"I've got a cut-up ant on the table," I say. "You have five monsters bleeding like crazy, a slave dryad somehow that has a knife wound, and you're missing an arm. What the fuck is going on?"

"Just start with the dryad," Tanatsu says. "The five aren't that important, and I've stopped my bleeding enough."

"If I don't have the mana?"

"You do."

"If I didn't?"

"You can make more."

"You're getting pregnant if I ever have to make more mana from this. The count will be my choice. Pull the knife out," I say. The cut won't take much time or mana. But an entire arm isn't going to be quick, then I have to patch the stupid ant up. At least she kept her end of the deal here.

The Dryad is a little pale, but breathing. The knife wound takes a bit more work to close up than I thought. Tanatsu really knows the body. A single stab going through that many organs is impressive. The apes just need to be healed over, and then give Tanatsu her arm back.

"Nature has some strange beast," Tanatsu says. "Crazy what she has hidden in that stupid forest."

"The forest isn't stupid," the Dryad says. "Just. Nature just turned it into a staging area for war."

"It took my arm. I get to call it stupid if I want to," Tanatsu says. "The stupid forest almost got you killed."

"You were the one who stuck the knife in me and walked into the forest yourself."

"Look," I say. "I don't care. Why do you have a dryad with a slave collar on?"

"She came with some monster, so I took her. She'll be the final try, and you can take her off my hands. I don't want her," Tanatsu says. "I just need my love."

More maids wouldn't hurt. "We'll think about it," I say. "Now shut up and bite down. Or bite your tongue off. I don't care," I say. "Actually, don't bite your tongue off. I don't want to heal that."

...

"Keep the dryad with the Ant," I say. "I've spent too much mana today. I'll be back tomorrow."

Aurora is getting her wish for family dinners. It's too hard to get everyone I love to dinner any other way. I basically would need to have a separate dining room, which would cause problems with everyone. Sure, they aren't going to look for problems with me, but this is easier to do for the maids as well. No need to punish them so that I don't have some women I don't really like at the end of the table.

Then end the day with Syro doing her mind healing thing. It doesn't do much for me. Osanna is still the only reason I'm able to get any sleep consistently, and working around blood and guts all day isn't helping me. But it calms me down. To know someone else knows everything. Knows it was wrong and just wants to comfort me. Maybe when we get to the memories that haunt me more, it will help me.

Even now, perfectly safe in this carriage after a good night of sleep, I'm scared. I refuse to look out into the darkness. Worried I'll pull up to one of the brothels and be directed upstairs. I can't look at myself; too much blood is splattered on my clothing. None of it is mine, but all the blood looks the same. So much I have to do to only shake on the ride home.

Why can't I just enjoy my time? I'm supposed to be free.

Would making this a routine help? I wouldn't mind it. Healing women in the morning, expanding my knowledge of healing in the afternoon, some family time before trying to fix my stupid, worthless mind, and my second body gets to take care of my kids. My special days will be having two bodies play with my kids instead of a part in sex.

Syro just has to be ok with being pregnant till the end of the healing thing if she wants to keep sleeping with me. That nighttime activity isn't going away anytime soon. Lottie is already pregnant enough. I don't care to bring in Azula's wives. I have to be careful with the maids and my lovers. Elora's wives will have to take up the rest, or I need to lower my desire to breed.

Shut up, magma! Why do you care about breeding? Life doesn't care that much. Stupid thing. If I learn how to use it, will you calm down, or if I breed my entire hometown?

"Are you ok, my Mistress?" Sarania asks.

"So many mess with my mind."

"I'm sorry, my Mistress. I'm sorry. Syro is helping. The difference is small, but there my Mistress. Keep this up, and she may get even more. Then we'll see you truly return to the woman you always dreamed of being. The woman we all know you can be. I hate telling you to suffer just a little longer, but sometimes that is life. We have a goal in mind now and are working towards it. An end to the pain is coming. I promise."

"I hope."

"If it's ever too much, my Mistress, just say something and I'll find a way to give you a break. It's always fine to show your emotions. Just make sure the targets of them are correct. Don't berate your lovers and kiss your enemies. I'll be there to help."

"Thank you."

...

Of course, there is one other thing that can break up the new routine I'm forming.

Labor. And not always mine this time. Which is a good thing. I'm not going to be a good learner if I'm giving birth to all these kids. But I'm not happy to be starting with the Queen and one of her wives. Why couldn't it have been Aurora, Calli, or Shimmer?

"Are they sure?" I ask. "I have to go to Tanatsu to work on helping her lover."

"Yes," the maid says. "She's had a few kids by now, and we are quite sure what it looks like."

"I know," I say. I don't know what I expect there, but it is annoying. I was just thinking about my schedule yesterday, and it's already changed. "Kelly."

"I don't have a lot of mana," Kelly says. "You'll have to do all the work."

"I've got plenty," I say. "I guess to the castle?"

"Yes, this way, Princess Alzi."

I've never met the King. A little strange. It must be weird for him to know his planned replacement is already living on the castle grounds, gotten the Queen pregnant twice, another wife pregnant once, and is about to have them vulnerable in a way that I could get them pregnant yet again if I want to. A strange position to be in.

Maybe I should've gotten Nakuma to teleport us instead of using a carriage. We're probably going to be early. I doubt they would forget to account for traveling.

"Both Lotus and the Queen are in labor," the maid says. "They suspect you gave them dragons so that it will be a harder birth for them than normal. I know you two combined will be able to handle it. Just wanted to warn you."

"Sisters want to come out together," I say. At least all my kids seem to love family. Hopefully, they keep that as they grow up. I'll have to watch for any teachings from the nobles that ruin the family bonds. "Two kids are a tiny amount for me, especially when they're coming out of different women."

"Yes, it is more of a warning that there will be two women. We all recognize your skills. We have the time to discuss the details, and they both have been through labor before," Shyla says.

"Thank you," Kelly says. "It is nice knowing that. I'll watch over the Queen, and you get Lotus, Alzi. Unless something difficult happens, I'll be able to ask for any help well in advance for your mana. It'll be safer for the Queen this way. You know the basics of the steps. We won't be going too deep into the details for the Queen. We'll have to wait for another pregnancy to do that. We shouldn't make the Queen out to be a show. Plus, you've handled some difficult births before on your own. This should be simply."

"That makes sense," I say. "I could work it out on my own eventually. I would just have to use a lot more mana."

"Hopefully, you'll still have time to work with Tanatsu. I know that's important to you, but kids don't care about what you wish to do."

"I know." Irlo is going back to the castle tomorrow, so she'll get to meet her newest siblings quickly. I'll need to work with the Queen to have all the kids meet soon. I don't want to keep waiting to have all the kids get introduced. Dragons shouldn't have to wait to understand what the blood connection is.

"Follow me. They are in the Queen's personal bed chamber."

Inside the room is what I should've expected. Two women close to the hard part of labor, not that the early contractions are easy or pleasant, but pushing the baby out is a lot harder than the body getting ready to push out a baby.

"Thank you for coming," the Queen says. "Sorry for bringing you in a bit early. We just worried about getting you here if you went all the way to the assassins' guild."

Oh, that's where Tanatsu works? "Did she..."

"No. She just plays guard there in exchange for resources. I can promise you that she had nothing to do with the attempts. Fuck they are getting close," the Queens says.

"I would hope so," Kelly says. "Please try to get comfortable, we need to start checking you two. Do we have the water and rags? You should always be prepared to work without any mana."

"Right here," the maid says. "Few buckets of warm water, one that has boiled recently, and plenty of clean rags."

"Good, now time to start the checks."

This feels a lot better than any other labor I've been part of. Not being the one pushing makes it a lot better already, but having Kelly here who actually knows what is happening and isn't about to pass out is a lot better than my fumblings I've done before.

"We'll start with the Queen, Alzi. Then Lotus. You two should stay close, but have enough room to stay comfortable and move as you need to. If you want to switch positions, you can; just let us know if you need help. Otherwise, move as you need. We have a lot more room here than I'm used to."

"Thank you, Kelly," the Queen squeezes out. The maids work quickly to strip the two women down and help them onto the bed. They both choose to lie down with some pillows, keeping them up a bit. Then we move in to check for dilution.

"This is about the right size, Alzi," Kelly says. "Ok, time to start the hard part."

...

The Queen and her wife had relatively easy labors. No surprises or anything. Just a lot of pushing and cheering as things worked out normally. A bit more blood than they normally have, dragons don't come out easy, but besides that, nothing strange. Well, the Queen did give birth to a royal dragon. The second I've fathered.

Suddenly, my arms are captured by some vines. "What?" I ask. "I. I trusted you all."

"Alzi? Lotus, stop this immediately!" the Queen says. "You promised me!"

Lotus's eyes are white as she holds our child to her breasts. The Queen gets capture next, and slowly the rest of the room till just Lotus is free.