Winning is good. Being the hero when you win is better. Spending the next several days in bed with the queen after doing all of that is the best. I think I got thanked for saving her, the kingdom, and any future endeavors I might have planned for probably the next hundred years.
Fel was being amazingly quiet and I wasn’t going to push my luck by asking him what was up. I spent the next few days getting acquainted with the palace which, as palaces go, was rather small and simple. To be honest I liked it, Hilanders as a rule didn’t go in for fancy palaces. What they did go in for was jewelry, and after some prodding and teasing and a few well-placed pinches, I got Rachel to put on hers, and almost nothing else, then went out on the town.
She got a lot of looks, and I could tell she was eating it up. Women love to be loved and they love to be adored. As queen there had been ‘limits’ placed on her by a few of the leading nobles who had different ideas on morality than I or most Hilanders did. As far as I was concerned, she was my woman first, queen second, and I wanted her to have fun and get the adoration I believed she deserved. Besides, she had always been popular with the people and after winning the war she was now doubly so.
There were some complaints at first by those same nobles about her appearance in public wearing really not much more than a thong, but a lot of women, including the noble ones, dressed like that. There wasn’t much of a nudity taboo considering the layer of fur we all had, and after a punch in the face and being knocked to the ground, even the most intractable of the nobles suddenly realized that I was more than prepared to beat them senseless. I guess Fel was right about my aggression, it was something I would have to work on controlling, of that I was sure.
“You know what this town could use?” I said to her as we were strolling around one evening a few weeks later.
“What?”
“Public bath houses.”
“Hmmm, don’t get to ogle enough naked women?” She grinned then squeaked as I pinched her. I enjoyed pinching her, and sometimes I think she did too. I was probably the only one around who treated her like a woman, too many others were afraid to because of her status.
“I was someplace once that had them. I remember being impressed by how clean everyone and everything was. That along with the priests and there really wasn’t a lot of disease, or pestilence.”
She nodded, “Fleas can be a major pain whenever we get an outbreak. And every few years we always seem to. I know there have been some complaints about sewage and the like in the past. But the council has objected over the cost.”
“Well, now might be a good time to take care of it. We just got a windfall from the war.”
“And my popularity is high and I have my own personal arm twister,” she laughed.
I nodded.
“Okay, tomorrow at the council I’ll introduce it and you can stand behind me and glare at everyone until they vote the way I tell them too.” She laughed. “You know the priestess down at the temple sent up a note requesting your presence again.”
I sighed.
“What? I think she’s cute!”
“She wants me to bed her.”
“So?”
“Let me be more specific, she wants me to put my cubs in her.”
“And?”
I smiled, “I want to put my cubs in you first.”
She pondered that a moment and was quiet.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” She said softly.
I nodded. “Yes. The problem is, I can’t be here all the time with you, I have other commitments and I have to be somewhere else at least some of the time.”
“You have another woman, don’t you?”
“Yes, and a child. But while I love her, I love you more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. I’m not lying when I say you’re my woman, or that I want you to have my children. I’d like you to be my wife as well.”
“And you’re telling me all of this because?” She said looking up at me.
“Because I won’t lie to you. I don’t want hidden secrets, because of who you are and who I am, someone is likely to try and use them against us. Telling you I already have one wife may screw this up for me, but Rachel I want you as my wife too. And as much as I want to drag you down to the temple and force it on you, this is something that I know I can’t force you into, I need to hear from you.”
“Well to be honest, I’d love to have you all to myself and here all of the time. But I know what you are and I know that’s never going to happen. And well, fidelity isn’t exactly a trait among my family’s males. I think my dad sired at least a half dozen bastards.”
“And?”
She smiled, “Tell you what, if you can catch me, I’m yours!” and she took off like a shot through the streets.
It was a race. Or rather a chase, I was faster, but she could corner better than I could and knew the territory intimately. But finally I got her, and we tumbled in a ball down the street laughing until we came to rest at the feet of two guardsmen who stared at us like we’d lost all sense. I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder and carried her down to the temple.
The high priestess looked both surprised and disappointed.
“We’re here to get married,” I told her.
“You can borrow him next week,” Rachel snickered.
The ceremony was short and sweet, and I got the distinct feeling that Fel approved. To be honest I thought he’d be pissed, but what do I know about gods? Just before we left I pulled the priestess aside.
“Sorry if I missed your cycle, but to be honest I want Rachel to be first.”
“Actually,” she dipped her ears in what I had learned was a blush, “I was going to use a spell for it.”
“There’s a spell to make women get pregnant?”
“Not to get pregnant, but to put them in their cycle.”
“Why?”
She looked at me funny, “Cause we only cycle once a year. Why else?”
I made an ‘oh’ with my muzzle. “One moment.”
I went and grabbed Rachel and dragged her over to the priestess, “Cast it on her,” I told her.
“I think I need her permission first.”
“You don’t get any until she gets pregnant,” I smiled.
“Oh! Hold still then.”
“What are you doing to me Will?” Rachel asked me unconcerned.
“Getting you on your cycle so I can get you pregnant.”
“Umm hmm.” Rachel purred.
“You seem awfully unconcerned,” the priestess said surprised.
“I spend my days ordering the entire kingdom around; sometimes I just like to be a woman with a nice strong dominate man. Besides they’ve been bugging me for an heir now for the last two years. I’m more than ready,” she chuckled.
“Okay, well see you next week then Will,” she said with a wink.
Rachel announced our marriage the next day in chambers, right after she forced through the new sewage system, and public bath system, for both of her cities. There was a lot of complaining about those, but the majority liked the idea and didn’t fight her when she proposed it. So it became law.
However, when she announced our marriage there was quite a bit of noise. I picked her up, sat down, and put her in my lap. She leaned back against me and I nibbled on an ear, we started to let our hands drift a little and pretty soon the entire chamber had gotten quiet as they all stared at us.
She laughed, “He will be my consort, he will not be king. His duties to our god preclude his taking the crown.”
There were a lot of nods over that. I think they were worried about the church taking over, which I could understand. The concept of church and state being separate wasn’t big here, but at the top levels it did seem to be practiced. Which I found to be a little strange considering how active a role Fel took in matters.
“As for any other complaints, well too bad. I’m Queen and I’ve decided that this is how it’s going to be. The issue is closed. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to work on
that heir you’ve all been pestering me about ever since I turned eighteen.”
We both got up and I smiled at them and we left.
Much later and I mean much later when I was asleep Fel came into my dreams
“To what do I owe the honor?” I asked smiling.
“You really are the marrying kind, aren’t you?” He laughed.
“Yeah, I guess so. I will need to leave for a while soon, I miss Darlene.”
“Yes, well down to business, I have a task for you tonight.”
“Tonight? Fel I think your chances of getting me out of this bed are somewhere between slim and none, and slim just left town.”
“Even if it involves protecting your new wife?”
I sat up straight in the chair and stared at him across the table.
“I take it ‘slim’ just came back then?” Fel smirked.
“And brought his friend definitely. What do I have to do?”
“Ah better. Okay, first you need to go to councilor Diament’s house. I want you to break both of his legs and then tell him the only reason that I am not having you kill him is because of his service in the past. Tell him that I expect him to support the queen fully until his dying day, or his death will not be of old age. Tell him that I have taken a very strong interest in the queen’s rule and health which is why I went to the trouble to find her the best possible mate I could.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Next I want you to go to councilor Wreth’s house. I want you to wake him and put a sword to his throat and tell him that I am very displeased with his plotting with Diament, that I am withdrawing my blessing from his house, and if he wants to get it back he had better start working harder for it. Tell him then the rest of what I had you tell Diament about supporting the queen.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes, I want you to then go to councilor Ramert’s house and wake him. I want you to thank him for his prayers, thank him for confiding in me about this plot. Tell him that I have ordered you to break his arm, but only so that the others will not suspect him, and keep him in their confidence. I then want you to put you hand on his groin and think about healing. I suspect you might find this uncomfortable to do, but you will do it. Once the healing is complete, and you will know it trust me, you can tell him that the next time his wife cycles I will bless him with children, two males to carry on his house, and that he is sterile no more. Let him know that the queen is under my protection and that as he continues to serve, he will continue to be rewarded.”
I nodded, I didn’t like Ramert much, he seemed such a withdrawn type and I know he hated me. But if he was the one who tipped Fel to some nasty plot against Rachel, well then I’d crawl through broken glass for him. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I wake up, thank you.”
“I’m not doing this for you, Will,” he laughed, “I’m doing this for her and for my people. Rachel and her family have been good rulers for several centuries now. I reward their prayers whenever I can.”
“Okay.” I paused a moment, “Am I really the best possible mate for her?” I asked surprised.
“Before your ego gets the better of you, I’ll remind you that the field under consideration wasn’t exactly huge,” he smirked again at me. “Now go.”
I woke up, untangled myself from Rachel, and went. It was still dark out, probably around three in the morning, the time when only the guards are awake, and few of them to boot.
Diament’s house presented a slight problem, while he seemed like the kind of guy that had no enemies, hell even I liked him, he didn’t take chances. Of course now I knew why. I had to render both of his guards unconscious and that took a few minutes. I woke him quietly and held a finger to my muzzle to encourage silence. Then I marched him out of the room, told him exactly what I was told to and quite happily broke both of his legs.
I’ll say this much for him, he didn’t cry out.
“Now if it was up to me,” I told him, “you’d be dead. I am very protective of Rachel, her being queen doesn’t even enter in to it. But our god gave me my orders and so you get to live.”
“I’m only trying to do that which is best for our people,” he hissed through clenched teeth. I could see he was in serious pain.
“Best for our people, or best for you?” I nudged his leg and smiled as he hissed in pain again. “If you want to know what’s best for our people, then I suggest you discuss it with our god, or your queen, or possibly both. Feliogustus can be quite reasonable; after all, he’s not letting me kill you. Good night!”
Wreth’s house was easy to get into and his wife was a very heavy sleeper. I held my sword to his throat as he laid there in bed shaking with fear and whispered everything I was told to say in his ear.
“Is...is that it?” He asked when I was done.
“That’s all I was told to say. Now as a personal observation if I were you, I’d start praying a lot more and make sure I never missed going to the temple.”
Ramert’s house wasn’t too hard, I did render his guards unconscious, because I figured it was best. I woke him as I had woken Diament, I had to admit I was impressed by his wife, she was quite attractive and probably half his age. Ramert was by no means young, his best years behind him.
I told him all that I was told, and then put my hand on his groin and concentrated as I had been ordered. The feeling that went through me was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I wasn’t just healing him, I was doing something beyond that, or rather Fel was working through me to do that. It was beyond healing, it was a miracle. A defect of a very profound level was being fixed, which explained why it never had been fixed by a cleric before. This was something that took serious power. I felt drained when it was done.
I had to rest a minute before I broke his arm, he didn’t even flinch, and the tears in his eyes were there before that.
“All these years I had prayed for a child, an heir, and I thought Feliogustus had closed his heart and his ears to me. I had turned from him and become bitter. I had become that which once I mocked, an old man interested only in power. But when Diament came to me last night, for all that I hated you for doing that which I could not; I could not bring myself to betray that last bit of myself. So I prayed to Feliogustus for guidance and help, and here I get the one thing I wanted most and knew I would never see.”
I really didn’t know what to say, though I could see at least one lesson in there. Then again, Fel’s hand had been limited here for a while. Maybe that was why Ramert’s prayer’s had gone unanswered before.
“You might want to take you wife down to the temple when you get healed,” I said turning for the door.
“Why?”
“I believe the high priestess knows a spell that causes women to cycle.” I turned back and saluted him, “Just thought you might like to know.” Then I left.
The sun was coming up when I got back to the room and Rachel was lying in bed awake, her tail tip tapping against the bed.
“Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for over an hour!” She mock growled at me.
“Eh, business. Now come here.”
“What business could you possibly have that would take you away from me at a time like this?” She questioned as I rejoined her on the bed.
I grinned, “Hey, if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have even met. If he wants to wake me in the middle of the night to deliver a message, I’ll deliver it.”
Rachel purred as I pulled her closer, “Oh, that kind of business. Okay, you’re forgiven.”
There were no council meetings that day; the next day however was rather interesting. Supposedly, councilors Ramert and Diament had both had accidents the day before, and while the priests were able to heal Ramert without any issues, Diament’s proved a bit more problematic, and his legs would be immobilized for a few weeks. So he’d have to be carried around if he needed to go anywhere.
I did see Ramert and Wreth talking briefly, and would have loved to have been privy to what was discu
ssed there. Wreth would get nowhere near me, and Ramert showed up late and asked to be excused early, claiming he was still recovering. Of course rumors had him shut up in his house most of the week, but unlike Diament I was pretty sure he wasn’t recovering or hiding from anything. More likely he was entertaining his pretty young wife.
Fel did tell me several days later in a dream that Ramert’s prayers had become almost verbatim dictations on everything he and Diament discussed.
“How do you know?” I asked curious.
“I’m a god, Will, what do you think?” He laughed at me. I knew that the other gods were still pressuring him, but Fel had become a much more joyous god since the war had ended.
“But I got the impression you only acted ‘cause Ramert told you about what was going on in his prayers?”
“Ah, no. I knew what was going on, and I was trying to figure out how best to deal with it. I am limited in just how I can intrude in the affairs of the world, there are rules we must all adhere to.”
“I’m lost,” I admitted.
“It wasn’t Ramert praying to me about what happened that caused me to take action, it was his praying to me and asking for me to help him do something about it. I simply answered his prayers. And because all of his previous prayers had been for me to help him, it was rather easy to answer his first prayer for me to help someone else.”
“You know, in D&D we called that being a ‘rules lawyer.’”
Fel laughed again, “Will, all gods are rules lawyers. And the best gods tend to be the best at it. The best part of all of this is Ramert’s not only still asking for guidance in how to best fulfill his duties to queen, country, and me, but he’s donating massive amounts of his estate to the church. Which of course means I get to answer even more of his prayers. He keeps this up and I’m going to have to find something really special to reward him with.”
I shook my head in disbelief; this whole god thing was strange. “So what happens next?”
“For you? Nothing really. Though I would appreciate it if you could lie low for a while.”
“Lie low how?”
“As in make yourself scarce for a year or so, as in go stay with your other wife.”
Portals of Infinity: Book One: Champion for Hire Page 11
