The master's arrival

Ginelia and all twenty bodies of Sassafras stood outside the front door of the castle, with the cameras set up and rolling. With practiced energy, Ginelia spoke to the invisible crowd of millions watching through the camera.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to another wonderful season of Harem Hotel! I’m your host, Ginelia, and this,” she gestured at Sassafras, “is my lovely assistant Sassafras!”

Sassafras’s bodies gave a demure wave in unison to the camera, and Ginelia continued on.

“We saw the spectacular success of Evil’s Vengeance, dear viewers! And we heard your requests for more magical creatures and great adventures. So we are here, with another season set in a fantastical realm with fantastical characters. But this time, the master is a little different, since he just saved his world from a demonic invasion. So we at Harem Hotel decided to show him how much we appreciate his work! This is Harem Hotel: Hero’s Reward!”

A little over a month after the Battle of Askania, as it was being called by the bards, Caelan awoke at dawn in his bedroom within his assigned apartment in the royal palace. Now that he had the energy to appreciate the space in full, he admired it. He had a bedroom, a closet, a privy, and a small sitting room, all to himself. His armor, sword, and shield were stored in the closet, on provided racks, on his request. While he knew that it was improper to openly carry a weapon in the palace unless one was a guard, he still felt odd storing his equipment in the castle armory instead of near him. It was almost as much a part of him as his faith, and his faith was as much a part of him as his own hands.

He suspected some of the furnishings were much older than he was, and yet they still were pristine, as though they had been received from the craftsmen yesterday. The masterfully crafted tapestry on his bedroom wall was a calming depiction of a herd of winged horses stopping to drink at an alpine lake. It was perfectly designed to make a guest of the von Wedell family feel welcome, and Caelan admitted the room had succeeded.

And yet, a part of him felt uneasy in the room. It was the richest space he’d ever been in, and he was afraid he would accidentally break some irreplaceable piece of the royal family’s history if he sat too long on a chair. He suspected that only the finest rooms in the finest inns could compare to the palace. Even after his party had achieved enough renown and earned enough coin to afford such rooms, they had usually forwent such indulgences--they’d felt uneasy and sometimes unwelcome in the fancy inns, and there were more important uses of their money.

Such as helping others, Caelan thought. He knew that Emilie had ordered much of the royal treasury to be used in rebuilding Askania, and even housed those who had lost their homes to the fighting in the guest rooms and undercroft of the palace. But he still felt guilty that he was enjoying the luxurious room, being hailed as a hero by commoners and nobles alike, when there was still so much more to be done. So much more that they could all be doing.

He opened the window to let in the weak early morning sunlight. Then, he knelt down next to his bed to pray to Aldir, for the strength and clarity he needed to do that much more. He meditated on what needed to be done to help the people of Ocowyth, to help fix the damage wrought by Asmodea’s forces in the Battle of Askania, to restore the community.

About twenty minutes later, after finishing his morning prayers, Caelan got ready for the day ahead. After washing up, he changed out of his nightclothes into a gray gambeson embroidered with Aldir’s holy symbol over an off-white linen shirt, brown trousers, and his trusty leather boots. The clothing was a deliberate choice--humble to emphasize his devotion to Aldir, yet just martial enough to highlight him as an adventurer and warrior without seeming too threatening. He would don his armor later, if his duties called for it.

Today, he would meet up with his party--he was glad to include Ionanthe and Pie--Galatea in that, Emilie, Wolton, and a coalition of nobles, clergy, and guild leaders to discuss the next steps in the rebuilding of Askania, after breakfast in the great hall. After that, Adalheid and Mahja would use their combined strength and magic to rebuild the fallen structures, while Ionanthe acted as an advisor due to her age and life experience. It was going to be a long day, but it was necessary.

He walked toward the door of his apartment, ready to begin. In doing so, he did not see that one of the sunbeams dancing through the window was stronger and larger than the rest. Then, it landed on him.

For an instant, Caelan stood frozen, and then he disappeared, sent on to the demiplane that contained the Harem Hotel set, before he could react. Then, the beam of light coalesced into an identical copy of Caelan Barrett, down to the clothes he was wearing.

The angel smiled to themselves before they stepped out of the room. They knew their duty, and had done it to the best of their ability. Their siblings would soon join them in the great hall. They would protect the Material Plane for as long as the Herald was away.

Caelan reappeared in an instant, landing on his feet on a stone road that was outside of what appeared to be a manor house. While there was no immediate threat, he was not safe here--what was that strange, floating black machine monster with a single large black eye and a red light that was advancing on him? He reached for his sword, and cursed to himself at his adherence to propriety when he remembered that it was not with him.

He clenched his fists, ready to stand and fight, setting his teeth in an intimidating snarl. He’d faced Asmodea’s legions, he would not die at the hands of this strange creature! And then he heard an unfamiliar, musical voice--not just a voice--that made him pause. He could hear the speaker’s words as thoughts in his mind. What was going on?

“Don’t be afraid, Caelan. That ‘monster’ is a camera. It’s like a crystal ball or a recording scroll, but it broadcasts what it sees for millions of people, across the many dimensions where our show is viewed. It is no danger to any of us.”

Caelan stood down hesitantly, and turned toward the source of the voice. As soon as he saw her, he recognized Ginelia’s corporeal form from pictures he’d seen in temples, from paintings in the dedicated temples to the goddess of lust, art, passion and ****, to the statue of her in the great Pantheon in Askania. Yet the paintings and statues did not fully capture the vibrant pinks of her skin and hair, the cool gray of her eyes, the beauty of her smile, the ever-shifting pink and gold marks on her skin. Immediately, he dropped to his knees before her. She was a goddess, after all.

“A master does not kneel, Caelan. Rise.”

Caelan obeyed immediately, and Ginelia gave him a warm, welcoming smile. “You’re probably very confused, my dear. I will explain everything to you.”

“What’s going on? Master? Millions of people?” said Caelan. He did not stammer or flinch, but it was a near thing. He was sure the ‘camera’ could see the shock on his face.

Ginelia smiled at the camera, and at him, before she spoke. “I know you’re very confused, Caelan, but I assure you, this is no trick or prank. You have been selected as the lucky master on our newest season of Harem Hotel!”

“What does that mean?” asked Caelan. He was still on edge, but would listen to the goddess’s explanation.

Ginelia smiled as she began answering his question. “Harem Hotel is a popular interdimensional, interplanar TV show, watched by millions of people, wherein many contestants compete for the love and desire of a lucky master. All of the contestants are known to you, some very well indeed, and I suspect you would have a hard time choosing just one of them!”

At the last half of her last sentence, she saw Caelan turn away from the camera with a guilty look on his face, before quickly returning to wary neutrality. She fought back a teasing grin.

“What do you mean by ‘compete'?’” asked Caelan, suspicion on his face.

“Worry not, Caelan, they will all be perfectly safe from physical harm. The contestants will compete in different challenges and popularity contests with the audience, to earn favorable positions in your harem! Once they are all assembled, I will explain the rules fully. Is there anything else you want to know?”

There was a lot, actually. However, Caelan wondered if Ginelia’s explanation of the rules would answer most of his questions, and if she would take questions afterward. So he decided to ask the one that he was certain the rules wouldn’t cover. “Why exactly was I…chosen for…this?”

Ginelia nodded at his hesitation. “You were nominated for this season by the gods, as thanks for all of your hard work! You and your party did save the Material Plane after all. I decided to be your host, to give you and your ladies the chance to relax and enjoy life that you all deserve!”

As she spoke, she inflected her voice with the truth of her words. A camera would not pick that up, but Caelan would. And it was all true, technically.

“Caelan, if you need anything, ask Sassafras here,” said Ginelia, gesturing behind her. “She is my assistant, while I run this show. All of the maids you see here are her bodies.”

It was then that Caelan looked at the twenty identical women standing in a line near the door, all clad in the same maid’s uniform. When he half-bowed in greeting, all of them dipped a perfect curtsy, in sync.

“Hello, Sassafras,” said Caelan slowly. He looked at the twenty maids, not sure what to make of them--her, since evidently they were all the same woman. “You don’t have to curtsy to me.”

The Sassafras clones rose up from their curtsy, and the one nearest Caelan responded, a small, polite smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, milord.”

“You-I-I’m just Caelan. You don’t have to call me milord.”

Sassafras’s smile remained on her face. “Very well, Caelan. Now, her ladyship is about to welcome the contestants to the show. Is there anything I can get you before then? Perhaps a glass of water?”

“That sounds nice…” Caelan was still processing the events of the past few minutes. He was still stunned that it was not an elaborate dream or prank.

In the blink of an eye, one of the Sassafras clones went inside the manor, and returned with a tray that contained a single sparkling glass with water in it. She walked up to Caelan, and offered it to him, and he gingerly accepted. And just as quickly, she returned the tray, and returned to her place in line. Seeing this play out, Ginelia turned her attention to the camera.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time to meet our contestants!”