Evan was tired of walking. He was also just plain tired. He tried not to let it show on his face but he knew that Iris saw he was having trouble keeping up. The Walls of the town had finally come into view about half an hour earlier and he was glad for the break it would offer. Surprisingly the entry procedure was quite brisk. One of the guards waved a device that looked like a handheld metal detector in front of Iris and Evan. He gave Iris an annoyed glare and waved them through.

  Iris had warned him that she was both well known in the town and people looked at her with disdain. She had even gone so far as to ask him to put up with anything weird she did while they were in the town.

  Evan was smiling despite himself. Iris was holding onto his arm as though they were on a date, and she looked happy about it. He wasn’t happy with the fact that she was parading him around as her pretend boyfriend but he was glad to find out that despite the circumstances of their meeting, she could trust him. It was nice to be trusted by a beautiful woman.

  Iris was giddy with excitement. She hoped Evan thought she was putting up an act; she wasn’t sure how she should respond if he asked her about her mood. Before her parents had died she lived like a perfectly normal girl. That little girl was happy to have a man she liked escort her through the town. Her warrior self was also excited. She was always cheated when she made her shopping trips. The laws were poorly enforced but the town had laws prohibiting women from conducting their own business. This left her working with the dishonest merchants who were all too happy to make a larger profit at her expense. Iris was also happy to not have people constantly glaring at her.

  “Aunty Alma. Your little Iris is here to see you.” Iris always took the time to visit one of the shopkeepers her master frequently sold his furs to. Alma had helped Iris through a lot of the worst parts of becoming a woman and while Alma’s grouchy old mother was always quick to lecture Iris about her choices Alma was happy to see her.

  The only reason Iris didn’t sell the furs from the beasts she hunted to Alma’s story was Alma’s mother. Officially Alma’s mother owned the store and she would not let Alma do business with a single woman directly. Even the lecture Iris was guaranteed to receive was not enough to discourage her from visiting when she made her trips into town.

  Evan was surprised to see Iris acting so freely. He would have smiled when he saw her, if he hadn’t already been smiling just from having Iris on his arm. Those smiles died when Alma stepped into the store front and glared at him.

  Alma was on the younger side of middle age and she was clearly one of those women who would hold their own by force of will alone.

  “Hello mam. I am Evan Meyers. Umm....”

  “Evan is my friend.” Iris glared at Alma who looked at the younger woman and shook her head while giving her a gentle smile.

  “I see. Well I think I would like to see the furs he has to sell me.”

  Iris and Alma began to fiercely bargain over the furs. When they were done Alma gave Evan an appraising look then turned to Iris.

  “I know you must have been lonely and we both know you are tired of being cheated just because you are a woman and can be cheated. Don’t get too attached to him until you know how you actually feel. Even then you have to make sure he is dependable. And you boy. If you like her don’t waste time, marry her. You can expect hell from me if you treat her wrong though.”

  “Aunty Alma, don’t say things like that.”

  “I will give him hell though.”

  Iris smiled. “Not that….”

  Evan decided that the proper choice was to feign ignorance. He liked Iris to be sure. But they had only known each other for a little better than a day. That was not a timeframe to be discussing marriage, even if it only had to be a business arrangement.

  Iris happily tended to business the rest of the day. Without the constant stress that came with being an independent woman had always made her shopping trips nerve racking. Having Evan as a companion also allowed her to indulge in some interests she had to give up on when her master died. She could look at clothes that weren’t strictly practical without feeling silly. In fact she needed new clothes. As much as she liked the way Evan had looked at her in her underclothes she wasn’t comfortable with encouraging… things… between them quite yet. She had had such encounters before but they had always left her feeling unhappy with herself. The kind of men who became hunters tended to live solitary lives. They saw her as little more than a novel partner. She didn’t like feeling like she was selling herself for some unsatisfying companionship. She wondered what Evan thought of women who were no longer virgins.

  Evan decided that the stereotypes about women and shopping had some merit as a universal, or possibly multiversal, truth. The reasonable part of his mind tried to point out that Iris probably had nothing to wear other than her armor and the clothes she wore under that same armor. As nice as she looked in those underclothes, the idea of a woman who never dressed like a woman should, not as a sex object, didn’t appeal to him. The practical part of his mind dismissed the thought entirely. He might well be the closest thing to a feminist on the entire planet of Iralda. He didn’t need to justify his opinions for the feminazis back home. He did need to do something to stop himself from telling Iris to “just pick something already.”

  “So what are these even for?” The strips of cloth Evan picked up were beautifully dyed. He had gotten tired of watching Iris whisper to the saleswoman about the things.

  “Well….” Iris pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. “They are for wrapping my breasts up. Women who don’t give them some support tend to have back issues when they get older.”

  “Among other things….”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Iris decided she liked the look of irritation in Evan’s eyes. It was nice to see a man think about the issues women faced. She didn’t like whispering about things men might find too feminine for them. She also realized that Evan was probably well informed about some of the issues. The sales lady seemed surprised as well. First, that Iris was so open with Evan about such personal effects but also with the way Evan reacted.

  “Excuse me, mam, I would like to look at some bolts of cloth.” Evan looked at Iris’s body. “These patterns here, here and.... Here. I would also Like to see some plain white as well, no…. Something grey, rather something that will look nice even if it gets a little grungy.” The woman blushed as she went into the back of her shop to get the appropriate bolts of cloth. Iris knew she was as unsure what Evan was planning as she was…. It was clear where his thoughts were when he picked the patterns he wanted.

  Evan wasn’t happy with Iris’s meal choices. It was basically a choice between sausages or fresh meat. When they went shopping for food he picked out a few vegetables he thought he could start a garden with. Food would be an ongoing project for him but first he needed to ask for a favor. “Hey Iris, is there a temple devoted to Emilia in town?”

  Iris nodded and gave him a confused look. “It’s actually right over there. You didn’t strike me as particularly religious.”

  “No, I need a favor from her. I think she will grant it. I could be wrong though. I will be right back.”

  Evan walked into the temple. He was somewhat pleased to see that it functioned as a sort of forum, people were exchanging thoughts and ideas on their crafts. Evan walked up to one of the Statues and closed his eyes.

  “Emilia, I was hoping you could help me sort through my memories for something.”

  Evan waited for a while then he heard the goddess speak to him.

  “I can see what you have in mind. I like the thought. There. Good luck.”

  At the same time Iris was beginning to get anxious. The moment Evan left her side she noticed some of her worst tormentors beginning to slowly approach her. One had finally built up the courage to walk up to her. Her hands were full with their purchases and the man was one of the men who wanted to make her submit to them.

  She could fight them off if need be, some of them would try to ruin the purchases while she was distracted.

  “Hey little huntress. Have you found any trouser snakes recently? I heard they earn you a pretty penny. I might be willing to make it worth your while.”

  “Buzz off. Your father-in-law doesn’t approve of that kind of behavior. Or have you forgotten? You wouldn’t want to lose his valuable connections would you? I seem to recall him saying that last time.”

  The next moment someone kissed her. She was stunned for a moment before she realized it was Evan. She couldn’t help but smile as he simply said, “Found you. Sorry for making you wait.”

  Evan didn’t like the looks of the men who were surrounding Iris. He was standing nearby wondering how to help her when he recalled Alma’s comment about what would happen if he treated Iris wrong. The next moment he was moving and then he kissed her.

  “Hey bub. I was talking to the whore. Get out of here.” The man had placed his hand on Evan’s shoulder. Evan was still irritated from the fact that the best breast support the women had came in the form of breast wraps. A reasonable part of his mind told him it was a different world, some things would just be different. The more honest part of his mind admitted he was more upset about not having the bra’s and panties he was used to seeing on sexy women to look at. Breast wraps just gave off a different feeling. The irritated part of his mind was happy to have a justified outlet to aim his troubles at.

  That irritation flipped the man over his shoulder. He turned to the next man who was approaching Iris from behind and kneed the man in the groin. After that Evan floated on a current of anger and desperation. The rational part of his mind cursed his temper for the injuries he would be receiving before long.

  Iris was surprised. One moment the idiot had his hand on Evan’s shoulder ready to headbut the poor guy. The next he was on the ground and Evan was fighting off Iris’s would-be attackers. It took her a moment that Evan was also shouting at the men. His words were mostly incoherent curses that Iris assumed came from his native language but it was clear he was telling them off and that he was defending Iris’s honor.

  It took Iris a moment to realize that she didn’t like the way he was defending her. She didn’t think he should get hurt for the sake of some pointless reputation. Iris walked over to the nearest bystander and glared at her, while emptying her arms. Iris then turned around, drew her sword, and went after the men who were now surrounding Evan who had been knocked to the ground.

  The men had forgotten she was stronger than them the moment Evan started fighting to defend her. She quickly knocked them to the ground, one of them bleeding bad enough that if he didn't get medical care quickly he would likely die. Iris sheathed her sword and helped Evan stand up again. He was going to be a collection of bruises before long but he seemed to be free of broken bones. Evan spat on the nearest attack and shouted down at him. “Next time you want to attack a woman, think about whether you can beat her first.”

  The bleeding man glared up at Evan. “At least I don’t need a woman to defend me, what kind of man is that?”

  “The kind who knows his limits. Better that, than to be children who can’t feel like men if they think they might be weaker than a woman. Boys who have to gang up on one woman to beat her to play at being men. Who’s the man? The one who can stand proud because he knows he is a man? Or the one who needs to yell and scream at the world to remind everyone what he has between his legs?”

  Out in the crowd a woman shouted at the men on the ground. “Who do you think looks after you when you get sick or injured? All I see is an injured man and a woman making sure he recovers from the injuries.”

  Iris turned to look at the woman glared at. She was frightened and unsure of what to do, she had two children standing beside her. Iris smiled, took her things and walked away.

  ~~~

  chapter break

  ~~~

  It was at least an hour past dark when Iris and Evan got home. Iris purchased a handcart after the incident in the market. She didn’t think Evan was in any state to carry their belongings. She pushed it into her tiny storehouse, she figured she could deal with it in the morning. Evan sat down at the table while she went in and set up her futon. She had Evan lie down on her futon. They had purchased a futon for Evan while they were shopping. Iris considered getting it from the storage shed but ultimately decided they could just share her futon for the night. She removed her armor and undid her breast wrap before laying down next to Evan.

  When Iris woke the next morning it was still before sunrise. She was confused at first but then she realized her loincloth had come loose during the night. This wouldn’t have been a problem if she hadn’t taken hold of Evan’s arm during the night. She lay there for a while considering what to do. The constant tension between Evan and her was getting to be distracting. She was strongly considering waking him up to do something about it. She also wanted to wait for him to wake up. With his hand pressed against her bare flesh. She wanted to see what he would do.

  Evan woke to find Iris gone. He sat up, wincing from his injuries