Chapter 44 The Best Part About Lying Is Having Some Truth In It
Satyr had been a quiet, lovely village hidden from the outside world, enjoying their little bubble and trying to ignore the fact that their souls were slowly chipping away at them, branching out into little divisions while they knew one day, they would face an impending doom that was out of their hands.
The thing is… they had not seen a day where they would genuinely feel joy.
“Parties?” One of the elves— Galinda was the one speaking now. Maeve had come to realize. She knew their names… well, not by heart though they believed she did. NACE was kind enough to leave a floating screen over each head that she read every time one spoke. “All the time?”
“Yes. There is quite an abundance of food at Aeltherra. Very plenty. Too plenty, in fact, makes me feel terrible for the people who do not feed well—”
\[SKILL: AURA OF UNCONVINCING PIETY ACTIVATED FOR TEN SECONDS\]
A loud gasp echoed through the hall as they realized in shock that Maeve… this strange human woman was glowing! It was overwhelmingly bright that some had to shield their eyes while the others believed that she was a prophet of their goddess, Vashka.
“So I donated money to those who needed it better,” Maeve wasn’t sure if there were truthseers among the women because NACE wasn’t showing that part but there was no need to ask them personally. She had to make this all as smooth as possible, “With guidance from my husband, of course,”
Caelith was the next to speak. “We are all surprised that you have him as a husband. It is usually not how things are done here… and Amir is known as a stickler of rules,”
“Oh?”
Nysarra nodded. “Yes. He is very strict, very logical minded. Always trying to work away his time and energy. He also was a very devoted worshipper of Vashka but after… after the incident…”
They probably meant the curse… or the day that they realized Amir had turned into a vampire. Yes. Vampire. That was the terminology Maeve was going with. Come on. Horns. Wings. Tail. Fangs. Glowing skin??? But why? And how? What was so special about his mutation? Was it the curse?
Because no shadow seemed to be holding onto him.
Instead, it just wafted out of his body like a smoke signal.
Maeve had to change the subject. “We met at a ball,”
The gloominess that had spread across the tent vanished almost instantly. The women all looked excited in a sense, their eyes filled with excitement and curiosity as they asked, “What is a ball?”
Maeve was far too ready to respond. “It’s like a big thing where people wear fancy clothes and eat and dress and gossip— and dance, yeah, that’s it,”
Galinda’s face changed. “For a whole day? It sounds… unproductive,”
Maeve went deadpan. “It is, BUT—” She walked to the woman in question and wrapped her arm around her shoulder as she said in a dreamy voice. “Picture this; A whole night of complete debauchery and all the food you could ever possibly want. And fun. And drink—”
“That is not what you’re supposed to be talking about, is it?” Another woman was speaking— Thranduil, that was her name, and from the way she was glaring at Maeve, she knew one thing. She and Amir had a past relationship. “You claim that you and the prince are wedded. Explain it.”
Jealousy. I don’t have time for this nonsense.
\[WE ALL KNOW YOU ARE A TERRIBLE LIAR. HOW DO YOU WANT TO PULL THIS OFF? OH WAIT. I DO NOT CARE. BECAUSE I AM JUST A SYSTEM. 😝 \]
… back with the emojis?
“You’re right. You’re right.” Maeve made a face, nodding as she rubbed her hands together. “As you all… know, Amir is quite a pride filled person and very respectful about traditions and cultures. I on the other hand, am clumsy and quite naive—”
No one bought that last part.
“But you see, he is a gentleman and that night, he walked to me and offered to guide me though the evening since I clearly did not know my way,”
“What?! Amir?!”
“He has… always been quite the male,”
“A very glorious, gorgeous male. We never see that kind anymore,”
“That statement is untrue, isn’t it?” Thranduil looked like she won a jackpot. Because, of course she did, she had someone spotted Maeve was lying even though she hadn’t gotten the Truthseer ability yet. “I can tell. You humans have—”
“You’re right,” Zero pressure. Zero needs to pretend that she wouldn’t get beaten up by this woman just to prove a dumb point. Maeve placed a hand over her forehead as she swooned slightly, “I did not want to speak on this topic because I knew it might be looked upon… unfavorably,”
“No, no, speak,” Nysarra looked far too excited now. “We wish to hear your own side of this story,”
“Okay. Well, you see, Amir was sent to my Estate for delegations and well… well, he went on his knees and swore his loyalty to me unprompted. I did not know how to receive this so I asked him to take me to the ball so we know each other better but he would not leave my side in fear I would make a mistake— and that might, when he leaves for only a few seconds, I am poisoned!”
Gasps echoed through the room.
“What?” Thranduil asked.
Poor girl. Maeve was just getting started.
“And he was so distraught by it that he prayed every night that I was unconscious! When he woke, he could not believe he had let such a thing happen to me and said he would leave my side. I asked the other elves to teach me elvish and when they did, I walked up to him and said this,”
Maeve went on her knees in front of Caelith who was now beaming in joy, held her hands gently and let elvish roll off her tongue, “Stand with me. Not behind me, not before me but where I can see you, and where I can choose you. Always,”
She gasped, her eyes moving to Thranduil. “A vow! She had said a vow!”
“It means nothing,” The woman hissed back. “She is the one on her knees, not him!”
“Yes. Like someone had not gone down on her own knees as well,”
“Excuse me?!”
“Tell us!” Nysarra looked so happy, her arms clasped in joy as she held a dreamy look in her eyes. “Did he accept?”
“Well, of course, he did, how else are we together if he did not? Look at the man. If he was not interested, he would have sent me quickly on my behind!”
\[… WOW. REALLY SOLD IT AS HARD AS YOU CAN LIKE A STRIPPER, HUH?\]
… they are like, a hundred other examples you could have used. What?
“That only means you are engaged. If you have not done the whole wedding, then he is not yours—”
Maeve shot from the floor. “You are right. We share different cultures, you and I. Amir and I have spoken of this. We are different worlds, HATED across time and age BUT we know our love is true and pure and that we are one and true. It is why we come here, to officially become one in the eyes of the goddess— and feel no shame in our desires for each other!”
One of the women used her dress to wipe her eyes as she muttered under her breath, “Beautiful. Just beautiful,”
\[… THAT WAS TERRIBLE\]
“That was the most beautiful thing I have heard in almost a century!” Galinda’s face was already so red and swollen as she said, “Traversing the terrible roads, knowing that you could die when you become truly one with him, and yet, you still choose him again and are ready to sacrifice yourself? I am beyond myself,”
\[APPROVAL RATING OF THE WOMEN OF SATYR +78… -10\]
Goddamned Thranduil.
“If you are so fully committed into being one with him,” Thranduil looked devilish as she said this, her arms folded together as she grinned, “Then you must be ready to prove yourself to our goddess, that you are truly his Mate and are worthy to share a branch on our life bond,”
“You said ‘proof’. It implies that there is work I must do?”
Nysarra tried to come to her rescue. “It is an old tradition—”
“But Amir is a Prince, and so, we must invoke it,” Thranduil cut in. “Or do I speak out of turn?”
No woman spoke.
Maeve realized then that even in fantasy settings, there was always going to be a female bully— and now, she was having flashes back to high school that she didn’t wish to have.
And you know what? She blamed this all on Amir.
\[TROPE: PRETEND COUPLE INITIATED\]
… ah. Bullocks.