Trinket (Reverse Harem)

Departure

"You have nowhere to go," Korr pointed out with merciless cold. Ethat, warily, crept behind his brother, head low and tail extended, wings trembling with tension.

"I don't care! I'd rather be on the street selling my pussy than getting dropped off a griffon's back!" I stumbled into the main bedroom. My bag of belongings that I'd come with was still shoved in a darker corner. Yanice and Delia hadn't wanted to touch it, I guess. I pulled off my shirt and squirmed out of my pants and boots. I'd wear my own damn clothes out of here! And go barefoot!

I yanked out some of my clothes, what there was. The raven feather tumbled out onto the floor.

"Are you going to the ravens?" Korr asked, looking at the feather.

"No, I'm not. I'm getting on a ship and leaving this fucking country! I hate it here!" I sobbed once, told myself to knock it off, and yanked one of my old, filthy shirts over my head.

"No one will take you. You'll never get out of port. The other countries aren't taking people from here," Korr said. "We are destroying the world, according ot them, remember?"

"I don't care. I'm not staying here. Get out of my way." I pulled out some wads of things from my bag, then up-ended it to double-check that I had everything before re-packing it. My Trinket rolled onto the floor.

"A Trinket," Korr said.

I bent down, snatched it up in my palm, and said, "So what? You've got one. You know how it works."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, that's what I ask myself all the time," I said sarcastically.

"So that's why you came to Haven. You're looking for the other Trinket."

"Not a chance. Not anymore."

"Did you find them?"

"No. But it doesn't matter, because even if I did, the Trinkets are bullshit."

Korr and Itek exchanged looks.

"No insult intended. Just sorry to let you know they're kind of bullshit. Glad it's working out for you two. Cheers. Bye." I shoved everything into my bag and headed around Ethat towards the door.

Ethat rumbled and shoved his tail across the door, barring my way.

I kicked his tail. "Let me out of here!"

"Let her go, Ethat," Korr said.

Ethat rumbled and moved his tail. I shoved past him, but fast as a skink he moved into the main room, and placed himself in front of the door.

"He wants to know why you think the Trinkets are bullshit," Korr said as he and Itek followed me.

"What, I can't have an opinion?" My voice cracked. My brain was still spinning, and I was still falling.

"It's not an opinion we've ever heard anyone have. Why do you have it?" Itek asked.

"Don't talk to me!" I shouted at him. "You fucking asshole!"

He actually flinched, even though he tried to hide it.

"I'm not telling a bunch of high-city diplomats what I know," I told them sourly. "I'm not that stupid. I know Trinkets are all a lie. I won't tell anyone else. Just let me go."

"Now this is getting interesting," Korr said, advancing towards me. "Do share what you've figured out, pet."

"My name is Theia." I whispered.

Korr raised a white eyebrow at me. Itek stared, intense and predatory, and Ethat flicked his tail, so agitated that vines rose and withered off his scales in shimmering waves.

"Trinkets aren't unique," I told Korr. "There are more than one trinket of each type."

"That stands to reason that similar designs get used over the generations," Korr said.

"And I know the Trinkets don't... don't make anyone faithful."

"Nothing makes someone be faithful. The Trinkets just indicate your most perfect mate," Korr said. "If the other mate doesn't expect fidelity, that's part of the perfection."

Something inside me crumpled. "...what?"

Korr didn't re-state himself. Ethat rumbled. Korr translated. "Ethat wants to know if you found someone that has your matching Trinket and they betrayed your trust. You obviously expect fidelity."

"No." I said softly, feeling like I was withering, or I was mud in the rain getting washed away. "I... at the enclave where I grew up, I fell in love with a high-bred. We were together for two years. He was the one who wanted to go to the Temple."

"Ah, to be washed clean in the Churn," Korr nodded.

"Yes, I didn't realize it. He said he loved me. I loved him," I said, looking down. "You know how this ends. He found his consort: a high-bred, beautiful she-wolf just perfect for him. He got her pregnant right away. A month later, after I found out he'd been screwing maids and getting pups while claiming he loved me, I came home and my best friend was fucking him and is now his skirt and is going to have his back-up bastard. I thought... how could... the Trinkets mean it shouldn't be like that."

"Does his wife know?"

I nodded, eyes closed.

"Then that is the nature of their relationship," Korr said. "The Trinkets do not promise fidelity. They promise the greatest possibility of happiness. She doesn't value his fidelity, and may be happier not having to cater to his sexual appetites while caring for young."

Ethat snorted agreement.

"More flexible attitudes of what constitutes happy bonds are more usually seen in humans and pantere and unicorns," Korr elaborated. "Wolves, dragons, sea-serpents tend to imprint very strongly on one mate, and are usually wholly devoted. But there are always exceptions."

Itek, speaking carefully, said, "But it doesn't excuse his treatment of you before that. You believed he was faithful to you, and he clearly was not. And taking your best friend as his concubine and breeder is... in exceedingly poor taste."

"Yes," Korr said, not hiding his irritation. "That speaks to the quality of soul that mutt has."

"Badly behaved high-bred. Who is surprised?" Itek said.

"I was," I snapped at him. "I was. He was always having to go to banquets and parties with high-bred females on his arm, because I was just a servant, but he promised me it was just for show. He was fucking all of them."

"Yes, probably," Korr said.

"I was such a fool. I was so, so naive to think...and he lured me to the Temple to get rid of me."

"Yes, probably," Itek echoed.

"But why do you think the Trinkets are duplicates that mean nothing?" Korr asked. "I am very interested to hear why."

"Because I've seen your Trinket." I pointed to Korr.