The start of this chapter probably should have been part of the last one, but I just didn't have it straight in my mind at the time, so here it is now

Married Life

Chapter Twenty Five: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Guild Girl stood by the kitchen sink, drying the last of the plates used for breakfast.

To an outside observer, she may have appeared to be completely focused on the task at hand, but those who knew her best could tell when she was deep in thought, her body working almost automatically, without need of conscious input. Cow Girl often joked about how she could 'be there, yet not be there', but it was a useful skill that had served her well, allowing her to rise up through the ranks of the Adventurers Guild burocracy at an almost unprecedented rate.

Right then and there, it allowed her time to think.

It was no secret that she'd been angry when High Elf Archer had admitted to what had happened in Water Town. Not the Fertility Rite itself; that had brought Fawn into their lives, and that was something Guild Girl would be eternally thankful for, but there was the issue of her wife's infidelity. Having met Sword Maiden, she could understand any attraction that the Ranger had felt, but that didn't mean that she had to act upon it. Under most circumstances, the Green-haired Adventurer was impulsive, yes, but she was never one to take a promise lightly, so for her to have broken her wedding vows was almost unthinkable. But she had, and it was something that Guild Girl had finally come to accept and even forgive.

Then Sword Maiden had turned up at their door with the child that had been conceived that night.

If she was being completely honest with herself, Guild Girl would have to admit that she had at first assumed that Goblin Slayer had lied to them, that he had indeed had sex with the blond Archbishop. More than one married Adventurer had strayed from their wife while on the road; the Guild Academy had even offered a course on how to deal with such a situation, and on occasion these indiscretions resulted in a bastard being left at the Guild Hall. Most were passed on to the Temple run orphanage, but a few were claimed by their fathers, most often if their wives had been unable to fall pregnant themselves. But even then, there were always arguments, screaming and crying to deal with.

Given how utterly uninterested Goblin Slayer had been in women before their wedding, and the fact that he normally had High Elf Archer to keep him from straying, Guild Girl had allowed herself to assume that it was a situation that they would never find themselves in.

The Gods truly did have an odd sense of humour if this was their idea of a joke. But joke or not, it was the reality that they were faced with, and that was something Guild Girl was going to have to deal with. She was angry, yes, but not at her husband or wife, and if she was again being perfectly honest, not with Sword Maiden, who'd done nothing wrong beyond giving into her primal instincts. And Guild Girl wasn't going to condemn anyone from finding either of her wives desirable. And she wasn't angry with Godfrey, who was perhaps the only truly innocent person in the whole debacle. No, she was angry at the Gods for making her and her family the butt of their joke, but a lifetime of going to Temple regularly had left her with the knowledge that the Gods never did anything without reason, even if it was beyond human understanding.

Still, the mere presence of Sword Maiden in her house was putting a strain on every one, and she hoped that the Archbishop and her companions would be leaving soon.

Looking out the window, she could see Lord Paladín and Mage loading up the carriage for the journey to Water Town, while Minotaur Blacksmith was helping the workmen unload a cart full of timber intended for the expansion to the house, his massive physical strength making short work of the task. Guild Girl made a mental note to submit a report on him to the Guild: it was wrong for him to be held back at Sapphire due to his species when he was obviously far more noble and capable than many Ruby or Bronze Adventurers. If it was up to her, she would have elevated him all the way to Silver, but she knew the internal politics of the Guild well enough to know that such a rapid promotion would be impossible.

Still, he deserved at least some recognition.

"Goodmorning." Sword Maidens voice called out from the doorway, and Guild Girl turned to face the woman who had brought such confusion and chaos to her previously happy home.

"Goodmorning." She returned the greeting, keeping her voice as calm and pleasant as she could under the circumstances.

"I just wanted to let you know that we should be ready to leave before noon." The Archbishop managed to somehow look and sound regale despite how much of her skin was exposed by her robes of office, her pregnancy only extenuating what nature had seen fit to bless her with, "I was hoping that the others would return so we could say our goodbyes in person."

"I see." Guild Girl nodded politely.

"I don't know when I'll be able to come back this way, and, well, you know the life of an Adventurer: no way of telling if they'll be anywhere near Water Town again in the near future."

"I see."

"Your husband is starting to rub off on you."

"If you say so."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"I feel indifferent towards you as a person." Guild Girl admitted, putting down the washcloth and turning to face the other woman, "I don't like what your coming here has done to my family."

"I understand." Sword Maiden nodded, "You don't have to be able to see to pick up on the atmosphere: your wife slept with me, someone outside your marriage, and that angers you."

"You're also the only reason why I have a second, beautiful daughter, so I feel... conflicted. And yes, I consider Fawn as much my daughter as I do Grace; I've bathed her, changed her and nursed her, same as I have Jacob and Eugene."

"I have to admit, when I first heard of your... unconventional marriage, I did wonder how things like that would work out."

"I see."

"I think I understand." Sword Maiden bowed her head, "I will admit that my coming here was not entirely without an agenda, given my personal history with your husband and wife. They mean a lot to me, they always will: I hope you realise just how happy you are to have them in your life, to have their love."

"I do, and I thanks the Gods for that every day."

"Good." Sword Maiden nodded, "Goodbye, and thank you for allowing us to stay in your home."

"Goodbye." Guild Girl turned back to the sink and the washing, ignoring the other woman as she left.

High Elf Archer entered the Guild Hall to find her husband deep in conversation with Inspector, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest and Witch, something that surprised her somewhat. They all looked round when they heard the door open, but went right back to their conversation when they saw who it was.

Not exactly the greeting she was hoping for on her first day back.

"I still think it's... too risky." Witch looked unusually serious, "May prove...too stressful."

"I agree." Lizard Priest rubbed his long snout with one hand, "If we do encounter goblins, and she freezes up..."

"But what if we refuse to take her?" Goblin Slayer asked, "How will she take that?"

"What's going on?" High Elf Archer asked, slipping in at her husbands side.

"There's a Quest to destroy an old mine often taken over by goblins." Dwarf Shaman held out the job-sheet, "It's the same mine where Beard Cutter first met Priestess."

"Oh?" the Ranger took the offered paper, and the realisation struck, "Oh..."

"Indeed." Goblin Slayer nodded.

"We've been trying to decide if it's better to give her the opportunity to face her past, or make her sit it out." Inspector explained, a pained expression on her face, "I honestly have no idea how she'd react."

"Who'd react to what?" a soft and cheerful voice asked, and everyone turned around to see Priestess standing before them.

The assembled Adventurers and Guild officials looked at each other uncomfortably for a moment, each hoping that one of the others would speak first.

"There's a Quest." High Elf Archer took a deep breath, "It's at the mine where... you first met Orcbolg."

"I see." Priestess nodded, "May I see the request?"

The Ranger handed over the somewhat crumpled piece of paper, which the young cleric read carefully.

"We'd understand if you didn't want to go." Lizard Priest assured her, "No one would think any less of you."

Priestess examined the Quest, her face unreadable.

"We'll take the job." High Elf Archer turned to Inspector, "But I'd like to post a Quest of my own: one gold coin for any Adventurer or Party willing to act as Priestess escorts. They don't have to be a part of our Quest, but if at any point she feels she can't continue or starts to freeze up, they see her safely out of the mine and back here."

"I think I can... guarantee that...someone will take that job." Witch smiled, clocking her head to where Spearman sat, suddenly looking like someone had poured ice water down his back.

"I'll get the paperwork sorted for you." Inspector smiled, "Good luck to you all."

To Be Continued...