Location: Sharaton-Charlottesville, Kingdom of Tildor
Date: Feb 2105
Quinn Whisper Wind sat alone in the large dining hall, sipping his hot cider, reading his textbook on Greek poetic construction. At five-ten, and weighing one-sixty, with blonde hair and blue eyes, Quinn was a trained athlete and warrior. Gifted with great intelligence, three years ago he had borrowed a primer on magic from his sister-in-law – and on his own, had even managed to master the few simple cantrips described within. Quinn found within himself a hunger for both music and magic, and he couldn't learn fast enough.
The composition class at the Sandhurst College of Music was thus far his hardest and most demanding. The Greek priest, Father Miklos, was an exacting teacher. Quinn's brother, Reison, had had the same class years earlier. Borrowing the book from his brother had saved him a quite a few gold royals. To put it mildly, however, Quinn found the priest's low opinion of women distasteful, especially since Quinn himself, up until three years ago, had answered to Miriel and had the plumbing to match.
Magic.
Becoming male had not been an easy decision. After all, he'd spent most of his life as Miriel. Ending the monthly cramps was one nice benefit, but there were still some experiences he missed. More, he and his family believed what mattered was a person's character, and not what did or did not dangle between one's legs. Still, even though Quinn was learning a lot, the instructor's misogyny rankled. It helped that his big brother had had the same opinions on both the class and the teacher.
Quinn's other textbooks were piled nearby, most of them purchased instead of borrowed. At the end of the quarter, they would be added to his own growing library. The large table where he sat was in the main hall of Whisper Wind Manor, a mere eight blocks from the college. The main hall doubled as the manor's dining area, and had once seated upwards of sixty people. Around the vaulted ceiling was a mezzanine. To the left of the hall was a small barracks. At the east end, opposite the main doors were the kitchen, a large classroom, the family room, and stairs leading up to the mezzanine floor. To the right of the main hall was an indoor gymnasium. Upstairs held the chapel, library, conservatory, and all the many bedrooms.
The house belonged to his older brother and the three sisters he married, but Reison and his huge family rarely used it since moving to the west coast two years ago. Reison's first wife, Tia, told Quinn that he could stay there during the week while attending college to save money. They could have sold the manor, Tia said, but they still had family and friends there, and it was handy to have the home available when they came for visits. In return for free house-sitting, Quinn made sure no squatters moved in.
At twenty-eight, Quinn was still very young as half-elves counted age, the second child of Urthel Whisper Wind and Maeve O'Hara Whisper Wind. He had money in his own right, earned from various adventures over the past few years. But college was proving expensive, and though others had offered to help with costs, Quinn was determined to pay for it himself.
Five years earlier he had never even dreamed of becoming a bard. His older brother was a bard, and a good one. Reison's third wife, Mindal, was also a bard, and rather famous in this region of the world. She was even a past member of the school's Board of Directors. Whenever he had questions on his studies, both of them were unstinting in their time and patience. Now, Quinn was going to the same school where his brother had graduated and his sister-in-law had instructed.
As for himself, Quinn had never considered he had any skills worth mentioning, much less what was needed to become a bard. Most of his young adult life had been spent as a warrior, and he had even thought to make it a career. He'd even become decently good with sword, bow, and spear. It was his big brother, with his wry sense of humor, who'd inherited the family talents. Or so Quinn always thought. But his brother Reison and his three wives had insisted differently. And so had his wife, Theláyna Sunhart.
Theláyna.
His miracle.
She was such an important part of his life. An extremely powerful mage, Quinn sometimes wondered how he had ever been so lucky to meet her, much less have her in his life! Within two days of first meeting, they were in bed together. It had been more than five years since then, but Quinn could no longer imagine his life without her. She had helped him through some very dark times, and by the time Quinn found his peaceful center, he was thoroughly in love.
Theláyna was many years older than Quinn, but magic kept her body youthful. A tall, human woman, she was even a few inches taller than he. Theláyna had warm, light brown eyes, and when the sun hit her hair just right, there were red highlights in her long, brown hair. He loved her firm B-cup breasts, narrow waist, and the flair of her hips. They had endured a lot together. Quinn had never known he could love someone so much. Even though they were of different faiths, they never let religion come between them. He, an Irish Celtic devotee of Bridgit Balisama, goddess of fire and poetry, and she the Ba'lorian, follower of the Lawgiver, Rena. Indeed, more than once, he had shed the blood of druids of his own faith who had threatened her.
Of course, he loved Fand, his second wife, as well. Also fully human, Fand was several inches shorter than Quinn, with dark blue eyes, and even longer, curly dark brown hair. She, too, had B-cup breasts, and the hair between her legs was thick and tapered off at her belly button. Quinn believed her when Fand had said she hadn't been very sexually active prior to meeting them. Now, though, whenever he climbed into bed, Fand always seemed to reach for him, eager to be impaled on his cock.
Being male was definitely different. Sometimes he still thought about the awkwardness of it all. Especially erections at the oddest times. Still, he was becoming more used to being a man everyday. The wonder of being inside a woman. Plunging into her wet, warm depths, and her eager response. It was intense, no doubt about it. Learning to make it last was sometimes still a challenge.
Theláyna and Fand.
Quinn loved them differently, as they were different people, but he loved them both. Like Quinn, Fand was Celtic. He and Theláyna had rescued her from a bad situation. Accompanying his brother Reison, his family, and his retinue on his brother's quest, they had traveled south to the Celtic lands, coming first to the lands of Alba, land of the Scots. Before the quest, he and Theláyna had experimented with temporary sex change. Several times in fact. To avoid possible harassment or even persecution – as two women married to each other – he had volunteered to become Tamm, Theláyna's husband, for the duration of their trip. Theláyna's reaction to having him as a male lover was a definite incentive.
For weeks, they traveled south, through forests and plains empty of human or demi-human on their way to the Celtic lands of Alba and Eire. They intended to bypass the lands of Britain and Khymru to the west altogether.
The first inhabited area they reached was ruled by Malcolm Scott, the local clan chief, and Fand's older brother. Malcolm, seeing the beauty of Reison's wives, insisted on Guesting Rights, the Celtic custom of spousal or lover exchange for the night. His brother Reison and his wives refused, as they didn't share themselves with others. To save face and avoid possible insult, Quinn – as Tamm – and Theláyna volunteered to take their place. Using magic, Theláyna made sure neither one of them was fertile that night. Upon seeing Theláyna, Malcolm had eagerly accepted the substitution.
Quinn spent the night with Fand. The young woman had been delighted with her experience. Quinn couldn't believe that no one had eaten her pussy before, a treat he was happy to repeat several times for her. He got very little sleep that night.
Theláyna, however, found Malcolm to be a selfish lover, and his coupling unimaginative and eventually unpleasant. Afterward, Quinn had felt guilty since he himself had had such a good time. Theláyna's response had been forthright. "Don't be silly," she told him. "It was hardly your fault Malcolm only knew how to use his cock one way."
Later, Fand discovered her brother conspiring with their uncle. They planned on killing both Quinn and Reison, imprisoning the women, and enslaving or sacrificing the rest of his brother's followers. Such treachery was a gross violation of accepted rules on hospitality, and even risked the ire of the Gods. At no little danger to her own life, Fand warned Quinn and the others, and they escaped without loss of life. Naturally, they took Fand with them. The young woman had been eager – no, he thought, she'd been
starving
to learn more magic, and Theláyna was willing to teach her. The day after their escape, Fand became Theláyna's apprentice, and joined their bed. Both had been Theláyna's idea.
Quinn sighed. School work! he reminded himself. He had work to do.
During the school week, Quinn spent a lot of time alone in the empty manor house, buried in his studies. But late at night, he missed the two women mightily. And their five children, too. Four sons and a daughter. Even with the one-quarter elven blood, the babies were growing fast, and he was missing some of that time. Becoming a parent, being there at their births was an incredible, humbling experience. In the past year and a half since starting college, Fand and Theláyna had spent a lot of time together. The two women had packed schedules of their own. Besides sharing a love of magic and spending hours in studying, and creating magical potions and scrolls, they also kept busy raising their children. In between, they helped Quinn's brother and his family by supervising the purchase of foodstuffs, tools, and even finding skilled people – all needed for the growing town of Mandolin Bay, his brother's new home.
In Theláyna's faith, the women decide how many children they will have, and unsurprisingly, Fand had readily agreed that belief was a sensible one. While he was away, Theláyna and Fand had apparently decided they were going to have more children. "Not right away, mind you," Theláyna told him, "but sometime after you graduate from college. Just so you know." Fand had simply nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with promise.
Later, on a visit to Mandolin Bay, he asked his brother about it. Reison told him to just go with whatever made them happy. On reflection, Quinn found that to be sound advice.
Quinn looked forward to the weekends, when they either came for a prolonged visit, or picked him up and took him to their new home, halfway across the world, in the far-off Empire of Cartharsis.
During the school week, in the afternoons, either Theláyna or Fand would drop by to check on him. Using magic, they'd take care of any household chores, such as the dishes and his laundry. Then, they'd chat while making him a hot meal. Some days they had more time, and there would be a chance to make love in one of the big beds or in the large hot-tub upstairs. All too soon, though, they teleported home, vanishing in an instant, and he would have to return to his studies. Nights alone were the hardest. He missed the great sex, but even more, he missed their companionship, of being able to simply reach out to hold or be held in the night.
Seven more months and he would graduate, and they would be reunited! Quinn took another drink and made himself return to reading. This text was not going to get read on its own!
There was a click at the main doors.
Quinn glanced at the wall clock and then to the front door. It was already nearly the first bell after noon. He would have to leave for his afternoon class in an hour.
Theláyna entered the room, carrying a large food basket, a cold winter wind gusting in behind her. Quickly closing the door, she used her free hand to loosen her heavy, burgundy cloak and pull back its hood. Beneath her cloak she wore an emerald green and white checked bodice and an emerald green skirt, heavily brocaded, and separated by black and white braided belt, the Whisper Wind family colors. In the center of the floor-length skirt was the Whisper Wind family arms, properly cadenced to show she was the first wife of the second son. On her feet were her favorite tooled leather boots. Normally, when she bothered to wear arms at all, Theláyna wore those of her own family of Sunhart. After all, she'd kept her own surname on their marriage. Every so often, though, she chose to wear his family colors, and today, Quinn found her choice oddly pleasing.
When she caught sight of him, Theláyna beamed a huge smile and headed to his table.
He himself wore heavy boots, plain tan breeches and a dark brown flannel tunic. While it was comfortable inside the manor due to magical enchantments, it was winter outside, and the school classrooms weren't always the warmest.
