A Great Day in Moran Ch. 07

"Happy?" Rega asked.

"Very. Just a moment," the shopkeeper said quickly, putting the pouch away and produced another bottle from under the counter, and handed it to Rega. 'Masanic wine fermented with Ludic frost cherry', said the label. Uncorked.

"A gift, on the house. It's a great day my friend. Happy day."

"Thank you."

"Come back later. Terravi and humans are all welcomed."

Rega exited the shop, clutching his prized possession in his hands. He smiled at the jubilant crowd of people outside. A great day indeed.

*-*

Epilogue

Months later.

It was early morning in Evelyn's palace. In one hallway, two sluggish orcs walked side by side. Both yawned at the same time. Their shifts would soon end, and they thought of nothing but their beds.

"D'ya hear that, Berg?" one of them suddenly said. Both turned around and looked.

"Hear whut?" the other replied. They looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Sound like something...sliding."

"Your brain's clogging. Shouldn't have drunk too much last night, Muck."

"Eh, could be the wind. Wind slides, right?" Muck said, shrugging. "Hurried up now. I miss my bed so bad, I could hump it." He yawned again.

Berg nodded. "Aye, it's Unuk's shift soon anyway."

*-*

A hooded figure slid through the garden. He'd already forgotten about the orcs. Passing by people without them noticing was what he did for a living. He observed the garden.

This is new.

Sounds of footstep coming from the south side. Two people, man and woman. The man towered over the woman. They're talking. The figure disappeared behind a tree. He peeked at the passing couple.

"Let sit down for a minute," said the woman. Her short blond hair shined under the morning daylight. The hooded figure recognized her as Amber.

"What? You're tired?" asked the man. A Terravi. Miklas was his name. He looked different. He wore a set of proper, shiny body armor instead of his old diaper. On his back was a cape and his head donned a cap with two feathers, denoting his rank of lieutenant. The hooded figure's slitted eyes dilated. The boy becomes a man.

"No. Can't I just sit down and enjoy the scenery with my husband? We still have half an hour before we need to see mistress."

"All right then."

Both of them sat down on a nearby wooden bench. Miklas put his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close. She looked at a bush of bright yellow roses behind the bench.

"This place still needs more work. We have so few varieties of flowers. I plan to plant some fruit trees over there, but it's so hard to bring them over here intact. We have so few skilled gardeners too."

"Hey, don't work yourself too hard," Miklas said, putting his palm on her belly. It was unmistakably round under her clothes. "The doctor said stress isn't good for the baby."

"I'm five months along, not nine. I'm fine. Trust me, I love this baby as much as you do," said Amber. She caressed her husband's cheek. "By the way, your parents are coming next week?"

"Yeah. Sorry about last time. They're a bit...baby crazy. They loved children, you know."

"Sure," Amber laughed. "I don't mind though, they're caring folks. I like that. It's good to have family around."

"Of course. I hope mistress won't be bothered by their visiting. Captain Marten is out of town till the end of the month. And she doesn't like being alone. I wish he was here too." He sighed. "It's so hard being in charge of security for an entire city."

"You'll get used to it. I do it all the time."

"I wish I have half of your brain. There are so many things to keep track of."

"You'll learn in time. A big guy like you can do anything."

Miklas smiled. He leaned down to Amber's face and kissed her, his hand running circles on her belly.

"Ooh, I think the baby just kick," Miklas exclaimed.

Amber smiled. "I swear this baby can sense its father's hand." She placed her hands on top of his. "And don't worry about mistress. Tell your folks to bring some boxes of sweet plums. Mistress will forget all about her troubles."

"That's genius. Why didn't I think of that?" Miklas slapped his forehead. Amber giggled.

*-*

The hooded figure left the married couple behind and moved on to the upper floor. He passed by several patrolling soldiers without trouble and sneaked into the main bedchamber.

The room looked mostly the same as the last time he saw it, except that there's evidence of another man living here. He saw articles of men's clothes hanging in the opened wardrobe. And the owner of that wardrobe was sitting by her makeup table, doing her hair up into a bun.

The hooded figure coughed.

The woman turned around. Her eyes met the two glowing yellow slits under the hood. She instantly recognized them.

"My spymaster! You're back. It's been a year already?" Evelyn exclaimed.

"To the day," the Hiss replied. "I'm always on time."

"You get in here without raising any alarm?"

His golden slits did the equivalent of a squint. "That's my job."

"Oh, yes of course. You've gone for so long." Evelyn stood up slowly and faced the Hiss. There's one massive difference about her, or rather, in her: her big round pregnant midsection. She must be at least 6 months along, judging by the size of her belly. The baby bump complimented greatly to her already matronly pre-pregnancy figure. Her body filled out even more and in all the right places. Even though she looked stunning in her maternity clothing, the Hiss's eyes remained motionless.

"Captain Marten is a lucky man," hissed the hooded snake.

"Oh, right." She looked down at her belly. "It's our first child. Wait, how do you know it was his?"

"I always know. I'm ready to take up my post again," the snake sneered curtly.

Evelyn looked as if she didn't expect he'd want to return to his old job. Of course, why else would he be here? He couldn't just leave. She said nothing for a few seconds.

"About that...Look, you've always performed your job admirably all these years, for me and my father. But you might not want to return to your job."

The Hiss's eyes glowered. Evelyn saw those yellow slits dilated. Whether it was from surprise or shock or annoyance, she couldn't tell.

"Why?" the Hiss spat.

"Things have changed around here. The people are happy, and they love me, not like a year ago. Humans and Terravi are actually getting along. Can't you believe that?"

The Hiss made no reply.

Evelyn cleared her throat. "Well, the point is: I'm not in constant danger anymore," Evelyn quickly added. "You don't have to be around to protect me. My husband can do that, or Miklas. I'm safe. There's nothing for you to do here anymore."

"So, you don't need me anymore."

"I didn't say that! Just...um..." Evelyn fiddled her thumbs. "How about this? You go into semi-retirement. If there's a threat to me or my family, I'll call for you."

The Hiss glared at her. Was he angry or were his eyes always glared like that, Evelyn wondered? His unblinking gaze gave her goosebumps.

"You can keep doing what you've been doing the past year," she added. She tried to avoid thinking about the things Hiss could have been doing.

"As you wish," the Hiss spoke after a moment of silence. "You know how to summon me."

"Great. Do I need to sign the contract?"

"No. I'm still under your employment. Simply a change of job description. You have guests."

At that moment, a knock came from the door.

Evelyn turned her head to it. "Just a moment." When she glanced back at the spot where the Hiss had been standing, he was gone. Typical.

"Come in," Evelyn said again. The door opened and Amber walked in, but her husband stopped at the door.

"Mistress, you haven't finished your hair? You have a meeting with a trade delegation in an hour. Not to mention breakfast," chided the pregnant elf girl. She walked by Evelyn's side and picked up a comb.

"I know, I know. Relax, Amber. Those men will make an exception for a pregnant woman."

"They are tradesmen. They only make exceptions for two things: gold and more gold. Come, let me help you."

Miklas stood at the door and watched in amusement at the two women, standing belly-by-belly. He still couldn't believe that Amber and mistress had gotten pregnant at almost the same time.

Miklas closed the door and stood guard outside. Since being elevated to lieutenant, it wasn't his duty to stand guard anymore, but he felt comfortable getting into his old job, even if for only a few minutes.

The sun had risen over Moran. It's going to be a great day.

THE END.

Big thank to everyone who reads, likes, and leaves a comment on my story. I'm off to my cave to write the next one. See you guys next year (maybe).