Damsel in Distress

"Saving Inara"

Fernando panted as he entered a wooded area just east of Sun Spire.

"I have never ran so fast in my entire life..." he murmured as he leaned on a tree, "Good thing they were all carrying babies, or they would have caught me." he chuckled and then stepped into the woods, "Maybe... I can hide here for a few hours until they calm down."

The knight ventured forth, using his lance to clear away bush and vines.
Perhaps this wasn't the most welcoming of places for a knight, since nearly everything was an obstacle for the armor-laden man.

This rough trek reminded Fernando of his journey into the marsh, then his mind shifted to Cassie.
She was a beautiful and spirited young woman, and during that knight he remembered the feel of her child-bearing hips.
Her deep red hair, her soft lips.

"Uuh!" The knight shook his head and then jumped down to a small clearing, "What is wrong with me?" he murmured and then looked to a small pond.
Fernando's reflection was saddened and distraught, a fitting face for a man who was in a dilemma such as his.

"Look at me." the knight said and then touched the water.
Cold water, just like when he was fighting the crocodiles.

Kinessa's voice called out to him, the bounty hunter of the West.
He remembered her petite body, her strong face, and her attitude. Despite her lacking of basic feminine traits, she was still quite the woman.

"Enough!" Fernando groaned as he tried to get the images out of his head, then continued walking down the woods.

The knight eventually stopped and sat down on a stump, then stopped to admire the nature around him.
"Maybe I should stay here forever." he murmured and then looked at a deer that was feeding nearby.

He was surprised it wasn't startled by his presence, but then it got him thinking again.

Tyra.
The great Northern Huntress.

Oh a fine woman. Strong, capable, dependable, but deep inside very caring.
Could it have been her Northern upbringing?
Despite this, she was a woman Fernando could and did admire.

"Hah..." Fernando sighed deeply, then set his lance and shield down and walked over to a small creek.
"I need a drink." he spoke and cupped up some water with his helmet.

After drinking the water, Fernando then looked out and saw the creek ventured onwards and became a moving river.
The same type of river the knight had thrown the turtle monster in after saving Ying.

Ah yes, Ying.
Small, cute, a fine body. Despite her child-like demeanor she was still a young woman-
A fine one by that, especially for an elf.

The elves were always known for their beautiful women, as seen with Skye, who was the next woman to cross the knight's mind.

She was smoking hot, even thinking about her made the knight break a sweat.
She brought out the most primal of instincts from him, which for a knight was not good.
Around her he lacked discipline, but he couldn't blame himself.

Fernando once again shook his head and turned to his gear, then saw a goblin was holding it.
"OYE!" he yelled.

"Huh!?" the goblin turned, "Ah!" he yelled and then dropped the lance, causing it to spew out a blaze of flames that quickly consumed a bush.

"No!" Fernando yelled, then saw another figure appear.

"I have found you, you troublemaker!" the figure yelled and grabbed the goblin.

It was woman, and she appeared a bit... gray?

"You dare defile the sanctity of the wild?" The woman grabbed the goblin by the feet since she was so tall, "Ha!" she gasped as she saw the lance spew fire.
"Oh my!"

Fernando ran to the rescue and picked up his lance, then turned it off.
"My lady!" he turned to face her.

"Quick, put it out!" the woman said as she looked at the man.

"Very well!" Fernando said and grabbed his shield, then ran and smothered the flames with it, "Ha! Hah!" he yelled and stood back up, "Haha!"

The woman sighed deeply, "Thank you." she smiled and extended her hand, "You have protected The Mother." she touched his forehead with her index finger.

Fernando felt the smooth, cool touch of her skin.
"Thank you." he said, then opened his eyes when he saw the said skin.

It was stone. The woman's skin was all stone.

"The Mother appreciates your help." the woman smiled, "Thank you for helping me catch this scoundrel." she held up the goblin.

"Uh... yes." Fernando shook off the odd fact and pulled out a rose, "My lady, what is your name?" he asked and handed it to her, "I am Sir Fernando of Sun Spire!"

"What a beautiful flower." the woman said and placed it in her hair, where it took root and joined the other plants that were found there, "I am Inara, the Stone Warden of the Western Woods." she responded.
"I help The Mother in protecting the wild."

"Inara, pleased to meet you." Fernando then looked at the goblin, "What is this?" he pointed at it.

"This is Rumpet, he's been terrorizing the wild and the creatures for a week now." Inara said and shook the goblin, "No good trickster, you should not have crossed The Mother." she set him down called upon stones to weigh him down.

"Hngh!" Rumpet groaned, "I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you!" he shook his fist.

"Silence!" Inara told him, then turned to Fernando, "What brings you here, human?" she asked as she looked at the knight.

"I-" Fernando stopped, thinking it was best not to tell her, "I just wanted to look at nature, yes." he chuckled.

Inara smiled, "Excellent." she said and then saw Rumpet wave his hands, "What are you doin-"

"Kalakazoo! Kalazand!" Rumpet laughed, "I command that lance to come out of your hand!" he yelled, and the lance suddenly jerked out of the knight's grip.

"Huh!?"

"Kalakazee! Kalakazurn!" Rumpet continued, "Lance, burn burn burn!" he cackled, and the lance shot out fire balls and streams of flames, immeadiately setting fire to the surroundings.

"NO!" Fernando yelled and gained control of the lance, but unintentional made it face the goblin and the flames consumed him.

"Fernando!" Inara yelled as the fires started to spread.
"Please help me protect the mother- AH!" she was hit by a herd of stampeding deers which were frightened by the flames.

"Inara!" Fernando yelled and was also trampled by the stampede, "AGH!" he was taken down to the creek, "ACK!" he yelled as he tried to stand up.

The deers made it safely past the river, leaving Fernando in the middle of the creek.

"Ha!" Fernando gasped and then ran back to the woods, then saw Inara was surrounded by the fires,

"Mother, protect me!" Inara made some stones surround her, "Fernando!" she saw the man's figure in the flames.

"I'm coming!" Fernando saw her and then looekd around for a way to put out the flames.
Bingo.

The mouth of the creek was nearby, and if he could only divert the water towards the burning woods we would saver her.

"What to do... what to do..." the man murmured as he looked around, "Inara! I'm coming!" he ran to the mouth of the creek and then looked around some more, "Ha!" he pointed to a large boulder that was nearby.

Inara growled as the fires started to burn her, "I cannot put them out with my stones, lest I bury the seedlings that seek to replace them..." she groaned and then looked up to the sky.
"Mother, forgive me!"

Fernando walked up to the boulder and rubbed his hands.
"HRPH!" he pushed on the large stone, "HRAH!"

It barely budged.

"Ah... Ha..." he panted and then looked at his lance, "It's worth a shot." he said and then drove it into the ground under the boulder, "HAH!" he pushed it down, making a lever effect that pushed the boulder.

"HRAH!"

The boulder finally budged and started to roll.

"Now!" the knight yelled and gave a quick kick, causing the boulder to pick up speed to roll to the mouth of the creek.
SPLASH!
The boulder covered just enough to allow a diversion,

The river flowed right into the woods and its waters quenched the flames.

000000000

"Thank you, Fernando." Inara said as she led the knight to her stone shrine, which was decorated with flowers and trees of many kinds and had creatures of all kinds playing around.

"You have saved The Mother's children." she informed.

"If it makes you and your god happy, I am happy as well." Fernando responded, "I seek to help those who need it. That's why I have traveled the realm for two Springs."

"You are an honorable man, Fernando." Inara said and held his chin, "Thank you." she lifted up her other hand and touched his forehead.

000000000

The knight woke up in the stone shrine, then saw Inara standing in the entrance.

"What... happened?" he groaned, then saw Inara turn to face him.
"Huh?" he focused his blurry eyes.

"The Mother has granted me a successor." the woman smiled and held a bundle of leaves, "Thank you. Now I have someone to accompany me for the next thousand years." she smiled.

Fernando stood up, "What?" he looked at the bundle of leaves.
"No." he gasped and then saw what was inside.

"What do you wish to name her?"

"NO!" Fernando yelled and then ran out.

000000000

The knight escaped the woods and then landed in a trail, "Ha... Ha..." he panted and then looked down the road.

A sight he did not want to see.
The Sun Spirian knights had made a search party and now spotted him, and with them...

All 7 of the women who had his children.

"Dios mio." Fernando stopped, knowing he could never outrun horses.
"This is the end of the line." he set his lance and shield down, "I will not run anymore. I am a Knight of Sun Spire." he looked at the posse.

The group stopped and all the women dismounted.

"Well well well." Kinessa crossed her arms, "You're in luck, because out here I'm judge, jury, and executioner." she grabbed her rifle.

"You had your chance to be a coward, no its your chance to be a dead man." Skye added as she fixed her wrist launcher.

"Any last words?" Tyra said as she cocked her rifle.

"Behold as the great Evie destroys all the people she hates!" Evie glared at the knight, "Especially you, of course."

"Look, I know you all want to know what is going on, but-" Fernando paused when the bushes in the nearby woods shuffled.

Inara came out.
"Fernando, why did you flee from us?"

"Oh crap..." Fernando groaned as all the women turned to face her, audible gasps sounding after they analyzed her.

"She is but a day old." Inara said as she held her child, "The seed of the earth and man joined to make her..." she said.

"That's it, you're dead!" Tyra yelled and aimed her assault rifle at his head.

"Wait!" Inara raised her hand, "What is this?" she asked.

"This man is an eight timing bastard." Kinessa responded, "You're not the only one with his kid, lady." she snarled as they all surrounded him.

Inara shook her head, then saw all the children in the hands of the knights.
"Are those-"

"Yep." Ying sighed and aimed her mirror at Fernando, "How could you play us like this, Fernando?" she asked, anger overcoming her.

Fernando stepped back and gulped.
"Oh no..."

"Fernando, there is one way you can save yourself." the old knight rode up and looked at him, "I'm pretty sure you will take it..."

000000000

000000000

"And that is how Fernando the Glorious became the Lord of Sun Spire." an old man closed a book and then looked at a group of children.

The library they were in was a cozy one.

"So you're telling me this knight had that many wives?" one kid asked.

"Uh huh." the librarian responded and he stroked his gray beard, "And children too. In fact, I can tell you how they all ended up!" he chuckled and then opened the book again.

"Through Tyra he begot the Hero Twins of the North, who slayed countless monsters for the Chieftan of Stone's Deep.

Through Skye he begot The Shadow Bringer, the most covert assassin in the world and the victim of a terrible clash.

Through Ying he begot the Blossom Princess, who came to co-rule half of the Easter Elven Kingdom.

Through Cassie he begot the Autumn Bowman, whose hunting prowess became known throughout the ream.

Through Kinessa he begot the Deadlock Wrangler, the most feared Bounty Hunter under the Seven Constellations.

Through Maeve he begot the Spectre of Blades, who fought against her half-sister The Shadow Bringer in a battle that was the downfall of Fernando's lineage.

Through Evie he begot the Arch-Sorceress of Frizyl, who slew the Ice Wraith Veruna with her powerful magic and saved the land of Ghust from perpetual freeze.

Through Inara he begot the Tenth Stone Warden of the Forest of Iguadsil, who still guards the Forest to this day."
The old man cleared his throat and looked up.
"And that is the tale of our 13th Lord Fernando the Glorious."