Chapter 35: Resuming the Royal Duties

Rose did expel several eggs a few days later. The experience was much less fulfilling than birthing live eggs. Kali was also back in the nest with her, unharmed and unseeded. In just two more weeks, the girl’s lactation wound to an end. Rose felt relieved to have the size of her breasts shrink dramatically. Though they lost most of their size, she was still one cup larger than she had been, even with no milk. It wasn’t until Cole voiced his observations of both Rose and Kali that the girls realized how much curvier their bodies were.

Their children were as tall as them now, handsome and beautiful, proud to be the hatchlings that would restore their race. With the cycle of motherhood over, Rose noticed the curse beginning to create arousal inside of her once more. And, being fully recovered, the idea of living among the harpies and mothering more children had lost its appeal. Even if Sciawk was attractive, Rose wanted to return to her royal duties. She also feared that House Scarlet would spill blood in order to rescue her.

One morning, as Rose ate a meal with her five children, she told them what she wanted to do. To her relief, they all supported her. Two days later, when the harpies gathered in the middle of the grounds, Rose came down with her children to speak with the elder. She had gone over the plan countless times in her head, and the time had finally come to put it to the test.

“Now that Kali and I have delivered a new generation of your race, we have to return to the affairs of our own people,” Rose began as the harpies and the elder settled around her to listen. “I am of the House Scarlet, the royal family of the humans in Scarlaria. If you allow me and my companions to leave freely, then I swear I will work on your behalf to make peace between harpies and humans. “I swear it on my sons and daughters of your race that my blood runs through.”

“It won’t be easy for a girl to change the nature of our history,” the elder said after considering Rose’s words. “Still, it was only out of desperation that we brought you here in the first place.” The elder gazed upon Rose in silence as if trying to peer into her soul. “I know that it’s time for you to leave here before your body becomes one of us. But I don’t hold any hope that you can change the ways of your people.”

The nine children of Rose and Kali returned the group to where they were taken from. Even high in the air, Rose could see everything on the ground as crystal clear as standing in front of it. Her eyes zoomed in and out like a camera lens, or rather, like a bird. Everything appeared to be more colorful and vibrant, and now able to see some layer of hidden design. Nothing could escape her vision, not even the fast-moving critters way below them.

The difficult part of leaving the harpy grounds was wondering whether or not she’d see her children again. The parting was long and emotional as they all said goodbye to each other. All nine of their children departed one by one, saying a final goodbye before turning and flying back into the sky. Salt and Cole turned away shortly after, but the girls could see them clearly for quite a while longer. Somehow, Rose knew she would see them again one way or another.

The group turned their attention to the wagon now. The horses were long gone, and so were all of their supplies, except for their dossiers, which were impossible to steal. Now that Rose was among familiar ground and items again, she fully realized how much she had changed. Not only had her eyesight significantly improved, and her body filled out, but she was inches taller, and the nails on her fingers were dangerously sharp. Even if there were any clothes left in the wagon, she was sure neither she nor Kali would fit them.

The four traveled along the road for several hours until five horsemen rode up and confronted the group. There were four men and one woman dressed in light armor, all bearing the colors of House Scarlet. Two of the men dismounted and approached Rose’s group. Rose noticed that the men seemed to especially eye her hair. The two men lingered their view over Rose and Kali’s naked bodies before turning their attention to Salt, the oldest among them.

“Why is this party traveling with no supplies and with two girls without clothes?” the soldier asked.

“Well, you see,” Salt began, but Rose stepped forward, not wanting the story of the harpies to be told just yet.

“May I ask for your name and allegiance?” Rose said.

“I am Captain Gabriel, hailing from the East Scarlet Outpost,” he answered, eyeing Rose’s hair again, then her naked body.

“I am Lady Rose, a retainer of Lord Ash,” Rose said, stepping forward to present her dossier.

“My Lady,” he said, nodding his head with respect, now avoiding her body with his eyes. “We were expecting your visit soon after learning of your departure from Kraken. What’s happened to you?”

“It’s a long story, but we’re okay. If you can carry us to the outpost for food, shelter, and clothes, we can talk more there,” Rose said.

The soldiers rode with Rose’s group late into the night instead of stopping to camp. When they arrived at the outpost, Rose was happy to eat a full meal again as opposed to fire-roasted meats. The fort didn’t have clothing or tailor shops, so some of the female soldiers offered some of their clothes to Rose and Kali. The group slept well that night in proper beds, and a hearty breakfast followed in the morning. Rose charged Salt to procure a new wagon and horses and assigned Cole and Kali to gather whatever supplies they could. She also told them to begin their assignments in the afternoon and use the morning to relax.

Rose had lodgings in the command cabin, where the only thing she wanted to do was take a hot bath. She prepared the water herself, grateful to have time alone for a change. So much had happened recently, including the changes to her body. She stood in front of the mirror and observed those changes clearly for the first time. Her chest was larger, now containing two fleshy mounds as opposed to a nearly flat chest. Her hips and butt had also filled in more, giving her body the sort of curviness she had pictured herself with while looking at other pretty girls. She was definitely taller, too, but by how much, she wondered.

For that, she opened her dossier. The height line used to read five feet and three inches, but now it had become five feet and six inches. Before closing the parchment, another line caught her attention. Her age was now sixteen instead of fifteen. A wave of sadness came over Rose as she couldn’t remember when her birthday was. There were memories of celebrating previous birthdays, but time seemed to work differently in Scarlaria.

Rose stepped carefully into the soapy hot water in the round, metal tub. The aches in her muscles relaxed as she washed her skin and hair. She remained in the tub until the water lost its warm touch and then got out to dry off. With no one else around still, Rose sat on the side of the tub and placed a hand between her legs. The passive arousal that had grown in her loins flared up as she touched herself. Her feminine wetness was clear again, but it was still thick, creamy, and considerably more plentiful than it had been prior to being in the harpy nest. There wasn’t anything Rose could do to prevent herself from dripping on the floor. The thick essence stretched down between her fingers like a liquid web, eventually giving out and adding to the wet spot on the ground under Rose.

A knock at the door startled Rose from her self-pleasure. She quickly grabbed a towel to dry her hands and thighs. After wrapping herself in a robe, she opened the door to find a soldier standing on the other side. He was tall and well-built, with short brown hair.

“Good morning, my Lady,” he greeted. “I was instructed to bring you any materials or messages that have arrived at the outpost.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, taking the small pile of parchments from him. She set the bundle aside, then turned back to the young man, noticing that he was still standing at the door, staring at her.

“Is there something else?” she asked.

“I, uh, was asked to wait for your response,” he answered, looking away.

“My response?”

“Yes, my Lady. We’ve procured a nearby tailor to provide new clothes for you. You can either send your measurements or have them taken.

“I’ll need to have new measurements taken,” Rose answered.