Chapter 1: Prologue: A Colliding of the Two Crowns

Arius woke, their arm under their latest lover’s head and their eyes bleary. They turned to their side and lay the other arm over her, kissing the nape of her neck in the process. Their breasts pressed into the shoulders. Thoughts of the previous night, with Arius between her legs, feeling each thrust and the orgasm, shot through their head and Arius grinned. The woman stirred and turned her head to look at them.

“Mor…..” she began, as she quickly went fully awake. “What time is it?”

Arius looked from the woman to the window, seeing the bits of sunshine push out at the bottom of the curtains. They rubbed their eyes to get a better view of the room.

“Uh. its uh….. It’s early?” they told her.

Tera pushed away from Arius’ spooning to throw her clothes back on. She pushed back her hair and tied it off after getting on her blouse. Picking up her heels near the door, she began to walk out.

“This. This was fun, Ayrias. But erm. I’ll…. I’ll see you around, yeah,” Tera said, closing the door behind her.

Arius sat up in bed a moment before getting out and stretching, cracks ringing in their ears and the faintest vestiges of a headache passing through.

“What do you gotta do today? What do you gotta do…..” the thought circled in their head.

“Meet with uh….. no, that’s not right… Z’yallah’s meeting with me tomorrow.”

***

Pulling on their crimson sundress and latched boots, Arius left and went to Peia’s to re-supply. Giving a few knocks, the faint echo of Peia’s traveled from the back to the front of the apothecary: “We’re open, but busy.”

Arius stepped in and immediately went to the potion section, eyes darting for their ingredients and squatting to get a look at the lower shelves. Peia stepped through the curtains, wiping off bits of dirt from eir hands and setting the towel to the side before tapping eir foot.

“The shipments came in yesterday and lucky for you, there was a surplus of powdered clover so I’m having a half-off deal ‘til the end of the month,” ey said, as Arius looked over a bottle of fermented gryphon tears.

“.....huh? Oh! Thank you! Good to see ya, Peia,” Arius beamed. Grabbing the Gryphon bottle and a vial of clover, Arius went up to pay.

“That should be all I need for the month, unless Z,yallah needs anything else,” Arius told em.

“15 grails for the two.”

Bagging the items and paying, Arius walked out.  Peia restocked the empty spots, then headed back and lit a cigarette. The smoke drifted out through the back door and into the sky. Ey sent out another cloud and molded it with eir arcano to a pegasus and sent it drifting off.

***

Auriga swept off their blue-gray shirt and threw it on, letting it drape over the purple skirt. Grabbing the phone and tossing in their purse, they went out to the Slumbering Dragon, the town’s combined bar and hotel. The bar was, as always, half-full with a mixture of retired and beginner dungeon adventurers and a few paladins wanting to step away from Secundus’ castle. Scents of stale mead, wine, and roasted food drifted through the air. Auriga performed a silent spell to keep the smell of meat away from them, which had always made them gag.

Opal spotted them as she handled clearing off the table from a recently departed customer.

“Oh, thank gods you’re here Auri! Tables 1 and 5 want that new mead we got in last week and table 6 is waiting for their plate.”

“1 and 5, mead; 6 plate, got it” they told her, before heading off to pour everything out.

Setting the mead and food at the tables, Auriga gave them each the practiced smile done over the past three years they worked there and a “Thank you for coming to the Slumbering Dragon. Enjoy!” in an equally practiced voice.

Turning around, Auriga rolled their eyes. “Just a few more months,” they told themself, “then I can leave.”

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The door creaked open and Arius stepped through.

“How many in your party?” came the host.

“Just one, me” went Arius. They went to sit in a chair before hearing the host’s voice.

“We actually have a seat up at the bar, if you’d like,” the host said to them.

“That’ll work, thank you,” Arius replied.

“Right this way.”

Arius followed the host and pulled back the seat a bit to sit and scooted back up.

“Auriga’ll take care of you today,” went the host.

“Thank you,” Arius said as they turned to see Auriga taking down a pair of glasses.

“Welcome. What could I get started for you?”, started Auriga.

“Oh, just um,” Arius’ eyes looked over the list. “Your mulled mead, if you’d please.”

“Coming right up,” Auriga said, a genuine smile beginning, turning to pull the mead.

Arius took the mug and, clearing half the glass in one breath, set it back on the warped and scratched length of wood.

“Someone was thirsty,” Auriga commented, their eyes shifting from the glass to Arius. They took in the weathered complexion and faintest splashes of arcano gone awry on Arius’ face.

“Ha, well it’s not often that I have that, so I end up drinking it all by accident when I do,” they replied. Their hand fumbled in their pocket for the satchel.

“How much I owe for the mead?” they asked Auriga. Hints of blushing began to dance across Arius’ face.

“Just seven grails for the pint.”

Thumbing out the amount and pushing it toward Auriga, Arius scooted back and stepped off the stool. They headed to the door.

“Thanks for coming, have a good day” Auriga called out.

Arius turned and smirked steadily. “Of course! and I’m sure I will,” they told them, as they exited.

“Where to, now?” Arius thought and the words verbalized just as immediately.

“It won’t hurt to see Z’yallah today instead of tomorrow. Yeah, that’s a good plan,” they said, smugly.

Conjuring a broom, Arius set off to head to Z’yallah’s cottage.

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