"Mm. Oh, right!" I smiled broadly, taking Varnado's hand. "That's Reis Tilton and Cassae, a glassmith. She must have finished making the glass things I asked for!" I pulled him along with me towards them.
Once we reached them, I let him go, and he caught his breath. "Phew, that was abrupt."
I laughed, "Welcome, Cassae and Tilton. I am glad to see you. I promise we will stay out of your way while you work, but I wanted to ask how Vern is doing in your territory."
"Vern is doing quite well. Checks in regularly and has already caught one poacher." Tilton said. "We did not expect to find you here. We were hoping to have the job done as a surprise." Tilton said.
I smiled, "I was planning on coming a little later, but impulsively kidnapped my husband. Thank you for telling me she is doing well. Her blindness isn't much of a handicap, but she does face some difficulties."
"Yes, she sees quite well through other ways." Tilton said.
"Is Biri much of a problem?" I asked.
"After the first few reports I hired a herald to report that it is not a menacing monster." Tilton said.
"I figured your area would be easiest on Vern and Biri. I am glad I was right." I said. "I figured she'd get on with Kershka, too. She was raised by half giants."
"Yes. They do get along quite well, but Kershka has been tied up with a little project of some kind." Tilton said.
"I wonder if it's what he was contemplating before... Oh, that reminds me, I got Bibs the meteoric tinker's hammer he wanted. I should see it to him soon." I said.
"Oh, I wish you had talked to me about that one first." Tilton said. "The last meteoric hammer he had created a lake."
".. A lake?" I asked.
"Yes. He may have given you a warning about these particular types. The result was amplified quite a bit." Tilton said.
"Mm. Yes, about how to check the stability of the hammer." I said.
"And how did it perform?" He asked.
"As he indicated it should." I said. "The one I didn't choose the merchant had gotten nervous about."
"Then that particular merchant needs to be put out of business. They are going to get someone killed." Tilton said.
"I'll make it a priority when I can, though I have no sway over the Roan Empire yet." I replied.
"Well then, maybe I should go give that hammer a few swings myself, though I have no idea where he is." Tilton said.
I chuckled. "Oh, you wouldn't happen to know how to determine information about the new goddess, or how to contact her, would you?"
"Not without traveling to her plane, which I don't even know if it is formed yet, so unfortunately, no." Tilton said.
I nodded, though Cassae spoke up, "Quite normally they will come if they want to see you."
"It sounds like you have met plenty of gods." Varnado said.
"Yes. I lived in the Divine Realm until recently. My benefactor brought me to Tilton's land." Cassae said, smiling. "The gods like beautiful things, and glassteel is very beautiful."
"I cannot say I have ever seen this glassteel. What is it?" Varnado asked.
Cassae took a small knife from her hip and offered it to him, "It is unbreakable glass. I make weapons and jewelry from it."
He accepted it and looked it over, admiring it. "That is some beautiful craftsmanship. I don't even think I have anything like it in my treasury."
Cassae smiled and said, "It has been an ancient lost art in the Mortal Realms. A visitor from the far South ordered a red rose stiletto dagger with a black blade for his wife."
"Hm. Don't know why, but that sounds familiar for some reason." Varnado said.
"I do wonder, though," Cassae began saying cautiously, "Are you going to be using the treadmill in your current state?"
"Oh, no. My belly would get in the way. My son is growing very quickly." I said.
"He does seem to be growing at quite the pace." Tilton said.
I nodded, "And very active. I may end up regretting choosing to not use a Nanny for him."
"We can always get you one if you ever needed a break." Varnado said.
"I don't think humans would appreciate my cub's claws." I replied. "But thank you for the thought."
"We could hire a Dragonborn. I am sure their scales can handle it for a while." Varnado said.
"Perhaps we will do so." I said. "We will let you both work in peace, now. I should try and find my Uncle."
"I don't think I have ever met your uncle." Varnado said.
"You haven't." I confirmed. "I am concerned that curiosity ganked the cat."
"What precisely do you think he could have gotten up to?" Varnado asked.
"He once went diving to fight tromokratis." I sighed. "And if you don't know what that is... it's a kraken titan."
"That sounds like a terrible, terrible idea. Was there a reason he did so?" Varnado asked.
"The same for all adventurers. Because he wanted to, no one could stop him, he was bored... yeah, that covers it." I sighed.
"That is certainly a few reasons to almost have yourself killed." Varnado said.
We'd headed inside, and when we were passing a door to get to where I'd left the communication devices, a door opened. I fluffed up a bit, startled, and slammed it back shut.
"Er.. Can I come out?" Enres said from the other side of the door.
"I believe someone is trying to come out of there." Varnado said, looking at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I told him. Looking grumpy.
"My Lady, have you come home?" Enres asked from the other side of the door.
"Hm. I must be hearing things." Varnado said.
I huffed. I looked downwards for a moment, then sighed. Turning the knob to let it be opened. Then I took Varnado's hand, tucking myself next to him far closer than we'd bothered to be aside from when we were having sex. Enres opened the door, and it was his turn to start.
"Enres, this is my husband, the Emporer of this continent." I informed him. "My Lord, this is Enres, my treasurer for the Isla."
A few emotions crossed Enres' face. Finally he repeated, "Your husband?"
"Yes." I said firmly. I could tell with his stiffness and the set of his whiskers, he was not happy with this.
"Oh, are you visiting? Or did she kidnap you to here as well?" Varnado asked.
One of Enres' ears started slowly tilting back. "My Lady brought me along to handle her treasury from here." He said slowly.
"Then you must be a truly talented individual." Varnado said.
"I couldn't say. I have merely ever done my job." Enres said.
"He defied my Aunt, the late Regent, a lot." I said.
"My Lady always belonged in the Noblest position possible." Enres said. He sighed, "My Lady, no one of the Isla will accept this. It would have been a stretch for the Leonin."
"Rather open speaker, isn't he?" Varnado said.
"I suppose he can be. Clearly, Enres, I am not concerned with what people will say. I will do as I please, when I please, as I have always done. Hear me?" I asked.
"... I hear you." Enres said.
"Well, moving on, have you seen her Uncle?" Varnado asked.
"He went wondering two weeks ago. I do believe he may be in Hearthstone, or there abouts." Enres said.
"I have read a few reports about this Hearthstone Town. Isarial brought it up a few times, himself." Varnado said.
Excited, I looked up at him, "D'you wanna get disguised and go see one of the happiest and most interesting places, My Lord?"
"Why must we get disguised?" He asked.
"Because we are the Emporer and Empress. No sense in upsetting the town with a visit, or upset your personal guards." I said.
"Well, alright. I suppose we can don disguises." Varnado said.
I grinned and took him to my room, getting some things ready and handing him a disguising item. I used my own to turn me into a brunette human woman. He made himself a short stocky man, with blonde hair.
We used his Port Key to get to the outside of Hearthstone, so we could go in properly. We toured the town and the city below. Checking out everything we could until my feet began to ache. I wasn't accustomed to the extra weight from the pregnancy.
"These places are truly amazing. That boy continues to impress." Varnado said.
I gestured to the tall, imposing, guard captain. "That's Haril, he is having a baby with Isarial's human mother."
"So you are telling me he has two sets of parents?" Varnado asked.
I nodded. "It was not explained to me why. Both James and Adelaide are equally possessive of him being their son. I was never interested enough to ask more."
"That's perfectly fine. That's their family business. No reason for us to be involved in it." Varnado said.
I agreed. "What do you wish to do now? My son is playing again."
"I'm not sure. I don't know the North very well." Varnado said.
"I did not explore a lot of it. I kinda just really liked Wellspring." I told him.
"I feel we should do our tour soon." Varnado said.
I nodded, "Mm. You're right. Should do it within the next few weeks."
"Yes. I feel we could have it done in two, three weeks." Varnado said.
"Perhaps a little longer, because we will need to have a look at the South's changes." I noted.
"That is very pressing on my mind." He said.
I nodded. I stood, having him follow me, and went through the portal of Hearthstone to Ymir's Town. I'd heard of it last week. "Is this what you wanted, My Lord?"
We left the warehouse the portal was in, then he looked around at the city that had long been his home, "Even here it has changed." There were strong emotions in his voice. The once sandy streets were now dirt and plant. The only place still sand was fifteen feet of beach.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"It is difficult, yet exciting to see a dream become reality." He said.
"Mm. That red flower plant is a freesia. And those palms trees are açai, they are edible. Those are pitcher plants, by that shop, they are carnivorous, but harmless to us. That tree near the wall is a durian. It's edible..." I pointed out different plants as we walked.
"A great many new species has sprouted around." Varnado said.
"They are much like the Isla's plants." I replied.
"I will need to prepare documents on these plants, so that our people will know what to do with them. Do you see any that are harmful?" He asked.
"These little flower clusters are lantana. They are toxic to toddlers, cats and dogs. But harmless if not eaten. Those white and pink flowers are Mountain Laurel, which are harmless unless eaten. It gives off a spicy feeling, but will kill you. Oh, that's edible, it's Rhubarb. There are others that are poisonous, but also medicinal." I said. "Those lilies are dangerous to cats."
"Are these lilies common for your home? And if so, how do you deal with them?" He asked.
"They are, we don't let them grow in higher populated areas, and we also don't eat them. Though some of the Tigrine are allergic to their pollen, too." I explained.
"Your home land seems amazing and deathly dangerous." Varnado said.
"It can be. We will have to show it to you some time." I said. "Perhaps once things stabilize here."
"We should be able to put this all together soon enough. It just seems like a mess." Varnado said.
I kissed his cheek. "Your positivity is nice."
He smiled. "Being positive comes easily enough when you know you can make people's lives better. When you know your people rely on you to help them, not because you're their ruler, but because they know you will give them every opportunity you can."
"You are far more kind than I am." I said.
"Which is exactly why I have an advisor like Phintias." Varnado replied.
I nodded. It was understandable. We wondered around, and I continued to tell him about the various plants I was aware of. He wanted to use the disguise to get peoples real opinions on the change. And so we did that. Many were thrilled with the change, others were apprehensive. Many discussed our marriage, and their disapproval of my race.
It didn't bother me. Just let me know my suspicions were spot on. Once we were back in my home and our disguises dropped, he asked me if I was alright. Which I laughed off, and jokingly told him the years spent with my aunt were far worse. It hadn't bothered me in the least.
I made us some dinner, with dessert, though I wasn't hungry. It was polite to eat with him, though. "What is on your mind?" I asked.
"Currently how to cultivate the land without angering druids." He said.
"By speaking with them or bribing the Archdruid." I said.
"How does one bribe the Archdruid? I don't believe I have anything that would interest him." Varnado said.
"Mm. Well, it is difficult to bribe him. But you are the Emporer here, so you can take the time to think on what an Archdruid may like." I suggested.
"You say difficult. Does that mean you've done it before?" He asked.
"Yes. Of course. I bribed him to come here and do as he's done with the South. And to resurrect those people." I said.
"I believe you used the residuum to bribe him previously, so perhaps I could find another magical method." He said.
"If that doesn't work, definitely ask Traxigor. Chihul is lazy." I said.
"A lazy archdruid? I feel that should be worrying." He said.
"It may just be an old person thing. Chihul is supposed to be nearly a thousand years old." I commented.
"I wonder if Phintias has ever run into him before." He said.
"It's possible." I shrugged.
"Going to have to ask him about that. Maybe he will know a new way to bribe him." Varnado said.
I smiled, feeling pretty tired. He mentioned that he also needed to figure out a way to gather an actual army. I made a few suggestions, and reminded him that the North's forces are his to command now, and he has his new wife's forces as well if there is a need.
He hoped that it was all an unnecessary precaution, but he felt better with the ideas in place. I also made the recommendation of some of the Isla's soldiers training people in our fighting ways. Our soldiers did need to be stronger, after all. There would be no future mass Resurrections, after all.
"Why are you so quick to offer up all these solutions? You are quick to hand out everything you have." Varnado said.
"That's a fine question. It's not like it will change anyone's opinions of me. I'm not even a generous person to begin with." I shrugged, "I can do it, so I am choosing to. I lose nothing by doing so."
"So you do what you must because you can." Varnado said.
"I suppose so, yeah." I replied. "Besides, I told you I would perform my duties as your wife properly. Even as a second wife, I have responsibilities to the people, and to you, that are vital to carry out. Most importantly, I can help lighten your burdens in any way you choose."
"That would be nice. Pyla is not much of a.. ruler." He said.
"That's fine. That means she and I won't be fighting each other." I said.
"Oh, I very much doubt you two would have fought, ever." He said. "She was after the influence, I was after the support."
"I see." I said, though I didn't get it. "Feel free to lean on me, Varnado."
"I will try to let you rest until after you have given birth." He said.
"I appreciate the consideration." I replied.
"Speaking of rest, shall we go to bed?" He asked.
"Sure. Would you like to share a bed or sleep alone?" I asked.
"Well, since the goal is for you to rest, what is your preference?" He asked.
"You can stay in my bed. I'll have a bath first." I said.
"Alright." He said. "Do you need any assistance? I do not believe you have maids here."
"I do not. But you are allowed to touch my fur as you please." I said.
He stroked my arm, "You are quite stunning, but I will let you have your time alone."
I smiled, and snuggled my head to his briefly before heading to take a bath. After the bath, I dried myself, dressed in a thin nightgown and headed to join him in bed. He was relaxing, laying back on bed while reading a book he'd found in my room. I joined him in the bed, admiring his lean and deceptively muscular body.
Without looking away from the book, he stroked my head, around my ear and to my cheek. Intrigued enough to not be put off, I leaned over to him and gently placed my hand on his cheek to turn his head so that I could kiss him. He seemed momentarily distracted by my breasts pressing against him, before he set the book aside and kissed me earnestly.
I learned my husband was very easily provoked into sexual activity. Our kissing turned into gentle and thorough exploration of one another's bodies. We learned that I was exceptionally sensitive today, which he made sure to exploit. He slipped himself inside me while I came, causing my purring to begin.
His stamina and recovery time weren't as good as Dirthin's, but he made up for it with enthusiasm and consistent touch. It felt so much more intimate, somehow, his consistent gentle touches and movements. The only unfortunate thing was that after a long day of wondering around, I had no stamina for the activity.
So we only got to do it twice before I fell asleep. When I woke, he was still sleeping, but he wasn't cuddled up to me. I let him have his space. I got up, pulling a robe on, went to make our breakfast and run him a bath before waking him. I greeted him in a similar fashion as the morning before, and had breakfast with him.
He chose to bathe himself today, and used the Port Key to return home. So I contacted Dirthin while taking a bath. "Hullo, I'm at Wellspring Villa."
"I was hoping that's where you were. Has everything gone alright with you and the new husband?" He asked.
"I appreciate your effort in asking, but I don't believe you actually want that answered." I replied directly.
"I was mainly after.. is he treating you right. As long as he is treating you well, I suppose I won't hurt him." Dirthin said. "Will you be returning to the palace at any point, or will you be staying out there?"
"I will return to fetch my things and any pertinent documents I may need. But I will resume living in Wellspring. As for my husband.. He is a gentle man in all things thus far." I answered.
"I am sure that drives you nuts." He said. "I'm still testing out this Port key. I am up to four times a day."
"It's only been two. My goodness." I said.
"Oh yes. Just wait, after a week I will be teleporting all over the place." Dirthin said. "I have also successfully used it in combat."
"You consistently amaze me." I said. "I got to learn yesterday that many in Ymir's Town disapprove of cats marrying their ruler."
"Well, as your champion, should I pop over there for a, oh what do the fancy pants call it? An inquisition?" Dirthin asked.
"Mm, no, Kitten. It's fine. I don't need their approval or support." I said.
"True. You can just summon another God on them." He said.
"I do wonder about our new Goddess Celestia.." I said.
"I do as well. Atleast she didn't look like an evil goddess." He said.
"She was kinda adorable, really." I said. "You know, I think you can keep that Port Key."
"Oh? Not going to lie, I was certainly debating asking for it. It is very amusing." He said.
"Aw, that makes me wanna take it back, though." I said teasingly. "But yes, you can keep it."
"No take backs! I'm off to instill chaos and fear in all!" He laughed maniacally.
"Have fun, Kitten. I must get out of this bath before I fall asleep again." I said.
"Alright, alright I'll leave you be for now, then." Dirthin said.
"Bother me anytime. I enjoy your company." I replied. Getting out of the tub and beginning to dry off my fur.
"Actually, you know a bath sounds pretty good. Think I'll go have one. Call me whenever you want, Vexie." Dirthin said.
I ended the call with him, contacting Sangir and the rest. I made it a volunteer basis to transfer to Wellspring Villa to continue tending to what I needed. My direct secretary hires were told to come, along with my personal guards. I didn't know if I would have much staff to handle the mundane affairs, but I elected to move my bedroom to the top floor.
I set up my office across the hall from my new bedrooms location, and emptied the next room to make it into a proper nursery for my cub. Half way through rearranging the rooms, the people began to show up. Maids and other servants. They began moving things for me, all I had to do was direct them. Dirthin had long since obtained our cubs things for me, it was just a matter of getting them out of my bag.
Once Sangir and Raiden brought me my things, disgruntled at the inability to just teleport to me, they handed over my things. I began assigning people to specific tasks and selected a personal maid. She'd be in charge of vetting anyone and everyone before they could see me. She'd also be in charge of my clothing, rooms, and meals. It would simplify my life, which was most important at the moment.
It took the entire day and the next to reorganize my house as I wanted it. Everyone was able to settle in pretty quickly, too. The trapdoor had been enchanted by Feldra, so no one really knew it was there. Enres took on the responsibility of a proper treasurer, the adventurers who'd stuck around became proper royal guards, which means I gave them broaches with proper insignias so I could empower them if needed.
Meanwhile, I obtained a few books from home, and sent them to my husband, politely, through a human servant. I was in my cubs nursery, taking a break and painting a mural, when Dirthin arrived via the Port Key. Startled, I accidentally threw the paint brush and palette at him, losing balance and nearly falling off the step ladder. The maid in the room squeaked, and excused herself quickly.
He didn't bother to block the paints or brush, being more concerned with stabilizing the ladder and keeping me from falling. "Not to self, teleport to the outside of the room you're in."
"You scared me." I accused him, pouting. I used Prestidigitation to remove the paint from him, then retrieved my brush and palette. "I must stop being so jumpy."
"It's fine to be jumpy. It could keep you alive in some situations." Dirthin said.
"I slammed the door on Enres a couple days ago, and assaulted you with paint." I sighed.
"Well, to be fair, sometimes he could really use a door slam." He said.
"What do you think of our son's room so far?" I asked.
"Well, since he is gonna be your son, too, maybe we should put a small tree in here." Dirthin said.
I laughed, "We can plant one in a planter, if you'd like. And when he is old enough to learn climbing it, we can plant it outside."
"That sounds like a good idea." He agreed.
I gave him an affectionate hug. "Maybe an oak tree, since we want him to grow up strong in his own way."
"An oak tree sounds like a fine idea." He agreed.
I smiled and said, "I moved my room and his upstairs. My office is across the hall. So I'll always be very close to him when he's small."
"You say that as though you won't be close to him when he's big." Dirthin said.
"You said you want to train him, and I want him to be able to have friends. That means he'll need to be in the Hearthry household during the day." I replied.
"I suppose that would make the most sense." He noted. "But it's not as though you have been banished from the Hearthry house. You can visit whenever you wish."
"I understand, but I might not have time to stay around." I said.
"Are you kidding? You are going to be our ruler. Of course you won't have time." Dirthin said.
"Yes. Plus there is the matter of taking control of the Southern Empire that will be occurring. Hopefully before I am pregnant again." I said.
"And that sounds exciting." He said.
"Do you feel better knowing your son is well?" I asked, going back to painting.
"It does keep my mind at peace knowing he is fine." Dirthin said.
"Good." I said. "What do you wanna do?"
"You know, you would think I'd know the answer to that by now." Dirthin said.
"You don't?" I asked, looking at him.
"Oh, you meant right now. I thought you meant with life in general. Right now, I'm a bit snackish." He said.
"What do you want to eat?" I asked.
"You know me, anything sweet." He said.
"Alright." I said. "I want something from you."
"And what might that be? What might I do for you?" Dirthin asked.
"Rather than just a lover, let's be friends.. even after our relationship ends, and not just for our son's sake." I said.
"And when was that ever up for debate?" He asked, straight faced. "I'm sorry, did you think you ever had an option in that?"
I set my things aside and hugged him about his neck, and kissed his face. "Always, then."
"Of course. Did something happen today.. or?" He asked.
"Just being insecure, I guess." I said. Letting him go, and getting down from the ladder.
"Being insecure can happen, but one thing you'll never have to fear is me no longer wishing to be your friend." Dirthin said.
I brushed my body against him, and headed out of the room, going to the kitchen. Once there, I made him some sweet berry treats with whipped cream and cake. Once it was ready, I sat in a tea room with him, "I'm not very good at painting. I should probably just pay someone to do it."
"You looked like you were doing a fine job." Dirthin said.
I laughed. We talked more about what he'd been up to, and about some other random things. We later had dinner, then bathed together and went to bed. We had a lot of sex. I lay on him as we went to sleep, complaining he'll melt my brain with sex. It gave him a good chuckle.
I got him to come up to my dome the next day, and we spent the full day up there, since I'd brought us food. Him chatting to our cub, and the play we had kept him pretty engaged. The night view was more than worth our time in the dome. It made for a beautiful scene, though I was much more captivated with the feeling of riding him.
We went down in the morning, and had a nice breakfast. We spent the day painting the cubs room, and snacking. That night, we slept peacefully together, and he headed out the next morning after breakfast. Varnado contacted me shortly after Dirthin left, informing me that we were going to meet in Scraver's Coast the next day and begin our tour.
So I prepared things for it, and got some more work done for the day, before heading to Scraver's Coast with my personal guards and maid. Right before we reached Scraver's Coast, everyone seemed excited for the Empress to be approaching, then someone screamed. The guards were a split second too late to respond, and even still, they'd instinctively moved towards the scream.
An arrow pierced me, and as I fell from my mount, my maid caught me. Unfortunately for my attacker, Warlocks have a lovely spell called Hellos Rebuke. As I fell, I pointed at them. Hell's flames engulfed them, hindering their attempts to flee. This allowed them to be apprehended quickly. I was treated immediately for the wound and poison, of course.
Annoyed, and concerned for my child, I had Raiden bring Plight to me. He and Nia checked on my cub once they reached the Inn I chose to stay in. Thankfully, he was still healthy. Still, the apprehended person would be questioned, tortured if necessary, and the culprit found.
Bout the time I ordered the interrogation, my husband and his advisor were let into my room. While I was being checked on by Varnado, I heard Phintias say, "Oh, Queen's Champion... She's been shot."