Breakfast the next morning was a beautiful affair. The Dryads had pulled out all the stops, piling the various tables they sat around high with delicious dishes of exotic fruits, invigorating soups, sugary cakes, and a truly staggering variety of egg dishes. There was enough food to feed three times the number of people who sat at the tables, which turned out to be the right call since everyone was eating like they’d been starving for weeks on end. There were happy, even joyful vibes from everyone, especially the Dryads, who treated their guests with the kindest of attentions. Even the Reavers were seated around one of the tables and were waited on like war heroes rather than criminals. All who attended looked like they were having a good time, which was why Jadis felt somewhat shitty for barely enjoying the meal.
It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what the Dryads were doing for her and everyone else. The food truly was amazing and the lavish attention they were being given was flattering, to say the least. The problem was, Jadis couldn’t really focus on the breakfast when she was too busy knotting her guts up into great big bows of anxiety because of Eir’s request to have a child.
In some ways, Eir’s wish was expected. She was, after all, an elf. One of the things that Jadis had learned from her time on Oros was that most elves had few children. They were a long-lived race, averaging three hundred years, and thus had a low birthrate. Most only had two or three children over the course of their centuries of life, and there were plenty who never had any children at all. So, for Eir, Jadis’ Potency Alteration skill, which could literally increase the odds of a successful pregnancy to near certainty, must have looked like a gift from the heavens. Of course she would want to take advantage of such a skill.
Then there was the fact that Eir was a priestess of Lyssandria and Jadis was the one and only living specimen of Lyssandria’s avatar race. From a practical perspective, she would want to ensure Jadis had children simply because if anything were to happen to her, then there would at least be a half breed progeny to continue the essentially extinct bloodline. Regardless of personal reasons, Eir had to be cognizant of that line of reasoning. Even Jadis knew that some consideration had to be made for Nephilim offspring.
Finally, Jadis knew Eir loved her. Not just in a girlfriend kind of way, but in a “devote my life to you” kind of way. Not that she was downplaying Aila or Kerr’s feelings, not in the least. But Eir, despite her gentle and proper demeanor, had an intensely passionate personality under that layer of ladylike behavior. For someone like Eir, having the child of the one she loved would be an ultimate expression of her devotion.
That was all to say that Jadis wasn’t particularly surprised that Eir wanted to have her baby. What surprised her was that Eir had actually come out and asked her about it mere minutes after having accepted her proposal to be her girlfriend in the same way as Aila and Kerr. That had been a shock that had kept Jadis awake for a long while after.
The thing was, it wasn’t even that Jadis was necessarily opposed to having children. She’d been having daydreams about it for a while, specifically involving Eir for that matter. The idea had a strong appeal to it, undeniably so. But baby making had been theoretical so far. An idle fantasy for an older, more established Jadis to worry about far down the path. Now the possibility had been thrust into her face far, far sooner than she had been prepared to contemplate and she felt like the ground had fallen out from beneath her feet.
What if she told Eir yes? Would that mean she’d want the baby right away? Would they have to put their adventuring on hold for however long it took for Eir to give birth or would Eir tag along until she became too pregnant to make that reasonable? Jadis would have to support Eir and her child, so that meant she’d have to have steady work. Should they get married or was that unnecessary?
What about Aila and Kerr? Would they want children too?
Jadis’ mind had whirled like a top last night and it was little better during breakfast.
Eir had, kind soul that she was, realized that Jadis needed time to think over the request and had told her they could talk about it later. Jadis appreciated the reprieve she’d given her, but she still needed to have a talk about it. Eir’s question needed an answer. It wasn’t something Jadis wanted to leave hanging. She wouldn’t do that to her elf priestess.
So, all breakfast long, Jadis’ eyes kept lingering on Eir as she contemplated the idea of becoming a mother. Wait, would she be called the mother when technically she was the father? No, no way, Jadis was not okay with being called father. If and when she had kids, regardless of how, she was mom, not dad.
Her attention was so focused on the idea of being a parent that she barely noticed when Yorath gave a rather grandiose speech expressing his undying gratitude for the rescue that Fortune’s Favored, the Imperial Military, and the Roiling Reavers had performed. There were promises of gifts and treasures as well as pledges of boons and favors, all of which went right over Jadis’ heads. It wasn’t until the speech was over, people were leaving their seats, and Aila had unceremoniously shoved a finger into Jay’s side that she realized that she had no idea what the elder Dryad had said or what everyone was doing.
“Okay, what’s going on,” Aila asked in a low voice, giving Jay a stern look. “You’re more distractable than a drunk Sabina today.”
Looking at Aila up close, her long red hair framing her pretty freckled face, had Jadis imagining what the woman’s children would look like and how cute they would have to be with just as many freckles sprinkled across their noses.
“Uh, we need to talk,” Jay answered after pushing the idea out of her head. “But not just us. You, me, Kerr, and Eir.”
Aila raised her eyebrow at the list.
“Eir? Did something happen last night while the rest of us were sleeping?”
“Yes,” Jay nodded, not even attempting to play coy. “Yes, it did. So let’s go talk.”
“Alright,” Aila answered mildly, perhaps taken aback by Jadis’ plain directness. “Let’s go then.”
A few minutes later Jadis’ three selves were sequestered in a secluded part of the grove along with her three official partners. They were by the wagons, on the ground level of the grove where an open, grassy area held the horses along with a variety of wild creatures like snow elk and wild goats. No one else was around, giving them a moment of privacy.
Wasting no time, Jadis quickly explained to Aila and Kerr that she had made things official with Eir. Neither woman affected the least bit of surprise. Aila offered the priestess a sincere welcome that seemed to make Eir bashful while Kerr grinned mischievously and began asking all kinds of lewd and inappropriate questions. Before her sniper lover could take things too far, Jadis interrupted by bringing the conversation around to what had distracted her so completely all morning.
“This isn’t the kind of talk that can be had between just us,” Syd apologized to Eir. “It’s the kind of thing that would affect everyone in a relationship with me.”
“I understand,” Eir said with a calm nod. “And I agree. It is only fair to discuss with your other lovers.”
“What the abyss, you’re making this sound all serious and shit,” Kerr chuckled, her grin still wide. “Don’t tell me one of you is pregnant or some shit like that.”
There was a charged pause between Jadis and Eir, one that made Kerr’s face fall in shock.
“Wait, is one of you actually pregnant? I was fucking joking!”
“No one is pregnant,” Aila dismissed the exclamation with a wave of her hand. “Jadis has a skill to prevent that, remember?” At those words, a dawning look of comprehension crossed Aila’s face. “A skill that controls potency… Both ways.”
Before Jadis could speak, Eir took the initiative. With shoulders squared and head held high, she looked Aila straight in the eyes.
“That is correct. I wish to carry Jadis’ child. I have asked her for that honor.”
Kerr let out a choked noise as she quietly repeated Eir’s phrasing. Aila’s face was like stone, not even a hint of revealing emotion present. Jadis felt her stomachs lurch at Eir’s declaration, her nerves doing a number on her.
“So, uh, yeah,” Jay said after a tense moment had passed. “Like I said. It’s a conversation that affects all of us. I, uh—well. Thoughts?”
Aila’s gaze shifted to Jay, giving her a piercing look.
“You want to have children?”
Jay flushed a little as all three of Jadis’ selves shifted awkwardly. Being asked directly like that by Aila brought on a whole different set of nerves that she didn’t even know were separate from the first bunch.
“Well, I mean, I guess I do,” Jay said as she ran her fingers through her white hair. “I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I want to be with you. All of you, for as long as we’re alive. And probably after, too. That means having a family, with kids, eventually. I mean, how cute would little red-haired Nephilim babies be? Or ones with horns, or pointy elf ears? That actually sounds really good to me.”
As she spoke, she saw both Aila and Kerr’s faces flush at the mention of traits that they would bring to the table if they were to have children. Kerr looked like she was struggling to find words while Aila’s ears burned red. Eir looked… much calmer. Centered, even. The talk of children didn’t seem to fluster her at all.
“But the thing is,” Dys continued the line of thought. “I’m not entirely sure I’m ready for kids right now. I want to have children someday, but that’s always been a thought I’ve reserved for later, when I’m older. I barely have my own life figured out half the time so how am I supposed to raise a child who’ll be depending on me to have all the answers?”
The last was said facing Eir directly as Jadis expressed her most sincere thoughts, airing everything out at once.
“Besides,” Syd added, “I want to keep fighting. I want to battle demons and explore wild places. I’m not ready to settle down, I guess is the way to put it. I know I’m going to be putting myself in a lot more danger, constantly, and I also know that I absolutely don’t want to put a pregnant lover in dangerous situations, much less a baby.”
“I would not wish to take you away from the life you wish to live,” Eir spoke then, her voice soft but clear. “My intention in asking for a child was not to change your path. However, just as you realized that life is fleeting and drew from that knowledge the courage to seek a deeper connection with me, I have learned the same lesson. It would be an unbearable tragedy if you were to be taken from me, from us, before we had the chance to consummate our love with the creation of new life. I do not wish to risk that regret, even in theory. That is why I ask that you allow me to bear your child.”
As Jadis thought over Eir’s argument, Kerr regained her powers of speech.
“Look, Eir, my girl, I love you like a… well, I wouldn’t fuck any of my sisters, but you get what I mean. But is this really what you want? To have a kid, now? You’re still young, you know. Having a pup means putting everything else in your life on hold for a long ass time. Years! I guess you’ve got the time, what with you being an elf and all that, but still. You really willing to go full mom mode now?”
“I am,” came Eir’s simple response.
“I cannot say the same,” Aila said as Kerr stared at Eir, shaking her head. “I… I am not opposed to the idea. I’ll admit that I’ve also thought about… children.”
That admission made Jadis’ hearts thump wildly.
“However, I did not plan on pursuing that line of thought until much later in my life. Certainly not while the demonic invasion is going on, at the least. Now hardly seems to be an opportune time.”
Aila glanced up at Jadis’ faces, then looked back down at Eir. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then nodded once.
“That said, regardless of how ready I am for having children, I cannot think of any reasonable objection to you having children with Jadis. If you want to and Jadis is willing, then I will certainly not stand in your way. In fact, I would say that you have my blessing, if that’s what you are looking for.”
Kerr still looked flabbergasted, but as she scratched at the base of her horn, she shrugged helplessly.
“Yeah, okay, fuck. I’m good with it too, I guess. I mean, have at it,” Kerr tossed one hand into the air. “Actually, I hadn’t seriously put any thought at all into having pups. But now… fuck, now I’m kind of thinking about it a lot. Damn. Little baby Jadis’ running around that I can teach how to hunt and not be big stomping clods like their mother? That sounds pretty damn good the more I think about it.”
As both Aila and Kerr gave their permission, Eir turned hopeful eyes on Jadis.
“…okay. I guess I’m in the hotseat now. I’m still not sure if I’m ready to be a parent. But if that’s what you really want Eir, I’m willing. I mean, I feel like we still need to talk out the logistics on this before we do anything but—”
Jay’s words were cut off as Eir wrapped her arms around her waist in a crushing hug. Or at least what Jadis figured would have been a crushing hug for anyone of Eir’s size. Against Jadis, it barely did a thing. Reactively, Jay wrapped her arms around Eir, holding the priestess close against her. She was still extremely nervous by the proposition, but there was also a great deal of strange, fluttering excitement floating around inside her chest.
Children. Her own child. It was a crazy thought, but it warmed her to her core.
Eventually Eir pulled out of the hug, beaming up at Jay with a brilliant smile. She leaned against her, one arm holding onto Jay. She breathed a sigh that was a mixture of pleasure and relief before she composed herself into a more dignified air.
“Thank you. I truly do thank you. I—” her voice hitched for a moment, “I never thought that this was the course my life would take, but I could not be happier. I love you, Jadis.”
“Love you, too,” Jay said. Since the diminutive elf was holding onto her, Dys leaned down and gave Eir a kiss so she didn’t have to break her hug. “I’m glad you’re here with me, and with us.”
“So, uh, when are you going to, you know, do the breeding?” Kerr asked, predictably killing the tender moment with her crude personality.
Eir cleared her throat, getting all of their attention.
“I have a thought on that. It’s not something that comes up often, but there is a way for us to all be happy, I think.”
“Oh?” Aila asked as she sidled up next to Syd, pressing against her in an almost possessive way. “Are we not all happy with this outcome?"
“By that I mean,” Eir continued, “I believe there is a way I can be impregnated by Jadis’ seed without putting any stop my or our, ah, active lifestyle.”
“How’s that?” Jay asked, looking down curiously at the elf. “You haven’t been hiding some extra info from us this whole time, have you?”
“Not at all,” Eir denied with the look of someone who had something to hide. “I simply didn’t want to influence your decision unduly.”
“Sure, sure,” Kerr said, arms crossed. “Do tell, ma petite prêtresse.”
“Some elves who find themselves pregnant do so at times that are… inconvenient. As do some women of other races for that matter, but it is elves that take advantage of this service more often than not. There is a priestess of my order, the Followers of Lyssandria, who has a ritual spell that can halt a pregnancy indefinitely, so long as the unborn infant’s growth hasn’t progressed past a certain stage. If we were to seek her services, you could impregnate me and she could suspend that pregnancy indefinitely, holding it off until we are ready for children.”
“That—that actually sounds fucking awesome,” Jay exclaimed. A suspended pregnancy really would solve the issue, since they wouldn’t have to worry about having a baby when they were still adventuring and they would also have the insurance in case the worst ever happened to Jadis. “I’m absolutely in favor of that.”
As she voiced her favorable opinion, she could see that Aila and Kerr both looked interested as well, to varying degrees.
“Where is this priestess?” Syd asked, giving Eir an encouraging smile. “She sounds like exactly the person we need to see.”
“That is the one hinderance to the plan,” Eir replied, “though I suppose not an onerous one. She is in the capital, Eldingholt. We would have to sail there to seek her aid.”
All three of Jadis let out a laugh at once.
“Of course. When did our life become a never-ending road trip?”
330