I awoke to see that both Sardura and Sarduna were clinging to me, wearing cute and serene expressions as they slept.  They were pressing in from all sides, my arms locked in place by their bodies, they were imprisoning me in their embrace.

Despite the comfortability I started waking the two up.  After a few nudges with my shoulders, I got them up, yawning and stretching seductively.  Finally released I could start stretching with them, last night’s fun left me stiff and these two squeezing me didn’t help my sore muscles.

“So Sardura, going to check on the flock today?”  I asked rather nonchalantly.

“Uh…Not today!”  Sardura responded with a certain amount of shock.  “Umm…actually could you go and get some ingredients for us?” 

“Really?”  Something is off about Sardura today. 

“Yes, I-I was thinking of making a special meal today.”  She was still acting a little frantic as she spoke.  “So please.”

“Sure.”  I said while moving to get dressed. 

“A special meal?  Maybe I should help Yuri, make it easier.”  Sarduna interjected.

“N-No.  There’s…something I need you to help me with before we can prepare dinner.”  Sardura stopped her sister from leaving with a mildly panic expression.  I didn’t think much on it and finished getting ready.

Once dressed I head out into the village.  My mind immediately reviewing what had just happened.  Sardura is definitely acting weird, she didn’t send me randomly wandering around on my own in the past week yet now here I am.  And how she kept Sarduna from leaving with me, just more obvious something is going on.  It must have to do with how I dealt with the lion yesterday.

At least now I have some idea of what my Blessings are.  Howling at beasts and commanding them, so far not much but I can work with this.  I just wish I knew more about how to control my Blessings, how to practice and make use of them.  If only the Dragon-Goddess had explained to me what they were in detail and how to use them.

But she is my patron and I need to carry out her dictates, in order to do that I would need to leave this mountainous village and resume exploring this world.  I’m not even sure what I’m going to do, or how to fight the Dragon-Goddess’s enemies.  I know Sardura has offered to let me stay with her and Sarduna but I must work towards my patron's goals

“Excuse me, but are you Sardura’s guest?”  The sudden question startling me out of my thoughts.

Looking around I found a woman standing a short distance from me.  She wore a long wool made dress adorned with decorative patterns, relatively simple but still more intricate than what I’ve seen around this village and had long blonde hair.  This unknown woman was waving at me from a doorway, trying to get my attention.

“Yes, you need me?”  I called back at her.

“Oh, I just wanted to know how you were fairing?  You must have had an exhausting night, right?”  The woman started asking in a teasing manner. 

“Huh?”  Something about the way this woman is talking seems to have an implied meaning.   After all what is she going on about ‘exhausting night,’ while technically true how does she know about that?  And the way she said it sounds…odd, as if she’s making an insinuation that I’m not sure I like.  Well, no matter what’s going on she’s very keen on prying into my personal life and I want to know why.

“What are you talking about?”

“You haven’t been told yet?”  She sounded surprised while asking.  “It’s joyous news certainly, Sardura had been directed by the clan elders to claim your virtue.  Then she will take you as her wife thereby formally bringing you in as a member of our clan.” 

Her words made me completely speechless, I could feel my face heating up.  Sardura, ‘claim’ me, and make me her wife.  First off, the idea of Sardura ‘claiming’ me is laughable after how I left her panting and moaning last night, but also why are these elders' issuing orders about me?  Something is wrong about this.

I took several steps towards this woman.  “Who are you and why are you involving yourself in my business?”  I ask angrily.

“Oh please, don’t be so ill-tempered.  I’m the priestess of this shrine, and one of Sardura’s cousins.”  She stepped to the side showing me what lay beyond the entrance, there was a room with an alter and small statue.  “I was simply curious, on when you would formally join our clan.  But it’s naturally my ‘business’ as both family and a servant of our patron who’ll be the one to induct you into the worship of our clan’s patron goddess.”

“Patron…Goddess?”

“Yes.  Haous, the mistress of the indomitable Sky.”  The woman said reverently.

‘Most of other girls I’ve summoned have themselves joined the enemy… If you wish to retain my favor don’t be like them.’  The words of the Dragon-Goddess resounding in my head, reminding me of the threats arrayed against me.  This clan is in service to one of the goddesses I’ve been sent to fight.  If I were to join them wouldn’t that be the same as serving their patron…and betraying mine.  But what of Sardura and Sarduna, they’ve been of so much relief for me and I enjoy their company, I don’t know what to do.

“Anyway, since I’ll be the one to preside over your marriage ceremony, I wanted to know the progress of your relationship with Sardura.  How about you join me for a drink, we can discuss the future ceremony while I go over the details of the clan's responsibilities to Haous.  Particularly the duties expected of every clanswoman.”  She continued prattling off on her own when I was preoccupied with my own thoughts.

I need to get away from this woman.  She is a priestess of the enemy, and I cannot remain here with her any longer.  So, I took a couple of steps back, only for my back to smack into something.  Looking over my shoulder I found that it was the chieftain Makuri. 

“Hello Yuri, how are you doing today?  Are you interested in learning about our patron?”  She said cheerfully. 

I immediately found this weird.  Since when did Makuri take so much interest in me.  When I first arrived here she was straight up bored with my presence, but now she’s here striking up a conversation with me.  It’s almost like…she’s blocking me.

I immediately turned to leave, there’s no way I’m going to sit around talking to such suspicious people.

Makuri jumped out blocking my path.  “Hold on, where do you think you’re going?  You’re being rude not answering our questions.  We’re concerned about the clan’s future here!  So now we’ll all settle down inside and have a thorough inquiry.”

…No!  I’m not staying here with these two, period.  I quickly jump around Makuri and bolt as fast as I could. 

---

 

Makuri and the priestess both watched Yuri dash away with a certain amount of resignation.  They turned to stare at each other, sharing a sigh at the lost opportunity.

“So, what did you learn?”  Makuri’s question broke the short silence.

“Not much.  She didn’t answer any of my questions, and you saw how she reacted to our attempts to interrogate her.”  The priestess shrugged as she answered, then made a sly smile.  “But I do have reason to believe that she is a virgin.”

“What?!  Why do think so?”

“Based on her reactions to my questions.  Neither Sardura nor Sarduna has done the deed yet.”

“That’s wonderful!  It means I have a chance at them, the mystical foreigner Yuri and Sarduna my beautiful little sister.  I’ll need to exploit this opportunity, capture them, ‘persuade’ them to join my household and have everything settled before the elders even find out.”  Makuri announced ecstatically while doing a twirl.

“With Yuri’s power to back my authority, we can finally reveal our relationship.”  The priestess grunted to Makuri’s words. 

“*COUGH* And once as my formal wife you’ll get the pick of my serving girls, including Yuri and Sarduna.”  This got the priestess to smile and nod in affirmation.

---

 

At full sprint I burst through the door and into the house I shared with Sardura and Sarduna.  Both of them were still standing in the house’s single room, talking to each other as I entered.

“Is it true?”  I immediately asked.

They both just stared at me in shocked silence.

“Is it true?”  I ask again this time with greater conviction. 

“Yes.  Yes, it’s true.”  Sardura acquiesced after sighing in resignation. 

How dare they.  Taking me in just to betray me, sabotage me and trying to ruin me.  They were trying to take advantage of me, to play around with me as they will!  Well, I’m not going to meekly sit around and comply.

Apparently Sardura couldn’t take my silence as I was standing in place and started apologizing.  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!  It was an order from the elders!”

“What to force me against my will.”  I stated coldly.  I’m seething right now but I’m fighting to control myself.

Surprisingly it was Sarduna who spoke up this time with a dark, hostile tone.  “…I didn’t know you hated being around us.  I genuinely thought you would want to make love to us, to claim our bodies and take our virginity.”

“…What?”  Was all I could squeak out in response.  I know that my face must be a sight of complete surprise, yet I couldn’t care less right now.  All of the anger drained out of me to be replaced by confusion.

My shock must have swayed them somewhat because Sardura cleared her throat and started clarifying.

“We were planning to ask you to take our virginities.  That was why I asked you to leave, so I talk to Sarduna about this, and discuss this before talking to you.  The clan’s elders ordered me to take your virginity then for me and Sarduna to offer ours to you.  After what you did to that lion the elders want to secure your loyalty to the clan. 

But to be clear both of us WANT to give you our virginities, regardless of the elder's orders though we understand that you are opposed to the idea.”

“Ah dammit!  I wasn’t talking about that.  The priestess told me that you were going to take my virginity, make me your wife, then have me worship your clan’s patron goddess.  It’s that last part that I’m against, I cannot serve your clan’s deity as I’m dedicated to one already.” 

"Does that mean?”  Sarduna asked hesitantly.

“I spent last night fondling every inch of your bodies.  You two invited me into your home when I was lost, exhausted and starving, how could I not love the both of you and want to satisfy your desires.  I’ve been eagerly anticipating the time when we would get to have some real fun.”

With a squeal Sarduna practically tackled me as she rushed to embrace me.  With that same ferocity she pushed her lips onto mine entwining our tongues together.  As soon as we broke our kiss, Sardura interposed and though she was more reserved she still aggressively invaded my mouth with her tongue.  Once their excitement faded, we started to laugh, really the only thing we could do after all this.

“I’m sorry I caused this misunderstanding.  The priestess led me to believe that you were in on some scheme to bind me to your clan, and patron.”

“Well technically we are a part of that scheme.  Though the elders will be pissed, they want you not just as an ally but as a member of the clan.  That includes devotion to Haous, the entire clan is expected to worship her, this will lead to a clash of desires.”  Sardura explained as she regained composure.

“Hah, then I can’t stay here.  Since I have nowhere to go that means I’ll have to go back to wandering this world.  Well, I still don’t know much about what’s out there, so exploring it would be interesting.”

“Then Yuri, I’ll show you the route down to the valley, there are regular caravans of merchants travelling through.  It will be a simple matter to follow along with one of them out of these mountains.”  Sardura stated confidently.

“So, I’ll gather some ingredients and make a nice dinner then tonight…we can…”  Sarduna’s words trailed off into awkward silence.  She was turning red in the face from the thoughts she conjured up, obviously eager for what’s to come.

I nod a little absent mindedly to her words, I’m also eager for what she suggested.

“And tomorrow I’ll leave the village.  Is that the plan?”  I finished off with both sisters nodding in approval.