Then she leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to his lips. Her free hand coming up to lightly touch his jaw.
Several seconds passed before she pulled back, and then stood up.
“You’re welcome, I suppose? I mean… it’s certainly no chore to me to make love to a pretty lady?” Ryker asked, looking up to her. He hadn’t expected her words, or the kiss, and he was having a bit of a hard time controlling his rapidly accelerating heartrate.
Nodding her head once, she stepped away from him, her face blazing as bright red as a cherry, only to grab a nearby chair and plate, then drag it over next to him. She set it down practically atop his, rather than her customary seat at the other end of the table. Sitting down in it she then reached over to start filling her plate.
“Will Adele and Claire be joining us?” Diane asked, using a fork to delicately select what she wanted.
“I don’t think so. Adele tends to sleep in, and Claire is already at work. I caught up with her before she left. She’s working on taxes right now. Apparently she wants to make sure it’s all put together now so we don’t have to dig through it later,” Ryker said, scooping an entire section of cheese onto his plate with his hand.
Diane eyed him and lightly tapped the back of his hand with her fork. “Use the utensils.”
Ryker took the fork from her and began using it.
She gave him a tired sigh, and simply got another.
“She hinted at the fact that if she didn’t get it sorted now, she was afraid we’d have ‘missing coins’ down the road.”
“Ah… yes. That’s actually pretty accurate. I’m glad she’s taking care of it. Though… about Adele?” Diane asked, leaving the question open.
“She’s actually working, just not in the way we’re thinking. She’s been working with the guard and doing a lot of late night patrols. With how much the city is growing, crime will be a problem for a while yet.”
Diane nodded her head. “Mother is sending her next batch of recruits this way. Around ten thousand strong. They’ll be trained out to the east.”
“Oh. Should I be concerned? That many soldiers is bound to create some security issues and problems with the citizens.”
“Mm. Very likely I suppose. Work with the commander as best as you can. As my husband he should give you a certain amount of respect but… technically he owes you nothing. Nor me. He works for my mother.”
“Ah… that seems… problematic.”
“I’m sure you can handle it. It won’t be for too long and I’m sure the issues won’t be too much. We can always use the soldiers to suppress the peasantry if they get out of hand. Unfortunate, but a reality,” Diane said.
Ryker’s thoughts ran in a similar pattern. Diane was right of course. If it came down to it, the problem could be used in actually solving it. It’d also divert the anger back to the soldiers, not Ryker at all.
“Wynne, are you listening in?” Ryker sent out.
“Yes. I’m already prepping for it. We took in a small village of Fairies last night. I’ll have them create temporary animal avatars and spy on them. They can earn their keep through that for now,” Wynne responded.
“Thanks, Queen Wynne. As your King, I appreciate you.”
Wynne sniffed—Ryker wasn’t sure how she managed to communicate that—and cut contact.
The feelings he was getting from her in the bond were the same as ever. Mild annoyance, pride, excitement, yearning, and anger.
She must be in a good mood. Probably from taking over another group of Fairies.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to entertain you tonight though, husband. Though I wish I actually could,” Diane said, her face showing a flicker of displeasure. “Despite your… energetic attempts, I’m afraid we’ve been unsuccessful so far at producing an heir. I’m entering my moon period.”
“Ah. Well, that’s fine by me. All that really means is I get to keep trying.”
He wasn’t about to say that he was glad to hear that and would wish for them to fail forever. He didn’t actually want to be a father right now and had been looking for any excuse to not do the deed with any of his three wives.
His Fairies were certainly getting midday workouts to help him blow off steam. Tris seemed especially eager and always made herself available.
“I’ll make sure Claire knows that she’ll be attending you,” Diane said almost regretfully. “It’s a pity she wasn’t born into my own family. She’s rather diligent and is quite easy to work with.”
Hm. Let’s hope Claire won’t show up tonight.
***
Edwin grumped, moving back and forth at the table. Practically gyrating.
He and Ryker were sitting at a table beside a building. Drinking and eating a light midday meal. It was on a patch of land overlooking the marshaling field for the newly arrived untrained army.
And boy was it a sight.
Thousands of untrained boys and men swaggering around as if they’d already won the war.
“They’ll learn soon enough,” said Edwin. “War is an ugly thing. No one gets out the same. You leave part of yourself behind. The ones who are smart that is. The ones who survive. The ones who try to rationalize it… live with it… they don’t come back.”
Ryker didn’t know about war.
He knew dungeons and farming.
“Diane didn’t seem too troubled about what this’ll mean for the common folk,” Ryker said.
“Course not. In her eyes, the army is worth more than most of the population here. The only reason she’s even willing to talk about it is that the city supports the dungeon. And you. Seems like to me you’ve got her heart wrapped up around your finger,” drawled the ex-military man. “Or another bit.”
“Better that than the alternative.”
“That’s true. Word is that her mother was prepared to have you thrown in a cell and have her daughter take over in your name. It’d all be couched as you being too sick to rule and your loving wife taking over for you but… same thing in the end. Prison cell or a grave.”
“I’m glad we understand one another.”
“Most certainly. Doesn’t solve the problem though. What do you want to do about this?” Edwin said, gesturing at the camp.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Yep. Nothing. Not a thing. Until they create a problem or make a nuisance of themselves, there’s not much we can do. While I understand what’s going to happen, I’ll not be putting my own safety and security above others. We can increase patrols, make sure the city guard knows their business. Ensure yon general knows our expectations, but that’s it for me. For now.”
“Very count-like of you, Count,” Edwin said.
“Oh? And what would you do, friend? Hm?”
Edwin fell silent at that. He seemed at a loss for words.
“That’s the problem right there. There isn’t a good answer right now. Trying to get in front of anything that hasn’t even happened yet will just make us a target. No… let it be.”
Both men fell silent. Minutes passed.
“Watching the idiot brigade?” Adele said as she stepped up beside Ryker.
“Yep. We just decided that there’s not much we can do for the time being. Up patrols, tell the guards what to expect, tell their general to fuck off, and that’s it,” Ryker said.
Adele grunted and pulled a flask out from her tunic and pressed it to her lips.
She paused in the act of taking a swig, her brow creased.
Slowly, she lowered the flask, staring at it.
“Empty again?” Ryker asked, looking from her to the flask.
“Huh? I… that is… uh,” Adele said. Her face took on a strange expression.
“That’d be my cue. I’ll see you later, your Count-yness,” Edwin said, getting up and walking way.
Adele nodded at him as he walked by. She looked back out to the soldiers working in the field. Abruptly, she turned the flask over and began pouring the contents out onto the ground
.
“You alright?” Ryker asked.
Her drinking had definitely increased since being forced into the situation she now found herself in. Not that he could blame her.
The first few times after their first night together, whenever Diane had sent her his way, she’d been blind stinking drunk. To the point that he wasn’t sure she could remember if they had sex or not.
That had stopped recently, but it still happened.
“That goody-goody from Tali came to see me,” Adele said, capping the flask once it was empty.
“Oh?”
Out in the field, sergeants were rounding up privates and putting them into dressed ranks. There wasn’t much in the way of discipline. The only thing keeping most of it together was the officer corps. That and the non-commissioned veterans who’d been pulled from other outfits.
Could probably use that to my advantage. If I was able to remove their leadership, their discipline would fall apart. It’d become anarchy, wouldn’t it?
Though that’s the problem. If it became anarchy, would they take it out on Dungeon?
Adele leaned up against the wall beside Ryker.
Tearing his gaze away from the soldiers, he turned his head and looked up at her.
“And?”
“And apparently drinking while pregnant is a problem,” Adele muttered. “She came to tell me that I should stop. Immediately. If I did, there… there wouldn’t be any problems if I got pregnant.”
“Pregnant,” Ryker repeated.
“Yeah. Pregnant. And… well… I… this isn’t exactly how I wanted to get married but… I want… I want to make… whatever this is… work.”
“Uh huh.”
“I know I’m no lady. I know very well that I’m not a refined woman of grace. I know you’ve caught me picking my nose and farting and… and…”
“I caught you once with your hand down your own pants in the inn.”
He still wasn’t sure if he’d caught her drunkenly rubbing one out or scratching.
“Yeah. That, too,” she said softly. “I’m not exactly what a man would want as a wife, but I want to at least… at least try. Fuck I’m awful at this. Am I even making sense?”
“Yes. Yes you are. And I get it. We talked a bit about it before, remember? You weren’t even sure Lauren would ever let you get married, let alone have children. Now you’ve been signed out of the royal line, handed over to me bodily, and told to behave.”
“Is it terrible that I can admit to myself I’m enjoying it? That my cousin’s kingdom, my family’s throne, is being assaulted and I’m playing homemaker as one wife amongst three. What the shit is that about?”
“What’s it about? It’s about getting something you wanted, even if only a fraction of it. Is it shameful? Sure. But your choices are enjoy it or hate it. There isn’t much else you can do.”
“I could fight. I could fight and—”
“Get killed,” Ryker said, interrupting her. “You’re one woman. The entire Royal Garrison was killed to the last, remember? Your own head was on the chopping block. They viewed you as nothing other than a corpse. All you’d accomplish by fighting is putting your head back on that block.”
“But… it’s my family, Ryker. It’s Lauren.”
Taking a steadying breath, Ryker looked back out to the soldiers in the field.
“No one can hear you right now. You have no one listening in,” Wynne said in his mind.
“I take it that’s your way of telling me I should let her know that I’m working in favor of Lauren?”
“It’d help. I think. She seems to be fraying apart rather quickly. Besides, I like her. She was always kind to me.”
“Adele,” Ryker said, saying her name forcefully.
The woman’s eyes flicked to him sharply.
“I’m not just… quietly taking this situation and turning on Lauren. I married Diane willingly to preserve you and Claire. If I had a clear path back to Lauren I’d take it in a heartbeat. Until such a time as that path shows up, I plan on doing what I can to help her from here, and to keep my head on its shoulders. The dead can do nothing for the living, other than feed worms.”
“You are?” Adele asked cautiously.
“I am. But it’s not exactly something I can act on just willy nilly. I have to be careful. The moment Diane suspects something, she’ll probably kill you, me, and Claire without a moment of concern.”
Ryker turned his head to look at Adele again
“I’m not so sure about you… she seems rather smitten with you,” Adele said with a sour smirk on her face.
“She’s young. Barely eighteen. She was forced into a marriage that she didn’t want. I’m giving her attention and respect in a situation where she expected none, and has been given none from her family. Seems rather straightforward to me.”
“So you’re using her?”
“For the time.”
“And if you put your child in her?”
“We’ll see what happens when the time comes.”
“And if you put your child in me?”
“Uh… we’ll… see what happens—”
“Bad answer,” Adele said threateningly.
“We’ll raise it together?” he tried again.
“Better answer. You’re a poor husband, but you’re still my husband,” Adele said. Leaning down she planted a kiss on his lips and then smacked him on the shoulder as she stood up.
“Claire’s busy tonight. Diane tracked me down and told me I’d be attending to your needs this evening. I’ll see you later in my room. Look forward to it, husband,” she said, and then left him there. Scratching at her ass as she went.
Such a delicate flower of femininity.
Charlotte stepped out of a shadow nearby and sauntered over to him. She grabbed the edge of the table and bent over towards him. She reached up and adjusted her collar, drawing his attention to her chest. The top button on her tunic stretched, threatening to burst.
She wasn’t as flirty as Marybelle, or as eager as Tris, but she had her own way of doing things. Grinning, he held up a finger.
“It’s your turn I take it?” Ryker asked.
“Yes. Yes it is. My queen also wishes a word with you in person this evening. I told her I’d fetch you and bring you back,” Charlotte admitted.
“After your turn,” Ryker clarified.
“After my turn,” Charlotte agreed, smiling at him.
Fun.
“Lead on then. Did you have anywhere in particular in mind?”
Tris had picked some real experimental locations for her own adventures.
“In the dungeon. I made several rooms and an area for myself. It’s where I keep my core, body, and avatar. I call it home and welcome you into it. Tris and Marybelle did the same. Her highness hasn’t selected anyone to be Gatekeeper yet, but everyone is aware there are other cores available,” Charlotte said.
Turning on her heel, she sauntered off, her hips swaying as she went.
Chapter 20- Weeds -
Ryker looked around the room as he walked in, the wooden door shutting behind him.
There was no mistaking it as anything other than an entryway.
It’d been decorated in a way similar to that of the homes in Dungeon. Complete with human furniture that Wynne had no way to actually use. Like a bench with cubbyholes for shoes and boots.
“Take your boots off and put them away,” Wynne called from deeper in the house.
Because that’s what this was. A house, in a dungeon.
I wonder if there are windows, and what they look out onto.
He had expected it to a degree after seeing Charlotte’s own version of this. Certainly hers wasn’t as large as Wynne’s, but the same concept.
There was no way anyone could get to where the Fairies had made their homes without modifying the dungeon as they went. Which meant it was as safe as it could be.
I wonder if Tris and Marybelle are in this area too. Charlotte was just down the hall.
“Yes, they’re in the same corridor,” Wynne called from up ahead.
“Sure you can’t read my mind?”
“Of course I can’t, my silly king. But I can read your emotions. You’re a very straightforward man. No politics. Almost no ability to barter. Easy to guess what you’re curious about when you keep all that in mind. I personally appreciate it. It makes you wonderful to deal with.”
Frowning, Ryker turned his focus to their bond. He could sense mischief, pride, joy, and a touch of… fear… from Wynne.
Sitting down on the bench, Ryker did as he was told. Shifting himself around he lifted a foot up and peeled the boot off, quickly followed by the second one. He turned them sideways and fit them into a cubbyhole.
Getting back up he looked one way then the other down the hallways. Choosing the one closest he wandered down it. He passed through what would be considered a living room. Then a dining room. Finally he found her in what was clearly a kitchen. There was a stone counter in the center, cabinetry that you’d find in a merchant’s home, and a large number of various utensils strewn throughout.
Not to mention the remains of a mess. At a glance he guessed it was what was left over after making a meal.
There was one giant surprise waiting for him though.
It was Wynne.
She was huge.
Five foot one at least and bent over a large cauldron she was staring into. In addition, her original hourglass frame on her tiny body had expanded. She had what men would have described as devilish and soul stealing curves. Her large wings fluttered gently behind her as she stood there.
Intentional or not, she was giving him quite a view down the top of her dress.
“Holy crap, Wynne. You’re…” Ryker ended up not being able to finish that sentence.
“Human sized?” Wynne asked, looking up from a stew pot. She gave him a wide smile. “You clearly made some more cores. Unless you broke that promise to me though, you haven’t handed them out to anyone?”
“I… yeah,” Ryker said, pulling his eyes off her displayed cleavage and latching them to her face. “The three you know of, one for the door keeper, and three more that I’ve buried in the farmhouse. Made them last night. Plan to make more as well.”
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