Armirynth leads us through a small hallway and into a busy living room. A few worn couches and chairs circle around a simple firepce. A small door likely leads to the kit and ao the bedroom.

  "Please find a seat. I hope this versation won't take too long. Ilka and Akhae should be ing home soon. Akhae likely got caught up in some versation during her walk. Ilka is probably yelling at the guard that gave you trouble," she says, taking one of the chairs.

  Mai and Kelly take a spot on the coud I find a chair to sit down in.

  "How did you know the guard gave us trouble?" Mai asks.

  "She gives everyone she doesn't know or like trouble. She's been rather annoyed by my pregnancy. If she thinks you have anything to do with me and she thinks anyone who doesn't live in this vilge does, she'll give you a hard time. You didn't do anything to her, did you? It would be annoying to deal with, but probably deserved," she expins.

  "No, we just kind of forced our way in," I say. "You knew Alzi was going to be taken. That is what I would like to know more about."

  "I went to the Fertility temple after one of my days with Alzi. During my prayer, I had a meeting with the Goddess of Fertility. She said Alzi would be taken and that Yuki had a pn I should trust. The Goddess told me not to let Alzi know."

  "HONEY! We're home. Heard you have a few visitors," Ilka shouts before ing into view.

  "Dear, I told you I hear you when you speak normally. The beastkin here likely don't appreciate the yelling, our house doesn't need yelling."

  "You say that, but I've snuck up on you multiple times and had you sh your tail out at me," she says, w her way into Armirynth's p. "Now, what is this about the Goddess telling you not to let our daughter know something?"

  "The Goddess instructed me not to let Alzi know she is being sold again. Or it seems that she was sold. These three are from the brothel. Mai, Kelly, and Yuki," she expins, pointing to each of us. "Mai is pregnant with Alzi's children as well. Kelly is the healer that helped her and Yuki is a good friend."

  "I see. Wele to our humble home," she says. "Now, WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALZI HAS BEEN SOLD!"

  "That I expin a bit better, I think," I say, jumping in. "I doubt the Goddess cared enough to say to who owns Alzi norincess of this Queendom has bought her to be the seed for her family. All Princesses that wish to fight for the throne have to have a man or a Herm in their harem. Princess Elora has retly announced her bid for the throne and has now taken Alzi to fill in that role."

  "Princess. Well, shit. We 't pare to a princess," Akhae mumbles, still standing at the entrance of the room.

  "We . I have an old friend of mine w right now to get help earning our little group an audieh the Queen. With that, we should earn a request, and marrying her daughter is a normal request to have. It'll take a lot of work, but with me and her w, we do it in a year or so, I think. If a war breaks out, maybe even faster," I say.

  "We'll marry a princess?" Akhae says, finally shuffling to a couch to sit by herself.

  "Yes, I see you now have a css. I'm not going to pry, but with everyone here having a css, it has made this a lot easier."

  "You aren't going t up how you're a Princess?" Kelly just has to say. "They were po marry a princess even if Alzi wasn't sold. Or would you have found a way to exclude them?"

  "I had no pn to exclude them. It just wasn't important for them to know my title," I say. I would've asked for them to be es instead—a small differe ohat would make my Mother a lot happier. If Alzi pushed back, I would've made it work. Mother 't be too mad about bringing such a strong seed bae.

  "I think it is," she says. "You..."

  "Shut up, you two. Yes, things could be better right down, but they aren't. We all get to work together to fix this mess and help Alzi out ok. So please shut up about it already," Mai interrupts. Saving me from having to expin why I didn't just buy Alzi myself. It was a bit of an ht, but I didn't think there would be another Princess willing to marry a brothel whore.

  "Ok, so what is your pn, Yuki?" Armirynth asks.

  "I gave the overview already. But, my friend, a warrior she found, and I will go out and do a bunch of hard missions from the guild. You five will maintain the home, and Kelly will sell healing services and potions. Mai work with the Silvana family to earn some money and build a bit of fame maybe. You three o build your levels. Each level and css you get, the easier it'll be to force the Queen to grant our request. Worst case I'll have to get my Mother to make some agreemeween my realm and this Queendom. She won't be happy to do that, and we'll all have to pay somethio vince her, so that is a st resort."

  "Where will this home be? Ours is too small for all these people and the kids on the way," Ilka asks.

  "Yes, I have a home that will work for the short term iy. We'll have to get a bigger one soon for the kids; I have plenty of money for that; we just o go looking."

  "We're moving?" Akhae asks.

  "Yes, dear. I thought it would be after the kids are born, but it seems the Goddesses have a different pn for us," Armirynth says.

  "I..."

  "Akhae, honey. I know you're worried about it. But we all agreed it would be fine when we married," Ilka says. "We don't have much keeping us here. Most of the girls ignored us and only started reag out when Armirynth gnant again. It'll do us some good to head out."

  "I know. Just the city is. The city is big and crowded. Just scary, I guess."

  "Yes, but we'll get used to it," Armirynth says. "When do we leave?"

  "Tomorrow. We have some ste rings to take anything you need," I say.

  "What about selling the house?"

  "We don't he money. Just let the mayor, or whoever is in charge, know that the house is empty and avaible."

  "Ok, just feels weird to say we don't he money. We had to work hard to afford this house," Ilka says, still resting in the pregnant woman's p.

  "I'm sure you did, but the city is a differe. The property there is priced very differently. We would just get a week's worth of food for what you sell this house for," I tell her. "We'll let you three have dinner; we should be good from the brothel's lunch. I would like to explore a bit. You don't get to see a dragon's vilge often," I say, standing up. Mai and Kelly stay still on the couch.

  "Be careful. The guard isn't the only ohat hates outsiders," Akhae warns. Ilka slides off her wife's p so she work on the dinner.

  "I will. Try tanize your things so ack them up quickly. I have plenty of space to take things. We won't need any furniture, so keep it to clothing and tools you may want. Things like that," I instruct, waiting to see if Mai or Kelly would like to explore with me.

  "Ok, we shouldn't have too much if we don't o take furniture. How abs and stuff?"

  "We take that. The fl will be bare, so we might as well, and if you have an attat to a chair or something, we still take it."

  "Ok," the dragons say.

  Armirynth heads into the kit, Akhae and Ilka go to their bedroom, and Mai and Kelly don't seem to want to join me, so I head out.

  Outside, I see the suing over the low walls that circle the town. There likely won't be many people walking around, but a peaceful walk would be wele. Kelly's fighting is a bit annoying.

  Both dires look about the same, so I head in the opposite dire from where we came. It's a small dirt road filled with houses simir in size to Armirynth's. A few women hang out along the road, giving me a weird look before returning to their versation. My clothing shows I'm likely a high-ranking noble, and side of the silly guard wish to deal with me.

  The road shows some pnni into making the little town. It is mostly straight pared to the on winding mess of streets most vilges have. They did talk about buying and not building, so there must be a small gover or elder they follow.

  I wonder how grand they pheir home to be.

  Likely some old e that got the inal vilge exiled from the dragon's realm. Maybe a geion or two ago, a long geion or two ago, based on their lifetimes. Perhaps even a lower noble, a baron or something, that has lost most of their affinity after their best males were forced to stay in their home nd.

  I e up to a road that lets me go towards the ter, so I stroll that way. I might as well see how the 'rich' are living here.

  The road is still just packed dirt, and the houses still don't reach a sed floor. But they do seem to be getting wider. There are some lights on in the window. We'll have to sleep on the floor tonight. The couches should be fihey didn't look too stiff.

  Only a few people are still hurrying home on the road, mainly heading towards the outer ring of houses.

  Do they really have maids all the way out here? Maybe they are apprentices leaving after the shop closes up for the day.

  I make one more turn to the ter and start to find houses that reach the sed floor. Bright light goes out of their windows as they hog all the mana lights.

  "What are you doing here, kitsune?" an old silver dragon calls out.

  Looks like I wasn't far off.

  "Walking around, grandma," I call back, tinuing my walk. Daring the disgraced tess to do more.

  Why not stir up a mess before we leave? It would do the guard some good to learn not to piss off the strong before someohat has true standing in the Queendom es knog.

  "Hmph, yiving quite the show for just walking around. Tails puffed out like that. You don't own this town, and we all know you have no true standing in the Queendom," she says.

  "I'm allowed to dispy what I'm proud about. I'm not demanding anyone pay me taxes or shiny my heels. I think you've heard ooo many stories from yrandma about the respect your family used to have."

  "You may want to stop pissing everyone off. That human girl looked ready to kill you when you walked in. You won't have a happy family like that. So, like I said, you don't own this town. St to show off," she says. This time turning around and walking off, not g about my response.

  The sun is almost fully set, so I decide to turn bad see what the sleeping arras will be.