You learn about amazon marriages of convenience

"Why are you pulling me away from my vital duties?" The beautiful but stern dusky-skinned necromantrix, Johari, is still being **** to walk around wearing just a cloak over the lacy skull-and-bones themed lingerie you ordered her to wear everywhere as a humiliating punishment. "Do you have any idea of the costs incurred for this vainglorious pyrrhic victory of yours, Z- I mean, 'Countess'? Nevermind the pay owed to a far-too-numerous cohort of surviving mercenaries. Literal tons of rations. Draft horses. Grain rations FOR the draft horses. The decimation of the living workforce of Undrek, and the annihilation of the un-living workforce. The shutting down of all hospitality operations for months. And all of that seems small in comparison to the long-term damage to the regional economy. Caravans traffic to the southlands will be down for years until the stink of civil war washes off..."

"Johari," you put your hands on your hips, "quit complaining. You wanted the influence of your order to expand, didn't you? Well, now I've essentially doubled your reach. Under my vassalage there will be a new chapterhouse for the Corpus Order established here. You bookworms see my family as the wicked step-mother oppressing and exploiting you, when really, we are more akin to the parent who sees their child becoming a wastrel and pushes them to go out and make something of themeslves."

Your generous offer silences her for a second. As she often does to buy time in conversation, Johari reaches up and straightens her thick glasses. "...and now you are telling us we must find a way to expand our order on top of all the other impossible tasks you've heaped on us. And I cannot but ask how you feel you have the right to call anyone else a wastrel."

"I work plenty!" you say defensively, putting a hand upon your chest with a feminine sigh. "Telling other people what to do is work! So is going to bed with unattractive men. The same things you chafe at when I delegate them to you! Now enough of your backtalk. It is your countess's wish that you should tell her what those amazon warriors are doing. It is making the troops suspicious."

Johari peers at them and listens to the foreign words they are speaking. "Well, I cannot translate, but I understand the basic idea, having studied their crude, primitive culture. They are undergoing hasty marriage ceremonies."

"What, to each other?!" Marzena's mouth drops. "Hah! So it's true what they say about those amazons being a bunch of cunt-lickers, then." she says. Having assimilated the crude 'brothel culture' of Undrek, she uses the crude term that is often used more as a general-purpose insult among Undrek's women than descriptively.

"Marzena," Johari says with a weary sigh, "I shouldn't have to explain to someone like you or the countess that marriage has little to do with love or desire, in most cases. It is an economic and political arrangement at every level of society, from top to bottom. In time, may we all dispense with such archaic notions... but let me explain. The amazons normally take consorts, and never marry a man in their own lands. Men have no legal or property rights there and are considered subjects... possessions, even. Male parentage isn't considered important among them, so there's no real need to wed and give their consorts any extra status. They do sometimes permanently attach to someone else, either male or female, as something called a "lifemate", but that is more of a personal matter... those who are married might be lifemates, or they might not. The marriage you see, between two female warriors, is an acknowledgement of the unique needs of a matriarchy. I'd rather not discuss it in too much detail."

"Eh? Don't be getting shy now. You've piqued my curiosity. Go on, I command it!" you say, waving her along.

"Ngh..." Johari grits her teeth. "Well. While they don't hold the narrow-minded views on same-sex relations as the likes of Marzena or your bar-wench of a baroness, most amazons still seek out males, both to sate their desires and to... erm... perpetuate their kind. They are, after all, a warrior society living in a harsh land, and they must birth enough children to compensate for frequent losses. But unlike the crude male warrior lords here, as you know, it does not work so well to wait until they're middle aged, wealthy and accomplished. Therefore, young warriors like these," she indicates the women holding hands with one another in pairs, "go out to try and amass enough wealth and prestige quickly, so they can acquire enough male laborers to support them while they start their families."

Johari continues, still looking awkward and flustered. "So, since the amazons have a double burden, being both warriors who are expected to defend their possessions, and the mothers who bear and raise the next generation, they often marry one another as an alliance, or promise to do so... it is a guarantee of mutual support and security in case one of them is crippled in war." she pauses for a second. "Or... more often, in case one of them becomes pregnant, without land or vassals of her own. Sometimes by choice, but mostly through carelessness." she sniffs.

"Ah, I see." you nod. "Well, that's sensible of them, I suppose. I see that they've grasped the nature of the work they'll be doing. Though such a system isn't without some obvious flaws. I mean, what if it happens to both of them at once?"

"Still better than trying to deal with it alone, I suppose. Though, of course, far inferior and less civilized compared to the ways of Undrek, whereby a woman unable to work for some time can simply borrow against her property-"

"HEY!" Marzena says, smirking. "I thought you said it was economic or somesuch? Look at them two!" she is pointing at the tall, blonde, muscular amazon from before who is sweeping a pretty, youthful tan-skinned one up in her arms and kissing her passionately on the lips as Lady Rella says the ritual words. "I think they've got more than just splitting the house-keeping duties in mind!" Even as she speaks the two women are sliding their hands under one another's clothes, not disrobing but making no effort to hide their joy at finally having the excuse to make their love official. Johari tries to explain that she did mention such a possibility and that Marzena just wasn't paying attention, but the necromancer is ignored.

"Hmph." you say with a smirk. "It won't last. My mother taught me well that 'love' never really does. Just something that minstrels and bards came up with to sell to gullible maidens and their beaus."

A new voice breaks into the conversation; curvaceous, pretty, baby-faced Hannah. "Do... do you truly believe that, Lady Zoe? That's... kind of sad."

"I might've believed it too, once upon a time, before I turned 18 and 'met' more than one churchgoing man who'd sworn eternal love and fidelity to his wife only to leap at the chance to drag a Countess's comely, available young daughter into bed. I, for one, shall never believe a man's pretty lies of loyalty." You look over to where the tan amazon is wrapping one of her legs around her new mate's muscular waist the larger woman picking her up off the ground and groping her chest. "...nor a woman. Gods, can you imagine some poor fool trusting the likes of my friend Marzena to keep her legs closed when he, or she, is not around?"

"Shows what you know! I'm going to be marrying a wealthy, handsome prince some day!" Marzena says with a smirk. "And I shall be an ideal wife! I'm just sowing my wild oats and getting it all out of my system ahead of time, aye?"

Curious, you decide to follow along with the amazons as they're led towards the captured inns. In the meantime, you see that Elena, the red-haired priestess in her excessively-tight habit and vestments, is darting rapidly between buildings. Young camp followers - boys not yet trusted to serve as soldiers who serve as messengers and couriers - constantly come in and out of the town buildings to confer with her.

Peeking into one of the buildings to see what Elena is up to, bearing in mind that is still potentially a foe of yours, you see that she is, in fact, performing marriage ceremonies herself. Very, very hasty marriage ceremonies. Each time a loutish militiaman or mercenary breaks open a townhouse door looking for women to harass, Elena seems determined to head off any incidences of **** or robbery. Since, being a mere priestess, she hasn't any real authority to tell the soldiers what to do, she is cajoling them into going ahead and agreeing to wed the nervous craftsmen's daughters and newly-widowed wives of men at arms. Though those Aldergrove women are understandably hesitant, Elena wields scripture masterfully and is very convincing.

One of them catch sight of you watching. In one shop, a raven-haired, bountifully endowed woman left in charge of a cheesemaker's shop while her father and brothers fled to avoid being levied has her wrists in the grip of a shaggy-haired, barrel-chested man in brigandine who is practically slobbering over her. "This... this is madness! You want me to agree to give myself to a strange man who has just invaded my home?"

"Well... you don't have to..." Elena says. "but I fear that your appearance may lead this soldier or others to sinful actions, otherwise. If you were to come later telling us you had been robbed or... defiled, justice might be slow in coming. It is better this way."

"Don't fret about it," you say, seeing that she doesn't recognize you. "Your new ruler graces you with her presence. This county will now be under the same system of laws as Undrek. So, you'll inherit the business by default even if your father or brothers eventually come back, and it will still be yours even after you are, pfft, 'married'. Don't make it out to be as bad as if you were getting dragged off in chains to be the fuck-thrall of some Deanian savage. Just think of it like having an unwanted houseguest who you're also sharing a bed with."

The commoner woman blushes and looks away, not daring to raise her voice in challenge to her social superior. Elena continues. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The commoner nods silently.

Elena turns. "And do you solemnly swear to love, honor and protect this woman as your wife?"

"Oh, I'm going to love her, alright," the mercenary says, cupping his hand over one of the young woman's bosoms and giving it a hard squeeze. "Yes, I think this'll be a lovely little town to settle down in!"

Elena nods. "You may now kiss the groom. Uh, er, oh dear... Mr. Groom?" she says in concern as the raven-haired beauty is dragged down to the floor. "Perhaps it would be better to take this, uh, act of devotion up to the marital bed, instead? You're going to get the poor woman's clothes dirty..."

Chuckling at the scene, you move on and make sure that the amazons are well-secured and parted from their weapons before the troops start getting any ideas. Many of the amazon women look less distraught than before, tightly holding hands and whispering encouragement to one another as they help each other change out of their armor and put on nightdresses.