Champion, Chapter 56: Beauty’s Wicked Wiles

I have a few major announcements!

As of this morning, I quit my day job. I'll still be working until the end of April (or until my bosses decide they don't need me anymore, whichever comes first), but after that, I will be writing full time. Not all of that writing time will be spent on Paths of the Chosen—my ADHD demands that I spread my attention out some—but starting in May, I'll be able to devote quite a bit more time to the story than I can right now. That will result in more chapters (although there's a second announcement about that, discussed below), but it will also result in me finally having time for all of the little side things that I've been putting off. Revisions, actual non-hand-drawn/non-Excel maps, etc, etc.

As far as new chapters are concerned, we are coming up on the end of Champion. Once I finish this volume of the story, I'm going to spend some amount of time doing revisions and generally recharging my creative batteries for the story. What that means for you all is that book 3 will not start immediately after the end of Champion. Instead, there will be a series of Intermission side-stories. You will still get content every week, but it won't be Aidan's story. I can't give an exact length of time for the Intermission right now since everything's a bit too chaotic for me to be able to know for sure, but I will continue writing in this world, and book 3 will be written and start releasing this year.

Finally, now that I have an active buffer again, I have re-enabled billing on my Patreon. There are currently 4 chapters ahead of the public release (ie, up to chapter 60 is available), and that will extend in the future. You'll also get to see my new project well before it's released to the public, although I haven't started hardcore writing on it yet; I'll announce here when that happens.

AidanThe RealmsFourthday, 2nd week of the 10th month, Age of the Chosen 1Late AfternoonThe Lord's Chambers, Caer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan's arms, shoulders, and back ached by the time he made it back to the chambers he shared with Brighid, but the sleepy contentment radiating from Aoife made it worthwhile. He settled the dozing catgirl onto a pile of cushions, covered her with a blanket, gave Brighid a quick update, and then left to train with Ailis. When he returned two hours later, his mind now as tired as his body, he found Aoife and Brighid bustling about the kitchen, both as naked as the day they were born.

Brighid spotted him first and gave him a dazzling smile. "Welcome back, Aidan. Dinner will be ready soon. Please, have a seat and allow us to serve you."

"You don't need—"

"Please, Aidan," Aoife cut him off. "Just sit down and leave the work to us. You carried me all the way back here; the least I can do is feed you in return."

Knowing he was outvoted and outmatched, Aidan did as he was told. There were three places set side-by-side at the table, although the third had no cushions in front of it. Aidan considered commenting but decided it would be wiser to hold his peace. Instead, he settled into the pile of pillows he used for a chair.

A moment later, Aoife brought him a tankard full of mead. She placed it on the table in front of him, then leaned in, her soft breasts squishing against the back of Aidan's shoulder. Hot lips nibbled his earlobe, then Aoife whispered, "Brighid and I got to talking—you're right; she's a sweetheart. We decided on some things which we'll inform you of over dinner."

"Do I get any say?" Aidan asked, already expecting the answer.

"Nope!" Aoife giggled and kissed the corner of his mouth. "This is what you get for gathering a harem of wilful women. All the sex you could want, no agency over your home life."

"I didn't ask for this!" Aidan protested.

"Oh?" Aoife's breath tickled Aidan's ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and teased, "so it was someone else who chased me down this morning, threw me to the ground, and ravaged me for hours on end while telling me that he wanted me to be his?"

"Well..."

"That's what I thought," Aoife giggled again. "You caught me and claimed me, now you've gotta deal with the consequences."

Aidan twisted and pulled Aoife down into his lap. She squealed at the sudden movement and squirmed around, trying to reclaim her footing, while Aidan wrapped his arms around her. "Let me up! I have to finish dinner!"

"Seems to me that I caught you again," Aidan crooned, "and I can't imagine the consequences are much more severe for doing it twice. I might as well take advantage of the situation."

"Beast! Monster!" Aoife proclaimed. She still wriggled around in Aidan's lap, but her movements seemed less intent on getting away as Aidan's hands started to roam.

"Priorities, love," Brighid scolded him, taking hold of Aidan's chin and turning his face to hers. She gave him a passionate kiss, distracting him long enough for Aoife to squirm free from his grasp. "Aoife is a much better cook than me, so if you want to eat tonight, we need to let her finish up. We can pet the kitty later."

"We?" Aidan asked with a grin.

"You think I passed up a chance to feel how soft her fur is?" Brighid laughed. "Come, Aidan, you should know me better than that! Now, have a drink, make yourself comfortable, and dinner will be up in just a few minutes."

Aidan couldn't exactly drag Brighid down into his lap, so when she pulled away, he let her go and turned to his mead. True to their words, it was only a few minutes longer before the ladies returned to the table bearing platters of food. Brighid doled out a pile of roasted vegetables covered in some rich-looking cream sauce, while Aoife distributed several skewers laden with rich strips of meat.

Brighid settled down to Aidan's right, and before he could ask where Aoife was going to sit, she plopped down across his lap. Aidan instinctively wrapped his arm around Aoife's waist to provide her support, earning a quick kiss.

"Not that I object," Aidan said, squeezing Aoife, "but this is going to make eating awkward."

"Is he always this dense?" the catgirl asked Brighid, who giggled. Aoife turned her golden eyes to Aidan and bopped his nose. "I'm going to feed you, silly. The whole meal is planned around it, see? Now, are you going to argue, or are you going to let your beautiful, naked lover sit in your lap and hand-feed you, leaving your hands free for ... other pursuits?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Aidan laughed. "I withdraw my objection. I'll just shut up and enjoy it."

"Good boy," Aoife responded with a teasing smirk. "Keep doing that, and you'll be a happy boy, too." She turned to the table and grabbed a skewer. She brought it up to Aidan's lips for him to bite. While Aidan chewed the tender, tangy meat, Aoife speared one of the veggies for herself.

"Now, about our decisions," Aoife murmured after swallowing, "as things stand, I need a job. I refuse to be a kept woman."

"And I," Brighid cut in, "hate cleaning and am no good at cooking."

"I love your food!" Aidan protested out of loyalty.

Brighid patted his cheek. "That is sweet of you, dear, but I am aware of my limitations. I will never starve for lack of a cooked meal, but I am no chef."

"I, meanwhile," Aoife said, "am rather proficient at both cleaning and cooking, among other useful trivial skills. Mending, sewing, laundry, and so on. I don't enjoy that kind of work, but I don't hate it, either."

Aidan frowned. "You don't need to do work you don't like. We can find something else for you to do."

"Aww. Don't worry about me, Aidan. Besides, this job does come with some benefits." She wriggled in his lap for emphasis. Aidan tightened his grip on Aoife's waist and trailed his fingers across her thigh, drawing a purr.

"Not to mention," Brighid added, "that it's better to have someone we know and can trust to be the head of our personal staff."

"You do have a point," Aidan conceded. "But if you find a job you'd rather have, Aoife, let us know."

That earned him a smile and a kiss. "Of course." She waved another skewer in front of his mouth until Aidan took a bite. "The second decision we made is that we need to maximize your advantages. The work you're doing with Chancellor Ailis will bear powerful fruit, to be sure, but there is potential with your Profession and other non-combat skills that you're missing, underselling, or just not practicing enough with. As soon as we can find the time, I would like to sit down with you and go over your Talents and skill perks to see what we can optimize. I'll be doing the same for Brighid and Sunnild, for the record."

"And the third decision we made," Brighid added, "is that Aoife will be living with us."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Aidan protested. "One, isn't this all a bit fast? Two, shouldn't Sunnild get that opportunity first? And three, I am not pleased to have this presented to me as fact."

"One," Aoife replied, voice sharpening, "you should have thought of that before you said the things you did this morning. I know it probably doesn't seem this way to you, being a man, but you proposed to me—before doing the same for your Soulmate and without consulting her on it first."

"Two," Brighid added, "Sunnild is not in my good books at the moment. She got drunk on duty and failed multiple times in her role as your bodyguard. She told me all about it yesterday. I'll forgive her eventually since, luckily, no harm was done, but I am very upset with her."

"And three," Aoife followed up, "Brighid said I'd be living with you, not sleeping together with you."

"Although I certainly plan to take advantage of the situation," Brighid said, reaching over to stroke Aoife's hip. Aoife favored her with a flirtatious smile.

"And I look forward to it," she responded, then turned her attention back to Aidan. "Consider me a live-in maid if you have to. I'll sleep in a separate bed and everything. But, given the nature of my condition, we decided it was unwise for me to be too far from you just in case something goes wrong with the collar or bracelet."

Then Aoife gave Aidan a hurt, puppy-eyed look. "Of course, if you really don't want to have me around, I understand. I'll stay hidden away like a good slave-mistress, obedient to Master's call and out of sight otherwise."

"Damnit," Aidan cursed, "you know that's not what I mean. I like you, Aoife, maybe even love you, and I'm not ashamed of you at all. This just wasn't what I expected to hear at dinner tonight."

"So you'll let me stay?" Aoife's eyes widened even further and started to shimmer with unshed tears.

"Fine," Aidan sighed, knowing when he was beaten. This is going to be my life from here on out, isn't it? Aoife was right; this is what I get for letting Brighid talk me into a harem.

"Yay!" Aoife bounced in Aidan's lap, which did wonderful things for her chest, catching both his and Brighid's attention.

"You're a manipulative wench," Aidan told Aoife with a chuckle.

"Praise me more!" She grinned back at him. "Now, eat up! We have plans for you tonight."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And touch me more! You have a hot naked girl in your lap, and you're keeping your hands to yourself; that's rude, you know?"

Aidan laughed. "Yes, ma'am!" he repeated, sliding his hand up Aoife's thigh and to the inside.

"Mm, yeah, just like that." Aoife moaned around a forkful of veggies.

"Before this gets too off-track, I have some things to bring up as well," Aidan said. "First off, Aoife, I want to reiterate that you are not obligated in any way to have sex with me."

"Oh, for the love of...! Didn't I go over this earlier?" Aoife rolled her eyes at Aidan. "There's such a thing as being too conscientious. You have a direct empathic link to me, and there's nothing either of us can do about it, so we might as well make it work for us. Any time you want to play, check with the bracelet; if I'm not in a foul mood and you spend even a little time getting me ready, I'll welcome any attention you want to lavish on me. I'm a greedy girl."

"I understand, but this whole slave thing makes me uneasy, especially since we couldn't bypass the automatic passive restrictions on your collar."

Aoife relaxed in Aidan's arms and nuzzled his neck. "I know, and I'm sorry for being prickly. It's hard on both of us, and I really appreciate how considerate you are. That said, Searlas's court was a place of whispers, rumors, and lies. I had to examine everything everyone said and did from a dozen angles. This morning was, in part, to get you into a state where you'd be direct about what you wanted from me."

Aoife tilted her head back and pressed her lips to Aidan's. A moment later, she pulled back and murmured, "If you—either of you—want me and think I might not be receptive, tell me. I promise I won't be offended, and the worst I'll say is that I'm not in the mood. Don't be sly about it, don't hint or tease it. You don't need to seduce me. I'm so tired of second-guessing everything that a straightforward proposition is one of the sexiest things I can think of right now."

"Deal," Aidan said; Brighid nodded and leaned in to kiss Aoife. "Second thing, and keeping what you just said in mind: we've had sex several times in the last few weeks, Aoife, and I ... haven't been pulling out. I know you said that Searlas laced your food with maiden's tea, but, well, if there's any doubt, I haven't done that. Have you been taking precautions?"

Aoife smirked. "Isn't it a little late to be asking that? If you were worried about knocking me up, you shouldn't have come inside me four times this morning."

"Aoife..."

"Spoilsport. But no, I'm not taking any maiden's tea. I'm your woman, Aidan, in more ways than one. I know the bracelet tells you how fertile I am. If you don't want kids from me, it's up to you to prevent it."

Aidan frowned. "Does that mean you want to get pregnant?"

"It means that I reserve the right to blame you for it when I'm eight months in and feeling like a whale." Aoife took pity on him a moment later and continued, "I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mom. I'm pretty fucked up right now. On the other hand, there's a big part of me that wants to give you everything you want from me."

"Are you sure that isn't the collar talking? Given the information it gives me, I'm pretty sure it's designed specifically for sexual slavery."

Aoife shrugged. "No, I can't be sure, can I? That's part and parcel of this whole mess. But I can't be sure it is, either, and I am ... very attracted to you, in multiple ways, and have been since before you got the bracelet. Something about you pushes all my buttons, and if I had to pick someone to have children with, it's hard for me to imagine someone more likely to be a good father than you.

"You're kind, thoughtful, willing to put your foot down when you need to, and I have no doubt that your children will know that you love them and want them to succeed in everything." Aoife shrugged again. "I'm leaving it up to chance. If it happens, I'll embrace it. If it doesn't, I won't be upset."

Aidan wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer—ambivalence was hard to accept, given the subject matter—but it didn't seem like he would get a better one, so he moved on. "Alright. That's all I had. Brighid, do you have anything to add?"

"Hmm," the redheaded centaur mused. She speared a forkful of the vegetables and brought it to her mouth, but on the way, a thick glob of cream sauce dripped onto her breasts. "Oh! I appear to have made a mess. Aoife, would you mind cleaning that up for me?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Aoife quipped, leaning forward to bury her face in Brighid's cleavage.