People have been asking about Priestess views on Goblin Slayer and his wives, and this seems like as good a place as any to explore them.
Fair warning: this chapter may not be for the squeamish amongst you...
Married Life
Chapter Thirteen: New Beginnings
In the almost two years she had known him, Priestess had seen many sides of her mentor, friend and one true love, Goblin Slayer.
She'd seen his dedication to his work, his ruthless efficiency and single-minded pragmatism. She'd seen him remain calm and collected in the face of seemingly certain death, seen him put his own life on the line to help others without a moments hesitation. She'd seen him at work and rest, and on a couple of rare occasions, even play. She'd seen him smile and laugh, but never cry. She'd seen him happy and sad, even if it could be hard to tell behind that helmet of his. She'd even seen him naked while performing the Resurrection Miracle, had seen, well, that which his wives got to see on their wedding night.
And the truth be told, it did make her somewhat hesitant at the prospect of potentially joining their marriage when she turned eighteen.
High Elf Archer had made her the promises before the wedding, and she'd accepted without thinking. But since then she'd seen the way High Elf Archer, Guild Girl and Cow Girl were around each other, and realised that they... we're as intimate with each other as they were Goblin Slayer. She wasn't against such relationships, and indeed had attended the wedding of one of the priests at the Earth Mother temple and a local shepherd shortly before starting her life as an Adventurer. But it wasn't something she'd ever envisioned for herself, and now it was clear that Goblin Slayer and his wives were a package deal. And that thought... confused her with a myriad of mixed and at times conflicting emotions.
She recalled sharing a bed with the three women on their visit to Market Town. Nothing had happened beyond sleep, but she'd woken up in the night in need of the chamber pot and had seen the three of them snuggled up together, like a big, warm ball of unconditional love. It had been tempting to try and join them, but in the end she had settled for curling up on the very edge of the bed, her back to the others.
A cry of pain broke Priestess free of her daydream, and she looked down on the bed where Guild Girl lay, supported by a number of pillows. Her normally serene face contorted and slick with sweat that covered her entire body. She was dressed in a simple white gown that was already stained with blood, sweat and tears, but Priestess felt like laundry was probably the last thing on the young clerk's mind right then and there.
"Good, keep pushing." the midwife instructed from the other end of the bed, "I can see the head. They're starting to crown."
Priestess bit her lower lip and offered a silent prey as she dipped the cloth in her hands in a baison of water then pressed it against the expectant mother's forehead. She had trained for this at the temple, sat in on classes where the very same midwife before her now had explained to women what to expect when they gave birth. She had read all the texts on the subject, and had almost considered going into midwifery before instead becoming an Adventurer.
But given what she'd seen so far, she felt sure she'd made the right choice.
"Head is out, you're doing great." the midwife announced reassuringly, "Not long to go now."
"It hurts!" Guild Girl wailed, "I can't do this!"
"Yes, you can." Priestess took the older woman's hand and squeezed it, "Just breath, and repeat after me: my pain belongs to the Gods. It is like air, it is like water."
"My pain belongs to the Gods." The clerk panted through gritted teeth, "It is like air, it is like water."
"Good. Just keep breathing." the young cleric nodded, "Just breath and concentrate on what comes after the pain: holding your child in your arms, knowing that you brought it into our world."
"That does... sound nice." Guild Girl admitted, "My pain belongs to the Gods. It is like air, it is like water."
"Yes, and think of all the joys to come: your child's first steps, first words."
"Ths first time their father shows them how to kill goblins?"
"Well, that is a distinct possibility." Priestess admitted, "Let's hope it takes after your side of the family when it comes to social skills."
Guild Girl actually managed a faint laugh, glad of something, anything to take her mind off of the pain.
"Shoulders are through." Midwife announced, "Hard part is done. Just a couple more pushes."
"Why did I ever let him do this to me?" Guild Girl asked, bracing herself for the next contraction.
"Because you love him, and he loves you." Priestess reassured her, "If it makes you feel any better, they that the first one is always the hardest."
"Don't tell Cow Girl that: she's worried enough about having twins."
Any further discussion was halted by another scream of pain as a fresh contraction ripped through Guild Girl, sapping what little strength she had left. She squeezed Priestess' hand so tightly that the young cleric felt sure it would break, but then a new sound filled the air: the birth-cry of Guild Girls newborn.
"Congratulations." Midwife brought the baby up to meet its mother, "It's a beautiful, healthy baby girl."
"Oh gods!" Guild Girl took her daughter in her arms for the first time, immediately enraptured by her. Fresh tears welled up in hear eyes, only this time they were tears of unbridled joy and love, "Hello. I'm your mother."
The door opened to reveal Goblin Slayer, who was quickly pushed aside by Cow Girl and High Elf Archer, who both wanted a look at their wife and her baby. At eight months, Cow Girl looked even bigger than Guild Girl had, thanks to the twins she was expecting in just a few short weeks, while at six months, it was still hard to tell that High Elf Archer was even pregnant, due to the almost unnoticeable change to her body, besides the swelling of her chest. The Ranger helped the redhead over to the bed, where she gladly sat and brushed a few stray strands of hair from her wife's face.
"You made one beautiful baby, my love." she looked up at Goblin Slayer, "You both did."
"Come," Guild Girl held out the newborn to her father, "say hello to our daughter."
The Adventurer stumbled forwards, almost as if he was in a trance, and accepted the still crying baby into his arms. At first he looked like he was expecting it to explode like an alchemists firework, but then he held her to his chest, a strange expression on his face.
"Hello." he looked down at the tiny life he had helped create, "I will kill anyone who ever hurts you."
"That's our Orcbolg!" High Elf Archer laughed, "But I share the sentiment."
"Did you have a name in mind?" Midwife asked, quill in hand, ready to fill out the paperwork that had to be filed with the town clerk for the census.
"We do." Guild Girl nodded, "Grace. Her name is Grace."
"I like it." Cow Girl looked up at her husband and smiled, "Your sisters name."
A step back from the happy family, Priestess examined them.
Guild Girl was completely spent, but there was an undeniable glow about her, a sense of satisfaction in a hard job done well as she accepted back her daughter and set about nursing her for the first time. All the morning sickness and the backache and the mood-swings were worth it for the singular joy of holding her daughter in her arms. Cow Girl, possibly the most grounded of the three women, was sat in rapt attention as she watched the newborn suckle at her wife's teet. Having grown up around farms, she was no stranger to seeing new life brought into the world, but this time it was different, because it was a new addition to her family, one she herself would be helping to grow soon enough. High Elf Archer stood clutching her husbands arm with one hand, the other rubbing the almost invisible bumb where her own child was growing, and lent into him. Her effective immortality set her apart from her spouses, but she too could share the simple, timeless joy of seeing new life brought into the world. Into her home.
But Goblin Slayer... for the first time, Priestess saw genuine fear on his face. Fear of not being upto the task of being a good father, or not being able to provide for his growing family, or not being there when they needed him. It wasn't something Adventurers liked to talk about, but they each knew that, no matter how prepared you were, how well trained and equipped your party was, death was only a single dice roll away. That was probably why they had such a reputation for eating, drinking and making merry, for every time they returned from a Quest was a victory over the God of Death. But they all knew that, in the end, He would always win, and be there to lead them into the land beyond.
The trick was, the old saying went, to keep ahead of him until you died of old age.
Goblin Slayer has spent so much of his life alone, reliant on, and responsible for, no one but himself. Back then, it hadn't really mattered to him if he lived or died. Only now he had a family who cares for and depended on him, and that had visibly shaken him to his very core. Before it had been an abstract, but now, with the birth of his daughter, Grace, it was all to real.
"Do I hear correctly?" Dwarf Shaman appeared in the doorway, followed by Lizard Priest, "Beard Cutter has a daughter?"
"News travels fast." Guild Girl smiled, to tired to care about her husbands party members seeing her in the state she was, "Come in and meet her."
"A blessed day indeed." Lizard Priest steepled his hands together, "I ask the Mighty Nagas to watch over the hatchling, and to allow her to grow strong and healthy under their protection."
"Aye, a drink to wet the babies head." not to be outdone, Dwarf Shaman passed Goblin Slayer a flask of fire wine, the handed a silver coin to Guild Girl, "And silver to cross her palm."
It was a very unusual family, Priestess decided, but maybe, just maybe, one worth joining.
To Be Continued...