Chapter 198 – Finishing the Job

There wasn't anything left for me to do after I ran out of mana. I don't know how to repair a ship or sail at all. I don't think the Princess knows either, she was the one to lead the tired me to a room, stripping me of the bloody robe and cuddling up on the bed.

I hate how safe I felt in her arms. I don't know why; I was kidnapped under her watch, then raped beside her. She did try to stop it, I guess.

But for now, I need to sleep, and I can do that in her arms, even if it annoys me.

...

"Are you awake, Alzi?" the Princess asks.

"I am now," I say. The sun once more comes through the small window.

"Do you want to finish healing the women? You should have enough mana to do it," she asks, giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. My lower parts want more.

"I think so," I say, squirming out of her grasp before more can happen. "I need clothing."

"I'm a bit surprised to hear that, my love," the Princess says, stretching out behind me. "But yes, you do need clothing. The fit will be strange, but it should cover you up. Shyla has a lot of work to do to remake your wardrobe."

The Princess passes me a simple blue dress. It looks like it would reach her ankles, but my few extra inches will raise it a bit. The midsection is made for a woman with muscles to spare.

It'll look weird, but it will do.

"Thanks," I say, throwing the dress over my head. "Is there a real reason I can't have a storage ring?"

"It won't be yours," the Princess says. "Anyone will be able to access it. You'll lose all your stuff. I don't want you to count on it to store anything you find important."

"Why don't you just take off my collar then?" I mumble. The damn collar ruins everything.

"Will you stay?" the Princess asks, putting on her own matching green dress.

"No," I'm forced to answer. A pair of slips appears at my feet.

"Then I'm sorry, Alzi," the Princess answers. "I need you. I wish I could give you everything right now. But this type of thing is just too likely, and your mother won't make it. With the throne comes safety—for you and your loved ones."

She forces me into a hug, our new breasts smashing together.

"This period will be over sooner than you think, Alzi. I promise," the Princess whispers. "I'm going to give you the tools needed to keep your loved ones safe. The power, influence, and wives. Or this won't be the last time you are kidnapped. Shall we go?"

"Fine," I say. This seems very much like the Princess's fault. The bitch had something out for the Princess. But she did want a kid from me. I don't know why, but she did.

"Come on, I know the women are excited to get their limbs back," the Princess says, pulling me out of the small room.

We return to the top deck, the cold now getting to me, mostly from a strong wind.

"Shit, sorry, forgot about the wind," the Princess says, throwing a coat over my shoulders. "Normally, it's a little warm over the sea, some current or something. But with the wind mages, it gets cold."

"Thanks," I mutter, spotting the five women I missed yesterday, all huddled up around a mast. "Hello! I'm Alzi, and I want to go first. I should be able to get you all, but I have tomorrow as well to finish up."

"Lady Alzi," they all say, doing their best to bow. "Thank you."

"Let Lorrie go first," one says. "She needs it the most."

"Who is that?" I ask.

"Me," one of the two with only an arm left. "Thanks for doing this. We're lucky if we get a hand regrown. I had no hope when I lost them."

What are the healers for if they don't heal them? Is the real rule no killing or completely healing with life mana? I think I have to spend some time with Oriphusa to find out what is going on with the other healers.

"You saved me. This is the least I can do," I say. "Sorry, but you need to let your limbs out so I can heal them. I know it is cold."

"Don't worry," Lorrie says. Mana pulls away the blanket that covers her and lets her limbs show. I wish I could heal more than one of her limbs at once, but I'm still not good with doing more than one thing with my mana.

I start by evening her arms. After that, she can cover her top with the blanket and get some warmth. Luckily, the Princess remembers the leather strip and gives it to her. I'll need to make a checklist to follow in the beginning.

Lorrie doesn't seem to blame me, but she is busy having her arm regrown, which is not pleasant. The Princess did help me fix my feet, even if she cut them off when I didn't want her to.

She was right, but it still hurt.

Since all her limbs were missing, I didn't pause between them. Cutting for my next regrowth the second the last finger was made. Probably best to give them some time to collect themselves, but I think in the cold, she will be happy to get it over with.

The women just watch my work. Silently praying I have enough mana to get to them. I healed a lot more yesterday, but I can tell I'm not starting with all my mana this time. Still plenty to heal them, but I should find out how fast I generate mana. I'm sure that is important to know.

Maybe I can work with one of the healers from yesterday to learn about the business?

I start the last leg just like the one before it. Apologizing for all the pain I'm causing. Tears are streaming down her face as her body clenches in pain.

There is only so much I can do about it when I'm regrowing limbs. I hope, at least. I would hate to have put these women through all this pain if I didn't have to.

My worry doesn't seem to come true when Lorrie wiggles her feet after the ordeal.

She jumps out at me and says, "Thank you, Lady Alzi." She pulls me into a hug while tears stream down her face, some from the pain and hopefully now from the joy.

"Happy to help you," I say, rubbing her back. "But I need to get to the others."

"Yes, yes," Lorrie says. "I should get warm as well." The newly healed woman practically skips off below deck.

It seems they have the order figured out as the next starts to move her blanket so I can reach her limbs. Why are we doing this on the deck? Did no one help these women down last night?

With how little they healed them, it is possible.

The first went well, so I copied that. The Princess already has the leather strip in her mouth.

Starting with the second woman seems to have calmed them down as they start chatting about the attack, which group they were in, and how many they captured.

Seems they were looking to increase the ransom pay by taking the enemies alive. I also figured out that this wasn't all the injured.

Most were on this ship, but some were hurt during the cannon and magic firing portion. I'll have to get them once we reach port. Hopefully, not too many are missing limbs on the other ships.

The Princess helps me heal the five women, each giving me a hug before wandering off to get some warmer clothing.

"Well done, love," the Princess says. "But you let yourself get too low on mana."

"No, I didn't," I say, taking a step to join them below deck. Instead, I end up in the Princess's arms. My head nestled into her soft breasts.

"Yes, you did," the Princess says. "You need to remember this level. It is important to not fall to this level unless you have no other choice. This is what caused Sextia to lose her arm. You are safe here, and you aren't required to be healing more women soon, so nothing bad will happen. But try to limit yourself like you did yesterday."

She pulls me in, her arm going under my elbow so she can support me. Slowly, we make our way across the deck as I fight to keep my eyes open.

"How do I do that?" I ask.

"Tomorrow, silly," the Princess says. "You won't remember a thing I tell you right now. I need to pick you up to go down the stairs. You can just let yourself sleep if you wish. I'll put you to bed."

"Ok," I mumble, letting my heavy eyelids win. My feet leave the ground.

"Goodnight, my sweet girl," she whispers.

*** Elora ***

Alzi is so cute when she sleeps. She looks so soft, perfect for cuddling. She is the only thing that helped me calm down under the stupid Princess Esiyae.

I just get a little bubbly when I look at her. Awake or asleep. If only she was willing to give me some time to make sure her lovers would be safe with me.

Why doesn't she see the dangers after this? Both of us walking away pregnant is lucky with how spiteful that bitch is. Princess Esiyae couldn't handle losing and didn't work hard enough to win.

I'll figure it out, my pretty dragon. I'll find a way to have you love me over that spoiled kitsune. I'll never beat your mother, and I can live with that.

I tuck her in, gently working the covers under her body. I give her a soft kiss on the forehead before looking for Duchess Fluvis.

Mother Nesh should be arriving soon, and I wonder if she will want us to join her or stay here. I think Alzi would like to stay here and maybe talk with the healers a bit. Maybe I can find a good block of time to teach her some things and see if she responds better to that.

I knock on Duchess Fluvis's door and hope she is here. It seems her first mate was handling everything while Alzi was healing the sailors.

"Come in," Fluvis says.

"Thank you," I say, stepping in. It is a true surprise to see a heavily pregnant elemental. Fluvis's sister is almost twice her age, and her mother wasn't slacking on making the second child. The old Duchess worked hard with her husband to get a second child. Now Fluvis has twelve at home and four on the way in less than a year.

"Am I that big?" Fluvis asks, giving me a little chuckle. "I know, no need to answer, Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You saved us," I say. "Is it strange I wish to talk with my savior?"

"It is my job. I have attached my house to your future," Fluvis says, offering me her seat as she shuffles to the bed. "I may have done too much, taking on five ships with three. Estrella does too much to leave her at home in the future."

"Thank you. You did more than you had to. There was the ransom path," I say, taking the offered chair. "I would never fault you for thinking of your children. I understand the risk you took for me and my wife."

"The risk was lower than I thought it would be," Fluvis says. "And that is something we need to talk about."