Tell her his name

Alex briefly considers lying, but a couple of things stop him. For one, despite what he has recently learned from Roderick, he still holds to a nobler view of the new life to which he has been called. Granted, he’s not exactly off on the best of footing, given that he bedded and possibly impregnated a young woman on his first day as a squire, but even so, lying is just not an option. Secondly, as much as he tries, he can’t clearly remember whether Roderick said his name when he announced their presence to the customers of the tavern. Being unaccustomed to drinking ale, Alex’s brain is a wee bit foggy. Finally, and probably most significantly, the endorphins flooding his brain from his first orgasm with a woman have certainly taken the edge off of any cunning he might otherwise have.

“My name is Alex,” he says. “Listen, I really need to....”

“Alex,” she says, dreamily, still wiggling her hips to encourage his sperm to find her fertile egg, “I lost my virginity to an Alex... Of course, he was a lot older than you and not nearly as cute. He was the apothecary for our village. He used to give me the sweetest smile every week when I visited him. One day we were all alone in his store, and one thing led to another....” Her eyes hold a far-away look at the memory.

Alex gathers up Ellie’s clothing and tosses it to her. “An apothecary sounds like a much better husband for you — and a father for your child. It sounds like you two have something special; you should really pursue that relationship.”

“Silly boy! How can I do that, since he’s buried back behind his shop?” Giving her hips one last shake for good measure, she seems satisfied that she has done all she can to encourage fertilization, so she begins putting on the offered clothing.

“He’s dead?” Alex asks the next question, with a feeling of dread. “He died of old age, right?”

Ellie laughs. “That’s funny! I’m really going to enjoy spending the rest of our lives together, Alex! No, of course he didn’t die of old age; it’s not like he was THAT old. I do have SOME standards, you know. No.... I’m afraid no medicine in his shop could have cured him of my daddy’s visit once he found out what happened.”

Alex clutches his stomach, suddenly feeling very ill.

“Listen, Ellie.... I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to just go and spring this news on your father, ok? Why don’t you give me a little bit to figure out the best way to let him know? We don’t want to catch him when he’s having a bad day, after all.”

As if on cue, a loud voice can be heard from somewhere on the other side of the door. “Ellie! Where the hell are you? We’ve got customers lined up out the door, and Helga is off with her legs wrapped around that knight. I need you back to work!”

“Oh, there’s Daddy now,” says Ellie, as she finishes pulling up her panties.

“And he doesn’t sound like he’s having a good day,” says Alex.

“Oh, he’s just a little stressed. He’ll brighten up when he finds out that he’s going to have a new son and a grandson.”

Alex’s eyes dart between the door, Ellie, and the small window leading to a back alley. Inwardly, he fights a courageous battle, trying to figure out the best way to deal with this situation.