Warning: This story contains elements of Cuckoldry (NTR) and Non-Consent. If those aren't your jam, this is your chance to leave.
***
A brisk morning breeze whistled through the bare branches of the forest that surrounded the small village of Eversdale. The hardy inhabitants of the frontier village, normally up and working as soon as the sun's rays touched the horizon, slumbered soundly on. The previous day's festival to welcome the coming of spring and entreat the spirits of the forest for a bountiful harvest had left the entire village in sore need of a late morning start.
The only exceptions were the village guards, two sleepy youths who through either misdeed, or poor luck, had been saddled with the much-bemoaned task of patrolling the village's meagre palisade. The pair were there to ensure that none of the more nefarious monsters of the forest took advantage of the brief lull in the small hamlet's defences.
In truth though, neither of the youths took their role with any great seriousness. The last 'real' monster attack had come years before either were born. Nowadays the only 'monsters' left for miles around were a few bands of wild goblins; whose innate cowardliness could be relied upon to keep them far away from any human settlement.
So, it was with that thought in mind that the two leaned listlessly on their spears and dozed in the early morning sun, still awake only in the most technical of interpretations; an argument the two intended to ply to their fullest should they be discovered by the village's Headman.
Which they inevitably were.
It was to this scene that Erich inevitably emerged from the village's meagre inn to discover. The two youths nervously shuffling their feet as the village's Headman sternly chastised the pair for their shiftlessness. The paladin found himself wincing in sympathy as he watched the irate man grab the more sullen of the pair by the ear to better convey his displeasure.
The rookie adventurer was more than familiar with that maneuver, having suffered it in his youth more than he cared to admit. Almost subconsciously, the young man reached into his belt pouch to unfold the well-worn letter resting there; his sandy blonde hair falling to shadow his tired blue eyes as he traced the familiar wording of the letter:
To Her Son Erich Karling, At His Residence in The Church's Institute of Holy Light, Sarah Karling, Retired First Paladin and Gold Ranked Adventurer, Greets Her Son:
The Thought for The Day is "
In Flagrante Delicto
"
It has come to my attention from a passing comment by an old comrade that my only son has been living in a manner that is both shiftless and slothful. That I was not informed of this by your academic or combat instructors has led me to believe that standards have slipped in the Institute of Holy Light since my own attendance.
In this passing conversation I was informed that your study and practice time equates to a mere ten hours of each day. Your grades equate to a mere second (nearing third) place in the paladin program's rankings. It is known to me that at least two other students surpass you in Demonic Banishing rituals, and that your ability to discern Illusion Spells flounders when faced with the workings of a mere Masterwork Class Mage.
While I might expect this sort of behaviour from your incorrigible younger sister, I had thought better of you my son. You would do well to imitate your older sibling, who routinely ranks top amongst her contemporaries in the cleric program, and I am informed is being flaunted by her instructors as some manner of prodigy.
(I also note that your younger sister receives similar praise from the Rogue's Guild, but that is no praise at all considering her chosen vocation.)
Naturally I am duly concerned and horrified by your carelessness and seek to inform you to mend your dissolute and shameless ways so that I may once more look upon you with pride, safe in the knowledge that you possess both the knowledge, power and tenacity to survive in the Adventuring vocation that you have chosen for yourself.
Sent with Love and Concern, Your Mother
Erich sighed as he carefully folded the letter, and once more stashed it into his belt pouch. Even after months of reading and re-reading it, it still felt as overbearing as ever.
'The sad thing is that for all her criticism, I know she's only looking out for me.'
He thought.
Unfortunately, he had also learned long ago that his mother was much more comfortable with the 'stick' as opposed to the 'carrot'. Some might have attributed it to her own time as an adventurer, but his aunts informed him that she was exactly the same as a little girl.
'And now that propensity for the 'stick' is probably going to result in her murdering me when she finds out about this.'
He thought with a sigh as he considered his choices in the last few months.
Abandoning his classes partway through the year, signing up for his adventuring license, before finally galivanting across the Empire ranked amongst the least of his sins. If his mother caught him with just those misdeeds to his name he had the excuse that he was doing nothing she hadn't at his age.
No, what would really bring down a ton of matriarchal wrath upon his head was the fact that he had brought along both his sisters on this mad quest.
'Although 'brought along' might be the wrong word...'
He thought ruefully.
If he were totally honest, the phrase he would have best used to describe his two sisters accompanying him would have been 'had been unable to stop'.
Such headstrong behaviour he had expected and been prepared for from his impetuous younger sister, but his older sibling had shown an entirely uncharacteristic streak of stubbornness in refusing to be left behind.
'Honestly it was rather terrifying to see Mary so... ferocious.'
He thought with a grimace.
It had not been pretty, and by the end of it both him and his 'fearless' younger sibling had been rendered into little more than shivering tofu by the chastisement of their older sibling.
It had been just that ugly.
Wiping the memory from his mind, Erich set about the task of getting the party's mounts ready for the long day of riding ahead of them.
The five horses had been steadfast in their journey thus far, but he couldn't help but notice that the further the party travelled into the untamed southern reaches of the Empire the more nervous the animals had become. In the hopes of bolstering the animal's spirit, if only a little, he made sure to give each of the beasts an apple before leading them out of the stables.
It wasn't much, but it was all he had available, and would have to do.
"Are you guys ready yet?" he called out as he led the animals around the front of the inn.
Normally he would be content to his let the more lethargic members of his party lie in for a bit, but today was different. After all, it would do none of them any good to arrive at the dungeon just as evening was setting in. Even a comparatively 'rookie' adventurer like himself knew that it was best to work during the daylight hours when most monsters were at their most lethargic and sluggish.
Sheltered underground or not, all monsters were weakened by the power of the sun's rays upon the earth. At least that was the theory.
"We're ready... Or at least most of us are," was the enthusiastic response from inside the inn as a moment later a young woman leapt from the rundown establishment. "
Little Miss Top Heavy
is taking her sweet time though."
Eric had to stifle a sigh at the sheer immaturity of Agnes's insult. Yes, Tia was... gifted, but
Top Heavy
?
'Really Sis?'
He thought,
'is that the best you could do?'
By this point in their journey he had been forced to accept that Agnes and Tia would probably never get along. No matter how much he tried to get them to. So instead of chastising her, he instead saved himself the trouble by just letting it go uncommented on, before looking his boisterous younger sister over to ensure she hadn't forgotten anything.
A not uncommon occurrence that all of them had learned to accommodate for.
This time though it seemed his younger sibling had managed to remember all of her gear. Which was admittedly quite a lot.
Still on the short side, despite the growth spurt she had insisted for years was coming, Agnes was still as much the tomboyish bundle of energy in her twenties as she was when they were children.
Her hair was closer to golden blonde than his own sandy blonde and fell in a short-dishevelled mess that none the less managed to look appealing with her admittedly modest, yet still undeniably, feminine curves.
That was his objective opinion of course. He wasn't the kind of odd ball who ogled his own sister. It was more the clinical observation that any protective older sibling with a cute younger one learned to make.
Agnes's vibrant green eyes flashed mirthfully in the light of the morning sun as she clambered onto her own horse with the practiced agility of a rogue. Framed with the woods behind her, Eric might have compared her to a forest nymph were it not for the flexible and form fitting leather armour buckled around her form.
Or the many small and deadly looking blades she was festooned with.
For all that his younger sister perpetually acted like an energetic child, he knew from experience that when it came to fighting she was a deadly whirlwind of destruction, and every bit her mother's daughter in ability. If not temperament.
Ignorant of his thoughts, the giggling blonde playfully called out, "I guess the only thing we can now do is leave her behind!"
'Alright that's enough.'
"Please don't rile her up Agnes." He wearily chastised for what felt like the hundredth time. "Besides, we can't go anywhere without her because-"
"Because Tia has the map," finished a soft voice from the inn's doorway, "and zero desire to let anyone else see it."
Erich felt a smile forming even as he as he turned to the conservatively robed young woman.
Closer to his own height than Agnes's diminutive stature, Lina's pale skin seemed to have an almost ethereal glow to it as the brown-haired hedge-witch gently took the reins of her own horse from him.
Normally a totally stoic soul, Erich found his habitual smile growing even larger as he observed a light speckling of crimson form on the beautiful mage's cheeks as he helped onto her steed. A needless act considering the young woman's proficiency in the saddle, but Erich took any chance he could to be closer to the stoic brunette.
While Erich had grown up surrounded by beautiful women, he was of the opinion that Lina was in a league of her own. Although he would gladly admit to being biased.
Mysterious. Exotic. Smart. Witty. The pair had only known each other for a few short months, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was falling for her, and if he wasn't mistaken, her for him.
'A fairy-tale romance in the making.'
