A Dragon's Tale
Copyright© 2022 by Antiproton
Chapter 86: “Once more unto the betrothal, dear friends”
Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 86: “Once more unto the betrothal, dear friends” - An accident + Magic = A man's mind in a dragon's body. After being pulled into a high-fantasy world of elves, magic, and airships, our hero finds himself chased by lords, hunted by mages, and fighting to protect and nurture those he loves while also fighting his new dragon instincts. I promise a happy ending to this character-driven saga, but don't forget: "the course of true love never did run smooth".
Caution: This Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fa/Fa Mult Consensual Mind Control Reluctant Romantic Lesbian BiSexual Heterosexual High Fantasy Restart Magic non-anthro MaleDom Light Bond Group Sex Harem Polygamy/Polyamory Cream Pie First Oral Sex Pregnancy Slow
“Whosoever shall hold that hammer...”
Ethan laughed at Selene’s comment as he hefted his newly re-handled war hammer in the elven forgemaster’s forge. He’d been using the wooden handle since his marriage to Beth in Gralden just over four months ago. He paused, then cocked his head to one side.
“What?” Beth asked, though his other wives looked curious as well.
He looked at her. “We only got married just over four months ago.” He shook his head. “Somehow, it feels like yesterday and an eternity ago at the same time.”
“I know it’s hard to believe Master.” Tee spoke up with an almost perfectly straight face. “Beth is so hard to tolerate.”
“It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.” Ethan agreed in mock-seriousness.
“I would say it’s a hard job Dominus.” Beth replied sweetly. “But no one does it like you.”
∗Beth, language in public.∗ Alana thought to everyone.
The blonde frowned, but didn’t reply.
The forgemaster — who probably had at least grandchildren, and quite possibly great-grandchildren — had a subtle smile on his face as he spoke. “There is little so pure as the joy of a young, newlywed wife.” His smile widened slightly. “Sometimes, that purity shines through in ways you might not expect.” He gave Beth a slightly pointed look.
Beth blushed slightly and averted her eyes.
“This is perfect.” Ethan said to change the topic and take the attention off of Beth. He hefted his war hammer again. “It feels slightly different; the leather changed how it balances slightly.”
“It is dragon leather, of course.” The forgemaster replied. “ You should find the new balance more conducive to your preferred style of combat.”
“Yeah, it feels like it.” He said as he moved it around in the air experimentally.
“Now you need to test it.” Selene said.
They went into the testing yard and Ethan got the opportunity to test it thoroughly, though not in combat against a real person. Because of a war hammer’s mass and the blunt force trauma they inflicted, they were just too dangerous to spar with. However, he was able to practice switching the length from long to short against some target dummies and even some large fruit.
“Hmm, going short to long really slows things down.” He observed. “But if I start long and shorten it mid-swing...” He whistled. “Man.”
“Conservation of momentum.” Selene nodded. “Ice skaters use the same trick to spin super fast.”
“It could be very effective if you needed an extra powerful attack at close range.” Kendra pointed out. “It would be difficult to do, but very effective.”
“Yup.” Ethan nodded.
He played around with it for about ten minutes before they all thanked the forgemaster profusely and then left. It was after dinner and growing darker in the sky. It wasn’t dark yet, but he could tell that the sun was starting to set earlier as they got into autumn.
“Um, I had a question.” Sarah said quietly once they were on the way back to their suite and no one was nearby. “Could Ethan use Rachel’s new ring to enchant himself faster?”
“No.” Ethan shook his head. “I mean, I can try it, but almost certainly not.”
“Why?” Sarah asked.
“Because not all mana is the same.” Ethan replied. “We tried having my wives donate mana to me so I could use it for enchanting, but any mana I got that way just wouldn’t stick. It faded away quickly, maybe half a day or so.”
“However, I can use it for enchanting.” Alana grinned.
“Maybe.” Rachel said. “I had to drop some deep mana into it to bond with it before it would work. It should partially work for the rest of you because we’re all bonded to Ethan, but it will only ever work fully for me.”
“So I just need you to hold my hand so you can donate mana.” Alana teased back.
“Yes, you’re very good at holding.” Rachel replied with a subtle note of desire in her tone.
“That was hardly better than what I said.” Beth pointed out.
“And I wouldn’t have said it in front of the forgemaster.” Rachel replied.
“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.” Beth replied.
This, of course, sparked a conversation about the relative severity of Beth’s comment and the lines of what should or shouldn’t be said in polite company. Ethan listened the whole time, not participating but just quietly enjoying something that he’d gotten precious little of lately.
Normalcy.
Okay, the seven wives thing wasn’t normal, even in the Ten Kingdoms, but otherwise, it was absolutely, totally, and completely normal. His wives were having a friendly conversational debate about decorum and it seemed like the Ten Kingdoms equivalent of a typical man on Earth taking his wife and kids to a soccer game, or going out to the movies, or maybe bowling; anything like that.
They weren’t discussing how to change empires, or cultural elements a thousand years old, or how to fight a war, or how to find this embodied Nesteri, or fight a dragon who was also a lord; they were just living a small slice of ordinary life. Ethan thought that was the most amazing thing ever.
The conversation and his smile continued until they reached their suite. He held the door open and they all filed through, Sarah last.
She looked at his smile. “What?”
“Nothing.” He smiled. “Just enjoying the normal.”
She smiled back. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
He nodded, then they filed in, the others not having noticed that they took a moment because they were still discussing decorum. Ethan leaned up against the door and watched as the conversation developed, and Sarah leaned up against him. He put his arm around her and she sighed.
“You know, I wanted a family since I hit puberty.” Ethan said after a moment. “I kept trying to start one on Earth, but couldn’t. I guess I needed to wait until I got here.”
“Was it worth the wait?” Sarah asked.
He looked down at her until she looked up at him, then he looked directly into her eyes as he spoke. “Yes. Yes, it was.”
Sarah beamed.
Candice normally replayed an event in her head a thousand times from every angle, trying to decide what every little nuance of expression or subtle tonal shift in someone’s voice meant. That was normal for her and she did it automatically.
Except that she wasn’t right now.
Despite the fact that Ethan had said that he thought of her like a daughter, she wasn’t ruminating on that right now. No, right now she was trying to figure out something that was even more puzzling: Halasses. He was sitting in a chair in her bedroom after Thea had sent him there, and strangely, he was able to take a nap while sitting in it.
She got up off the bed, keeping a hand on it in case she lost her balance since she still wasn’t comfortable on her wooden leg yet.
“Yes, I was sleeping.” Halasses said, though his slightly open mouth didn’t move and he gave no indication that he was awake. “And yes, I woke up when you moved.”
“How?” Candice asked.
He opened his eyes and looked at her, but didn’t answer the question. “Thea sent me because she said you would be distraught, though she neglected to tell me why. She said that I was to remain at this post until you and I had properly talked.”
“Oh?” Candice replied.
“I neglected to tell her that she lacked the authority to reassign me.” He continued, a slight smile on his face. “If you prefer, I can tell her that we had a conversation, but that its contents were private.”
“But we haven’t talked.” She replied.
“Is this not a conversation?” He pointed out.
That almost made her smile.
Almost.
“Thea believes that she can push us together through proximity.” He continued. “If you wish to share what troubles you, feel free. However, I will not pry. You appear to be doing better, so I shall take my leave so you might enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He stood up, gave her a respectful nod of the head, and then walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. She took a few careful steps to the door and saw that he did intend to leave.
“Wait.” Candice said just as he was about to put his hand on the latch to open the door out of her suite.
He paused and looked at her.
“Um, Ethan said that...” She swallowed. “Um, that he thought of me like a daughter.” She said, then she explained. She explained everything that had happened and how it had hurt. She even let herself tear up when talking about it.
Halasses listened without comment until she was done. He was silent for several moments, then spoke calmly, and something about his voice was soothing. “Ethan almost certainly said that intentionally to reduce your affection for him, likely on the advice of his wives. While I cannot say for certain, I suspect that they wished you to move on because they believed it best for you.”
Candice stared.
“I ... I hadn’t thought of that.” She replied, then bit her lip.
“The Prophet clearly cares for you, and I am sure he felt guilty afterward.” Halasses continued. “However, that care is not what you previously wished it to be.”
“Previously?” She asked.
“Yes, previously.” He nodded his head respectfully at her. “Have a pleasant evening.”
“You too.” She replied almost automatically.
He left, leaving Candice to wonder what he meant. Oddly, as she thought about Ethan, something had changed in the way she felt. She wasn’t sure what, but something had.
“Yeah, it doesn’t work.” Ethan said to Sarah as he opened his eyes and let go of Rachel’s hand. “I can already tell that the enchantment from that mana won’t stick. It’ll be mostly gone by morning.”
“Perhaps it could still be useful.” Kendra pointed out. “Not as a permanent solution, but maybe if you had several hours to prepare before an important battle?”
“Possibly, but dragon enchantments do less than normal ones; the difference is that I can stack them far higher.” Ethan replied. “It’s really only powerful in aggregate, built up over a long period.”
“In a serious confrontation, every edge could help.” Kendra pointed out.
“True.” Ethan conceded.
“Speaking of confrontations, what are we going to do about Nakhim?” Rachel asked. “Kalaya will have her shame-removal ceremony at dawn the day after tomorrow, and I’d prefer that Nakhim had already agreed to let Navaro and Kalaya marry by then.”
“Speaking of, Thea said that she’ll get the details for the ceremony sometime later tonight.” Selene spoke up. “She’ll have someone slip a note under our door.”
“Great.” Ethan gave her a thumbs up. “And tell her ‘thanks’ from me.”
“Done.” Selene said after a momentary pause.
Rachel continued. “Concerning changing Nakhim’s mind, we have Thea’s idea, plus bluffing about the Prophet publicly cutting ties with Nakhim, and Thea disinviting him from the wedding, contrasted with Thea getting Nakhim some time alone with The King every month. That’s a lot of pressure, but I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”
“Perhaps the way it’s approached will matter?” Kendra said. “The same idea that was rejected the first time might be accepted the second time with a different presentation.”
“You sound like you’re planning a battle.” Sarah observed.
“Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of marriage.” Selene replied.
Everyone looked at her, even Ethan.
“Shakespeare’s play Henry V, said about the dogs of war.” She explained. “Seriously, we need to have a movie night on Earth so that...” She trailed off and looked at Tee with a sigh. “Sorry Tee; I know Earth doesn’t agree with you.”
“Maybe it could?” Rachel said, then held up the hand with her arch-mage ring. “Tee could maybe borrow it and draw enough mana from it that she could remain conscious?”
“I thought you said that it was bonded to you, so it won’t work properly for anyone else.” Selene replied.
“True, but I also said that since we’re all bonded to Ethan, it should work somewhat for all of you.” Rachel replied, then looked at Tee. “I think there’s a good chance that you could draw enough mana to spend at least a short time on Earth.”
Tee’s wings started moving so fast that they were vibrating. “Really!?”
“Of course, but only if you’re very, very good.” Rachel teased, which brought a smile to Ethan’s face. He really liked this new version of Rachel that was more lighthearted and carefree. Not actually carefree, but much more so.
“We need to tell Richard and Ruth about the triple wedding too.” Alana pointed out. “Well, assuming we can make it happen.”
“I think we can, I’m just not sure how.” Ethan replied.
“I think Thea should present the argument, with Ethan and Ahjah there to support her.” Rachel said after a moment. “Normally, I might suggest that it wouldn’t be a woman talking to Nakhim because of his views. However, he’s more likely to think that Thea would do something irrational because of his views on women.”
“Turn his prejudice against him?” Selene asked.
Rachel nodded. “He’s more likely to believe that she would do something self-destructive; I say we use that.”
“Poetic justice.” Ethan smiled. “And I agree.”
“Thea says that she can ask The King to summon him to the palace tomorrow so that we can have an audience.” Selene spoke up. “She also says that he’s willing to attend to keep the whole thing highly civil.”
“Can we get The King to tip the scales?” Ethan asked. “Maybe say that he would support the marriage, or maybe that he’s in favor of it?”
Selene cocked her head to one side. “I can have Thea ask him.”
The King took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he regarded his ward, soon-to-be adopted daughter. They were in one of the many hallways in the palace, this particular one just off one of its many dining rooms.
“I know that you cannot say much.” Thea continued. “But anything you could say to Nakhim, or just mention with him around, would help rather a lot.”
The King took a moment to consider what to say. “Let us suppose that it is some years in the future and your first daughter has reached the age to be married. Some suitor has arisen, yet both yourself and Ahjah feel his character is insufficient to the task of keeping your daughter’s heart in an honorable and healthy manner.”
His ward frowned.
“Now suppose that The King — even if it is not I — makes a comment in public that he supports the match.” The King continued. “Consider what effect that would have on yourself and Ahjah, and your decision.”
His ward’s frown deepened. “We would feel pressured to let them marry. I’d like to think we wouldn’t, but if we didn’t, that would come across as defying The King, or saying that he’s wrong and it’s a bad match, either of which would cost our family greatly in honor.”
“You are correct.” The King replied. “Many think that wisdom is the hallmark of a great king. Others think it is strength, or cunning, shrewdness, righteousness, courage, and many of the other noble traits as well. Those are indeed good qualities in a king, especially wisdom and courage, for wisdom without the courage to apply that wisdom is like trying to wield magic without mana.” He paused. “However, there is one important hallmark of a good king, and indeed all good leaders, that is often neglected in such lists.”
“What’s that?” Thea asked.
“Restraint.” He replied.
Thea’s frown turned thoughtful.
“Restraint is power under control.” He continued. “It is the ability to refrain from acting when one could act, because not acting is the wiser course.”
Thea inclined her head in concession.
“The domain of the government is the law and its enforcement, not to advise its citizens when a marriage should or should not be contracted.” The King continued. “To throw my support behind this marriage publicly would create a precedent that would outlast my life, and make our great culture weaker, even if it would provide some temporary happiness at the present time.” He looked at her pointedly. “It is never prudent to sacrifice one’s future for a little temporary joy.”
She nodded. “I wish you weren’t right.”
“I have occasionally wished that as well.” He replied with a smile. “It is then that I remember that the words are not mine, but my father’s; may Illuminar — blessed be He — rest his soul.”
“I miss him.” Thea said. She smiled even as her eyes got watery. “He used to let me sit in his lap, even in the throne room.”
“I remember.” The King said, his own expression not dissimilar. “If directly asked, the most I could say is that I do not oppose the match, for it is not The King’s place to support or oppose such things. The lack of symmetry in my response will allow a clever man to ascertain my position on the matter without imposing even a grain of pressure on his decision.”
“Thank you.” Thea replied.
“You are welcome.” He smiled.
They talked for another few minutes, then Thea gave him a hug good night and left, probably for her room. The King watched after her for a long minute as he considered the situation and how Thea was reacting to it.
∗You have much on your mind, my king.∗ His wife thought to him as she entered the hallway.
∗Indeed.∗ He replied, smiling at her.
∗Might I ask?∗ She came to his side and he took her hand, then led her toward the royal bedchamber.
∗It is my suspicion that our soon-to-be daughter has an additional stratagem percolating in her mind about how to bring about a wedding between Navaro and your sister.∗ He replied after a moment. ∗Yet she has not voiced it, apparently to anyone.∗
∗We agree.∗ His wife replied as they entered their room, since it was not far. ∗For her to be so reluctant to share it indicates that it is unlikely something that we would endorse, and yet her tender heart tells me that it would not be something altogether wrong.∗
“We agree.” He replied aloud now that they were alone.
“Have you any idea what it might be?” She asked as she picked up one of her brushes and began to comb her beautiful hair.
“I would suspect something that would affect honor, not morality.” He replied as he removed his shoes. “She is not overly fond of the honor element of our culture, though she moves quite well in it. Thus, she would wish to conceal a stratagem that affected honor, though it would not overly bother her conscience.”
“If that were the case, would she not tell the Prophet and his wives?” The Queen asked.
“That is possible, or perhaps she would not wish it to come back to you and me.”
The Queen nodded, set down her brush, and then smiled at him. “My king, I’m afraid that I feel slightly ... restless tonight; perhaps too restless to sleep.”
“Elucidate.” The King said, a part of him that had become well-exercised since his wedding night waking up.
“I do not think it is a malady of the mind, nor indigestion.” The Queen said. “Perhaps I have something affecting me physically.”
“Yes, that does seem likely.” The King replied. “Perhaps, in the morning, I might examine you to see if its source can be ascertained.”
“If it will be a trouble my king, I might, perhaps be able to narrow down your search.” The Queen replied, then somehow managed to shrug her way out of her dress. The King wasn’t sure how that was possible with that particular dress, but then again, The Queen was incredible with a needle. Of course, looking at her, she was incredible in other ways as well.
The King smiled. “I have a very full schedule tonight, but I believe I will be able to make time for such an examination.”
She grinned.
Ethan slowly chewed his breakfast as something hovered at the edge of his mind.
“What?” Alana asked him.
“I feel like I’m forgetting to do something, but I can’t remember what.” He frowned.
“Well, we keep saying that we need to talk to the luminars about The King being able to ask questions.” Selene said.
“That’s it.” He said. “Damn, you got that fast.”
“A sixth wife knows.” She winked. “I was going to say ‘a woman knows’, but there’s no shortage of those.”
Ethan chuckled. “Well, that meeting with Nakhim isn’t until after lunch, so I think I’ll head ‘round to the Conclave building or Plesius’s house and ask him about it.”
“If you don’t mind, Rachel and I would like to go to the Argo.” Alana said. “Mage Weston said that he got inspired about how to make Rachel’s ring work by looking at the will-breaker ring’s enchantments. I’m hoping it’ll do something similar for me, and help me figure out how to get a warding enchantment to work.”
“Sounds good, just bring plenty of protection.” He replied.
“Boss, she’s already pregnant; I don’t think ‘protection’ will help.” Selene winked.
Ethan laughed at that, and then they had to explain what it meant to his other wives. After breakfast, Ethan kissed his wives — Sarah on the forehead — and then set out toward the Conclave building, since Plesius’s house was very close to it.
As he left, a half dozen of the Lightguard fell into step behind him.
“Thanks for guarding my wives and me.” He said to them. “I really appreciate it.”
“It is our honor, honored Prophet.” One of them replied.
“Is there anything I can do to thank you guys?” Ethan asked.
“We do not do this for a temporal reward.” Another one replied. “We do it because we were blessed to be in the right place and time with the proper skills. We do not primarily see this as a service to you or your wives, but as a Service to the God of Light. He will reward us at the proper time, whether in this life or the next.”
“That’s...” He cocked his head to one side. “You all have a very different view of the world, you know?”
Several of them got amused smiles.
“If you do what everyone else does, you will receive what everyone else receives.” The first one replied. “We genuinely enjoy protecting your family, but everyone’s true goal should be to make Illuminar — blessed be He — smile when He looks at the way you conduct your life.”
Ethan nodded slowly. “Well, I try to be a good guy; hopefully it’s enough.”
“It is a good beginning, honored Prophet.” Another one said.
Ethan nodded his head in concession, then fell silent. He really thought that his family was blessed to have them. Honestly, they probably would’ve all died in that ambush if not for the Lightguard. He thought about that for a while, and as they drew close to the Conclave building, he looked at them again.
“Okay, so I realize that Illuminar will reward you in the afterlife; I got that.” He said. “But I would like to do something in this life. Seriously, is there anything I can do?”
The Lightguard who were following him looked pensive for a moment, though their heads were on swivels looking for threats.
“Perhaps assist Halasses in his efforts to woo Candice.” One of them finally said. “You might not realize how long he has waited for a wife, nor how deeply he longs for one. However, he is willing to let this opportunity pass him by if she declines to reciprocate his interest. He, in many ways, wishes to either have an incredible marriage, or none at all.”
“I do believe that the honored Selene would call him a ‘hopeless romantic’.” Another one explained.
“I never would’ve guessed.” Ethan chuckled, then added. “I’ll see what I can do.”
He meant it too.
He and his family had received rather a lot of help lately, and now that he was thinking about it, he thought it was about damn time that they started trying to thank people properly. He would’ve liked to pay them back, but since that simply wasn’t possible in most cases, a strong ‘thank you’ and doing something seemed like a good idea.
∗Hey ladies, remind me to give that chess set to Lord Kalus when I get a chance.∗ He thought to everyone.
∗Will do Boss.∗ Selene replied. ∗I’ll bet you easily win your first game against him, win the second by a hair, and never beat him again.∗
∗Thanks for the vote of confidence.∗ He resisted the urge to chuckle or laugh, mostly because he was trying to get better about revealing the group chat in public.
He’d arrived at the Conclave building by now, but wasn’t entirely sure where to go. He frowned, then walked up to one of the two guards on either side of the main door. His disguise gem was off, he was wearing his armor, and he had the Lightguard following him, so he thought he’d be pretty recognizable.
“Is Plesius in?” He asked.
“Apologies, honored Prophet.” The guard head bowed. “The honored high priest has not arrived yet, and I observed him walking away from the temple toward the palace some time ago; I shall inform him of your interest in an audience when he arrives.”
“Thanks, and have a great day.” Ethan replied.
“You as well, honored Prophet.” The guard replied.
Well, that changed his plans. Still, he supposed he now had some time to see about helping Halasses with Candice. ∗Hey ladies, so I’d like your help on something... ∗
“I miss the Argo so much.” Alana sighed as she stepped onto the airship with Rachel right behind her. She slowly spun on the spot, looking at the place where she’d lived for the last few months. For such a short part of her life, so much had happened there that it was almost unbelievable.
“Me too.” Rachel agreed, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I miss that smell.”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize that the Argo had its own unique scent until I wasn’t on it every day.” The wood elf agreed as she ran her fingers over the railing.
“We should do what we came here for.” Rachel suggested.
“Yeah.” Alana smiled, and they made their way into the captain’s cabin. Once the door was closed behind them, she turned and gave Rachel an impish grin. “You want top or bottom?”
“Both...” Rachel winked back. “ ... but not right now.”
Alana chuckled, took a step toward the large desk in the Argo’s captain’s cabin, then hesitated. She looked at the bed for a moment, then went over and flopped down on it. It was so comfortable. And that wasn’t just because of the softness, or the linen sheets, or the comforter; it was because of the memories. It just felt like home.
A slight shift on the bed alerted her to Rachel laying down next to her. “It smells like home.”
“It does.” Alana sighed.
They lay there for a minute or two, then Alana managed to force herself to get up, root through the drawer of the desk, and pull out the will-breaker ring that had sat on Rachel’s finger for so long.
“The mark isn’t completely gone.” Rachel said as she looked at her finger.
It was true.
There had been a black mark on her finger where the ring had been, likely a result of the ripper spell that had tried to kill her when they took it off. It had mostly faded, but not completely.
“But now, hopefully, we can use it as inspiration for how to make the warding enchantment fit.” Alana said.
Rachel nodded, and they both put a hand on the ring, though they were careful to make sure no fingers ended up inside it. The enchantment inside was incredibly complex. Alana frowned, then pulled out the small piece of warded leather that The King had given to them and held the two enchanted items, one in each hand. A moment later, Rachel also put a finger on the warded leather.
“You’re distracting.” Alana said as Rachel adjusted her finger, brushing Alana’s skin.
“Not as distracting as Ethan would be.” Rachel replied with her eyes still closed and a very cute look of concentration on her face.
“True.” Alana chuckled.
A moment later, she put a finger on Rachel’s arch-mage ring to compare that enchantment as well. She wasn’t going to try to figure out how it worked, but seeing how its enchantments were intertwined might help.
“I think I see the common thread.” Rachel said about a minute later.
“Yes, the number of times it reuses various parts of the enchantment for other parts is quite ingenious.” Alana agreed. It seemed like every single part of the enchantment was pulling double duty, doing two things at once instead of only one. That explained how the warding enchantment could fit inside the ‘enchanting space’ of dragon leather.
“I wonder how much further we could go with that.” Rachel mused.
“You’re thinking that we could fold other enchantments in as well?” Alana asked.
Rachel nodded. “So, I mostly know the theory, but generally speaking, most enchantments use the same basic framework, right?”
“Mostly yes; there are subtle differences, but right.” Alana cocked her head to one side. “You’re thinking that if we did the foundational work to figure out how to integrate different enchantments, we could fit more?”