Chapter 9:
Anxious Deliberation
While humans were required to participate in every facet of Aegis training it was widely understood that the unique abilities of monster girls, combined with their general aversion to lost-tech, excused them from a great deal of it.
This meant that while Nameless was in classes with the other cadets his girls were largely left to their own devices, though the Aegis offered numerous training outlets to allow them to improve themselves however they saw fit.
Nina was using the free time to train Milly, while Volka spent a great deal of her days in the library, updating her knowledge of history and geography.
When not practicing with the Amazons or the Valkyrie, Erica took a lot of naps.
Meanwhile, Ophelia was in a mostly empty classroom working with a stocky woman to fill a critical niche within their budding Aegis team.
“Good, then you apply pressure above the injury.”
“Alright.” The Flutterby said, her face screwed up in concentration; “Now what?”
Brooke Merlot, the senior medic training her, shrugged.
“Now nothing. You’ve stopped the bleeding, so wait for someone who can take care of the rest.”
“A Dryad?”
The instructor let out a sharp laugh and shook her head of straw coloured hair.
“Dryad’s aren’t so common we can rely on them one hundred percent of the time. But in any case you wait on someone who can stitch up the injury, or sure, someone who can close it with nature magic.”
Ophelia felt a little tinge of apprehension before asking the obvious question.
“What if there isn’t anyone?”
This earned her a level look, Brooke’s humour forgotten.
“This is Advanced First-aid, not Advanced Triage. I have you for a few weeks so there is only so much I can teach you. If someone is hurt bad enough and no one comes to relieve you, it’s because you are way out in the sticks somewhere, and are therefore fucked, or there are too many other injured to take care of, in which case everybody is fucked.”
“That isn’t very comforting.”
“I just tell it like it is.”
Their training finished, Ophelia’s instructor took up the mannequin they had been practicing on and stored it in a long cupboard against the wall.
She turned back to her protégé, her lips pursed and her brow slightly furrowed.
“I have to ask, what is a Flutterby doing taking my course? Shouldn’t you be off having a tea party or organizing a luncheon or something?”
This time it was Ophelia’s turn to titter into her hand.
“We aren’t all like that! I have spent the last twenty five years working either in the slums of Algrade or with orphaned children in Kettering. And while I won’t say no to a nice cup of tea, I have no problem getting my hands dirty.”
“Fair enough. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind taking the time away from trying to teach those meat-headed cadets how to work a bandage, but I was surprised when you asked me for this.”
The Flutterby’s expression turned pensive.
“In recent months, my bond-mate and one of my bond-sisters both came very close to dying. And while I cannot throw a punch or swing a weapon, I refuse to be helpless any longer. If you will allow me, I will continue to learn, so that the next time somebody I loves decides to pick a fight with a Chimera I can do more than simply stand by and wring my hands!”
“Whoa, easy now. Point taken. Maybe you should sign up for Advanced Triage, you’d have to take it alongside that chatty Ginger kid though.”
Ophelia sighed as her eyes grew distant, finally she nodded.
“I probably will, I’ll discuss it with my bond-mate later today.”
“The little guy right? The one with... shall we say, special qualities?”
“He is quite well-endowed yes.”
Brooke’s eyes boggled before she burst into laughter at the indelicate statement.
“Not that! His other special quality.”
“I’m certain I don’t know what you mean.” Ophelia said tartly.
The instructor chuckled some more.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not going to run my mouth. His secret is out though. If it’s any consolation the ones who are in the know are smart enough to keep it private, as much as they can anyways.”
Ophelia sighed pensively as she nodded.
“And I appreciate that. My love has suffered enough.”
The medic scratched her jaw as she looked the Flutterby up and down.
“You’re a lot more steel wool than sugar and spice aren’t ya?”
“How flattering.”
“It was meant to be.”
Ophelia spent a few more minutes asking a few specific questions regarding first aid, but then a wave of anxiety overtook her from her bond-mate and seeing her disctracted Brooke sent her on her way.
Later that day, after they had completed their various training, they were all back in their room. Soon Milly was milked by her guilty bond-mate, after which Nameless informed them of his disastrous encounter with Escrya.
With his empathic abilities, he understood perhaps better than anyone that you couldn’t realistically keep secrets from monster girls that were bonded to you.
Once they had all of the information there were numerous shared looks as they processed it.
Eventually someone spoke up.
“She loves you.” Volka commented.
He shifted uncomfortably, well aware of how all of the Amazons felt about him.
“Yeah, and I’m fond of her too, she has always-”
Before he could finish though, she shook her head.
“Not like the others. They cherish you for finding me, and it makes my heart soar that you are so valued by them. But Escrya loves you. She was intrigued with you before you found me, as teller for her people yours is a compelling story after all, but when you returned to her village with my shield...” She trailed off, her meaning clear.
He looked to see the other girls regarding him and he didn’t know what to say. He knew she was right of course, how could he not with what had happened earlier? But knowing she was right and knowing what to do about it were two very different things.
Volka sighed when she realized a response wasn’t forthcoming, but it was Ophelia’s turn to speak.
“Dearheart, do you remember what her mother said in their village? What Alcaia said?”
Sitting on the edge of their bed, her wings fluttered behind her slightly as she crossed her legs.
He struggled for a moment, but the whole trip into the wilds seemed like it was decades ago, so much had happened since.
Seeing him drawing a blank she opted to refresh his memory.
“She advised that it might be a good idea to bond with an Amazon. To keep the others at bay, I think was how she put it. Though there was certainly more to it than that!”
He nodded slowly as the memory resurfaced.
“Yeah, I remember, we talked about it when we were considering bonding with Kar.”
His Flutterby tilted her head slightly before continuing.
“Alcaia wanted to forge a connection between you and the Amazons, a way to link you to them forever. Technically, Escrya and the other Saenga girls that came with us all offered you their heartstones. Well, except Myrina, but I think that is because she still feels somewhat guilty for insulting you in the wilds.”
“Okay, but that’s-”
“And you never responded to any of them, did you?” Erica said slowly as realization struck.
A red flush crept up his cheeks as he thought about it, and his mouth worked trying to find words to defend himself.
“Dumbass.” Nina snorted.
The Gigas was lying in bed, her arms behind her head and eyes hooded as she followed the conversation.
Ophelia got up and moved in front of him, a hand resting on either of his shoulders as he looked into her non-judgmental eyes.
“I think it’s alright, at least for most of them. Like Volka says, they love and cherish you, and want you to be safe and happy.” She frowned and slowly shook her head; “But none of them feel for you what Escrya does. As strong as she might comport herself, she’s still a girl waiting for a boy to respond to her feelings, one way or another.”
“And you sent her away without an answer.” Volka finished with a slight wrinkle to her brow.
Beet red, Nameless was feeling pretty cornered by his bond-mates.
“That’s enough!” Milly broke in when she picked up on his emotions through their bond; “You’re making him feel bad!”
“No Milly. They’re right.” Nameless brought her braid up to his lips and kissed her heartstone to reassure her; “I should have been clear with her.”
“About what you want?” Nina interjected in a neutral tone as she sat up on the bed.
He nodded.
“And what do you want dearheart?” Ophelia lowered her face slightly closer to his, trapping his muddy brown eyes with her violet gaze.
His response was incredulity.
“Wh-what do you mean? I have five bond-mates!”
Erica stood up and placed a hand on Milly’s shoulder, forestalling the Minotaur’s complaints.
“That isn’t an answer lover.”
He blinked rapidly as stressful tears filled his eyes.
He didn’t know what he wanted, but he knew what he didn’t want.
“I-I don’t want to hurt her.” He whispered.
Erica rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her breasts.
“That’s still not-”
Abruptly he tore free of Ophelia’s arms and rounded on the surprised Katje.
“I don’t know! I don’t know what I’m supposed to say! To her, or to you!”
He regretted his outburst as quickly as it came on, but the pressure he could feel from the girl’s hearts was getting to be too much.
They wanted to know what he felt, but he didn’t know.
“Master...” Milly said with one hand reaching out towards him hesitantly.
“I love her.” He said simply; “I love them all, who wouldn’t? They’re always so kind to me, putting me before themselves. How am I supposed to tell them no when they give up everything for me? I don’t want to hurt any of them like that!”
Abruptly Volka’s translucent wings of gold were wrapped around him from behind as her arms encircled his waist.
“I know, my love. We know, how you feel, I mean. It is fair to say you feel like denying their affections would be tantamount to denying them altogether.” She sighed, her warm breath ruffled his hair as his emotions stilled in the glory of her embrace; “And you rightly feel that they deserve better than that.”
He leaned back against her breasts with a huff as he wiped the moisture from his eyes.
“I don’t get why you all had to come at me about this now, with so much else going on.” He complained.
Volka bit his ear, causing him to yelp.
It wasn’t a sexy bite, it was a bitey bite.
“Self-pity doesn’t become you, Husband. Wear it again at your peril.” Her hot breath washed over his tender lobe as she chastised him.
He rubbed at his ear, still trapped by her wings.
“Alright! But no more biting! That really hurt!”
She clicked her teeth together sharply next to his ear, making him flinch in her arms.
“Fine. But back on topic. I think Alcaia was right.”
Stunned silence filled the room.
“Uh... what the fuck?” Erica said.
“I think Alcaia was right.” She repeated firmly; “He should take an Amazon to wife. And indeed we intended to, with Kar, but she was stolen from us.”
All of their thoughts darkened as they turned towards the circumstances of her death.
“Now, with Kar gone, Escrya struggles. She wants to be with you, with us. But she doesn’t dare try to take Kar’s place. And indeed that is what she fears most, as you discovered today. So the question for you is: can you love her for who she is, totally and honestly?”
“I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.” He muttered, but again Volka’s teeth clacked next to his ear so he spoke up; “Look, this is all super important, I get that, and I promise I’ll think about how I feel and stuff. But Escrya isn’t here now so it’s not like I can go and break her heart right this second.”
“Is that what you want to do? Break her heart?” Milly asked, as surprised as the others by the rapid shift away from what Volka was suggesting.
He turned in his Valkyrie’s arms to look at the gentle Minotaur.
He was the only one in the room that knew the truth about her. Not even Erica, who knew her best, suspected.
They’d all seen her jealousy before, but he had long since found the root of it.
Deep down, deeper than the cow-girl had ever been able to admit, there was a part of her that wished she had him all to herself.
She loved her bond-sisters, especially Erica with all they had been through together, but even then she held on to the tiniest spark of absolute possessiveness for him.
And as much as he cared for Escrya and the other Amazons, he wouldn’t do anything that might risk bringing that out in her again.
The Minotaur’s eyes widened as she felt what he felt, came face to face with it, in herself and in his shared emotions through their bond.
Seeing and feeling the turmoil within her, he forcefully pulled himself out of Volka’s embrace and took a few steps towards his devoted Minotaur.
“Milly I-”
She gasped out a sob, causing the others to look to her suddenly with alarm as her hands came to her mouth.
“M-Master I am so sorry!”
He had his arms around her moments later.
“It’s not your fault baby!” He insisted; “I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to share you with another man, let alone four! I’ve put you in an impossible position!”
She slumped to the floor and he went down with her while the others exchanged confused and slightly panicked looks.
The guilt welling up in her had him diving into her mind without a second thought.