“Excuse me?” I said, after I got my jaw back in place. “Any other women?” Before I could go on, I got some unexpected help. Sort of.

“No, he doesn’t,” said Meg proudly. “I’m his first.”

Meg not only thought that was a good question, she sounds like she’s looking forward to… what is happening right now? We definitely should have gone over this more before we came downstairs.

“Oh,” said Miranda, smiling broadly. “That’s very romantic, Master Chris, for you to pick a girl like our Meg for your first.” She sighed and gave Meg another hug. “I’m so happy for you, to know he picked you for love.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” I said. All eyes were on me again in a heartbeat. I knew they had horses so they had to have ‘whoa’ and so I tried not to worry about how it might actually be translating. “My first girl? I mean woman? I mean, what? What do you mean, first?”

Now everybody just looked confused again.

“I know you’re young, Master Chris,” said Miranda. “I meant no offense!” She seemed worried that she had somehow upset me.

“I’m not offended, I’m confused,” I said. “I just met Meg, I really like her, and now you’re talking about me having other women and she sounds happy about it, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“How could a wealthy Song Mage only have one woman?” asked Miranda with the tone. “I thought you likely had a sweetheart or two back home but you took a liking to Meg. And you were so brave to defend her, it was like something out of a story. Then you found out she was a Song Mage, as well. But you didn’t know that when you fought for her, it’s so romantic!” The tone faded out toward the end there and turned into that giddy voice women get when they talk about their favorite romance movies.

“Well, no, I didn’t fight for her because she’s a Song Mage, I did it because she’s a nice girl and those two were di… I mean, jerks,” I said. “But where I come from, men only have one serious girlfriend, and definitely only one wife.” Well, except for athletes. And celebrities. And rich dudes in other countries. And… you know what, maybe it’s not so different. I very carefully did not think about many ‘classic’ science fiction novels I had read at was was probably far too young an age, especially the one I’d just made a joke about the night before.

They all went from confused to shocked.

“How do they seal alliances between kingdoms and great houses?” asked Keeper in a dubious tone. “I mean, what kind of a princess settles for anything less than the King or his heir?”

“And Song Mages are rare enough as it is,” added Miranda. “You don’t encourage them to have as many children as they can?”

“Being a Song Mage is hered…” I made myself stop talking before I finished the word ‘hereditary.’ If it was and I didn’t know it that was going to be really hard to explain. “Never mind. The point is, no, that’s not how we do things, and I’m a little surprised, that’s all. Give me a minute to get used to the idea, please.”

Meg, meanwhile, was on the verge of tears again.

“You thought I was going to be the only… Oh, Master Chris!” She hopped off the stool where her aunt had been hugging her, swung around her like a monkey, and glommed onto me, weeping with happiness. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” This set Miranda off and she pressed her fists to her mouth, bawling like her favorite soap opera heroine had just died. Again.

I looked over at Keeper helplessly. He shrugged, eyes wide, and poured us another shot of his magic brandy. I didn’t have the heart to shake my head ‘no’ at him. Eventually Meg and Miranda ran out of juice and settled down. I took a sip - just one - from the brandy glass and then had a few deep breaths before speaking again.

“This is going to take some getting used to. But let me be sure I have this straight. Meg, you’re okay with me having…” I blushed and an involuntary grimace passed across my face. “… other girlfriends?”

Meg nodded excitedly. “A wonderful man like you, Master Chris? You should have several women, so everyone knows how important you are!”

“And you won’t be jealous?” I said incredulously.

“Not if you don’t ignore me,” she sad in a very reasonable tone of voice. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

“Of course not,” I said quickly.

“Then why would I be?” she said happily.

Next I looked at Keeper, then Miranda.

“And you’re okay with this?” I asked cautiously.

“A man with a heart as bold as yours can spare enough love for more than one woman, Master Chris,” said Miranda, and I swear, she was fangirling at me a little bit.

Great. I’m some kind of Love Pirate. I managed not to roll my eyes at this. I mean, I realized they took it completely seriously. But man, did it sound cheesy.

“I know you’d never hurt Meg,” said Keeper. “And a man with power like yours will have a great household one day. You can’t run a manor with just one woman.”

“Then why have you never found another woman?” said Miranda, and I swear to you she was teasing him about it.

“I… It never came up,” he said weakly, and even I was like, ‘Lame.’ Miranda just laughed at him, although she didn’t look mad that she was the only woman in the house. Other than Meg.

“Well, that reminds me,” I said slowly. “Meg said that if she leaves you’ll have to hire another girl.”

“We would,” said Keeper, with a matter-of-fact expression. Then he said, “We’ll never replace her,” and smiled at Meg. “But we won’t have any trouble finding a young woman who wants a job in a nice inn.”

“About that,” I said. “I’d feel bad, knowing I was taking your best waitress…”

“The only waitress,” said Meg. The idea seemed to make her a little sad, though she was smiling. I ignored this.

“So I want to give you this.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a coin, then held out my hand to Miranda. This I’d thought about. Keeper was a proud man and I’d barely got him to let me pay for the doctor. I hoped Miranda would be more practical.

A mystified expression on her face, Miranda held out her hand. I dropped the coin into it and quickly closed her fingers around it.

“I don’t mean to act like I’m buying her,” I said hastily. “But she loves you both very much, and I want to be sure you’re okay. Please take it.”

“All right, Master Chris, that’s very kind of you…” she said slowly, then went to hand it to Keeper. When she opened her fingers again her eyes got huge. It was a gold coin. I had plenty, and I wanted Meg to know they were taken care of if she left.

“Master Chris!” she nearly shrieked. “We can’t take this!”

Keeper was staring at Miranda’s hand like there was a tiny ghost in it. His mouth was open, but he wasn’t saying anything. He looked at me, then at my plain clothes, then at the gold coin again.

“Plenty more where that came from,” I said reassuringly. “Meg won’t ever miss any meals. But I’ll feel much better if you take it.”

“Are you a noble, Master Chris?” Keeper finally managed to say. He looked like he was afraid of the answer either way.

“No, I’m just a random traveler,” I said, chuckling a little.

“The Duke gave me two hundred silver for my pension after twenty years of fighting for him,” he said slowly. “I used it to start this inn. A random traveler just handed me half of that after meeting me yesterday.”

“Yes, but I’m getting a much better deal,” I said. “You just got an inn. I’m getting Meg.” This made Meg start to cry again. I hoped it was the good kind.

Keeper looked at me silently for a moment, then drained his glass of brandy in a single swallow. Putting the coin away, he said, “Thank you, Master Chris. Any other man would expect to get the Merchant’s Rest for marrying Meg. I was worried you’d ask for a dowry when you mentioned marriage, and then you do this. I don’t know what to say.”

“Say, ‘Thank you, Chris, take good care of my daughter or I’ll shove that coin up your nose,’” I said, smiling.

He looked at me in disbelief and then started shaking with laughter. Miranda looked at me in shock, then looked at him, then started crying and hugging Meg again. Meg hadn’t really stopped crying all the way, and this opened her valve up again. I just stood there and felt awkward.

And when the three middle-aged dudes in nondescript clothing walked in the door, probably expecting nothing more than a hearty hello and some lunch but instead being greeted with this bizarre scene, that really upped the awkward factor, let me tell you. It was a few minutes before Miranda got it together enough to go back in the kitchen and get back to lunch. I hoped it wasn’t burned or anything.

Meg excused herself to go and help after asking me if it was all right. I said yes, of course. I felt vaguely guilty I wasn’t helping. Keeper took the men some beers and then we just chatted aimlessly for a bit until more people came in and lunches started flowing out of the kitchen. He was obviously very interested in where I came from, but only hinted at it, and left it alone when I didn’t pick up the hints.

“So what are your plans, Master Chris?” said Keeper after the lunch rush slowed down. He absolutely refused to call me anything else. Apparently it just Wasn’t Done.

“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully. “I mean, I just got here yesterday. What’s worth doing in Pirisi?”

“Well, you should probably pay your respects to the Mayor if you’re going to stay long,” he said. “I mean, you don’t have to, you’re a Song Mage. But it would be respectful.”

“What does that involve?” I asked.

“Just go to his office, introduce yourself, let him know you’re not here to start any trouble.” Keeper smiled. “Any more trouble.”

“Hey, they started it,” I said hastily.

“I know. He’ll probably ask you about it, make sure you’re not offended. They weren’t from Pirisi anyway, so there’s no reason you should be, but Song Mages can be touchy,” he said.

“What if I were offended?” I asked curiously. “Would he put up with it if I were a jerk about the situation?”

“He’d probably hang them for you if you really kicked up a fuss,” Keeper said nonchalantly. “If you asked for money, he might give you some, but not enough to make the Duke angry. The Duke has Song Mages on his payroll and if you pushed too hard, he’d send for help.”

I, meanwhile, was not feeling very nonchalant. How much power do Song Mages have in this stupid world? He’d kill them, just on my say-so? Bribe me to go away?

“I do not plan on asking for any of that,” I said. “Hopefully they’ll learn a lesson about picking on random strangers.” Am I being stupid? Will they learn a lesson, or just do it again in the next town to the next waitress, who won’t have a random Isekai Song Mage to help?

“A whipping will teach them something,” he said, nodding his head. “Whether it will stick, only the Powers know.”

“So, say hi to the Mayor. What else? Any tourist stuff?”

“Tourist stuff? What’s a tourist?” Keeper looked confused by this question.

“Like, do people come here for the Song Fair, or those assy things?” I couldn’t remember the word but people treated it like it was a big deal.

“The Song Fair’s not for three weeks,” said Keeper. “And you mean the assizes? Those are the same week. We have the Song Fair once a year, but it’s the same week as one of the assizes, they happen every three months. Either the Duke or his chamberlain rides to oversee the assizes, but he’ll definitely be here for the Song Fair. He’ll stay at his manor house, but he’ll probably come by at least one evening to buy a round for the house.”

“I’m confused about something,” I said. “This is county Chagny, but you keep talking about the Duke, and the Mayor. Is there a Count involved somewhere?”

Keeper laughed.

“That’s a good question for a stranger,” he said. “The answer is, The Duke was Count Chagny, but he helped break up a plot not long after he took over the county, and the King named him a Duke so he’d have equal rank to anyone in the Court as a reward. But the title won’t pass down to his son, so when the Duke dies, his son will be a Count and rule over County Chagny.”

“Okay,” I said. I have no idea if that’s how it worked on Earth, but so long as I know, hopefully I can avoid getting hanged for being rude to a lord. “Thanks for explaining it to me.”

“It is a little unusual,” said Keeper. “The King couldn’t elevate the county to a full duchy, it’s too small, and he couldn’t give the Duke a new duchy, the old Dukes would have had a fit. But the Duke’s not a greedy man, he didn’t do it for a reward, he did it because he’s no traitor.”

I raised the glass of water I’d had Meg bring me. Make me. “To the Duke,” I said.

Keeper took the mug of beer he’d been nursing and raised it high. “The Duke!” he said in a loud voice.

“The Duke!” replied the few people who were still loitering in the bar after most people had finished their lunches. Everybody clinked their mugs or whatever, and drank. I just nodded and tried not to look surprised.

“Looks like people like the Duke,” I said with a smile.

“He’s a generous lord,” said Keeper with satisfaction. “If harvests are small, he eases the taxes and makes the difference out of his own pocket, and he does what he can to keep the bandits and the goblins down. He keeps his courts fair and his taxmen honest.”

“Well, good for him,” I say. “What’s his position on wandering Song Mages?”

“If they don’t start any trouble, the same as everyone else. And if one really got out of hand, he’d do something about it.” Keeper sounded pretty happy that the tyranny of Song Mages would be resisted by the Duke, which made me wonder about a lot of things. Like how likely it was that most nobles would mess with a Song Mage at all.

“Do you get a lot of wandering Song Mages around here?” I asked. I still had no idea how common Song Mages even were, relatively speaking.

“No,” said Keeper, shaking his head. “Sometimes one will come for the Song Fair, but the Duke deliberately keeps the prizes low enough not to tempt most of them. He wants his own people to have a fair chance.”

“None live in the town?” I said.

“No,” Keeper said with a laugh. “No one here could afford to pay one, the nearest ones live in Chagny in the Duke’s household. And there’s not enough high living here to keep one who didn’t need to work. Almost all of the ones in the kingdom who don’t run around doing crazy things like hunting monsters live in Gaston.”

Interesting. So much for finding one and trying to figure out if they know more about music or magic than ordinary people do. Or if they have Status Screens.

“The Duke’s senior Song Mage will come with him for the Song Fair, but he never enters,” continued Keeper. “He’s there to help guard the Duke against powerful monsters or assassins. He wouldn’t let the Song Fair distract him.”

“He a nice guy too?” I asked. Maybe he would give me some pointers.

“Firmin? He’s a very levelheaded fellow for a Song Mage.” Keeper chuckled. “Present company excepted, of course. Been with the Duke longer than I was and his father before him. Very strong, but respectful. The soldiers loved him, he always made sure they were protected if someone with a powerful gift was making trouble.”

“Well then, here’s to Firmin,” I said, raising my glass again. This time, Keeper just laughed and clinked his mug against mine, taking a sip.

“Anyway, I don’t know what else I’ll do,” I said. “I don’t want to take Meg anywhere until you find a replacement for her.”

“Bless your kind heart, Master Chris,” said Keeper gratefully. “We won’t have any trouble, but it’ll take a bit, and I don’t know if there’s a girl in the village with the gift of Water who needs a job right now. That’s handy for a tavern girl. If not, we’ll have to work out how to keep the kitchen running without it. May have to hire two girls.” He smiled. “Won’t be a problem, we could hire every girl in the village with the money you gave us.”

“Only girls?” I asked. He really doesn’t seem the type to go after the waitresses, and Meg sure thought he wouldn’t. But this seems a little weird.

“No men.” Keeper shook his head firmly. “They’d get it in their heads they were going to run the place when I got old with Meg gone, and I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Who will?” I asked without thinking. Then I winced. Rude, asking him how he’s going to handle his property after I steal his daughter.

“Why, one of your children, of course,” said Keeper, a twinkle in his eye.

I sputtered on my water. He’d gotten me mid-sip, the crafty bastard.

“If they want it,” he said, laughing. “If not, I have two nephews, and only one can inherit my brother’s inn. My brother married late and they’re still a bit young to come here and help now, but in a few years, the younger one can come if he wants to try life in Pirisi.”

“Not sure I’m ready for kids just yet,” I said, wiping my face with my hand. “I’ll make sure Meg’s taken care of.”

“I know you will,” said Keeper confidently. “You’re a young man who’s going places. I can tell. Song Mage or no Song Mage, you’ll make your mark.”

I blushed. This was nicer than anything my own father had ever said to me, believe it or not. He’d never been abusive, but he and I didn’t have a lot in common. Mostly we ignored each other. Keeper was already beginning to feel like the father I wished I’d had. Of course, if I’d been born a superstar athlete or whatever the equivalent of a Song Mage was, maybe my dad would have been prouder too. I shook my head and tried to let it go.

Keeper noticed my embarrassment and chuckled again, but didn’t say anything. He just smiled and took another beer to one of the patrons, leaving me alone with my thoughts for a moment.

What do I want to do? I wondered. I need to ask Meg what she thinks. And get some more Laroha lessons. And figure out my powers. And figure out her powers. And figure out our powers. This could take a while. Let’s try to make a plan. But first…

When Keeper returned, I said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Master Chris. What can I do for you?” He was the very picture of the helpful bartender.

“How much to rent a room until after the Song Fair?”