Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9

Chapter 20: The Ballad of Chubby Angels

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

I was back home at the castle on Skald Island as I was busy reading at the ledger that I found last night. The information in it detailed how devastating the war between the Oranges and the Blues was as it displaced so many people at the time. Still, I may be mediating, but I also wasn't allowed to do any field work as I was still weakened from overexerting my raw power three years ago. Even though it was morning, I had to do my part in escorting Gerda and Eldrad to their new home on Cordell Island as they were also the inheritors of the Aldercapt homestead. Still, I had my work cut out for me as I left the sitting room with the ledger in my hand. When I went outside, I rushed towards the beach to read into the ledger a little more until I heard footsteps approaching. All I wanted was to read in private as I paused and used my raw power to change my silver hair into spikes until I heard a yell from behind me. Turning around, I saw Dean clutching at his arm as blood seeped from it in which he tread a little further just to prank me, only to fail on his part, for he had a gut feeling that I would be going off somewhere without his knowledge.

"There's no getting past a tall porcupine," I heard him say as he got out a first aid kit from his hip holster. "I take that you wanted to read that thing in private, didn't you?"

"You should be with your unit," I said.

"And hear Moro breathing down my neck for not doing my job to protect you? Not a chance, Sammy, 'cause you're going back to Cordell Island to mediate in a case involving the Aldercapt house."

"Reiko must've spilled the beans, didn't she?"

"Izumi told me when she got a visit from Leopold in which his spoiled son got a taste of some humble pie after getting his ass tossed into the ocean. As for his bride-to-be, she's got curves that can put a supermodel to shame."

"Reiko told me about Gerda in which she rejected Eldrad because the Foxworth Family only believe in stale standards that have been outdated for years."

"Sammy!"

I heard Reiko's voice as I turned around and spotted her running towards me. I had a gut feeling that something was wrong as I saw Reiko with a shred of fabric in her hand. I saw it to be from Gerda's clothes as it was similar to the one she wore last night. I sensed that something was wrong as I had to know what happened before rushing to things, for I had to find out more of what was going on before it was too late.

"Someone took Gerda," I heard Reiko say to me.

"What about Eldrad?" I asked.

"He was attacked by someone while he and Gerda were still at the spa. He also kept muttering a name in which he recognized the attacker."

"Oh, no…" said Dean as he was concerned about what was going on. "It had to be her."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"It's Constanze Barragan… She's a beauty influencer, but a loose cannon when it comes to her jabs at people who don't fit today's beauty standards. I know of her 'cause she once visited us at the fort on Gehenna at the time. She even praised the women who were 'not filling out like whales' while filming a video praising the Order at the time."

"So, we have a body shamer who took Gerda…"

"You don't wanna screw with Constanze, Sam. If she sees anyone who don't fit her worldview on beauty standards, she will do anything to shame them to the point of ending their lives. She even sent a few chubby and curvy women to a designated 'fat camp' to lose all the excess so they can be part of the normalcy that is perceived to be the 'crème of the crop."

"Then I'll talk to Eldrad and I know where he'll be…"

I rushed back into the castle as I went to the infirmary wing. When I went into one of the hospital rooms, I noticed Eldrad in a bed as he was reeling from the injuries he sustained earlier. He was also concerned about Gerda's safety as he wanted to help her in which her safety was more important than ever. He was considered to be a "hot mess" as I saw the bruises on his arms while he had his left arm in a sling in which he wasn't in fine fettle after his encounter with Constanze. I also had to know what was going on as I simply had to hear our mangled patient out first, for this was a matter of life or death in this debacle.

"You don't seem to be smelling like sea salt," I said.

"That bitch…," said Eldrad as he was still reeling from his injuries. "That insufferable bitch! She had Gerda taken away to some sort of 'fat camp' so she can lose her curves."

"It was Constanze, wasn't it?" Eldrad nods. "She stole Gerda from you, didn't she?"

"We were ready to depart for Cordell Island until we saw Constanze coming to one of the ferries with a couple of women and girls that are either curvy or plus-sized. When she saw Gerda, she forced her guards to take her away to the ferry that was leaving Skald Island." Eldrad fishes out a piece of paper as he gives it to me. "This is where Gerda and the other girls were being taken to."

I look at the paper as it showed an image of a slender woman in sexy lingerie. I also noticed the words, "Here's to a beautiful and skinny you!" in bold letters on it as I also saw the words, "Faulkner Hill Fat Camp, where all fat goes to die," written at the bottom. I was fearing the worst as I left the hospital room and went out of the infirmary wing until I noticed a woman being carted into one of the rooms. What I didn't notice was that Reuben was there as he was consoling one of the Norsefolk as he was heavily distraught about what happened to the woman earlier, for he was wanting justice for what occurred earlier.

"That woman in there is my wife, but all she is now has become a shell of what she was," said the Norseman as he had tears in his eyes. "She was healthy and plump, but now she's lost it all and looks like a walking skeleton."

"You need to calm down," said Reuben. "We're doing all we can to save your wife in which she'll get all the support she can have."

"My poor Guthrun… She was forced to endure such bullying by that Constanze woman!"

I entered into the hospital room as I saw the distraught Norseman's wife laying in her bed. The sight of her was troubling as she was also getting fluids and vital nutrients that she needed. She looked like one of those waifish models that weighed less than a hundred pounds as she was in bad shape, for the sight of her was very alarming indeed.

"The victim was found in the Tsubaki District," said Reuben as he entered into the room. "From what I heard, the victim was busy making delivery runs to some of the business owners until she was found emaciated near the Sunflower Lodge. She had sucker marks on her back in which the one who did this must've wanted to 'pig out' until the local police arrived."

I saw Reuben fish out his tablet as he showed me the image of the victim in which she was plus-sized and healthy until the latest image showed her to have the infamous sucker marks on her back before being placed here. I had a feeling that there was a pishtaco lurking around as I also had to be careful, for I also had to find Gerda and save her from the fate that she would be subjected to…

Gerda was in a holding cell as it was more like a panic room than a prison. The cold air chilled her as she didn't want to be here in which she wanted to return to Eldrad. The place itself was a fort as it was once a stronghold to hold off the Blues back in the day, but now, it has gone into decay as it was starting to show its age due to its dilapidation. She also knew that the place was on Fjalvarg Island as it was a place that didn't have much on it. The place itself bore the scars of war as it also had its fair share of trouble over the years as it was also a reminder of how such toil changed everything. Gerda hated being in her prison as she was desperate enough to get out of there until she heard footsteps approaching. Turning towards the door, she saw her captor standing in front of her as she was a woman who had black hair and green eyes while dressed in goth clothing in which she was slender and neither curvy nor plus-sized. She was like one of those slender underwear models who graced the runway as she was also there to remind Gerda of how superior her "traditional beauty standards" were, for she was there to make her life a living hell in this abandoned fort.

"It seems that the piggy has woken up from her waller," she said.

"What do you want from me?" asked Gerda.

"All I'm doing is to rid the presence of fat slobs and by doing that, I've got this 'fat camp' just for all the little piggies to lose the weight."

"This isn't a fat camp, it's a prison. Eldrad loves me for my curves, alright?"

"All men want a slender woman, not some oversized whale that could crush them. Therefore, I have my group of 'specialists' here with me to have you shed off the pounds so you can be great in bed with the man you love."

"Eldrad would rather have someone with meat on her bones than one of those anorexic supermodels."

"Eldrad is mistaken in which women like you should 'lose the blubber' and stay skinny. Once you shed your problem areas, you'll be like Barbie in her slumber party outfit. A beautiful woman is always skinny and not shamed for her weight all the time. And for the record, my name is Constanze Barragan and don't you forget it!"

Gerda saw her captor leave her cell as she was alone. She didn't want to be here as she was shivering from the chill of the northern wind. Grabbing a blanket from the bed, she huddled in it as she was hoping for someone to save her from her prison. What she didn't expect was that there was a plus-sized girl in the cell next to her as she was scared for her life. Gerda had to console the girl as she crept over to the grated window where her cellmate was, for they were mainly prisoners of beauty standards.

"You're here, too, aren't you?" she said as she was shaking with fear.

"I was taken away by force," said Gerda.

"Constanze Barragan is famous, but her family is one of the most influential group of Terrans who live all over Alecrast and beyond. They even have a rivalry with the Foxworths in which they wanted one of their kin to marry, but Leopold and his twin brother, Uthid, don't want anything to do with them. Even though Leopold is married to Claudette Tremaine, she's mainly the 'wicked stepmother' to Eldrad and his three siblings in which it's mainly known as a 'sham marriage' 'cause it turns out that Leopold is actually gay and his children he procured from his seed came from ovum he took from a gene bank of the Fallen. He loved them dearly, but society judged harshly on him the moment he was forced into marrying Claudette. He also had a lover who had his own seed to the same ovum that he had from the gene bank of the Fallen, but he couldn't be together with him due to the upper crust society that looks down on people like them."

"I never knew about that… For a while, I thought that Eldrad's mother was his real one until—"

"No, Eldrad was born through both Leopold and Claudette in that sham marriage. For years, Leopold wanted to divorce Claudette, but was barred by her family due to their influence in Valinor's capital. For the record, Claudette has a stranglehold over Leopold until she was caught by her own family for having an affair against her own family's wishes. Sadly, neither one could dissolve that sham union because of what the Tremaines are doing, especially when they arrange what is deemed useful."

It wasn't long until Gerda heard the door from the cell next to hers open up as she spotted two men dressed in nursing scrubs drag the girl out of there. The plus-sized girl was fighting tooth and nail to get away as she was led out of her cell and forced to go to wherever her captors were taking her. The incident in this so-called "fat camp" was a nightmare for Gerda as she wanted to get out of here in which she could be next on the list, for she had to get out of here before it was too late…

I was at the harbor as I was going towards one of the ferries that was bound for Fjalvarg Island. I had to do something as I was looking at the flyer with the slender lingerie model in my hand as I knew of the location very well in which my destination would be correct. When I got onto the ferry, I paid for my fare as I sat down on one of the benches. What I didn't expect was that Dean was there as he didn't want me out of his sight in which he also had a gut feeling that something wasn't right, for I had to find the "fat camp" and rescue Gerda as soon as possible.

"You can't go with me, Dean," I said.

"Like hell I am," he said.

"This is a personal matter in which I have to do my part."

"You're going to the Faulkner Hill fort on Fjalvarg Island, aren't you?" I nodded. "You can't fool me 'cause you're going over there to rescue Gerda Aldercapt, aren't you?"

"Constanze has her and from what I saw, our beauty influencer has a pishtaco helping her in which one of their victims was found in the Tsubaki District. For now, she's is in the infirmary wing all emaciated and is getting the medical care that she needs. As for Eldrad, I hope to the gods that he pulls through after what happened to him."

"Eldrad Foxworth is more like his mom than his dad in which he tried to take the family fortune for himself, only for the rest of his family to intervene and force him to find decent work. From what I also noted, his parents separated, but can't divorce 'cause the Tremaines have control until she ended up dead…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember that terrorist attack on Alecrast? Well Claudette was one of the victims who ended up dead after the Zenith Vectors destroyed that commuter train in which it also took the life of Albus. She was promoting a reality show until she ended up getting killed, only for her remains to be returned to Valinor for burial."

I never knew about Leopold's personal life or strife before until now as I had to help the Foxworths as soon as possible. Still, I had to do my part in which I also had to mediate in the union between Eldrad and Gerda as well. By the time the ferry reached Fjalvarg Island, Dean and I got off as we made our way to the harbor. When we stopped at a diner, it was yet another Sylphine Thread as it was mainly a chain for chicken sandwiches and a hub for hunters. What we didn't expect was that there was an Elf that was reading a newspaper as it had Claudette Tremaine's picture on the front page. The news about her passing hit the social circles as there was a time of mourning and condemnation, for the Zenith Vectors were responsible for her demise in the first place.

"'Claudette Tremaine finally laid to rest,'" said Dean as he looked at the newspaper article on the front page. "She was a big deal, but Leopold would be devastated to hear this."

"He's both sad and elated about her demise," said the Elf as he put down the newspaper. "It's also a godsend that my precious Leopold broke free from the sham marriage that Nils Tremaine imposed on him to be tethered to his late sister and begot Eldrad in the process."

"You're also concerned about what happens next, aren't you?" I said.

"It's a godsend that my true husband will return, but he's also adamant into having Eldrad marry Gerda Aldercapt in order to protect her homestead."

"You must be married to Leopold in secret, aren't you?"

"My name is Liore Foxworth and I was a soldier like my precious Leopold. The children we bore from the ovum donor who died on the battlefield were four, but two of them went with me and my husband took the others so he wouldn't have us in a scandal, for he was forced to marry Claudette and ended up siring Eldrad when the war between the Oranges and the Blues still raged." Our new friend sees Dean's wound bandaged up as he touches it to the point of healing it. "You should be a little bit more careful when you approach our Lord. For the record, you had a knack for pranking him more than once just like your past self did in the time of the Elder Days It seems that our Lord used his silver hair to attack you."

"I had worse, but this isn't the first time," I said. "The worst is when every time I take a shower, I hear the toilet flushing just to see the hot water burning me."

Without warning, we heard the door to the restaurant open as we noticed a girl that was dressed in Norse clothing, but was baggy and shapeless. When Liore noticed her falling to the floor, he got up and caught her in time as he noticed a sucker mark on her back. He feared for the worst as he also noticed a note that the girl had in her hand. Picking it up, he saw the writing to be Constanze's as he had a gut feeling that she would be forcing more women and girls to the "fat camp" that was in the abandoned fort on Faulkner Hill, for he was more than likely to be involved with our business so far.

"'This girl is now slender and made to be good in bed?'" he said as he read the note. "'Her parents complained how chubby she was, but once I stole her to the 'fat camp,' she looks great as a skinny girl instead of being like a gross pig. Lots of love and sealed with a kiss, your fave babe, Constanze.'"

"It's like what happened to that woman in the Tsubaki District," I said. "A pishtaco did this to her..."

"I know this girl. Her name is Tarja Helmsdottir. She used to be plump, but one day, she left in which she is now emaciated and unable to get up."

"I've seen the pishtacos before at the Kanzaki homestead on Alecrast in which they were killed by a member of the Orguz Clan, who happen to be a family of hunters."

"So, we're dealing with a couple of fat suckers," said Dean.

"And Constanze is keeping them as her personal pets. She has to be stopped and her fat camp must be shut down before more innocent people become victims of her outdated beauty standards."

I had to act on instinct as I rushed outside to see Constanze standing in the crowd with the two people in nursing scrubs. I noticed them leaving the scene as I quietly followed them to where they were going. By the time I saw them to their hideout, I noticed the fort on Faulkner Hill as it was an old derelict that showed its age during the war between the Oranges and the Blues. Still, I had a job to do as I had to save Gerda, mediate a wedding, and restore the Aldercapt home, for this was light field work on my part so far…

Gerda was still in her holding cell as she was fearing for her life. She was curvy, but didn't fit Constanze's worldview of beauty standards as she also worrying about the girl that was in the cell next to her. When she heard the door to the dungeon open up, she saw Constanze standing at the door to her cell as she was exuberant in taking away curvy and plus-sized women and girls, for her cohorts in nursing scrubs were the typical wolves in sheep's clothing just in time to "chew the fat."

"Where's that girl?" she asked.

"You mean Tarja?" said Constanze. "I simply allowed my cohorts to simply 'pig out' on her fat and sent her back to the town she lives in. Her parents will be pleased as punch when they see her all slender and skinny."

"Why do you do this?"

"Why do I do this? It's because I see people like you on magazine covers and fashion shows in which most people find them beautiful. Me? I find the presence of chubbers and curvy girls disgusting on the catwalk in which they're not only equipped with the 'body positivity,' but the side effects that include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke! With the pishtacos that I found while I was on Alecrast, I gave them a purpose to rid people of their fat so they can look like one of those Victoria's Secret models, not a chubber from Lane Bryant!"

"What happens after your friends suck the fat out of them?"

"They'll live, but they'll be relieved from the fat on their bodies in which men love slender women! Even Eldrad will approve of you once you get the treatment for your 'problem areas.'"

"No! I won't let your friends suck the fat out of me! I may have the gall to go on fad diets that don't work, plastic surgery to get rid of my imperfections, and even starving myself of food or love, but they will never make me happy. All that they will do is throw me down an endless rabbit hole of shame and misery in which they will force me into an early grave! I'm beautiful and nothing will ever change that because size isn't everything. I may be debasing myself by such ugly names thrown at me, but those things will hurt me a lot more than I thought. My imperfections are what make me unique and if I got rid of them, then I'll be miserable for the rest of my life!"

"Are you finished with your soapbox speech yet?! You sound like a broken record! For the record, fatso, size is everything and I will make damn sure that everyone is skinny so they won't be ridiculed for their weight anymore!"

It wasn't long until Gerda saw the door open up as she saw two people in nursing scrubs rush in and took her out of her cell. She didn't want to get her fat sucked out of her body as she was being dragged out of there kicking and screaming. She was going to die as she was also scared for her life, for she would soon be part of the group of "skinny" models that suffered the same fate of her cellmate…

I was hiding in the distance in front of the Faulkner Hill fort as I had to do my damnedest to rescue Gerda from her fate. I had to save her as I also didn't want her to be a part of the 'spring collection' of emaciated women who were trapped in the stale beauty standards. Even though I didn't my weapons, all I had was the long silver hair that became more than just an asset, but a means to do my part in stopping monsters or other threats. Just as I was about to advance, I saw Moro appear out of nowhere as she had my sword in her hands. She didn't want me to go in empty-handed as she was aware of what was going on, for she had to do her part like the rest of us.

"You just had to wing it in your fractured state, didn't you?" she said as she gave me my sword.

"You must've heard about Constanze, didn't you?" I said.

"Looks like we're going in with our guns blazing," said Dean as he caught up to me. "Constanze sure knows how to run the prison version of The Biggest Loser."

"I've heard of Constanze Barragan before in which she has a following, but she's more of an influential bully than a celebrity," said Moro. "It turns out that our influencer hates fat and curvy people in which she thinks that skinny people are better looking than the chubbers."

"That's typical Constanze for you… She's known to be fat-phobic in which she wants every woman and girl to be skinny and not be ridiculed for their weight."

"We're going in," I said. "There's no time to lose."

I took the lead as Dean and Moro followed me towards the Faulkner Hill fort. When we got there, we saw surveillance cameras at the entrance as there were also old traps that were once used in the time of the Elder Days. Moro knew of them right away as they were snares that were once part of the arsenal that the British Men of Letters had in which she used her crossbow to shoot some arrows into them to the point of disarming them. With the traps disarmed, we were making our way inside as we had to act fast, for Gerda's life was in danger as we speak. The fort's interior was old with decay as it was once a stronghold to protect the vulnerable in the war against the Oranges and the Blues. What we also noticed was that there were several young women and girls that were caged up in which they were earmarked to have their fat sucked out of them in which there were a few that have been emaciated after being forced to endure such torture. This was an act of cruelty as I saw some of the women and girls worried for their lives in which I had to get them out, for the monsters who were running this "fat camp" had got to go.

"This is barbaric," I said as I used my raw power to open up the cage.

"Did Constanze do this to you?" asked Moro.

"She took us from our homes," said one of the girls.

"I take it that some of you are losing the chance to be a Lane Bryant model," said Dean as he saw the evidence of some of the emaciated girls that were unable to move. "This is insane when it comes to a fat shamer like Constanze calling the shots."

"Constanze hates curvy and plus-sized women," said another one of the girls. "All she wants is to 'keep us skinny' by having us getting our fat sucked out of us by those creeps in nursing scrubs. Some of us have lost our fat, but the rest of us will end up like Tarja, who was taken back to her home all emaciated."

Without warning, we heard a scream in the distance as I had a gut feeling that Gerda would be next on the list of getting her fat sucked out of her. I had to get to her fast as I couldn't let her suffer the same fate like the ones who had their fat sucked out of them, for I had to get there before it was too late…

Gerda was led into a sterile room as it had a massage table with the headrest part being the size of a toilet seat. Her captors were mainly busy bringing in more curvy and plus-sized women and girls into the room as she saw one of them being placed on the massage table face down. Constanze, on the other hand, was reaping what she had as she was standing still while one of the people in nursing scrubs walked towards the girl that was on the massage table. What happened next was that Gerda saw the person in nursing scrubs open up his mouth as a lamprey burst out of it in which he removed the top part of the girl's dress and began to suck on her back in which he was craving the fat that she had. Gerda noticed the girl on the massage table go from incredibly plump to extremely emaciated as there was hardly any fat left on her. She had a feeling that she would be next as Constanze lifted the girl from the massage table and onto the floor in which she was glad that she was accomplishing her goal of keeping the skinny in.

"Another successful attempt to 'chew the fat,'" said Constanze as she stood firm.

"What did your friend do to that girl?!" cried Gerda.

"I simply did what no other concerned citizen wouldn't do and that is by keeping this fat camp up and running just for my employees to simply… 'pig out?'"

"Why can't you accept body positivity and get over it?"

"The real reason why I put this fat camp here to purge all curvy and plus-sized women and girls of their fat is because you don't know what it's like to have overweight parents! My dad died of a heart attack when I was in grade school while my mother ended up dead when I was in high school! Both of them were portly and plump, but their health ended up killing them in the end. My parents were everything to me, but they loved healthy foods till the bitter end in which I couldn't see another chubber become a victim of their own fat!"

"And you let your 'friends' come in to take us here so they can feed off our fat?!"

"The pishtacos that I found were being pursued by hunters in which the only way to keep them fed is to have this fat camp running so that they can be cared for and not kill anyone. The people that they sucked the fat off of are alive, but at least they won't be ridiculed for their weight anymore. Skinny is in…, bitch, and nothing will stop me and my friends from 'chewing the fat!'"

Gerda wass squirming to get free as s she felt the top part of her robe being exposed in which she was about to have her curvy frame be reduced to an emaciated state. The pishtaco that was standing in front of her opened up his mouth to expose the lamprey to such out the fat as he would soon suck out the fat from her curvy body. Just as the pishtaco was about to do so, Gerda heard the sound of footsteps approaching as she heard the door burst open. I rushed just in time to prevent her fate as I used my sword to slice off the lamprey from the pishtaco in which I later took him out afterwards. The other pishtaco rushed towards me as he had his mouth opened to attack until he was met with diamond projectiles and crossbow arrows to the point of him falling onto the floor and succumbing to the barrage that took him out. When Constanze saw her "pets" dead on the floor, she was horrified as she was literally screwed, for she was now backed into a corner the moment her "fat camp" was exposed.

"What the hell did you do?!" she cried as she pulled a gun on us. "How could you ruin our chance to rid the galaxy of chubbers?!"

"Something that should've been done a long time ago," said Moro as she used her crossbow to shoot the gun out of Constanze's hand. "My sister told me everything about what you were doing once one of your 'pets' decided to pig out on an innocent plus-sized woman in the Tsubaki District! I heard of you and how literally fat-phobic you are when you wrangle pishtacos to do your dirty work!"

"Someone had to do something about the chubbers! Someone needed to do something about purging the chubber population and that is by having my 'pets' suck the fat out of them just to be skinny and not be ridiculed for their weight! All curvy and plus-sized women are ugly! Skinny women and girls are much more palatable than the chubbers!"

"You better watch what you say," said Dean. "Your 'skinny only' message doesn't relieve women or girls of their problems, for it only makes them feel more miserable than you think."

"Dean Winchester in the flesh. As I recall, you were part of Sylvanus' group of fuck boys."

"The leader of that group has been dead for years. As for what you're doing, I'm a little disappointed in your line of work by having young women and girls be led here to have their fat sucked out of them just to be the next Kate Moss! There are lot more loopholes to beauty than being like an emaciated supermodel in which body positivity has no rules."

"What do you know about body positivity, Dean?! What leverage do you have?"

"He has plenty of leverage," I said. "He has two young daughters and his own ward that he cares about more than anything. I also have daughters and female wards in which they are beautiful the way they are. Beauty standards are nothing, but body neutrality is everything. You should've known that by now instead of keeping monsters as pets to do your dirty work."

It wasn't long until we saw members of Dean's unit arriving at the fort as they cornered Constanze the moment she was led out in handcuffs. With Gerda and the other curvy and plus-sized women and girls safe and sound, we were ready to leave the fort until we saw Reuben and his group rush in to where the dead pishtacos were in the moment he got out an empty jar and opened it up. With a knife in his hand, he cut off the lamprey of one of the dead pishtacos as he placed it into the empty jar for something, for I wanted to know what he was doing.

"You're just as bad as Minara," I said.

"I'm only collecting the lamprey to make a possible anti-toxin," said Reuben.

"The threat is over for now."

"For the record, the lamprey of a pishtaco contains a neurotoxin that keeps its victims paralyzed after feeding. The paralysis is temporary, but for the ones who had their fat sucked out of them, it could be dangerous if not treated. As soon as I make an antidote, it'll be administered to some of the victims of this so-called 'fat camp.'"

I went towards Gerda as she was shaken by the fact that she was nearly about to become dinner for the pishtacos. Even though she was still in her robe, she wanted to get out of here after what she saw earlier as she was also reeling from the insults that Constanze blared out. Even though the worst was over, the scars from that experience were permanent as Gerda wanted to go home more than anything, for this was too much for her already.

"After all this, I will never, ever go to or be subjected to a fat camp again," she said.

"Constanze has no shame, but she'll soon be met with jail time for such a scheme like that," I said.

"How's Eldrad doing? I hope that he hasn't dumped me…"

"No, but he's at the castle on Skald Island recovering after what happened to him."

"Thank the gods and the Matriarch…"

It wasn't long until all of us left the fort as it was time to go. After what I saw, I resolved to treat all women and girls in which they're all beautiful, regardless of what size or shape they have. Still, the incident at the Faulkner Hill fort was harrowing, but had to be shut down as the personal debate between who is better suited for their body type became too dangerous, for this was a lesson that had to be learned if we were going to surpass any societal standards in the future…

The next morning, I was back home on Skald Island as I was observing what was going on in the infirmary wing. With Reuben's anti-toxin being administered to Constanze's victims, they were alive as they were also given nutrients and other vital liquids to replenish what the pishtacos have took from them. When I left the infirmary wing, I went towards the sitting room as I noticed Reiko lecturing the girls in our family about what is beautiful, for she didn't tolerate anyone who hated their own beauty, regardless of size or not.

"And to let you know, all girls are born to be beautiful in which you don't have to be either a stick figure or a blimp," I heard Reiko say to the group. "All girls are unique in which the harsh words about themselves can do more harm than good."

"It's like with Jill's buggy appearance or like Kanna or Sona as Draaza," said Carly.

"Any girl can be unique, for no one will ever tell you otherwise."

"That includes Carly's cat ears," said Sona.

"Don't forget about Zia, Samantha, Mary-Rose, or Kazuko," said Jill. "They do look like their parents after all."

"Don't forget; you are loved for what you are and not for your appearance in which the soul is what keeps you whole."

I was happy to hear Reiko telling the group of girls as I left the sitting room and went back to the infirmary wing. When I noticed some of the patients being discharged and ready to go home, I was on my way to see Eldrad and Gerda as the mission to bring them to the Aldercapt house was still docket. Just as I was about to do so, I was stopped by Reuben as he was concerned about what was going on after yesterday's debacle in the "fat camp," for he wanted to see on a personal matter, which I didn't have time to be doing right now.

"I don't have time to talk right now, Reuben," I said.

"Hear me out, Sam," he said to me. "So far, some of Constanze's victims have been treated, but it'll take a while for them to gain a little weight after being taken to that 'fat camp.'"

"I'm grateful that they're doing a little better and putting on a little weight, but Constanze will end up paying for her own prejudices, especially curvy and plus-sized women and girls."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but Constanze won't face jail time because of her family in which her uncle one of the four stewards who rule Alecrast."

"She did visit it once."

"Constanze has been exiled since the Second Galvanic Uprising, but didn't go empty-handed in which she gathered up the two pishtacos and fled here to Valinor. She may have a following, but that doesn't mean she's a saint. Her cohorts and those like them are known to 'chew the fat,' but the obsession into 'culling the galaxy of curvy and plus-sized women and girls' was the proverbial last straw. From what I heard, Constanze's parents both died from multiple health complications in which she sees the presence of curvy and plus-sized women to be a threat."

"And that was when she used her 'pets' to take vulnerable curvy and plus-sized women and girls so that they can suck out the fat to the point of making them emaciated, but not kill them. After what nearly happened to Gerda, I don't seem to trust traditional beauty standards anymore, for they have been toxic for centuries."

"For the record, I've gotten used to Paninya being plump in which it suits her even after she gave birth to our daughters. As for our fat-phobic influencer, I hope to the gods that we don't see her again in which she shouldn't shame anyone for their weight or appearance. All of us should maintain a healthy weight, which is not too fat or not too skinny, but just right."

It wasn't long until we heard some footsteps approaching as we noticed a group of people dressed in formal attire coming into the infirmary wing. The entourage was led by Leopold as he was more than likely to be collecting Eldrad and Gerda and make their way to Cordell Island. Still, it was on the docket as I also had to do my part by mediating in their destined nuptials, for they were the future of the Aldercapt homestead after all.

"It seems that you saved Gerda's life," he said to me.

"Constanze's 'pets' met a gruesome end, but she won't be facing jail time," I said. "Even though most of her family is on Alecrast, her knack into forcing outdated beauty standards is beyond the pale as we speak."

"Liore tole me everything in which we still keep in touch for the sake of our real marriage after Claudette met her demise while on Alecrast in that terrorist attack."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be… She may have birthed Eldrad, but she never loved him or me. A Foxworth like me has a knack to be true to what is put in front." Leopold's eyes flicker a familiar aura as he was happier than ever. "We all write our own destinies, for they will be our greatest asset. Now, shall we collect our two lovebirds and make way for Cordell Island?"

I was ready to start my next assessment mission as I would soon escort Eldrad and Gerda to where they needed to go. Still, I had to be aware of my surroundings as my next mission would be a crucial one, for it was a restoration of what was lost in times of war…

To be continued...