Champion, Chapter 29: Tranquil

AidanThe RealmsFifthday, 3rd week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1Mid-MorningBrighid's Forge, Caer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

"And after finding another shortcut back to the central trunk, we decided to call it for the afternoon," Aidan finished bringing Brighid up to speed on the previous day's Labyrinth exploration.

"Did you find any good loot?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Here, catch." Aidan pulled a thick tome out of his haversack and tossed it to his Soulmate.

"What is this? 'On the Use of Labyrinth Monsters in Non-Traditional Manners?'"

"Analyze says it shows methods of creating new equipment using stuff from inside the Labyrinth, regardless of which crafting Skill you use. The best part is that it's an actual book, not a recipe, so we can share it around."

Brighid pouted. "Yeah, but that means I have to spend time reading and understanding it instead of having magic engrave it into my mind."

"How are you Ailis's daughter?" Aidan chuckled. "You two couldn't be more different if you tried." He stepped up to Brighid and pulled her head down into kissing range. "Read the book, love. It'll give you something to keep yourself occupied with while I'm away with Sunnild."

Brighid snorted. "Do not remind me. I am still not happy about that."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not looking forward to being away from you for so long, either. I'll visit you in your dreams whenever I can, although I have to keep your mother in mind as well. I don't know how I'm going to handle a fourth; I feel stretched thin as it is."

"Fourth? Oh! You reached Journeyman rank! What Specialization did the Brighaid have for you? I assume that is what you are referring to?"

Aidan nodded. "It's called Progenitor, and if I understand things right, it is focused on increasing my fertility and creating an enduring bloodline. The two requirements that I don't meet yet are to have four women in love with me and to impregnate a willing woman."

"Ahh, and I bet those bothered you."

"Yeah. It makes me feel like I'm carving a notch on my bedpost, like it would only be a means to an end instead of the goal itself. Neither love nor children should be something I'm aiming for because of some arbitrary goal given to me out of the blue."

Brighid nodded with a gentle smile on her face. "And that is why you should not worry about it. You have three women in love with you already that I am aware of; how many of us did you set out to seduce?"

"Arguably, all three of you."

"And I will argue that," Brighid replied and poked him in the chest. "I know that I had to pursue you at the start. You would not even look at me! And you hated Mother until she started showing signs of interest in you as a person. As for Sunnild, that was less a seduction and more a bolt of lightning from the skies. You invited her because of me, and then she was her adorable self, and you could not resist. Just you being you was enough for all of us, and it will be enough for some other lucky lady."

"Okay, okay," Aidan laughed, fending off her hands. "Like I said, arguably. I'll concede the point for now. I already decided on pursuing that Specialization anyway, so there's no sense getting worked up about the requirements."

"Good!" Brighid rewarded him with a long kiss. "And you did talk to Sunnild about the other requirement, right? It is not a good idea for you to pin your hopes on Mother or me."

"Yes, dear. She set me straight on it just like you did on this one. She's willing, although there are complications. To make a long story short, I'm going to have to be quite careful when I make love to her for the next month. Apparently, harpies build up resistance to impregnation when they don't have variety in their male lovers."

"Oh, poor baby," Brighid teased, "You mean you will have to teach her how to use her mouth or that amazing butt of hers? However are you going to manage out in the Highlands with options like that?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead, make fun of me. I can always order you not to seek release until I get back, then molest you in your dreams every night."

Brighid's eyes widened, and she bit her lower lip. "Umm, I am suddenly conflicted because that sounds both terrible and amazing."

Aidan smirked at her and ran a fingertip up her neck and along the underside of her ear. Brighid shivered, tilting her neck to the side to bare herself to his touch. "Two last things you should know, pet." Brighid's nostrils flared while red bloomed across her cheeks and neck. "First, Sunnild's mother might be Chosen and might not be dead. I promised to help Sunnild find her. Second, as a result of that, she and I are Companions now. I trust you don't have a problem with that, pet?"

"No, Sir," Brighid moaned. "I love Sunnild; if she is happy, then so am I."

"Good girl," Aidan praised her. "It's all your fault to start with, so it's good that you're happy with the results. Fortunately for you, I'm happy with it too, so I'm going to give you a reward instead of a punishment. Kneel."

Brighid dropped to her knees and looked up at him, emerald eyes blazing with love and desire.

AidanLate MorningCeallach Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan and Sunnild emerged into the sunlight, trailed by a pair of passion elementals and an old friend. "I'm glad to see you doing well, Lail," Aidan said to his newest bodyguard with a smile. "I still remember that you were kind to me from the start."

"You have repaid that and more, my Lord," was her soft-voiced reply. "It is my honor to serve in whatever way I can."

Her tone of voice sounded off; Aidan stopped and peered at her. Now that he was looking for it, he could see that she wasn't doing so well after all. Her skin was more pallid than he remembered, and there were dark circles around her eyes. I need to remember to set up some sort of psychological counseling. There are a lot of traumatized veterans here, even more so after the dragon. It wouldn't help to make an issue out of it then and there, however, so he nodded and continued on.

"Well, I'm glad to have you," he settled on. "You've always had my interests in mind, so I know I can trust you. Let me know if I can do anything for you."

"Of course, my Lord," was her only response. Aidan gave a mental grimace but didn't comment further.

His first stop was the warehouse set aside for construction materials. Once they arrived, Aidan popped open his Paragon Point interface and purchased a Core building material set. As soon as he confirmed the expense, the air inside the building shimmered. Piles of neatly-stacked marble in varying shades faded into existence, followed by gold, silver, and bronze ingots. On top of those appeared several tree trunks, already de-limbed and topped and ready to be turned into planks.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sunnild. "Where did all that come from?"

"It's a gift from the Three Flames," was all Aidan could say in public. "I wasn't sure what all I would get from it, but honestly, I'm pretty impressed. In fact, let's do it again." Once the Idyllic Forum finished construction in a couple days, he'd have space for two more Core buildings, so he might as well make sure he had materials to build them both. More high-end stone, metal, wood appeared, filling the available space. Before he forgot and missed the opportunity, Aidan also purchased the 'Powerful curse' option and directed it toward Karsarrym. There was no feedback regarding the effect of the curse or whether it took hold, but it was worth the small investment.

"Now, let's see about integrating you with everyone else," Aidan said to Sunnild with a smile. "You've already met my closest companions, but there are still a bunch of people I'd like you to meet."

"Mm! I'm looking forward to meeting all your friends."

"Well, I know who to start with, then." He took Sunnild's hand and led her down the street to one of the bulk housing units. The door was open, so he knocked on the frame, then stepped inside.

"Aidan!" Siwan rose to her hooves and rushed over to him. "It is so good to see you! Thank you so much for saving us from the dragon! I was terrified out of my mind."

"I'm glad you weren't hurt in the attack; Brighid has already lost too many friends lately, and I don't want to start doing so." He hugged the effervescent seamstress, then gestured to Sunnild. "Siwan, this is Sunnild, a close friend of Brighid's and mine. Sunnild, this is Siwan, one of Brighid's best friends. She's the one who made that shirt you were so enamored with."

"Ooh!" Sunnild lit up at that. "Yer work is so amazin'! What do I need ta do ta get you to make something like that fer me?"

Siwan's eyebrows climbed toward her golden hair. "A close friend indeed, then. Hmm, let me see..." she paced around Sunnild. "Your wings will make it interesting. How much clearance do you need to be comfortable? Maybe something backless? If you have time, I could take some measurements and try out a couple of ideas now. The lace will take time, but I can simulate a few different fits to see what you like."

"Oh, can we, please, Aidan?" Sunnild turned to him and gave him the best puppy dog eyes he'd seen in the Realms.

"I thought this might happen, so we don't have to be anywhere else for a couple of hours," Aidan chuckled. "Do you want me to leave you here or—"

"Nope!" came Sunnild's immediate denial. "I'm gonna need yer expert opinion. Hold onto this for me!"

Aidan caught the shirt that came flying at him and smiled. Truly, Sunnild's happiness was contagious.

AidanEarly Afternoon

"She's so nice!" gushed Sunnild as they left Siwan's shop. "I can't wait until she's done. I'm going to look so pretty in those!"

"You're beautiful in your normal clothes, songbird. I won't deny that I'm looking forward to what Siwan comes up with for you, but you don't need sexy clothes to look pretty."

"Aww," Sunnild cooed and bounced up on her toes to kiss Aidan's cheek. "You're sweet. I know all that, but I've never had fancy clothes before. I want to look extra-sexy for you an' Brighid."

Aidan snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side as they walked. "Well, I know I speak for both of us when I say that we look forward to it. You know you surprised both of us; even Brighid didn't expect everything to happen so quickly between us, but we can't stay away. You're like our own personal happiness generator."

Sunnild cuddled against him and hummed a quick, happy tune. "I'm glad ya feel that way. I think ya give me just a little too much credit, though. I've been thinking. Yer a servant of the Brighaid, right? Aren't love an' passion part of their domain? I think maybe they've got a finger on the scales for ya. It's a super huge coincidence that I saw ya go through the wards that day and an even bigger one that I got picked fer the diplomatic mission. I was the actual last choice; everyone else was busy or hurt."

"It's possible," Aidan agreed. "They told me that They can't intervene directly in the world, but They can nudge events that happen around me. It would've required a lot of preparation on Their part, but they've had time. Brighid agrees with you, by the way, more or less. Anyway, one of the things I intend to do with all that marble from earlier is to build a formal Temple for Their worship."

"Will it be for just the Brighaid, or will ya allow other Gods and Goddesses? I mean, there aren't a lot of devout believers around, so maybe yer lookin' ta scoop 'em all up fer the ones you follow. But if yer not, there are others out there that might appreciate some help, ya know?"

Aidan nodded. "It's a consideration. I haven't received any guidance from on high either way, so I'm leaning towards leaving room for shrines to other deities and Powers. I don't want any open worship of the God of Murder or anything, but right now, I don't have any plans towards a state religion. I'm a follower of the Brighaid, so they'll hold pride of place in the Temple, but that's as far as I'm going to go unless They object or someone else gives me a convincing argument."

"Mm, I like it. What are ya gonna do fer the other Core slot?"

"I'm still deciding. On the one hand, I really want to establish an Academy—I know from my own homeland that education is the key to progress—but I don't know that it's a good idea to go straight for that. There aren't that many Starchaser children around, and even ignoring that, it might be a better idea to build something to strengthen my military presence. At the moment, we're critically weak. If I focus too much on the long term, someone will march in with an army and take it all from me."

"Mn. I want ta tell ya ta go for the Academy, but yer right. Maybe if ya can get some of the other tribes to help? That'd increase the pool of children ta teach, too."

"Indeed!" Aidan startled at the sound of Gerwyn's voice. He let himself become distracted talking to Sunnild and forgot where he was headed. "I have high hopes for the Snow-Water Riders. They will be happy to have multiple tribes gathered in the same place, especially near a river. They are not as strong a military force as the Sisterhood or the Mist Stalkers, but they will open many doors for us. They trade as far away as the Dwarf-holds in the mountains and know most of the tribes of the Highlands; if we can impress them, they will spread the word far and wide."

"Do not neglect defenses even if we gain allies," Fionn cautioned. The pair of centaurs approached from the temporary Council chamber. "There will always be those who are jealous of success. Forgive me for being defeatist, my lady, but we must temper serenity with the steel to maintain peace."

"Mm, I know," Sunnild nodded. "I know there are things and people out there that won't answer to anything but violence. But, just like it is important to prepare for them, we also need to ensure that we don't fight without need."

"Well spoken!" agreed Gerwyn. "I am happy to hear such things from one so young. Usually, the youngsters chase thoughts of glory and fame, never considering anyone but themselves and those closest to them. And, begging your pardon, the Sisters have never been all that interested in peaceful trade."

"Mm, I'm a bit unique like that." Sunnild smiled at Gerwyn, but it didn't have her usual energy.

Aidan kissed the top of her head, then asked, "Is everyone here? We have planning to do."

"Aye," confirmed Gerwyn. "We were just waiting for you two. Eilwen cooked up another feast, and this time there are no extra ingredients."

"Darn," mused Sunnild. "Is it too late ta ask her ta add some?" She giggled at the betrayed looks sent her way by Aidan and Fionn.