Divine Harem Ch. 01

The temple was eerily quiet today, with none of the usual activity that you'd expect in it, even this early in the day.

Aswan had arrived here before dawn, dressed in his best armoured kilt, and after grooming himself thoroughly. One must look his best when summoned by a goddess.

The bad part of being this early is that now he had to wait, and he hadn't really brought anything to read or entertain himself with. So, without much to do, he had resigned himself to sitting on one of the benches by the temple's hallway.

With his back firmly against the smooth wall behind him, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a pensive state, not quite aware, not quite asleep, just trying to keep his mind focused and fight off boredom. He was never good with waiting, but you couldn't really rush who had summoned him.

Time seemed to move faster when he was like this, while also allowing him to keep a fair modicum of attention, for his eyes might have been closed, but after years of quests and trials out in the realms he had learned how to take advantage of his keen hearing and sense of smell.

His feline ears twitched as they caught the very soft steps of someone walking into the hallway, hurriedly at first, but then slowing down considerably.

The steps moved closer and closer to him until they stopped almost in front of his body.

After a moment of silence, Aswan opened one of his golden eyes and found a petite figure reaching out to touch him.

It was a young woman with a small, lithe frame, and while Aswan tried his best not to ogle or stare, he found himself taken about how beautiful she was.

Her petite body was only wrapped in the typical white linens of a priestess, and it left little to the imagination of what her figure was. Despite her small frame, she had just enough curves to give her a clearly feminine look, with a decently sized chest and proportional hips, her long slender legs finishing on some cute dainty feet.

Every part of her body that was uncovered shone with the morning light, her beautiful dark bronze skin in stark contrast to the deep blue of her eyes, which shone at Aswan as if framed by her long and well-kept raven black hair.

The leonin warrior had seen many people across the realms, and had indeed seen some breathtaking, even supernatural, beauties, but he was honestly contemplating if she was the most beautiful woman he had ever had the pleasure of meeting

He opened his other eye as she stood there with one hand stretched, paralysed almost as a gazelle that had just spotted a predator, which Aswan found somewhat comical because despite his tough exterior and many battles, he still very much felt like a total softie.

"Am... Sir Aswan?" she asked timidly, still frozen in the same pose.

The warrior couldn't help but find utterly adorable, and hot, how small she was compared to him. She was standing slightly on her tip toes as if trying to reach his mane, despite the fact that he was sitting down.

"That would be me," Aswan answered, doing a little bow with his head and trying his best not to smile or leer at her like a smitten or horny cat.

"So... sorry, I was to come fetch you, but I didn't know if you were asleep..." the lovely priestess said, slowly coming back to a more neutral position.

Aswan beamed her a pleasant smile.

"That's OK, I just keep myself on guard out of habit," he said, trying to relax the atmosphere a bit, "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

"Oh!" said the priestess putting her hands together and doing a small bow with her head in response to his, "my name is Vatiana, and I was asked to come to the temple today specifically to meet with you."

Aswan's face changed to an expression of curious surprise.

"You were summoned here by the goddess too?" he asked.

Vatiana nodded timidly, putting her hands at her back.

"Indeed... I was actually asked to serve as the goddess' voice today," her voice betrayed how nervous she was.

The leonin warrior's surprise kept increasing, for normally such a role would be reserved for a veteran priestess. That said, the goddess sometimes spoke through other means if she felt like it, so maybe there was some reason unknown to him.

"That's such an honour, Vatiana, the goddess must really favour you," he said as he slowly stood up and did a reverence to the priestess.

As he had suspected, she barely made it past his belly, he wondered if sometimes she got confused for a dwarf or a halfling. He found this ridiculously adorable.

She stared at him for a moment before blushing and looking away, slowly extending her hand in the direction of the inner sanctum.

"Pe..please, this way Sir Aswan," she said, trying to hide her face from him.

Aswan nodded and walked down the hallway in the direction she was indicating, trying his best not to smirk, making her have such a reaction made him feel a bit fuzzy inside.

Vatiana walked alongside him, quietly indicating the way, her sandals doing soft clapping sounds against the marbled floor in the quietness of the temple.

The leonin warrior noticed the priestess looking down at his feet.

"Is something amiss, Vatiana?" he asked her, curious.

The lovely priestess stopped in her tracks and looked away, probably blushing again, though Aswan could not see it from this angle.

"Sorry Sir Aswan, I didn't mean to stare," she said clearly nervous, "I just found it curious how your feet barely make a sound despite how big they are compared to mine..."

Aswan smiled at her and leaned sideways on the wall, holding his big left foot over his right knee to show her.

"Leonin like myself have pads so we make very little noise when walking, the downside is that it's difficult to wear shoes with them, a total bother when the floor is messy."

Vatiana stared at them with almost childlike curiosity.

"May... may I touch them?" she said, timidly, "it's my first time meeting a leonin proper, I hope I'm not being rude.'"

Aswan giggled, her cute sweetness making him smile.

"By all means, go ahead," he said, happily.

Vatiana's eyes almost sparkled with joy, and carefully she reached with her soft little fingers, caressing one of his toe pads and gently pressing it.

A delighted smile was drawn on her lovely face.

"They are so soft..." she said with delight.

Aswan laughed again, and slowly stoop up proper again.

"After we're done I can wash them, and you can touch them all you want, hell, I could use with a foot rub!" he said playfully, "your hands felt so amazingly silky too."

Vatiana blushed again, holding her cheeks and nodded at him.

"I would be honoured," she said, to Aswan's surprise.

The warrior couldn't help but laugh at her response, not out of mockery, but because he didn't think his silly comment would elicit such response.

"It's settled then," he said petting the priestess' hair as he felt she would be comfortable with it, "I look forward to a nice foot massage by your lovely hands, Vatiana."

She smiled at him and did a little head bow.

"My pleasure! And please, my friends call me Vati," she said with such a happy smile it would have melted even the icy heart of an elemental.

"Of course, Vati," said Aswan acknowledging her request, "but you must allow me to do something nice for you in return, perhaps I can give you a foot massage as well."

Vati giggled as she once more started gigging him down the hall.

"That sounds very nice..." she said, giddy with excitement.

Not long after, they both found themselves standing at the entrance to the inner sanctum, a thick silken curtain covering its gate.

Behind the curtain there was a beautiful stone arch and the room beyond its threshold was surprisingly barren of decorations, drawing all eyes towards the breathtakingly stunning bronze visage of the goddess.

The statue rested almost by the farthest wall at the back, easily three or four times the size of an average human, and it had been moulded with almost, well, divine precision.

Aswan's godly mistress was represented as a beautiful woman of indeterminate age, perfectly proportioned, and standing in a dynamic pose with one foot in front of the other, as if slowly walking towards something or, perhaps, dancing.

Her gorgeous face smiled with kindness and perhaps a little sultriness, appropriate for one such as the Lady of the Star.

The priestesses had decorated her body with jewellery and silks, and two small incense burners released their sacred smoke on either side of a simple and smooth marble altar that rested just in front of the goddess.

A mixture of dim light from the small windows by the dome covering the ceiling and the vapours released by the incense burners filled the room with an odd yet quiet, ephemeral feeling.

Aswan noticed that Vati had almost frozen in place, perhaps nervous to channel her goddess for the first time, and he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

She seemed startled at first, but quickly her expression switched to a lovely smile as she placed her tiny hand over the one Aswan had on her shoulder.

His hand was huge compared to hers, and the leonin warrior found this unbearably cute.

"Do you know why the goddess has summoned you?" Vati asked, mustering her courage before stepping into the sanctum.

Aswan shook his head, his tail twitching behind him and betraying the fact that he was nervous himself.

"Not a clue..." he said, with honesty, "I hope I haven't done anything to offend the goddess."

Vati rubbed her cheek on his big hand and beamed him another smile.

"I'm sure you haven't, maybe the goddess has an important mission for you!" she said, excitedly.

Aswan couldn't help but to smile back, her attitude rather infectious.

"Perhaps!" he said, giving her a friendly squeeze on her shoulder.

The warrior did a reverence towards the priestess, and extended his arm into the sanctum, bidding her to go ahead.

Vatiana held her hands over her chest and nodded at him with a smile. After taking a big breath, she stepped inside, with Aswan following her closely.

The priestess stood silently in front of the altar, and intoned a silent prayer to herself.

Slowly, she extended her arms and raised her face towards the statue of the goddess.

"Oh, beautiful Lady of the Star, your priestess, Vatiana, has come forward to act as your voice as you requested," she said, in a serious tone, "I willingly and of sound mind humbly offer you my body, so you may act freely in the mortal realm till such a time that you see fit to relinquish it..."

Aswan couldn't help but to hold a deep breath as Vati's words hanged in the room.

Suddenly, and without fanfare, a bright light flashed from Vatiana, and the priestesses arms fell limp to her sides.

Slowly, she turned around to face Aswan, and it became immediately clear it was not Vatiana who was looking back at him.

Her eyes had switched from a deep blue to a radiant golden, and while the rest of her body hadn't changed, she *felt* different... much more secure in her pose, a sultry look on her face...

Aswan, still holding his breath, quickly bent on one knee, bowing his head out of respect for the goddess in front of him.

Without a word, she took a sensual step forward, and held his chin up with just the tip of her fingers, gently making him face her and the infinite depth of her gaze.

She caressed the greying hair on his muzzle with her thumb, making him shiver with such delight his sight went blurry for a second.

"You have matured so well, my beautiful warrior," the goddess said with a giggle, before turning around and walking back towards the altar.

To Aswan's surprise, she sat up on the altar with a graceful movement, crossing her legs seductively as she beaconed him to stand and come forward, which he did, almost as hypnotized.

"My Lady, it's such an honour," he managed to blurt out as he approached, still somewhat flabbergasted that this was even happening.

The goddess giggled and smiled back at him.

"You both are so adorable, it brings my old heart such delight," the goddess said as she rested her head on her left hand, her raven hair cascading to her side like a silken waterfall.

Aswan did not really know what to say, but it was obvious she expected him to start the conversation proper.

"My lady, I have responded to your summons, how can I be of service?" he said, hoping he was not being disrespectful.

The goddess beamed him a smile in response so sweet, sincere and, somehow, lascivious, that empires would have crumbled just to see it.

"No playful flirting? No cute purring? My, my, you must find me really intimidating, huh?" she said.

"Em... I'm sorry, my Lady?" he was not entirely sure what was going on.

She laughed again, making the leonin warrior's heart flutter

"Don't worry, handsome, we can come back to that later," she said, throwing him a wink, "tell me, Aswan, you were thinking about retiring, right?"

He had not mentioned this to anyone yet, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that she knew it.

"This is indeed true, my Lady, I have been adventuring for almost two decades, and I feel it is time for something different..." he said, deciding full honesty was the only possible option here, "do you disapprove?"

She placed one finger on her lips, as if thinking.

"Of course not, sweetie, you have done so much good in my name in the realms, if anything you deserve a big reward!" she said, before her face switched to a more mischievous look, "however... I did want you to undertake a final quest for me..."

Aswan's ears perked up as she said this, for this was something he was more than comfortable discussing.

"My Lady, for you, I'd quest till my dying breath," he said with a fist on his chest.

The goddess smiled as she placed her hands together, almost like a child that had just been told she was getting sweeties.

"Music to my ears! Thought let's not rush into the dying breath thing... mortals like you already have such a short time on this realm, we don't want to hasten that!" she said with pleasant tone, "this quest might take you a while, though."

Aswan was indeed tired of all the travelling, fighting and trouble, but he was good at it, and he could hardly deny his patron. Besides, this could prove to be quite an adventure.

"Just say what you require of me, my Lady, and it shall be done, no matter how long it takes!" he said, full of bravado and genuine excitement.

The goddess grinned and bit her lip sensually, before flicking one of her hands and making what seemed like an illusory image float right next to them.

A vision of some buildings on the side of a cliff by the sea appeared before Aswan, all of them exquisitely built from such great masonry it seemed like they had almost grown from the brown rocky ground. They were enclosed in a small quarter, as it was a big villa or compound of some kind.

"This that you see is the first few buildings on a remote city that I wish to found for my followers and those looking for succour in that side of the realms," she leaned forward as her naughty smiled grew in intensity, "your job will be to... populate it."

Aswan tilted his head in confusion.

"You wish for me to find pilgrims to move to this new city, my Lady?" he said with curiosity.

The goddess laughed loudly, not in mockery but in delight of his cute answer.

"No, no, my dear warrior, those will come on their own once the first few families are thriving there," she said as she beaconed him closer and poked him on his fluffy yet scarred chest, "I want *you* to populate it, the fun way."

He stood in front of her, slack jawed, for a moment.

"If you're going to keep your cute mouth open like that, you might as well kiss me, or maybe I could give you something else to put inside..." the goddess said, caressing his lips.

Aswan quickly snapped back to composure but looked aside for a second, if you could somehow see under his fur, you'd notice he was blushing, which didn't happen often any more.

Yet, a request from a goddess is not something he wished to rebuke.

He lowered his face towards her and kissed her on the lips, timidly at first, but the Lady was having none of it and quickly pulled him closer by his thick mane, making their tongues dance lasciviously into each other's mouths until Aswan was out of breath and more flustered that he had been on his life.

"Always the courageous warrior," she said, licking her lips.

He bowed his head in respect, still dazzled that he had the guts to kiss her like that, facing abominations from the beyond had been less scary.

"I wish for you to find lovers, entice them to move with you to the city, marry them and produce whole clans with them," the goddess said with her cute grin.

The leonin's warrior head was spinning.

"How... how many, my Lady?" he asked, still trying to process what she was asking of him.

"Oh, no number in particular, but don't be afraid to be greedy! I want a nice variety of bloodlines in the city!" she said, almost giddy, with her hands together as if she was about to clap.

Aswan scratched his head with his claws, as he was fond of doing when thinking or confused.

"But, my Lady, if I may... why?" he asked with curiosity overwhelming him.

The goddess tilted her head to one side, her eyes almost piercing through him.

"Some of the reasons I have would take a very long time to explain, I beg you just trust me, for doing this could have very positive ramifications in the far future," she said, "it will also work better if you just focus on the quest I give you, not because I don't trust you with what I plan, but because it would put undue stress on you, and I genuinely want you to enjoy this."

"However, there is also a plain and simple reason why I am doing things this way... I find it very hot and fun," she said, giggling to herself.

"Fu... fun?" Aswan asked.

"Yes, you silly boy, fun! When you have been alive for eons you thrive when you find a fun little project you can do, specially if you can do it in a cool and sexy way!" she said, rubbing her hands, "besides, I wanted to reward you for your services, and I think this will also count as that if all goes to plan."

Aswan knew gods could be fickle and mischievous, some more than others, but he never imagined her speaking like this. Not that he disliked it, she sounded like a naughty grandmother trying to find spouses for her grandchildren, and he found it oddly charming.

"As... odd, as I find your quest, I do not debate your wisdom about it, my Lady, I... accept your quest," he said, bowing to her.

"Excellent," she said with a face that reminded him of a cat about to get a treat.

"I will of course not send you "unarmed" per se, and will give you two blessings to make your quest a success," she said, getting off the altar with a cute little jump.

She pointed in front of her, as if asking him to get closer, so he once more knelt down on one knee so they were facing each other.

Slowly, she started stroking his mane and face with her divinely soft hands, making Aswan almost close his eyes and purr in response.

"My first blessing is one that will help you find those you need..." she said, "if you ever meet someone that you click with and who would be happy in the long or short term with aiding your quest, things will fall into place, feelings will develop and passion will ignite in not days, months or years but minutes or at most hours."

She pressed her lips against his forehead, and a feeling of power as if a torrent of light had shone through his being made Aswan tremble and shiver.

As it passed, he felt almost electrical, as if a healthy dose of confidence had been poured directly into his being.

"Oh, and before you complain, it's no mind control, sweetie, my blessing will not make things flower where there is no "soil" so to speak, it will only work with those that are already predisposed to like our little project, understand?" she asked him as she still caressed his mane.