Garden Thorn, Part 6

by Nuit du Loup

Your Grace!"

Queen Arianne, Blessed Monarch of the Realm by the blessing of the Lady, paused at the intrusion. She lifted her enchanted writing stylus from the document she'd been composing and set it down into the decorative holder on the far side of her desk. Now that Briar and her youngest daughter had agreed to the plan, there was so much to do and so many small orders to issue to make it happen. Such was the curse of a ruler.

"Yes, Sadana?" she said, addressing the guard that had spoken and who was standing a respectful distance away on the glass platform.

"Ma'am, there is a small group of troubling individuals at the Palace gates. They are all heavily armed and asking to speak with you in rather insistent and urgent tones.  All of but one of them are women, but they have magic of some kind too.  The women feel a bit like that girl that visited two weeks ago."

"Did they give a name for themselves?"

"Yes, they said they were the Mai. It sounded like the title of a group and for the women as individuals, much as we use the term Sisters. Their leader is a very imposing woman who goes by the name Mai-sha Delen. Then there are four women with the title Mai-han and a young girl they called a Mai-Wa. The lone man was sullen but gave the name Tao-Sha Raldo."

Arianne frowned in thought. She had been expecting these guests for some time, or a least a message from them. The delay had to mean that either her message had been ill received, or they felt a need for long deliberation.

"I know who these people are," she assured her guard. "Tell them I will see them and take them to Moon Hill in the Gardens because there is one other that they will want to speak with and it is a closed space you can secure. Also tell them any bladed weapons must be magically peace-bonded and any use of staves for anything but life-or-death self-defense will be result in their death or imprisonment. They are potently skilled warriors, so be vigilant."

"Oh yes ma'am," her guard replied with a smile. "We are all on our toes already with these people.  We've heard about what that Briar girl can do and we have no desire to be surprised by what sounds like her kin."

"Good," Arianne nodded. "On your way out, alert the rest of my guards. I will meet you and our guests at the entrance to the Gardens."

As soon as the guard was gone, Arianne sighed resignedly at the work that would be left undone. Then she turned towards her private quarters. If she was going to be meeting important foreign guests, she needed to dress for the occasion. Hopefully this would be a productive encounter, because she really needed it.

******

"You're getting a lot better at this," Nia said happily, a mood that was almost unrealistically constant with the energetic young woman. She and Briar were sitting at one of the tables in Moon Hill's living chamber for her afternoon lessons. The praise was for the results of the mathematics work she'd just completed.  Nia had decided to forgo all the history and other side information for later and they were focusing on what it really took to learn proper magic, which involved a lot more math than Briar had ever guessed. Luckily she was already a good problem solver and she was making quick gains on the basics.  It also helped that Nia was actually a superior teacher once she set down to the task. She was engaging and really knew the content by heart.

Nia had also settled in quite well with the residents of Moon Hill. After the initial awkward familiarization, her girls had gotten used to her and were impressed that Nia enthusiastically joined in with all of the circle's group activities. Nia also took to their new game, dubbed stickball for the moment, with almost child-like glee. She had also proven to be an energetic and enthusiastic lover, though Briar had not experience that personally. She felt that while they were teacher and student, there should be a separation, and Nia had easily accepted that.

The last few days had also been quite pleasant in other ways. She'd gotten to see Coral a number of times, with each occurrence a bright flare in her memories. Each time had been a visit to Coral's suite, but she was more than happy with that. Coral's suitemates were also her classmates when they joined together with another suite, so she had half a dozen young girls willing to help with her tutoring. They were all having their first nights with Gardens as well, since it turned out they did it in order of class standing, which was why Coral had been first.  Briar had been very flattered when she was invited to attend a couple of these nights.

It was strange, sitting off to the side with Coral and a couple of the other girls while they all watched another young girl experience real sex for the first time, but it also felt very special. It was even more so in two of the girls' cases because the Gardens involved were some of her close friends. It turned out that way because those two students came to her and asked for someone Briar thought they would enjoy for their first time. Both choices had been right on and it touched her heart to see them so happy afterwards.

Coral and the other student girls also found her new uniform quite funny. Apparently Coral had shared the experience of soiling her uniform pants and they found it hilarious that Briar couldn't even think of Coral without soaking hers.  Coral also found it great fun to strip all the clothes of her whenever the opportunity presented itself. Briar certainly enjoyed the result when she succeeded though.

Nia set down the sheet of solved math problems and grinned approvingly. "Looks like we can move on now to the next level and get into some interesting equations. Your handwriting has improved a lot too since we started too."

"You mean it no longer looks like a child's scribbles," Briar smiled back. Training the muscle memory for proper handwriting took an appalling amount of time, and every time she tried to hurry, her script dissolved into an utter mess. Oriana though had been blessed with precise and delicate hands, and could already write better than most Sisters, according to Nia. Oriana and more than a few of the others were also taking the math lessons with her because she'd told them all of the Queen's plans and after unanimously agreeing about going with her to this new mystery world, they'd all talked quite animatedly about what new jobs they might do.

"It wasn't quite that bad. I've seen worse from—Oh! What's going on?"

Briar was already turning before Nia's exclamation at a loud commotion coming from outside. Then her girls, all of those who were around at the moment at least, were all flooding into the chamber in a chaotic tizzy and headed in her direction, many talking at once in a jabber. They were highly upset or excited by something, but the confusion of voices made the why of it hard to understand.  Poor Oriana looked close to tears from the emotional storm around her, and when Briar gestured to her, she almost dove into her embrace where she sighed deeply and began breathing more calmly. That's when she caught 'they have weapons!" from another voice.

"Silence!" Briar boomed out the command with as much authority as she could muster. She gave the calmed Oriana to Lisette to hug, and strode through the group to place herself between them and the room entrance. Nia followed and stood a few steps behind her. Her girls were still talking in whispers, but some of their worry had been deflated by the restoration of familiar order. Briar decided she would have strong words for whoever had given them so much cause for fear. None of them had experienced much in the way of violence in their lives and they were far too sheltered and innocent, to have something of that nature thrust upon them like this without flustering them.

"Girls," she said, speaking in competent, calm tones. "Please stand close with someone and let me handle this. I won't let anything happen to you."

She heard several murmurs, but she did not turn to check and see if they were doing so. This was because red-cloaked Sisters were now coming in through the living doorway. Each was carrying a fighting staff and an expression of utter seriousness. Eight of them spread out around the room perimeter and took up watch positions, though the one that started to head behind the girls stopped in place at a strong, warning frown from Briar.

Briar did not have long to contemplate what was going on because a moment later another group arrived. There were four more guards, but the important visitors were the Queen and the Preceptor who was accompanied by her usual, familiar entourage. They too looked like something important was happening, but they didn't seem too worried about violence occurring. The monarch saw her immediately and after giving the chamber a quick, assessing glance, she walked over to stand a couple paces away.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Briar said disapprovingly, not caring that the woman was a queen, and gestured behind her. "Did you have to frighten them all?"

"That wasn't my intention at all," the Queen grimaced. Briar turned slightly at a sound from behind her and was surprised when Oriana came up to hug to her side again. Oriana was unfortunately sensitive to negative emotions around her, but she seemed a little stronger today. Briar held her friend again as the queen continued.  "This is something that was unexpected and I was forced to react to it. I would not cause your friends any distress if I could help it."

Before Briar could ask her what she was talking about, yet another group arrived through the doorway and their appearance made her mouth go temporarily dry.  She knew those gray warrior's clothes intimately because they were identical to the ones she'd worn upon her arrival to this place. Five were her former sisters, the Mai. The last was someone she only vaguely recalled, but since he was a man, and wearing a small battle-axe on his back, she understood the apprehension her girls felt. It had to be like confronting a strange but ferocious looking animal, meeting a man like that. They all locked eyes onto Briar at once and came to a halt ten paces away, where they assumed an 'at rest' stance in a loose, but organized clump. Also in the group was a face she knew very well, her old friend Sano.

"Sano," Briar whispered in surprise, not quite believing at first that her old friend was here. Sano heard her though and gave her a quick, small smile before slipping back behind a disciplined mask.

"So, Briar, I can feel that your Gift has awoken," Mai-Shan Delen said bluntly, not bothering with a greeting. Briar had rarely spoken to the woman before, but she knew well who she was. Delen was known for her rough manner and other less flattering things. "Why do you remain in this den of slaves?"

Briar felt Oriana stiffen in her arms, whether in shock or some other emotion, so she held her friend a little tighter to keep her silent and still. "Mai-Shan," she said, giving a respectful bow of her head but keeping her tone even. "I would ask that you not refer to my girls as slaves, and certainly not in such an insulting tone."

"Yours?" a ripple of surprise passed through the Mai as their leader spoke. Delen sounded unsure of whether to be displeased or not. "You own them?"

"I know you are not a fool, Mai-Shan, so respectfully, please stop speaking like one," Briar responded evenly, letting a little heat into her voice. "These girls are my friends and they are only mine because they choose to be."

"These women have surely corrupted you, since you show so little respect," Delen responded, sounding cross. "You must return to us at once before it becomes permanent. Your friends and teachers have all been worried about you and until two weeks ago we were afraid you had been killed or taken by those barbarian invaders. This fate seems almost as bad."

"I can not disagree, that the Sisterhood has many flaws I do not like, and I find my abduction both reprehensible and disgusting," Briar replied, ignoring the shocked surprise on the Preceptor's face. Briar pointed at her. "The woman that did it stands right there, not five paces from me. My kidnapping is why I can never fully respect her or like the woman very much at all, and a part of me wishes I could beat her senseless as punishment, but I can not say that the outcome has been entirely bad. In this place, this Realm, I have found a greater purpose to commit my life to."

"Why would you choose to help your captors?" Delen said, sounding stern but confused. "Your friends and family are back home, with us. Your Gift has been awakened and it needs to be properly trained."

"My Gift you say?" Briar smiled in dark humor. "There was much you have kept hidden from us about it. I've had quite a few revelations concerning those secrets and about our people since coming here. Does Sano know them, since she has accompanied you?"

"She will be told at the proper time, as you would have had you followed the proper path," Delen argued. Her gaze slid to Oriana and some kind of understanding lit in her eyes. "That is why you defend these girls?"

"I defend them because they are my friends, and a new family," Briar replied very firmly. "I love them and even have sex with them to show it, but I do not do so strictly for the magic. That is only a side benefit to their companionship. Besides, I am already learning how to use my magic from my new teacher."

"We were told that these fools have gotten you involved with their mad plans," Delen said disapprovingly. "How can you think that they are more important than your own people?"

"Because now these are 'my people' too," Briar argued back, smiling down briefly at Oriana. "I am involved because I want to be, because they need me, and because I need them. This war is coming wherever I'll be, and this is where I can do the most good. It's also the place with the girl who now owns my heart and will soon become wife. I can't cast this all aside, only to return with you, where I'll just train uselessly every day until the village is invaded."

"A wife!" Raldo, whom everyone had been ignoring until now like an ugly statue, blustered his way forward. Every single face around him slid into dark frowns, including more than a few among the Garden girls. He ignored it all. "You were promised to me!"

"Briar?" she heard the questioning worry in Oriana's voice and stroked her cheek soothingly.

"I spoke no words of promise to you," Briar told the man in an icy tone that raised the neck hairs on all the Mai and warrior trained Sisters. "The words I did speak were to a girl that I will soon be married to. I promised to be her partner in this great undertaking, and to one day happily bare her beautiful children. It is a promise that fills me with more warmth than anything else I have ever experienced."

She gently put Oriana into Nia's arms and strode purposely until she was just a couple paces from where Raldo and Delen stood. The other Mai looked uncertain and Sano was clearly confused and very worried. Briar really wished to speak with her friend alone. "I promised you nothing!" she told Raldo, with blade-sharp finality.

"The law says otherwise," Raldo snorted contemptuously, smirking like an idiot. "The council chose me to share your bed and fill your belly, not one of these brainless drones. You have no say in the matter."

"Do you wish to test that clam?" Briar asked, gathering a large amount of her chi, her magic, and then let it flow into every muscle and sinew of her body.  She let it leak from her skin and even into her eyes. The Sisters around the clearing all shifted involuntarily into trained fighting positions, as did the Mai. They could all see and feel her power coiling upon itself as Briar radiated danger and threat.

"Raldo, you damned fool, step back now—" Delen's quick, cold-voiced warning cut off when Raldo leapt forward, swinging his muscled arm. It was not any kind of fighting move at all. It was a pompous brute's attempt to deliver a backhanded slap to cow her.

To Briar's very highly honed skills, the strike was horribly slow. It took almost no effort at all to flick a hand up to tap the strike away. When Raldo missed, it resulted in an awkward lunge that made him look like a clumsy fool. "How did you get selected to be a Tao-sha?" She asked aloud in open amazement. "You have fewer brains than a rock!"

"His father and two of his brothers sit on the village council," Delen muttered darkly. "There are many more skilled and more intelligent than he, but it was he that was chosen for you because he demanded it."

"Exactly," Raldo cut in with a proud grunt, face red with anger. "So what? Either way the law says she is mine until she is with child."

"Why is this so important to you?" Briar asked, baffled and displeased by the offish belligerence. She'd never met a man like Raldo among her people before. "If it is necessary, I will dissolve any ties to you. That means anything you force upon me would be rape, which is punishable by death, even for you Raldo, if you insist upon using the law to justify things."

"You are one of the best we've ever trained, Briar," Delen pleaded weakly, barely agreeing with her own arguments anymore. "We need you, especially if war is coming. I know Raldo is disgusting, but it will last only until you bear a child."

"No, I told you, I have already cast my heart here," Briar replied, finally giving Delen a smile. "I appreciate everything my home taught me and I miss my old friends, especially Sano, but that does not change that the people I have come to love are here. I will not return to the village with you."

"And humiliate me?!" Raldo roared. This time he struck like a real fighter and he put a lot of raw muscle strength behind it. That strength was useless however. None of the men could ever hope to match a trained Mai and her magic. Instead of blocking such a blow, which would only wear her down and cause bruising, Briar slapped his incoming hand aside in a gesture that was both arrow-quick, and seemingly casual.

Raldo struck again and again, but no blows found purchase. He tried to grapple with her and pin her in place, but she moved like water and slid to one side only to spin into a blindingly fast kick. She channeled an intricately precise amount of her magic into the strike and when it connected just under his ribs, there was a loud wa-whump sound and a visible ripple in the air at the contact point. Raldo flew in an ugly, ungainly arc and then landed with a dull thump in a patch of green grass a dozen feet away.

Unlike the assassins Briar had fought, Raldo was a formally trained fighter and was used to receiving punishing blows and falls. So Briar was not all that surprised when he stood back up and spat a thick wad of blood and spittle off to one side. He glowered at her with insulted pride and animal rage.  Briar did not allow him regain his balance though; instead she leapt the distance and struck again.

Raldo grunted in sharp pain when he caught her scything leg on his forearm, but he shoved her back and retaliated. Every time he tried to land a punch Briar snaked within his guard and struck hard with a driving palm or a vicious foot into soft places. Twice she'd nearly caught him in the face with a driving knee. She wasn't sure what the fight looked like from the outside, but Briar felt utterly calm. Her body was alive with her magic and had no room for fear, doubt or hesitation. This was why it was almost a surprise when it suddenly ended.

The end came when Raldo over-extended a strike towards her face by just a hair. Her combat heightened senses saw it coming and reflex had a counter already moving. Her palm hit precisely and with magic behind it. There was a wet crunch, and when Raldo pulled back, his arm was badly broken. The pain made him slow and clumsy, so four heartbeats later she had him laid out on his back with two fingers over his carotid artery, both glowing blue with a deadly magical sizzle.

"That's enough, Briar," said the Queen's unexpected, but very authoritative voice. It cut straight through her adrenaline fogged mind and made her take notice. "You also know our laws now. Any more and it is no longer self-defense, and using magic for malign purpose carries sharp penalties. Plus, I would also not enjoy telling my daughter that I've thrown her new wife, whom she loves quite fiercely, in prison."

Briar took in a long breath and then quickly retreated back and away, clearing Raldo, and then turned to walk back towards where Oriana and Nia were standing worriedly. Immediately one of the Mai-han crossed to the nearly unconscious man and started to dress his arm. She was not gentle about it. The Queen looked extremely unhappy with events thus far.

"Raldo, you are very fortunate that woman saved your life, I was going to let Briar kill you," Delen said, glowering at the offending man. Then she straightened and bowed low to Queen Arianne. "I apologize for the violence given by one that came with me. We only exchanged small greetings on the way here, but you seem to be a woman who has earned the respect given her."

"Think nothing of it," the Queen replied, still not at all happy. "What will you do with that man?"

This time Delen finally smiled. "He clearly attempted to rape Briar, which as she said, is a capital crime. He is lucky because that means he'll only be hung. Had he even remotely succeeded, he would have been drowned after being starved for five days."

"I see," the Queen nodded, apparently content with the punishment. "That is more than satisfactory. I take it he is the result of problems in your own leadership?"

"Yeas, as I said, he has strong family ties to our governing council."

"Why was it such a big deal that he would come all the way out here with you and then attack me in order to force the issue?" Briar asked, not seeing an intelligent motive for any of it. Oriana slithered out of Nia's grasp and with worried tears, and slid back into Briar's arms once again. Briar held her close and stroked her lovely behind soothingly while whispering that she was alright. It touched her that Oriana was so concerned for her wellbeing.

"Beyond pigheaded pride, I have no idea!" Delen replied with disgust.

"Uhm, actually, I think I know why," Sano volunteered. She looked a little nervous, speaking up while tensions were still high.

"Explain," Delen granted.

"I heard from one of the boys I know—"

"The ones you fool around with?" Delen snorted amusedly.

"Well, yes actually," Sano colored a little but plowed on. "He said Raldo had boasted several times that he was going to prove that he would take the greatest of us and break her to show that they, meaning the Tao, were better than the Mai. Raldo and his cronies wanted to change things. I was actually planning to...uh...kill him if Briar agreed to come home. I've been drugging his food the whole way here too, so that if he actually tried to rape Briar his...tool, wouldn't work."

"Wow Sano," Briar breathed in amazement.

"You're my friend," Sano grinned, shrugging. "I'm supposed to protect you if I can."

"If that is true, than drowning is too good for him," Delen said darkly. "Why did you never say anything of this before now, Sano?"

"He and his family have too many friends back home," Sano said defensively. "Any accusation I made would have been ignored and then they would have started harassing me and the people I care about. This way it would have been just me in trouble."

"You are in trouble, fool girl," Delen sighed. "After you tell me who else was involved with this idea, you and I are going to have a nice long talk about responsibilities." She turned again to regard Briar and Oriana curiously. "She is one of those important to you?"

"Incredibly so," Briar replied, smiling affectionately at Oriana. "Oriana was the first person I met here and she is the one I woke my magic up with. She and all the girls you see here are the new family I found. The ties I have with them and with Coral, my soon-to-be wife, are unwaveringly strong. They will all be going with me to help face the task we have shouldered.  This is what prevents me from going with you."

Delen closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then spoke. "I understand.  I will carry word of your decision back and I won't try to argue with you any further.  We are still debating what to do about the coming war, so we may meet again before you depart. You may not be among us any longer, but I will still be proud to know that one of our best is performing so great a responsibility.  So I will leave you now, and to return you to the peace you've found. I will speak to the Queen outside."

Delen gestured to the others, and they gathered together and left silently with parting bows of respect, all accept Sano who smiled a little sadly.  The Queen patted Briar affectionately on the shoulder, and then she too departed with all her guards and the Preceptor, to follow Delen outside. Then it was only Briar, Sano, and the residents of Moon Hill remaining. There was a long silence before anyone spoke, but Briar sighed, smiled and looked over her girls before settling on Sano.

"Sano, it's great to see you again," Briar began. "I've missed you a lot."

"So have I, Briar," Sano laughed, resigned and happy at the same time. "I worried a lot about you, and I almost cried when we received the message that you were alive. I had to beg Delen to let me come along, but now I've seen you and it makes me happy to see you really are alive, but..."

"I know," Briar nodded. "But this is something I have to do Sano, which makes it all the more saddening, knowing that this reunion will only be a brief one."

"Yes," Sano agreed. Then she smiled a little more and looked towards Oriana and then around to the others. "Are all these ladies your friends?"

"All of them," Briar replied, smiling proudly back. She gently pulled a more than willing Oriana around in front to hold her around her belly and to look at Sano over her. "Sano, meet Oriana. Like I mentioned earlier, she was my first and closet friend here. But I love all these girls Sano. I've found my place to be happy." She glanced over her shoulder and spoke a little louder. "Girls, I'd like you to meet Sano. She was my best friend back in my village."

There was a chorus of curious greetings from the girls as they started to spread back out and around into their living space. Now that the tension was gone, they seemed to dispel it from themselves with laughing as they all began discussing what they'd just seen. Lisette and Kaya came over and joined Oriana and herself. All of them were giving Sano appraising looks.

"Nice to meet you, Oriana," Sano said politely, and bowed. "And to the rest of you as well."

"Thanks, but Briar should have told us she had such a cute friend!" Lisette laughed aloud, making Sano blink in confusion. "What do you think Oriana?"

"She very pretty," Oriana agreed, looking quite comfortable in Briar's embrace. Other voices seconded the two opinions from around them and Sano blushed a little, though it was harder to see with her dark skin, the same color as Briar's.

"How about we go next door to the bath chamber?" Briar suggested with laughter in her voice. "We can sit and talk there in relative peace and quiet, because it's just going to get noisier in here."

Sano didn't know what she was talking about but Briar was amused by her surprised expression when she and Briar's closest friends entered the chamber. The sun was shining brightly today so the pools were shimmering beautifully and the surrounding patio and grass looked incredibly inviting.

"You live in a place like this!" Sano breathed, impressed.

Briar led them over to one of the double-size pallets and they all sat in a loose clump. Oriana was very much in a cuddling mood now and she was leaning heavily into Briar, not that Briar minded that at all. Sano sat cross-legged across from her and the other two took a semblance of flanking positions, though Lisette flopped languidly on her side, which made her loose dress droop to expose her left breast.

"This is where all of us live," Briar answered. "I share a bed with everyone too, thought these three are there the most. It's a lot different from back home, but I've come to enjoy it."

"But everyone is practically naked," Sano pointed out, gesturing to Lisette, who was now idly touching herself as she listened. She was still looking at Sano in a manner that said she was enjoying what she was seeing.

"Yeah, clothing is not exactly a high priority around here," Briar laughed and tugged at her vest with her free hand for emphasis. The left hand was down Oriana's back, stroking it because she starting to become aroused already. "It took a little getting used to, but I ended up not minding it. It's a lot simpler to do to exercises and katas naked, instead of getting clothes all covered in sweat. When were done we just walk back here and hop into the water to clean up."

"I don't think I'll be trying that t home," Sano chuckled dryly. She looked a little harder at her and Oriana. "Is that why you never really liked guys? You preferred girls?"

"Yes, but I think you'll find that almost all the Mai have an inclination towards each other," Briar answered. "It makes a lot of what they never told us make sense. It also explains why I liked watching everyone bath so much."

"Briar spends a lot of time in this room," Lisette informed Sano jokingly. "She even does some of her lessons here, or outside in the surrounding fields. It's too bad she has to wear this uniform now, but naked reading lessons are a lot of fun!"

"Naked reading lessons?!" Sano gave briar a bemused look. "So it's true? You really are having sex with all of these girls?"

"Frequently," Briar nodded unabashedly. "I changed a lot when I came here, but it's a part of who I am now. It's how we all connect and love each other. Haven't you felt something when you saw me or one of the others naked?"

"Sure I have," Sano admitted freely. "Even I think you're very nice to look at. I've never tried anything with anyone though, but from what you said earlier it has something to do with our Gift, right?"

"Right," Briar agreed. "I know Delen said you'd be told 'at the proper time' but I'll tell you now that it's how the Mai remain so strong. I knew that much the very first night I was here. So don't be surprised to find yourself sharing a bed with a woman too."

"I see," Sano said thoughtfully. Then she turned curious again. "What does it feel like? The furthest I've actually gone is to let a boy rub me through my clothes. It feels nice, but it isn't really amazing or anything."

"It feels like you're going to explode, melt and cry, all at the same time!" Oriana replied with a giggle, smiling wide and wriggling against Briar. She was definitely working herself into a horny mood. Briar thought she could even smell Oriana already, unless it was coming from her own slit. "Briar's really wonderful. She makes you want to be held all day long."

"It's also hot, wet, sweaty and all sorts of messy things," Lisette grinned, eyeing Oriana with a knowing expression. She adjusted her legs so that even though her dress still blocked Sano's view, Briar could see right up to her wet pussy. Oriana could see it too and she giggled and wiggled even more.

Sano looked between the two and then at Kaya. Kaya just smiled warmly. She still didn't speak very much around strangers, but even Sano could see she was friendly. "It sounds pretty nice," Sano said amusedly. "Why are these two laughing so much though?"

"Because they're teasing each other,' Briar replied. "You can't see it from your angle, but Lisette, the older girl to your right, is flashing herself at Oriana and me.  She probably wants to vent her excitement by having a little fun. Right Lisette?"

"Right-o!" Lisette laughed and sat up straighter, not bothering to fix her dress. She gave Sano a roughish grin "Briar doesn't mind. She loves me too much to get angry and it's a lot of fun, flirting and teasing with her, because then I get to spend an hour or two having even more fun! It's even better when Oriana and Kaya are around too."

"I think I'm kind envious of you now, Briar," Sano chuckled. She was definitely giving Lisette's bare breast appreciative looks. "It sounds like you really have found the perfect place for you.  You have people who love you so much and you look so happy. Is one of them really going to be your wife?"

Lisette snorted and burst into a fit of giggles, and Kaya was smirking too. "Are you kidding?" Lisette chortled out. "Even I haven't met this mystery girl yet and the lucky few who have won't say anything! But its not one of us, she's actually one of the student Sisters. I know Briar loves me and Oriana and Kaya and all of us, but you should see her whenever she comes back from a visit with her lover. We spend the rest of the night or day cooling her back off! It's a fun duty, but it leaves you sore in the morning."

"She wasn't here?" Sano asked.

"No," Briar affirmed. "Actually, my wife-to-be's name is Coral. She is the second daughter of Queen Arianne, whom you saw just a bit ago.  Her classes and other responsibilities probably precluded her being her, as well as security issues."

"You're marrying the Queens' daughter!" Sano looked both incredulous and impressed. "Is she cute?"

"Uh, need I repeat, it takes hours of sex to cool her down?" Lisette teased.

"Shush please," Briar told her friend. Oriana made a soft cooing noise and she realized her left hand had dropped and her middle finger had slid under the dress hem and inside the warm cleft of her ass. She made no move to remove it. "Yes, I find her stunning. She's quite young still, so we'll have our whole lives to enjoy each other."

"You're doing so much, but I can believe it," Sano sighed. "It's going to be a while until I need to leave again, so can you tell me everything that's happened since I last saw you?"

"Everything?" Briar asked with an eyebrow raised. "You sure about that?"

"Briar," Sano rolled her eyes in amusement, "you don't have to describe every sex act, since it sounds like you're pretty active, but I'd like to hear the important parts."

"Okay, sure," Briar agreed. "On that night..."

It took almost two hours, but Briar told her old friend the salient points about her life since they had last parted. It kind of surprised her that the time between then and now, only just over a moon-cycle, was so short. The other girls also provided relevant parts, especially Lisette who had a gift for giving life to her storytelling. Kaya generally just listened and nodded to agree with certain parts, but she did add to some subjects.  When Oriana told her side of when the two of them had first met, Sano's face had reddened quite a bit since the girl was not all ashamed to tell of their lovemaking. But as the tale ran down a call rose up from outside the hilltop home.

"That's my return call I think," Sano sighed in disappointment and rose lithely. Briar nudged Oriana and after she willingly shuffled to cuddle with Lisette, Briar stood as well. They shared a long hug and quick, sisterly kiss, and then separated. "I'm going to really miss you again."

"Same here," Briar acknowledged. "But we will both have our lives ahead. There is a war coming and I worry a great deal for your future safety, but I know how good you are. Keep safe and maybe we will see one another again."

"I hope so," Sano agreed. "I wish you all the good luck for your endeavor too. Good bye, Briar."

"Good bye, Sano."

The shouted call came again, so Sano bowed very low, and then turned to leave. When she was out of sight she felt a gentle touch on her left hand and realized that she had clenched it tight. She released it and took hold of Oriana's. She sat back down and saw the concerned love in the eyes of her closest friends.

"Thank you," she said, and took a deep, calming breath.

"I don't like the sad Briar," Oriana said, leaning in a little. "It makes me sad too."

"I know it does," Briar told her, bringing the girl close.  The other two also shuffled in and all their arms were tangled into a hug. She didn't know how long they sat that way, with her friends soothing the pain of parting from her old friend again, when there was a soft cough.

She lifted her head from Kaya's shoulder and saw the Queen, and only the Queen, standing a few paces away. The solitude was only an illusion, because she knew the guards were right on the other side of the hedge, but it was an important illusion. It was a gesture that once again reinforced Briar's positive opinion of the ruler. So they unhurriedly disentangled themselves and once again Briar stood in the fore.

"We came to an understanding," the monarch said softly, feeling the mood in the air. "After I explained what it is we are facing, after I also explain how similar our two peoples really are in the eyes of the general human population, your former elder and I came to an agreeable solution. Your people will also be evacuating their valley homes."

"But they are not coming with us?" Briar asked, already knowing that answer from the Queen's tone.

"No, they are not. The world we are going to is complete devoid of humans. None of the Sisterhood would like the idea of creating and building on this new home, only to share it with a people that have a good reason to hate us and because they have men. To repeat the problems we're facing now, down the road, would be a mistake. This world is for us and us alone. However, there was another solution available, the one we considered for ourselves before this new world became available."

"Across the sea to the south, only a hundred or so miles away, is a decent-sized island. Its climate is similar to here and the crops your people grow can also be grown there.  There is also plenty of room to spread out for a few centuries since it too is unpopulated. At the moment it belongs to us, so we will use the same space warping magic that will take us to our new home, to transport them as well."

"I see," Briar sighed. It wasn't a great outcome, but it would keep her people from having to face a war against deadly odds. It would also take her people away from the mountain home they had come to love. Hopefully they would see the importance of all the lives being saved. "When will they be leaving?"

"On the same day as you Briar," the Queen replied, starting to smile a little. "This is probably a little sudden, but I thought while everyone was gathered together in one place, we would have your wedding ceremony with Coral at the same time as the official colony founding."

"You mean...every Sister, Garden, and all my people will all be here?" Briar asked.

"Oh yes," the Queen smiled wider. "Delen was quite adamant that any marriage of a Mai had to be observed by her people, regardless of the fact that it hasn't happened more than three times in your history.  She was very interested in how we will be conducting the ceremony. So you will be seeing your friend one more time."

"Will it be you or I that will be telling this news to Coral?" Briar smiled back to her future, royal, mother-in-law. Her stomach was roiling a little at the thought of thousands of people standing in witness to her marriage, however necessary it may be. "And when will we know what this ceremony entails?"

"You will, and very soon," the Queen replied and then chuckled at Briar's expression. "It's my prerogative as Queen to pass on duties that might make people, and my daughter most especially, angry at me. I've tentatively set the departure date for five weeks from now, so you'll have some time for forward planning and training your girls for the colony as well as learning what to do for the ceremony."

"Five weeks doesn't sound like much, with that workload," Briar replied back, but not as a complaint. "Coral is supposed to be visiting me here tomorrow night, so I guess I'll inform her of things then."

"Good, and have fun," Queen Arianne smiled quite warmly. "I'd thank you again, but it's not good for a queen to do that too much.  I'll be seeing you again soon, so goodnight Briar."

"Goodnight, Your Grace."

The queen left quietly, but Briar's mood had definitely improved from their conversation. Yes she'd been informed of just how much work she'd shouldered, but that didn't bother her. It made her excited. That and the reminder that tomorrow night she'd be seeing Coral again to introduce her to Moon Hill's residents.  Coral would also be spending the entire night and just the thought of that made her wet again. It was about then she noticed the hands undoing the tog buttons of her student vest.

"I know it's about lunchtime already," Lisette said near Briar's head, sliding her hands down inside the back of her pants while Kaya knelt in front of them and started undoing those buttons. "But I think you need this as much as we do. Right?"

"I suppose we can skip a meal just this once," Briar sighed, spreading her legs to allow easier access for Kaya's invading digits. Oriana was already paying due attention to her nipples. Lisette was right. She was still a bit worked up from the emotional ups and downs of the last few hours, so she was more than ready for the hot, loving relief of her friend's.

So she allowed herself to be stripped bare and laid down onto a pallet. Then the others removed their clothes and an afternoon of moaning began.

******

 

"Are you sure it's alright for me to go in just my uniform?"

"Of course it is," Briar assured her young love. She had arrived just moments before to escort Coral and her suitemates to Moon Hill to meet her friends. The Queen had been truthful the day before because this morning she'd awoken to find a messenger from the monarch with an official authorization for her to requisition supplies to help train her girls for the task ahead. Since Coral was going to be directly involved in such things as well, it made sense for her and her friends to join them so nothing would be a surprise when they got to this new world, where they'd have to train others in order to survive.

They were standing in the suite bathroom in front of its large sink mirror. Almost as soon as Briar was let in Coral had started fretting about how Briar's friends would like her.  Briar knew the fear was groundless because her girls were just as excited to meet Coral and her friends as they all were to meet them. Beside the two of them, Tessa was sitting on the long counter, her skinny legs dangling as she grinned in amusement.

"Coral, we're all wearing our uniforms," Coral's closest friend laughed. Tessa had been one of the two girls that had asked her for help finding a first-time sex partner and Briar had been warmed by the faith the girl had placed in her. So she'd asked her very young friend Nessa to be the one. The two girls had clicked almost at once and when Briar had watched them make sweet, innocent love, she considered it one of the great highlights of her life. She and Coral had been so touched, while watching and holding each other's naked bodies, that they had both had climaxes. Now Nessa was also a frequent visitor to Coral's suite and quite often she and Tessa would be making love beside her and Coral. On those nights, they didn't stop until almost dawn.

"That's true I suppose," Coral sighed with a rueful smile, sliding back to lean into Briar and then looked up into her green eyes. "Plus, you're wearing yours too. It just seems like something I should dress up for though."

"If anything, we'll probably be dressing down," Briar chuckled; unable to keep from giving Coral's body a quick caress which made the girl sigh again. "No matter what happens, your friends and mine aren't going to part ways without some kind of sex happening. I know Tessa here is probably already planning on getting her little hands on Nessa."

"Damn right I am!" Tessa giggled in pure glee. Tessa also found their similar sounding names amusing. "It's been almost a week since I've seen her and I miss her cute laugh when I lick her toes."

"Stop that!" Coral laughed back, swatting playfully. "It's hard enough not to mess myself with Briar touching me. I don't need you making it worse by giving me mental images. You know it makes me really wet when I watch you guys do that."

"I do know it," Tessa replied unapologetically. She had an impish side to her personality that flared up randomly. "It's not like you don't have plans of your own though. I'm looking forward to watching Briar make love to you in those pools she keeps telling us about. It has to be better than when we all do it in the bath here, and that's always nice."

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that," Briar interjected quickly. If this kept going, they were all going to get way out of hand and Briar was going to end up eating Coral out on the counter again, not that Coral was likely to complain much. "We can talk about this later. There are others waiting on us."

"Okay," Tessa laughed and slid down to the floor. Together they walked out into the main sitting room where the other four girls were waiting and chatting. Smirks passed over many lips, so Briar knew their conversation had been overheard. Oh well, it wasn't as if she hadn't had an audience before. They all slipped on their soft shoes and Briar put on the pair of well-fitting sandals she'd been issued with her uniform. Then they filed out, Coral sealing the door behind them with a quick bit of magic.

The walk to Moon Hill seemed to pass quickly. The whole time the girls were chatting boisterously, because to them this was like a wonderful party. They knew all about how they were going to be part of the initial colony evacuation, but they also knew that today was going to be about having fun and getting to know the Gardens they would be living with from now on. There was also a sense of light envy for Coral and Tessa, because not only were they roommates, they'd both found real love.  The other girl Briar had found a partner for had really enjoyed her night too, but she hadn't made an emotional connection like Tessa had.

The group attracted a lot of attention as they passed through the building entrance and down the corridors. Now that Moon Hill was so well known and apparently popular, they had visitors more often and that meant there were people to meet on the way.  Sister Claris passed them by at one point and from the slight awe the girls showed when Claris greeted Briar with a friendly kiss on the cheek, she was well respected by the student population. The girls also seemed a little overwhelmed by the raw sensuality on display in the Gardens. Sure they saw each other naked all the time and now saw each other having sex, but here every woman was quite open about her body. There was a lot of gawking when they passed a pair of girls who were masturbating each other while talking. Then they arrived at Briar's home.

All the girls of Moon hill were waiting patiently on the hillside on either side of the stairway in conversational knots.  They were now quite proud of their home and they'd spent most of the prior evening making sure it was clean.  The stairs had been swept, the grass trimmed where needed, the pallet futons had been washed and air dried in the sun, and even the pools had received a scrub in anticipation of their guests.  When Briar and the student girls came out of the corridor and into the sunlight, they all stood excitedly.

Briar could understand why they were so excited. Usually they were the guests in the rooms or homes of the Sisters that requested them. Now things were turned around. Now it was they who were the hosts and they wanted to do it right. Briar had tried to help as well, but she was shuffled politely outside and told that it had to be a surprise for her as well. Oriana was detailed to 'keep her occupied' and the girl had done just that, for hours. She'd also slept outside on the hill until morning when she had been gently blindfolded and bathed before being sent to pick up their guests.

"Finally!"

Unsurprisingly it was Lisette that greeted them with an excited, jubilant shout. She was standing at the base of the stairs, flanked by Oriana and Kaya, all of whom were wearing new liquid-like dresses that really showed off their wonderful bodies. Briar just returned the grin with a warm, loving smile. When they stopped a few steps away, Briar turned, holding Coral's hand, to address both groups.

"Coral, ladies, I'd like to introduce you to my friends and the residents of Moon Hill. As you can see, they've put quite an effort in to make you feel welcome, so I hope you will enjoy this day of meetings and getting to know each other. We will be spending many years in close company, so make friends and have some fun." Briar pulled Coral to her a little possessively. "Friends, this wonderful young lady is going to be my wife and her name is Coral. These other girls are her close friends, suitemates, and classmates.  A few of you have met them already, but I hope you'll all enjoy meeting them as well. And that's it, so let's see what you've been hiding from me!"

There was a ripple of laughter but no one moved at first. Then Oriana, who looked like she was going to explode any second with barely contained excitement, bounded forward smoothly and threw a giggling hug around Briar and Coral. She smelled very strongly of arousal, but Coral didn't seem to mind. Instead she laughed too and returned the hug as best she could.  Encouraged by this, the other Gardens descended in a laughing, talking mob and Coral's friends were quickly surrounded and led up towards the entrance.  Briar noted with some amusement that Nessa had almost tackled Tessa and their way up hill was a prolonged, mobile make-out session that was being egged on by everyone else around them.

"You must be Oriana, right?" Coral asked with avid interest, once Oriana let her breath. Lisette and Kaya had also made their way close.

"Yeah!" Oriana confirmed boisterously. All the excitement really had her worked up into a tizzy. Briar hoped she didn't get too worked up and hurt herself somehow. Someone needed to give her a good orgasm or two, or something, to settle her down.

"That must make you the girl that's stole Briar from us," Lisette teased with a smirk. When Coral frowned she laughed harder. "Relax. I'm Lisette and Briar can tell you that I have a horrible sense of humor most of the time. We don't really mind that Briar loves you so much. We know she still cares about us and the bonus is that every time she comes home from meeting with you, we get enough sex to make us sore in the morning. So congrats and thank you very much! Mwah!" Lisette's happy kiss to Coral cheek made the younger girl grin and blush.

"I'm Kaya," Briar's other friend said, ever the soft spoken one. She was smiling in welcome as well. "Thank you for coming."

"My pleasure," Coral returned, clearly happy with her reception thus far. "Briar was right. She said you guys were really good and fun friends. I'm glad I finally get to spend time with you all."

"Come on!" Oriana started tugging them all impatiently into motion to climb the hill. Coral politely allowed herself to be led along as the rest of them followed. Excited laughter and chatter sounded from both the pool chamber and the main chamber, but they headed to the latter first.

There they found three of Coral's friends surrounded by groups of Briar's friends. They were all sitting on a new pallet that hadn't been there before. It was several times the size of the normal ones. Nessa was sitting side-saddle in Tessa's lap, happily feeding the student girl from a plate while they all talked animatedly. After seeing the food in many hands, Briar glanced over to the tables and saw both were covered in various dishes.  A pair of servant girls were smiling and attending to them and both were frequent visitors to Moon Hill that Briar knew well.

"They volunteered," Kaya supplied, seeing her look. "We wanted to do things right and that means serving guests food and drink.  When we asked our servant friends, those two volunteered right away and even asked Sister Cecilia for the entire day off.  In return they get to choose partners to start the night with later on." She paused and smiled a little shyly. "One picked me, and she's a lot of fun. I like her."

"They look like they're having fun," Coral noted, smiling at seeing the attention her friends were receiving. Next to her, Oriana was almost bouncing in place, and Coral noticed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," Oriana laughed brightly, turning a little red as she tried to still herself. "When people around me get excited, I get excited too. I can't help it. It just bubbles around inside me."

Briar gently led them back into the central tunnel and down to the pool room. The giggling was louder now and the reason why became apparent when they entered. One of Coral's friends, the really young one, was sitting on the side, dangling her feet in the water of the lower pool with a group around her, chatting and watching. The other girl, the first one's roommate, was totally naked already and playing in the water with a group of rambunctious Moon Hill girls. Briar noticed sticks set up on either side of the pool and wondered when stickball had turned into a water game.

 Coral watched the game with some interest. It involved a lot of physical contact and Coral's friend, Kino, was being blatantly felt up, but she didn't seem to mind in the least. In fact she seemed to be encouraging it from the way she was grinning. At one point when she was resting and waiting for the ball to come her way, a teammate started to rub between her legs and she just spread them to allow more access until they needed to move again.

Briar sat down on one of the benches nearby and decided that maybe they could have a little fun too. Before Coral could sit next to her, Briar took hold of Oriana's hand and pulled her down onto her lap facing outward, a place she occupied frequently and knew well. Briar used her legs to quickly spread Oriana's smooth legs, as Coral looked on curiously. Then Briar smiled playfully at her young love. "Would you like to help me calm Oriana down a little?"

"Oh my Lady!" Lisette mumbled with an amused roll of her eyes as Oriana squirmed in place. She was watching with hands on hips.

"Help how?" Coral asked, very intrigued and taking in Oriana's body a little more fully.

"If I orgasm really good a couple times, it really helps me out," Oriana replied happily, lifting the front of her dress to show off her soaked, tight pussy lips. They were already engorged and her little clit was standing up and demanding attention. That meant Oriana had been playing with it before they arrived, or someone else had. "See? Sometimes Briar or someone else has to take care of me before I go out on a request because I get too excited. Its fun and it works."

"You're so cute down here Oriana," Coral told her, smiling at the small, exposed pussy. Then she glanced up at Briar with a slight frown and pink cheeks. "Are you sure I you want me to do this?"

"Why not?" Briar asked in return. "It won't make me love you any less and you already know I have sex with Oriana all the time. Just because you are going to be my wife, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy having sex with our friends. Oriana, Kaya, Lisette and the others will all be coming with us, so you should be able to enjoy being with them as I do. It's like I said before. The sex with them is fun and friendly, but it is only you I make love to. So go ahead and touch Oriana. She needs it and wants it."

"Okay, as long you really mean that," Coral blushed deeply, but smiled cheerfully. "I really do love you, Briar."

Coral crouched down in between Oriana's outstretched legs and Briar felt her friend's excited intake of breath as her pale thighs were touched. Coral used them to hold herself in place by one hand and then used the other to run a small finger down Oriana's wet lips. Oriana twitched when her clit was tweaked and gasped slightly. Coral smiled at the pleasure response and when she found Oriana's tight, hotly-wet hole, she slowly sank a finger inside.

"Ohh, that feels good," Oriana breathed out, her toes curling. Briar started licking the backs of her ears.

"I bet it does," Lisette laughed, watching with curious interest. Kaya just smiled and leaned in from the side to share a few kisses with Oriana. She had to stop when Briar reached down and gently pulled Coral up.

"Keep fingering her," Briar instructed cheerfully, and then she captured Corals lips over Oriana's shoulder. Oriana gasped in their ears and Briar knew Coral had indeed kept working on her. Kaya moved back off to one side, making for an oddly entangled threesome while Lisette stood off to the other side and openly frigged herself. It didn't take long or much effort for Briar to coax Coral into giving her tongue.

Briar had grown to love sucking on Coral's wonderful tongue. She loved how it felt in her mouth and how she could make Coral quiver with a kiss. Their kissing now grew more sexually passionate as Coral let her own arousal grow. Her little fingers were diligently plunging into Oriana at the same time. Coral's climax began to grow rapidly, but she held back until she felt Oriana clench and stiffen on her digits. Then they both peaked and came, shaking and moaning. Briar happily drank Coral's delicious fluids and only when it was all gone, did she pull back.

"Wow, that was kind of fun," Oriana giggled happily, a little sweaty and flushed, but looking less excitable now. She certainly looked like she'd just had good sex and she gave Coral a wide grin. "You have really nice fingers.

"Thanks," Coral blushed, idly popping her soaked fingers into her mouth to clean them. Thanks to her newfound sex with Briar, she'd come to really like the taste of a woman. "You taste good, and it was fun for me too."

"Lady's teats Briar!" Lisette enthusiastically cursed, trembling as she came on her own fingers and dribbled down her legs. "I believed it when you said you liked Coral's tongue, but that was the hottest thing I've seen in a long time!"

"I like it too!" Coral laughed with shared delight, looking a lot more comfortable with the open sex play now. "Even my parents are jealous. But Briar is mine!"

"So we see," Lisette replied knowingly, cleaning her fingers orally like Coral had. A shout rose from the pool and they all turned to see that Coral's friend had scored her first point and her teammates were cheering and kissing her in turns. The younger girl flicked a hand up and a glowing 1 numeral appeared in the air while one of her companions had a hand inside her pants that was moving suggestively.

"That really looks like a lot of fun," Coral mused aloud. Then she smiled at them all and shrugged. "But I'm kind of hungry now after that; can we go back to the food?"

"Food does sound good," Kaya seconded softly. There was a dribble of wet down her left leg and her nipples were blatantly hard.

"No objections from me," Briar chortled. She gave Oriana a gentle nudge. "Feeling a little better?"

"Oh yeah!" Oriana replied happily, now sounding a lot less like she'd ingested a sack of sugar. Briar let her back down and she gave Coral a quick thank-you hug that was gladly reciprocated. Then they all went back to the other chamber. Briar was unsurprised to see that Nessa had Tessa topless now, showing off her small cone-like breasts and pink nipples. The other student girls looked to be having fun as well as people drifted about them both to socialize. When they got to the table, Lisette made everyone a glass of the fruit drink that Briar loved and showed Coral how it was done when that information was shared.

The rest of the day proved to be a near total success. Both groups got along famously and when Briar asked whether or not they felt comfortable with living with each other for what looked to be years, no one returned with a negative. As with any social occasion involving the Sisters or Gardens, there was plenty of playing and casual sex involved. It didn't take more than a few hours for everyone's clothing to be carefully set aside.

Briar's girls were well aware that there were only six of the students and they couldn't all be physically involved with them, but Coral's friends were good at sharing their time. Despite their relative sexual inexperience, they were very bright young girls that were friendly and actively sociable and willing to share their time as much as the bodies would allow. They had all, from both sides, seen the developing relationships between Briar and Coral, and between young Nessa and Tessa, so there was a lot of emotional feeling out going on too from the other girls.

There was also a lot of interested talk about how they were going to live in the new colony. Briar had freely shared her ideas and general plans, so they had a good starting point from which to work. Tessa, when she wasn't under the eager sexual attentions of Nessa and her group, was particularly excited about the idea of the household format. She had some interesting input on things like child rearing, which made Nessa turn an interesting shade of red when her nearby friends teased her about having a baby with Tessa.

That was about when the other groups from the pool came in for food and rest while wet, naked and all looking like they'd just had some great sex. The really young student girl, Kyrie, came in surrounded by her bunch and she seemed to have really bonded well with them. The other girl came in shortly after with the game group, all laughing and joking about their match. It seemed as if they had each found people within Briar's big family that they could relate to and enjoy being around. It gave her hope that they would indeed be successful and enjoy their new home together.

Briar and Coral were just as active and social as the rest. They made sure to make the rounds and talk with everyone and occasionally provide a little social touching when the mood struck. Coral also made Tessa's day when she demanded, quite determinedly, that Briar make love to her in the pools. That had been a very enjoyable request to fulfill and by the time they were working on a round two or three, Nessa had dragged Tessa in beside them to join in.

That night, since the girls had received permission to stay over, Briar found out the true purpose of the giant bed and she had to admit that her girls had come up with a grand idea. They had known, from personal experience and from talking with Briar, that the students usually just slept with their roommates and didn't often share a bed. So they decided to show them how nice things were done in the Gardens; by making a bed big enough to fit everybody at once. They would get to know what it was like to sleep in the communal clumps they all loved so much. There were no objections to the arrangement.

So late into the night, after Lisette read a story to everyone from a borrowed book in accordance with standing Moon Hill tradition, they all climbed into the big bed, naked and tired. Briar assumed the central place with Coral and her closest friends. Coral immediately cooed her enjoyment at being warmly embraced by Briar from the front and Lisette from behind. Her opinion spurred the other student girls to find spots and they too were taken into the communal fold. Sleep didn't come very quickly due to many excited, intimate conversations and the soft whimpers as a few girls gave each other one last climax, but when it did come, Briar was happy.

When she awoke in the morning, it was to pleasurable feelings coming from multiple locations of her body. Oriana was kissing the back of her neck and had fingers teasing inside her ass cheeks, Kaya was licking her legs, and Coral was suckling rather firmly on her right breast while tugging at the other one. When she opened her eyes, Briar could see that Lisette was smiling at her while clearly using her fingers on Coral's slit from behind. Noticing she was awake, Coral released her captured nub and gave her a smile filled with her love.

"Morning!" Coral whispered happily, rising up a little to share a deep, tongue laden kiss. "Oriana said this was the traditional way to wake you up, and I kind of like it, and I think I liked sleeping this way a lot better than being alone in my bed. Having everyone around is really comforting."

"You-ooh-never slept with Tessa?" Briar asked, feeling small fingers enter her lower lips. They wasted no time and started thrusting wonderfully inward, causing her hips to try and match rhythms.

"Not really," Coral sighed ruefully and then grinned. "If I knew how nice this was, I think I would have tried it long ago. Ah!"

"Sorry," Lisette chuckled, giving Coral an apologetic kiss on her rear. "Is your clit still sensitive from yesterday?"

"Yes!" Coral gave Briar a very old-fashioned look that Briar had never mastered. "But I don't mind so much. I had fun getting it that way. Now start talking Lisette, before we get too distracted!"

"Jeez, you two really are totally compatible," Lisette chuckled to Briar, adjusting to avoid rubbing directly on Coral's clit while still fingering her gently. "She's pretty good at giving orders already, but at least she's cute."

"What did you guys want to talk about"? Briar asked, curious and aroused from the work being done on her body. She could feel Oriana's hard little nipples pressed against back and she knew Kaya must be doing something to her now because Oriana would shiver every few seconds.

"We just want to make sure of something," Oriana sighed from behind. Kaya was definitely at work back there.

"Exactly," Lisette nodded eagerly. "All three of us know how much you two are in love and seeing you together made me all warm and gooey inside. So while you were still sleeping we got to talking with Coral because we really love you too. We know it's not like what you feel towards Coral, and that's perfectly alright with us. But we were thinking about that whole multi-wife household idea you described for each Sister and what you were thinking about the three of us when we get to our new home."

"So you were making plans?" Briar smiled into Coral's gleaming, sapphire eyes. "Is it a good one?"

"I think so," Coral replied perkily. She rotated her hand a little so she could more easily stroke around Briar's clit. "I like your friends and they obviously care a lot about you, so when they asked if we were planning on making them a part of our future household, I said of course they would be. Though that won't be for a long while, after we have a separate Royal house built. I figured that was probably what you were thinking of already anyways, since it's like we talked about with my Uma."

"It was," Briar agreed. "I just wanted to make sure you all got along first before anything became permanent."

 "I like Coral a lot!" Oriana moaned, leaning her head down against Briar's shoulder. She suddenly quivered hard and Brier felt something hot and wet spatter against her thigh. Then she sighed. "Thanks Kaya."

Kaya slid up Oriana's back, squeezing into the space between the girl and another person that was still sleeping next to them. Briar couldn't see it, be she wore a pleased smile. She was much more of a giver, than a receiver.

"We all like Coral, so no more worries," Lisette summarized. "Now that that is out of the way, it's time to get back to the important stuff."

From there they concentrated on just enjoying their morning love making. It wasn't long before others awoke and started things elsewhere on the oversized bed.  After everyone had had at least one nice orgasm, people started noticing bodily needs and rose to begin the new day, new friends included.

Though they had been given permission to spend the night, Coral and her friends still had classes and chores. Coral and Briar both had extra lessons with the Queen later on in the day as well in regards to the new colony. So it was soon time for the student Sisters to head back to their dorm. Since they all knew they would see each other very soon, the new groups of friends exchanged parting hugs and kisses as well as promises to speak again. Briar escorted the student girls back to their dorm and under Coral's amused smile, they each gave her a 'thank-you' kiss, tongue included, for the evening. Then it was Coral's turn for a far deeper, more meaningful kiss that left them both shivering, and they parted ways, if only just for now.