Set things up the next morning

You wake to the sight of both Doe and Linne in your bed. The warm, soft blankets and mattress have done a number on them both. Linne is upside down, feet in the air, but today Doe's tail passed through them and Linne's legs have all curled around the big tail like she's trying to make sure her friend stays next to her.

Doe's upper body is much closer to you. She's also on her back, one fang poking slightly from under her upper lip, her silky hair spread across the sheets. You're quite happy to wait for them to wake, bit it's almost as if Doe can sense your eyes on her. She blinks her own open and stretches. She sees that Linne is still asleep and has to fight back a laugh at the way her friend is latched on to her tail. "That was a lot more comfortable than the floor," she whispers.

"Glad you liked it," you say, gently taking her hand. "Now, I'm sorry to spoil the mood and hit you with this all at once, but the king is going to be available today."

She tries not to tense up too much. Linne lets out a huge snore, so Doe must have been partially successful.

"I'm worried about what the king might do," you say, turning up the sympathy. "Really, I would like to keep you both here, but there are some obstacles."

"Oh?" she asks in that way women have of making one little word into a threat rather than a question.

"First, a noble who's in rather good standing right now has expressed quite the interest in Linne." That gets a furious look from Doe, as you expected. "The king, or perhaps some of his advisors might also prefer to see you receive some additional punishments. If it were either of those things on their own I could probably deal with it, since I'm also in good standing myself."

"Save Linne," she says.

"Hang on. Do you really think Linne is going to be alright with you throwing yourself on your sword?" You give her a few seconds to think about it, then plunge back in. "I think I have a way that means both of you get to stay here with me, but we need to act quickly and play things just right."

She stares at you, unblinking. Another snake trait that took root in Doe. She can give someone the evil eye like nobody else.

"Have you heard of Valanistic faith?"

Her eyes narrow a little and she says, "I think I remember the word from some lessons." Then she hisses and says, "Wait, they're one of the ones that allow polygamy!"

"Yes, though only in certain cases. And if both you and Linne were my wives..."

Linne finally wakes up and blurts out, "Huh, wives?"

After a bit of explaining for Linne's sake you go back to explaining the plan. The plan you've designed as a perfect solution to the problem you've created.

"But aren't the Valanists all dead?" asks Linne.

"In a lot of countries, yes. But in a country called Anteyon, that was once next to this one, there was a break-away version of Valanism that was not as unacceptable as the usual kind. They only allowed two wives in a marriage under special circumstances. When their royals married into our royal family generations ago one of the key terms for the newly joined country was that those in the former territory would be able to keep worshiping as they had in the past. So while Valanism isn't the prime faith it isn't gone."

Doe starts slinking around, as if she's pacing. "What special circumstances? I thought it was just a free for all with Valanists."

"Yes, with most. But in Anteyon the rule was that it could only be done in a few cases. If a brother needed to marry the widow of his older brother, for example. Or if an older woman was incapable of bearing children but had to marry for political reasons. She could allow a second woman, often a freed ****, into her marriage so she could provide a family for her husband. There were a few other very small exceptions, but you get the gist of it. With much stricter limits they were a far more acceptable form of Valanism."

"Yes...." says Doe. "But you would want us?"

"I would love to have you become my wives," you tell her. No need for a lie there.

"Aww, that's so nice," Linne says, dancing on her feet. "But people will still look at us as if we're terrible," she adds, worried.

"I'm sure they already assume I've done many things with you both. The only difference is that if we're married they can't complain as much."

Doe stops her slithering and looks back at you, fire in her eyes, decision made. "Which loophole are we going to use?"

"The one about a woman who can't bear children." She gives you a long look and you have to laugh. "It doesn't say anywhere that the woman has to be old. Those religious laws were written long ago by people who were very fearful of light mages. They probably never considered that a young woman could be made infertile deliberately."

"You mean, wait..." Linne looks back at her lower half and asks, "can I get pregnant?"

"Yes, both of you are quite capable of carrying a baby right now." That throws both of them for a loop.

Doe asks, "How would this work, exactly?"

"I would make you temporarily infertile," you tell Doe. "Then we arrange a quick test by an alchemist to confirm it and get ourselves married."

"Temporarily?" she asks.

"Yes. The texts of Valanism do say we will be blasphemers and the marriage will be annulled if you were to get with child before Linne births three children."

"Oh." Doe pauses a moment and then, more loudly, "Oh!" and looks over at Linne. "But then, she's going to have to... no, I should. Ahem! You should make Linne infertile, I will carry these children."

Linne hops up beside Doe and hugs her, then starts trying to argue she should be the one to carry their first children. For your part you stand back. Your plan seems to have worked beautifully - you're going to get to marry both these lovely girls you remade. You stay out of it, wondering whether it will be Doe or Linne who finally 'wins' the chance to be what the Valanists call the breeder wife.