,” he offered.

    “Really? Aurianna considered, holding the brilliant satin square to her skin. It’s was an unconventional choice, but there was some appeal there.

    “It would bring out your eyes,” Mykel pointed out, “and beseech the Goddess’ benediction.”

    Aurianna laughed lightly, running her fingers over the soft material. “Then it’s settled, gold it is!” Clara squealed in delight, and hugged her again tightly, so excited by the turn of event an outsider might think she were the one getting married. Then she turned her attention back to Mykel, embarrassment for interrupting the meeting between them finally catching up to her.

    “I’m sorry to intrude, Lord Commander. But, umm, what are you doing here? In Monsford?” She asked now, as the peculiarity of the situation dawned on her.

    “Well, I had heard that the two of you took down a demon Lord, and I believed it warranted further investigation,” Mykel explained, holding back the full truth. No need to bring up Jeoram, the man she had been engaged to not long ago. The one who had hurt her, and forced her to flee the Temple in fear for her own life. He thought that only the bastard’s head could have brought him peace, but seeing her like this, elated by her upcoming nuptials? It warmed his heart. By the Goddess, Jeoram would pay for what he had done, but her happiness was far more valuable in the moment. And he could admit, a reformed traitor was a better choice than a perfidious Paladin. “And well, I’m already here. I may as well stay for this wedding, which is taking place…when?”

    Aurianna pursed her lips, “I should probably talk that over with Matthias, because that ways things are headed now, our ceremony will be missing a groom.” She stood up now, “You would be needing a play to stay while you’re here, wouldn’t you?” She addressed Mykel now, considering the matter, “I supposed we could make some room for you, if I moved the weapons and armors. Goddess knows I am going to need the space soon, anyways. And I could finish telling you how we took down Yarost’cherev.”

    “The demon dragon? Sounds good.” Mykel agreed, following Aurianna towards her home.
     
    "You climbed into the demon's brain?" Mykel said, nervous laughter tinging his voice.

    "Well, into his eye socket," Clara answered, blushing a little.

    "That's incredible!" Mykel continued.

    Clara blushed more. "It was painful and gross," she countered. "Like being the clapper in the cathedral bells, if they were filled with muck and rot."

    Mykel nodded, imagining the logistics of fighting that monstrous corpse he'd seen on the downwind side of town. Yarost'cherev must have been a mountain given flesh, after all. How else could you fight something like that? "But... how? Aurianna, I can understand - she's fully trained and at the height of her powers. But you're still learning."

    Clara chuckled nervously, eyes flickering from Ari to Sue. 'Uhm... oh, look! It's Lady Aurianna's house! I'll just go and get the door - Ari shouldn't strain herself, after all!" With that she dashed ahead.

    Mykel watched her go with a speculative eye. "She's not telling everything, is she?"


    It was about time he got their own place cleaned up.

    Matthias stretched, wiping sweat from his brows. He'd actually had a clear day in his schedule, and so he'd gone to work on the house. There wasn't a lot of cleaning required, but things needed sorting and organizing. And he knew that Ari wanted to put the spare room to use as a nursery, so he'd started pulling out the odds and ends that they'd accumulated over the past month.

    How the hell had they accumulated so much stuff? It had been only one month! But there were odds and ends. Duplicate housewares and furniture given them by their new neighbors, to help them get started. Mail and shields and weapons, enough to make a small arsenal. Gardening tools.

    Gods. He owned gardening tools.

    Everything was sitting before the hearth, taking up much of the living room. Leaning against the wall, he sighed and took a pull of the mug of ale he held in one hand. Then, smiling ruefully, he glanced down at it. Much more of this stuff, and he'd begin showing a belly at the same rate as his lover. His.... fiance.

    Rielle had been his fiance, once. Look how that had turned out.

    Scowling, he swallowed more ale. Damnit, he wasn't going to wallow!

    The door flying open distracted him from further introspection. He looked up, to see Clara holding the door. Then, before he could say anything, Aurianna and Sue entered. Accompanied by...

    "Hello, Matthias," Mykel said, folding his arms and staring at him. "I understand you're to be a father?"

    Oh, yes. This wasn't going to be awkward or anything.
     
    “I am only just pregnant,” Aurianna protested as Clara sprinted forward to get the door, “and I am quite sure I can handle a door, in any case.” Despite her objections though, Aurianna understood what Clara was doing, It seemed Clara had indeed learned something from her as her student, but Aurianna didn’t think she should be proud of that. Pushing the thought away, the small group of Paladins entered her home, which was far more cluttered than she had left it this morning. Suddenly five people in the living room felt crowded, and the air felt thicker as Mykel spoke.

    "Hello, Matthias," Mykel said, folding his arms and staring at him. "I understand you're to be a father?"

    There was a tension filling the room, a stiffness in Matthias’ stance conveying his thoughts and concerns. It wasn’t that long ago that the Mykel had authorized Matthias’ execution upon the Seraphim Wall by Jeoram’s own hand. How things change over a few months’ time. While Mykel hadn’t shown her much disapproval over her choice to spend her life with Matthias, her fiancé wasn’t going to get by so easily. So she tried to diffuse the friction.

    “You’ve been busy," Aurianna acknowledged, turning her gaze towards the not cluttering living space. How had they accumulated so much stuff in a month’s time? She supposed this is what happened when they just blindly stuffed things into the spare room. “Which is fortunate, for, as you can see, we have company. I hope you don’t mind that I invited Lord Mykel to stay with us. Until…the wedding. Which we really should talk about before long.” Suddenly she was quite embarrassed in spending the day getting caught up in wedding plans and dress fittings, instead of talking with Matthias.

    Sue looked over at Clara, “It really is getting late, we should be going,” Sue announced, turning right back out the still open door.

    “But, the wedding! And baby! And Lady Aurianna’s fa–“ Clara argued, cut off when Sue dragged her along and closed the door behind them.

    “Have a seat, “ Aurianna insisted, clearing a space for both of them. She looked over at Matthias “I know you have been busy, and I really appreciate it, but do you mind fixing Mykel a place to rest tonight, love?” She looked over at Mykel once they were alone again, wondering if he would indeed finish the though he brought up earlier, before Clara interrupted them. Still, there were a few moments of awkward silence before Mykel spoke again.

    “You know…Justine and her wife are expecting a child too,” He informed her causally.

    Aurianna nodded with a slight smile, “Yeah, she told me before she left.”

    “Well, maybe in a year or so, once you’re ready of course, you come back by the temple. See Justine and Cassi’s child, show off your own. I am sure there are many Paladins who would be happy to see you,“ Mykel suggested, dancing around the truth. Aurianna met his eyes with unspoken understanding, and her smile grew bigger.

    “I’d like that.”
     
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