“What’s all this?” the Goddess sighs, “Cutting your break short? Hmm… I see. One of the Valkis has had a premonition about you. Interesting… Very well, I’ll send word to him that you’ll be back in Harito tomorrow. No, I’ll have the message delivered and I’ll arrange for your travel tomorrow.”
At Emlyn’s unspoken question, the Goddess chuckles, “You know that they only get premonitions about people they care about. Now tell me, how did you run into one of the Valkis? And how is it that he’s so attached to you?”
As Emlyn’s memories replay, the Goddess laughs. “Hmm… Handsome and bold.” A dry chuckle ripples through her thoughts, “I cannot fault his good taste, at least, nor yours either. Even gods like Neit and Lugh seem enamored with you. Just a tenday and he’s already protecting you even at a potential cost to himself. He is besotted. Be kind to him, daughter, and send him away quickly if you intend to do so. If you don’t… Bed him if you wish. Marry him if you wish. Whatever suits you, my daughter. We are not one of those cults that place rules and restrictions around such things. One of my aspects is concerned with fertility, after all. Our only rule is that all of the participants must be willing.”
Emlyn’s face is already flaming when the Goddess chuckles, answering her unspoken curious question, “Yes, that is possible with multiple partners. Oh, but I have embarrassed you even more. That wasn’t my intention. I’m merely pointing out that, as far as the Temple and I are concerned, you may handle this as you wish. No one will think any less of you, no matter what you decide. Ah, I see… this is about what you think of yourself. Marry him and raise a dozen children, if that’s what suits you. Bring him to the Temple and I will bless the union myself, if you decide that’s what you want.”
Sensing Emlyn’s mounting embarrassment, the Goddess laughs, “I think I’ll be going before I cause you more… distress.”
Sighing heavily, Emlyn heads to the creek to splash some cold water on her flaming cheeks.
Sunset sees Atres turning into the stable yard of The Haughty Oxen. His horse is lathered and ready for a rest. Atres takes some time to walk the beast and praise him before tipping the stable boy to take over and give him an extra ration of oats.
Carrying his saddle bags into the inn, Atres finds a messenger in Temple livery sizing him up.
“You are Atres, are you not?’ the boy asks. When Atres gives him a curt nod, the boy hands him a sealed message.
“What is this?” Atres demands.
“Our Goddess didn’t say,” the boy replies, “Only that I should wait here for your arrival, make sure to place it in your hands, and wait for your answer.” Frowning, Atres rips open the message and begins to read.
Atres of Clan Valkis,
Please pardon the presumption, and please do not be alarmed. All is well. My daughter, Nia, wishes me to tell you that she will meet you on the steps of my Temple in Harito tomorrow at midday. Should you need transportation to meet her promptly, please let my messenger know, and I will arrange your conveyance as well.
Morrighu
Frowning at the boy, Atres waves the message at him, “Who wrote this?”
“Our Goddess,” the boy says calmly.
Rolling his eyes, Atres growls, “Who put you up to this? This isn’t a prank I like much.”
“It’s no prank,” the boy replies calmly, “The Goddess herself gave me the message and sent me here to wait for your arrival. That’s her personal seal on the outside.”
Atres looks at the seal and does a double-take, then grimaces. “I have a hard ride tomorrow if I’m to make it to Harito by midday.”
“The Goddess said to tell you that she can arrange your transport, if you’d rather,” the boy shrugs, “that it would likely be easier on both you and your horse if you would permit her to extend this courtesy to you.”
Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, Atres agrees, “How does this work?”
“It’s quite simple,” the boy explains, “At midday, go out to the stable yard and look for the blue circle. Get yourself and your horse completely inside it. Wait for the fog to form, and when it’s gone, you’ll be there. Oh, one more thing. Don’t touch the fog. Everyone always wants to, especially the first time, but it’s a good way to lose those fingers.”
Nodding, Atres stomps off to find the innkeeper and get a room, and arrange for a bath. With that done, he heads off to tell the stable boy to have his horse ready at midmorning. He settles in to have his first hot meal in recent memory that isn’t made from Nia’s elk and waits for his hot water to be ready. The girl who manages the baths comes and tells him that the water is hot and waiting for him. Wolfing down the rest of his food, he nods at her and heads off to his first proper bath in a while. Atres dries off and sorts through his clothing, picking out the least soiled shirt. He pulls his leathers back on after giving them a thorough wipe-down. He stops for a moment, considering, and grins to himself that he’s concerned with what Nia will think of him.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Definitely headfirst but heels following closely behind,” he sighs and then decides that for her, he doesn’t much mind.
He’d mainly been lost in thought while riding back to Harito poking at this premonition like a child worrying a loose tooth. “I don’t know why she needs to be in Harito, but thank the gods, she’s coming. I don’t know why that makes things seem a bit better, but it does. Now, if I can figure out what’s supposed to happen in Harito. Do we need to meet someone? Find something? Do something? Be somewhere? Arrgh! I hate the idea of her being anywhere near this thing. I don’t know what I’ll do if it tries to take her.”
Mentally, he starts running through the list of everyone who might owe him a favor big enough to help him hunt a dragon or anyone who’s a good enough friend to offer any assistance. Atres’s best friends are back in his home village of Dotara, up in the mountains where the headwaters of the great Jolawaki River start as burbling mountain brooks. There’s probably not enough time to get a message to them and have them reach Harito in time, but it’s worth an attempt. A couple of his cousins have stronger talents than his and might be willing to help. Cursing to himself, he realizes quickly that he’s going to have to talk to Argonath and Korek. Deciding that there’s not much to be done tonight, he directs his thoughts back to dancing with Nia and finding new and creative ways to make her blush. Smiling to himself, he falls asleep.
The next morning, Atres gets up, stretches, and takes his time getting ready. At midmorning, the stable boy pokes his head into the taproom and tells him that the horse is prepared. Atres nods and goes to pack up. Wandering outside with his mug, he sees a blue circle starting to form and ducks back inside. Throwing his saddle bags on the horse, he leads the horse into the circle and waits patiently. Following the directions the boy had given him, he ensures that the horse is entirely within the circle. He waits for a few minutes as blue fog starts to billow out of the circle, forming a column. When it clears, he and the horse are standing in the Temple courtyard, near the steps. Grinning to himself, Atres settles in to wait.
Emlyn and Benger are standing on the front porch, saying goodbye to Benger’s family.
“Are you sure you need to go back early?” Oja says, “I’m not so sure I’d trust Atres.”
“Yes, Mama,” Benger says, “It’s a bit difficult to explain, but I’m sure.”
“Well… Be careful,” Oja hugs Benger. “And you be extra careful,” Oja says, hugging Emlyn, “You remember what I said about guarding yourself from that man.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emlyn replies, “I will.”
With the goodbyes said, the pair heads off over the hill where a blue circle is just starting to form on the ground. Emlyn has to tug on the packhorse a bit to get him close enough to Snowflake for the five of them to all fit comfortably. The blue fog starts to billow, and soon it clears.
Atres looks up at the sound of horses and sees Emlyn looking around. She spots Atres lounging on the steps, runs toward him, and stops just short, blushing.
“What are we doing here, lass?” Atres grins at her.
“Come on,” Emlyn grins back, “I need to go see the Temple smiths.”
“I’ll just take the horses to the barn, shall I?” Benger calls, laughing.
“I thought your Temple was closed,” Atres says.
“It is,” Emlyn replies, “but the smiths have stayed over the break because I’ve had them quite busy. They’re finishing up my new set of plate and working on my designs for the siege bows that I left with them. I want to give them the sketches I made for your new weapons and see how they’re coming with the siege bows. Those things can be tricky if you’ve never made one before. They’ll fire a bolt that will go right through a horse, so it should punch a hole in a dragon. I’ve had some other ideas for things for them to make for this dragon hunting expedition.”
“You mean to hunt this thing?” Atres asks, shocked.
“Let me explain,” Emlyn says, “Hunting him is the most likely scenario. He refuses to talk to us, so we go dragon hunting. We talk, and he agrees to leave the village alone, so we’re done. We talk, he disagrees, and we’re back to going dragon hunting. Next, he tries to take me as tribute. If we can keep him on the ground, I get away, and then we go dragon hunting. We can’t keep him on the ground, so I end up climbing down a mountain, and then we go dragon hunting. Third, he’s been ensorcelled or enslaved. We fix that, he goes away, and we’re done. We fix that, and he’s still bothering the village, so we go dragon hunting. We can’t fix it or don’t discover it, so we go dragon hunting. Fourth, he could be a shapeshifter who’s collecting brides for a pack or clan or whatever. If the girls are happy, and he stops bothering the village, then we’re done. If the girls aren’t happy, or he doesn’t stop bothering the village, or both, we go dragon hunting. If it does turn out to be some shifter clan, we might end up hunting the whole clan. Fifth, it might also be a mage or necromancer collecting virgins for some other purpose, and in that case, we’ll end up hunting that too, but we’ve got things already in storage for that. Sixth, it might be something that Monkford or one of his rivals is doing to steal the gold that Monkford is paying the dragon. That’s a different kind of hunt, but we’re already well equipped for that too. Seventh, it’s an infernal or elemental or some other thing pretending to be a dragon. We’ll have weapons to deal with that, too.”
“I’m having a hard time seeing an outcome where we don’t end up going dragon hunting,” Emlyn shrugs, “There aren’t a lot of branches on that tree that don’t end up at ‘hunt the dragon’. So, Atres, did I overlook anything? Am I missing anything in all of that? You don’t have to answer now, but if I’ve missed something, you won’t hurt my feelings if you point it out.”
“What if this isn’t something directed at Monkford?” Atres says slowly, “What if this is directed at someone else?”
“Go on,” Emlyn encourages him.
“What if this is directed at the duke? Or one of his sons? Or even you? Why are you going on this?” Atres grimaces.
“I’m the only one here who’s ever participated in killing a dragon,” Emlyn shrugs, “which is one more than everyone else.”
“Why would you do that?” Atres asks, “You’re fascinated by them.”
“Because my brother Carwyn and I would have been the middle child of ten children,” Emlyn says flatly, “instead of me being the middle of nine.”
“Oh, lass,” Atres says quietly, “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
“It was… bad,” Emlyn says, “We found what was left when he didn’t come in for supper. A few days later, some other dragons came to our keep looking for me since I was always the one who took the time to speak to them, and because they knew it was my brother that had been…. eaten. This one had gone mad, by their standards, and needed to be put down. He’d started killing things indiscriminately, including other dragons and even hatchlings. Dragons don’t tolerate hatchling killers, even when they’re old and powerful. They could help us get him on the ground and keep him there, but the few that were willing to help weren’t enough to finish him off because he was so powerful. They wanted to know if we’d help them end him. We lost my grandmother in that fight.”
What kind of romance advice would you expect from a fertility goddess?