I woke up to find Ippolita sitting next to the bed, reading a book, and I was on my side, clutching her hand. She must have sensed me waking up because she turned from the pages to look at me and gave me a gentle smile filled with affection. She gripped my hand a little more firmly and rubbed the back of my knuckles with her thumb. My face was hot, so I must have been as red as a tomato. The embarrassment of the situation made it difficult to think of anything to say. My mind was racing. I didn’t remember falling asleep. Or coming back in from the gardens.
I did remember our shared music in the garden. It was the happiest I’d been since arriving here. Since losing Stephanie. Unlike all of the other times when I’d felt happy here, I didn’t feel guilty. I had been able to include and honor Stephanie in my own way last night and share her and our life together with Ippolita. Remembering that moment brought a smile to my face as well. It felt good to have done that. However, none of that explained why I slept through the night holding Ippolita’s hand.
“Good morning, tesoro mio. I didn’t mean to stay here all night, but you passed out in the gardens from exhaustion. I brought you to bed, but you grabbed my hand and didn’t let go. I took it to mean you wanted me to stay until you released my hand,” she said and gave me a wink. There was a mischievous tilt to her smile now. I wondered if I grabbed her hand, or if she grabbed mine.
I was gradually becoming more and more awake. I circulated my mana and then set off a thrum for the Mental Defense spell. Ippolita’s smile shifted from mischief to pride. I let the spell drop, then cast it again, and continued repeating dropping the spell and recasting it a few times while keeping a steady breath. I pulled her hand to my face causing her to lean forward. I brought it to my mouth and kissed her palm then brought her hand to my cheek.
“Thank you,” my voice rapidly thickened as a tear rolled down my face onto her hand. “For last night… those hours together painting music with you. Thank you for letting me show you Stephanie, who she was in life, and who she was to me in love.” I blinked away the wetness in my eyes.
Ippolita held my gaze, a shocked expression morphing to a more tender one of affection.
“You love beautifully, Jack Wright,” she said as she rubbed her thumb on my cheek. “Thank you for sharing Stephanie with me. She must have been an incredible woman for you to have loved her so.”
I nodded into her hand.
“Dama Orsa and Dama Fiametta will be here soon with breakfast. You have a few more minutes, but you should get dressed. They’ll be taking you out to some shops. Ah!” I had opened my mouth to refuse, but she popped me on the cheek lightly with the hand I was still holding to my face. “Don’t fight me on this, tesoro mio. These are rewards that you have earned,” she said gently.
I let out a sigh and nodded into her hand again.
“Good boy. We’re doing more freeform mana training tonight. It’s impossible for you to reach F between now and the ball, but we might be able to get you to cast a spell or two at that density. Maybe. You’ll have to work hard.”
That stirred some excitement in me, and I sat up fully, letting go of her hand.
“Oh look, the thought of getting stronger and you already forget about me. I’m hurt, carissimo.” She tried to look upset, but she couldn’t completely contain her smirk.
“Your Majesty, perhaps my excitement was entirely about spending more alone time with you.” I shot back. She blushed furiously, then squinted her eyes at me and stood up in a huff.
“You are lucky I know you’re joking. Such talk could get you in trouble with other nobles,” she said as she opened my door to leave.
“Yes, your majesty. I won’t tell such jokes to anyone else.”
“See that you don’t!” she said and shut my door behind her.
I smiled at the closed door for a moment and shook my head.
They spend all day flirting with me, but I tease them once…
My face fell, and I summoned my engagement dagger to my hand. I rubbed my thumb along the crossguard.
Careful, Jack. To you, it’s just words. To them, it’s the world.
I took a deep breath in, stretched, and got out of bed. I took my tunic off, then frowning, smelled it.
Cinnamon, autumnal spices, and baked apples.
I sniffed it again, and shrugged, tossing it into the clothes bin. It would make sense I’d smell like her if she stayed by the bed all night last night. Probably. I opened the wardrobe and pulled out a fresh doublet and breeches. I picked something in Ippolita’s house colors. I knew we’d be meeting shopkeepers and potentially many other people. Showing off her colors should send a message that I’m associated with her, hopefully acting as a shield from any potential faux pas I might make.
By the time I finished changing and sitting down at my breakfast table by the window, Fiametta knocked on the door.
“Good morning, Jack. Are you dressed?”
“Please come in, Fiametta.”
Fiametta came in, pushing the breakfast cart. It was covered in much more food than normal. The reason why became apparent as Orsa and Chiara followed in after her.
“Damas, it’s good to see you all this morning. Please join me.”
“Oh, it’s ‘Dama’ this morning, is it?” asked Orsa, her signature cocky smirk on her face.
“Well, only two of you have given permission to be more casual,” I said.
“Don’t worry about me, Jack. When we’re here at the estate, you can drop the title. Just Chiara is fine,” said Chiara. She gave me a friendly smile and sat down across from me at the table, letting Fiametta and Orsa sit in the two chairs across from each other that would be next to me. Orsa being closest to the cart, transferred everything to the table for us.
“Make sure to eat plenty this morning. I felt your practice with her majesty last night,” said Orsa.
I caught the briefest of pauses in Fiametta’s movements as she was bringing a piece of toast covered with jam to her mouth, but she quickly resumed what she was doing.
“What were you and her majesty practicing last night, Jack?” Chiara asked.
“Well,” I said around a berry before swallowing. “First, she taught me how to cast the Mental Defense enhancement spell using freeform mana manipulation instead of a tattoo.”
“You didn’t get the Mental Defense tattoo?” Fiametta asked, another piece of toast halfway to her mouth.
“No. I was going to, but her majesty talked me out of it. She said if I didn’t have the tattoo, then I might get passed over for not needing mana restraints if someone were to try to subdue me. I’d be able to surprise them by casting the spell.”
“But if you did that, then everyone would know you don’t need tattoos,” Fiametta said hotly.
“Which is why it’s for emergencies only, which being kidnapped counts as an emergency.”
“Still feels like an unnecessary risk,” Fiametta mumbled.
“No, it makes sense. The mana suppression shackles aren’t particularly common, on purpose. Plus anyone who sees, her majesty can just compel them to forget it,” said Orsa.
“I know. I was just looking forward to having Jack run the Mental Defense enhancement all day while we were out. I’d have been much more comfortable about today,” said Fiametta.
“Relax, Fia. Her majesty will be focused on everything happening around Jack, and she’ll be able to step in immediately if necessary. Nothing will happen.”
Fiametta took a deep breath and exhaled explosively. “You’re right, of course.”
Having them talk about me like I wasn’t there felt odd. “Wait, Fia?” I asked.
Fiametta blushed slightly and said, “Yes, we knew each other as young girls before we enlisted into the Royal Guards.
“Well?” Orsa asked, expectantly. “What tattoos did you get?”
“Oh right! Strength and Speed enhancement, so I no longer have to do that one manually, and manablade.”
“Hmm, that’s a good choice. We can work it into our morning training in another week when we move to weapons,” said Orsa.
“But speaking of being in the gardens last night,” I started, looking at Fiametta, “I felt you there, cultivating.”
Fiametta’s eyes widened briefly, but then she smiled. “Yes, I was cultivating in the same area you broke through to E, or your yellow. After today’s outing, I’ll be secluding myself to attempt breaking through to A.”
So indigo, like Vittoria.
“That’s great. I hope you make it,” I said, and squeezed the hand she had resting on the table.
After another 15 minutes and more casual small talk, we finished breakfast, and went out to the stables. I had been expecting to walk the streets of the city. That’s what I was accustomed to in Doranna, but they raised concerns of security and distance. Chiara's wife’s shop wasn’t that far from the royal estate, but we had more than one shop on the agenda.
There were several carriages for us to choose from, all bearing Ippolita’s heraldry. Fiametta was walking in front of us with Chiara and Orsa bracketing me. She called out to the stable master.
“Francesca! Good morning.”
“Ah, Dama Fiametta, and Damas Orsa and Chiara. What can I do for you this morning?” asked Francesca.
“We are going into town on business for her majesty, and we need one of the carriages,” Fiametta said while handing over a seal.
“I’ll have the girls get one ready. Will one of you be driving, or should I have them fetch a driver, too?”
“We’ll be riding inside today,” said Fiametta.
Francesca nodded and walked over to a group of younger women, the stablehands presumably, and relayed the instructions. One of the stablehands darted off towards what looked like a small barracks. With multiple hands working on getting the two horses ready and attached the carriage, everything was ready not long after the driver arrived, dressed in breeches and a doublet in Ippolita’s colors. We all got on the carriage; Fiametta sat next to me while Orsa sat across from me, and Chiara sat across from Fiametta, and we set off.
The carriage slowed to a stop. Fiametta got out of the carriage on the door next to her, and Orsa exited the carriage on the door next to us. Orsa looked back into the carriage at me, shot me her usual smirk, and held out a hand to help me down. I returned her smile and gave her a wink as I took her hand and stepped out of the carriage. After I alighted from the carriage, Chiara did the same. Both her and Fiametta swept the street with their eyes before circling the carriage in opposite directions and joining us on the other side. Fiametta took up the front, with Chiara and Orsa a couple paces behind me on each side, giving me enough room to draw my own weapon if necessary. It felt like too much, but the girls took my security seriously.
Fiametta opened the door to the blacksmith’s storefront and ushered us inside. There were weapons hanging on the walls in display placards as well as various sets of armor on stands. There was even an example of the Royal Guards armor with livery, though missing the enchantments. I could feel mana coming off of each of the placards and stands—a security measure, no doubt.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” boomed a voice from inside the store. I couldn’t see who it was past Fiametta, but everyone else seemed to know already. I caught Orsa smirking, and Chiara looked, in a word, smitten.
“Oh shutup,” Chiara said with a big blushing grin on her face. “That doesn’t make sense anyways! You’re the cat!”
Fiametta looked back to us over her shoulder, made eye contact with Chiara, and jerked her head towards the woman speaking. Fiametta repositioned herself to stand where Chiara was, and Chiara took that as permission and bolted forward, jumping into the arms of a weretiger wearing a basic tunic and trousers with a thick leather apron marked with oil stains, dirt, and soot. She was probably as tall as Fiametta but had Orsa’s thick muscular build.
Fiametta nudged me forward and we approached the counter while Chiara was smothering her wife in kisses. This was by far the most expressive I had ever seen her, not that I thought she was a cold or closed off person, but she did strike me as someone very reserved. Once we were at the counter, Fiametta cleared her throat.
“Chiara, you saw your wife not even 2 hours ago,” said Fiametta. Realizing they had an audience, Chiara dropped her feet back to the ground but still had both hands wrapped around her wife. Chiara’s wife had the grace to look a little embarrassed. Chiara on the other hand, continued staring dreamily at her wife’s face.
“You’ll have to forgive her, Damas and Signore, I’ve had to work late these last few days, and Chiara and I haven’t seen much of each other.”
My heart filled with bittersweet feelings. Chiara’s love for her wife was a beautiful thing, but I couldn’t help but remember my own lost love.
“That’s alright,” I said. “I understand completely.” My words seemed to snap Chiara back to the moment, and she looked straight at me. I watched several expressions cross her face before it ultimately settled on a mix of guilt and mild embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Signor Wright. My display was…” she trailed off, looking for the right words. But there were no right words, and she didn’t need to apologize.
“No, no, Dama Chiara, please. Don’t feel bad for my sake. If anything, seeing love like this eases the sting of my own loss. I am happy that you have found this happiness. However, I am being rude to your lovely wife,” I said and turned my gaze to her wife. “I am Jack Wright.” I stuck out my hand in greeting.
Chiara’s wife grasped my forearm firmly, shot me a big smile, and released my arm saying, “A pleasure, Signor Wright. I’m Constanza d’Ippolita, and I first want to say that I am sorry for your loss. Chiarina told me the horrible details. I am sure her majesty is providing for you, but if we can help your adjustment, please let Chiarina know.” I gave her a small smile and nodded my head. “Now,” she said. “I believe the things I’ve been working on are for you. If you’ll follow me to the back.” Constanza stepped away from the counter and through a doorway off to the side.
“Ursula, go out front and mind the shop for me. I have envoys from her majesty to pick up the commission,” came Constanza’s voice as we followed her through the doorway to the backroom.
“Whatever, you just want to fuck your—-oh by the gods, please excuse me signore. I didn’t know we had a man in the shop,” said Ursula.
Must be an apprentice.
One of the girls must have flashed a scowl at the poor woman because she looked increasingly nervous. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard far worse, I promise.”
Ursula gulped then said, “Thank you, Signore. If you’ll please excuse me, I need to watch the store.”
I gave the apprentice a friendly smile to reassure her as she walked past, which earned me a tomato red blush from the poor woman. We walked further into the back room, following Constanza’s lead until she stopped next to a set of full plate armor with a sword belt hanging across the chest and shoulder.
“First up is your new armor. Go ahead and try it on,” said Constanza.
I looked at the suit of armor slightly confused; Ippolita had only mentioned a sword, after all. But I was already here, and the armor was already made. I may as well try it on. Keeping my grumblings to myself, I took off my doublet and stored it in my storage ring.
“Jack!” Fiametta shouted.
I turned to look at her as I slid the plain tunic over my head. “Yes?”
“You can’t just strip in front of four women!”
“No, of course not,” I said, heat creeping onto my face.
I was about to ask for a room to change my pants! Now you’ve made this awkward!
While screaming internally, I managed to squeeze out the question, “Where is a room I can finish changing, Signora d’Ippolita.”
Despite fighting, and failing, to stop her giggles, she managed to say “Oh, Signor Jack, I think at this point you can call me by first name, since you gave us all such a show. There is a room just through there where you can change.” She pointed down a hallway.
I turned, face still bright red, and walked down the hallway toward the room she indicated. After closing the door behind me, I slumped against it and let out an explosive sigh, roughly rubbing my face with my hands.
“By the gods,” I mumbled. I straightened up, took off my boots, then my breeches, and stored them in my ring. I summoned a spare set of trousers and pulled those on, then I slid my boots back on and laced them up again. I did a quick inspection of myself; after finding nothing else amiss, I rejoined the women back in the room with the armor.
“I was half hoping you’d just come back naked,” quipped Orsa.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for that kind of show, Dama Orsa,” I shot back.
“Her majesty pays us very well. I’d be happy to pay for a few private viewings after that teaser you gave us.”
“Orsa,” Fiametta cut in, but the damage was done. My blush was back in full strength and I struggled to look at any of them.
I coughed into my fist. “I, uh, will need help with the armor.”
Orsa’s smirk turned into a full grin with teeth, and even Fiametta’s eyes flashed with hunger.
Maybe I should have asked Chiara and her wife to help me.
To my surprise, Fiametta and Orsa were very respectful and minded their hands when helping me don the armor and tighten the straps. Mostly. Fiametta grabbed my ass twice with the excuse of bracing me while she tightened the straps to my cuisses, and Orsa groped my cock before putting the metal codpiece in place. The codpiece was something my current armor lacked, and while I certainly appreciate the added protection that I had been overlooking, this one was… a little much.
“Isn’t this drawing a little too much attention to my manhood? I feel like a clown in ribald play.”
“Signor Jack, your ‘manhood’ must be protected at all times. It is just as valuable as your life!” said Fiametta.
“Dama Fiametta is correct. Even men who do not wear full plate armor will at least wear a heartguard and a codpiece,” said Constanza. “And the design I used for yours is what is in the current fashion. I made it modular with the rest of the armor as well, so if fashion changes you can commission a new one from me.”
“Thank you, Signora Constanza. I did not mean to sound ungrateful. I love this armor, truly. It fits perfectly,” I said and began moving in the different guards for my longsword. “And I have better range of motion than in my old armor. I will endeavor to get used to the codpiece. At least no one will see the embarrassment on my face with my helmet on.” I mumbled the last sentence, but judging by the flick of one of Constanza’s ears and the slight smirk she wore, she heard me.
I sent the armor into my ring while I was still wearing it, and then resummoned it back out to make sure there would be no complications if I had to summon it on myself for an emergency. It came back out of my ring fitted to me just as snugly as when the girls helped me get it on. After a few practice movements to test my mobility again, I sent it back to the ring.
“Before you change back into your other clothes, there’s one more thing her majesty commissioned,” said Constanza. She walked over to a table and picked up a swordbelt with a sheathed rapier. She brought it back over to us and handed it to me. I fastened the swordbelt around my waist with the sword hanging on my left side, and then I drew the sword out and brought the blade close to my face.
It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and I could see enchantment lines faintly etched along the spine of the blade. The etching would fill back in over time as the spellform finished seeping into the metal. Constanza must have only just recently finished the weapon last night or early this morning. From my basic understanding of the mana enriched steels, non-aligned metal could hold a singular spellform’s pattern. It would be etched into the blade during the forging process, and over time, the mana enriched metal would recover and fill in the etchings. Once completed, the metal itself adopted the property of the spellform, which in this case…
“It’s been enchanted with sharpness,” said Constanza just as I was reaching the same conclusion. “Durability would have been another option, but since the rapier isn’t your primary weapon, it likely won’t need to take a beating. Not to mention, only those of House d’Areia are allowed to have this metal used for weapons. Her majesty had an ingot delivered just for your sword. There are probably less than 7 weapons between all of the families in this city made out of that metal.”
“It’s a beautiful sword. Thank you for making it. What kind of metal is it?”
“Wrathsteel.”
I furrowed my brows. I had never heard of this metal before, so it must be something unique to the surface. I turned to look at Fiametta and Orsa, both of whom, I now noticed, had their mouths slightly open and their eyebrows were making a great effort to hide in their hair.
“I’m sorry for not understanding the gravity of it, but I’ve never heard of wrathsteel before.”
Constanza waved away my apology. “Don’t worry about it. Wrathsteel is a manaenriched metal that is, quite honestly, a nightmare to forge because of it’s implicit property of scaling hardness. The greater the force of impact against the metal, the harder it becomes without losing its flexibility. That property is then refined during the forging process allowing for the creation of extremely sturdy weapons that anyone in the mortal realm would have a hard time breaking.”
“That sounds like it’s touched by the gods!” I said.
Constanza chuckled and said, “Thank the gods it isn’t touched by the gods. The mana that an unrefined divine touched material gives off would likely be enough to crush us beneath its sheer presence.”
“In any case, it is an incredible sword made from incredible metal. I cannot even imagine how much her majesty spent on this.”
On me. The weight of your kindness is getting heavy, dear Ippolita.
Perhaps seeing where my mind was headed, Fiametta placed her hand on my shoulder. “Jack, perhaps this, more than the words we’ve said, will show you just how important you are to her majesty and to this city. I know it’s a hard concept for you to understand, but the children you will sire through the fertility rituals will help adjust our gender disparity for generations to come. That is no small thing.”
“I understand,” I lied. “Oh, but speaking of the fertility ritual, I actually don’t know anything about that. What exactly is it?”
At my question, every woman in the room turned bright red.
“Ah, perhaps we could discuss that another time. Back at the palace. Behind several doors,” said Fiametta.
I furrowed my brow again.
What in the hells was this ritual?!
I turned back to Constanza and bowed my head in gratitude. “Thank you again, Signora Constanza for your impeccable craftsmanship and your time in making these for me.”
Constanza gave me a warm smile. “It was my pleasure, Signor Jack.”
When I sheathed the rapier I noticed that the normal swept hilt had a small addition. There was a small dome in the center of the sweeping loops. It was different from any other hilt I’d seen on a rapier.
“Ah, one question. What is this dome here on the hilt?”
“Oh that!” Constanza visibly brightened at my question. “That is to prevent someone’s sword from piercing through the sweeping loops of the typical hilt on a rapier. It’ll protect your fingers better. In normal fighting, you’ll likely be wearing gauntlets, but in duels where points are sometimes scored from hits, even on armor, it’ll help with your defense.”
“That is rather ingenious, Signora Constanza. Again, thank you.” I finished sheathing the blade, then sent it to my ring. “Damas, Signora, if you all will excuse me I’ll go and change into my other clothes.
I went back into the room and swapped my clothes out. Since we still had a couple more stops to make, we said our goodbyes to Ursula and Constanza with Chiara telling Constanza goodbye more enthusiastically than the rest of us. Before entering the carriage, I felt a strange ripple in the ambient noise of the mana. I turned to look where I felt it coming from, but all I saw was people milling about their day, their intermingling mana a riot of colors. I dismissed it as just a strange flux of mana and finished getting on the carriage; I was getting hungry, and I was excited to see what kind of street food the city offered.
Dama Chiara and Constanza