Marie sat in her office, pouring over some administrative documents, when a knock came at the door. “Come in,” she replied succinctly.

The cat-human maid Kay entered, curtsying and handing Marie a letter. “It's from Melissandra.”

Marie immediately dropped what she was doing to tear open the letter, closed with the royal seal she had given Melissandra when they left. Melissandra had kept her aware of how their travels had went (including interludes at Emma's family's farm and Loren) but news should be arriving any day now of their arrival at the Cartegna estate. The letter stated:

Marie,

We have arrived at the Cartegna estate. The talks went well and Mac and Eleanor have agreed to become engaged.

'Phew' Marie let out a sigh of relief. Based on the letters she had received, Mac had seemed to warm up to women on his travels, since it seemed like two more had joined them (although Melissandra had left their status with Mac vague). She was surprised to see there was a lot more to the letter, since Melissandra was usually succinct with her messages. It continued:

Additionally, Mac has asked me for my hand in marriage, and I accepted. I must apologize as I misunderstood one of our earlier conversations, and that was actually Mac's intentions all along, but we have worked things out and it is official now. I discussed with Eleanor and we agreed my wedding should occur first, so she can focus on moving while we plan, and hers will follow soon after. I am sorry to spring this on you, but I was hoping to have it in just a couple weeks, although I'm sure you would also prefer it to be as soon as possible as well. I will keep you informed of the progress of our travels.

I included a guest list. Mac only asked for his guards to be allowed to attend.

Melissandra Toulouse

Marie blinked a few times as she couldn't believe her eyes. If he was just going to marry Melissandra anyway, this whole thing was pointless! Marie thought. No, no, if he hadn't gone then this may never have happened...she tried to reassure herself.

Marie swapped to the other paper included with the letter. The guest list was quite short. The first few were unsurprising, including Kay, Tillie (the head maid), Eleanor, and the two other women they were traveling with. While they all would have been able to attend anyway, being one of her honored guests meant they could sit near the bride and groom at the main table, and would have front row seats at the ceremony. It's good she seems to be getting along with them well. That bodes well for the future royal family...

The last one on the list, however, was not someone Marie knew of. It was an address for a family in Pearie. Is it someone she knows from shopping in the capital? Or maybe someone they met after they left?

Marie decided not to worry about it, and handed the letter to Kay, who had been standing silently in case Marie needed her to do something.

Kay took it gingerly, “Is it...?”

Marie nodded, “Yes, it's good news.”

Kay quickly read over the letter, her face lighting up until she had a full grin on her face by the end. “Nyahaha, you did it Mel!” she exclaimed.

“She did, didn't she?” Marie smiled back. “Well, we need to start preparing, things are about to get busy in the palace.”

More Travels

Mac stood in a field next to the Cartegna mansion. Behind him, Melissandra, Emma, Felicia, and Eleanor, were all looking at him expectantly. While they were discussing different topics over lunch, somehow the topic of Mac's magic ability came up. While he had shown Melissandra once at the palace, the other three were all intrigued and asked for a demonstration.

Mac, maybe because he wanted to show off for his fiance's, agreed and said he would try something new.

Ugh, I hope I can actually do this after I talked myself up. I'm pretty sure I can though... he thought, readying himself.

Focusing his mind, he imagined himself shooting a bolt of lighting into the sky. With a loud 'crack!', what he imagined became reality, as a bolt of lightning came out of his palm and shot into the sky.

I did it! I...he thought, before feeling woozy. Dammit! I thought I would...Mac fell over barely catching himself with his hand.

“Mac!” he heard shouted by multiple girls at once, who all rushed over to him.

Eleanor held him up, “That was intense! Are you okay?” before starting to glow faintly.

Eleanor's magic was the ability to cure magic-related exhaustion. While Mac had thought it was quite interesting, it still would cause the user to get exhausted, so it could only be used sparingly.

Of course, that wasn't going to stop Eleanor from using it full blast on her new fiance.

Mac cracked a weak smile, “I'm fine Eleanor, no need to wear yourself out.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, a bead of sweat on her forehead.

“Yes, thank you for worrying though” Mac smiled back at her, wiping the bead off her face.

“Ummmoo, not to ruin your lovey-dovey mood, but I was worried about you too!” Emma interjected.

“Thanks Emma,” Mac responded, smiling at her too.

“Still though, that was awesome! I'm jealous of all you magic users” Emma said, pouting a bit.

Melissandra shrugged, “Are you sure you don't? It might not be much, but we can see if Marie will test you when we get back.”

According to what Marie had told him, generally only nobles could use magic. Besides Eleanor's exhaustion cure, Melissandra was able to create cold and freeze things, and Marie was able to produce fire. And of course Mac's lightning magic.

Emma nodded. “I won't get my hopes up though. I know commoners are usually pretty weak even when they do.” She thought for a moment, “Actually, are we going back now?”

The four of them looked at Mac.

“Wha-what?” he asked, standing up as he regained his strength.

Melissandra grabbed his hand, “I think Marie will need time to plan our...wedding” she blushed as she got out 'wedding'. “We should be able to travel a bit more, if you want.”

“The mountain! Let's go to the mountain!” Emma added, pointing to the same ones she had pointed out back her family's farm.

Mac took the sight of them in. Towering up, they were markedly closer than they had been when he looked out at them from Emma's farm. Well, I kind of did want too... “If everyone is fine with it, I like that idea.”

Emma did a fist pump. “Alright, let's go.”

Eleanor added, “We can get to the dwarf city of Stromvurk from here in a day and a half.”

Mac flashbacked to Marie's lesson on dwarves: “Dwarves usually live in their own cities, which they build inside of mountains. They can live for several hundred years, and generally prefer jobs like mining, smithing, and anything else involving minerals and metals.”

Snapping back to the present (as that was all he could remember offhand), Mac nodded. “I'd like to see the view from the mountain as well. And the dwarf city, too.”

After letting the guards know, they prepared to leave that afternoon, as if they made good time, they could make it to Stromvurk before the end of tomorrow.

Eleanor, in particular, was excited to be traveling with them for the first time. “I'm so glad I get to join all of you! This is so exciting!” she exclaimed, while they were walking out to the carriage to depart. While Eleanor needed to prepare for moving to the capital (and her own wedding), her father had had been insistent that she join Mac and the others for this leg of the journey, insisting he could take care of things for a few days, since they would return to the estate on the way home.

“It feels like we didn't do much adventuring, and it's mostly been Mac picking up women” Melissandra replied. She was no longer wearing her maid uniform, since the guards and everyone else had been informed of their engagement, instead wearing her favorite blouse and skirt combo.

Errk, I can't even deny that Mac thought, wincing at the comment.

“We need to keep an eye on him, don't we!? If he takes any more there won't be room in the carriage!” Emma added.

Melissandra shrugged, “Well, we should probably be okay in Stromvurk...”

“Why is that? It's not like there won't be woman there, right?” Emma asked inquisitively.

“Yes but...” Melissandra paused, “...I'm not sure if dwarf woman would appeal to Mac's taste.”

“Why? It's not like he only likes human girls,” Emma replied, tickling Felicia's bunny ears, which caused her to get put into a headlock and get a hair scruffing in retaliation.

“Yes, but there's a difference between beast-human's like Felicia and dwarves” Melissandra explained.

Eleanor, who was looking at all of them in turn, added, “Mac seems to like woman of all shapes and sizes though. He might find a cute dwarf girl, too.”

They all turned to look at Mac, who was walking slightly in front of them.

Melissandra sighed, “You're right, we best be careful.”

“You know I can hear all of you, right?” Mac protested, although his voice sounding already defeated. While he wasn't upset they were getting along, he didn't like some of what they were implying.

Melissandra replied, “I'm not saying you can't, but you need to get our approval now too.”

“I'll be okay with anyone you choose, Mac. The more cute little sisters, the better,” Eleanor added, imitating Emma's fist pump.

“Alright, alright. I've got enough to worry about with you four anyway.”

Reaching the carriage, Mac got in. As he sat down, he noticed the four of them whisper quietly amongst themselves (well, more accurately, three of them were and Felicia didn't seem too bothered). After a quick discussion, Eleanor got in first and sat next to him, while the other three sat on the other side facing them.

Eleanor grabbed his arm and inserted it between her breasts, holding onto him tightly. Emma seemed to look envious.

“I'm not gonna run away from you...” Mac said, but didn't try to remove his arm.

“The road might get bumpy though, I don't want you to get hurt” Eleanor said, smiling back.

As they rolled along the road, the conversation was fairly lively, everyone being in a good mood from the previous couple days. Emma, in particular, was curious about everything regarding nobility and royalty, not having learned much about it on her farm. Currently, they were talking about (unsurprisingly) the intricacies of Houses and marriage.

“So, when you marry a noble, you leave your house and join theirs?” Emma asked.

Melissandra nodded, “Yes. You would be a part of, and working for, the benefit of the new house you joined. At least theoretically you should be, but it's not unheard of for people to marry into families as spies, although it is quite rare. More often they will try to use a concubine or servant to spy and get information on another house.”

Mac looked confused, “Are you saying Kay was spying on me at the palace?”

Melissandra nodded. “Yes. It makes sense for her family to want info on you...or us. It would be a different story entirely if she were to, say, undermine something we were doing instead.”

Mac nodded in understanding. “I don't think Kay would do something like that.”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, I don't think so either. She's one of the few I trust.”

Emma seemed deep in thought. “Is it normal to have marriage contracts like Eleanor? Do you need to make one too?”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes, Marie will probably draft one up as soon as she receives word. Since I'm the only remaining member of House Toulouse, it'll just be absorbed into the royal family. Although all I have is a small amount of money stashed away and some empty land in the south of the country.”

Mac grimaced, “We don't need to-” before Melissandra stopped him.

“No, it's okay, I know that's not why you're marrying me, but it's better to do so for administrative reasons.”

“Wait, so you'll be joining Mac's house? Do you have a bunch of stuff since you're the King?” Emma continued.

Mac shook his head, “Uh, not really. Marie talked to me about it, but basically all I really have is the palace and staff, the royal guards, and a small amount in the palace coffers. At the time, I didn't really think about it much, but now...I'm kinda worried.”

Eleanor pumped her arm, “Don't worry, you'll have all of House Cartegna too! Although, we don't have a ton of money either, things being what they are.”

I didn't realize just how important it was, but that was part of the reason I even considered Eleanor's offer in the first place. That makes me feel a bit scummy, honestly...

Emma, however, was thinking along the same lines. “Is that why you accepted Eleanor's offer?”

Mac looked down, “I...can't pretend like that wasn't part of it.”

Eleanor leaned over and gave him a reassuring hug, “You don't need to feel bad. Just because it was arranged doesn't mean our marriage can't be a happy one.” She let go, blushing a bit, “Besides, I think I have an idea of how you feel about me.”

Does she mean last night? Mac thought, remembering the...intimate....time they had shared.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to dwell on it too long, as Emma's curiosity wasn't sated yet. “Is it a problem if the royal family doesn't have a lot of money?”

“Yes, it's hard for us to do a whole lot for the country if we can't pay for it. We collect taxes, but we can't just go around asking for extra money, especially when everyone else is struggling too” Mac answered. “I have some ideas, but...I guess we'll see.”

In truth, Mac was really worried about the poor of the country. While they seemed to grow enough food to support them, it was an issue if they couldn't afford it.

Emma seemed deep in thought again.

“Is something wrong?” Mac asked, noticing her spacing out.

Emma blushed and shook her head, “No, it's nothing.”

Mac, while suspecting that was not actually the case, decided to let it go for now.

Since they had left in the afternoon, after just a few hours of traveling, the sun was starting to go down, and they stopped at the first inn they came across. Like their party, most of the other travelers on this road were heading to Stromvurk, including a few dwarves.

No woman though...Mac thought, slightly disappointed. While the dwarves looked as he had expected, after the conversation earlier, he was curious what the woman looked like.

As they sat down in the tavern area, La Hire took the guards to a separate table, now that the carriage squad had grown to 5 members. He was a little disappointed, as he had enjoyed eating and sharing a round with the guards whenever they stopped an an inn. Of course, he wasn't going to tell the others that.

Later, Mac lay in bed, looking at the ceiling as the lantern light filled the room. I feel like this is becoming a common occurrence he thought, stealing occasional glances at the door, expecting someone to suddenly come in. Melissandra, who had taken charge of the room situation, only got two for the five of them. As per normal, Mac was told to go to one on his own. I have two fiances, another girl who probably wants to be one, and...whatever Felicia is, but somehow I still ended up alone.

As Mac thought about it though, he realized this wasn't all bad. He stretched his arms and legs out on the bed, splaying himself out as much as possible. I can stretch out as much as I want!...although I guess I wouldn't mind if...

As if to comfort him, there was a knock at the door, followed by it opening up. Melissandra walked in...followed by Emma, Eleanor, and Felicia bringing up the rear, all in pajamas.

“Uhhh...” Mac didn't know how to react.

Emma answered, “We couldn't decide who should join you tonight, so we decided we all would!”

“Well, I was dragged along,” Felicia clarified.

“Would you rather stay in the other room without us?” Emma asked, giving Felicia a hug.

“....No” Felicia reluctantly answered, before smiling and scruffing Emma's hair.

“Um, do I get a say in this?” Mac asked.

“Are you really going to turn away four beautiful woman like us?” Melissandra asked, half-teasingly.

Mac shook his head, “No, I'm just worried about the logistics. How are we all gonna fit on the bed?”

“We'll just have to squeeze together” Eleanor answered, while looking excited at the prospect.

Melissandra and Eleanor laid down next to him, with Emma and Felicia right behind them. There...wasn't enough room, Emma comically rolling off the bed after losing her balance.

“We'll just have to hold onto each other” Eleanor suggested, again seemingly very excited. Melissandra embraced Mac, pulling herself to him in a familiar scene. Felicia wrapped her arms around her. Eleanor wrapped her arms around Mac and Melissandra, with Emma holding on for dear life, barely getting her arms around Eleanor. Mac was focused on keeping himself composed as he was squashed between Melissandra and Eleanor's breasts.

“Errr, this sorta works, but I don't get to see Mac at all!” Emma sulked.

“I'm sorry Emma! I'm too large!” Eleanor let out, before spinning around and hugging Emma.

Melissandra also let go of Mac and hugged Felicia, “I'm sorry Fe, we can switch later if you want.”

“I didn't say anything” Felicia responded, but smiled and hugged Melissandra back anyway. “Doesn't this leave Mac out now, though?”

Mac, who was thinking the same thing, quickly responded, “It's fine, if you four are getting along, then I'm happy.”

All four of them blushed, before looking at each other.

“I'm content to just sleep like this,” Mac added, closing his eyes. There was no objections, and surrounded by the warmth of his four companions, he quickly fell asleep.

Waking up, Mac took a second to get his bearings. Remembering the events of the prior evening, he was surprised to find himself completely alone. Assuming they must have woken up and left, he quickly took off his pajamas to put his tracksuit back on. As he went to zip it up, he heard a 'snap', with the zipper breaking off halfway up.

Still half-asleep, he stared dumbfounded for a moment, before trying to put the zipper key back on, but he realized a part must have broken off. Staring dejectedly at his half-zipped tracksuit, he put the zipper key in his pocket and finished preparing for the day.

As he joined the others by the carriage, Melissandra, who had seen Mac in his tracksuit the most of anyone, immediately realized there was an issue. “Did your tracksuit tear?”

Mac nodded, “Yeah, I was zipping it up this morning and it broke...”

“Do you need the hole sewn together? I have a lot of experience with that” Felicia offered.

“No, the issue is with the metal part here.” Mac tried to show them how the zipper worked, although he wasn't sure if they fully understood.

Emma understood the usefulness, at least. “That would be really great to have on winter clothing. If it's string tied it doesn't stay closed properly, but with this it seems like it would stay sealed together.”

“Yeah, that was a common use for it in my world.”

Eleanor clapped her hands together, “Once we get to Stromvurk, we can see if one of the dwarf craftsman can fix it.”

Melissandra nodded in agreement, “Yes, we should have it repaired if we can. I was hoping you would wear it in our wedding.”

Mac was taken aback, “You...you want me to wear my tracksuit?”

“Yes, it's your Otherworlder clothes, right?” Melissandra questioned.

“Yeah, but, I was assuming I could wear something nicer for a wedding...”

Melissandra seemed confused, “Hmm...we can talk about it later. For now, we should get going.”

Leaving the inn, the others let (or at least that's what Mac was assuming) Eleanor sit next to him again. The chat was lively again today, this time with Emma interested in their weddings.

“Since they'll be royal weddings, all the nobles will be sent formal invites. For mine, all the palace staff will also receive invites too since I worked there” Melissandra was explaining.

“Don't you and Mac get to invite guests?” Emma asked.

Melissandra nodded, “Of course, we can have special guests we invite,who get front row seats. For me, I invited you three, Marie, our head maid Tillie, and Kay.”

“I'm surprised you aren't making Kay your maid of honor, or...actually, is that a thing here?” Mac asked, realizing a potential issue with his question.

They all looked at him quizzically. “Is that...an Otherworlder custom?” Melissandra asked.

Mac nodded, “Yeah. Each participant has a close friend that stands behind during the ceremony. Usually they will hold the rings too, until it's time to exchange them.”

“Rings?”

“Oh, you don't have that either? I guess I don't remember seeing anybody ever wearing them. During the ceremony, you put a ring on the other person's finger,” he motioned as if slipping one onto his left ring finger, “and it symbolizes your bond. It's also convenient to show other people 'hey, I'm married' without actually saying it.”

Melissandra mused, “I really like that idea. Anything else you can remember?”

Mac went deep into thought, he had only been to a couple weddings and was trying to remember all the details, “Umm, you walk in too some music, there's also a pledge you recite.”

“We do those too.”

“Hmm, I already mentioned the rings...I remember you kiss at the end before leaving.”

“In front of everyone!?” Melissandra asked, surprised at this custom.

“Yeah. I think it's supposed to seal the marriage and show everyone you're a happy couple.” Mac explained, a bit red at the thought.

“Oh that sounds improper for a royal wedding...I really wanna do it” Eleanor insisted.

“I kind of do too,” Melissandra added shyly.

“I've seen commoners do that at their weddings. One of my sisters kissed her husband for a full minute during the ceremony” Emma added.

Is this the same sister that taught her to use her tongue when she kisses? You're supposed to just kiss at the wedding, not make out!

“We'll have to incorporate these when we plan it out,” Melissandra concluded with a smile. “They might even become common in other weddings.”

Ah, that makes sense. If the nobles see the royals doing something, they're liable to follow suit.

Eleanor was holding her cheeks, glowing red, with a giddy smile on her face. “Ohhh, I can't wait. We need to hurry up and get back!” she exclaimed.

Melissandra put her hand on Eleanor's, “I'm excited too, hopefully Marie is able to get everything together on such short notice.”

As they were discussing, Mac noticed Emma was deep in thought again. Catching that Mac was looking at her, she nervously smiled.

Is the talk of nobility and royal weddings getting to her? She was the one asking, but maybe she feels a bit overwhelmed?

Mac smiled back, startling her, before she blushed and looked away. Now what is she thinking about!?

The day passed in relative calm, and they got closer and closer to the mountain, which now dominated their view. Since they were making good progress, they stopped for a break near a stream to allow the horses to drink.

Eleanor and Melissandra were watching some brightly colored fish zipping about, while Emma was showing off her rock skipping ability. Felicia was hanging back a bit, arms crossed.

Mac walked over to Felicia. “What's wrong? Don't like fish?”

Felicia gave a weak smile, “No, I just...”

As she trailed off, Mac noticed she was clenching her arms, and even shaking slightly.

Mac walked right next to her, “Are you okay? You're...”

“I'm fine. I think...I think it's because I stopped smoking...”

Mac winced, I should have realized this would happen... “Um, I know I asked you not too, but if you really want...”

Felicia shook her head. “No, I needed to stop anyway.”

Mac, not sure what to do, decided to just wrap and arm around her and hold her tightly to him.

Felicia smiled, and seemed to stop shaking. “Thanks,” she replied, before leaning her head on him. “Guess I just need your affection to get over it,” she added with a giggle.

Mac smiled, “Of course! If you...”

He was cut off by a pouting Emma appearing, “Hey, I think it's my turn next.”

Felicia acted like she was going to give Emma another headlock, but instead pushed her into Mac, who caught her in an embrace.

Emma blushed, “Sorry, I just...”

Felicia giggled, “Why are you apologizing now?” before heading over to Melissanda and Eleanor.

Deciding to try and relieve Emma, since he was still worried about her from earlier, he whispered, “I'll hug you whenever you want.”

Emma blushed even more, before burying her head in his chest while wrapping her arms around him, “Dummy...you better.”

After their break concluded, they continued on their way until dusk approached. The traffic on the road picked up, and they could see a huge gate on the side of the mountain.

Emma leaned out the carriage, eyes going wide at the sight in front of her. “Is that how we get into the mountain? It's huge!”

Glad to see Emma perking up, Mac also leaned out the carriage. There was what looked like small village outside the gate, and inside he could see light filtering out. “What is the light coming from?”

Eleanor, who had visited multiple times before, explained, “They have light crystals inside. There's also holes in the mountain to let light in during the day, but they use those when it gets dark.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“But how can they sleep if they have that thing shining light everywhere?” Emma asked.

“Dwarves don't follow a day and night cycle, they just sleep when they're tired,” Eleanor explained with a shrug.

As if to reinforce her point, there were dwarves bustling everywhere, despite the time of day. In amongst them, Mac was able to finally make out some female dwarves. They were...about what he could have guessed. From the back, you could barely tell the difference from male dwarves. From the front, you could tell the females didn't have beards, and they mostly had large chests. Although, I wonder if they just look large because they're shorter? Mac mused. Most dwarves were only around four feet, and even the tallest probably barely reached five.

As they neared the gate, Mac could make out more and more of the city within. As they finally crossed through the entrance, he was astounded by the view. The inside of the mountain had been hollowed out, with several large crystals the size of buildings stuck in the ceiling, emitting light that radiated everywhere. Being inside, the entire city gave off a din as all the sound being created bounced around everywhere. Especially, he could hear the sound of innumerable forges bellowing, the smoke filtering up towards the ceiling, along with the constant clinking and clanking of hammering on anvils.

La Hire rode over to the carriage. “My lord, what do you want to do? I'm not sure how well we'll be able to sleep with all this light...”

Melissandra answered, “Let's get an inn, and then we can walk around a bit.”

La Hire looked between her and Mac a couple times, then continued, “Okay. Some of the guards wanted to visit the dwarven smith's while we were here, it's not often you get a chance to purchase directly from one.”

Finding an inn that had human sized beds for all of them took a few tries, but they found one that catered to human merchants near a square in the middle of the city. After getting their rooms, they met outside the inn, deciding where to go.

“The merchant district is nearby. My dad used to take me there to buy me jewelry and other trinkets whenever we visited” Eleanor suggested.

Jewerly? Mac thought. After the day's conversation, he realized he needed to buy rings for his upcoming weddings, especially considering how interested Melissandra and Eleanor had been. “Yeah that sounds fun.”

Following Eleanor, they explored around a while, looking through different stalls, with everything from precious gems to pet salamanders (that even breathed fire!). Emma spent a while looking at tiara's, trying some on while Eleanor giggled watching her. Even Felicia, who generally didn't show strong interest in such things, found a stall that sold bracelets with cute charms in the shapes of animals.

“For my siblings,” she said with a cough.

On the edge of the square they were in, Mac walked by a small shop called Daisy's, and noticed several rings on display in the window. May as well give them a go he thought. Pulling Melissandra aside, who was the only one not engrossed in a stall currently, he whispered, “Hey, I'm gonna go in there for a bit.”

“Oh, okay, I can join you.”

“No...I, uh, wanted it to be a surprise” Mac explained, blushing a bit.

Looking at him for a few moments, Melissandra realized what he was getting at. “Okay,” she said, with a knowing smile. “I'll watch over the others for a bit.”

Mac gave her hand a quick squeeze and then went to the shop. Inside, it mostly looked like a proper jewelry shop, with different rings and other types in glass cases. As the door opened, a bell above the door was rung.

“Just a moment,” he heard from a room behind the counter. It sounded like a gruff, female voice. After a few moments, the voice's owner came out. She was a female dwarf, with a younger looking face that had a few soot-marks on it. A sarashi bound her chest, and her midriff was exposed, well-muscled abs showing. She had a bandanna on the top of her head, and long, brown hair in two braids hung down past her waist. She was a bit taller than the average dwarf, although that only meant she was about four and a half feet tall. Seeing her customer, she quickly grabbed a cloth and started wiping her face off, although it only served to smear the soot more.

“Are you Daisy?” Mac asked, as she eventually gave up and threw the cloth back.

“Haha yeah,” she answered, giving a large grin and boisterous laugh. “I know, weird name for a dwarf.”

Mac shook his head, “Nah, I think it's a pretty name.”

“Haha, thanks” she laughed again at his reply. “I'm not giving out discounts for compliments though.”

“That's fine, I wasn't trying to haggle down the prices.”

“Good, good, I don't devalue my work like that,” she replied with a smirk. “Are you interested in something in particular?”

“Yes, I wanted to buy rings for my...fiances” Mac explained, stumbling over the relatively new concept of having fiances.

“Hmmm...do you know their size?” Daisy asked, walking over to a section of the displays with rings.

Errkk....why didn't I think of that? Wait, I might be able to guess, since I've held their hands. “I don't know exactly, but one is probably about the same size as my hand, and the other is just slightly smaller.”

Daisy raised an eyebrow, “I thought maybe I misheard you, but you...have multiple fiances?”

“Ah, yeah, don't worry, they know about each other” Mac explained, not sure if that was the issue.

Daisy paused for a bit, then laughed once again, “Haha, I wasn't judging or anything, I know how it goes sometimes.” Grabbing Mac's hands, she looked them over. Mac was a bit surprised at the forwardness, but realized she was just doing her job.

After a few moments of examining, she let go and pulled out a few rings of varying designs. She held up one, a silver band with etchings on it, and explained, “This one is popular with soon-to-be-married woman. The etching is a charm that is supposed to help them get with child quicker. It's not actually magical though, so I don't know if it actually works.”

Mac shook his head, “I'm not interested, but is that something your supposed to be telling your customers?”

Daisy shrugged, “Just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean my customers don't, and I make what my customers want.”

Hard to argue with that.

Putting that away, she pulled out a bronze-looking ring, with a simple design on it “How about this?”

Mac closed his eyes and imagined it on Melissandra and Eleanor, “Hmmm, I don't hate it, but I think its too simple for my fiance's.”

Daisy nodded, “Gotcha. Let's try...this then.” She pulled out a gold ring with a large green gemstone fitted on it. He imagined it on Melissandra and Eleanor, but it didn't seem quite right. Instead, Emma came to mind, the green stone matching her eyes perfectly.

Noticing his expression, Daisy smiled, “Think this is a good fit for one of them?”

“Yes, well, not one of my fiance's, but...”, he trailed off as he realized what he was saying.

Again, Daisy laughed, “Haha, do you have enough woman to buy out my store?”

“No, it's only...well, there's four of them. They're not all fiances though.”

“Well, I'm not gonna complain about extra sales. You just better make sure you get something for all of them” Daisy smiled with a wink. “I'll set this one aside. Now...how about this one?” she asked, showing him a ring that seemed like it was multiple threads of gold braided together into a ring.

Mac picked up the ring to examine it closely, “Wow, I don't know much about metalworking, but even I can tell this looks hard to do.”

Daisy gave a prideful smile and explained, “Yeah, I'm not as strong as most, but I'm really good with my hands. I'll put my jewelry-craft up against any dwarf's”.

Not as strong? Mac thought, as since she wasn't wearing a shirt, he could see the bulging biceps of her arm that would probably put most of the guards to shame.

“Although I'm surprised to hear you say you don't know much, since you have some intricate metalwork done on your clothing. Is that foreign design?” Daisy said, pointing to the zipper of his tracksuit.

“Ah, uh, I guess it technically is” he explained. Wait...if she can do work this fine, maybe she can fix my zipper!? “Do you wanna get a closer look?”

“May I? I'm quite intrigued now” Daisy added, walking around the counter. She walked right up to him, the part where the zipper broke halfway up, being eye level for her. Looking closely, she grabbed the sides and tried to link it together.

Mac was thrown a bit off at how close she had suddenly gotten with him again, but didn't want to break her concentration.

“How do you get it to fit together? It seems like you only put it halfway up” Daisy asked.

“Ah, yeah, it's actually broken, you're supposed to use this but it broke of this morning” he explained, taking the zipper key and showing her how it was supposed to work. “I was actually hoping to find someone to fix it...”

Daisy took the key and inspected it, then tried it on the zipper, eyes widening as she could see it sort of catching on the zipper, but then not zipping it up. “I'm not sure if I can. Maybe if I could see a working example...”

Mac was a bit disappointed, before remembering that he did have a working example, albeit a smaller one.

“Actually, I do, there's one on my pants as well” he explained, pointing to the zipper on his pants.

Daisy leaned over, and put her face right next to his crotch. Then, grabbing the zipper, she pulled it down and back up several times, all while Mac looked on in shock. She must have no boundaries when it comes to work. Keeping himself composed, Mac just let her examine it, if it meant she could fix his tracksuit.

After a few moments, he heard the bell ring.

“One moment, I'm with another customer” Daisy shouted at the door, not taking her eyes off as she continued slowly pulling the zipper up and down.

Mac turned his head around to see Melissandra, giving him a cold, piercing gaze.

“Mac...” she said, voice as cold as her stare, “I peeked in the window to see how you were doing...why am I finding you in here with a woman's head in your...” she trailed off.

“Hold on, hold on!” Mac exclaimed. “She's helping me out.”

“Yes, I can see that!” Melissandra replied, slowly walking over.

As Melissandra marched over, Mac rapid-fire explained about the intricate work and the zipper, and Melissandra slowly calmed down, until she was more frustrated instead of upset.

“So, really, you let yourself get pulled along by a girl again. Well, I thought it might be something like that” Melissandra deducted, shaking her head.

“Then why did you get so mad!?” Mac exclaimed.

“I can't help myself when it comes to you” Melissandra replied, blushing a bit.

Before Mac could say anything in response, Daisy let out an “Aha!” and finally drew back from Mac. As if only now realizing Melissandra was there, Daisy looked her up and down. “Is this one of those fiance's you mentioned?”

Mac nodded, giving a small smile as he looked at Melissadnra.

“Haha, you got yourself a real cutey there, no wonder you were looking for something for them” Daisy laughed.

Melissandra, no longer upset, gave a slight curtsy, “Thank you for treating my fiance well. I...” she paused, before continuing, “I don't know what normal dwarf standards are, but I think you're cute as well.”

Daisy laughed again, “Haha, tell that to the dwarf men! They're all too busy staring at their forges to look at me. Well, I am too usually, so I guess I shouldn't say anything...” she trailed off, cleaning some room off the counter, before rapping it a couple times.

Mac took off the jacket and laid it down, “So, do you think you can fix the zipper?”

Daisy nodded,“Yeah, I think I figured out how it works. If you come back tomorrow I should have it fixed by then. I'm not sure how long it might take, so I can't give you a cost, but it might be over a few silver...” she added.

Mac shook his head, “Money's no object.”

Eliciting a smile from Daisy, she rubbed her hands together. “A man after a dwarf girl's heart.”

The bell above the door rang, again, with Emma, Eleanor, and Felicia entering, carrying a few bags from their shopping adventure.

Daisy looked at them, surprised at the commotion. “Are these...?”

Mac nodded.

“Haha, you sure have your hands full.”

Catching sight of Daisy, Eleanor's eyes went wide, and she rushed over, knelt down, and looked her over. “Did you get me another cute little sister!?”

Taken aback at the attention she was receiving, Daisy protested, “Come on now, I don't know how I feel being called cute a bunch when all these beauties are around me.”

Eleanor shook her head, “No, you're very cute. I'm sure Mac agrees” she added, looking at Mac expectantly.

Being put on the spot, Mac nodded, although in his opinion she really was. If she took the same care as Mel or Eleanor did, she'd probably pass for a short noblewoman. Well...if you hid her muscles with a dress you could.

Blushing a bit and looking away, Daisy added, “I told you, no discounts for compliments! Well, maybe I can change my policy for y'all...”

Mac shook his head, “No, it's fine, I'll pay whatever the work costs. And I'll buy some of the...merchandise we discussed earlier when I pick it up.”

Daisy nodded, giving another big grin. “Alright. I'll get to work right away then.”

Saying their goodbyes, the five exited the store, Daisy immediately taking the jacket to the back and getting to work.

A Kiss at Dawn and a Bowl of Porridge

After they left Daisy's store, Eleanor gave a deep yawn. “Ah, I think I should return to the inn, all this excitement has worn me out.”

“Yeah, I'm pretty tired too,” Felicia added.

“Awwhh, I wanted to explore more....who knows when we'll ever be back here!?” Emma pouted, looking disappointed.

Melissandra, who was walking behind them next to Mac, whispered to him, “Why don't you take Emma out for a bit longer? She's seemed down a bit earlier.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Mac agreed.

Melissandra nodded, “Try and cheer her up if you can. I'll stay with the others.” Giving his hand a squeeze, she walked up to the other three, “I think I want to get some sleep as well.”

“I'm not that tired, I'll walk around a bit more if you want, Emma,” Mac added, coming up behind her.

A big grin coming over her face, Emma replied, “Yeah! Let's see if we can get to the top!”

Emma grabbed Mac's hand, half-dragging him along, as they wound their way around the city. “I saw a way to get up top earlier,” she explained, pointing at something.

In the distance, Mac could see what looked like a simple elevator, slowly going up and out of sight through a hole in the ceiling. Well, I guess it's worth a try. Walking for a while, Mac was starting to breathe heavy, when they finally came upon the elevator. It was pulled by several dwarves using some sort of pulley system.

There was a few dwarves who seemed like they were waiting to get on, so Mac and Emma waited around for the lift to come back down. When it reached the bottom, several dwarves with sacks of sticks or stones got off, and the waiting throng got on. Mac was worried they might be interfering with their work, but no one seemed to mind them also getting on.

With a lurch, the lift slowly started to rise. Emma stood next to the guardrail, watching the city as it slowly dwindled below them. Mac wasn't particularly scared of heights, but he wasn't sure how close he wanted to be to the edge, so he stood a few steps behind her.

Around halfway up, the elevator abruptly stopped, causing it to begin swinging. Emma fell back a couple steps, running in to Mac, who grabbed her from behind. “Might wanna stay back,” he said with a nervous smile.

Giving a nervous smile in return, Emma nodded. “I'll just hold onto you” she added, wrapping her arms around Mac's midsection. After a minute, the lift started to rise again, until they eventually went inside the ceiling of the city. Since they could no longer see the glowstones on the city ceiling, only a few small ones on the edges of the lift lit their journey. In another few minutes, Mac noticed he could see stars above them.

Eventually, they were outside, the lift stopping at the top station, and the guests filtered off. Mac and Emma looked around in awe. There was just enough moonlight to make out a few features in the dark countryside laid out before them. Looking up and down, they were probably about two-thirds the way up the mountain. There were two paths lit by glowstones leading from the lift station, one that wound down the mountain, and one that went further up.

Emma, of course, started to drag Mac along the one that was going further up. While he was starting to feel exhausted, he also didn't want to disappoint Emma, so he continued to trudge himself along, barely keeping hold of her hand.

After another stretch of walking, Emma pointed to a rock just off the path. “I think we can get a good view from there” she explained, climbing up the rock.

Mac begrudgingly followed, although luckily the rock had a flat top he could sit down on, while Emma stood up, staring off into the distance.

“I think the farm is this direction,” Emma said, pointing off at the horizon.

“Can you see it?” Mac asked.

“Not sure, it's hard to tell the farms apart from this high up,” Emma shrugged, before sitting down on Mac's lap.

As they sat in silence in the moonlight, Mac decided she might be in a good enough mood to talk. Loosely wrapping his arms around her, he asked “Have you been alright? The last couple days, you seem down occasionally. Well, compared to your normal self.”

Emma didn't answer right away. Mac couldn't see her face, since she was still on his lap, so he wasn't sure how she took the question. Eventually, she responded, “Are you going to marry me?”

Mac, not expecting a question in return (especially that one), was a bit taken aback. “Didn't we already discuss this at the farm?”

“I think you know how I feel already, though.”

Mac couldn't deny that. While he had wanted her to wait until they were done journeying to make a decision, Emma's opinion of him hadn't seemed to change in the slightest. Of course, Mac had also grown fond of her. She had become an indispensable part of their adventure group. Do I just need to tell her that to cheer her up?

Before he could say anything, Emma continued, “Maybe I asked the wrong question. Do you want to marry me?” she asked, turning herself sideways and looking into Mac's eyes.

What does she mean? Wait, is she just wanting to get engaged now and not wait until we're back? “Yes. I'd be upset if you didn't stay with us” Mac said, making sure (after prior miscommunications on this topic) to be clear and not confuse her, before adding “I think the others would be too for that matter.”

Emma, despite his answer, looked down anxiously. “I don't have anything though. I'm just a farm girl.”

Mac was confused, “Wait, what are you saying after you pursued me so strongly? What's wrong with being a farm girl?”

Emma shook her head, “I'm not like Eleanor or Mel. I don't have anything to add to your royal house. Even Fe has a job to do. What am I going to offer? It's not like there's farming to do inside the palace.”

“I knew that when I accepted you though” he rebutted, grabbing her shoulders to comfort her. “It's not like everyone has to have an assigned job.”

“I want to though. I want to help you and the others. But I don't know what I can do.”

Mac finally understood. She doesn't want to feel like she was a burden or not contributing somehow.

“Besides, I don't know how I'm supposed to fit in. I don't know how to be a noblewoman” Emma continued.

“Honestly, I like the way you are now. I'm not saying I don't like the others, of course, but...you act more like a girl from my world, and it's...comforting, sometimes.”

Emma gave a weak smile, “That's nice, but that isn't the same for everyone else in this world. I can't embarrass you in front of the country.”

Mac didn't like the way this conversation was going. Emma was too important to him now to let her be depressed like this. Grabbing her hands in his, he looked her in the eyes and said “Even if there isn't anything now, I bet there will be in the future. No, actually, I'm sure there will be! I mean, we're running a whole country, right?”

Emma perked up a little, “Do...do you really think so?”

Mac nodded, “And you don't need to worry about how to act. Marie gave me etiquette lessons until I was at least passable, there's no way she wouldn't be able to instruct you on how to act like a proper noblewoman.”

Emma closed her eyes, “You're sure? Even someone like me?”

“Yup. Though you need to promise to act like regular Emma in private.”

Emma giggled, “Well, if you say so...”

Mac let go of her hands and pulled in her close for an embrace, “Please don't get down like this in the future, just talk to me if you're worried. You're just as important to me as my other fiance's, I don't want you thinking otherwise.”

Emma looked a bit taken aback, “What do you mean, 'others'? I thought you wanted me to wait until the trip was over to decide? Although you already know what my answer will be...”

“Well I did originally. But earlier you asked me 'Do you want to marry me' and I replied 'Yes', so aren't we engaged now? Honestly I didn't feel like waiting anymore anyway,” Mac explained, giving a sheepish smile.

Emma stared for a few moments, before starting to giggle. “That isn't how I imagined I would get engaged, I was hoping it would be a bit more romantic...”

She trailed off, as at that moment the sun started to peak out over the horizon, basking the countryside below them in light.

As they looked down at the world below them, Mac answered “I don't know, this seems pretty romantic to me,” before giving her a passionate kiss.

As he let go, Emma wrapped his neck with her arms and pulled him back down for another kiss, this time sticking her tongue in and pressing her body against Mac's.

They went at it for a while, until they were too tired to continue, and laid down on the rock, holding hands. Mac confirmed, “You do want to be engaged, right? I don't want you feeling tricked.”

Emma smiled, “Of course! I won't let you back out now!”

Mac smiled, “I don't want to either. I'm pretty relieved, actually, I wanted to treat you like the other's without it being awkward.”

This elicited a giggle from Emma, “The others were treating me like I was already one anyway. If it's okay though, I don't want to get married right away. I want to make sure I'm fully ready to be a noblewoman first,” she said, giving a fist pump.

Mac nodded, “Of course, it's not like I'm going anywhere. Plus, I have others I need to worry about already...”

Emma laughed. “We should probably get back, I'm pretty tired after all that.”

“Yeah, hopefully it's easier going down,” Mac concurred.

Making their way back down the mountain, they rode the lift again, and, after getting a bit lost, they eventually made their way back to the inn the others were at. As they entered the room set aside for Mac, he asked, “Are the others going to get mad if you sleep with me?”he asked.

Emma gave a big yawn in response, “It's fine. I'm too tired to do anything with you anyway.” Before stripping off her overalls, revealing her white t-shirt and panties underneath. She then deftly reached under her shirt and took her bra off with one hand, throwing it on top of her overalls.

Mac, sitting on the bed and watching this sight unfold before him, asked “You're not gonna put on pajamas?”

“No, this is what I normally sleep in anyway. Besides, we're engaged now right? It's not like I mind you seeing me me in my underwear” she finished, pushing him down on the bed and jumping on top of him. Giving him a quick kiss, she laid her head down on his chest.

Feeling her barely clothed body pressing against his, Mac forced himself not to get too excited, and wrapped his arms around her. Emma was a bit startled, but then gave him another quick kiss and closed her eyes again.

Mac, feeling the comforting weight on top of him, quickly fell asleep as well.

Waking up, Mac felt incredibly groggy. He wasn't sure what time of day it was, and only dim lantern light lit the room. Remembering the previous night, he realized Emma was no longer on top of him, and pulled himself up by his elbows.

“Oh, you finally awake, sleepyhead?” came a voice right next to him.

Recognizing the voice, he turned his head to see Felicia, wearing a pink dress and casually laying on the bed next to him.

“Oh...uh, hey Felicia” Mac responded, wiping his eyes.

Felicia smirked, “Were you hoping to wake up and see someone else? One of your beautiful three fiance's perhaps?”

Mac, still waking up, shook his head, “No. I mean, you look pretty, too. I like that dress.”

Felicia giggled, “I'm glad you like it, I guess it was worth buying then.”

Mac sat up, trying to shake off the rest of the tiredness in his brain. “What time is it?”

Felicia shrugged, “Hard to tell when you're under a mountain, but I think its a bit past midday. You only slept 4 or 5 hours, Emma said you weren't back until after sun-up.”

Mac, remembering the previous night's events, blushed a bit.

“Hey, are you thinking about a different girl then the one you're with? That's a big no no” Felicia asked, going into her seductive voice, and throwing her arms around him from behind, smashing her breasts into his back.

“Err, sorry, I was just remembering everything that happened” he explained shyly.

Felicia giggled again. “I'm just messing with you. I'd be thinking about it as well if I got proposed to in such a romantic fashion.”

Mac, remembering the circumstances of how they got engaged, was a bit confused. Did Emma embellish the story a bit? She even said it wasn't very romantic...

“The other's are off doing fiance things, and said I could have you to myself until they return” she explained, nuzzling her nose against his cheek.

“Are you trying to get me excited right when I wake up!?” Mac asked.

“Well, I haven't gotten any alone time with you in a while, and it's hard for me to ask over the others, so I'm just making the most of what I get” she explained with a sigh.

She seems so aloof most of the time, I didn't realize she felt that strongly about me...well, us.

Mac turned around and planted a kiss on Felicia's lips. She was taken aback at first, but then smiled, “Seems like you woke up” before pushing him down on the bed and kissing him passionately in return.

After a bit of making out, Felicia rolled off of him, breathing heavily. “I can tell...you do that a lot...with Emma...you're getting...pretty good...” She smiled, before catching her breath and adding, “Your fiance's will get jealous if you treat me just the same as them, though.”

Mac, not sure if she was trying to bait something out of him by mentioning the others so much, decided to ask, “Are you...wanting to be a fiance too?”

Felicia let out a 'poof' before laughing. “Are you just saying that because you're getting engaged to everyone else?”

Mac thought about the question. Is that the case? “I'm not denying that isn't partly true, but...it's obvious we're becoming interested in each other, right?”

Felicia shrugged, “Well, yes...but I don't think a King is allowed to marry a prostitute.”

Huh, really? That seems too specific. “I don't think there's anything against it.”

Felicia stared for a few seconds, but then shook her head, “Well, that doesn't mean we have too...”

“Well, I was thinking about that,” he sat up, looking at her. “You said back when we first hired you that you were only going to have...sex with me from now on, right?”

Felicia nodded.

“And that we'd have children and start a family since that's part of the job, right?”

Felicia nodded again.

“And that you were fine with us having feelings for each other since I want that before sex, right? And I'm pretty sure we do now.”

Felicia nodded once again.

“How does that differ from being married at that point!?”

Felicia was silent, looking down at the bed, biting her lip. “You sound like the others...”

Mac shrugged, “I think they want you to be part of the family. Do you not want too?”

Felicia's shoulders slumped, as she got quiet and continued looking down.

After a couple moments, she responded, “I'm happy for them, but I just don't know what I want” she added, shaking her head and looking at him nervously, seeming not at all like normal Felicia.

Mac shrugged, “That's okay. I'm good with whatever you do want, as long as you're happy.”

“I don't understand though, why are you so accepting of someone like me?”

Mac shook his head, “Don't say 'someone like me', I don't care if you were a prostitute or whatever in the past, all that matters is the present. Even if you just got caught up with all of us because I made some weird spur of the moment decisions, everyone enjoys having you around. Everyone wants you around.”

Felicia smiled, the nervousness fading away a bit, “Well, I guess I have to believe you, since it seems like you're trying so hard to keep me” she said, now running her fingers through his hair. “Can I...think about it?”

Mac raised an eyebrow. “Think about...getting married?”

Felicia nodded.

“Of course. Actually, I appreciate that you want to think about it instead of just jumping into it right after meeting,” Mac added.

“Haha, of course” she laughed, then pushed him back down. “There is something I don't need to think about though,” she added, before going in for another kiss.

Mac was disappointed it only lasted a few moments, before Felicia got off and stood up.

“We better go down before I do something that would make the others mad. You're probably hungry anyway” she explained.

As if on cue, Mac's stomach grumbled a bit, causing him to smile in embarrassment.

“Haha, come on!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him with her.

She seems happy, so I guess it's fine as it is for now.

While they were in the tavern, Mac gulping down some porridge, the three fiance's came back, giggling amongst themselves. Noticing Felicia, who was sitting right up against Mac, Emma wrapped her arms around both of them, causing Mac to choke on his food.

“Oho, I see you two are getting along well...” she said with a sly smile.

“Did we ever not?” Felicia replied with a smirk.

Then looking at each other, they giggled and looked at Mac, who was just now regaining his breath. “Wha-what?”

“Nothing dear” Emma replied, before giving him a peck on the cheek, and then running off upstairs.

“Wait, wait...” Eleanor pointed, before rushing over and also giving him a peck on the cheek and following after Emma.

Melissandra rolled her eyes, before also coming over and pecking him on the cheek and going upstairs.

Mac, confused, looked at Felicia, who shrugged.

Turning back to his porridge, he felt another peck on his opposite cheek. Looking at the giver, Felicia, she giggled. “I'm gonna go talk to them” she added, getting up and going upstairs.

“Okay, I'm gonna wash up after I finish eating, so take your time.”

Responding with just a smile, she continued upstairs, as Mac ate the last of his porridge before heading up himself.

After washing up, Mac changed into one of his normal outfits, and went to see if the other's would accompany him back to Daisy's. After looking at the different rings, and considering the options, he realized it might just be better to have them help choose. Or at least make sure they liked them beforehand instead of springing it on them at the wedding.

Coming up to the door, he heard some excited chatting going on. As he knocked, all the chatter stopped. After a few moments, the door opened just a crack, with Felicia peaking her eye out. “You can't come in right now” she stated.

“That's...fine. I just wanted to see if you could all accompany me back to Daisy's.”

“Yes!” he heard ring out from several voices in the room.

Felicia rolled her eyes, before slipping out the door to join him. “You heard them...”

“Are they...” Mac started.

“They were just trying on some clothes they bought.” Felicia asked.

“Ohhhh, okay,” Mac nodded, remembering the bags they had brought back yesterday and today.

After a few moments of silence, Felicia started, “Say....”

Mac raised an eyebrow.

“I thought about it.” Felicia added.

Mac blinked a few times before remembering their conversation earlier. “You mean....about marriage?”

Felicia nodded, “Yeah. I want too.”

Mac was taken aback. “Already!? It's been like thirty minutes” he asked, incredulous at the turnaround time.

“Well....when we were sitting downstairs, and I was watching you eat, I was thinking 'Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this man?' and when I thought about it...it sounded nice. And then when the other girls walked in, and I thought of not getting to see them anymore...it sounded terrible.”

“Wait, so was it me that convinced you or the other girls!?” Mac asked, still incredulous.

“Well, it's a package deal, right? They'll be part of my family too.”

Mac sighed, “Yeah, I understand. Well, it would be a problem for me too if you didn't get along.”

“Sooo...” Felicia asked, going into her seductive voice, and drawing herself close to Mac, pushing her breasts against him.

“You don't need to seduce me, of course I'll marry you” he responded, leaning over and reinforcing his words with a kiss.

“Phewwww...” they heard faintly from the other side of the door.

“Ummm....” Mac replied, turning the handle and slowly opening the door, to reveal Melissandra, Emma, and Eleanor on the other side. Melissandra was blushing heavily.

“Sorry...I was just really worried” Melissandra explained.

Felicia rushed over and hugged Melissandra. “It's okay, I'm glad you gave me the push I needed.”

Melissandra hugged her back. “Still, what did you do to finally convince her, Mac?”

Mac thought about it for a moment, “I...ate some porridge?”

Felicia giggled, and the other three looked between them, confused.

Making their way to Daisy's, Mac led, while the other four walked behind, talking amongst themselves. All of them seemed in a good mood, which put Mac in a good mood. Hopefully it can stay like this...

After finding their way back, they entered Daisy's shop, the familiar bell ringing to signal their arrival. “One moment,” they heard from the backroom. Daisy came out, looking exactly as she had yesterday, except with more soot stains on her face. “Oh, you're back!” she exclaimed excitedly, before going back into the backroom.

After a few moments, she came back out, holding Mac's tracksuit top in her hands.

Mac excitedly took it from her, putting it on, the zipper working perfectly. “Amazing! Thank you so much!”

“Hehe,” Daisy said, face upturned, proud of her work. “Instead of just fixing it, I actually made a new part myself and hooked it on. I wanted to try making the whole contraption too, so...” she grabbed Melissandra's hand and led her to the backroom. Melissandra looked at Mac, who shrugged, and then let Daisy drag her back.

After a couple minutes, Daisy returned, followed by Melissandra, who was wearing a blue dress. Mac smiled, “You look nice in that.”

Daisy interjected, “I know you wanna flirt with your fiance, but here's the important part” she said, turning Melissandra around. On the back was a long zipper that went the length of the dress.

“You made that on your own?” Mac asked in awe.

Daisy nodded, “Yeah, it took a couple tries, but I eventually got it to work. I don't know what the type of material that jacket of yours is made of, so I figured I'd make a dress for you fiance here.”

“That's amazing. How much is it?” Mac asked.

“No no, it's fine, I think I upset your fiance a bit yesterday, so think of it as apology,” she explained sheepishly.

“Oh, oh, can you make me one too? That's so cool!” Emma ran up asking.

As Daisy was inspecting Emma, Eleanor pulled Mac aside.

In an unusually serious tone (for her), Eleanor stated “Mac, this is an issue.”

Mac was silent for a moment, before asking, “The zipper?”

Eleanor nodded, “It would be fine if she just fixed it, but the fact she was able to replicate it means she could sell it now. This 'zipper'...it's Otherworlder technology, right? We can't just allow anyone to have it.”

Mac was a bit taken aback, “But, it's not like its super valuable technology...”

Eleanor shook her head, “It is though. This jacket and that dress are the only two of their kind in our whole world. Since it's 'Otherworlder fashion', we could market it to the nobles and sell it. Maybe even to commoners too if it isn't too expensive to produce.”

Mac, connecting the dots, realized what she was getting at, “So, what do you think we should do?”

“Let's hire her!” Eleanor whispered excitedly. “You can take her as a retainer to work for the royal family. Other's might be able to replicate it eventually, but we would have a head start on zipper production.”

“Eleanor you're a genius!”

Dropping the serious demeanor and going back to normal Eleanor, she smiled, “I'm just helping my hubby out. That's my job, right?”

Giving Eleanor an appreciation kiss, causing her to blush, Mac then walked over to where the others were talking.

“Daisy, would you like to work for me?” he asked.

Daisy, who was measuring Emma, asked “Do you need something else fixed?”

“No, I mean, I want to hire you and take you on as a retainer.”

Stopping her measuring, Daisy turned to look at him, with a serious expression on her face. “You realize I'm a dwarf craftsman, right? I ain't cheap.”

He turned to look at Eleanor, who walked up next to him, “Normal royal craftsman retainer salaries would be ten gold a month. For someone like Daisy, I think fifteen gold would probably be good. Of course, all your expenses would be paid for as well.”

Daisy stared dumbfounded, overloaded with info. “Fifteen gold...wait, did you say royal? What are you on about?”

Melissandra ran to the back, then quickly came back with a seal and an unsent letter. She pressed the seal on the letter, then held it up to Daisy.

Daisy's eyes widened as she recognized the seal. “You're...and that means y'all...” she trailed off, before suddenly rubbing her hands together and grinning. “Well I'll be. I didn't expect the royal family of Ositania to stumble into my shop.”

Mac nodded, “Yeah, we're on a bit of an...adventure, I guess.”

Daisy nodded, “Alright, I'll do it.”

Mac, who had been thinking of ways to try and persuade her, was taken by surprise. “That was easy, I thought it might take more to convince you.”

Daisy shook her head, “There's two things dwarfs like: gold, and having their work praised. And if I'm working for the King of the country, it's hard to get more praised than that, right?”

Eleanor walked up and hugged Daisy, rubbing her cheek on hers, not concerned if she got any soot on herself. “Yay, I wanted another little sister!”

Patting Eleanor on the back awkwardly, Daisy replied, “Well, I think I'm probably older than you since I'm fourty-eight.”

“Dwarves live for hundreds of years though, if you convert that to human years, you're probably younger than me” Eleanor retorted, shaking her head.

“Errr...I'm not sure it works that way, but I guess it's fine” Daisy relented, blushing a bit.

Since the other three wanted a dress like Melissandra's, Daisy continued taking their measurements. Mac took this time to look over the rings again. Melissandra, since she already had her dress, was hovering behind him.

“I could probably use your help picking them out,” he asked, shyly looking at her.

Melissandra smiled, beaming back at him, “Of course!” As she closely inspected them alongside him, she asked “Is there a certain style common in your world?”

“Yeah, sometimes they vary, but the most common is a diamond inset” Mac explained.

“Hmm...why not just do that then? I wouldn't mind.”

“Well...I was hoping to get a different one for each of you...”

Melissandra nodded in understanding, “That makes sense. Did you pick one for any of us yesterday?”

“Yeah,” he said, picking up a gold ring with a green gemstone atop it. “I was thinking of this one for Emma.”

Melissandra's eyes lit up, “Wow. I think she would like this.” Then, as if realizing something, “Wait...you picked this out yesterday while we were here? Before....”

Mac nodded, blushing and looking away.

“Oh, you silly...” she teased, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Well, why don't you get us all one similar to that.”

Mac closed his eyes in thought, then looked at the rings again, grabbing a silver one with a blue gemstone. “Yup, this is it.”

“Oh, my...” Melissandra responded, looking at the ring, then holding out her hand, so Mac slid it onto her finger.

Melissandra held it up to her face, looking at it closely, only for the ring to slip off.

Luckily, Mac was able to catch it before it hit the ground.

Daisy, who had just finished measuring Eleanor (with the help of Felicia, since she couldn't reach Eleanor's shoulders) chuckled, “Sorry, dwarf woman have larger fingers than human woman, so a lot of them will need to be downsized before you can wear 'em.”

“Ohhh, did you pick one out for me?” Emma asked, hugging him from behind.

“Yeah, here you go,” he said, giving her the ring with the green gemstone.

Getting stars in her eyes, Emma picked it up. “Wow, it's so beautiful!”

“He said he thought of you when he first saw it,” Melissandra explained with a smile.

“Awww you....” Emma said, smiling and playfully punching Mac in the back.

Now that he had a theme for the rings, he was able to quickly pick one out for Felicia and Eleanor as well.

For Eleanor, he found one with a yellow-gold gemstone. “Wait...isn't this the same color as my curse eye?” she asked, confused.

“Yeah, I told you I thought it was pretty right?” Mac said with a smile.

“Oh Mac...!” Eleanor replied before picking him up and smashing their lips together.

For Felicia, he picked out one with a jet-black gemstone. “Not that I don't like it, but I'm surprised. The other's all matched their eyes, right?”

Mac shrugged, “It's not like I was purposely doing that. I just went with the color I imagined first when I thought of each of you.”

Felicia looked at the ring in her hand, then smirked, “Oh, I get it...you really like that outfit on me.”

Mac, after taking a few seconds to realize what she meant, blushed, “Oh...yeah that might be it.”

After the rings were picked out and set aside, Daisy worked out the logistics of moving with Melissandra. “Do you need help packing up? I can send some of the soldiers to help.”

Daisy nodded, “We'll probably need a wagon just for my things...”

As they were discussing, Emma came over and whispered in Mac's ear, “Hey, are you interested in Daisy too?”

Mac, knowing what she was getting at, shook his head.

“Why not? I think she'd be pretty cute if she cleaned up a bit...” Emma said, as if persuading him.

“I don't disagree, but I've learned my lesson about being too nice to cute girls,” he said, looking at her and pulling at her cheeks teasingly.

“Hey....what happened to that romantic speech you gave me on the mountain?” she said, pouting and holding her stinging cheeks.

“I meant every word of it, but that doesn't change how we met,” he said, ruffling her hair. “Besides, she doesn't seem interested in me like that. Or at least, she's not aggressively pursuing me like the rest of the woman in my life. It's honestly kind of refreshing.”

Emma looked thoughtful. “I guess I can see that from your point of view.”

Mac was stunned, “Really?”

“Hey, what do you take me for?” she responded, playfully punching him again. “What if she was interested in you though?”

Mac thought about it, “Well, I guess I would take it into consideration. Why would she be interested in me though?”

“What are you saying to your own fiance!?” Emma responded, playfully punching him even faster now.

Shielding himself from the flurry of fists, Mac explained “No, I mean, she's a dwarf, would she even be interested in a human man?”

Emma stopped punching. “Oh, that's a good point” she replied, looking at Daisy thoughtfully.

The others seemed to be wrapping up their conversation.

“Okay. We'll come and load everything in the wagon in the morning. Are you sure your shop will be fine?” Melissandra confirmed.

Daisy nodded, “Yeah, I'll just leave a note on the front window that we're closed.”

“I think that's everything then.”

Eleanor who had been listening silently, hugged Daisy again. “We're definitely not leaving without you!”

Daisy, looking confused, “Was I supposed to think you would?”