Chapter 499 – Pregnancy Talk
"Empress Alzi, why don't we give the women some time to talk about pregnancies?" Elyne's father asks.
"Sure," I say. I could use some more male friends. But I hope we get more time to talk about pregnancy things. I have plenty of stories to share that should lessen the worry about Elyne's pregnancy and upcoming labor.
"If you want to stay, you can," he says. "I know you have your own stories to share."
"No, I'm sure the topic will come up plenty over our short stay," I say. "A small amount of time away from pregnancy would be good for me. It's rare that I'm not pregnant myself, and I should get the full experience. I have a feeling it won't last for much longer. My wives are too cute and numerous for that."
"They are beautiful," he says. "Let me show you the back of the manor since you've already seen the front."
"Lead the way," I say. I wonder if the back has more gardens. I'm sure they would be embarrassed if I told them that their front yard looked ready for cows.
The lawn is too well-maintained for it to really look like a grazing field, but it is so different from the normal garden-filled lawn a noble manor has that it's hard not to make that jump. The open field is a lot more inviting and would make raising the kids easier. I'm not looking forward to the time when all the kids are trying to hide in the gardens. A single, massive, open field would be great to play in and allow us to keep an eye on the little trouble makers, especially since the Goddesses and Irlo are great teachers when it comes to mischief.
"Have fun, baby," Mommy says. "We'll take good care of Elyne for you."
"Thank you," I say. "Kou, you can join them. We can let it just be the men for a moment."
"You need to take Victoria or Vanya at least, My Empress," Kou says.
"Ah, true," I say. "Victoria, Vanya has some pregnancy things I'm sure she would like to get off her chest. Don't be afraid to curse me. Kou won't tell on you. Just know I still have the record for having the most kids if you ignore the broods." Should I get a brood just so I can have that title?
Oh, no. I need to get pregnant soon. My thoughts are straying into stupid things. Fertility, you need to limit your Champion!
Elyne's father leads us to the side yard while my wives all go in the front door. The side yard seems to be where they hold the main gardens, though the paths are a lot bigger here than in the gardens back home.
"We don't put as much focus on the gardens," Elyne's father says. "Our people were never big on them, and that preference managed to stick, even for the nobles."
"I'm thinking about how much easier it is to watch the kids without all the hiding places in our intricate gardens," I say. "They are so peaceful to walk through and are absolutely beautiful places to eat lunch in. They also seem to sap away your stress as you walk through them, but kids can hide in them. Some of the little stinkers have started hiding in the gardens to scare me. Kou warns me about them sometimes, but she lets them get a few scares in. Plus, a few are Goddesses, so I don't think Kou will be able to warn me about them for long."
"Ah, yes, watching kids," Elyne's father says. "We aren't able to hide all that well, even in a nice garden. It is nice to stroll through the gardens, but we normally run off our stress, which makes the women's pregnancies all that much harder."
"Yes, running is not much of an option when pregnant," I say. "Normally, the only option is to waddle, even for small pregnancies; few are blessed with normal mobility."
"Fucking waddle," Victoria mutters. "I'd better not have to fucking waddle."
"Yes, the waddle," Elyne's father chuckles. "Each stage is more difficult than the last. Sorry, we've gone back to the topic I wanted to avoid. But, if I may, Empress Alzi, were you a true dragon when you got Elyne pregnant?"
"Not fully," I say. "I'm not sure how much it will affect the kids, but I'll be there for her throughout the entire labor."
We walk past the garden, and the back yard is very similar to the front. There's a small section off to the side with a small pond and gazebo to relax in, but most of the yard is a giant space to run around in.
Well, our manor does have open spaces to run in; you just have to walk a bit to get to the big fields. There's enough space close by to have small field days. But as things grow, we'll have to move them to the large fields farther from the house. Maybe we can move things around to make it easier on us. Probably not to this degree, but more space close by wouldn't be bad. Perhaps I can get some help from my lovely wife with growing the land near the house.
"Thank you," Elyne's father says, heading for the pond. "I have to leave after dinner, but it's great to see her again and meet with you."
"Do you get non-centaurs pregnant?" I ask. "You don't have to answer. I'm just wondering. Things should be changing for men soon, and I'm just trying to see what all the problems are so I can work with someone important to fix it."
"Someone important?" Elyne's father asks. "You make it sound like a Goddess cares about those of us with the rod. But, yes, I do have to be careful. It's a process."
"I know what you mean," I say. The size I have when I switch forms is staggering. I could kill a woman with that thing. I'll have to test it on Yzzorres sometime. "I'm a bit bigger than most, and well, before I got some of my Skills, it took some time to get to the act. Hopefully, things will be fairer for men in the future, with no need to run around and see your kids for only a short time, since they're all spread out through different houses, manors, and cities, with some you don't even know about. I can't make any promises, but things are looking promising."
"I look forward to it," Elyne's father says. "I've only had a single male child in all my years. I don't know how many more chances I'll have to have another male. It feels like I just made another me. It isn't an awful life, but I know there should be more for us. Here we are, still talking about pregnancy when I said I would get you away from it for a bit. It's too much of our focus."
"I'm stuck on it too," I say as we reach the still, clear blue water. "I'm just lucky enough to do it in one shot, and quickly if I want to. If I want to be fancy, I can even give multiples. I'm able to do it so easily that women are willing to live with me, just hoping that I start to like them enough to get them pregnant. I'm nice and get along with people, so it has been working. But it's crazy to think about the hoops we have to go through to make the next generation. Sorry, I've got us talking about sad things."
"Oh, don't worry, Empress Alzi," Elyne's father says. "You've said there is hope for men in the future. That is enough to bring happiness to this conversation."
"Fuck, pregnancy has to suck ass for everyone," Victoria says. "Alzi, you don't have to feel fucking pressured to fuck me anytime fucking soon."
"Don't worry," I say. "I'm not feeling pressured to fuck you. I want to. So be on your best behavior, and you'll last longer before you're waddling around, or maybe you'll get lucky, and Stacy will take them for you. Maybe... well, no, you shouldn't be around Luck. She's still too young for your tongue."
"She's given me plenty of fucking luck," Victoria says.
"She has blessed our family," I say. "What do you like to do for fun?"
"Read," Elyne's father says. "I've learned that is the only thing I can count on doing, since I move around too much. Though I'm nowhere near your level, the women loved calling me a stud. Several of Elyne's sisters are blood-related, even if they don't share the same mother. But yes, reading is what I normally do."
"A bit different from running," I say.
"That is what I do all day," Elyne's father says. "I think we've given them enough time. Shall we go see if Elyne has calmed her Mother down?"
"I hope she has," I say. "I'm happy that Elyne's Mother cares about her, but she will be fine. I can't lose any mothers right now. I need all the hands I can get to raise my kids."
"That is very true, Empress Alzi," Elyne's father says. "We can go in through the back door. It offers us a chance to sneak up on the women."
He's really just acting like I'm a man, even when I'm in a long, flowing dress. Shyla does have my breasts covered by it, but they're too big to hide. He just doesn't care. Is this what my life could've been like? Women talking to me like a woman, and men talking to me like a man? I should ask Elora and Elo to find other herms for me to talk to. Maybe I can exchange letters with them to learn about their lives.
Letters would be best. I can see us both walking away bloated, otherwise.
I really need to stop thinking about pregnancies.
'Space, can you tell your Mother to help me with my thoughts? I'm focused way too much on getting pregnant right now.'
'I'll see what I can do, but no promises. Oh, she did tell me to warn you that a lot of your wives will be giving birth in two days.'
'The rituals... Did they stack up?'
'I don't know. Love you, and have fun with Elyne's family.'
'Love you.'
Two days. Well, we said it would be a short trip. I wish Fertility could've said something when we were planning out this trip, but it's just one day shorter than we'd planned. We can leave during the night.
"I don't think we'll be sneaking up on Geta," I say. "But we can try."
The inside of the house looks normal, for the most part. Things are a bit bigger, which is nice for us tall women.
"Quiet," Elyne's father says. "They should be just past here. You continue forward. I would just alert everyone to our presence."
Geta is going to know I'm nearby. If she doesn't feel my mana, the kids certainly will. But Elyne is probably too full to feel the difference in activity. "It's time to see if Geta is paying attention," I say. "Heels are hard to be quiet in. I just had to be fashionable."
I do my best to move quietly. My footsteps are crystal clear to me, but that may just be because of my training at the brothel. Victoria is silent, so it really is up to how quiet I can be.
"Mother, she pampers me," Elyne says. "Don't worry. I've heard some stories about her births. I can do this if she can go through those. I promise you... No, I did this willingly. Mother! Why are we still on this? I'm happy. It hurts, yes; I'm not stupid or blind to my body. But honestly, you'll see me like this again. Not anytime soon, but I will do it again. Alzi likes it. She has a body that just pampers her pregnant wives. She wouldn't dare let us be uncomfortable alone. She wastes her mana on easing my pains every day. She goes with the Royal Healer to help people every other day, and she never stops to think about whether she should ease my pain. She tries to hide it, but she doesn't have that level of control yet. She just does it. You're worried, and I understand that. But I promise you, I will raise these kids with Alzi and our wives and maids and concubines and anyone else we need to help raise them. Keep this up, and I'll drag you in with me. She's open to the idea of having two very, very pregnant centaurs stuck in her bed, and I'm not afraid to demand my sister hand you over for a few months. Her children grow fast."
"Elyne, don't drag me into this," Elyne's sister says. "Well, not in the open. This is something to be discussed in letters, behind people's backs. I didn't know you could be this devilish."
"Look," Mommy says. "I understand your worry. I worried about Alzi every day for ten years. And even after Elora bought her, I thought every day might be Alzi's last one. Either a birth gone wrong, or something worse. I- She made it, and she's not about to lose a child or a wife. She won't let it happen, and the Royal Healer is right there with her, and Kelly is one of the best midwives you can find. Elyne is safe."
"Fine," Elyne's mother says. "I- It's just, this will be the first time that a labor like this ends with the mother surviving. I'll trust your judgement. I didn't mean to offend you or insult your wife, dear. I'm so happy to have you home. But you'd better not conspire behind my back. I'm old and not fit to be pregnant anymore."
"Alzi doesn't care about that," Nanoka says. "If she gets her claws into you, well, let's just say you'll be happy afterwards, even if it takes you by surprise. I never thought I would smile at the thought of being pregnant. A small part of me doesn't want it to end. But Alzi doesn't wipe your away senses completely. Being pregnant is still a bitch, but for Alzi, it's worth every second. Now, Alzi is back. How about lunch? I'm sure everyone who's pregnant is hungry."
"Alzi heard this?" Elyne asks.
"Sorry," I say.
"It sounds like it worked," Elyne's father says. "Sorry, I wanted her to hear what goes on when we men aren't around the pregnant. It's good to have the full picture, but it sounds like she understands both sides better than anyone else could. Thank you for taking such good care of our baby. It means the world to us."
"I do my best," I say.