{"sf1_id":778408,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Seeing the Beauty Within","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":3154,"posted_at":"2014-11-05T16:44:00.000Z","tags":["Clean","Love","M/F","Magic","Princess","Suggestive","Wolf","tavern","wizard"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/778408-seeing-the-beauty-within","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/778408","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=778408\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#24 of Miscellany\n\nAn essentially clean story I wrote because; well dammit, because I wanted to. It's not all about sex and rock and roll.","content":"                The\nsign above the door said Golden Rod, but instead of the familiar yellow flower\nthere was an image of a rearing yellowish stallion with an engorged member. The\nhorse was standing there proudly, and was in fact the spitting image of the owner's\ngood friend. The equine was well known as a wrestler and fighter in the arena,\nand here was the only place he allowed his name and image to be used. There was\na value to friendship, and he was returning it.\n                The\nowner of said inn was Carmak, a handsome and properly dressed wolf from parts\nunknown. For those who frequented this establishment before it was taken over\nby him, the story is well told and well worn after all of the passing years. He\ncame in one day, ordered a drink and then offered the previous owner more money\nfor it than it was worth. \n                He\nlooked around, scratched his head and then shook paws with him. \"She's all yours\nmister. Good luck\"\n                From\nthat day on the fortunes of the inn's regular clientele went up. The name of\nthe place didn't change right away. The old sign, that of a gryphon with a\nbloody beak, depicted the mythical battle of Herdos the gryphon against the Army\nof Sleagh. It was a tale no one really cared about any more. But when the\ngladiator Hordalius began frequenting the place, a new sign quickly followed.\nThe image was true to life, for the horny bastard often rented rooms by the\nhour to show off his fine physique. Carmak even purchased a reinforced bed just\nbecause he was such a good customer. Well, that and because it was cheaper than\nreplacing the lesser ones all the time.\n                The\nowner made friends with everyone with his quiet, easy going way. He became famous\nfor not having a bouncer, and even more strangely, never having the need for\none. While the place was frequented by all sorts of creatures, once you stepped\nthrough the door you were a perfect gentleman, or gentle lady, as the case may\nbe.\n                There\nwere only a few rules about the place. Pay for your drinks, don't drink more\nthan you can handle and leave when you were done. They were simple rules that\neven the most moronic sot could understand. The owner didn't care who you were,\nwhat you looked like, or even how you smelled. Follow those rules and you'd be\nserved as well as anyone else.\n                It soon\nbecame the gathering place. Athletes and warriors, scribes and historians, even\nthe religious clerics and fortune tellers would flock there. They soon established\nset times when they would come, filling in niches during different parts of the\nday. The Golden Rod became the most important place to be in town.\n                One must\nremember before I go any further; this tale is old, far older than your\ngrandfather or your grandfather's grandfather. It goes back to the days when\npeople believed in things like monsters and magic. Today, a wise wolf or equine\nshakes his head at such nonsense. But because such things have left the world doesn't\nmean they weren't once here.\n                Remember\nthat.\n                Carmak\nwas always busy, and he preferred it that way. Being busy meant he had less\ntime to dwell on those things in his life that had gone astray. Most people\nwould look at him and think he was the happiest person alive, what with all of\nhis jokes and his jovial ways. But it was all an act. He had left happiness\nbehind a few years ago, and many leagues away. Sometimes happiness was not to\nbe had for those who deserved it most.\n                His\nbusiness grew. He was soon getting only a few hours of sleep every evening, for\nhe kept the place open from sunrise to past midnight. As much as he hated it,\nhe knew he had to hire someone to help him. The problem was; he had no desire\nto bring on anyone as an employee. He wasn't cheap, just not desirous in\ncomplicating things. As much as he liked his customers, he knew that they\nneeded a constant firm hand and a stern voice to keep them in line. Any employee\nwould need special oversight to give him or her that edge. If they didn't work\nout then he had wasted his time and resources. Time he had plenty of, but\nresources were purposely kept thin. He didn't need anyone catching on.\n                One\nafternoon, the time of day he tended to like best, a lone figure walked through\nthe door. It was said that the owner had a knack for determining the character of\na person when they entered, and that he could tell you things that you thought\nwere private. It kept the likes of senators and statesmen out of the place, and\nthat suited everyone else just fine.\n                But\nthis newcomer; well, the moment they walked in he got the idea they were\nsomething special. It wasn't the floor length white robe, shot through with\ngold thread. It wasn't the face that lurked underneath that hood. The cowl did\nwell to hide all but the tip of the nose. No, it was the way they came in and\nsat down and never gave of a clue to their identity. That meant someone sensed\nhis spell on the front door and had negated it.\n                That meant\neither an enemy, or a friend. A friend would have announced his presence, spell\nor no spell. On the other hand an enemy would have attempted to twist the spell\nto his own advantage, not avoid it. Avoiding it was as much a giveaway to their\npresence as the spell itself.\n                Carmak\nwalked over with a glass of fine brandy. \"On the house. Anyone who can come in here\nthat I can't tell a single thing about them gets the best the house has to\noffer.\"\n                He was\neyeing the newcomer with mild suspicion. \n                A\ngloved paw came out from inside a sleeve. It was slender. The voice that came forth\nfrom the hood was dulcet, sweet and sent a shiver down his spine. \"Then I must\nreturn it, for it is not the best thing under your roof. That I think would be\nyou.\"\n                The\ncloth dropped away revealing a pure white wolf, very much female, and very much\na pearl in a matrix of mud when one considered her surroundings. She lit up the\nroom like sunshine after a storm. Everyone in the tavern, without exception,\nstopped what they were doing and stared. Every painted whore felt like a cheap painting\nleft out in the rain.\n                Carmak\ngulped. In a whisper he said one word, \"Philimon.\"\n                \"Oh,\nyou remember my name do you?\"\n                His\nvoice was hushed. \"That's not funny and you know it. What are you doing here?\"\n                \"There\nis a lot to discuss. Perhaps we can go somewhere more private?\"\n                \"I don't\nhave anything to discuss with you. You know the rules and I intend to abide by\nthem. I don't know how you found me but go back home.\"\n                She\nsmiled. \"But I found you. I'm finally were I should be. What more could I call\nhome?\"\n                He\nshook his head. \"Look, you know what your father said. And he was right. I had\nno business falling in...\"\n                She put\nher fingers to his lips. \"Shush! For one, father is dead.\"\n                \"What?\nI'm so sorry Philimon, I had no idea.\"\n                \"Don't waste\nyour breath being sorry. He forgave you, and he forgave me. But being the fifth\nprincess of the kingdom means I either have to marry a prince or suffer exile.\nYou know the rules. No loose ends in the palace.\"\n                \"I see that\nyou do have much to tell me. Let me make some arrangements.\" He went off into a\ncorner and talked with one of the scribes. The otter put on an apron and went\nabout serving up drinks.\n                \"There.\nKellon is a bright fellow. I've thought about hiring him on.\"\n                She\nsmiled. \"Still using your magic sparingly I see.\"\n                \"You\nused a counter spell on the door, didn't you?\"\n                \"Of\ncourse! I learned from the master.\"\n                \"I'm\nnot a mage any longer. I'm a respectable businessman.\"\n                \"Of\ncourse you are. But I see spells strung around this place like spiderwebs.\"\n                \"Come on.\nI don't need you giving me away. Not everyone likes magic.\"\n                \"Then\ntake me to a more suitable lace where we can talk. Oh, and don't forget the\nbrandy.\"\n                He\ndowned the glass he had brought, went to the bar, grabbed a full bottle and two\nglasses. He left word with his temporary replacement for them not to be disturbed\nbefore escorting the lovely bitch to the upper floor. He lived in the building,\na wise choice, for it meant few thieves ever tried breaking in. Crime was\nswiftly and silently dealt with here and the place had gained a reputation. \n                He\nshowed her to a cushioned chair in his sitting room, while he pulled up a\nwooden stool. \"Why are you here Philimon? We promised never to see each other\nagain, for the good of the kingdom.\"\n                \"I told\nyou. Father is dead. The decree we signed has been made null and void.\"\n                \"But\nyou have left the kingdom. You're in exile now.\"\n                \"Yes I\nam. I cannot go back, not unless I wish to have my head removed and displayed\nin the public square.\"\n                \"You're\nan idiot Philimon. I can give you nothing now.\"\n                She\ncracked her knuckles. \"Nothing? Do you still love me?\"\n                \"Of\ncourse I do. You have no idea how hard leaving was for me.\"\n                \"Maybe\nas much as it did watching you leave?\"\n                His\nshoulders dropped. \"Yeah, I guess so.\"\n                \"I don't\nwant things Carmak.\" She stood and undid her cloak, dropping it to the floor.\nShe pulled off her bracelets and let them fall. Her scarves and her dress fell\nin a heap. She was standing there naked, a dream for any wolf, fox, wolverine,\nequine or feline. She was beauty incarnate.\n                \"I want\nwhat I always wanted, from when I was a small child. I want you.\"\n                He was\nat a loss for words. He wanted her too, and had forgone his lustful thoughts to\nsave her life and the stability of the kingdom. If the king had sanctioned their\nlove, they would have gotten married. But had something happened to the other\ngirls, then by default she had been in the line for the throne, then he, a\nwizard and an outsider, would have been made king. It was something that would\nhave destroyed the realm even if the chances of it happening where wildly\nremote.\n                When he\nsat there staring at her, she frowned. \"Have I grown ugly in my passing years?\"\n                \"No my\nlove, just the opposite. You are everything a poet needs to feed his rhyme for\na thousand years.\"\n                \"Then\nprove it, and not with words. I have waited long; suffering the pain of waiting\nfor this day. If you love me, show me with action and not recitations of your\nundying affection. We both know we will die; I want you to make living the most\nwonderful foreplay ever for getting into the afterlife.\"\n                Carmak\nwas still absorbing what was happening. She had the advantage of him. She knew\neverything and he was only now coming to grips with it. That which could never\nbe was suddenly standing completely naked in his room. They had never consummated\ntheir love in fear of her becoming with child. That would have meant death for\nboth of them. In the end the king had been so overwhelmed with their dedication\nthat he nearly wept when Carmak had left. But he couldn't break rules set down\nfour hundred years before. Nor could he have ever parted with his daughter,\nlauded as the most beautiful princess to have been born in a millennia. When\nall was said and done, he lost his favorite advisor and his best friend.\n                \"Philimon,\nyou are a princess. All I can give you now is what you see around you. I have\nan inn, with a tavern, and I work every day to keep it running.\"\n                \"My\ndear stupid lover. Have you forgotten so readily? I am no longer a princess. I\nswore to my eldest sister that I would never seek the crown. I of all of my\nsisters have a chance at happiness, for I left looking for my love. She knows\nwell my feelings for you, and she trusts me more so than she does the others.\nTell me I didn't waste my time in looking for you.\"\n                \"You\nwould give up your kingdom to be with me?\"\n                \"I\nwould give up the world if it were mine just to be with you. If you were\nconfined to a bed in a hovel I would stay by your side.\"\n                He\nstood and undressed. \"Then we shall find a cleric right after a pledge of vows\nbefore a magistrate. I will not have you under my roof unless you are my wife.\"\n                She\npulled him down onto the bed. \"Now we're talking the same language!\"\n                Several\nhours later a very tired wolf made his way down to the tavern. The crowd had changed,\nbut Kellon was still there. Carmak paid him a few silver coins and a small\nbottle of liquor and sent him on his way.  That night, after the bar closed, his love\ntold him her idea. \"You know, I could help you here. You're obviously very busy\nand could use an extra set of paws.\"\n                Her\npaws were rather talented, as he was finding out.\n                \"Being\na barmaid is hardly a fitting occupation for one of your rank!\" he protested.\n                \"You\nforget so easily that I have no rank. I am just a woman now looking for a good\nman.\"\n                \"All\nright. We can try it out. But I have misgivings about you doing this.\"\n                She\nslid her hand between his legs.\"Do you have misgivings about me doing this?\"\n                When he\ndidn't voice any, she carried on right through the night. The place opened late\nthe next morning, but the customers hushed when they saw the new employee.\nThere had been word about the lovely lass who had been seen in the place the\nday before, but no one had considered it a possibility that she was going to be\nworking there.\n                And it didn't\nwork out well.\n                She was\ncompetent, so that wasn't a problem. She was nice, and everyone loved her. \nThat was a problem. \n                The\nnumber of customers increased until the place was overflowing. Lines extended\ninto the street, blocking the thoroughfare and getting him harassed by the militia.\nOther bar owns complained that he was taking their business, which he was but\nnot on purpose. The local whore's guild complained because all of the males wanted\nto attract Philimon's attention, and were therefore foregoing relations with\nthe hookers. One female disrupted an entire segment of the city's livelihood.\n                Fights\nbroke out over her. The once peaceful bar became a house of brawls. When Forny\nthe weasel got a little too familiar with her, something she was more than\ncapable of handling, Jackser the fox kicked him squarely in the \"boys\" and sent\nhim spraying across the floor. It got to be so bad that Carmak finally close\nthe place up.\n                He had\na talk with Philimon. \"We can't stay here anymore. You're too beautiful a sight\nfor any male, and I know I don't deserve you.\"\n                \"Shut\nup, will you? Listen to yourself. You're a wizard for the sake of the Gods. Can't\nyou do something?\"\n                \"Yes. I\ncan sell this place and we can move somewhere else.\"\n                \"No.\nYou love this place, and you really need help with it. It seems to me that I'm\nthe one that needs to go.\"\n                \"You\ncome back into my life only to turn around and tell me that you need to leave\nme?\"\n                \"Yes. I\nthink for the benefit of your customers, and therefore to your benefit and that\nof this city, I must leave, never to return.\"\n                The\nargument was cut short when she kissed him and pulled him down on the bed. Later,\nas she ran her nails through his furry chest, she told him, \"The only way for\npeace to return to here is for me to go. You know it as well as I do. If you\nlove me, you'll accept it. I will not stay as long as I am causing so much\ntrouble.\"\n                So they\nagreed. When The Golden Rod reopened, it was to another long line. As customers\npushed and shoved to get inside, they were quickly disappointed by the lack of\na stark beauty roaming the spaces between the tables. In her place was a wart\nhog, ugly of countenance and bristling with curses. Her tongue was brazenly sharp\nand her tusks equally so. Within a day the customer base had dwindled down to\nwhat it had once been.\n                When\nnot harassed, this new barmaid could be found to be friendly enough, and quite\ncapable of kind words. She was quick with getting drinks and food, and better\nstill, no one ever made a pass at her. Peace came back to the Golden Rod and to\nall who dallied under its roof.\n                At\nnight, the barmaid closed up shop and stomped up the stairs to the room she\nkept with the owner. It wasn't an ideal arrangement, seeing as they never did\nget their marriage officiated. But she would strip off her ratty clothing and\nhe would say the spell that brought her back to her normal appearance. It was\nthe difference between a stormy night and a sunshiny day. Then Philimon and\nCarmak, the once official High Wizard of the Tormla Kingdom would come together\nand do things even the richest men in town could only ever imagine. And by the\nnext morning, there was an ugly, warty barmaid in the bed, looking forward to completing\nher day of work just so that she could have her night time with her love.\n                While it\nwas hardly ideal, love is not all about beauty; it is about two hearts coming together,\noften compromising, often sacrificing but in the end overcoming the obstacles\nand having a life together no matter what."}