Chapter 183 – The Battle for Varlia

Lilyth

‘I brought you some tea, my dear wife,’ my new “husband” said, causing me to reflect on how poorly the previous twelve hours of my life went.

You see, my great escape did not go as planned.

Not at all.

After emerging into the manor proper, I found myself surrounded by fifteen of those bastards. Some of them with crossbows, some with swords. I had very little room to manoeuvre, so my choices were reduced to: surrender or become a pincushion. I chose the first option since, while going down in a blaze of glory was a perfectly valid choice, surviving could have allowed for future escape attempts in the future, and truth be told, at that point, I was determined to live through this whole mess just to spite fucking Persephone.

I was led before the king, a man named Herlicht, who suddenly found time to see me, and he presented me with another truly baffling choice. Become his son’s concubine or, my magical creature, there for all to see, get actually fed with Zalikh and then thrown inside the barracks so that his guards could pay me back for killing their comrades.

‘I am not sure I understand the logic here, sir,’ I said carefully. ‘I don’t get how killing your men makes me a valid bride candidate.’

The tall, muscular man shook his bald head.

‘It doesn’t,’ he agreed. ‘But, you see, people here value strength and, if anything, you have proven yourself to be strong. And as much as I love Dainyir, he is not a warrior. Already, I hear whispers of his brother conspiring to remove him from the line of succession, which is something I’d rather avoid. He probably agrees. So, his claiming a strong wife will give us more time to get him out of here.’

Chance!

‘I may be able to help with that. There will be a ship coming here from Ror-Bhyk to pick my friend and me up in a few months.’

The man visibly brightened.

‘Yes. That would work.’

There were, of course, additional terms, which we spent a while hashing out. From my end, I had to ensure Dainyir survived long enough to get on that ship. If he died… Zalikh, guards… You know the drill. I would also be required to look like Dainyir managed to break me and be a perfect wife for him. There was also an unspoken threat of my future “father-in-law” using my intel to strike at my rescue ship.

I already had an idea how to defuse that one.

‘I have a contact that will be coming to check up on me on the beach you caught us on. If they don’t see me… no rescue ship.’

That was, however, when I managed to get Persephone into shit.

‘Since I don’t trust any of my guards with this plan, Dainyir and I will be going there with you,’ Herlicht said. ‘If we don't come back, your friend will have a very bad time.’

‘Understood,’ I sighed.

And speaking of Persephone, I managed to get her “easy” work helping in the kitchen.

Beats field work or being a comfort woman

My last term was the simplest - I didn't want to be forced to sleep with his son.’

‘I’d like to be able to grant you that,’ Herlicht sighed. ‘But that is mostly between you and him to hash out.

Mostly?

‘I don’t think this will be an issue; he certainly was always more interested in books than women, and I will be informing him of the true nature of your marriage, but I can't guarantee he won’t get ideas at some point.’

‘Um… you said that I “mostly” will be able to discuss it with him. What do you mean by mostly?’

He then told me that the island was one of those places where people practised the bedding ceremony, and while people would not be watching us, they sure as fuck would be listening.

‘I gather you don’t practice this ritual where you are from,’ he said, seeing my mortified expression.

‘No. No, we fucking don’t. Also, if you practice the “present the bloody sheet” thing - I am neither a virgin nor do I bleed.’

I pointed to all of my wounds, which were slightly oozing blue goo.

‘We’ll dispense with that part then. However, since we have to pretend this marriage is real…’

‘Very well.’ I nodded, realising that it would be the best I could get from him. ‘When do I meet my new “husband”?

‘In a few hours. Preparations for the ceremony are happening as we speak.’

Said ceremony was utterly humiliating. To keep up appearances, I was stripped of my clothes, beaten up a bit more, dressed in rags, clasped in irons and given a collar around my neck.

Part of the deal, I grit my teeth. ‘Part of the fucking deal.’

My husband turned out to be… a thin, meek, tall man that seemed to belong more in a gamer T-shirt than the golden breastplate he wore. His short, dirty blonde hair was unkempt, and I could see in his grey eyes that he really didn't want to be there.

I didn't pay much attention to the speech that Herlicht gave. It was some nonsense about me being a strong woman, but women belong in the kitchen, and Dainyir will be teaching me my place, and hopefully the heirs I give him will inherit my ferocity and the family’s strength… blah blah blah.

All the while, the guards were jeering at me or delivering lewd comments about my body and demeaning my new “husband”.

It is just for a few months. It is just for a few months.

Finally, that part of my torment was over, and we were led, accompanied by more lewd comments and bawdy songs, to our new quarters - a large room with a double bed, some basic furniture - a wardrobe, table, two chairs, an empty bookcase, a vanity, and a few paintings on the walls.

There was a large stack of books and a few bundles of clothes by the entrance, likely all belonging to Dainyir.

The irons were removed from my hands and feet, the collar replaced with a lighter one, though I would be keeping it, and we were let in.

‘From your expression at the ceremony, I gather you are about as willing to do this as I am?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘Forcing myself onto an unwilling woman was not how I imagined… well… this.’

‘I was informed what would be… expected of me tonight.’

‘I know… but even despite that… it just feels wrong.’

He looked to be on the verge of tears, so I gripped his hand and said.

‘Don’t cry. Not while people are listening.’

Listening…

I remembered a bit I read in a book once.

I walked over to the bed, stepped on it and said:

‘Follow my lead,’

Dainyir seemed confused, so I sighed and added.

‘Make grunting noises once I start the show.’

‘What sho-’ he started to say, but I began to jump on the bed and moan.

He finally understood what I was doing and joined me in my display. This started to cause cheers outside, which only caused me to start jumping faster. Finally, I let out a satisfied: ‘Yes, Yes, YEES!’

Dainyir then let out a final grunt, and we both began to pant in satisfaction.

The crowd was also satisfied with my… whatever-awards-they-give-out-for-porn-worthy performance and began to leave.’

I sat down on the bed, and he joined me.

‘Thank you,’ he said once we were sure our audience had fucked off. ‘Dainyir, by the way. Since we haven't been properly introduced.’

‘Lilyth,’ I returned the favour.

We sat there for a moment in awkward silence, so I pointed to the pile of books and clothes and asked:

‘Not your room, I gather?’

He shook his head.

‘I was moved here a few hours ago, shortly after I was told I was getting married… did you really kill six of my father’s guards?’

‘Yes,’ I said with a shrug. ‘Your friends?’

‘No. A lot of them hated me. Still… they were always around, and now they are gone.’

‘I would say “sorry for your loss”, but I am not.

For emphasis, I tapped the slave collar around my neck with my finger. Truth be told, it was loose enough that I could easily remove it, but I wasn't sure whether that would be wise.

‘I guess it is to be expected,’ he gave me a sour smile. ‘Why won’t we get to know each other better if we are to be a happy couple?’

So I told him about my interests and my most recent adventures in Ror-Bhyk, and he told me about his life as a bookish son of a warlord. His dear father is trying to make a man out of him. Guards are abusing him.

Poor kid.

Not quite a kid. He was twenty-four, making me over ten years older than him, but seemed much younger due to his… twinkiness, I guess.

After Dainyir went to get us something to drink, I began exploring my gilded cage. One thing I discovered was that there was a bundle of female clothes in the wardrobe. Likely meant for me. Of course, there were no pants, so I changed into a simple blue dress. Then I placed his clothes on the bed, so that he could put them into the wardrobe and began moving his books over to the shelf. I wouldn't dare actually put them on it. A person’s library was a sacred thing.

‘You didn't have to,’ Dainyir said, seeing my efforts.

‘But I could,’ I smiled, and together we placed all the books on the shelf.

‘Thank you,’ he said.

Moments later, a servant girl, it took me a moment to realise it was Persephone, brought us food. She was dressed in simple clothes and looked to have also been beaten up.

‘You okay?’ I asked after she put the tray with steaming stew on our table.

She bit her lip and nodded.

Then she said she couldn't talk and ran off.

‘Is that the girl who was captured with you?’ Dainyir asked with a frown. ‘She was supposed to be handled gently to ensure your cooperation. Let me go speak with my father.’

And that's how Persephone became our personal servant. As I have learned, the kitchen staff were overjoyed to see her because that meant they had a new bottom bitch to abuse. While the locals didn't particularly care about how servants were treated, Dainyir did his best to treat them well. Herlicht was so shocked that his son actually stood up for something, he immediately took care of the matter.

Then, in the usual gentlemanly fashion, Dainyir offered to sleep on the floor, but I wouldn't have it.

For one, it would help keep up the appearances. Two… his helping Persephone has earned him some privileges. Not much, but a peck on a cheek and the ability to actually sleep next to me were good enough.

Maybe those few months won’t be that bad.

And truth be told, after the past two weeks, I also needed someone by my side.

Fuck it. Once won’t hurt.

This time, the creaking of the bed wasn’t faked.

As luck would have it, Mister Murphy wasn't quite done with the whole mess and this time, for once, I wouldn't be on the receiving end of it.

You see, while making my deal with Helricht, I forgot about the “livestock” children thing Vaan Lohrens practised. You can probably guess where this is going.

Helricht died screaming the evening we went to the beach, and so did the twenty men he had stationed around our former campsite as a backup. Phosi took no prisoners and showed no mercy.

My way of contacting her was simple. We put a letter under a rock asking her to remove it when she was there. Each morning, someone from Helricht's guard would go check for that.

At my pleading, Phosi spared Dainyir since I was beginning to like him, but that's where her goodwill ended.

Then she brought over a boat from the harbour, and we went to rescue Persephone, leaving my “husband” at the beach, standing in shock over the molten bones of his father. As we sailed, I removed the slave collar from my neck and threw it into the water.

‘Good riddance,’ I said, and Phosi grinned in a predatory manner.

When we got back there, the harbour was in an uproar, as the Sconryoll wasn't exactly about stealing the boat, and the word about a sea monster spread like wildfire. The guards weren't ready for her return, though and were having trouble mounting any sort of effective resistance.

The slaves in the city put an end to all their efforts, however, as your abusers being attacked by a monster was a perfect time to stage a revolt.

By morning, every single member of Helricht's household guard was dead or imprisoned. His other two sons also didn't survive the night; one was killed by me, and the other was less lucky as he was caught by the former slaves. In the few days I had spent there, I had very limited interactions with the man, but he seemed to be a real prick with a massive and very obvious hate boner for poor Dainyir. So I have to assume that the fact he was castrated, beaten to within an inch of his life, crucified and then set on fire must have been a sign that his treatment of the people enslaved by his family must have been quite something.

There were a few other much smaller settlements on Verlia, as the island was called, and the revolt leaders started planning to liberate them as soon as they consolidated in the capital.

Since our job was done, we began making preparations to leave Verlia as soon as Phosi recovered from the massive exertion the battle had been for her. It would take her a day or two, which gave me plenty of time to think about what to do about Dainyir since he ended up in my custody.

‘We can take you with us,’ I told him when I visited him in our old marriage suite, where he was confined.

‘What makes you think I would even want to travel with you?’ he spat at me. ‘You killed my entire family.’

‘It’s not like they didn't have it coming.’

That comment didn’t do much for his outlook, but I was past the point of caring.

‘Your father presented me with a choice. Marry you or let your guards take their revenge on me. I will give you a similar one: Travel with us, or we'll let the freedmen judge what to do with you. Judging by what happened to Piken, it won’t be quick.’

‘I always did right by them.’

‘They might not see it that way. So, I am giving you an out. Hate me all you like, but we can drop you off wherever and you can start anew.’

Phosi wasn't happy he was coming with us, but she respected my decision given the circumstances. We ended up taking Phosi Express to the nearest island and waiting there for a few days while Persephone and I recovered from the effects of Zalikh. Phosi briefly left us to let our people on the continent know what had happened. But, finally, twenty days after I ended up on Verlia, I finally found myself back in Ror-Bhyk keep. Aki, Caeileera and Ren were already waiting for me there, ecstatic to see me. They were less happy about Persephone, and if looks could kill, Dainyir would have fallen dead there and then, as Phosi didn't neglect to inform them about our sham marriage.

Luckily for the poor man, Yachiro whisked him off, having already found a use for him. As for Persephone, fearing capture, she made herself scarce the moment her teleportation services were no longer needed.

‘So… what was it like for you to do it with a man?’ Caei asked after the four of us were done reuniting and were cuddling afterwards.

I didn't hide my night of fancy with Dainyir from them, even admitting that we did the deed after we had already fooled everyone during the ceremony. They were shockingly understanding, ultimately agreeing that I was just making the best of a very shitty situation and that possibly I was sparing myself some grief down the line.

One thing I failed to mention to them and would forever keep a secret was the fact that Dainyir got me pregnant. I realised that while we were waiting for Zalikh to leave our systems. One morning, I woke up with my belly feeling… weird. Upon a deeper examination, I discovered there was something growing inside.

I briefly considered keeping the baby, thoughts about my possible offspring flooding my mind, but in the end, I decided to reabsorb it into my body.

Not the time for kids. Particularly not his kids.

‘Not that great,’ I answered. ‘I was his first and all I can say is that I hope I wasn't that rubbish the first time around.’

‘You were okay,’ she smiled. ‘And willing to follow my lead.’

‘Let’s test those skills again, eh?’ Aki pounced on me.

Yes. Aki, Caei and Ren are the only lovers I’ll ever need.