Ch. 16: Dinner and a Show

This is a rewrite of a previously published work. There is a lot of new content in it, but it is not wholly new content. There will be new chapters coming.

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"Your form is sloppy, blacksmith!"

Carmella bashed me with the side of her sword. I tumbled head over heel in the mud and laid there, resting under the blue sky. "Did your new pet wear you out that much last night?"

"No, not for lack of trying," Shari remarked from the sidelines, examining her nails. Unfortunately, it hadn't occurred to me until the morning that she could've slept in her cat form. I somehow doubt that she forgot this fact. "He had full access to me and could have had anything he wanted. But instead, he let himself be agitated and miserable."

"Oh? No wonder he can barely hold a sword," The First Knight said, stepping on my chest with a heavy, greaved foot as she peered down at me. "He spent all of his will controlling himself last night. That's no excuse. Pathetic."

I pushed her boot off me and pulled myself to my feet wearily. They weren't wrong. I hadn't slept well. Shari was warm and soft and incredibly distracting. And I had a lot of trouble relaxing. By the time I finally slept, Meryl had sent Emilia to fetch me for court. I was even more quiet and even less helpful than usual. Can't even recall any of the petitioners, I thought.

I shook the memories of standing like a lark in her courtroom out of my head and lifted my sword and dagger. Carmella tested my defense, and I deflected her blade with my dagger and struck out with the shortsword, and she stepped out of the way, whipping me in the ass with her sword. I turned on a heel and slashed at her again. The First Knight ducked under my blade and slammed the blunt of her sword into me again. "If this were a real fight, you'd be dead, blacksmith."

"I do not see the point of this," Shari added in a bored tone. Carmella whipped around at the catgirl with intense eyes, then her features softened, and motioned with her sword for the Ipet-Mau to continue. "You two are using two very different styles, and his skill is limited by his unwillingness to hurt you."

"You think he's holding back?" Carmella asked, glaring at me. I wilted a little under her scrutiny.

"You had not noticed?" Shari retorted incredulously, finally looking up from her nails. "Of course he is. He adores and respects you."

"Apparently, I haven't been pushing him hard enough if he thinks he could hurt me yet," the First Knight said in a dangerous tone. She reached down, lifted me bodily with one hand, and set me on my feet. "Maybe I should also stop holding back." I swallowed. Hard.

The following minutes of my life were the most terrifying I'd ever experienced. Carmella came at me from positions and angles I couldn't follow or comprehend. I defended against some, but most often, I was thrown around like a dog toy during the most aggressive game of fetch ever. She also stopped using the flat of her blade. She cut through the padded armor I had favored over the plate mail she'd encouraged, leaving it and my undershirt in tatters. After less than a minute, my knees went out and I couldn't lift my arms. The last thing I remember seeing was the butt of Lady Carmella's sword coming at me, then blackness.

I woke up some time later, my head in Emilia's lap. Carmella was sitting nearby. Shari had transformed into her white cat form and was cuddled in my arms. Some of her fur had been colored by my blood. When Carmella spoke next, her words were filled with venom, "Have you learned your lesson about holding back, blacksmith?"

"I'm not holding back, you lumbering monster!" I retorted bitterly. I could still taste blood in my mouth and spat it out. I knew I was entirely healed, but I was sore and tired. "At least not like that."

Carmella rolled her hand for me to continue, her face stony. I groaned and started pulling myself up, but Emilia pushed my head back into her lap and stroked my hair. "Not yet, Johann. Just a few more minutes. You lost a lot of blood." I frowned at her but didn't fight. She's just worried.

"It's not me doubting your skill. It's just... hard," I murmured, not meeting anyone's eye.

"What is?" The First Knight demanded. Even her questions sounded like orders.

"Striking at you. Striking at someone I lo-... care about so much." Carmella got up and closed the distance between us, and sat down in front of me. She stripped herself of a gauntlet and stroked my cheek with a sweaty hand. I still didn't look up at her.

"You're an idiot and a coward," Carmella whispered softly. Affectionately, even. I shifted and got up, resisting Emilia's insistence. She gave an annoyed grimace, and I stood up. The cat uncurled and looked up at me. Somehow, she looked satisfied. Carmella stood and offered me a hand. I stood on my own, and she smirked at me. "Ready for round two?"

"Shari. Please turn back now." The cat looked at me curiously and shifted back into her human form. She was crouched on her hands and feet.

"What is it, Johann?" She asked, looking up at me.

"You have a choice. You can fight Carmella, or you can fight me. But you're sparring with one of us." Her eyes narrowed at me as she stood up.

"Why would I do a ridiculous thing like fighting either of you?" Her voice was filled with venom. "I've seen what she can do, and I can't compete in a fair fight."

"That implies you have a chance in an unfair fight." Carmella snorted confidently.

"Of course," Shari shot back, puffing out her chest. "I am a spy, after all. We never fight fair, and when we do fight, we fight to win."

"Right then," I interrupted their chest beating. "In that case, you can fight me."

"That's also not a fair fight," she replied, pouting. Her bravado had faded when she looked at me. "Besides, I do not have my weapons."

"That's not a problem," Carmella said, walking over to her pack, retrieving the Ipet-Mau's twin daggers, and tossing them to her. Shari caught them with unsettling ease, and gripped both hilts. She glared down at them then at me.. "This should be very interesting."

"I do not see the point in this," the catgirl muttered. "I'm not a combatant here."

"And yet you caused more damage with your words than I did to Carmella with a sword," I said, retrieving my weapons from the ground and shaking off the mud. I brandished both of my blades and took my stance. Shari still hadn't unsheathed her knives. Carmella and Emilia walked over to the sidelines. The First Knight leaned against the fence, idle curiosity being the only readable emotion on her face. Emilia's was a little easier to read; fear and annoyance played in equal parts over her features.

"Why are you doing this?" Shari asked.

"Revenge, mostly." I shrugged. "And also, you're right. I'm leagues below Carmella. While I appreciate her help and dedication, there's only so much improvement I can make by getting my ass kicked every day by the same person. As a spy and a thief, I'm sure you can devise a clever method or two to challenge me."

"You're already challenged if you're picking a fight with me," she muttered bitterly. She finally bared the bronze blades and charged forward. She was incredibly swift. In less than a blink of an eye, she was attacking me. I deflected her first blow, but the second caught me in the gut, and she twisted the blade and pulled out, tearing at the remains of the padded armor and coming away with a wet blade.

All the wind was knocked from me, and I struggled to stay standing. I swung my sword at her, and she ducked under the first blow, but I drew blood with the dagger, and she jumped back. I closed the distance between us, swinging again with my sword. She tried to deflect it with her daggers, but I was still bulky from my years of blacksmithing. Her defense failed and the blade scraped across her chest, sparking off her foreign armor.

She slashed forward twice, and I managed to deflect both blows. I countered one of her attacks, striking forward with my longer sword, and she danced out of the way. I had been expecting that and struck out with my dagger, catching her in the stomach. I hit around the same area she had with me, and she was also winded. I kicked her, and she fell onto the ground. Looming over her, I went for another attack.

She held up her hand and cried out. I stopped, which gave her time to throw her dagger. It sank into my shoulder, and I dropped my own. She dashed forward and struck out with her other blade. I knocked the dagger to the side with my sword, counter-striking with a slice down at her. It clipped her shoulder. She dropped her dagger, instead choosing to pounce on me. I fell back, and she pinned me to the ground. "Blood Cleric, heal us. The fight is over."

"I'm still up," I managed, bucking up against her hips.

"But you would've died in a real fight," she replied. I thought I could hear a little remorse in her voice.

"How do you figure?" I asked. I was bleeding a little bit. Enough that in my old life, I would've been terrified. But after training with the First Knight, it didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

"Because my daggers would be coated in poison, were I interested in killing you." My blood ran cold. I'd never considered that before. She waited until Emilia had crossed the grounds to remove the dagger impaled in my shoulder. Emilia murmured a few words in Elven and our wounds started to knit closed. Lady Carmella also joined after a moment.

"Did you learn something, blacksmith?" The First Knight asked without heat.

"Yeah, apparently, I'm screwed no matter what I do," I mumbled, sitting up.

"No," Shari said cryptically. When I didn't respond, she continued with a shrug. "You did well. Not many can hit me at all." She reached out to stroke my cheek, then her hand fell. "Besides, both the knight and I are here to protect you."

"Comforting," I said dryly, pushing her off of me. She retrieved her daggers, sheathed them, and stared at them for a long moment before offering them to Lady Carmella.

"You could've killed him if you wanted to, couldn't you?" The First Knight asked. I grimaced at the thought. Poison. I watched Shari. She'd always been playful and fun around me, even if I'd never admit it to her.

Our conversation from the day before echoed out in my head, You are surrounded by dangerous people... Does that mean you're dangerous? I had replied. Of course I am. Were I inclined to, it wouldn't take me more than a moment or two to end you. I hadn't believed her at the time. But she'd proven me entirely wrong. She glanced over at me, trying to read my expression, just as much as I was trying to read hers.

"Maybe. I don't do long fights, and it might last a long time without the poisons. He can obviously take a beating." Shari smiled at me fondly. "He's a quick study, too. He tried one of my moves against me. Maybe he's missed his calling as a thief and a spy."

My eyes shot up to hers. She was wearing a devilish smile. I stuttered, but Emilia shushed me as she checked for any more wounds. Carmella watched me curiously. "Did you get what you wanted out of that, Johann?"

"Close enough to it," I said, pulling myself to my feet, despite Emilia's protests. "Now I know how she fights and at least some of how dangerous she is."

"I tried to warn you, dear Johann," she muttered. The remorse was back in her tone.

"I suspected that much from how she walked, honestly," Carmella said, boredom overtaking her tone.

"I knew she was a fighter, but not how she fought," I replied, thoughtfully. "You two have a similar air about you. Not the same, exactly, but I didn't register how..." I let the sentence drift off, trying to find the words.

"She has a very distinctive gait," the First Knight muttered without explanation. "Training's done for the day since you have plans."

"Plans?" I asked, then I looked at Emilia, a smile spreading across my face.. "Did you already figure out what we're doing?"

"Of course. But you need to wash up. Really, all of you do. And you," Emilia added, poking my chest. "Need to figure out what you're doing with your pet by six."

"I'll take care of it," Carmella added, wrapping an arm around Shari's shoulder, pulling her in close. "We can talk about her future. Short as it may be."

Shari looked at me, silently pleading for help. I smirked at her and waved. It was nice to be the one on firm footing for once. I glanced at Emilia, who was watching me with a mischievous smirk painted across her face. And suddenly didn't feel like I had firm footing anymore.

I bathed alone, which was kind of a relief. I hadn't had much alone time since Shari had entered the picture. Despite that, though, some stupid part of me missed her. The horny, ridiculous piece of me that's not worth listening to, I insisted to myself, trying to will the belief to become true. I scrubbed off the mud and blood and prepared myself.

Emilia hadn't given me strict instructions on how to present myself. Still, I figured a little more formal wouldn't go amiss. I trimmed my beard and braided my hair, then dressed in the finest silk shirt and breeches I had been provided. Which were incredibly soft and swishy. Gods, this is strange, I thought. She had asked me to meet her at the gate. Before heading out, I heeded Carmella's warning, strapping my sword and dagger to my hip. I doubt it'll be necessary, but you never know what will happen. Someone might try to mug us. Or I might have to fend off Emilia from doing something in public. I grinned at the thought, doubting that even Carmella could stand in the way of Emilia and her desires.

I made it to the gate and looked around at the grounds as night fell. The finely manicured bushes, the polished statues. I caught my reflection in the water of a fountain and didn't recognize myself for a moment. I looked less tired. Like some noble who was a little sickly and didn't sleep quite enough. I sighed. It is weird that I'm here. Waiting for the queen's maid to take her somewhere. That I live in the castle, like some noble. I kept thinking about how Mrs. Johnson had been treating me. Like I was the trio's pet. And now I had Shari to think about. My own pet, supposedly. I shifted uncomfortably. After a moment, I heard clicking on the cobblestone path, and I looked up from my reflection and saw someone.

I didn't recognize the woman in front of me at first. She had changed everything about herself. She wore these tall heels that gave her five inches easily, bringing her up to about Shari's height. The shiny black dress she wore displayed her entire chest and stomach, wrapping around her throat and snuggly around her breasts. It also let her thighs, which were in thigh-high stockings, be seen entirely. They were squeezed gently by them, pushing up some of her flesh over them.

I shifted uncomfortably, directing my gaze upwards. Her blood-red hair had let down from her usual tight braids and framed her face, making it more angular. The dark freckles that always stood out against the rest of her profoundly tanned skin had been muted by the blush she was wearing. She was wearing dark eyeshadow and blood-red lipstick. And her ears were very visible, sticking out tall and pointed. She stepped up to me, coming to my chin. I stammered. "E-Emilia. You look amazing."

"You don't think I normally look amazing?" She asked, giggling. My heart skipped and my stomach lurched.

"O-of course I do, but I've never seen you like this," I responded, reaching out to stroke her face.

She leaned back and took my hand in her gloved one instead, squeezing tightly. She led me over to a carriage, and we climbed in. The driver ushered the horses forward, and we went into town. Emilia sat next to me, taking my entire arm and pressing it into her tightly. She rested her cheek against my shoulder, nuzzling it softly. It felt like I'd not been alone with her at all since the brief respite with her in her room. It wasn't all that long ago, but with everything changing, the time felt stretched out.

With that same hand, I squeezed her thigh affectionately, and Emilia gasped softly before prying my fingers off her leg. She laced her fingers with mine and stroked my hand, leaning up to whisper in my ear breathily, "Now, Johann, I know you've missed me, but you need to be on your best behavior." She nibbled on my lobe and I took a shaky breath. "What would people say if they saw the queen's consort molesting the poor, innocent maid?"

"I don't think I can do anything to stop those rumors. Lots of the staff are already very aware of at least some of what's going on," I said defensively. She looked up at me, and I shrugged. "But I suppose it was never going to remain a secret forever. Nothing ever does."

We made our way to the town and exited the carriage after half an hour or so and I even kept my hands to myself. Mostly. Instead of tearing each other's clothes off, we engaged in casual conversation, albeit, still intertwined in the other's embrace.

"So," she began. "You've been here for quite some time." She hesitated a little, which struck me as a little odd. "How are you adjusting?"

"Our particular brand of insanity can be trying, sometimes," I admitted. She couldn't quite keep the frown off her face. I took a move from Shari and leaned in to nuzzle her. "Not that it's a bad thing. Just weird. Things change fast here. Back home..." I trailed off for a moment, realizing for the first time that title didn't feel right anymore. "Back in Sofen, we built a well a year ago and it was still the talk of the town." Emilia leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder. "But here, duels, secession, war... I still don't know how I fit in."

"You just do," the Head Maid responded absently.

"I know," I agreed. And meant it. Mostly. "It's just a little surreal. And with Shari added to the mix..." I paused to collect my thoughts. "Sorry about that. I didn't know."

"We figured that much out," Emilia said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. I stroked her hand playfully. "What do you think of her?"

"I'm not sure," I answered. "She's... complicated."

"Complicated?" She asked, pulling back to study me a little.

"You all are," I teased with a smile. One that faded a little quicker than I liked. "But she lied and stole food. Food I think we would've freely given regardless. I think... she's had it hard."

"Yeah," Emilia agreed sadly. "You don't act like that if you've had it easy."

"Or like you," I replied, bumping into her again. She glanced up, considering me. "Meryl says she took you in really young. I've never heard you talk about your parents or any family. Your entire life revolves around Meryl and the court and now my dumb ass." She rolled her eyes then rested her head against me.

"I don't like thinking about it," was her only response.

"I understand," I said. Then I corrected myself. "Well, no. I don't. But I can respect that. We all have things in the past."

"Do you?" She asked somberly.

"Nothing too interesting," I hedged. "Little traumas here and there. Like anyone else."

"Do you want to talk about them?" Her voice was small. I shook my head.

"Not tonight. Tonight's not about our trauma. It's about a beautiful woman and her silly blacksmith having a good time." I stroked her hand with my thumb.

"Good."

When we got out, we were in front of a large building with statues surrounding the entrance and a large sign that read FizBerry's Fantastic Fillings. Emilia instructed the driver and stepped up next to me, taking my arm. We went into the restaurant, and the man behind the podium looked us up and down, unimpressed. I could never understand that. I am practically drooling being this close to Emilia, I thought, trying to reign in my desire. In a polite but bored tone, the man said, "Reservation?"

"Two for Emilia Mia'Valur," She responded. The maitre d checked his records.