Lisa just smiled as Grim, for the third time, checked to make sure her cape was securely closed against the slight chill in the air before doing the same to the girls’. The capes weren’t the same gray ones they had worn at the Joining Ceremony. Grim had those destroyed, never wanting to be reminded of how he nearly lost his family. Now they wore capes in the deep, purple color of his house, House Luanda.

"We are fine, Grim,” Lisa told him as he went to adjust her hood again. “It's not that cold out."

"I should have considered that the sun would not have yet warmed this area when I chose it," he grumbled.

"But it will soon," she said, putting a reassuring hand over his. "I can't believe you and your Warriors were able to get all this done in such a short time."

She let her gaze travel over the newly-constructed, circular arena that now sat on the grounds in front of House Luanda. There was a raised seating area that curved around half of it, and then a gathering area for Warriors at the far end. Today was the Festival of the Goddess, but it wasn't like any festival Lisa had ever experienced back on Earth.

For Tornians, the Festival was a competition. A way for them to impress the Goddess with their strength and skill, in the hopes she would find them fit and worthy enough to bless them with a female. It was armed combat, and it wasn't uncommon for Warriors to be injured, sometimes severely.

Lisa had been horrified when Grim informed her of this and told him that there was no way she could allow the girls to witness such a thing. It would terrify them to watch Warriors, that they had come to know and love, attacking and injuring one another.

They had finally reached a compromise, and in a short time, they would discover if Grim's Warriors would accept it.

"They knew it was their Queen's wish, so it was done," Grim told her, referring to the arena as if it shouldn't surprise her.

"They are all fit and worthy males," Lisa said, smiling up at him, "but I got the best of them."

"I should never have let you out of our chambers this morning," Grim growled as he leaned down, capturing her lips in a long, deep kiss, his hands slipping under the cape he'd just taken so much time to make sure was closed. He was about to lift her up into his arms and carry her away, when he heard Alger clearing his throat, and the girls starting to giggle.

Pulling his mouth from his Lisa's, he almost ignored them all when the look in her eyes told him she wanted that too. Instead, he took a deep breath and forced himself to release her, only standing after he made sure her cape was secure again.

"Go," she encouraged softly. "We’ll finish this tonight."

Giving her a stiff nod, he turned and stepped to the front of the podium to address the large crowd that had gathered. Traditionally, the Warriors that wished to compete would gather at the training fields, but Lisa had expanded the Festival into a daylong event. She had invited vendors from every corner of Luda to set up within the walls of the House and offer their food, wares, and skills for credits. When they quieted, Grim spoke.

“Warriors, today is the Festival of the Goddess." A roar of excitement went through the crowd, and Grim raised his hands to quiet them. "And we must give thanks for the many blessings she has bestowed on us." He turned and looked to Lisa, Carly, and Miki as a roar of agreement spread through the crowd.

"These blessings have changed our lives for the better," Grim continued once they quieted again. "Now, we must show the Goddess that we appreciate them.” A confused silence met this statement. "As Warriors, we are used to the blood and gore that comes with battle. We must accept it. But Queen Lisa, Princesses Carly and Miki, and every other female here today do not. And I, for one, never want them to."

A low murmur of agreement answered him.

"Because of this, our battle swords and blades will not be used during the competition. Instead, only stingers shall be allowed." He gestured to the array of stingers propped up against the platform below him. "Any Warrior receiving three stings shall be deemed defeated."

Absolute silence met Grim's declaration, and Lisa let her concerned gaze travel over those before them. Had she overstepped in asking this of Grim? Rising, she went to stand beside him.

"I realize this comes as a shock to you," she said taking Grim's hand. "You believe that only by pitting your full strength and skill against your brother Warriors will you prove to the Goddess you are fit and worthy males." She let her words hang there for a moment, and saw many of the Warriors nodding their heads. "I do not believe that is truth. I do not believe that winning one competition is enough to prove you are a fit and worthy male." She saw they didn't understand.

"Was Faber not once a winner?" she asked, knowing he was. "Was he a fit and worthy Warrior?"

"No." Came the immediate reply.

"Luuken once won in his manno's House. Was he a fit and worthy warrior?" she demanded.

"No!" They shouted even louder.

"Then I say to you that while winning this competition allows others to see the strength and skills you have acquired through your dedication and sacrifice, it has absolutely nothing to do with you being a fit and worthy Warrior. It is your everyday actions that the Goddess sees, and that is what she blesses."

"If you share this belief, then from now on the victor in the Festival of Goddess competition shall receive a trophy created by Master Glassmaker Gahan, and credits equal to a Warrior’s yearly compensation." A murmur of excitement went through the crowd, and Lisa raised a hand to quiet them. "Or if you do not share this belief, then you may continue the competition as it has always been with your battle swords and blades, but the Princesses and I shall not witness it. We have no desire to watch the fit and worthy males we have come to care about senselessly harming one another. The choice is yours."

Lisa stood beside Grim, silently waiting to see what the Warriors before her would decide when out of the corner of her eye she caught Alger beginning to move.

"Stay," Grim growled lowly, and Alger stilled.

Both the King’s and Queen's Guard had elected not to participate in today's events. Instead, they surrounded the area where Grim and Lisa sat with the females from Earth, along with Padma, Gossamer, Gahan, Dagan, and Caitir.

Because of this, Grim was not going to let The Guard influence the others now. It would be his Warriors’ decision on how they proceeded. Slowly, Warrior Tagma separated himself from the group of Warriors on the far side of the arena and moved toward his King and Queen, his battle sword strapped to his back.

Once he stood in front of them, he placed his arm across his chest and gave them a deep bow. Straightening, he released the clasp that held his sword in place and wrapped the now loose straps around the sheath-encased blade. Setting it against the wall beneath where Lisa and Grim stood, he chose the stinger that best fit his grip. Turning, he walked to the center of the arena and waited.

It didn't take long for Warrior Oya to step forward. He exchanged his weapon, took up his position across from Tagma, and saluting him with the stinger he had chosen, waited for the command.

"Begin!" Grim roared, and with a cheer from the crowd, the Festival began.

Lisa blinked back the tears that wanted to fill her eyes as she sat down. She should have had more faith in the Warriors of Luda. Should have known they would understand and be willing to change. They truly were fit and worthy males.

"My Lisa?" Grim asked quietly, concern-filled eyes looking down at her.

"I'm fine," she reassured, giving him a watery smile. "It's just hormones."

"Hormones?" He frowned at the word.

"Chemicals that are naturally in our bodies," she explained. "They increase when a female conceives. It tends to make us just a little," Lisa lifted her hand so he could see that her thumb and index finger were just barely apart, "emotional."

"I will find Hadar! He will fix this." Lisa's hand on his arm stopped him.

"No, Grim. There’s nothing he can do about this. It's normal. Natural. It isn't harmful."

"Truth?"

"Truth. I was just touched that our Warriors would so readily accept this change." She had to take a deep breath to fight the new swell of tears. She knew if she didn't, Grim would be carrying her back inside Luanda.

"Mommy?" Carly's little voice had her looking down to see the eyes of her oldest locked on the two Warriors in the arena.

"Yes, baby?"

"Why is that Warrior attacking Cook?"

"Oya isn't attacking Tagma, Carly. We talked about this. Remember? They are just competing against one another."

"But it looks like he is."

"I know, but they aren't using real swords. See?" Lisa pointed to Tagma’s and Oya's swords that had just clashed and the flashes of light sparked from them. "They are using stingers."

"But it still hurts," Carly argued when Tagma growled out as Oya's stinger connected with his arm.

"It does, my Carly," Grim took over the conversation, not downplaying what she was seeing. "But it is a way for a Warrior to learn and improve his skills so that when it is real, he won't be harmed."

"Oh." Carly was silent for a moment then her gaze went to Grim. "I still don't like it, Manno."

Grim felt his heart stutter. It had been just that morning that Carly and Miki had asked if they could call him Manno instead of Grim, and he knew it would be a long time before hearing it didn't affect him.

"That is good, my Carly. It shows the Warriors that you truly care for their well-being. Just as your mother does."

Carly's little chest puffed up at her manno's praise. It reminded Grim that it was the little things he did that truly affected those he loved. A roar from the Warriors had both Grim’s and Carly's attention returning to the arena to find Tagma with three marks on his arms and Oya with only two; declaring the Captain of the Castle Guard the victor.

"Can I go make sure that Cook is okay?" Carly asked, looking back to her manno.

"Yes, Ion and Nairn will escort you." The two guards he named immediately moved to the steps.

 

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

 

Oya grunted his thanks as he took the cloth Tagma held out, and wiped away the sweat and dirt from their battle.

"It was a good match, old friend."

"It was," Tagma agreed. "I will make sure I spend more time on the fields before we meet at the next Festival."

"It will not change the result," Oya declared. "Your time in the kitchen has dulled your skills."

"As if walking a wall has sharpened yours," Tagma fired back.

"I am not the one out of the competition," Oya told him smugly. "If you wish great rewards, you must prove you are worthy."

"Cook!" The young voice had both Warriors quickly spinning around to find Princess Carly rushing toward them, two of the Queen's Elite Guard closely following.

"Princess Carly," Tagma frowned at Ion and Nairn, even as he went down on one knee, so he was closer to her level. "This is no place for you."

"I had to make sure you were okay. Manno said you were, but..." She reached out a little hand but didn't touch the red slashes that marred his arm and chest, courtesy of Oya's stinger.

"King... your manno," Tagma corrected himself, his eyes widening slightly at how she referred to Grim, "is right. These will be gone by tomorrow."

"Truth?" Her amber gaze searched his.

"Truth, little one. You will see that for yourself when you come help me with the cookies tomorrow."

Carly was silent for a moment, and all the males surrounding them could see she was thinking.

"Alright, but I want to make sure," she said, and before anyone knew what she was about, she leaned forward and pressed a little kiss to each red slash. "Whenever I get hurt, Mommy kisses my boo-boos, and it makes them feel better. Did I make yours feel better, Cook?"

Tagma's breath caught for a moment, and he knew that even if he were in the most excruciating of pain, he would still tell her she'd made it better. "You did, little one," he told her gruffly. "Thank you."

The smile she gifted him with shone brighter than the Tornian sun. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." And with that, and a little wave, she was gone.

Slowly rising, Tagma looked to Oya. "I believe I just received a greater reward than you could ever receive in the arena."

"Truth," Oya agreed quietly.

 

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

 

Lisa moved from stall to stall talking to the vendors, perusing what they had to offer. There were small bits of things she couldn't identify. Handmade jewelry. Woven baskets. And of course, there were blades and swords in every shape and size. Seeing them made her conscious of the Raptor's Claw strapped to her arm. Grim had insisted she carry it. It didn't matter that she was surrounded by her Elite Guard. She carried his offspring, and he was taking no chances.

She couldn't help but smile as she rubbed the pronounced baby bump she already sported. Grim's unborn daughter was making her presence known, making Lisa look more like she was five months pregnant, instead of the three that she was.

She knew it concerned Grim. Her rapidly growing size. He worried that conceiving his offspring would harm her, but Lisa wasn't. Yes, Tornian offspring were larger than human ones at birth, or presentation as they referred to it. And yes, the length of the pregnancy was a month shorter, but Hadar and Rebecca were constantly monitoring her, and she was feeling fine.

"Mommy, can we go see if Dagan wants to play in the garden?" Miki asked, looking up at her hopefully.

Looking a little farther down the path, Lisa saw Padma with Gossamer and Dagan at her side. They had all left the arena together during the break between rounds but had gotten separated as they wandered through the stalls.

"You don't want to watch more of the tournament?" When the girls just looked at each other, Lisa frowned. "Girls?"

"We don't like seeing them fight, Mommy," Carly whispered looking up at her with regretful eyes. "I know Manno said they aren't really being hurt, but they still are being hurt."

"I see."

"Will Manno be mad?" Miki asked.

"Mad about what?" Grim asked coming up behind them. He didn't like the way his girls jumped at his question or the guilty looks they gave him. He looked questioningly at Lisa. "My Lisa?"

"The girls were just asking if they and Dagan could go play in the garden."

Grim frowned at that, his mind going over the security issues involved. The Festival was being held on the grounds between the front entrance of House Luanda and the gate, making it easily defendable with guards stationed along the walls. The gardens his girls liked to play in were behind the House. While there were guards there, there weren’t as many.

“Please, Manno?” Miki asked, and two sets of little eyes pleaded with his. Grim felt his heart melt. There was little he could deny them when his girls looked at him like that.

“You will take Ion, Nairn, and Caius with you,” he finally agreed, and the guards named stepped forward.

“We will, Manno!” they squealed, jumping up and down.

“And you will obey them,” he growled as he went down on a knee to give each of them a hug.

“We will, Manno. Truth,” they promised, each kissing a cheek. With that, they went running toward Dagan, their guards running to keep up.

“It seems you were right again, my Lisa,” Grim said, his gaze finally leaving the girls.

“Only because I’ve been a parent longer than you. One day they are going to want to watch, and that’s when you aren’t going to want them to.”

“Why would I not want them to?” Grim questioned, frowning at her.

“Because that’s when they are going to be watching the Warriors as a female watches a male.”

“No!” Grim’s denial was loud and had heads turning in their direction. “That will not happen. No male will ever be fit or worthy enough for our girls.”

“I think that will be up to them to decide.” Lisa hid her smile at Grim’s reaction by linking her arm through his so they could walk. “But it will be a long time before you will need to worry about that.”

“A very long time,” Grim agreed.