Bard's Tale 05 - Bk 02 - Westward Ho

Suddenly understanding filled her face and she blushed with shame. "No, there wasn't. Not then and not now. When Mom and Mother Galamindol and Mother Charmain visited, you saw how close they were, even to finishing each others' sentences. They adore Dad, but they love each other, too."

"You love your sisters, do you not?" he prompted. "You want them to be happy?"

The bard chewed on her lower lip, blushing. "I do. I just saw how happy you and Tahna were and... and I felt left out."

"So tell me, my lovely songbird, what's the secret of your mothers and your father happily living decades together?"

"They share." Then her face crumpled and tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get jealous! My heart's been empty for so long and I can't get enough of you! If I'm not making love to you, I want to keep touching you. Sometimes... sometimes I'm afraid I'll wake up and it'll all have been a dream."

"Goddess save me if you ever get enough of me." Reison pulled her in tighter and she buried her face into his chest, sniffling. He kissed the top of her head and gave her a squeeze. "It's been a whirlwind for me, too, yet it's all real, I assure you. I love you true, Mindal Theláyna Landers Whisper Wind. I could have never have imagined how much I could come to love someone so much in so short a time, much less three amazing women. Yet here I am."

Then he lifted her chin and kissed her gently. "Each of you fills a distinctive place in my heart. Tia is my wise friend and generous helpmeet. When I hold her, it feels like I'm home. My beautiful Tahna stirs my passion as my mate. I want to make her howl with yearning and pleasure and I want to howl with her. You, lovely Mindal, are my teacher and soul mate. We share a deep connection together. I need each of you in my life. We are going to the capital to start our new life together. You are my wife and you are going to have my baby. That child and all the others that you and I have together will be part of you and part of me. Tia and Tahna will not only share that with me, but they will also share being a mom. I don't know how it's all going to work out, but Tia says it will and that's good enough for me. Mindal, are you happy being my wife?"

"More than anything," she whispered. Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her cheek against his chest. "You saved my music. You saved me."

"Each of you has given me the beginnings of your own unique and distinct songs." He brushed away the tears from her cheek, then gestured for Tahna to approach. As Tahna nestled on the other side, he told her, "You have two sisters who love you dearly, Mindal. Focus on what you have, not on what you don't."

He kissed Mindal and she responded eagerly. Then he kissed Tahna with verve.

"Love isn't finite," he told the bard when they broke apart. "The more you give, the more you get."

"I love you, little sister," Tahna murmured, startling the bard by the embrace from behind. "Sharing him won't always be easy, but we have our parents as an example of what to do. Reison's right. We all need each other. Each of us has needs and yet each provides unique gifts to our family. I still have my times of doubt, too."

Shifting around until they stood close, their foreheads touching, Mindal said, "I really love you both, but another second of this cloying sweetness, and I'm going to gag. Now that we're up close, I notice that you both seriously smell of horses."

The monk suddenly got a playful look on her face, grabbing her sister. "Oh, no! We're getting horse cooties on her!" Tahna rubbed her chest against Mindal. "Here! Since you were feeling left out, you can smell like a horse, too!"

"Tahna, stop that!" Then she gave Reison a long-suffering look. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help?"

He grinned mischievously. "Oh, but of course!" Holding her waist, he rubbed against the bard as well. "Have more horse cooties, Mindal! I've got plenty!"

"He-e-e-r-r-e, Mindal. Have some m-o-o-o-re," Tahna said, drawing out her words like a horse whinny.

"Hey, that's not what I meant! Ack!" Then she started laughing and the other two joined in. "You maniacs! Now I smell like a horse, too. Gah! You guys are awful, you know that?"

"You're the bard with the clean cantrip," Tahna replied, laughing. "Don't like the smell, then fix it. And while you're at it, you could clean us up, too."

Mindal pouted. "Well, I would, but I'm still sandwiched between the two of you."

"Well, if that's the case..." Tahna stepped back.

Mindal looked at her sister with exaggerated disappointment. "Where are you going, Tahna? I wasn't done being sandwiched."

Laughing and giggling, the two sisters turned and rubbed against their husband between kisses. After a few minutes, all three were laughing so hard, it was all they could do to just stand and hold each other upright.

Once they were calmer, Tahna asked, "Done yet, little sister?"

Mindal put her hand to her chin, then shook her head. "Nope. Need more kisses."

Snickering, Tahna said, "Oh, if it's kissing, then I need more, too."

Reison happily obliged. Without any real plan, the sisters took turns savoring his lips. When he was focused on one sister, the other nibbled along his jaw and neck.

"Ahem!" the third familiar feminine voice called out.

While Tahna and Reison kissed, Mindal turned and looked. "Oh, hi, Tia."

The priestess stood watching them, her arms folded across her chest. "I thought I told you to find our sister and husband and tell them to get cleaned up for dinner."

"They were giving me horse cooties so I wouldn't feel left out," Mindal explained. "Want some?"

"Horse cooties?" Chuckling, Tia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I don't. If you three are done horsing around, please get cleaned up because dinner's ready. I'll collect my fair share of kisses from Reison later." Then shaking her head with amusement, she strode back to their campsite.

"I guess we were busted," Tahna said.

"Looks like," Reison agreed.

"Had fun, though," Mindal added.

"Most definitely," the monk concurred.

"Do it some more later?" the bard asked.

"Even more definitely," Tahna said, giving Reison an arch look. "But it doesn't have to be about horses. I'm sure we can find something that's fun to do with the husband."

With a wife on each arm, he just laughed as they headed to wash up.

* * * * *

Part 2 -- Through the Eyes of a Child

* * * * *

For the next week, they traveled, keeping their eyes open for trouble.

At evening's start, the young half-elf and his wives took advantage of the men-at-arms keeping watch to indulge in plenty of after-hours intimacy. The monk enjoyed the frantic, explosive coupling with her husband and the bard thrived on the longer, slower penetration that followed. The priestess loved the gentle wake up in the early morning hours, spooned from behind; moaning as his hands were busy with her breasts and rubbing her mound while his shaft stretched the length of her needy pussy. With Tia's spells to ensure their privacy, all three women enjoyed the worked-over feeling between their legs during the day, though sometimes Mindal and Tahna traded off riding horseback if the previous evening had been especially vigorous.

The weather cooperated with making their travel an easy journey, though, after five days, the sky became partially cloudy.

Aside from some cattle and other harmless encounters, they continued their westward trek. It wasn't all passionate lovemaking. Tia and Anya's cook made the evening meal while the others took care of business. In the evenings, a simple spell from Anya created a jack's trench which was covered over the next morning before leaving.

While some men-at-arms kept watch, others tended to their gear while Mindal taught her husband new songs or they practiced duets together. Sometimes all three sisters were convinced to sing with Reison, and the resultant harmonies were received very well indeed by their fellow travelers.

Of interest to Anya was her daughter's fascination with Reison. After hearing him sing after their first night in camp together, Dalyanni seemed obsessed by everything he did or said. On the second evening, he showed her the string game of the cat's cradle, spending over an hour patiently going over how to handle the fingering with Dalyanni. Whenever she managed to convince her mother to allow the little girl to hang out, Mindal taught Reison some additional songs for children, and they practiced together. This personal attention by two adults, of course, delighted the blonde girl.

Dalyanni, for her part, was unfailingly polite with the young half-elf, though it did seem to cause her daughter to be distracted. It was more fun to play. Still, the mage didn't want her to break her study habits too much; it would be more problematic after they reached the capital and tried to resume a regular schedule. Not wanting to be too demanding a task-mistress, Anya didn't struggle too hard against her daughter's desires. Yet she also knew that Reison was trying to learn some things like music theory from his wife, and those times bored her daughter, resulting in unwelcome interruptions, causing the nanny or Anya to step in.

Mindal managed to teach Reison some sleight-of-hand tricks. The bard was impressed with how quickly he caught on. When he tried them, the young girl had been astounded by coins coming out of her ears, vanishing, and then reappearing again. Or even when Reison had a coin disappear behind one ear, the child entranced, and then Mindal reached behind his other ear, producing the silver coin. With a wink to the mother, she gave the coin to the girl, who spent several minutes playing with it, trying to make it disappear without success.

The relationship of the three sisters with Reison, too, had captured the child's attention. Dalyanni had never seen a poly-marriage up close and paid attention to how he gave each woman shoulder and foot rubs and other affections, or when the three of them showered him with loving attention, laughing as they peppered him with kisses.

On the fourth day, after having been told once again that all three women were married to the same man, Dalyanni became thoughtful. The next day, she asked for and received permission to get a hug from Reison before going to bed.

The sisters were amused and charmed by Dalyanni's interest. Anya was surprised by the request, assuming it was a passing infatuation.

On the evening of the sixth day of travel, Dalyanni couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. A wife sat on each side while the third sat on the ground at Reison's feet, his arms comfortably wrapped around her as she leaned against him. At this time, the woman in the middle was Mindal, and she was clearly enjoying his back rub and his kisses along her neck. When he was done, the bard laid contentedly against him as he gave Tia a lingering kiss. Then she watched him deliver a similarly heated kiss to Tahna.

"Reison?" the child said. "How come you kiss them like that?"

"Because I love them, these sisters three," he answered, gazing at each of them in turn. "They are amazing and wonderful."

There were smiles from many of the adults at his answer. Anya herself exchanged an amused glance with Tia.

"Do you like me?" Dalyanni asked him.

Shifting his attention, Reison nodded seriously. "Yes, I do."

"Are we friends?"

He glanced to Anya first, who gave him a short nod of agreement. "I'd say so. I like you and you like me. Being friends sounds like a perfect solution. Why not?"

"Will you be my dad?"

Anya immediately sputtered, choking on her tea.

The sisters were likewise startled, their attention on Reison and the young girl. As Anya worked on clearing her throat, she noticed there were many interested in her reaction, some being more discreet than others.

Reison gave a thoughtful look before he replied. "That's an awfully big decision, Dalyanni. It's natural for anyone to want both a mom and a dad, especially to want parents that are loving to each other as well as to their child. I am honored by your request. However, this is a big decision and you need to talk to your mother first."

"It's okay 'cause mama likes to kiss."

"Dalyanni! Stop that nonsense at once!" Anya abandoned trying to wipe up the spilled liquid and stood up. Not that she didn't like Reison or the three sisters, but where was this coming from?

Confusion and hurt crossed Dalyanni's face. "Mama?"

Anya immediately regretted her outburst, but it had been said, and she didn't want to appear weak to her own child.

Normally loathe to interfere with a parent and child, Tia briefly held up her hand as the girl had involved their husband, and indirectly Tia and her sisters. Anya automatically sat back down.

The priestess hoped a calmer approach would provide some answers. "Dalyanni, why do you want Reison to be your dad?"

"Because I like him and he gives good hugs," the child answered. "Sometimes he plays games with me, too."

"Those are good reasons," Tia acknowledged. "But what about your mother?"

Before Anya could scoop up her daughter, her little girl's reply took the wind out of her sails, filling her heart with sadness and a large dose of loneliness.

"He giving all of you babies and you're all so happy. He could make Mama happy with kisses and give her a baby, too. I could have brothers and sisters to play with an' we could all live together."

Tia said gently, "Having babies is a very serious matter, Dalyanni. It's good you want your mom to be happy, but there are a lot of other people's feelings involved in your wish. I think you should give Reison his goodnight hug and then get ready for bed."

After Dalyanni gave her a hug, Anya stood and carried her child, wordlessly departing to their tent.

Later, when most of the camp had retired for the night, and Beri keeping a watchful eye on her daughter, Anya returned to the campfire. They moved a short distance away and Tia cast circle of privacy. Seated side by side, Tia brewed chamomile tea, which Anya automatically accepted, grateful to have something in her hands.

Anya couldn't even look the priestess in the eyes. "I am so sorry about tonight, Mother Tia! I am positively mortified."

"Don't be. She knew what she was asking for. In her mind, such things are black and white, and even complex relationships are easy to solve. Notice, too, her idea of having other children around is so she has more playmates. Did she have some friends that she had to leave behind?"

"Yes. I explained that they had to stay with their parents."

"Not having had siblings of her own, she has never experienced having to share her mom with anyone else like a daddy -- or her toys with brothers and sisters."

Anya sighed. "Most of the time I am happy to see she's so strong-willed, but she has no filter."

"If you're worried about us being offended, don't be. All of us understood that she's young and wants things without understanding there are strong feelings and consequences involved."

"But that request came out of nowhere!"

"Are you so sure about that? She's been quietly asking questions, like where we are traveling and why. Especially to Reison and my sisters. She knows Reison is going to study music and that as his wives, we are going to the capital to make a home and to have his babies. At her age, having a baby doesn't even register as a big deal. In her mind, it's like putting on a jacket because you're cold, or opening the door to an empty bedroom and finding a child to love inside -- something as simple as discovering a new toy. She's been paying attention to how affectionate we are with our husband, too."

"That, I am aware of," Anya admitted. "Still, I'm sorry she put your husband on the spot that way. He was very respectful of her feelings and I'm grateful for that. Please tell him I said so."

Tia smiled. "Yes, he did handle that remarkably well, didn't he. It's time like this it's easy to forget just how young he is. As old as my sisters and I are, we may be a little more prepared for the unexpected, but once we actually have our children, I have no doubt we will get our own surprises. As for Reison, maybe you begin to see how we all fell so hard and so quickly for him."

At encouragement from the priestess, they both took sips of tea. "You must take credit as well, Anya. You've done an admirable job raising Dalyanni by yourself, even with having your staff and your parents lending a hand. You're the mom and you're involved in your girl's life. Children look to their parents for love, for nourishment, and for correction. Parents are also role models. Parents of the same sex teach us how to act. Parents of the opposite sex teach us what to look for in a future lover and spouse. Children learn as we interact with them, but they also deeply absorb how adults interact with each other. For a little girl, the qualities exhibited by a father or father figure are imprinted as the most desirable traits to look for when they are grown. When your own father was around, your mother told me he sometimes spent time with Dalyanni. She loves her grandpa, but he has obligations and wasn't always able to be around. A child with a single parent may be loved and cherished, but on his or her own, they may find it difficult to establish a stable relationship when they are older until a good sense of self is achieved. That sort of imprinting often runs strong and quite deep for all of us."

The mage sighed. "Dalyanni hasn't seen a lot of affection between adults, and her interactions with other children have been rare. Admittedly, rarer than I'd prefer. I fear for her socialization skills. My parents aren't shy with their affections, but they are careful with how much they show in public. Even at home, they didn't grope each other when I was growing up. Some noblewomen hire wet nurses for their infants, but my mother, bless her heart, made sure I knew how important it was for me to do that for my child. She stressed over and over how it would strengthen our bond. If my little girl is lonely and says she is plain as day, part of that is my fault. I'm probably over-protective."

She looked at Tia. "And I've never seen anything other than kissing and hugging from any of you. Sometimes a lot more tongue than I'm personally comfortable with, but you're newlyweds. But my little girl's right. When you kiss and hug each other, you positively glow with passion. It never occurred to me that she would ask about the kissing and hugging and equate that with happiness."

Giving Anya a smile, Tia said, "It's not such a stretch because we are happy, Anya. Your child is correctly assessing the reactions and feelings of others. She's almost six? She's actually ahead of the normal development curve. That means like her mama and her grandma, she's going to be brilliant. I'm happy for you both. So what do you want to do about the elephant in the room?"

"What?"

"Your daughter has asked to become part of our family. Indeed, she asked for us to include you as well. How do you feel about that?"

"With all due respect, Mother Tia, Dalyanni is my child. I love her! I'm not giving her up."

"No one has asked you to," the priestess responded. "And that only answers part of my question. Your child seems to think merging our households would be a good idea. You are the mom. What do you feel about this?"

Anya immediately shook her head. "No. I don't know your husband very well. He seems to be a great guy. Cheerful, polite, attentive. But I hardly know him enough to spread my legs so he can breed me. More important to me, I know you and your sisters. Knowing how old you are? I grew up with all three of you already adults in my life. He has my admiration because I couldn't adjust to that. I would feel like I was a child butting into your long-established family dynamic."