Lily walked away from Ygg’drasil, her thighs screaming at her until she hit herself with a regenerate. She had gone up on a ride—but forgotten it would go through the gate. Walking down a twenty flights of stairs pregnant had been unpleasant.
At the bottom, a small entourage, including Molly and George, awaited her.
“Well, shall start the—” George started, but Molly just put her finger on his lips.
Then the sexy, brown-skinned wood elf walked over to Lily and gave her a gentle hug. Lily was almost shocked—they had never been super close, certainly not hugging close. Although Molly wasn’t one for decorum, but still…
Molly whispered, “He’ll be fine, and he’ll come back to you. You’ll do great here. Now, I think we should pass on the business today—we can afford one day off. We have other, more important things to do.”
George started to say something, but it quickly turned into wracking coughs that shook his whole body. Blood hit his hand. Lily cringed inside, hating that he was in pain. She reached over and touched his shoulder, using her regenerate ability, expending the essence to heal him. It wouldn’t help with the long-term effects of the cancer, but she could take the pain away and stop secondary damage, to a degree.
After he had recovered, he waved his hand. “There isn’t anything important to do today, anyway. You can take the day for whatever craziness you have in mind, Molly.”
“Thank you, George,” she said, gently putting her hand on his arm and then kissing his forehead. “I pray to our mother, Iluvin Eturia, that the research will work and your death can be prevented. No matter your past, you’re a flower that the forest will be plainer without.”
“Um, yeah, thank you.” George said, rubbing at his wispy white hair, a gesture that reminded Lily of Leo. She wondered if he had picked the affectation up from her paramour.
“So, why call off business?” Lily asked Molly.
Molly faced her with a mischievous smile, but then spoke in flawless and uninflected High Averian. “In the social tone between closest friends: You are with child, a gift of Iluvin Eturia, goddess of Wyld, goddess of elves, goddess of fertility. Blessings and happiness to you: It is rightful that we celebrate this in the old ways. Good ways: We must do the traditional rite of growth, the long bathing, and the exchange of flowers: The previous is obviously true and rightful:
Lily stared at Molly, tears of happiness coming to her eyes, hidden behind the illusion that she always wore. All of the ones that I considered my friends aren’t elves, or are… damaged… in some way. Or male. I had thought I wouldn’t get to do these things.
Also, I didn’t even know Molly knew High Averian, nor how to speak it so fluently. She’s full of special abilities.
Lily felt a smile overtaking her features. I also hadn’t known she thought of me as a friend. I always felt weird around her because Leo thinks she’s pretty. That was… unworthy of me.
“Thank you,” Lily said in a heartfelt whisper.
“First, we shall head to the temple of Iluvin Eturia, for the less fun but still extremely important blessing of Iluvin Eturia. Now, don’t be mad, but since its nearly a mile away in the Temple District, I arranged a palanquin for you—at private expense. Please don’t say no. We all know you’re strong, but today, just let me take care of you, okay?”
Lily nodded.
“They should be here in a few moments, and then we can get started.”
***
What constituted a temple to a god was very different for every deity, of which there were hundreds active on Beldin and thousands known throughout the world. For Iluvin Eturia, the temples usually appeared as beautiful gardens or wondrous natural features surrounded by beautifully worked fences with benches and a podium somewhere near the center. Sometimes even less than that. But Molly had restored the original church in Star Port, and that had been built in more traditional Averian style. It was a huge marble building with nature paid due only in the form of a few small gardens, some great statues, and beautiful flowerpots on the inside. Huge rows of pews, occupied by elves from the kingdom, faced a massive dais and altar, on which lay Roothammer, the divine artifact of Iluvin Eturia—a weapon Lily had once seen Molly wield in war. There with only a small patch of earth and a few plants, magically maintained, in the center between the dais and the pews.
It was in that spot that Lily found herself now, with her huge belly completely exposed, from just above her genitals to just below her breasts. She lay back, with two elves supporting her on their knees and holding her comfortably. One was Kylvenia Starwynd, the metallic-platinum haired expert in early Averian history that she had studied at Lakeside university with, and the other was Kemi, of all people—the elf who she had jokingly thrown at Leo who had then tried to be his mistress.
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She wasn’t sure why Molly had brought her to be one of the people supporting her, but Lily had to admit that Kemi looked radiant, a smile threatening to break her face apart. She and Kylvenia both held Lily gently as Molly sprinkled Lily’s belly with soft dirt.
Molly was speaking, her face to the dirt, one hand palm down, the other sprinkling dust over Lily. Molly spoke loud enough for the people throughout the pews—almost all women—to hear, so it was a bit of overkill to Lily, who was right next to her.
“We call upon your blessing, Iluvin Eturia. Grant this child your mantle—the mantle of growth, of the rise of life. The fertility of the world that you bring forth from the wellspring of the Sea of Chaos, made Wyld through your lens. May this child be bathed in the magic of life and nature, the magic that the elves command. May this child be as powerful as a dragon and as wise as a dryad. May this child know true life.”
“May this child know true life,” the crowd murmured long with Lily.
“In symbology of which, we sprinkle this soil, fertile soil that many plants were grown in, that animals were fed from, that elves sustained themselves on. The soil that started the glorious cycle of life that is your purview. May this soil carry your blessing to the child as it carried your blessing to the world.”
“May it carry the blessing to the child,” the crowd murmured again.
Lily briefly thought of Leo as Molly continued to invoke Iluvvin Eturia’s blessing. She was half sad he was missing from this moment in their life, but also half glad. Leo didn’t believe, not really. Gods were just powers to him, and at the end of the day Leo didn’t ever believe in anyone—not even a god. He only believed in abstract concepts, things she didn’t understand, like separation of powers—as if having multiple people rule was better than having one truly good, wise, and powerful person rule. Having him here would have simultaneously been wonderful and yet somehow tainted the asking of the blessing of the goddess.
Lily knew that Molly thought very highly of Leo and wondered if she had waited to do this because she felt the same way and didn’t want him to taint the ritual either. Certainly no one had a problem with him presiding over non-deity specific rituals like the festival of impending flowers.
As Molly wrapped up the blessing, the three helped Lily to her feet and brushed her belly with the ceremonial giant leaves. Then Lily re-established her illusions.
“Shall we get to the long bath, now?” Molly asked.
Lily nodded, a smile threatening to crack her own face.
***
“Thanks again for inviting me, duchess Willowynd,” Ivilunae ap Belmoria il Mosstone—Ivy—said. She was was floating next to Lily, only her head above water. Her sparkling indigo eyes and broad smile were a thing of beauty.
Lily, who was floating on a smooth wooden pallet face down, being massaged by two of the most skilled pair of hands she could imagine, muttered, “For the George’s daughter-in-law, and the one that helped stop the old one from manifesting, it’s the least I could do.”
She reached out lazily and lightly slapped the water near Ivy. “Plus, you’re a priest of Neruvin Cerivae now. Head of the church of kindness. You’re politically important now, so it was expedient.”
Ivy smiled. “Seems odd, but I suppose. Still, thank you. Sorry to bother you, duchess.”
Ivy turned and paddled away.
Lily groaned in pleasure as a knot in her shoulder was loosened by a particularly expert twist of a hand.
The water was warm, the sun was warm, and her thoughts were warm. Around her, numerous elves floated—all female in the gender divided pools, as opposed to just mostly female as before. People came to her like Ivy had, wishing her well. A procession of people she hadn’t known cared at all. A dark part of her wondered how much they truly cared for her or would be there when she was magicless, but part of her didn’t care—she enjoyed their company and attention, and she knew in her heart that Leo, Hugh, Neha, Andul… they would all be there for her. Today she could enjoy being treated like the Queen she hoped to be someday.
She lay her head down on the board as hands worked their own special magic on her.
***
Molly’s mansion was beautiful. It combined all the best features of the Aerian building style with an absolute riot of plants. The central room, which a hallway went around on one side, broke the mansion into almost four segments, as it was completely uncovered—a huge, center of the house garden. A ton of furniture had been arrayed, and a magical ritual kept most bugs out—butterflies and bees allowed in—and the air cool. A huge pile of gifts surrounded Lily. Many were actual flowers, but some were extravagant. Crystal flowers. Cakes made from flour as their base. Magical flowers they could try and cultivate.
And most of the nobility, ministers, and richest merchants were around, all congratulating her on the future heir to the kingdom.
Lily knew in her heart that Leo would have found this all silly, but she loved it. It was what life was supposed to be about. Leo might want to protect everyone, but it was so they could have this life. Beauty mattered. Happiness mattered. She loved him for making all this possible and safe, but it was all this that made life wonderful.
Molly clapped her hands and laughed. “For the final gift, I offer you something that I couldn’t possibly make out to be a flower. I think this gift rejects flower-hood with all its being.”
She clapped her hands a second time, and a hall door opened. In strode a deep elf. He was thin and medium-tall for an elf, about five-foot-seven. He had dusky skin, white hair cut short, and yellow eyes. A shadow moved around his body, an almost black aura that moved and even briefly appeared like a duplicate of the elf. He wore leather armor and had a massive axe over his left shoulder and a necklace with a pink gem embedded in it on his chest, the only color in his entire ensemble. The elf was slightly flushed as he looked around the crowd, like a rusted sword in a silverware drawer.
“Zir!” Lily exclaimed, happily.