Standing silhouetted in the door between the Tier Three settlement and the muddy floored chamber I was standing in was an outrageously sexy woman. Never in my life did I ever think I would see such a sexy woman. Exalted Pine had an exotic lithe body, but she was slender and curveless compared to the woman in front of me. That woman had the perfect ratio between muscle and fat, making her curves seem all the more wondrous. Her skin was smooth yet holding a nice tan.
And her clothing, just enough to seem a touch moderate, but little enough to draw attention.
Despite all that, her rounded pregnant belly seemed not at odds with her sexy look, but making her seem even more sexy. Especially as it seemed to grant her slightly rosy cheeks.
Her hair was shockingly black, and she wore it tied back in a simple ponytail. Sticking out of her black hair were two pointed ears.
‘You’ve been busy all this time,’ she said to me, ‘and I doubt you’ve had anything to eat so far today. I’ve made a simple meal for the two of us.’ She then looked at the younger of the two pot bellied guards. ‘If you want to marry that woman, you need to go out and find her now. Otherwise, you might be too late.’
The guard got up off the bench, his belly straining against his top, but was halted by his brother’s grip on his arm.
‘No, let him go.’ I said. ‘If he desires to be wed to her, and she has no complaints, then I’ll allow them to be wed.’
The younger brother shook off his brother’s arm and rushed out of the chamber, panting slightly as he did so. He paid no attention to the sexy woman he brushed past as he departed.
‘Was there not someone you were interested in?’ The elf asked the older of the brothers.
He nodded. ‘There was, but they picked her for mating, and I’m not sure if she could see me in the same way that I see her. Especially as I forced my way into her mating room for her first night. I was a weak fool and was jealous someone else would have her when I could not.’
‘Go, talk to her.’ The elf said. ‘Don’t assume things. Listen and converse. Go, now. For all you know, she’s waiting for you.’
Without anyone to stop him, he walked off with heavy and reluctant steps.
The elf then looked at me, ‘on second thoughts, I think you should go and spend time with your wife. Any more meddling by me and I’m afraid of what might happen.’
She turned to go.
‘Wait, you’re carrying my Brother’s baby, right?’
‘Yes, I am. It was the best and easiest way for him to do my bidding. A bit innocent in bed, but enjoyable enough all the same. Not the best I’ve ever had, though. My tea mixture must’ve been off, or just failed.’ She shrugged and patted her stomach. ‘At least I’ve got a souvenir from my time in human lands.’
‘Is that all he was worth? A fumble, a shrug, and a thoughtless child?’
‘Him, yes. He and your father were only important because they led to you.’
‘Did my Brother know he had sired a child?’
She laughed, ‘oh no, I dared not tell him. Thankfully between him going to Outer Heart, bringing you back, and getting caught up upon what happened when he was absent, I hid this bump,’ she tapped her stomach, ‘from him. If he had known, then I would’ve feared for the future.’
‘Is everything for the future? What about the now?‘
‘Oh, but the future is now. Everything our people have done for the last few generations has led us to this moment. And we have all got our price to pay. For me, it’s this child I’m carrying. Which means my beloved I left behind may no longer desire to wed me.
‘Our tribe has suffered much, but we are secure in knowing that our sacrifice will lead to a brighter future for all The People and even for those who are trapped under the yolk of her . But I dare not say much more, for if I do, discordant cords may be introduced to the flow of music.
‘Go, find your wife, and I shall depart. My role in the main flow of the song has ended.’
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
She turned, and this time I didn’t stop her. Cowardly as I was, I watched as I saw her walk with slow hesitant steps away from the tower and towards the endless grasslands which spread out beyond the farmland. I was working my courage up to chase after her when the younger of the two brothers came in, face red, panting heavily, and carrying a limp woman with brilliant blond hair, even if it was matted and hung limply. Her face was gaunt, lifeless, and far paler than her tanned skin suggested it should be. Faint, rasping breaths were all the signs that showed she was still alive.
The woman was covered in a faint black mist which was swirling all around her body. Using my powers, I did my best to recall as much of the black mist away. As I did, her face winced in pain and she started wheezing horridly.
With this change, the pot bellied guard’s eyes grew panicked.
‘Please, save her.’ He begged me.
‘It’s okay,’ I said, walking next to him and guiding him into Fastidious House. ‘Those reactions prove that she’s getting better.’
I ignored his mumbled questions as I led him into Fastidious House proper. Using my trait-gained knowledge, I headed towards the closest doctor, carefully guiding him all the while.
As we opened the door of the simple, blocky, cuboid, dark grey building, there was an intense confusion of opposites. Outside was hard, lifeless. Inside there were potted plants, along with their subtle fragrance, the gentle sound of running water, and everything was light and a gentle pastel pale.
‘Look, Proud Dawn,’ a gentle sounding, elderly woman said, ‘no matter how much you beg we cannot look after Tier Three here. You need to take them to their own doctors. This place is only for citizens of Fastidious House and their guests.’
She was probably in her fifties, about the same age as the Greek widow, and had the same soft and gentle feeling about her. Along with the hidden strength. This woman wasn’t as high class as those I surrounded myself with since arriving at Fastidious House. Her clothing wasn’t as clean or high quality as even what the servants what. But she was clean and somehow had the air of a healer around her. Though she wasn’t chubby, she still had a bubbly cheerful face with a hint of rosy redness about her cheeks.
‘Please, White Rose, I want her to be my wife and you know they don’t have doctors out there.’ The pot bellied younger brother—Proud Dawn—said. ‘All the others were ignoring her. If I hadn’t had arrived when I did, they’d thrown her down the pit.’
‘I’m sorry, but she is only a Tier Three Sub-Citizen after all. We’ll get plenty more when the new lord brings the next batch in. And you know you cannot marry a Tier Three Sub-Citizen, you can only marry a citizen. Have you asked your elder for a matching service? Even someone in your unfortunate situation should still be able to find a match, somehow.’
‘Though,’ I said, butting in, ‘I’m not sure how many more batches of Tier Three we’ll get before he stops importing any more in.’
‘That’s a bit shortsighted of him,’ she said, turning to look at me, ‘I’m White Rose, the one in charge of this Aid Station.’
‘I’m People’s Defender. You say that it’s shortsighted of him, but could it not be that he’s looking at a longer term future that most are unable to see? Maybe he wants to get rid of the artificial boundaries between Tier Three and Tier Five and above. After all, aren’t they all people?’
She chuckled. ‘Yes, they are people. They breath, bled, and feel the pain as we do. It’s just that they’re not worth as much as we are.’
‘Why is that?’
‘Simple, the goddess teaches we should all use our talents as best we can. Those who don’t use their talents shouldn’t be glorified as much as those who use their talents.’
‘And does that mean that if you, as the one in charge of this Aid Station, refuse to use your talents, then you should not be glorified and then sent outside of the walls?’
She looked at me blankly. ‘No, I don’t know where you get that from. I’m saying that they don’t have talents to use, so they shouldn’t be glorified.’
I glanced over at the woman hanging limply in Proud Dawn’s arms. The fog of death was slowly swirling around her again. And her breathing had grown quieter once more.
‘As much as I would love to have this argument with you, I’m afraid that the woman doesn’t have time. So, as the head of Fastidious House, I’m ordering you to take care of that woman and make sure you do everything in your power to make her survive.’
‘I-I’m s-sorry, but do you have proof you’re the Head of Fastidious House?’ She said, her cheerful face pale.
Using my connection to Fastidious House, I closed the outer door and opened the inner door. ‘Is that enough?’
‘Yes, My Lord, your order shall be done. Quickly Proud Dawn, bring her this way.’
The two hustled off, with the woman hanging limply in Proud Dawn’s arms. Hopefully that woman would return, in some form of manner, his love for her. But still the barriers which I had thought were once almost impenetrable seemed so much fluid now.
With a lightness in my soul and a heavy, hungry feeling in my stomach, I headed off to find my wife.