Tanya & Elora: Fertile Fields

Happy Easter, everyone!

Well, I'm not sure this quite counts as an Easter story, but... I mean, there's probably some associations in there. If you squint. Maybe.

Either way, enjoy our two favorite adventurers having a bit of a divine experience to remember...

-----

“I’m just saying,” Elora called, arms clasped behind her back as she kicked around near the entrance to the shrine. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen in elven shrines! Know why?”

“Because elves don’t worship in the same way as-”

“Because elves know how to craft their shrines without inviting the forces of darkness to come sup on their worshipers, yep!” The redheaded sorceress nodded, satisfied with her own insights. “It’s really not that hard, though, I dunno why you guys can’t follow our example.”

“Don’t your people mostly worship nature spirits?” Tanya sighed as she stood up, dusting her knees. She’d been examining the base of one of the shrine statues – the figure of a woman, carved out of marble. There were a good half-dozen of the same sculpture lining the walls here. Someone had probably been paid a pretty penny to carve them – most small community worship houses like this one didn’t have anything on this level of extravagance.

Still, they all seemed completely normal, if one ignored their subject…

“Eh, gods, nature spirits, no big diff.” El was still off complaining about her own little world, of course. That was probably for the best. Holy work should be left to the Paladin in the party. Especially with all the blasphemy she was currently spouting. “One’s just a bit more primal – and a lot more trustworthy – than the other. I mean, if fundamental essence of fire tells you it’s going to do something, it’s sure as sparks gunna do it! Whereas if one of your guys – uh, what’s that one you’re always praying to, Excelleon?”

The blonde knight winced. “That’s not how you pronounce her-”

“Yeah yeah, so, her.” The elf waved a dismissive hand. “She might tell you to do something today, utter some great commandment you have to follow as her worshiper – and then she might change her mind next week! Imagine relying on something so wishy washy for your powers, right?”

Tanya ignored her. It wouldn’t stop her friend from rambling if she replied, and she actually had an inspection to carry out, so she may as well just leave her to it. Instead, she considered the shrine itself. This was the main room of worship – a round chamber with a fire pit in the middle, a hole in the roof to allow both sunlight and smoke through. And around the edge, the statues. Six of them, two of each design, each with their own alcove. And, blessed lady of light help her, she really was starting to think she hadn’t been mistaken about what they represented.

“So!” The Paladin jumped as her friend appeared by her shoulder, leaning over to try to examine her work. “Who’s this place dedicated to?”

The blonde sighed. “Faere.” She was certain of it.

El, though, wasn’t quite as familiar with the name. “Faere? Faere… Faere… I know I’ve heard that one recently…”

Of all the things to... “Yes,” Tanya told her with a roll of her eyes. “In the quest notes. The ones you told me you had read.”

“Eh, I skimmed.”

“Well, you skimmed over the fact that we’re supposed to be investigating this area for signs that the cult of Faere has been in the area.”

“… Oh.” The elf withdrew, looking around the shrine again. Her lips pressed together into a half annoyed, half embarrassed pout. “So…”

“So, I’d say their presence is pretty much confirmed, yes.” Tay finished for her.

“Ahh.” Understanding began to dawn. Then, quickly after understanding, confusion. “Wait, this doesn’t look like a cult’s place at all!”

“No.” The Paladin folded her arms, looking around the extravagant place of worship with a frown. “No it doesn’t.”

El nodded, looking rather creeped out. “They’re usually so secretive. Quiet meetings in the forest, hidden shrines in caves, that kind of thing.”

“Mm.” Yeah, that worried Tay. There was no attempt made at hiding all of this. When the pair of Adventurers had arrived and asked to see the local place of worship, they’d been guided straight to it with a smile. “Not this time, apparently. “They’re just outright showing off their worship. That’s why I’m inspecting this shrine so closely. I didn’t want to make a mistake and accuse someone of heretical worship incorrectly… But, uh. No. No. This town is definitely fully under the sway of the cult.”

“Ugh. Well, this is going to be a pain for someone to clean up.” The Sorceress folded her arms behind her head. Then a thought occurred to her, and she looked at Tanya with real worry on her face. “That’s not going to be us, right? That’s not part of the quest, yeah?”

That earned another eyeroll. “It’s not, no. You can relax. We’re just here to investigate. Sorting this mess out is someone else’s job.”

“Well that’s something.” El had rarely looked more relieved. And now that she knew she wasn’t in danger of having to do actual work, her curiosity returned, loud and proud. “So hey,” she asked, looking back towards the statue with suspicious eyes, as though it were some fiendish riddle that was being stubborn with its secrets. “What makes you so confident that this is one of…

“Faere.”

“One of Faere’s shrines? It looks like all the others to me.”

The side-eyed look that Tay gave her friend would have shamed a normal woman into embarrassed silence. Alas, El had no shame, and was completely oblivious to it.

“Okay, ignoring the cultural insensitivity.” And ignoring the way Elora was now making a nagging motion with her hands where she thought Tay couldn’t see. “Take a look at the statues. What do you see?”

“Uh.” The elf looked. “Ladies.”

Oh for- “What kind of ladies?”

“Hot ones?”

“El.”

“What?” She actually looked like she’d thought that might genuinely be the answer. ”Okay, uh, fine, two of them are pregnant. Two of them are wearing weird nipple tassels. The others look pretty normal?”

Well, that was a better answer than her first one, at least. Tanya nodded. “Right. They represent the cycle of Faere, an endless loop that the outcast goddess offers to her followers. You recognise the Maiden first…” She gestured to the first statue, the one that El had called normal. “And then the Mother.” Her hand moved to indicate the pregnant statue. “And then, finally…”

“The Matron?” Elora interrupted, a red eyebrow raised. “That’s not a Goddess thing, that’s a standard Coven apprenticeship. I almost enrolled in one of those.”

But the Paladin shook her head. “No, no. The traditions probably have similar roots, but Faere’s cycle doesn’t have the Matron, it has… Uh.” She paused, coughing into her hand. “… The Milker.”

She could feel the elf staring at her. “The Milker.”

“Mm.”

“… Humans are so weird,” the Sorceress muttered, shaking her head. Then her eyes widened in realisation. “Oooh, those aren’t nipple tassels, are they.”

“Nope.” The blonde shook her head again. “So, yeah, this is definitely a shrine to Faere.”

“Fair enough!” El nodded, easily satisfied – and now, more eager to leave than ever. “Well, that was an easy job, then. I guess we can just head back? Go home, report in, get an early night?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Tay shrugged. Sometimes quests really were that simple. “I want to talk to the Mayor, or whoever’s in charge around here before we leave – figure out how this all happened, where the cult came from… But aside from that, we’re done.”

“Thank the forces.” The elf was already leaving. Honestly, it was probably a miracle that she’d lasted as long as she had. “I swear, you drag me out to the dullest places, Tay. We could be cresting over the blue mountains of Akesta right now, or sailing over the coral reef kingdoms, but no, how about we wander through the mud in another boring farming village in the middle of absolutely nowhere and…”

Her voice trailed off as she continued wandering away, oblivious to the fact that no one was currently listening. That was fine – Tay had heard this particular rant before anyway. But the Paladin paused at the door of the shrine, glancing back over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a funny feeling about this one. To show off their worship so brazenly…

“You do realise that worship of any member of the exiled pantheon is a forbidden practice, yes?” She asked a few moments later, her question was direct and to the point, her target having been waiting for her outside in the village centre – and she could tell it hit the mark when the man she addressed it to rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze.

“Well, we do know that it’s a little unorthodox…” He said, chuckling nervously. The motion looked natural on him – he wasn’t a big man, like most of the farmers in this village. Instead, while hardly a runt, he had the look of a scholar, instead of a workman. Short, dark hair and brown eyes barely hidden at all behind thin rimmed, rounded spectacles – he had the look of a young librarian, or perhaps a minor noble with just enough of a fortune to get by. Unassuming, but good natured.

She wasn’t impressed, raising an eyebrow. “Mr Mayor, unorthodox is putting it lightly…”

But the man raised a hand, asking for peace. “Please, just call me Marcus. I’m but a simple community leader – there’s no titles out here.”

Ah. One of those kinds of villages. “Marcus, then.” The Paladin tried to stay diplomatic, offering him a polite smile. “This is a punishable offense – your entire community could be condemned for this. The Holy church of Light takes these matters very seriously.” And as someone who’d spent more than her fair share of adventures fighting off the dark plots of various exile cults, so did she. Faere was generally seen as one of the least threatening exiled gods, but she trusted that her goddess had seen her sister banished for a reason.

“I understand, I understand.” He nodded encouragingly. “But… Forgive me, Lady Tanya, but  I- we, in fact, were rather hoping that you might consider helping us, on that front…”

His words trailed off as her eyes narrowed into a glare. “If you are asking me not to deliver my report to the church on the subject of your worship…”

“No no, not at all.” The ‘Community Leader’ shook his head, smiling nervously. “No, I understand that you have your duty, and I expect you to fulfil it. My- Our request is simple – that you accompany your report on our worship, with one that details the benefits that said worship has had on our lives.”

He opened his hands, gesturing around as if what he’d just said made any sense at all. But the Paladin just stared at him. “Excuse me?”

There was a blush to his cheeks as he tried to explain. “Look, my Lady, I understand your position. But we want to prove to the church – and hopefully, even to the pantheon – that our bountiful goddess’s reputation is undeserved. That she’s not as bad as her fellow, and that perhaps some kind of compromise could be reached that would allow us to have the best of both worlds. I mean, just look at our crops! This season’s harvest alone has been five times the size of the year before’s. Her blessings are incredible. There’s no reason everyone shouldn’t get to enjoy their benefit.”

Tanya folded her arms, lips pressed in a thin line. “If Faere’s desires lay purely in the realm of healthy crop growth, I’m sure there wouldn’t be any problem with her at all in the pantheon. But her obsessions span far further than just plants. Do the women of your community share in your supposed ‘benefits’?”

It was a sharp rebuke, but a necessary and apt one, she felt. Which was why she was surprised to see Marcus nod, smiling at her.

“That’s what I’m asking you to investigate,” he answered smoothly. “Just… Take a walk through our community. Talk to our people. I think you’ll find that the way live is very different from what you’ve been taught.”

Rgh. Well of course he’d say that. But his request wasn’t completely out of line. In fact, all he was asking her to do was her job. Normally, this kind of investigation would have entailed all the things he was requesting – they just weren’t needed when their illegal worship was so blatant.

“Taaay!” Elora’s voice called from down the road, towards the stables. “Where’d you go? I’ve gotten the horses ready, can we leave yet?”

Marcus clasped his hands, all but begging her in the street. “Please, my Lady. Just spend a day with us. I promise you that if you do, no matter what your report says, and no matter what reaction the church has to it, we’ll accept their judgement peacefully. And if that means tearing down our shrine, so be it.”

The blonde hesitated. On the one hand, this was a ridiculous, borderline offensive request that went against everything she believed as a worshiper of the holy Light. The exiles were exiles for a reason – it wasn’t on her to question that, and it made her feel uneasy to even be considering the idea.

On the other… Well, Marcus seemed earnest enough, and he was offering an easy, peaceful solution to this whole mess as a bargaining chip. If she didn’t take it, she had no doubt this cult would show its fangs.

And besides…  If there was a chance – no matter how small a chance – that this could lead to a god’s redemption, then she was duty bound to at least try, wasn’t she? The entire reason she’d become a Paladin was to help people – she just didn’t like the idea that she was helping them against herself. It wasn’t like it was a big ask – they’d spend a day out here and then head back to the city tomorrow. It was what they’d originally planned on doing anyway.

Damnit.

“Fine,” she finally bit out. “I guess we did already book a room at the Inn for the night. I can take a look around for you. But I’m not going to honey-coat my findings. Whatever I see, that’s what goes in the report.”

“Of course! Of course.” He nodded gratefully, his spectacles nearly slipping off of his face. “My dear Lady, you’ve no idea how much this means to me. If there’s anything you need, anything I can do to assist, you’ve but to say the word!”

“Mm.” Tanya sighed, peering over the man’s shoulder, spying an approaching redhead. “Well, there is one thing you could do for me,” she said, stepping backwards and turning to head into the village proper. “You can be the one to tell Elora we’ll be staying the night.”

-

Alas, she hadn’t gone far before the Sorceress caught up with her. “Tay!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” The Paladin winced, slowing down so that her friend could catch up and glare while they walked. “He asked me to write up a full report on the village, and I couldn’t think of a way to say no.”

“You just said it there! No! It’s that easy.”

“You know what I mean.” She wanted to defend herself, but it was hard when you knew you were the one being a problem. “Look, it won’t change our plans much, okay? It’s just instead of riding through the evening and arriving in the dead of night, now we get to sleep in a nice warm bed, we head out in the morning, and we arrive in the city in the afternoon when everyone’s still awake.”

“…” The elf groaned, falling into step with her human friend. “Fine. I guess having an Inn room to sleep in isn’t so bad. But I’m still annoyed at you.”

“Of course.”

“Good.” She nodded. “As long as you understand. So…” Then she peered at the blonde with a raised eyebrow. “What’s the big deal about this goddess? Everyone’s making such a fuss – is she that dangerous?”

Good question. “Not really. Not in the grand scheme of things. But she’s fairly unpleasant, all told.”

Elora tilted her head. “Oh? Is she one of those bitchy gods, the ones who curse you because they’re jealous of their husband’s hair or whatever?”

The Paladin bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the description. “N-no, no, not unpleasant like that. I mean…” She paused to think about it. “It’s more of how she works. From what I’ve been taught, she’s not malicious, exactly. She’s just… Got a firm idea of how things should be, and it’s a bad one – for people like you and me especially.”

“You and me especially… What, Adventurers?”

“N- Well, yes, but more than that.” Tanya shook her head. “Faere doesn’t ask much from the menfolk who worship her, but the woman have strict restrictions placed on them. They’re expected to be seeking a mate, pregnant, nursing, or all three at all times.”

The Sorceress’s pace slowed to a stop, her brow furrowing as she took that all in. “Ah.”

Tay stopped alongside her, sighing. “Yeah.”

“All three?”

“Yep. She’s a fertility goddess. She likes them fertile.” She started walking again, trying and failing to not look embarrassed in front of the elf while she explained human mythology. “Or that’s what I was taught when I was learning the ways of the Light. Mayor Marcus – sorry, Community Leader Marcus is asking me to talk to the people here and see for myself if that’s true or not.”

Elora stared after her for a moment, and the Paladin was sure her ears picked up some muttering about human nonsense, but she didn’t call her friend out on it. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she disagreed.

But soon enough, the elf was walking next to her again. “Okay, so where do we start, then? How are we wasting the extra day we’re spending investigating a cult that we already know is here?”

“Like this.” The blonde pulled them over, nodding to a woman sitting on the step of what was, assumedly, her home. “Excuse me – may we talk to you for a moment?”

The woman looked up with a smile. “Ah, of course, my lady. How can I help you?”

She was a blonde human, much like Tanya herself – in fact, if asked, El probably wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart, which was why she was never asked that sort of thing. Though, there was one obvious difference between the two – the villager was clearly heavily pregnant, the bulge of her belly clearly visible beneath her ill-fitting, simple clothes. She was cradling her belly blissfully as the pair approached.

Tay smiled back. “We were just wondering-”

“We?”

El got a sharp elbow to the side, and the Paladin continued. “We were wondering if we might ask you a few questions about your community.”

“Oh, sure thing!” The sitting woman shifted, making room for the two to sit with her. “Are you thinking of joining? Oh, I bet you’d both make wonderful mothers – your kids would be such cuties!” Her smile grew wider at the thought.

Tay, who had been about to join her on the step, paused, blushing. “Uh, no, no, that’s not-”

“Not a chance.” Elora didn’t even try diplomacy. She remained standing, her arms folded, making no secret of the fact that she didn’t want to be here at all. “I didn’t learn the secrets of how to bend the forces of the universe to my will just to settle down. Though, hey, maybe for the right lady I might be persuaded to drop in every now and then…”

Tanya squinted at her companion, but the elf was off somewhere else, playing with her hair as she imagined a future with her perfect woman. Just what kind of woman that would be changed every other week, but hey, at least the Sorceress had goals.

“Oh, I see.” The young woman nodded sadly, clearly disappointed. “I understand. I used to think like that too.”

That snapped El out of her fantasies. “You did?”

The blonde giggled. “Does that surprise you? Yes, pretty much. I mean, I was never an Adventurer, no – I was a merchant, out to make my fortune up and down the coast. I was quite good at it too, I like to think. I made a lot of money back in the day…” She sighed, smiling at the memories.

Beside her, the Paladin frowned, peering backwards into the house they were on the step of. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary village home – nothing fancy or valuable to speak of. “But you gave it all up? This doesn’t look like the home of a wealthy merchant…”

“I did, yes.” The pregnant woman nodded serenely. “I ended up passing through here for a few nights, and… Well, who could resist paradise?” She gestured around her at the village, as if just looking at her surroundings explained everything.

Both Adventurers looked at each other, and then around at the perfectly ordinary farming village that they were seated in. Nope, they were not seeing it.

The Sorceress was the first to speak up. “Paradise? Really? This muddy ho-”

“El!”

Fortunately, the blonde just giggled at their antics. “I know it must seem strange at first,” she explained, “but don’t let your eyes deceive you. Everything’s so simple out here. I don’t need to worry about bills, or jobs, or anything other than looking after my family. All of my needs are taken care of – Mmmn, especially my needs, if you know what I mean.” She winked.

Tay’s cheeks turned red, while the elf snorted.

“Hee, I can tell you I’ve never been hornier in my life than I’ve been since I settled here and met my man…”

“S-so!” The Paladin finally interrupted to change the subject, really not liking Elora’s sudden look of interest in the conversation. “What do you do with your days here? Look after your little ones?”

“Hm? Oh yes, of course.” The woman nodded. “I handle all the cooking and cleaning, of course, the usual chores – then I take the little ones to play with the neighbours, while all us moms gather and chat about the latest gossip over at the town shrine. Then when the menfolk get home from work, I make sure my hubby has a big meal on the table ready for him – and I get ready for him upstairs, if you know what I mean.” She gave another wink.

“Trust me, you’ve left us in no doubt about what you mean,” Tanya muttered.

“I dunno, I could stand to hear a little more.”

The blonde giggled. “He takes such good care of me – I’ve given him three children so far, and he’s already put a fourth in me~!” She cooed, stroking her belly once again.

There was another exchanged glance. El just raised an eyebrow, while Tay seemed… oddly distracted. Like she was puzzling something over. There was silence for a few moments, until she finally seemed to gather herself enough to ask a question.

“So… You’re happy here, then? Yo don’t… you know, want to get back to seeing the world?”

And that got an outright laugh from the woman. “Oh, goodness ne no. Why would I ever want to leave? I have everything I need right here.” She patted her step, then stroked her belly, smiling down at her child-to-be.

“Huh…”

The conversation trailed off, and silence returned, interrupted only by the random sounds of the village around them. Tay’s distraction seemed to have gotten worse, and she spent a long moment staring off into the middle distance - Until Elora nudged her with her foot, anyway.

“Oh!” She seemed to wake up, rising to her feet. “Thank you, Miss. You’ve been very helpful.”

“Happy to help!” The blonde waved as the pair moved off. “Let me know if you change your minds about joining us! You’ll always be welcome at the Mom’s meet!”

The two waved politely – well, Tanya did, El just sort of… raised her hand a bit – until they’d rounded a corner. Then the Sorceress looked at her friend. “You okay?”

“Huh?” The Paladin blinked at her. “I- Yeah, fine. Why?”

The elf squinted at her. “Well you’re not saying anything about how weird that was, so I thought I’d check.”

The blonde’s lips thinned. “You think she was acting weird?”

“Uh, yeah? You know, acting like…” El waved a hand, searching for the right words. “… That. There was just something so… Vapid about her. Didn’t you think?”

“Mm…” Once again, Tay sounded distracted. “Yeah, I guess…”

“You guess?”

 “Uh. Oh. Yeah, no of course I do.” She shook her head, taking a breath. “Just, y’know, trying to think about it from her perspective. She made everything sound so peaceful. I guess I’m a little jealous of the lack of stress.”

Elora snorted. “Yeah, she’s got no worries ‘cus she’s basically allowed herself to be turned into the cult’s pet.” There was an uncharacteristic note of disgust in the elf’s voice. “Ugh, you were right about this Faere lady – she’s definitely bad news if this is how women who worship her end up.”

“Mm…” Tanya certainly couldn’t disagree. But for some reason, part of her just couldn’t stop thinking of that woman’s blissful smile…

-

Nothing really changed as the day wore on. Most of the people they spoke to said more or less the same thing as the first. The men nodded and spoke about the plentiful harvests, while the women all cooed and sang the praises of their stress-free lives. El had, for the most part, rolled her eyes and looked forward to leaving, while Tay…

Well, Tay was finding it a bit hard to focus for whatever reason. Nothing anyone needed to worry about. She probably just hadn’t slept right – all the more reason to have an early night, right?

So that was what they did, planning to rise at dawn to get started on the journey home. Naturally, after their long day of questing, Elora fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, but in the bed next to hers, Tanya had less luck. The early night soon turned into a sleepless one, her mind just plain refusing to rest. The things she’d seen in the village tumbled over and over in her head, spinning like puzzle pieces seeking to connect.

It was hours before her eyes finally began to close, more out of sheer exhaustion than sleep…

‘Come to me…’

Then they slid open again, and… Where was she…?

The blonde blinked, looking around, sleep still blurring her eyes. She was… standing in the village centre, still dressed in her white night clothes. When had she…

‘Come to me…’

Her eyes closed again, opening only to brief snapshots of the village as the voice called her on. She felt as if she was watching herself from afar, stumbling blearily through a dark maze, seeing little more than blurred moments of a strange, thoughtless journey.

‘Come to me…’

She felt her hand reach out and fumble with something smooth and stone. Her fingers sought out a hidden nook, flipped a switch she couldn’t quite make out, and a low rumble filled her ears. Then she was going down… down… down…

‘Come to me…!’

And then suddenly, she was awake – and somewhere else. A dark underground chamber lit by burning torches, filled with shadows and flickering light. The room was mostly empty – a rounded space that felt familiar to her somehow – save for herself, and the figure in front of her.

But the figure in front of her was more than enough. The Paladin’s eyes widened, all trace of sleep banished as she recognised what she was seeing. Their name spilled from her lips before she could even question if speaking at all right now was a wise idea.

“Faere…”

The goddess looked exactly as she was depicted in the scriptures. A human woman with glowing green eyes and long green-ish blue hair, an incredible chest dripping with milk, and an obviously pregnant belly, dressed in thin black robes that were left completely open, revealing her body to all who wanted to see. Power flowed around her like flames around lit tinder, so much of it that her golden aura was visible even to untrained eyes…

The goddess smirked as she heard Tanya’s voice. “You know me. Good. It does me glad to know that for all my sister’s machinations, my name has not been forgotten by those who need it most.”

“Buh… Buh…” Honestly? Tanya had hoped that, should she ever be so blessed as to be present for a direct visitation from the divine, she would be able to acquit herself with dignity and honour – but this was far from even her wildest expectations of such an event. “But you… You can’t be here! You were exiled…!”

It struck her, a moment after she got past her stammer to actually start thinking, that telling a goddess that there was something she couldn’t do, just as she was evidently doing it, was possibly them most monumentally unwise decision she had ever made.

Fortunately, the blue haired goddess seemed to find her words funny, rather than offensive. “My sweet servant,” she said, her voice echoing from the walls as she put a hand to her mouth to hide her laugh. “You may rest your concerns. This body is but an idol…” She looked down at her hands – and now that Tanya saw them closer, she could see that, beneath the image of the goddess, there was a stone figure built in her likeness at the core. The god was possessing a statue to be present here despite her exile. “A powerful totem which has spread my blessings – and has allowed me to be here in person to welcome you.”

The Paladin blinked. Of all the things she’d expected to hear an exiled god say, that was not one of them. “Welcome… me?”

“Indeed.” The goddess drifted forward, her feet barely touching the ground. Tanya tried to back up, away from her, but found her feet remained rooted to the floor. “For I have been awaiting one such as you for many a long year. The priest has done well, in his way, to grant me worship… But he and his ilk can never understand the true bounty of fertility. Not…” The divinity reached out, cupping Tay’s cheek, before her finger stroked down her nightshirt covered chest to press against her middle. “… Like you can.”

Ah. Oh. Uh oh. The blonde swallowed. “I… am… honoured… I think?” She spoke carefully, trying to be gentle. “But I cannot serve you. I- I’m already sworn to… ah…”

She fell silent as the god’s fingers rose to press against her lips. Oh, Faere was still smiling…

“My sweet servant, you are almost as silly as you are sublime. Have you not heard me calling to you since you arrived? Have you not felt my spirit, influencing yours? Your vows to my sister aren’t a problem. After all…” The goddess smirked, her hand tracing around the blonde’s neck, and releasing the knot of her nightdress behind it. The garment fell to the floor, leaving the frozen Paladin just as naked as the god. “I always did like to borrow my sister’s toys…”

Divine lips pressed against mortal, and Tanya felt something ethereal deep inside her… change. The light that she’d carried since the day she’d first become a Paladin felt different all of a sudden. Warmer. Gentler. But also heavier, more restless. Like it was eager to spread.

“If she wants to retrieve you,” Faere chuckled, pulling back for a moment, “then she can come and take you back herself. Until that day… You belong to me, sweet Tanya.”

It… was true. She could feel it in her soul. The service she had sworn herself in to the Light had been rerouted, and now the goddess in front of her was her one, her truth, her all. Even though her mind tried to rebel against the idea, knew that she was corrupting a sacred oath, her heart refused to care.

“You were a conduit to my sister’s light. Now, you shall be the conduit of my fertility – the high priestess of my blessed lands.” Her glorious lady spoke, a hand upon her shoulder, lowering the blonde to her knees. “All you need is my blessing, and that you shall most certainly have.”

She hooked a finger under the Paladin’s chin and drew her face toward her offered breast, milk already glistening as it dribbled from the proud nipple.

“Drink, my sweet servant. Drink, and let the holy word course through you. Drink, and let your doubts be washed away…”

Tanya tried to resist, but she could no more defy her goddess’s command than she could defy the oxygen in her lungs. Her body obeyed with or without her say, lips latching on and drinking greedily. Divine milk flooded her mouth, ambrosia on her tongue, and the white tide wiped through her mind, drowning everything that stood in its way.

The blonde’s eyes fluttered up in her head, and everything turned a rich, fertile green...

-

“Okay, why aren’t we leaving already? Scratch that, why aren’t we already gone?” Morning had come, and, to Elora’s great disappointment, it had not arrived with the pair’s immediate departure. Tay hadn’t even put her armour on yet – she was walking around in casual clothes, like she wasn’t going riding anywhere!

The blonde gave her an apologetic smile and a half shrug. “Well, we talked to a lot of people yesterday, but I think we missed the wood for the trees. If we want to see the community spirit of this place, shouldn’t we see them as a community?”

“No.” The elf wasn’t having it. “We should just go. Like we agreed. Stop coming up with pointless delays! We’ve been out here forever already. Ugh, I can feel the farm air making my hair frizz…”

“Don’t be silly, you look beautiful out here,” the Paladin brushed her off – momentarily stunning Elora with the compliment. “A little extra time won’t slow us down much. Everyone said that after their chores, all the mothers of the village gather to chat and look after one another in the shrine. I thought we could sit in on that.”

The Sorceress slumped. She knew when her friend wasn’t going to let something go. “Uuuuugh. Fine. Okay, you do that, and I’ll-”

“- Do it as well.” Tanya smiled at her in a distinctly odd way. “I want your outsider perspective on things, since you were so happy to offer it yesterday.”

Oh. Ooooh. El’s eyes narrowed as she got what was going on. This was a comeuppance. She’d annoyed Tay with something and now the Paladin was getting her back by making her sit through boring talky stuff. The fiend.

Okay. She knew this game. And she knew that if she didn’t play along, Tay would just get worse about it. She was probably just annoyed that El didn’t take all of her silly human gods seriously, so, whatever. She could do this much – and then take her own revenge later! Once they were back in actual civilization.

So fine. She was going to a mom meet today. Woo. Hopefully there’d be wine, at least. Moms liked wine, right?

As it turned out, no. Apparently they did not. When the two Adventurers arrived at the shrine there was no wine, nor food. Just a circle of beanbags arranged around the firepit, and a bunch of young women – most of them pregnant – sitting on them.

And Tay remained impervious to the begging looks El was sending at her. Oh, this would be remembered, and vengeance would be all the sweeter for it.

But all the same, the grumbling elf allowed herself to be seated next to her human. The circle didn’t even have to make room – two seats had already been left open for the pair joining pair. Soon, the chatter was flowing, with Tay joining right on in, congratulating the pregnant women on their luck in getting ‘blessed with child’, or joking with those who weren’t about how they’d better get a move on.

Now, Elora liked to think of herself as a sociable woman – always happy to chat and charm anyone they came across. But this was dull. This was absurdly dull. It wasn’t even human silliness. It was just vapid. She just watched the group coo over each other over and over again, complimenting one another on their ‘progress’ as they moved around the circle, with excitement building the closer each mother was to her due day.

Was that really all they cared about here? Giving birth and being with child? Was that what worship of Faere demanded? Ugh. No thank you.

By the time the conversation had circled around to her, she had well and truly zoned out, paying more attention to trying to imagine she was anywhere other than here and ignoring a few weird food cravings than her actual surroundings. It took a couple of nudges to bring her back into the room.

“Huh?” She looked around, realising everyone was stating at her. “What?”

“We were just wondering,” a brunette said from across the ring, a bright smile on her face. “How far along are you?”

Elore blinked. “Eh? Oh, no no no, I’m not…” She shook her head, trying to think of a diplomatic way to put this. “… Like you.”

… That was diplomatic, right? Why did everyone look so surprised?

“Oh.” The brunette looked her up and down before shrugging. “Sorry, my mistake. It must be quite different for elves, yes?”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Don’t mind her.” Tay leaned forward next to her, taking up all the attention. “Just a little cranky, you know?”

There was a wave of laughter and giggles around the circle, leaving El thoroughly confused, even as the conversation moved on. The hells was so funny?

Frowning, and feeling altogether left out of the joke, the elf got to her feet and stalked away, ignoring a few confused or remorseful calls for her to return. Hmph, laugh at her, would they? Hmph, see how they liked it…

Though, it was actually harder to get up than she’d been expected. Her back was aching more than she expected, and her legs must have fallen asleep while she was sitting down, because she was lumbering everywhere she went, her footfalls heavy as could be. It suited her mood – though, her mood confused her as well. Why was she so upset all of a sudden…?

“Hey.” Tay caught up with her outside, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “You okay?”

Normally such a physically affectionate gesture would have surprised El – Tay was usually pretty reserved and proper about that kind of thing. But right now, she couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have her friend supporting her.

“They were being mean to me,” she whined, leaning against the Paladin. She could feel her eyes burning, as if she was on the verge of tears – seriously, what was with her?

Tay’s hand rubbing against her back was more soothing than she wanted to admit. “I’m sure they didn’t mean anything by it,” the blonde was saying. “Just normal mom talk, right? You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

The elf snorted. “Hah, yeah right. If I ever become a mom like that, you can just smother me there and then.”

The hand on her back paused, stilling until a whine from the redhead started it back up again. When Tay spoke next, her tone was reproachful. “Would it really be so bad, El? No worries, no stress… Just looking after your kids and your man?”

“My man? Like those… things in there?” Yep, El had used up all of her diplomatic juice already today.

“Those mothers, El. They’re not so bad.”

“They’re trophies, is what they are,” the elf grumbled. “Simple, vapid little trophies. Talking to one of them is like talking to a particularly happy wall, that’s all.”

“Now you’re being unfair. They’re not so bad.”

“… A little. I guess.” Maybe the Paladin was right. She sounded right. Maybe there was something in the air, but she sounded so weirdly reasonable today. El was struggling to remember why she was upset at this point.

… Ugh. She’d embarrassed herself, hadn’t she? All these ladies were trying to be so nice to her, and here she was whining and complaining about nothing. What was wrong with her? “I’ve made a mess of things, haven’t I?” She muttered, looking down in shame.

“Don’t be silly.” A gentle kiss pressed against her brow. “I’m sure they understand. It’s never easy, joining a new community. If we go back in now, I know they’ll be happy to accept you back.”

Her voice was nice, warm, and reassuring.

But El wasn’t listening. She’d noticed something. “Hey,” she said, her voice sounding an awful lot less mild all of a sudden. “Tay, where’s your armour?”

“My armour?” The Paladin didn’t hide her confusion at the sudden change in topic. “I left it at the Inn. Didn’t see the need for it meeting a bunch of moms. You did notice I wasn’t wearing it earlier, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” The elf pulled away from her friend, forcefully dislodging the arm around her and glaring at the blonde suspiciously. “But it’s interesting, though. That you’d not wear it. Because looking at you now, I’m not sure you’d fit in it.”

It was true. Tanya looked down at herself to see her belly visibly poking out from over her comfortable slacks, stretching the bottom of her blouse something fierce. Even Elora – a woman who infamously struggled to tell the difference between radically different humans – could see the change. There was no hiding that baby bump.

And if the elf hoped to see her friend look upset at the discovery, once again, she would be disappointed.

“Oh. Am I starting to show already?” A delighted smile spread over the blonde’s lips. “I was wondering how long it would take.”

“They got to you.” Elora backed away, her earlier shame now completely replaced by fear. “You’re one of them now. One of Faere’s worshipers.”

“Her High Priestess, in fact,” the former Paladin corrected her gently, still rubbing her hand over her visibly pregnant tummy. “These women and their husbands are my new flock. I am to guide them, and all members of our community, into bountiful bliss. It a little more responsibility than I had before, but I intend to meet it all the same.”

Just hearing her say those words… Seeing that smile on her face… That glazed look in her eyes… It was enough to make the Sorceress’s blood run cold. “Tay, come on…” She tried to reach her friend. “This isn’t you. You’d never do this. It’s against everything you believe!”

But the former Paladin shook her head. “What I believe is what the goddess tells me to believe,” she said. “But don’t worry, El – I’m still the same woman as I was before. I’ve just changed a few of my priorities, that’s all.”

It was such a ridiculous thing to say that the elf would have laughed if she wasn’t so horrified. “So you’re going from fighting for freedom and equality for all, to herding a bunch of human cattle?”

“More or less.” The converted Priestess shrugged. Then her eyes glinted. “Of course, it doesn’t have to be just human.”

Oh. Oh hell no. The breath in Elora’s chest grew tight. “… The Tanya I know would let me go.”

“The Tanya you know would fight through heaven, hell, and all the realms in-between to keep you safe and happy, El.” The blonde’s smile faded into 100% seriousness. “And the Tanya in front of you would do just the same. Even if you don’t realise it right now.”

There really wasn’t going to be any arguing with her. Taking a breath and narrowing her eyes, the redhead raised her hand, ready to start slinging spells. “So you’re going to fight me then?”

But to her surprise, the Priestess shook her head. “I don’t need to. You’re resistant for Faere’s blessing, El, but you’re not immune.”

Elora frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

And Tay’s gentle smile returned. “It means you’re showing too, Elora~”

… What?

The elf looked down – and nearly swooned as she saw her own stomach stretched out in front of her, just as big as Tay’s. How… How had she missed…?

“Shhhh…” Suddenly, the blonde’s arm was around her again, supporting her as the world seemed to spin. “Careful now. You don’t want to hurt your little one.”

“Nn… Wha…?” Elora’s head felt so cloudy, all of a sudden. It was as if a great veil had been lifted from over her thoughts – and all the fog that had been waiting outside it was now flooding in.

“Shhh… It’s fine… It’s fine…” Tanya was walking her back inside the shrine now, soothing her all the while. “You’re going to be a beautiful mother, El…”

“But I… I never…” She should be mad, she knew. But the emotion felt so distant right now. Instead, all she could be was confused.

A finger pressed against her lips. “I know, I know. I didn’t either. But my new Lady can handle that kind of thing quite easily – and she needed to make sure you were properly under her influence quickly. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to find you a nice strong man to look after you before your due day. Maybe more than one, would you like that?”

“I…” Why did that question make her knees feel so weak…?

“I’m sure they’ll be lining up to court you. You’ll be the prize of the village, you know. A dash of elven blood will make our new family that much stronger.”

El’s eyes fluttered. That sounded… really nice, actually…

“Most elves don’t worship the gods, but this one’s happy to welcome you in,” Tay was saying as she all but carried the redhead over to one of the statues. One of the ones with milk tassels. El couldn’t help but giggle as she watched her friend fumble with the stone girl’s left boob, before a click had the entire statue sliding out of the way, revealing a hidden staircase down. “She knows how important you are to me, so you’re important to her as well.”

Kind of… flattering, really… being important… to a god…

But, still.. Wasn’t this… “Nnn…”

Tanya was there before she could even put a single word to her complaint. “Relax, El. Just relax.” She gently swept the elf off of her feet, and began to carry her down the steps. “I know you. You’re as lazy as they come. Don’t you want to be pampered? Don’t you want to have every need met, every desire fulfilled?”

“Ooohhh…” The redhead cooed at the thought. That sounded… lovely… She knew there was something wrong with the idea, but it was so hard to think of what it might be.

It was getting so hard to think in general.

And it was getting harder the further down they went.

Soon, they were in a deep underground chamber, and the elf was struggling to connect so much as two words together in her head. It was hard. Everything just felt so nice and serene down here. Like all of her troubles were so far away, and getting further by the second. Like she was sinking into bliss, so deep that she’d never come back up. That she’d never want to.

Tanya set her down carefully, making sure that neither of their baby bumps were endangered, and then helped settle her on her knees, facing a stone statue in the middle of the room.

“Look upon our goddess, Elora,” she said, fixing her head in the statue’s direction. “Look, and let her in.”

The statue – the stone idol of a pregnant lady with green eyes and massive tits – shone with golden light. El felt the aura wash over her, felt a warm embrace wrap her up, and spirit her away from all of her cares, swearing to never let her go.

Everything turned a lovely fertile shade of green.

-

“Oh my, how unexpected!” Smiling with the serenity of a thousand summers, Elora looked up from her sweeping, broom still in hand, as she greeted the visitor at her door. “What brings you to my humble little abode, my Lady?”

Lady Tanya stepped inside, her black robes displaying her heavily pregnant figure wonderfully. “Oh, nothing serious,” she said. “Just stopping in to see how you’re coming along. Do you know when the baby’s due?”

The redhead looked down at her stomach, blushing as she stroked the bump. “Surely any day now – though I suppose it’s different for elves, isn’t it? I can’t wait, all the same.” Then she looked up. “But surely my happy news can’t be the reason our High Priestess comes to visit? There are so many bundles of joy due any day now – we talk about little else at the shrine now~”

“I wonder.” The blonde bowed her head, chuckling. “I suppose you really don’t remember, do you El?”

“Remember…?” The elf tilted her head, puzzled. “I… suppose that I don’t? My memories are full of happy things. My home. My wonderful menfolk. My lovely friends. And, of course… My beautiful little one.” She rubbed her belly again.

And Lady Tanya nodded. “But nothing of the world beyond the village?”

“The world beyond…?” Now there was a strange question. El hadn’t thought about the world beyond, in… well, ever, really. Had she? “No, I can’t say I do. I don’t think I’ve ever been out past the well, in fact. But why would I, when paradise is here?”

“Well said.” The Priestess nodded, looking… oddly melancholic. But pleased, nevertheless. “I’m glad to know you’re happy. That’s all.”

The elf smiled. “Well you can rest assured of that, my Lady, if nothing else. My every day is a delight – thanks to you and our Goddess.”

“May it ever be so.” Tanya chuckled, before turning to leave. “Alas, this is just a flying visit. I can’t stay long. I need to go and tend to my husband. Marcus gets so pouty when he feels my duties to others distract me from my duties to him.”

Elora laughed. “Ah, yes, menfolk can be ever so jealous. But that’s how they let us know they care~”

Nodding, the blonde slipped away, and the housewife returned to her sweeping, occasionally pausing to luxuriate in the feeling of her little one kicking. Fortunately, her goddess made sure the experience wasn’t painful. Truly, she was fortunate to live so close to such a wonderful shrine. And she was lucky that a human shrine had accepted her at all. Her life was blessed in more ways than she could count.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this kind of happiness could be found at elven shrines, too… But she doubted it.