First the vest

Esmeralda whispered to Rhiamon, "A woman needs no spell to strip a man. Hold my cup and watch."

The oldest of the three women stepped partway around the altar and beckoned for Dewayne to meet her halfway. "Come to Esmeralda, dearie. I see you are sweating in this moist air after your exertion to answer our summons. It would be a shame to leave that handsome vest smelling of stale man-sweat. Why don't you set it aside to dry while you cool?"

Esmeralda schmoozing with prince Dewayne

At first, it was working, without any magical funny business. He started to disrobe but stopped himself, probably due to social mores or conventions pounded into his head by his mother, the Queen.

"Have no fear," Esmeralda said soothingly, "We have seen bare-chested farm hands tend this sacred grove many times. You have my permission to appear undressed."

"And mine," agreed the other two.

Then he gave his vest to her for safe keeping. He appeared more comfortable after obeying her.

It was a nice vest, made in an old-fashioned style of a generation before. The vest reminded her of someone. The prince reminded her of someone. Esmeralda took a moment to gaze at the barechested prince, but she was seeing someone else, a man named Barrow, the greatest love of her life.

Barrow gave up his throne to become Esmeralda's house husband. He ran her home well and raised her children to be wise: an alchemist, a witch, a doctor, a sorcerer, and (the youngest) a lawyer. He lovingly obeyed her every wish, built what physical items she requested, and invented them if they did not exist. He moved heaven and earth if necessary to serve her. And in the bedroom? Well... Have you heard of strawberries? He invented them.

Esmeralda and her beloved **** husband, Barrow

He always willingly accepted any spell she might cast upon him. And she protected him from many ailments and harms. They made love on what would be the day he died. She occasionally summoned his spirit from the afterlife, always surprised that he told her he did nothing but slumber, dreaming of the day she might cross over to be with him. She realized it had been quite a while since she had last spoken to him.

Esmeralda left Dewayne, allowing Rhiamon to go to work on him while she took another moment to remember Barrow fondly.

It was a nice vest. He would never see that vest again.