Champion, Chapter 83: Cherished Memories

AidanThe RealmsSixthday, 4th week of the 11th month, Age of the Chosen 1Pre-DawnCaer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan started his day early. He woke up before the others and took several minutes to work his way out of the cuddle pile. Once he was free, he padded into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. This would be Aoife's (self-assigned) task on a typical day, but this wasn't a typical day. Aidan would soon be leaving the women who held his heart behind to face a perilous fight.

He knew how difficult it would be for them. Even with his ability to visit their dreams, they would be stuck here, waiting, unable to do anything to help. The same stressor broke apart countless military families back on Earth. Aidan wouldn't be gone as long—he hoped—but it would still be trying for those he left behind.

There wasn't much Aidan could do to make it easier for them. Every idea he came up with created as many new problems as it solved. So, instead, he would spend today showing them how much he cared, starting with breakfast.

It wasn't much. Aidan was still new to this world and wasn't as familiar with his options as he was in his little bachelor pad in the greater Atlanta area. Still, eggs were eggs, and flavored porridge was the same everywhere. It came out a little soupier than Aidan preferred, though. He missed grits, but he'd yet to see anything resembling corn in the Highlands.

Once he was done, Aidan set the dishes aside for the servants to clean later, then padded back into the bedroom. Aoife was the closest, so he started with her. Easing onto the bed behind her, Aidan stroked her back. A sleepy sound slipped from her as she stirred and stretched. "I made breakfast," Aidan whispered into her ear. "Will you go wake Ailis for me and bring her back with you?"

Aidan's Chancellor usually slept in her own quarters, and last night was no different. He wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable with her daughter's proximity or it was an attempt to maintain a professional air to their relationship. Regardless of the reason, Aidan wanted her with him that morning.

Aoife twisted, catlike, and pressed her naked body into his. "It's my job to cook for us," she protested in a drowsy voice.

"I'm declaring this morning a holiday. No work for you." Aoife giggled. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then squirmed out of his embrace. Aidan admired the view for a moment before moving on to his next target.

Sunnild and Brighid were on either side of Aidan when he woke up, hugging him between them. In his absence, Brighid appeared to have made Sunnild a substitute. Aidan studied the pair for a moment. It would be difficult to wake them one at a time. They were too closely entwined. So instead, he knee-walked over to them and placed soft kisses on exposed skin.

At first, Sunnild and Brighid only emitted sleepy murmurs and cuddled closer to each other. Aidan kept up the amorous assault until Brighid's emerald eyes fluttered open and focused on him. "Good morning," he said and redirected his next kiss to her lips.

Brighid tilted her head to accept his greeting. Her left hand lifted from Sunnild back to caress his cheek. A contented sigh passed between her lips, followed a moment later by the tip of her tongue. Aidan allowed its passage, greeting it with his own, but he pulled away before things got too heated. "Help me wake her?" he asked, indicating Sunnild. A brief, happy smile was his response, followed by the redhead turning to kiss the corner of Sunnild's mouth.

Sunnild proved that she was already awake by turning her head to catch Brighid's lips. At the same time, one of her wings wrapped around Aidan's back and pushed his head toward hers. Her lips left Brighid's for only a split second before pressing against Aidan's. Only afterward did her eyes open. "Mornin'," she said, followed by a yawn. Then, she rolled onto her back and stretched, catlike, exposing every inch of her athletic body to Aidan's and Brighid's hungry gazes.

If breakfast wasn't getting colder by the second, Aidan would have been tempted to take advantage of the opportunity. The gleam in Sunnild's eyes told him she would welcome it. Instead, he kissed her nose and said, "Food's on the table. Let's shelve that for later, OK?"

"Promise?" The impish grin and sultry look Sunnild paired her question with made Aidan glad he'd already put on pants.

"Just try to stop me," he confirmed.

"Why would I do that?" Sunnild giggled, stretched again, then rolled to her feet. "Come on," she urged, "breakfast's getting cold!"

Aidan exchanged a look with Brighid, then, smiling, followed Sunnild's bubble butt out into the main room. Aoife sat at the table, drinking from a mug. Ailis was nowhere to be seen. Aidan shot her a questioning look and got an eye-roll in return. "I sent one of the servants for her," Aoife explained.

Aidan smacked his forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"You are, but we love you anyway." Aoife blew him a kiss to take the sting out of her teasing.

Aidan took a seat and started piling food onto his plate. He'd made more than enough for the five of them—the servants and guards would take care of the rest. They considered it a perk. The fifth setting at the table let everyone know to expect Ailis, so despite the hungry look Sunnild fixed on her plate, no one started eating.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Ailis walked in only a minute or two after everyone sat down. Her hair was still wet, and her thin blouse clung to damp skin. Ailis might not be as voluptuous as some of Aidan's other lovers, but her disheveled, underprepared appearance did it for Aidan. One of the privileges of his relationship was seeing Ailis with her hair down, so to speak.

Aidan rose to greet Ailis with a tender kiss. She leaned into his embrace for a few heartbeats before pushing away from him. "Good morning," she said, then, "Why did you send for me? You know I prefer to keep a professional distance during the day."

"Good morning to you too," Aidan said with a wry twist to his lips. "I do know that, and you know my opinion on the subject. But let's leave the argument for another time." He took Ailis by the hand and led her to the table, then gave her a gentle push until she settled onto the cushions prepared for her.

"Now then," he said when he was seated again, "as you all know, I'm leaving on the expedition tomorrow morning at dawn. I will return for certain, barring truly exceptional circumstances, but whether in victory or defeat remains to be seen. If we fail, there won't be much time for relaxation and merry-making in our future." Aidan paused and looked each of his wives-to-be in the eyes. They returned his gaze with frowns and worried expressions.

"I've come to rely on all of you in such a short time that I sometimes suspect I'm trapped in a dream. I couldn't live without you, any of you, now." Aidan favored them each with a heartfelt smile. "I love you, and I haven't had time to demonstrate it lately. So, today, I'm going to take the time. I'll spend a couple of hours with each of you in turn, doing whatever I can to make your day better. That starts here, with this meal."

"Ish sho good!" Sunnild said, her cheeks already stuffed full of food. Aidan blinked, then laughed. He'd gotten a bit longwinded, and she was eating for two now, after all.

"Well, with that endorsement, let's eat," he said and dug in.

The meal was good, if simple, and there wasn't much conversation while they ate. It wasn't until Aidan sopped up the last puddle of yolk with the remnants of his bread that anyone asked a real question.

"So, who gets you first today?" A poke in the side accompanied Aoife's question.

Aidan turned his eyes to Brighid. "Do you need any help in the forge today? I'm probably a bit rusty."

A brilliant smile answered him. "Oh, I am sure I can find something for you to do."

Early Morning

Despite the innuendo in her statement, Brighid stuck to her rules. No hanky-panky while there was superheated metal laying around. As it turned out, that applied to working with other materials as well. Aidan didn't mind, though. His offer was genuine to start with.

To Brighid's relief, Ceallach Macht's recent surge in population brought another blacksmith to the burgeoning town. The timid catfolk smith wasn't very good with weapons—he never seemed to get the balance right—but he was a whiz with household items. Pots, rakes, nails, nothing was too common or mundane for him, and he pumped them out with considerable speed.

That, in turn, left Brighid with more time to work on her specialties, including her newest one. She dropped a small pile of emerald green chitin fragments in front of Aidan. "We are going to make a gauntlet out of these."

Aidan gave the bug remains a skeptical look. "I know it's possible because I've seen the results, but are you sure this is an entry-level job? I never read that manual, remember?"

Brighid booped him on the nose. "Trust me," she said. "Now, go and shove those into the furnace."

Aidan looked down at the organic—was it organic?—material in front of him, then the 1400 degree magic-fueled hellhole in the corner. "Won't they just burn?" The critters they came from certainly had. He could still see some carbon scoring on the edge of one of the larger pieces.

Brighid put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Who is the professional, and who is the amateur here?" Her teasing smile and the swish of her tail belied her scolding tone.

"Yes, Mistress. It will be as you say."

Aidan's faux-subservient tone broke the facade. Brighid snickered, then let out a peal of joyous laughter. "By the gods, that sounds so wrong!" She convulsed, clutching her sides as she giggled helplessly. Bemused, Aidan set about the task she'd given him. Sure enough, the chunks of chitin acted like metal, heating until they glowed a bright yellowish-white. He pulled them out with a long pair of tongs and set them on the anvil.

"Alright," Brighid said, suppressing another outbreak of laughter, "here is what you need to do."

Late Morning

"You smell of sweat and smoke." Aoife wrinkled her nose at him.

"Yeah, well, you try turning bug bits into metal gauntlets using nothing but muscle power and a two thousand degree furnace and see how good you smell at the end." Aidan bent down and pecked her lips, then straightened with the intent to go wash off. Instead, Aoife tangled a hand in his hair, dragging him back down to her open mouth.

"I wasn't complaining," she murmured once she let him pull away for breath. "It's a manly scent. Not something I want all the time, and it only works while the sweat is fresh," Aoife said, nuzzling against his damp shirt. "But right now, it reminds me of how you smelled when you chased me down." Her hands slid under his clothes, up onto Aidan's chest.

Aidan shifted his hold on the smaller woman, grasping her hips, then sliding further to get a double handful of her derriere. "Mm," she hummed, looking up at him through half-lidded eyes. "You want to make me sweaty too?" Slender fingertips dipped beneath his belt, probing, withdrawing. Teasing.

Feeling a growl build in his chest, Aidan tugged at Aoife's long skirt, bunching the material up inch by inch. Her tail curled around his arm, silken fur rubbing against his bare skin. Then, before he could expose her no doubt bare bottom to the cool air, Aoife ducked and spun out of his embrace. "You'll just have to wait your turn. It's almost lunchtime, and I only just started cooking before you came in. Go, shoo, wash off."

Lust and duty warred within Aidan. Aoife's back was to him now. He could press her against the counter and have her skirt up to her tail in a second. But today wasn't for sex. Despite Brighid taking every excuse to press her breasts into his back or whisper into his ear, despite Aoife's coy expression as she glanced back over her shoulder. Today Aidan wanted to show them he loved more than just their bodies.

He still pressed himself against Aoife and put his hands on her hips. She shivered and leaned forward onto the countertop, her feet sliding apart, rising up to her tiptoes, her tail twining around his waist. Aidan chuckled and nibbled on her ear. "I thought so. But, no, I'll be good. Wouldn't want the others to starve, right?"

"Right," she said with a shaky breath. Aidan nuzzled into her hair and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, then let her go. When he looked over his shoulder at the door into the bathing room, she was still in the same pose.

Early Afternoon

"You are bringing me two meals in one day? Are you trying to tell me something?"

Aidan rolled his eyes. "I expected someone of your age and maturity to be more secure in your appearance." He cupped Ailis's chin and gave her a long, thorough kiss. "I love you just like you are. Stop reading anything more than that into it."

"Hmph. And now you are making catty comments about my age." Threads of spun silver sprayed through the air as Ailis tossed her head.

"You're pretty cynical today. I know, I'm going away tomorrow and you're worried, but you still need to relax. Here, I know, I'll give you a shoulder massage while you eat."

Ailis gave him a side-eyed look, then sighed. "You are right. That sounds nice, thank you, Aidan."

"Of course." He waited until Ailis dunked a corner of her sandwich into the bowl of hot soup, then started unlacing her shirt.

"I thought you were going to massage my shoulders?"

"I am, but the shirt's in the way."

Ailis set her food down and turned her head to look at him. Aidan gave her a smile, undid the last lace, and then pulled her only garment off her body. "I know what you are doing," she said.

"Oh? Is it working?"

Ailis shifted her attention back to her plate. "Insufficient evidence."

With a chuckle, Aidan trailed his hands up Ailis's side and onto her slender shoulders. As he expected, the stress of running the city had her muscles in knots. He still had no idea how to solve that properly, but he did at least know what felt good to each of his ladies. Not only did Aidan have plenty of practice, but this was also close enough to foreplay for his skills to provide guidance.

Letting his fingers drape over Ailis's shoulders and down onto her chest, Aidan dug his thumbs into her trapezius muscles. A groan escaped from Ailis's mouth, and she hunched forward, arching into his touch. "Eat up," he admonished. "I slaved away over a hot cauldron to make that soup for you."

"Oh, I am sure it was such a trial to stir the pot for ten minutes while Aoife relieved all your stress." Sarcasm dripped from Ailis's lips between bites of her meal.

"I'll have you know that we did nothing of the sort."

"Whyever—hnnngh—not?"

Aidan continued the massage, following Ailis's spine up onto the back of her neck, while he thought of the best way to answer her. "Because I wanted to spend time with her, not use her. She'd have been happy to let me," a memory of the voluptuous catgirl leaning over the counter, legs spread wide, flitted through his mind, "but today isn't about me."

"Hmm." Ailis bent her head down until her chin was tucked against her sternum, exposing her neck to Aidan's touch. "Well," she murmured, "I can hardly argue with the results. You get better at this every time."

"And yet somehow, I still don't have a single level in Massage. If I didn't know better, I'd think I had a terrible affinity for it."

"Some things transcend skills." Aidan's Chancellor shuddered and let out a breathy moan.

Aidan eyed Ailis's empty hands pressed against the tabletop. "The deal was that I'd give you a massage while you ate. You're not eating. Do you want me to stop?"

"How do you expect me not to make a mess while you are doing this to me?"

"Don't worry about it. You're not wearing any clothes to stain, and I'll be happy to clean up any crumbs or spills that happen."

"Mmn. Well, I will not be the one to stand against such dedication. You did say today was about us, right?" Ailis straightened slowly and fumbled around for her sandwich. Aidan chuckled to himself. Oh, woe was him, presented with the onerous task of slurping spilled soup off the body of a naked lover.

Late Afternoon

Aidan slipped into the hot water with a sigh and rolled his neck from side to side. Despite her teasing, Ailis didn't end up letting him clean her off. Instead, she'd brushed away the crumbs, put her shirt back on, then started in on the ever-increasing pile of paperwork. Left with plenty of time on his hands before Sunnild finished her daily training, he'd pulled up a chair and snagged a stack for himself. He hated the bureaucracy, but it was nice to spend a quiet afternoon chatting with Ailis.

"There you are." Aidan looked up just in time to see Sunnild's sweat-soaked uniform drop to the floor. She slipped into the water beside him, then straddled his lap. Moving without thought, Aidan's hands settled onto her hips.

"Here I am," he agreed.

"You've spent time with everyone else already, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry, little dove, someone had to be last."

"Un-uh," Sunnild shook her head, crest feathers bobbing with the vehement motion. "Not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure I had you all to myself until dinner."

"You do," Aidan said with a smile. He should have known Sunnild didn't mind being last. She was almost irrepressibly cheerful. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Bad Aidan," she replied. "Didn't you say today is all about us?" She shifted, pulling her wings in tight, then turning around in his lap. "I want you to give me a bath. Every inch of skin, every feather." Her wings spread to their full length.

"That's quite a task you've set for me," Aidan said, running his hands up and down Sunnild's back.

"Mm-hmm. You'd better be thorough, too. But no naughty stuff!" Sunnild wiggled her butt against Aidan's groin in defiance of her own words.

"Really? None at all?" Pressure against the bundle of muscles at the junction of Sunnild's four wings caused her to shiver. It was one of the less obvious erogenous zones on her body.

"Nope," she confirmed, leaning forward and pressing herself against him under the water. "Cleaning only."

"I see, I see. But thorough?"

"Mm-hmm. Gotta make sure there's not a speck-a dirt or sweat left anywhere."

"Well, I'd better get started, then, huh? Can't disappoint you while you're carrying my daughter." Sunnild shivered again at that. Her right arm shifted, elbow out, no doubt bringing her hand to touch her belly.

"I'm so happy about that." Sunnild's words were soft, hardly audible over the sloshing water. "I thought I'd never have th' chance. Never have my own man. I always liked children, always wanted my own."

Abandoning bathing her for the moment, Aidan wrapped his arms around Sunnild's waist and kissed her shoulder. "I confess some surprise at how eager you were, given your age, but I'm happy, too. I never gave much thought to children before, but every time I think of raising a little girl with you, my heart threatens to burst from my chest."

Sunnild snagged his hand and pressed it to her abdomen. She was still early in her pregnancy, even for an oviparous species. From a distance, she still looked as toned and athletic as ever. However, up close, and with as much experience seeing and feeling her naked body as he had, Aidan could feel the slight bulge behind her belly button. "When will you lay?" he asked. The question made him feel weird—he wasn't used to thinking of babies coming from eggs still—but he powered through it.

"With a human daddy? It'll be months still. Same overall gestation as two humans, but the egg'll come 'bout halfway through. That's when my milk'll start to come in."

"Hmm." Aidan's free hand drifted upward. Sunnild arched, pushing her bare breast into his palm. It still fit neatly, as if sized just for him. "Four months with no baby to feed? Seems inefficient."

"Yer bein' naughty," Sunnild said with a moan.

"Me? I'm just making sure your perfect little boobies are clean." Sunnild's head tilted back onto Aidan's shoulder as he rubbed her soft mound and the stiff nub at its peak.

"Oh, 'kay then. In that case, keep goin'."

Evening

In the end, it took Aidan more than an hour and a half to wash Sunnild to her satisfaction. He spent plenty of time on her wings, but she kept pulling his attention back to her belly, breasts, butt, and between her thighs. She seemed to think he spent more effort playing with her body than cleaning, but then again, she did keep asking for more.

When they emerged, they were both a bit pruney. Sunnild giggled at him while she toweled him off, then led him into the dining room by the hand. All of his life partners were there, waiting for them, an elaborate meal spread out on the table. None of them were wearing any more clothes than he or Sunnild had on.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to get overruled?"

Brighid smiled at him and pulled Aidan down beside her. "Because you are," she told him. "You made today all about us, and we all loved it."

The other three women nodded in unison. Sunnild picked up the narrative. "Ya spent time with us, doing what we do every day."

It was Ailis's turn next. "We cherish every moment with you, and having you choose to come to us in our own realms means a lot."

"But," finished Aoife, "tomorrow you'll be gone, and we haven't had the chance to give you a proper farewell."

"So," said Brighid, "we are going to feed you, then show you how much we love you and appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"All of you?" Aidan asked. That had only happened once before, on the night he proposed to them. Even then, it had been more of a serial one-on-one session than an orgy.

"All." "Of." "Us." Aoife, Sunnild, and Ailis confirmed, their voices harmonizing.

"I'd better eat up, then. It sounds like I'll need my energy." Before he'd finished his sentence, Brighid held a bite of steak to his lips.