Silver trays overflowed with roasted pheasant, its golden skin crisped and glistening with a honey glaze. Bowls of steaming root vegetable stew sent up clouds of steam, mingling with the aroma of baked bread brushed with garlic and herbs. There was a platter of grilled trout, laid atop a bed of lemon slices and garnished with sprigs of dill, and a dish of greens that sparkled with droplets of oil and flecks of salt.

Kent sat at the head of his table, men with shaved heads to his left, probably priests and monks of the Church of Aria. To his right, there were broad shouldered men; the knights who’d helped us escape.

I learned more about the feudal system that was in place in Ala Bin. Kent was a count who owned a portion of land East of the city, and had certain knights under his command, each allocated lands and serfs.

Despite it being an outdated system in my book, from what I’ve seen, Kent was kind to his subjects. That morning, I ran into a twelve-year old boy training with a wooden sword. He had been training with Farnand, Kent’s top guy and apparently, a fantastic swordsman. Farnand had told me that the boy’s father was one of the local field workers. His son had always dreamed of being a knight.

Four days had passed in peace, and now, Kent was ready to honor us with the wealth of his fiefdom.

This was like a five-star hotel.

Lariel was seated to my right, her eyes darting serenely across the table, brushing the rim of her goblet of red wine. Camille sat farther down the table, her purple locks tied into a braid, her chin resting on her hand as she watched the scene unfold with mild curiosity.

Kent raised a goblet at the head of the table. “A humble meal, in times such as these,” he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips, “but one shared among allies and friends is worth savoring.”

“Humble?” Zyra muttered under her breath, close to me. “Is he really calling this humble?”

I was saving the seat to my left. And Alynna finally appeared, walking down the spiral staircase into the dining hall. Her hair was tied into that cute high ponytail, and she’d traded her Eastern silks for a medieval dress.

And man, these particular medieval people weren’t shy about cleavage. It looked fantastic on her.

“Do you like it?” she asked with a smile, whirling around and showing off her curves.

“Looks great on you,” I added with a smile.

I moved the seat back so that she could approach comfortably.

“Grrreat!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide open, glancing at the table as if she were at a candy shop. “Finally, some meat! And they’ve got real cheese!”

She stretched her hand and reached for a large communal slab of cheese, taking the knife next to it and slicing a hearty portion. She put a slice in her mouth and hummed a song. That was the face of absolute ecstasy. “Servant woman!” she exclaimed, raising a hand and pointing at one of Kent’s attendant. “Bring me some of that wine.”

“Y-yes, my lady,” replied the servant, taken aback and stuttering a little.

She was a bit rough around the edges, but how I loved that barbarian babe.

“Pheasant?” Alynna exclaimed, looking over at the centerpiece. She swallowed a complaint. I could tell that she wanted something a bit more hearty and fatty. But I, for one, couldn’t help drooling over the food. When my chance came, I sliced off a leg and brought it to my plate in between rocket leaf salads with copious amounts of olive oil, a charred onion, and baked turnips.

“So,” Lariel said, looking over my shoulder toward Alynna. “Are you enjoying life in this castle? I’m not getting used to the walls. I’d rather sleep outside.”

“It’s alright,” the barbarian replied, pieces of cheese stuck through his teeth. A servant presented her with a vase of wine, and she sipped it enthusiastically. “I miss yurts, but it’s quite cozy. These cityfolk are weak and wimpy, but their comforts, girl… They’re tempting.”

“It seems you’re making the most of it,” Lariel replied, her tone light but carrying an undertone of affection. “I like being with Connor. The place’s a little too locked up for my taste. It’s like sleeping in a cave with no exit. But I can handle it when he’s around.”

Alynna purred like a cat, directing her a glance. “Good for you. Are you… trying to make me jealous, or encouraging me to join you?”

“That again?” I asked, taking another piece of cheese into my mouth. The royals nearby weren’t really making use of the cutlery. Perhaps that’d also be a later development. I gave in, reached for more pheasant, and nibbled on the caramelized skin outside, its best part, and the richly marinated flesh.

Fantastic.

It went great with the white wine.

“To be honest,” Alynna said. “Connor should be the one inviting me into his bed.”

Saying that out loud drew some glances from Kent’s friends and attendants. I took a long sip of wine and expected the topic to change. It didn’t. It would get worse.

“Yeah! I want to get married!” Alynna announced, standing up, hands on the table. “I want to have sex already!”

The room grew silent.

I sighed.

“It’s not fair if you marry him first,” Lariel said, thankfully, softly.

“Girls,” I said with a sigh, lowering my voice. “You’re amazing, and… all. If we’re gonna marry, it’s gonna be equal. For both of you. Back at Aria’s sanctuary.”

“Why not here?” Alynna asked, turning sharply toward Kent, leaning on her table and raising her voice. “Hey, Kent. Is that your priest? The bald guy next to you?”

The balding man next to Kent almost spat out his drink. I hadn’t recognized him at first, without the pope’s hat. Kent himself opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

“I need to ask you something, Mr. Priest. Could you marry us three in that little shrine of yours?”

Both Kent and the bald man tensed up, covering their mouths, wine coming out of their noses.

“Alynna,” Lariel said, placing an arm around the barbarian girl. “Please…”

“We can do your true authentic ritual with Aria later on” Alynna exclaimed, a bit more quietly to Lariel. “But why not have a nice little ceremony.”

The bald man next to Kent cleared his throat, his fingers drumming nervously on the table. I cringed internally, bracing for whatever might come next.

“My child,” he began, his voice hesitant, “by Aria’s grace, we can officiate marriages. But… we do not have the custom of marrying two women to the same man. It would be…” He faltered, his gaze flickering uncertainly between us.

Lariel tilted her head, her expression calm but firm. “Aria doesn’t mind,” she said with an air of finality.

Father Vhandor gave a strained chuckle, his shoulders stiffening. “Of course, my Lady Elf. The goddess wouldn’t mind, but, you see—”

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“We should have a wedding,” Nidar interrupted, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. He leaned forward, his hand gesturing expansively. “Why not? At least something simple to lift the mood. Honeycakes, music—just a little celebration! It feels like I haven’t danced in a century.”

He glanced at Vinara, his eyes playful. “What do you think?”

Vinara’s lips curved into a small smile. “I want to dance,” she said, lifting a hand in a graceful, almost regal gesture.

Kent turned his gaze slowly toward the bald priest. His voice was measured as he asked, “So, Father Vhandor, what do you think?”

The older man sighed heavily, his shoulders sinking under the weight of expectation.

“He’s not the real thing!” Lariel exclaimed. “No offense. But…”

Lariel groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Listen… It’s something really special to me. You know that. You’ve always known.” Her voice was muffled but laced with frustration.

Nidar threw up his hands as if the matter was already settled. “He’s a priest of Aria, after all. What’s the problem?”

“Wait, wait!” Alynna exclaimed. She turned to face me, her voice loud for all to hear.

“Will you, Connor? Please, marry me!”

I let out a sigh.

I didn’t expect this, now.

We’d kind of agreed I’d do it.

Alynna was in love with me, and the idea kept growing in my mind. I wouldn't mind.

Man, I felt irrational. I’d just come out of a terrible divorce and I was considering marrying a barbarian girl I’d just met.

She was incredibly fun, and deadly, and as hot as a furnace.

And she needed it. I could afford to marry her. I did yearn to be close to her. Not just out of lust, which I could get more than other men, or even because her body seemed to be carved out by the very gods themselves.

She was just an incredible woman.

“Let’s talk about what marriage means to me and you, Alynna. And if we’re on the same page. Why not?” I said. “We can do this for fun, with Lariel as well. And to get your promise to yourself fulfilled.”

I’d thought I’d never say that. What was I, a prudish puritan? To be honest, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that marrying would be liberating for her and her steppe traditions.

A faint smile started forming across Lariel’s lips.

“I suppose it’d be interesting to get married like this, before our official wedding with Father. I don’t think he’d get upset.”

The thing was, the priest hadn’t even given a response.

I looked at him, and every set of eyes in the room followed through.

He ran a hand across his bald head. He looked at Lariel first. He seemed the most concerned about her, her being an elf and all.

“It is an honor to serve…. An elven lady and such a brave Lord, and a warrior lady like you. I… will have to consult with the council of priests… to see if there’s nothing in our canon that forbids it.”

Kent grinned. Perhaps the wine’s effect had come quickly on him, because he wasn’t his usual upright self. Instead, he was becoming a bit more amicable.“Come on, Father Vhandos. It is indeed an exotic request, but nothing out of what’s been experienced in history. And the gentleman here, Lord Connor, is not one who is familiar with our customs and traditions.”

Vhandos nodded, thoughtful, with a hand wrapped around his chin. His eyes examined me thoroughly. “Where are you from, after all?”

“Right,” Kent said, narrowing his eyes. “We’ve assumed you’re from the far north. Aren’t you?”

I let out a long sigh, leaning my forearm on the table.

“Aria brought me here from another world.”

The words sent shockwaves through Kent’s people, especially the priest. They exchanged glances and huffed comments.

“How did that happen?” the priest pressed forward.

How can I make it short and understandable?

“I was a captain in my homeland. I was in charge of transporting people and merchandise.” I made sure not to tell them that we were talking about an air vessel here and not just a ship. “I went to an ice mountain and…”

The priest nodded slowly.

“That is interesting, indeed. Fascinating.”

But what the priests close to Kent were saying in huffed whispers seemed to be another story.

“It sounds just like that story in the Second Book of the Wisdom of Aria,” I managed to hear.

“Could it be real?” whispered another. “How can a foreigner know of those esoteric texts?”

Now that piqued my interest.

“May I ask,” I said, “if there’s a prophecy that speaks of that?”

The priest took a deep breath. His glance was firm, as though he were probing my answers. “What, are you familiar with the texts?”

“Not at all,” I said.

That prompted even more discussion among the priests, and eyes swinging toward me in particular.

“A prophecy?” Lariel said. “I love prophecies. What did it say?”

Vhandos hesitated, hands tapping on the table.

“It’s just an apocryphal book. It’s not part of the Canon and the Official Commentaries of Aria.”

I cleared my throat. “Why don’t they just ask Aria herself?”

The priests went pale.

“Ask her?”

A priest with a mustache, sitting alone in a corner, snickered dismissively.

“Ask her? What, is she your cousin for you to pay her a visit? She’s the goddess of light and order. Yes, there are manifestations of her in the cosmos, but you can’t just… talk to her. Or send her a message with a pigeon.”

Right. Nothing like a little religious controversy to start the day.

“Well, of course we can talk to her,” Lariel said. “Mother allows you to speak to her.”

Weren’t they supposed to have the same religion?

“Well, that is, of course, a very important mystical practice, lady elf,” Vhandos said. “But what you are dealing with is, of course, a manifestation of her power projected into our reality via a dream. It’s not really her, is it?”

Lariel shrugged.

“Well, of course it is her.”

“Now that is really interesting,” Camille’s voice cut smoothly into the conversation. “I’ve read in the Classics about those rites. Of course, humans are not allowed in those elven sanctuaries, but I find that concept very interesting. It’s as if you’re transported into another reality and get to talk to a goddess. How do you do it?”

“She calls us,” Lariel said. “I’m not well-versed in how it works, though. Maybe… Well, they call her the Guardian of the Threshold. She is all about opening gates into other realms. But she’s too weak nowadays. Her power has waned. I was told… that she used the last bit of power to open a gate for him. For Connor.”

Everyone’s eyes fixed on me.

And then, the solemn silence was broken by a single voice.

Alynna.

“So. Can you marry us or not?”

Vhandos almost spat out his wine.

"We... will consult it with the council."

The dinner continued in peace, with fewer arguments and points to be made, but plenty of thoughtful glances and questions. I ate like a literal king. I was surprised it’d be so abundant.

We were soon offered trays with seasonal fruit, apricots, and berries, as well as more wine.

Camille, observing from her place with an amused smile, broke the tranquility. “You three seem rather close,” she said, leaning forward slightly. “I am thoroughly fascinated by many of the comments you’ve made. But one thing has my utmost curiosity. How do you manage it? Jealousy, I mean?”

Alynna chuckled, resting her chin on Lariel’s shoulder. “Why be jealous when you can be cuddled instead? It’s way more fun.”

Lariel tilted her head, as serene as ever. “There’s no room for envy when trust is mutual. And we know he loves us equally.”

I felt heat creep into my cheeks under Camille’s curious gaze. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Interesting. In my experience, most people aren’t quite so... generous with their affection.”

“It’s all about the love,” Lariel said with a wink. “Why not just expand it even more! It can be complicated, though. My moms, for example. They rarely saw my dad, and he wasn’t there for me that often. But I did have a lot of siblings and friends, so that made up for it. It all depends on how generous he is and how much he can keep up.”

“And we’re not even married yet. But I’m happy I’m involved with these amazing women,” I said, watching them blush and play with their hair.

“Fascinating,” added Camille, taking a sip of wine.

“Look,” Malor said, cocking his head and playing with his food. “Kings before me, well, they were a bit like that, weren’t they? Our grandfather King Vlanox III had, what, five mistresses? Some of their kids ended up becoming great knights and lords. Kent’s our cousin from that side and from our aunt Janaka’s side.”

Camille sighed. “Malor’s really into genealogies. Anyway, Malor, those kings were not following the—”

“I mean, technically it’s standard,” Malor replied. “And he was trying to take care of them all. It’s just that they weren’t official. What’s the difference then?”

“Doing what you were supposed to do,” Camille said. “Your duty. If you’re from a barbarian tribe. No offense, you don’t have the concept of monogamy.” She said, eyeing Alynna. “Who’s grown up with those old-school... I mean, archaic traditions. You have a right to. You live as you’re expected. But if you’re born in high society, with the responsibilities and duties of our class, where we’re supposed to be an example to the people of lesser stature, we ought to live by those rules. After all, they’ve been set to protect others. Unfortunately, some haven’t followed the rules, and so far we’ve seen only decadence and dishonor. I only hope we can revert it.”

These two were just as idealistic, just in different ways.