Aidan

The Realms

Secondday, 1st week of the 8th month, Godless Age 597

Night

Starchaser Village, Mistvale Highlands

Congratulations! You have reached level 11 in Foreplay. Congratulations! You have reached level 24 in Sex.

"We are gathered to resume deliberations on the question of inducting Aidan Lostlorn into the tribe. Do any wish to speak before we take the vote?" Fionn's deep voice rumbled out.

Aidan waited to see if any of the Councillors were going to speak up, then stepped forward. "Pardon me, good Councillors, I do not know if I have the right to speak, but I would like a few short words if I may."

"Are there any objections?" Fionn looked at his peers; his gaze lingered on Anwn, but she shook her head. "Proceed, Aidan."

"Thank you, Councillors. I will not take much of your time. I do not come before you tonight asking you to vote in favor of it. Instead, I request that you delay the vote until after the business of Ceallach Macht is finished. I appreciate what Councillor Ailis said in making this proposal. Still, after speaking to each of you individually and spending considerable time contemplating my future, I believe that it would be best to wait a little longer. The City of Dreams is a far more pressing issue than I am, and it is by no means certain that any of us who go will return.

"Furthermore, I intend to lead a team into the heart of the city to deal with the Tannath Taig permanently. Judgment, for or against me, seems premature at this point. Let the actions and results of that raid speak for me." He bowed to the Council. "Thank you for your consideration."

"It is slightly irregular, but would you like to take up young Aidan's motion, Ailis?"

"How can I argue against the one whose benefit I am seeking? Pray, let it be as he asks."

"Any objections?" None of the other Councillors spoke up. "Then let us reconvene on this matter in a week. Next, we have a proposal by..."

Aidan and Brighid quietly withdrew from the hall, their business done. Neither of them had any interest in listening to the boring minutia of a typical Council session. Brighid asked Aidan as they walked home, "Why did you do that? It would have passed tonight."

"Because I'm thinking long-term. You're right; I believe it would have passed at two votes for and one or none against, but even leaving aside my quest, it will be best for me if they are all in favor. I might not get Anwn's vote, but four 'Ayes' is still a much better result for me than two." Brighid nodded, accepting his reasoning. Aidan opened the door for her, then followed her into their home. "Now then, I'm a half-level away from gaining a Profession. Let's see what we can do to fix that, shall we?"

Aidan

Thirdday, 1st week of the 8th month, Godless Age 597

Pre-dawn

[content censored by Royal Road's ad overlords. Sorry RR, you don't get to see these Talents. Have fun figuring out things from context later on!]

When no new Talents were revealed, Aidan decided to reserve the rest of his points until later. Hopefully, advancing his Skills more would unlock more options. Seeing that Brighid was still asleep and realizing an opportunity, Aidan slowly, carefully disentangled himself from Brighid, tugged on a pair of pants, and made his way out to the forge. He donned the apron, gloves, and hat, then started the fire in the furnace. Once it was hot enough, he grabbed a nearly-used-up bit of chain stock and shoved the end of it into the coals to heat.

While he waited for the metal to come to temperature, Aidan bowed his head and said the first formal prayer he had ever uttered in either world. "Birgitte, Braihan, I do not know if Brighid's belief that you are my Patrons is true. Even if You are not, she believes in You and does her best to honor You, and this is to be a gift for her. I know my Skill is not up to the task on its own. If You love her as much as I do, please: guide my hand this morning."

He pulled the rod out of the furnace, its tip glowing yellow-white with heat, then set to work. First, he flattened it out into a rough circle, then folded it in on itself and pounded it flat again. He repeated the process several times until he had a rounded square shape. At that point, he clamped it to the anvil and began to engrave a stylized, Olde English-style capital A onto the small object. Finally, after heating it one last time, he punched a hole through the top, then plunged it into a barrel of oil to temper it.

With the hard work done, Aidan spent a few minutes on the grindstone, smoothing the edges and polishing the front and rear surfaces. The last step was to snip off a tiny section of thin steel wire and bend it into a circle, threading it through the hole at the top of the tag to make a ring to hang it by.

Congratulations! You have reached level 5 in Smithing.

You are now a Novice in Smithing; items you forge have slightly increased quality.

Token of Aidan's Love. A simple iron tag, made with care and love.

Rarity: Unique. Item Quality: Well-Crafted.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Aidan closed the door on the furnace, removed the leather protective clothing, then slipped back inside the house. Somehow, Brighid was still asleep on the bed, her arms wrapped around a cushion. He retrieved the wooden box Siwan gave him from his backpack, slipped the tag inside, then re-joined Brighid in bed. He hid the box under one of the pillows and set to awakening his love, stroking her skin and fur with light touches and kissing her shoulder. After a minute or so, she turned her face to seek out his lips, and a moment later, her emerald eyes opened, and her arms slipped around his shoulders. "Mmm, good morning, my love," she whispered to him.

"Good morning, flame of my heart. I have a present for you." Brighid brightened even further, sitting up as Aidan reached under the pillow for the box. Brighid beamed at him and took the box from his extended hand, then opened it. Her head tilted to the side, and she looked back up at him, puzzled. "It is something from Earth, a symbol for those with less mainstream intimate lives. I can explain it to you in more depth later if you'd like, but the essence is that the choker is a symbol of sexuality and submission, and the tag indicates who the wearer has given themself to. It isn't an indication of ownership, like the collar a pet might wear, but rather a statement of trust and control on the part of the wearer. When you wear that choker with my tag on it, you are telling the world that you have willingly given yourself to me. I made the tag there in the box this morning; Siwan made the choker at my request. As my gift to you, it is yours, and only you can decide when to wear it and whose symbol to hang from it. When you wear it, if you wear it, is entirely up to you." Brighid watched him, unblinking, as he explained. When he was done, she nodded once, closed the box, and set it aside.