Chapter #4The Stunning Satyr is Seeking a Superior Size by: hedkrakka   The farming town of River's Bend wasn't anything special.
Granted, it was a very nice town. Built on the bend of the river, hence the rather uncreative name its founders bestowed upon it, it benefited greatly from the many river barges traveling upon it. The King's Road passed through the settlement, one of the few fully paved roads running through this part of the realm. Add in the rather fertile patch of land they were on, along with their proximity to the very deep and fecund Lake Onda, River's Bend was a busy place, especially for the Plains of Grobland.
Merchants and Peddlers of all sorts moved through the town in a steady stream, absolutely packing the town to the bursting point during market days and festivals. Inn Road was lined end to end with restaurants, taverns, bakeries, and yes, even a fair number of inns. The crenelated walls were made of stone as opposed to the wood utilized by other, poorer towns. The local Rangers Guild was based in River's Bend, both because of the predators of the local Duke's Forest, but also the large number of bandits which plagued the roads. Many are the corpses hung by the city gates, with rumours of others being sold into slavery, but the profits a thief could make in these parts was far too tempting to ignore.
On a hill in the Central Plaza rose the Governor's Palace. The current ruler was the Duke, Fathmu IX. His great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Fathmu the First and Only, was described as a great bear of a man. It is sad that he defeated the Great Wyrm and freed these lands from the taint of evil, and he and the people were rewarded by Enkoia for the services they rendered unto the world. The truth of such statements was debatable, but some parts were doubtlessly true. Fathmu the First was obviously of a military mind, as the palace he constructed was less a government office and more a dark, imposing fortress, built of imported black stone. Light and hope seem to disappear into its walls, and many whisper the structure itself is cursed.
The vast flocks of evil-eyed ravens and foul, corpulent vultures roosting in the towers certainly haven't helped its reputation.
Still, despite his rather macabre choice of residence, Fathmu was a rather devout man. A large temple to Enkoia dominates the entire western quarter of the Central Plaza, built on his order after his victory. The new duke by tradition would make a large donation to the temple upon coronation, as well as a sizable tithe during the Harvest Festival as thanks for Her Blessings and for future good fortunes. The end result was that the Temple became a wealthy and powerful faction within River's Bend, and her priests are shown great respect where ever they wander.
It's well known that a Temple of Yva exists somewhere in the Duke's Forest, though only the initiated know where it truly lies. Given the vicious predators and other threats within the sprawling woodlands, it would be very foolish to enter without a guide.
However, a new pretender has arrived to lay claim to the worship of the masses. The foreign goddess, Jynera, has a new temple under construction in Serf's Quarter, and already many of the young are attending Her bacchanalian revelries. Many say that Fathmu's daughter is a frequent attendee of these gluttonous and depraved affairs, though Fathmu himself strongly denies it. Whether true or not, the fact remains that this new temple is a challenge to the dominance of the old, and frequently a cause of friction in the otherwise calm settlement.
Our story does not begin with such high minded concerns. Rather, it begins in a small and comfortable home, straddling the line between the Central Plaza and the Serf's Quarter...
*** *** ***
The ringing of the church bells chimed the hour, and Torgher awoke with a snort. She woke as she always did, wrapped in the large, strong arms of her husband, Ajax. The warmth of his body and the comfort of his rock-hard muscles threatened to lull her back to sleep, but though she hated to do so, she pulled away into the slightly frosty morning air. Though it was spring, the air still held some of winter's sting. The fire in their small stove had gone out sometime during the night, and she took a wicked chill as she left the comfort of their soft bed.
"C-c-cicifus's nine h-hells," she muttered under her breath, teeth all but chattering as she quickly stoked a small fire. The fire stones had been a pricey purchase, that was true, but given how quickly it got the dry sticks burning versus a flint and tinder, it had totally been worth it.
She let out a shriek and nearly dropped the two small stones as a large, calloused hand caught her off guard with an exploratory grope. Leaning back, she gave her husband a playful smack. "You beast! You almost made me drop them! Are you trying to burn the house down?"
"Sorry, love. Couldn't help myself," he said, bringing his tiny wife into a big bear hug. He gave her a deep, long kiss, their horns clicking against each other as they explored each others mouth with their tongue. Finally pulling back with a gasp, he chuckled. "A good way to start the day."
"Flatterer. Could you grab the eggs and pan from the cupboard? I'll grab the butter and bread."
"Sure." Ajax, giving one final peck on her forehead, turned towards the cupboards. Torgher wasn't a great cook, to be quite honest, and he wound up making most of their meals. However, one area where she excelled was making breakfast. At the moment, though, their cupboards were a touch bare, so it seemed like more simple fare was on the menu. "What time do we need to be on the south field?"
"By eight," Torgher said as she placed three loaves of bread on their table, two by her plate and one by Ajax. He cocked an eyebrow, then gave a small sigh. "I keep telling you, this isn't necessary."
"It'll work this time."
"It doesn't need to. I love you for you, you know that."
"I... I know. It's just... you know..." This wasn't the first time Torgher had increased her portions and tried to put on weight. Minotaur women were fairly round as a general rule, and though her husband insisted otherwise, the young Satyr had tried a number of times to put on a few pounds to be more attractive to the average 'taur. However, she had by and large failed, only managing the smallest of pot bellies after years and years of gastronomic effort. Torgher often blamed her physically demanding lifestyle or oft times poor diet for her failures, though in truth she suspected that her body just struggled to gain weight.
Hell, what she had to eat to keep this pot belly was a tad excessive, let alone put on more...
*** *** ***
"You really got to learn to let this go."
"I can't just 'let it go'," Torgher said. Tori, as her friends often called her, was currently at the bath house with her friend, Emily. The two young women, one Satyr and one Harpy, were currently resting in the soaking tub, the hot water soothing their various aches and pains. Emily was one of the few people who knew of Torgher's fattening desires, and had even cut her some really good deals at the bakery she owned in an effort to help expand her waistline, though ultimately to no avail. "You've seen the average Minotaur wife. I'm... minuscule. Bad enough being so short next to Ajax, but I'm pretty sure his THIGH weighs more then me."
"You know you love it."
"Oh, shut it," Tori said with a giggle. Her smile faded almost immediately, and she rubbed her small, barely-there belly. "I just wish there was a way I could put on even a few pounds. Just, you know, be a little more equal in size. Stop getting nasty looks from the in-laws. Might make getting pregnant a little easier. Fewer bruises when we fu--"
"Okay, Immastopyourightthere!" Emily interrupted, wings fluttering and water splashing everywhere. "Certain details of your life I don't need!"
"Alright, Tori. Look, I still say you don't need to worry about anything. But if you really can't let this go..."  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author