As Mira awoke, she instinctively reached for Arthur, her hand finding the empty space on the sheets where he usually slept between them. The space was vacant and chilly, with the blankets showing little sign of use. With a blink, she was fully awake. A slight frown formed on her forehead as she sat up and surveyed the dimly lit room. Even though the shutters were closed, she could tell morning was on its way by the dim light coming through the cracks.
She faced Cassie, who was snoozing on her side with an arm flung out. Mira lightly put her hand on her shoulder. "Cassie. He's not here."
After mumbling something sleepily, Cassie's eyes opened, and she followed Mira's gaze to the vacant spot. Her hair fell over her face as she quickly sat up. "What do you mean he's not here? He was right there when we fell asleep."
Mira pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I know. I felt him get up earlier, but I thought he was just using the privy or getting water. He never leaves without saying something."
Cassie rubbed her eyes and looked toward the door. "Maybe he went downstairs. Or maybe he had to go to the Red Keep Earlier?"
Mira stood and reached for the simple linen shift she had worn to bed. She pulled it over her head, then grabbed her robe from the chair. "He would have woken us if he was leaving for good. He promised he would say goodbye before going to the tower."
Cassie also got up, feeling a bit chilly as she grabbed her shift and robe. "He better not have slipped out without a word. I will drag him back by the ear if he did."
They got dressed fast, putting on robes over their shifts. Mira lit the table lamp so they could see; the flame was flickering a bit. Together, they went to the door and opened it gently. It was dark and quiet in the hall. They went downstairs holding hands, their bare feet making no sound on the wood. The downstairs living room was totally empty. Arthur wasn't by the fireplace or at the table. Overnight, the fire died down to embers, and you could still smell a bit of yesterday's stew.
Mira stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "He's not here."
Cassie looked around with a frown. "He left without saying goodbye?"
Mira wrapped her arms around herself. "He wouldn't. Not unless something happened."
Cassie strolled to the window and checked out the yard. "He's not out here, he must have gone somewhere in the night."
Mira came over and they both gazed at the dark buildings next door. "Maybe Rudge tried something again? Arthur might've had to deal with him."
The worry etched on Cassie's features was unmistakable as she directed her gaze toward Mira "He promised he would be careful."
They remained silent for a short while, the quietness palpable. A warm, rich aroma with notes of butter, spices, and fresh bread wafted from the connecting corridor leading to the orphanage. It was so strong, their mouths started watering right away.
Mira sniffed. "Do you smell that?"
Cassie nodded, already moving toward the corridor. "It is coming from the kitchen."
Following the scent, they pushed open the door to the orphanage side. The main hall had a cozy fire and some lamps going, and over in the kitchen, Arthur was by the long table with his sleeves all rolled up. A large pot was being stirred by him above the fire, with another pot simmering close by. Food overflowed the table, featuring sliced ham with honey, warm bread, boiled eggs, cheese, roasted apples, spiced pears, and small, sugared honey cakes. You could smell the rich scent of cinnamon, butter, and warm bread all around.
Arthur looked up when they entered and smiled wide. "Good morning."
After wiping his hands on a cloth, he walked over and gave Mira a soft, lingering kiss. Then he kissed Cassie, his arm encircling each of them as he held them close for a moment.
Mira stared at the table. "What are you doing?"
Arthur stepped back and gestured at the food. "I'm not going to be here for a while, so I decided to make one last meal for everyone. So we could all eat together before I go."
Cassie walked closer and looked at the spread. "You went out and got all this?"
Arthur gave a nod. "I slipped out early. Went to the market before dawn. Got the best stuff I could find, honey-baked ham, fresh cheese from the Reach, and those wine-soaked pears. Even the sugar for the cakes. I wanted it to be special."
Mira put a hand to her mouth her eyes shining. "That is so nice of you."
Cassie smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You spoil us."
Arthur hugged her back. "You deserve it. Both of you. Now, how can I get some help? The eggs need peeling, and the bread needs slicing before the children wake up and start being rowdy."
Mira laughed and rolled up her sleeves. "Tell me what to do."
Cassie kissed his cheek again. "I will handle the pears. They look too good to let burn."
Arthur pointed. "Mira, peel the eggs and put them in that bowl with some salt. Cassie, slice the pears thin and arrange them on the platter. I will finish the ham and the cakes."
They worked as a team, moving around the kitchen like they'd been there a million times. Mira hummed as she carefully cracked and peeled eggs into a bowl. Using a small knife, Cassie sliced pears and then made neat circles with them on a platter. While Arthur flipped the ham, coating it in glaze till it was golden and shiny. As the aroma intensified, it gradually enveloped and dominated the entire space of the hall.
Eventually, the table was prepared with platters, cups of diluted wine for adults, and milk for children Cassie stepped back and looked at it all. "Maybe we should not wake the children after all. I would be happy eating this myself."
Mira slapped her arm lightly and laughed. "Do not even think about it. They would never forgive us."
Cassie grinned. "Fine. But I am claiming the biggest piece of ham."
Arthur chuckled. "Come on. Let us wake them before it gets cold."
Together, they made their way down the corridor where Mira softly opened the children's room door. Most were still asleep, curled under blankets, but Meggie stirred when the light from the lamp spilled in.
"Breakfast," Mira whispered excitedly. "And it is a big one."
Meggie's eyes snapped open. "Big breakfast?"
Jory sat up next, rubbing his face. "Is Arthur... training?"
Arthur stepped in. "Not today Jory. Come on, food is ready."
The room suddenly became vibrant and full of energy within a mere few seconds. With their bare feet making slapping sounds against the wooden floorboards, the children hastily emerged from their beds. In a rush to get downstairs, Ben and Thom engaged in a race, almost losing their footing in the process. Clutching her doll very tightly, Lena walked closely behind the person in front of her. When Alys encountered them in the hallway, her eyebrows arched in surprise upon witnessing the elaborate feast laid out before them.
"What in the seven hells is all this?" she asked, staring at the table.
Arthur grinned. "One last meal before I go to the tower."
Alys shook her head, smiling. "You did all this? At dawn?"
"Market was open early," he said. "Wanted it to be special."
The children crowded around the table, eyes wide. Meggie climbed onto a bench. "Is that honey ham?"
Jory pointed. "And cheese! Real cheese!"
Ben reached for a cake. "Can I have one?"
Thom elbowed him. "Wait your turn!"
Lena stood on tiptoe to see better. "It smells so good."
Alys laughed. "Sit down, all of you. Manners."
They quickly and perhaps a bit chaotically made their way into the available seats. Mira and Cassie pitched in with serving, handing out plates while Arthur sliced the ham. The children couldn't stop chattering over each other as they exclaimed about each bite.
"This is better than anything," Meggie said through a mouthful of pear.
Jory swallowed a huge bite of bread. "Arthur, you have to come back and cook more."
Ben nodded. "Every day!"
Thom added, "And bring more cakes!"
Lena smiled around a piece of cheese. "Thank you."
Alys took a slice of ham and chewed slow. "You outdid yourself, lad. This is lordly food."
Mira leaned close to Arthur. "They are going to talk about this for weeks."
Cassie nodded. "Months."
As Arthur watched them eat, the pain in his chest began to subside a bit. Though he'd miss these mornings, the memories of moments like this would see him through the difficult days ahead.
...
Breakfast ended slowly, the children still chattering about the food as they carried their plates to the wash basin. Meggie kept sneaking pieces of honey cake when she thought no one was looking, while Jory tried to balance a spoon on his nose to make Lena laugh. Ben and Thom argued over who had eaten the biggest slice of ham until Alys separated them and sent them outside to play. Lena stayed close to the table, carefully stacking the empty bowls so they would not fall. The hall smelled of warm bread and cinnamon for a long time after the last bite was gone.
Alys walked over to Arthur while he helped stack the last platters. She stopped in front of him and folded her arms across her chest, looking up at him with eyes that were softer than usual. "I am going to miss you around here," she said quietly. "The place already feels different knowing you will not be walking through that door every morning."
Arthur set the platter down and wiped his hands on a cloth. "I will still come back. As often as I can."
Alys shook her head slightly. "That is not the same, and you know it. But before you go, I need to thank you properly."
Arthur frowned, he felt the breakfast wasn't that big of a deal . "Thank me for what?"
Alys took a slow breath and looked toward the window where morning light came through. "I came to this city a long time ago with dreams...."
"My husband and I both did."
"We talked about opening a small shop, maybe a bakery, saving enough to buy a proper house one day."
"But those dreams never happened. All we found was the true horror of the city. The hunger, the sickness, the men who take what they want and leave nothing behind."
She paused for a moment, trying to compose herself. "My husband was a good man. He saw the dozens of orphans in Flea Bottom every day, children sleeping in alleys or selling themselves for a crust of bread. He wanted to make a change. He worked himself to the bone to buy this building. Scraped together every copper he could earn hauling crates at the docks, fixing roofs, anything that paid. He built this place with his own hands so those children would have somewhere safe."
Her eyes welled up, but she kept going. "He was such a good man."
Arthur listened without speaking.
Alys wiped at her cheek with the back of her hand. "I tried to honor his memory after he was gone. I tried to do what was best for the children who were still here. But I did not believe it anymore. I did not believe people were good in this city. When I gave those children to Rudge, I told myself it was the only way. I told myself I was protecting the rest by sacrificing a few. I was wrong. I was so wrong."
She looked at Arthur directly. "It was not until you came here that I realized how wrong I was. Before you came, I had forgotten what my husband would have thought of me. He would have been disgusted. He would have told me I had betrayed everything we built this place for."
She swallowed hard. "So thank you... if you hadn't of come here I would've died not being able to face my husband on the other side."
Alys took his hand. "I told you that life wasn't a storybook and there were no heroes or Knights... but if someone told me there is only one true knight in this world, I would know it was Arthur of Harrowfield."
Arthur met her eyes for a long moment. "I cannot forgive you for what you did. In the end, it is not my place to forgive. But I will never stop caring for the people here. And now that we have the gold for it, I will expand the orphanage. I will buy the buildings surrounding this area. Like your husband said, there are dozens more orphans in Flea Bottom with nowhere else to go. We can give them somewhere safe."
Alys's tears spilled over then. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Mira and Cassie moved in as well, hugging her from both sides. Even Lunk came up behind them all, his massive arms encircling the group in a gentle circle. Arthur chuckled softly as the hug tightened, then eased back when Alys finally let go.
She wiped her face with her apron. "Thank you. All of you."
...
The day passed normally after that. The children played in the yard, Jory practicing his sword forms with the new sword Arthur had got for him. Ben and Thom chased each other and roughhoused until Lunk split them up. Lena sat in the corner drawing with charcoal on scraps of parchment. Mira and Cassie helped with laundry and mending while Arthur sharpened his tools and fixed a loose board on the gate. Around noon, Mira and Cassie found Arthur in the yard where he was oiling the hinges on the gate. Mira touched his arm. "We need to tell you something before you go."
Cassie nodded. "Come with us."
They led him back through the connecting door into their house, up the stairs, and into their shared room. Mira closed the door behind them and turned to face him. Cassie stood beside her, both looking nervous but happy.
Mira spoke first. "We have something important to tell you..." she said a little tentatively.
"Is everything okay?" Arthur asked feeling a little worried.
Mira smiled and nodded. "Don't worry it's nothing bad..."
It's just for a while now we've been feeling sick in the mornings. Both of us."
Cassie added. "And our moonbloods both haven't come."
Arthur stared at them, the words sinking in slowly. "You are...?"
Mira smiled, tears in her eyes. "We are both pregnant."
Cassie laughed through her own tears. "We wanted to tell you before you left for the Red Keep. So you would know."
Arthur stood frozen for a second, then stepped forward and pulled them both into his arms. He hugged them tight, laughing against Mira's hair. "Gods. Both of you?"
Mira nodded against his chest. "Both of us."
Arthur kissed Mira deeply, then turned and kissed Cassie the same way. "I am overjoyed. I cannot even say how much."
They held each other for a long time, the three of them standing in the middle of the room with sunlight coming through the shutters. When they finally pulled back slightly, Mira wiped her eyes and smiled. "We have another surprise for you before you go."
Mira wiped her eyes one last time and stepped closer to Arthur, her robe already loose around her shoulders. Cassie moved with her, the two women exchanging a knowing glance before they both turned their full attention to him. "We have been talking," Mira said softly, her voice a little husky. "About how long it might be before the three of us are alone like this again."
Cassie nodded, her fingers already working the tie of her own robe. "We wanted to give you something special before you leave. Something to remember us by."
Arthur's breath caught as Mira reached up and let her robe fall completely open. The linen shift underneath clung to her curves, the fabric stretched tight across her huge breasts, ner nipples already visible and hard beneath the thin material. Her fat arse filled out the back of the shift, the cheeks rounding out noticeably when she shifted her weight. Cassie shrugged out of her robe next, more slender and lithe with smaller breasts and dark nipples stiff in the cool air. Between her thighs a full dark bush framed the soft pink of her sex already glistening with arousal.
Mira stepped behind Cassie, arms sliding around her waist. "We have never done anything like this together," she whispered against Cassie's ear, loud enough for Arthur to hear. "But we practiced a little. For you."
Cassie's cheeks flushed deep red, but she leaned back into Mira's embrace. "We wanted it to be perfect."
Mira's hands slid up Cassie's sides, cupping her small breasts from behind. She rolled the dark nipples between her fingers gently at first, then pinched lightly. Cassie gasped, head falling back against Mira's shoulder.
"Gods," Cassie breathed. "That feels... wrong...but"
Mira kissed the side of Cassie's neck, then turned her face so their lips met. The kiss started soft, tentative, but deepened quickly as their tongues slid together. Mira's fingers kept working Cassie's nipples, tugging and rolling until the slender girl whimpered into her mouth.
Arthur's cock throbbed painfully against his breeches. He had never seen anything so incredible... he had never seen two women together, but he had to admit he liked it, the seven be damned. His wives touching each other for the first time was a memory he would cherish. He stepped closer, hands already working his own tunic open.
Mira broke the kiss long enough to look at him, eyes dark with lust. "Look at you. Already so hard."
Cassie turned her head, lips swollen. "Come here. We need you."
Arthur closed the distance in two strides. He kissed Mira first, tasting Cassie on her tongue, then turned to Cassie and did the same. His hands roamed, one cupping Mira's heavy breast, thumb brushing the large, pale nipple until it pebbled even harder, the other sliding down Cassie's flat stomach to thread through her thick bush. His fingers found her wet folds and he circled her clit slowly.
Cassie moaned into his mouth. "Arthur..."
Mira pressed against his back, her huge breasts flattening against him. She reached around and palmed his cock through his breeches. "He is so thick today."
They moved to the bed together. Arthur sat on the edge while Mira and Cassie knelt between his legs. Mira tugged his breeches down, freeing his cock. It sprang up, the shaft was already throbbing and the head already leaking. Cassie leaned in first, licking a slow stripe from base to tip. Mira joined her, tongue swirling around the other side. They met at the head, kissing around it, their tongues sliding over each other and over him.
Arthur groaned, hands tangling in their hair. "Gods, you two..."
Mira took him into her mouth first, her lips stretching wide around his girth. She bobbed slowly making her cheeks hollow, while Cassie licked and sucked at his balls. Then they switched, with Mira's mouth on his sack, Cassie's lips wrapped around the head. They traded back and forth until Arthur was breathing hard, hips twitching.
"Enough," he rasped. "I need to be inside you."
Mira climbed onto the bed and lay back and spread her legs wide. Her bush was soaked with the arousal of her sex. "Start with me..."
Arthur knelt between her thighs, rubbing the head of his cock through her folds. She was dripping, coating his cock instantly. He pushed in slowly inch by inch, feeling her stretch around him. Mira moaned loudly as his cock made her back arch, her huge breasts bouncing as he bottomed out.
"So big," she gasped. "Gods, Arthur..."
Cassie straddled Mira's face, lowering herself until Mira's tongue found her clit. Cassie whimpered, grinding down slow while Mira licked and sucked. Arthur started thrusting, long deep strokes that made Mira's arse and thighs ripple with each impact. He leaned forward, sucking one large nipple into his mouth, rolling it with his tongue while his hips snapped forward. It didn't take long for Mira to have her first orgasm as she cried out against Cassie's cunt. Her walls clenched tight around Arthur, milking him hard. He kept fucking her through it, drawing out every shudder until she went limp beneath him.
Cassie slid off Mira's face with a. Sultry smile. "My turn."
Arthur pulled out of Mira with a wet pop and lay back. Cassie straddled him and grabbed his slick cock, guiding him inside her tight heat. She was smaller than Mira was and a little tighter, her cunt felt like it was gripping him like a fist. She started riding slowly, slender back arching, small breasts bouncing lightly. Mira recovered enough to kneel beside them, kissing Arthur deeply while her hand worked between Cassie's thighs, rubbing her clit in small circles.
Cassie moaned snd bit her finger while rolling her hips faster. Arthur thrust up to meet her his hands gripping her narrow waist as he pounded into her as hard as he could. Mira broke the kiss to suck on Cassie's small nipple. Cassie cried out her entire body shaking as she came hard while her inner walls fluttered and tightened around Arthur's cock. He flipped her onto her back, spreading her legs wide. Mira moved behind him, pressing her huge breasts against his back while she reached around to fondle his balls. Arthur drove into Cassie again, each thrust making her gasp. Mira kissed his neck, whispering filthy praise in his ear.
"Come inside her," Mira murmured. "Fill her up. Make her drip with your seed."
Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist. "Please, Arthur. I want it."
He thrust faster, deeper, feeling the pressure build in his balls. Mira's hand slid down to rub Cassie's clit again, and the combined stimulation sent Cassie over the edge once more. Her cunt clenched rhythmically around him, pulling him with her. Arthur groaned loud, burying himself to the hilt as he came, pulsing thick ropes deep inside her.
They then collapsed on the bed together with both the girls hugging into Arthur's side. Mira traced lazy circles on his chest. "You have to come back to us soon."
Cassie nodded against his shoulder. "Every chance you get."
Arthur kissed them each once more. "I will. I promise."
Mira smiled and tightened her grip on him. "You better, otherwise I'll be the one hunting you down," she said with a little giggle. Though as she hugged him and looked up at him a frown crossed her face. She pushed herself up on her arms and looked at Arthurs face.
Arthur looked at her, seeing the concern flash in her expression. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"It's... it's your eyes," she said as she felt a mix of disbelief and a little fear.
"What's wrong with my eyes?" he asked as he sat up in the bed.
This got Cassie to sit up and look at Arthur, who ended up turning his head between the two.
"She's right... how didn't I notice that before," Cassie said.
"Someone tell me what's wrong with my eyes," Arthur said a little shortly as he looked between them.
"They're purple..."
(AN: So goodbye orphanage, see ya kids. Now it's mostly going to be Red Keep. The kids will feature in the future maybe when they're grown up a bit more. Cassie and Mira will still be in it. Maybe Lunk, I did have an idea about him.)
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