Chapter 94 – Making it to the City

*** Princess Elora ***

For the trip to Lilin, we had carriages, so I missed my chance to keep Inanos close to me—though that may be a good thing. She's been quiet on our journey, especially when I'm around her. Having an arm in a cast for so long is hard, but the injury hasn't gotten any worse, and there'll be a few healers who can check it out when we make it to the small city.

Lilin is about a quarter the size of the capital and focuses mostly on farming, which occupies much of the open land. The most important thing is filling the people's bellies.

We're just a few minutes away from the main gate, having passed the many fields that feed the city, villages, and even export to places where the forest is too dangerous to cut back far enough to farm.

I'm riding a horse currently, wanting to see the people who live here. Lilin should mainly be beastkin. Their ancestors migrated to the Queendom a few centuries ago during a civil war between all the tribes. The Queen shipped them all over the place to build up a lot of farming cities. Spreading them around helped to keep them from bringing the civil war here. Killing any that got a little too rowdy without a second thought.

There isn't much of a line at the gate, just a few peasants likely coming in after their shift in the fields. Not that we have to wait for them; I can see four horses riding out to meet us; the one in the back holds the Baroness crest.

"Welcome, Princess Elora. I'm happy to host you so soon after your announcement. Just wish it was under better circumstances." The lead rider calls out when they are near.

"Thank you for the welcome. I'm happy to help you out. Please show me the way," I answer back. The three in the back peel off and head back to the city while the lead continues moving towards me.

"Princess, I'm Lady Liuva. I've got a small feast being prepared right now. You should all have time to bathe and change before it is finished. My maids can take over tonight to let yours rest from the travel if they need it," the Lady says, pulling up just behind me.

"We packed light, so we don't have much luggage. The bath sounds great. If you could have a healer come by tonight or tomorrow morning, that would be a great help. One of my wives was hurt by an old feral werewolf, and something is keeping health potions from working on her. I'm hoping to at least know what is causing the problem if they can't fix it. I should be getting a powerful healer soon that should be able to fix it, just don't want anything to fester in the mean time."

"Of course. I'll make sure the best in the city come by in the morning. I already let them know they needed to be careful with their mana over the next few days so they can help you with the griffins. I've got a few in my guard that would love to join you in the hunt, but we can discuss those details tomorrow in soft chairs rather than hard saddles."

"Yes, that sounds good. We'll do it with the first light to give us a day to prepare. No point stalling this out anymore."

We pass through the large gates and into the city. A little market area is set up behind the gate, but it's mostly empty as citizens are busy working right now. Short, wide buildings follow shortly after. Likely flats for the workers. Shops start to pop up selling their wares to the few people walking about. The Lady guides us to the center, where the main castle sits. We pass through the winding streets, Liuva sharing random facts about the old buildings, like the first pub that's still open or the building with the oldest floor boards in it.

The facts are fun and do a good job of filling in the time it takes to reach the inner walls and into the castle grounds. We all unload out front and let the servants move the horses and carriages to the stables.

"Trelea will show the maids to the rooms I'll lead you all to the bath," the Baroness says.

The maids wander off upstairs while we follow Liuva through the humble castle halls. A few paintings of the various Baronesses decorate the walls. Simple stone floors. A rather large difference from the elaborate furnishing of my Mother's castle. No large displays lined with gold or marble floors. The tapestries are half the size and lack the same detail.

"Here we are. I'll have a few maids stationed here for when you finish up. If dinner is ready, they'll bring you directly to the food; otherwise, they'll let you rest in your rooms. Your maids will be directed towards their bath once they are finished with your items as well. If you would prefer they join you I can have that arranged," she informs us.

"It would be good for us to bath ourselves today, I think," I say.

"As you with your Highness. I'll leave you all alone now. Once again, thank you for coming to this small city. We appreciate your help," Liuva says with a bow and walks off.

"Well, time to soak a bit and let this Princess run her hands over your soft skin," I say, opening the door to the small changing room. Not wanting to waste any time, I just use magic to get naked and walk right through the next door.

On the other side is a warm room. The soft sound of a small waterfall comes from one corner. The waterfall fills a small stream to replenish the large bath in the middle of the room, and another small stream takes water out of the tub.

The warm stone feels great against my feet as I walk to the water's edge and slip in. The warmth fills my body and eases my muscles.

"Come on, girls! It may not be the royal baths, but it feels amazing," I call back to my slow wives.

"Some of us like the process of taking our clothes off, you know," Vanya says, walking in. The rest of my wives follow along behind her. A beautiful bunch of bodies, tits bouncing with each step, toned muscles of the mages, and bulging muscles of my warriors. Inanos hides in the back, her shoulders drooping as she moves to the far side of the bath. Ducking inside so the water almost reaches her eyes.

Should I head over to her? I'll need to check on her tonight.

"I would prefer the extra few seconds in the warm water. Though maybe I should've watched as you all slowly revealed your bodies to me. All that titty slowly showing, abs flexing as you take your shirts off, bending over to take off your skirts and pants. Yes, next time, I'll stick around with you all."

"Oh, Syro, we married a degenerate. Mother warned me about them. I just didn't think a princess could fall so low," Shimmer cries out, jumping into the Harpies wings, planting her face right atop her tits.

"Look who is talking," Syro says back, giving Shimmer a soft slap on the ass before pulling her into a hug and sitting back in the bath.

"Yes, that is the beauty of being a Princess. Girls come running into your arms and marry you without thinking about how perverted they are." I pull my two warriors, Vanya and Geta, into my own hug.

...

"Princess, I'm sorry to disturb you all, but the food is ready. I didn't want the food to get cold. So, please forgive me for walking in on you all," comes from behind me, stirring me awake.

"What, oh, sorry. No, you did the right thing. Did we all fall asleep?" I ask, blinking the sleep away. I'm still hugging the warriors, their breasts pushed into my side. Shimmer and Syro still hugging while leaning against Elyne's side. All the girls stirring awake except Inanos, who just stares from the far side of the bath.

"It seems so," the maid says, her forehead pressed to the floor.

"Well, then, this is completely our fault. Thank you. Just wait outside. We'll be out in a minute."

I let the girls go and step out of the bath. A little magic dries me off.

The Baroness said there was a feast prepared, so I'll need to wear more than a robe, so I'll need a bit of help getting into my dress. Knots are always a bit dangerous to magic into existence. They're always a lot harder to untie when magic makes them, so if the dress is too tight, you'll likely have to find a new dress to wear until you can spare a maid for a few hours to fix it.

"I'll help you into the dress," Ioelena says, coming up behind me.

"Thank you. Here it is."

I hand over the red dress for her to help me. She lets me step in and get my tits in the right spot before she ties the backup, and we switch places. I help her put on a light green dress in a similar fashion. The other girls pair up, leaving Inanos, the last girl naked, standing in the corner.

"Inanos, come here. I'll help you get dressed," I say.

"Thank you," she mumbles, her left arm hanging limp at her side. Her head bowed.

"Come on, we'll do your standard black. And yes, it will be a dress. I won't let my dear be the only girl not in one. We'll get you a healer and have you back in fighting condition soon. Worse case I'll go to Rosemary and pay her to heal you when we get back. It'll take a bit that way, but there isn't a thing she can't heal," I say, pulling out a dress for her. A simple dress in her favorite color. A bit on the nose for a death elemental, but not everything needs to be original.

"I know Elora. You've already told me that."

"Sorry, it just hurts seeing you like this. You did well in the attack. I'll need to find some more warriors so we don't risk the mages so much. Come on, step in," I say to her. She steps into the dress and lets me get it situated. We all slip on our shoes and head out.

"This way, your Highness," a maid says with a bow and starts leading us down the simple halls again.

We make it to the dining hall to find a long table filled with food, primarily grains, fruits, and vegetables that they farm. However, there is also some roasted meat to round out the meal.

"I hope you all enjoyed the bath. I know I said feast, but due to the griffins, hunting has been stopped for the most part. So please forgive the limited amount of meat. We don't have many adventures stationed around here since we aren't the border of the Queendom and the lack of a forest," the Baroness says.

"Don't worry, we're here to fix that issue. Give us a few days, and we can have a true feast with the griffin providing the meat," I say back, heading to the head of the table. It may be her house, but a Princess is a bit too high over a baroness to let her sit above me. "Now we're all a little tired from the travel so let's just dig in. We have an early morning and a long few days ahead of us. Best get all the sleep we can."

My wives cheer and dig in. While the feast lacked meat, the wine was plentiful. It may not be the best for a good night's sleep and early morning, but we can work through it with a bit of water. It is yet another reason to pick up Alzi as soon as possible.