Chapter 3: A Full and Wondrous Life
{Four Years Later}
{Lys}
It was a peaceful, serene morning in the village of Elmira, home to about 300 ven. This was just one of the many ven villages spread throughout the mystical woodlands of the far west region of Enverna that Lys's people called home.
And yet, that had been changing lately, as Lys had heard.
Rumors of attacks on ven villages had spread throughout their people's communities, with word of these tragic battles roaming from one village to another. There were tales of invaders clad in steel slaughtering any and all ven they could find.
It was terrifying stuff, but it wasn't what Lys had on her mind right now.
No, Lys was currently occupied with her lover's tongue dancing in her mouth.
"Faster," she begged, "please!"
The other woman, another citizen of Elmira with slightly longer, darker, green hair than Lys's own and a curvier, grey body, complied, moving her hand up and down Lys's shaft at a higher tempo.
"Cum for me, Lysena," her lover paused her kiss and whispered into Lys's ear, using her full name, with one hand stroking her and the other fingering her pussy just underneath. "You're so desperate for a release, it's easy to tell~"
And that quickly brought Lys over the top.
Her orgasm made her back arch and her lover grinned when she saw that. Unfortunately, as she hadn't been prepared, Lys did end up staining the table in front of her, with a couple of white drops falling on top of a framed painting of Lys and her wife.
This woman right next to her, however, was not her wife.
"Oh, by the Mother's grace, thank you, Jen."
"You came quickly today," Jen noted, licking her fingers clean and throwing one leg over Lys's lap. "Has Alma not been pleasing you lately?"
Taking deep breaths, Lys reached for a nearby smoothleaf and leaned forwards to wipe away whatever liquids had landed on the table and the dirt floor.
"Alma has been busy with her training, unfortunately," Lys replied, referring to her wife. Her soulmate. The true love of her life and the mother of her child. "We still do it whenever we can but, she's not home often."
"Damn shame," Jen replied, resting her head on Lys's shoulder.
"I'm glad you can keep me company on days like these, though. Whenever Alma's away and Liri's taking one of her naps, things can get pretty lonely around here."
"I'm always happy to keep you busy," Jen responded. "But, I would like it if Alma were able to join in one of these days."
"I'm sure she'd like that too," Lys replied with a laugh. Then, she exhaled deeply and leaned back in her chair. "I have to visit the temple in a little bit. Could you come with me?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot," Jen replied. "Misha and I are going to be visiting one of the Mother Trees tomorrow. We'll be preparing for the journey this evening… In a few different ways."
"Oh? Was that why you kissed me so passionately today? Was this a 'goodbye' sort of thing?" Lys asked with a smile.
"More like a 'until next time' sort of thing," Jen replied playfully.
At that moment, the wooden door leading into Lys's home opened and both ven women looked toward it. Naturally, Lys smiled as she found Alma standing there. Her wife had short grey-green hair and a slightly darker grey body as a result of being out in the sun all day. Dressed in her armor, with a spear on her back, and with sweat rolling down her cheeks, it was clear she'd just returned from her training.
"Hey," Alma greeted them both with a bright smile. Raising one hand, she said, "I'm home."
"Did everything go well? You're back earlier than normal," Lys stated.
"Yes," Alma nodded as she quickly set her things down near the front door. A muscular woman with thick legs and toned arms, every time Lys's eyes fell on her she was reminded of just how lucky she was. "Ah, greetings, Jen," the woman then said, walking over to them.
Alma leaned down and placed a kiss on both Lys's and Jen's lips.
"Greetings," Jen said, without removing her head from Lys's shoulder as Alma continued to take her clothes off. "I must say that armor does look stunning on you."
"The woman makes the armor, Jen. Not the other way around," Alma replied with a smirk, flexing one strong arm.
"I just came, please, no seducing just yet," Lys told her with a chuckle.
"Ah, really? I arrived too late then. Crap."
"Indeed, you did, as tragic as that is. You and I haven't gotten to spend much time together lately. But, for now, I should probably head back home just to make sure the same doesn't happen to me."
"Good luck to you, then," Alma told her.
"Goodbye, both of you. Don't have too much fun without me!" Jen said, as she waved at them and promptly left their home, naked as she was.
"… That woman is so fucking hot," Alma said, as soon as she was gone. "You really do pick them well."
"I'll remind you that she picked me," Lys corrected her. "You're the only one I've ever picked myself."
Alma grinned a toothy smile, bearing her fangs as she walked up to Lys and sat down next to her, taking Jen's spot. Only, this time, Lys got on top of Alma as Jen had been doing previously.
"And I will forever be the luckiest ven in the world because you chose me."
Naturally, the two of them kissed, but, for Lys, it was a different kind of experience to that of kissing Jen. Jen was a good friend but what she and Lys had was purely sexual in nature. When it came to Alma, however, Lys loved her, and that made the kiss all the sweeter.
Alma paused after about a minute and asked:
"Is Liri here? Or are any of the neighbors watching over her?"
"She's asleep in our room," Lys replied, gesturing toward it. "She's been working very hard on her writing. You should see her. The little face she puts on when she focuses is the cutest thing!"
"She's cute all the time," Alma replied with a shrug. "What's really shocking to me is just how quickly she's learned to talk!"
"Ah, you're right!" Lys replied. "She can already hold full conversations! I'm telling you, Alma, I really think we gave birth to some kind of genius."
"It does seem that way," Alma nodded before the two of them settled into a comfortable silence for just a moment. Eventually, Alma sighed and said, "I really do wish I could spend more time with you both."
"Is your training proceeding well, at least?" Lys asked. If it was, then, she didn't mind putting up with her wife's absence. Someday, her spouse could be tasked with defending the village from attackers like the ones she'd been hearing about. She wanted her to be as strong as possible.
"My mentors would say that it is, but, personally, sometimes I wonder if there's more I could be doing. These muscles might look impressive to you and Jen, but, among other warriors, I fear I'm just average."
"… Well, if our standards are high then average isn't bad, right?"
Alma smiled down at her.
"That's not a bad way to see it, I suppose."
As much as Lys would love to remain in that position and cuddle with Alma for the rest of the evening, she had something else in mind.
"Are you going to be sleeping soon?" Lys asked.
"Yes," Alma responded. "I need to get good rest before I head back to the Warrior's Tent for more training tomorrow."
"In that case, I think it's about time I head out."
"Ah, where are you going? Was Jen that good that you're going to chase her back to her home?"
Lys rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I'm heading to the temple, my love. I want to check in with the other priestesses."
"Ah, I see. Careful you don't fall asleep before you get back home."
"It's not that boring."
"It's pretty fucking boring."
"Well, I'm going to be one of those priestesses in the future, so, I hope it isn't."
"It probably won't be. For them, anyway. Your beauty does keep the eyes entertained, after all."
"Goodness," Lys shook her head. "Even now, so many years into our marriage, you still praise me like this."
"You deserve it," Alma replied quickly. "Go ahead, have fun. I'm gonna go to bed."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then, my love. Rest well."
With one more kiss, Lys got up and only put on one article of clothing before walking out of her home. A short skirt. That was generally all ven wore as they moved around. Some, like Jen, were free-spirited to the point where they didn't even bother to put that on, though.
As she walked out into the dirt streets of the village she called home, she immediately ran into friends and neighbors who waved at her and greeted her before she made her way down the street.
She didn't pay too much attention to anything around her, however, as she really wanted to hear from the priestesses. They had warned of change coming. Change that they had seen through the visions the Mother provided them with. Lys merely wanted to come and pray for the health of her daughter, but, if they'd heard something recently, she hoped to hear about it as well.
So, she made a beeline straight for it. The Temple of the Mother, located at the center of the village, so that all ven, no matter what part of the village they lived in, could easily access it.
The buildings in Elmira weren't too big, generally speaking, but the Temple was massive. A wide space with no doors and no walls, only pillars holding up the roof and allowing all to enter it. Inside were several rows of wooden benches and a single statue of the Mother up ahead, where a few priestesses were praying right now.
Lys approached them. One saw her coming and smiled warmly at her.
"Greetings, child," an older woman said as Lys went to give her a hug. "Blessings of the Mother be given to you."
"To you as well."
"Is your daughter doing alright?" The priestess asked. "You haven't taken her to the temple in a bit."
"She's alright. Curious about everything around her, as every child is," Lys replied with a giggle. "I will take her to the temple again soon, though. Promise."
"Take your time with her," the priestess said as the two of them walked toward the altar. "She's got her whole life in front of her. Enjoy these years, you don't know how precious they are until they're gone."
"I understand."
"No, you really don't," the lady replied with a laugh. "But you will. For now, go ahead and get your prayers in."
"Thank you."
With that being said, Lys walked up to the altar and kneeled at its side, by a few other priestesses whose hands were still clasped together. She didn't have to think about what she wanted to pray for. These days, it was usually the same thing.
"Mother Spirit Alteria, please, protect my daughter. If these rumors are true and our kind truly are in danger, then… Please, allow her to live a full and wondrous life."
---
Eventually, Lys said her goodbyes and went back home. By the time she had left, the sun had been going down. As she returned, the moon of Nihl was high in the sky, casting its sapphire-white rays down onto the village.
Just in case her wife was awake, Lys called out:
"I'm home." She didn't say it loudly, though, because she did not want to wake her if she had gone to sleep already.
Walking into her bedroom, Lys found a candle lit by the side of her bed, and her wife sleeping peacefully with her daughter in her arms. Their green hair meshed together in their embrace, as Alma's grey arms wrapped themselves around Liri's slightly brighter body. The sight brought a smile to her face.
[… I will do everything I can to raise you right,] she promised to the child. [You will do glorious things in this world. I know you will.]
Weekly Power Status
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