The fortress was unusually quiet by which I mean, only three fairies were currently singing. I'd spent the morning wrangling shadowfire lanterns into something less "ominous crypt" and more "romantic myth." Nyx, sprawled across the newly completed "Hall of Shadows," watched with a smirk and a tail that kept finding its way into my lap.
Somewhere overhead, Lira and Pip circled, the air alive with the scent of wildflowers and mischief. I should have known they were plotting.
I'd barely finished smoothing the last rune into the wall when Lira landed on my shoulder, and Pip perched on the other, each wearing a look that could only mean trouble for my peace of mind.
"Warden," Lira said, flicking her emerald hair out of her face. "We need to talk about the future."
Pip, more shy but no less determined, nodded. "We mean us. You, me, Lira… and, um, Nyx."
I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Nyx for backup. She just grinned, fangs gleaming. "Only the best waifus, Knox."
Lira jumped down, hands on her hips. "We've been thinking. The harem's missing something, namely, us. We want to make it official."
I scratched my beard, buying time. "Official? You mean… marriage?" My voice cracked embarrassingly on the last word.
Pip's wings fluttered, her cheeks pink. "We've discussed it with Nyx. She's very… open-minded."
Lira elbowed Pip, who rolled her eyes. "We're fairies, Knox. Love is what we do. And you well, you're the Warden. Our Warden."
I glanced helplessly at Nyx again, but she only arched a brow and purred, "Didn't you say you wanted family? Let yourself want, Knox."
I hesitated, running my claws through my wild pink hair. "There's just the small matter of logistics. Height difference, for one. You're… tiny."
Lira and Pip exchanged a look. In perfect sync, they launched into the air, bodies shimmering with magic. Their wings expanded, limbs elongating, torsos stretching as if they were made of moonlight and hope. In a heartbeat, they landed, now nearly as tall as Nyx, lithe, graceful, still unmistakably fairy, but undeniably… womanly.
Lira spun, her dress swirling. "We're stretchy!" she announced, triumphant.
Pip, bashful but radiant, took my hand in hers, now soft, warm, and very much sized for mine. "Fairy magic fits where love fits."
All I could do was gape. "I… what… how…"
Nyx's laughter rolled through the hall, warm as sunlight and twice as dangerous. "I told you: only the best. Besides, you never did like things too easy, did you?"
Lira stepped in close, looping her arms around my neck. "Let us in, Knox. All the way. We'll take care of your heart."
Pip pressed against my side, her hair tickling my jaw. "Let us make you a legend worth singing about."
My walls, literal, emotional, all of them crumbled. I wrapped my arms around both, feeling the soft press of their breasts and the steady pulse of shared magic. Nyx joined us, her tail looping around the four of us, her eyes fierce and proud.
For a moment, time stretched with us. I felt the ache of old scars, the warmth of new love, and the wild, impossible hope that maybe just maybe I was allowed to be happy.
The System pinged, utterly deadpan:
[Relationship Status: Complicated (and Stretchy).
Harem Expansion: Approved.
Achievement Unlocked: The More, the Merrier.]
Lira kissed my cheek. Pip nuzzled my jaw. Nyx pressed her lips to my ear, whispering, "You're ours now, Warden. No backsies."
I laughed, the sound echoing through the Hall of Shadows, out into the fortress, and across the Sanctuary. The fairies joined in, their voices rising in song, and even the world-spirit sent a breeze through the open windows, scattering petals and starlight around us.
As twilight fell and the fortress glowed with shadowfire and music.