This was not a house!

Well, that was the first thing I thought as we crested the hill and what could only be described as a freaking wooden palace came into view. Freaking over achieving monster. What the heck was I going to do with all that space?

Nord laughed at my agape face as we began our decent toward the estate. Yes, that's was exactly what it was, an estate. Like the summer home of a princess or something. It was at least two story high and wide enough to fit six or seven normal houses in it. And I could not even see its entirety because or a twenty foot stone wall that extended from either side of the house and back around the back where the river flowed, the waterfall I had fallen in love with blocked from my view.

Even at this distance I could tell that the building was a master work of stone masonry and construction. I had been impressed by the goblin's stone city, carved out of the inside of a mountain, and the new wooden homes they had made for the foxes, but it was clear they spared no expense on this building.

The very front of the building was the single most impressive thing. I knew they intended to build me some sort of temple, or place of worship... but what I was looking at right now was astounding and fully too over the top. There were four, huge, two story stained glass windows that were catching the sun light fantastically. Three of the windows were gorgeous, but they were not depicting anything other than the artists skills. But the first of the four, on the left side of the building, was a masterful work of art.

Even at this distance I could see that it had fabulously stylized panels of my adventures over the last six months. At the top was a depiction of a silver haired woman in the woods sitting before an orange foxkin. Then under that was another picture of the same white haired woman standing before a wooden village. It went on and on, depicting my time in the village right up to my encounter with the goblins, then the battles we fought, and the last panel showed Margund defeating his father, freeing the goblins from the reign of their tyrannical former king.

So captivated was I by this art work that I nearly jumped out of Lagdon's lap when a resound "Welcome home Lady Enna!" boomed across my ear drums.

Startled, i lowered my gaze and finally saw that there was a sizable crowed of foxes and goblins gathered at the foot of a short, but grand, stone stair case leading up to the estate. I stared, probably open mouthed, at the sight of my new house mates. Most of the faces I recognized, if not their names, and all were smiling happily my way. When they saw that I had noticed them, they all bowed and Lagdon slipped out of his saddle behind me.

"welcome home Lady Enna." He said, and even though his face was still in its usually passive state I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I glared at the prince. "Its too big!" i hissed, horrified. I would get lost for sure! surly it was not a good sign for one's god to get lost wandering around their own house.

"Don't be like that Lady Enna." Chuckled Nord, also slipping out of his saddle. I saw Draxly and Brillum, two highly skilled foxie warriors, exchanged highly entertained glances behind his back and I glared at them too for good measure. "Our craftsmen spared no expense, this is true. But if you compare this to the temple atop the great mountain that had been made for Aeros it actually is quite modest. And yours is constructed with your people in mind."

I felt my shoulders slump. I really couldn't complain about that. Originally, when the building of this place was first brought up, it was suggested that the house- or temple really- would be constructed by the river for me to live in and for worshipers to make pilgrimages to when they wished to pay their deepest respects to their new Land God. They were going to build a small village about an hour away for the guards and attendants to live when they were not working, giving me space and privacy.

But I had stated that that made me a little sad. I had grown to love being so near the village and its people. In my last life I was confined to a single hospital room, locked into my own slowly dyeing body, with minimal to no human contact. I remember stating that it was going to be lonely. Probably at the look on my face, the goblins and foxes scrapped their original plan and began designing something completely new.

"We will all be living under the same roof Lady Enna." Said a goblin I recognized quite well. Mink stepped forward from the crowd and reached out a hand for the reigns of both Lagdon's rohgek and that of Nord's. Two other goblins dressed in leather armor stepped forward and began collecting the other strange monster mounts. "And I am honored by that, and by being a trusted member of your personal guard as well." She added with a bow, both hands still griping the reigns.

Giving up and just accepting that, yes, this was an absurdly massive home, but it wasn't without reason, and it was made with my desires at its heart. I really was touched and happy, if more than a little over whelmed.

Lagdon and Draxly escorted me around the crowded monsters, introducing me to some I did not know, and explain what each ones job would be going forward. I greeted each one- surprisingly more comfortable with this formal act than I thought I would be after all my interactions at the Gurten and the royal palace there no doubt. once the introduction was done, they would hurry off to attend to their duties. I was not shocked to learn that a party was planned for tonight. Monsters seemed to take every opportunity to throw a party, especially if drinking was involved.

"This is Drazdon," Lagdon said as we stepped to ward a short hobgoblin. By short I meant a respectable five foot nine which was still taller than myself. But quite short for a hobgoblin all the same. He was clearly older than most the others here, not including Nord that is, and had silvery white hair, green tinged skin and a dark eye patch over one eye. "He is the man responsible for the stained glass you see."

My eyes widened appreciatively as they darted from the man to the stunning art work above me. "That's amazing!" Was all I could manage.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The goblin laughed, along with a few others who were still milling about. "I am pleased that they are to your liking My Lady. Though most are just a mix of panels I had at the ready."

"Drazdon has been diligently working on that left most window since we showed him the blue prints for this place." Stated Nord, clapping the shorter hobgoblin on the shoulder. "And from what I understand, you are working on the next one are you not?"

"Oh yes!" Smiled Drazdon, the grin making him almost look boyish. "I am working quite diligently on a depiction of your glorious arrival at Gurten and of the gift of evolution you bestowed upon out people!"

"I bet those foolish traitors had wished they had stayed now." Growled Nord, making me shake my head in exasperation.

Just after Margund had defeated his father, but before he officially took the throne, many things needed working out, and reforms had to be made in the goblin kingdom. One of the hardest for the goblin's to take had been the confirmation that Aeros- who had favored the goblin's more than most the other monsters he ruled over- was truly gone and a new land god had risen to take his place. My existence had not gone over well with a select number of the goblin race. They refused to believe that Aeros was gone, claimed that I was simple a usurper to his title, and that Margund must be mind controlled by me and there fore a pretender to the throne.

It had looked as if war was going to break out. Margund had sent an envoy to the foxes with a message for me, telling me that they had quelled a kind of rebellion amongst the goblins and had detained the culprits. He was set to execute them for denying my rights as land god, and refusing to bend to either his will or my own.

In a bit of a panic I had sent the messenger back as fast as possible with a message of my own. I plead that he uphold the declaration I had made when he and I first met: if they did not want to accept that I was their god, that was fine. But they were no longer welcome on my lands. I asked that Margund show them leniency, and begged that he not make a liar out of me. If this group of goblins were not willing to accept the new normal, then banish them from these lands for good. They could go find their fortunes else where.

Thankfully Margund had agreed and made some big show of banishing the band of disbelievers. I was told that he announced that if any others wished to renounce me, and his own right to the goblin throne, than that was fine, but they were to gather their things now and leave with the 'traitors' immediately. Lagdon said that he made a very threatening claim that, from that day onwards, any discontented goblins would no longer fall under my mercy, but his. And his mercy was not nearly as magnanimous as their new gods.

I could only imagen what he had threatened the goblins with, but from what I understand, a goodly two hundred or so decided to leave, and were escorted to the nearest border and out of my lands. I decided not to comment on Margund's announcement, after all, I had decided long ago that I was not going to be a ruler over these lands, just a care taker. I might ask the leaders of deferent races to make changes from time to time, but I had no desire to be in charge of them all. Talk about a job I was not qualified for. Heck, I wasn't qualified for the one I already had!

It was a few weeks after their expulsion that Margund had been officially crowned and I evolved the goblins. As goblins no longer connected to me or my lands, the exiled would not have received my blessing. Eventually I would have better control over the energy flows i commanded and could probably better influence specific people. As it was, I could only do broad evolutions which consumed intense amounts of energy. So far the only direct change I managed to make was for Margund himself. I intentionally tried funneling just a little more of the magic his way, and it turned out quite well if I did say so myself.

Margund had not evolved into a hobgoblin nor a goblane. I had managed to get him to take on a special evolution, but luckily not the grotesque form of a goregek as his father had taken when Aeros had evolved him over two hundred years before. Margund had evolved into a goblin lord. He looked much like the hobgoblins but his evolution came with a lot more hidden skills that the others did not. Margund could passively boost the power and skills of his people as well as apply special magical buffs when the need arises. and that was on top of a much greater boost to his own base stats. Margund was, with out a doubt, the most powerful goblin to live in this forest nation of mine.

"Please don't worry about these men Nord. they are gone and someone else problem." I said, not unkindly.

"Should have been killed is what they should have been..."

"Nord!" Snapped Lagdon, making the older hobgoblin- a man who had trained the prince form a young age and was more like a father to him than his own had ever been- flinch and look mollified. "Do not contradict the Lady's words. Besides, we were no different than them when first we learned of Lady Enna. She asked that their lives be spared, and Margund saw fit to adhere to her kindness."

Nord sighed, "You are right of course." He then turned to me and bowed. "I am sorry Lady Enna, I meant no offence."

I raised my hands and waved him off. "No its fine. They are gone and we avoided needless blood shed. I am happy with the out-come, but don't expect everyone to be happy with it."

After that Lagdon had everyone return to their duties, taking his job as basically the boss around here very seriously. Technically I was in charge, but I couldn't deny that he was far more experienced than myself so I let him get on with it. When he tried to order around some of the attendants, however, Trixie put her foot down and it made me smile.

"Sir Lagdon! I would ask that you not tell my people what to do!" She had snapped at the hobgoblin that towered over her and made other grown men cry at times. "If you have issue than please direct your concerns my way. Unless, that is, you have decided to trade in your club for an apron?"

Many of us did our best not to laugh out loud behind Lagdon's back as he was left scrambling for a response. Lagdon, a prince of the goblin race, and a man who was used to getting his way and people fearing him, had no defense against the little foxmen woman.

Trixie was about my own height and about the same age as Brixie. She had milky white skin, lots of blonde curls often held in a bun, and soft burgundy colored fox ears and tail. She was a beautiful but stern woman, easily keeping the attendants and the guards in line while also making sure my every comfort was met. She had departed for the estate about a week ago, making sure everything was just right for my arrival.

The second her eyes left the fish lipped Lagdon and landed on me her entire baring changed. I was baffled as to why, but Trixie seemed to absolutely adore me. I was touched and just a little smothered. Her only daughter died to illness before my arrival to this world and she seems to have directed all that love and attention my way.

"Lady Enna, it is so good to finally see you again!" She said, her face radiant as she gave me a slight bow before pulling me into a light hug. she backed off and straightened out her skirt and apron. "I have everything ready in your rooms, Lady Enna. Your belongings have been brought ahead of time and I made sure that the estate tailors have a fine selection of robes for you to change into. I also made sure the baths have been emptied of others so that you may wash the road from your body in peace."

Rooms? Ugh, how many rooms? I suddenly had a feeling that more than a little of this crazy mansion was dedicated to me personally than I would like.