[TWS] Chapter 321 – Set in Stone

“Too bad we won’t see the king’s face when he learns about everything the Elf Queen has in plans for us,” Miria giggled mischievously as they walked down the street leading to Imadil’s smithy. “I bet they are going to stumble onto that during their discussion about helping us out.”

“This can only go two ways.” He chuckled with her. “Either he will be mad at us for staying silent or he will be desperate to one-up her. What do you think, Silvia?”

“It’s hard to say.” The princess tilted her head while thinking. “But, I don’t think Father can really get mad at you. In the end, he was the one who sent us to the queen with a full delegation, even if she invited us personally.”

“Hopefully, it won’t spark a war.” Selene smirked.

“Oh, it definitely will. Just not the one you are thinking of.” Silvia smiled softly with a hint of amusement on her slightly curled lips. “Anyways, while we’ve been talking about this, I came to a realization that it’s been a while since I properly showed up in the castle for longer than a few hours. If you don’t mind, perhaps I would return there while you guys take care of things in the beastfolk realm?”

“And you will get front seats to your father’s reaction after his meeting.” Miria snickered. “I don’t mind. What about you, Master?”

“Why would I ever mind?” He raised a brow at them. “I’m not holding you hostage. Feel free to go back and have some fun.”

“I’m having much more fun being with all of you,” Silvia replied. “But, I’m still a princess and Father could use someone to distract the nobles a little bit. Plus, it would be a good idea to gather some gossip about us. The current state of house loyalties has definitely changed since the last time we’ve shown ourselves in an official setting.”

“It was such an unforgettable night. We should attend more galas like that one.” Selene hummed delightedly. “Perhaps we could take Althea with us next time. She would look dazzling in a long emerald cocktail dress.”

“You must be jesting. I’m plain like a meadow’s grass.” Their draconic friend waved her hand at them dismissively.

“You? Plain?” Asterios snorted. “You make all of the prettiest elves look completely unremarkable when standing with them side by side. Isn’t that right, Tia?”

~Oh, definitely. Althea’s gift doesn’t revolve only around nature. Her irresistible charm can’t be called anything else than natural.~ The Dryad’s sweet giggle echoed in their heads. ~You know, I’ll really miss your hand on my bark. I’m regretful that I had never mustered enough courage to feel it somewhere else.~

“Tia!” A trace of a faint flush tinged Althea’s cheeks but she still chuckled at her friend’s tease.

“How would that even work? Aren’t you… a tree? Wouldn’t your… insides… be wood too?” Miria wrinkled her nose while trying to ask her questions as politely as she could.

~The physical form I could take with my birth tree alive wasn’t completely wooden. You can say that some softer materials made up my body too. I doubt it would feel the same for my partner as embracing a humanoid female made of flesh and bone, but you can be sure I never lacked the tenderness and slickness where it counted.~

Asterios didn’t doubt that. From what he had a chance to take a glimpse of during their brief meeting inside him, she was all the way feminine where she needed to be. And the kiss they had shared felt like any real one too, with perhaps a few tiny differences in texture and still very pleasurable sensations. It was now hard not to think about how the other things felt, and such thoughts were easily discernible on the girls’ faces too.

“You are being scandalous now,” Althea huffed softly.

~In the end, I could shape my form to my liking as much as I wanted, and the image of an elf has always been close to me. I actually wonder, do I look closer to the first Elf Queen, or perhaps to you?~ Tia mused. ~I’ll have to ask Asterios the next time we meet face-to-face.~

“In any way, I won’t be able to follow you into another realm unless you either mate me or learn how to use your spatial ability in a matter of minutes. Therefore, I think I will take my time to wander around your lovely hometown a little more while you are away, if that’s alright with all of you,” the Dragon lady offered.

“Just go on and have fun. You are free from your chains now. If you ever find yourself in trouble, all of us will come running, or maybe flying, to aid you however we can. I promised to protect you and I’m not planning to go back on my word. At the same time, I don’t aim to imprison you around me to achieve that. It wouldn’t change anything when compared to your previous commitment,” Asterios replied.

“Then it’s settled. Can you give me a hand, Ast? I don’t want to bother Umbra while he is helping father and I’m fairly sure your castle is long considered my new home deep within my heart,” Silvia asked.

“Right away, my princess.” He slid his fingers into her palm and brought it up to place a polite peck on her soft skin. “I’ll catch up with the two of you shortly before you reach Imadil’s.”

Giving a nod to Miria and Selene, he moved away with Silvia by his side. The beastfolk duo chatted with Althea for just a moment longer before the draconic lady went on her way. They offered her some money to spend on her fun, but she just laughed at them, explaining that while she might have lived like a reclusive hermit, she lacked no funds and was most likely richer than all of them together. The elf rulers had been very generous to her.

Soon, Asterios was back and rejoined his favorite feline and vulpine. The girls immediately stole his arms and took over his sides with very intimate hugs. He could only chuckle at their behavior, definitely not missed by the passersby they strolled past. A guy with two lovely ladies basically melting all over him was still quite a sight, even if trios or bigger groups around one individual weren’t that uncommon.

“This really brings me back,” Miria purred into his neck. “When it was just the three of us.”

“It truly was a lovely time,” Selene agreed. “But I don’t dislike the current size of our family.”

“Neither do I,” the panthergirl quickly added. “It just feels right. With everyone. Or perhaps not literally everyone. There still are some people that just don’t feel exactly as right being with Master as his current mates. But when someone feels right, it’s just right.”

“I know what you mean,” the fox lady continued with a nod. “There’s that spark. It burns brighter within some females. Like us. Or Althea. Possibly Tia too.”

Asterios glanced down between their faces resting against his neck. “Are you insinuating what I think you are?”

They chuckled together and looked up at him, meeting his gaze with their beautiful eyes.

“Go, get ‘em, tiger! As my mom used to tell me.” Miria purred and nibbled on his skin.

“Yeah?” He shook his head with a wry smile. “And what about other girls, then? For example Ellie, Suanori, Yumi? It’s hard to always tell if you are trying to pull them into this or just continuously tease both of us.”

“We aren’t completely sure, to be honest, My Lord,” Selene admitted. “At least in regards to them being your true mates. Suanori is the closest, yet while we fooled around with her in the past, we didn’t get that certainty as with the others, like Bryn or Silvia.”

“But, True Dragons are said to lay with almost everyone in their entourage, not just mates but also aides, servants, and slaves,” Miria continued. “Compared to their selfishness, you are much kinder, Master. You don’t force anyone that way. I’m sure many of our friends wouldn’t mind or even liked to be intimate with you without being promoted to the top as mates. And it could make you even stronger. And also solve the issue of them being unable to go through the gates.”

“You know that I don’t feel right about sorting people into those categories,” Asterios replied, interrupting their speech. “And while it might sound a bit hypocritical with everything, I do want to be faithful to all of you. Sometimes, I do catch feelings, but I try to let you know about that right away.”

“We know and appreciate it,” Selene said, stroking his cheek with her dainty fingers. “What we are trying to say is that it’s alright to embrace others who follow you without falling in the deepest kind of love or accepting them as your direct mates or wives. For some of them, any attention can be very valued. They would relish the warm affection you could shower them with, showing them that you appreciate them just as much as they appreciate you. You are a True Dragon. It’s in your blood. And it’s only right to reward your subordinates for their service.”

“This kind of thing might be more natural to you, no offense, than to someone like Tina or Silvia, for example. I don’t want anyone to feel inadequate because I chose to play around with Yumi or someone else for the sake of having a good time together. And don’t think I haven’t noticed where you are going with this, Miria, even if not fully consciously. I can feel Zoe at the back of your mind.” He smirked.

Miria’s cheeks flushed more. “Ehehe~ She would definitely like to share a good time with you, Master. Too bad. We of course don’t want you to do anything uncomfortable. I just felt like bringing it up right now. I blame it on the mood, ehehe~”

“In any way, it’s not something the three of us can decide. If you really want to discuss this, bring it up when we are all together. I’m still not sure about it personally. It’s something that needs much more thought before anything.” Asterios ruffled through their hair, caressing their fluffy ears. “For now, let’s act like it’s the very beginning of our journey with just the three of us. We are going to visit Imadil’s smithy again, back in Tyrienheim.”

They laughed together and took a turn towards the already visible workshop. Asterios had obviously thought about the matters his beastfolk lovers brought up many times already, but he still didn’t feel ready to embrace that part of his draconic nature. While many more things were becoming natural to him, some parts still felt somewhat alien, as much as he was trying his best to open himself to his origins as many wise people had advised him to during their adventures.

A few moments later, they passed through the entrance to the workshop and looked around. Some things had changed since their last visit while many remained the same. They were aware that most of the new stuff the elves had brought from their homeland was hidden from sight, accessible only by the Spellsongs and their close friends. And behind the counter stood one of those family members, shooting them a gentle smile.

“Welcome. We didn’t expect a visit this early. Are you in need of something? I’m pretty sure the father of your demon lover has wrapped everything up with her help down in our forge.” Cynthia rested her elbows on the counter and raised a brow at them.

Miria poked him in the ribs with her elbow and grinned knowingly, whispering only for him to hear. “What about her?”

Asterios rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the open and friendly posture of their elf friend. “We are going to the beastfolk realm and were wondering if the gift is ready.”

“Ah. I think so. Come with me. We’ll talk with Father.” Cynthia stood up and gestured at them to follow.

Passing through a few sets of doors, they arrived at a descent into the ground and wandered through the spacious corridor to reach a magically secured entrance to a chamber. She operated some sigils and led them inside. As expected, the hidden part of the workshop was almost identical to the one they had seen under the Garden of Sinners. Save for the tree stump walls.

Imadil was tidying something up in the corner and turned around to the noise of the door, spotting them immediately. He set his tools aside and walked up to them while wiping his hands off into a piece of cloth.

“I would say long time no see but it’s been literally yesterday.” He chuckled. “Came to check how we have settled in?”

“That too, yes,” Asterios replied with a smile.

“They want to take the weapon,” Cynthia explained.

“Of course. Let me grab it.” Her father nodded.

In a flash, he was back with something long wrapped in a neat sheet of material. He laid the thing down on one of the counters and untied it, revealing the contents.

“It looks beautiful,” Miria cooed as she ran her gaze all over the long object. “She won’t believe this.”

“It’s perfect. But are you sure about it? You haven’t technically met her.” Asterios glanced at the elves.

“I thought you would trust us a bit more than this after everything we’ve been through together.” The man smirked, then tapped his head. “This was enough. Your cooperation helped.”

“If you say so.” Asterios shrugged. “Now, we will be visiting the original Dragonsteel village to collect the weapons they managed to make for us in the meantime. Do you want to look at them before we distribute everything amongst our forces?”

“I think it will be a good idea to mark them,” Cynthia suggested. “If they are anything like Miria’s heirloom blades, they are going to easily overpower most equipment available in our realm. It won’t be surprising to learn that someone tried to appropriate one for themselves or make a killing selling a lost piece. Those could be dangerous and should remain under our supervision.”

“I was going to ask about that.” Selene nodded. “And I agree. If we want to make the new weapons and armor Glimmervale’s characteristic and unique thing, we need to keep their distribution under control.”

“Will do, then,” Asterios promised. “Make some space and we will drop everything here first. By the way, how big does an elven embassy have to be?”

“Did she...? Of course, she did.” Imadil laughed lightly. “A small residence is fine. As long as there’s enough space to host occasional parties with important figures. Servants and staff will be provided with the ambassador as long as the place is adequate.”

“Good to know. Perhaps one of you could accompany someone from the Committee to see if we have anything adequate on hand right now. If not, we’ll need to plan out the construction of it for the near future. Like so many other things.” Asterios shook his head with a soft sigh.

“We are going to help wrap up the wall soon. Then, your builders can focus on their other tasks,” Cynthia added. “And if it’s for the embassy, our nation will definitely be open to sending the necessary workforce to raise it as soon as possible.”

“We will see.” Miria giggled. “The king is currently talking with the queen about that right now.”

“All in all, thank you for everything. We’ll get going now. Many places to visit and people to speak to.” Asterios wrapped the crafted weapon up once more and stored it in his ring.

Selene opened a gate for them and they bid their farewell to the elves, jumping through without any further ado. Then, he transferred them through the shadows to the front of the Lizardkin village. The guards at the outer border recognized them in a blink and fell to one knee to respectfully greet them, which Asterios pleaded with them not to do all the time.

The settlement was more or less just as they remembered. Save for…

“Is that me?” Asterios asked with his brows creeping up his forehead.

Both girls laughed out loud from joy. Miria ran forward to take a better look while he remained stunned, staring right at the small monument in the middle of the village. There was now a statue made of crimson stone that depicted Asterios spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture, with his horns, wings, and tail present. What he lacked was his clothes. Most of his body was on display, except for his privates, hidden behind a waist cloth.

“These guys…” He groaned while massaging his forehead.

“I know, right?” Miria giggled excitedly. “You are way more handsome than this, Master! I don’t think they were able to take a good look at your body!”

“That’s not the problem here.” Asterios bonked her on the head, causing Miria to playfully show her tongue. “Forget it. We have a business to do.”

As they walked to the chief’s residence, many Lizardkin recognized them and offered their greetings. It felt a bit awkward being revered like that but Asterios had to remind himself that it was due to his choice. So, he needed to respond with at least some semblance of confidence and power that his followers expected.

Finally getting to meet with the chief, he decided to ignore the matter of the statue, knowing well that the man would just launch into a long story about his greatness. Instead, they ventured together in one of the warehouses and were shown the weapons the Lizardkin had finished working on.

The number wasn’t something impressive, but a few dozen of various types of offensive gear lay or stood around in wooden racks. Shortswords, longswords, mauls, hammers, spears, and so on. They had clearly aimed to start with diversity and then build up the quantity. Which, considering the state of Glimmervale’s garrison, was a smart move.

According to the chieftain, Asterios could take everything on display, which was precisely what he did. Selene jumped back to his realm, made her way back to Imadil’s smithy, and opened a portal for them to use as a transfer gate for the goods. The chief and some elite sentries watched in awe as they repeatedly moved through it.

In fifteen minutes, all weapons were taken care of and left in the hands of the skilled elf smiths. The chief invited them for a snack and they obliged, but not for too long. Before Presto could once again offer their women to him, they were already gone, sensing his intentions clearly. It amused Miria and Selene, but Asterios not so much. It definitely was going to take some time before the Lizardkin learned his ways.

Therefore, they headed back to Miria’s village. To make it more fun, they chose to fly there. On a Dragon. Which was Asterios, of course. The girls enjoyed a quite turbulent ride as he attempted to break his speed record with them on his back. He whizzed through the sky like an arrow, tearing the clouds in his path. It felt good and just right.

Before long, they landed close to the village. Miria wanted Asterios to drop right in the middle for everyone to see, but he didn’t want to cause chaos. They felt much safer in this realm in terms of showing off since it wasn’t the one he currently considered home and where his parents had chosen to hide him, but he still wasn’t planning on flaunting his heritage this openly.

Maybe soon but not yet.

Crossing the remaining distance on Miria’s back in her panther form, which she loved almost as much as riding on Asterios while in his Dragon form, they arrived in front of Zoe’s house in a flash. Miria practically sprinted to the door and began banging on it moments after turning back to her humanoid shape, excited over her head about meeting her best friend again.

Asterios knew even before the door opened who it was that came to check on the commotion. And the girls could too. Before Zoe could utter even a single word, the ecstatic panthergirl had launched herself at her with barely-contained giggling.

“Zoe! We have something for you! You’ll love it! I can’t wait to give it to you!” Miria barraged her with barely-comprehensible strings of words.

“Miria! Calm down! I don’t understand half of it!” Zoe laughed openly while trying to remain standing.

“Come and you will see!” The panthergirl dragged her into the house without waiting for a reply and Asterios followed them with Selene by his side.

As they tracked the beastfolk duo to the living room, they passed Zoe’s mother, who walked down from the higher floor to see what was going on. He gave her an apologetic nod for the intrusion and slipped into the guest chamber.

“Okay. What’s this all about?” Zoe managed to somehow tame Miria and looked between her and Asterios.

“Master! Do it!” The panthergirl urged him as her ears twitched furiously.

He chuckled and moved closer to the table, summoning their gift from his spatial storage. A long object tightly wrapped in smooth cloth appeared in his hand. Placing it on the wooden surface, he gestured at it with both arms and smiled at their canine friend.

“Just a small token of gratitude for all your help. I hope you can accept it.” Asterios backed away and observed Zoe as she stared at them in confusion.

Miria continued to give her moderately gentle pushes towards the mystery wrapping until the wolfgirl finally was close enough to consider unraveling the secret. Curiosity finally got the better of her and she delicately peeled the cloth off, her eyes widening to the brim.

“No way…” she muttered under her breath. “This is… for me?”

Zoe picked the long polearm up like it was going to disappear at any moment, all her animal features frozen from shock. In her hand was a long, dark green shaft covered in a Dragon scale pattern with a dazzling silver blade at the top, curved near the end. The flat sides of the blade were adorned by an ornamental plate with a profile of a sprinting wolf painted over it, green as the rest of the weapon. A matted gem decorated the butt of the beautiful polearm.

Its new owner looked at it with astonishment and surprise. Finished with the initial examination, Zoe looked up at Asterios and the girls, with Miria practically buzzing in place.

“It’s truly incredible.” She smiled a little awkwardly. “But… a glaive?”