The Unwanted Tamer

Gaia awoke to an unfamiliar voice asking her to wake up. She jolted upright when she heard it, her panic rising, before realizing she was in Central City at the Carrelion's manor. It was apparently a few hours after dawn and Marilyn, the maid assigned to her during her stay, was there to help her get ready for the day. Marilyn was an extremely kind and helpful person but wasn't sure what to do to help Gaia. She had a bowl prepared to wash her face, but wasn't sure if she should try and help the girl.

Gaia was an interesting girl, and was always surrounded by her bonds, which made her stand out, but her appearance made her even more eye catching. She was short at exactly four feet tall, her face was slightly androgynous with her features being slightly more angular and seemed to be made from stone. Her body was split down the middle with her left side being some kind of tanned stone, and her right appearing to be slightly sunken and made from obsidian. She had a vine wrapped around each arm, the right one being black with thorns and flowers that were white and red while the left was a pale pinkish color. Then there was her hair it was red and green like gemstones with the right half being a pure but pearlescent white.

She'd woken Gaia up and the girl essentially had her clothes on immediately, thanks to one of her bound items, the Living Silk Armor. This was something that would create whatever outfit she wanted, from spider silk, by her thinking about it and pushing a little mana into it. After that, she washed her face, after Marilyn had told her about the bowl before putting on her blindfold and asking Marilyn to comb or brush her hair if she didn't mind. The maid obliged her and brushed her hair. Her hair felt like thin strands of rubies, emeralds, and moonstone.

With the morning preparation done, Gaia woke up her bonds who'd slept through the wake-up call. These were mainly Malachite and Antonio. Malachite had been in his small house size for the entire trip to the capital and hadn't been able to cuddle up, so he hadn't been able to sleep very well. He claimed being small beside Gaia made him feel safe so he could sleep well, she didn't necessarily believe it. She couldn't deal any direct damage to anyone or anything so she didn't know how she could make him feel safe. She wouldn't begrudge him for that thought, he was nice to cuddle with when he was small, and it felt weird without him there. He'd been her first bond and true companion in this new world, she couldn't imagine not having him, or any of her bonds, with her.

Antonio was easy to wake up, he just needed some physical stimuli. This was usually just a poke or a gentle touch as he didn't need much, but sound didn't work nearly as well for him. She had discovered one sound that could wake him up though. It was the sound of a gunshot, which they'd found out when Stephanie had tested her rifle in her portable forge, without her silence magic activated. It had caused everyone to jump up and prepare for a fight. It was funny when she thought about it now, but at the time she'd been terrified and worried.

Now that Gaia was awake and prepared, along with her bonds, she went for a morning walk around the front garden of the mansion. She didn't have nearly as much to worry about as most of the others did when getting ready for the day. It was still summertime so it was warm even overnight making it so she didn't have to worry about the cold. She enjoyed a walk around the garden with her bonds guiding her. She couldn't enjoy the view of them but loved the scents from the many different plants. She eventually found an area with a bench where she sat for a while, just enjoying the aromas and environment. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there when Fergus found her. They'd apparently had similar ideas to have a short walk and just enjoy the sunrise.

Gaia enjoyed the feeling of the sun's rays touching her skin. She was basking in the few rays that had started peaking over the horizon, when he found her. When he did, he just stopped and stared, obviously enjoying the sight. She sensed him in her aura, so she knew he was there.

"Do you like what you see?" She asked a bit cockily.

It took him a little bit before he responded. "Yes. Very much so."

"Well, come join me then." She stated as a blush rose to her cheeks.

He did so a couple of moments later and they just sat there for a while, Gaia leaning against him. They stayed like that until the sun had completely risen over the horizon. They eventually had to get up and go back inside as it was soon time for breakfast. The Baron had everyone meet for breakfast as he planned to go over the days schedule. The meal was very good, and no one really spoke until everyone finished eating. Then the Baron started talking.

"I hope everyone had a good night and slept well. Today we need to go to a few places to get measured and pick out our attire for the ball. First, we need to stop by and get your bonds their items, after that I think we should go to the attire stores. We'll all go together so we can make sure everything will look good and match. One is William's Wondrous Wears and the other Flare's Fabulous Fashion. William's will be for the suits and Flare's for the dresses. After that we'll probably have to go to a few jewelry and accessory stores to find everything else. All of this will probably take most of the day, so be prepared for it."

"Do we really have to go try dresses and accessories for so long?" Gaia mumbled, resigned to her fate.

"Yep. We'll make sure you're looking amazing." Titania stated with a knowing smirk. "The hard part will be making sure Fergus will look good enough to be beside you."

Gaia blushed at the statement as Fergus spluttered. "Hey, that's unfair. I clean up pretty nicely. To be honest, I can't wait to see what she'll look like in a ball gown." He started before continuing a moment later. "Actually, now that I think about it, you might be right."

"You'll both look great. I guarantee it!" The Baroness stated.

With this, the room devolved into people either worrying about what was to come or those complimenting them to relieve their worries. It ended up quite loud and entertaining to Gaia as she listened, savoring every minute they weren't heading to a dress store, but it ended much too quickly for her liking. They were on the street not much later heading to get her bonds their ordered items.

This was the one part of the day Gaia was looking forward to. She wanted to hear her bonds excitement at their new items. They arrived at Brent and Tanya's Blacksmithing and tailoring around fifteen minutes after leaving the mansion. The entire group could move quite fast when they wanted to, and they needed to rush slightly to keep up with Gaia who had taken her throne on Malachite's shell. They entered the store and Brent looked up from his current project and smiled before speaking.

"Ah, Gaia! Good to see ya, are you here to pick up the items you ordered?" Brent asked.

"Yep. Thank you again for making them in a rush." She replied.

"No problem. I really enjoyed making them." He stated before leaning closer and whispering. "So did Tanya, but she won't show it."

"Thanks. How much do I owe you for all of them?" She asked.

"Let's see, for a mask, trench coat, what was essentially a bracelet and belt, and a sweater for a wolf. With the material and odd sizes alongside the rush job." He went quiet for a moment as he did some mental math. "It should be about ninety stone cores in all. We added the size change thing you requested to the mask and belt so that's where most of the cost comes from. We had to get a friend to enchant it for us."

"Alrighty. Thank you for going through the trouble, for me. Here you go. Keep the rest as a thank you for the quality work." Gaia replied as she pulled out a bronze core.

Brent smiled and moved her hand to where the items were. The only one she could really sense was Malachite's since his was the only one that was enchanted. She grabbed them and thanked the pair of crafters once again before going outside. She started with Malachite's first. She had him grow so his head was in front of her and she tied his mask around his face. Then had the grueling task of trying to put on the belt for him, which ended up taking her entire party's assistance to get it around him and latching it.

When she felt the buckle, she almost laughed as it had a large M on it. She was also laughing as Malachite was strutting around, as best as a turtle could, and was extremely happy with his items. Next, she did Liv, as she was still on top of her head which was her usual perch. Hers was quite easy to do since it was a bracelet that latched together in a single spot. It ended up in between her abdomen and thorax. She was quite content with it, as it was something that didn't impact her movement. Next was Antonio who got himself a little trench coat. His was a bit harder to put on as she had to pick him up and have Fergus help get his legs through the multiple sleeves.

He wasn't too thrilled about the effort to put it on but seemed to be happy that it was something similar to his "queen's carapace" as he called it. It took her a moment to realize that he was just happy that he had clothes like her now. That realization made her smile even more. Last up was Shadow who had patiently been waiting for Gaia to finish dressing her siblings. She couldn't wait anymore and pounced on Gaia while talking through their bond.

"My turn, my turn. I want my sweater too!" Shadow cried.

Gaia laughed and had Shadow sit before having Stephanie help her put the sweater on the wolf. It was quite an ordeal as the wolf refused to stay still but they eventually got it on her. The wolf was walking around happily with her tail wagging almost hard enough, her entire body wiggled. Gaia also heard the rest of her groups chuckles at the bonds' antics, she'd even heard one of them mutter "We can definitely tell whose they are."

With her bonds' items equipped she took the bandannas she'd been loaned and gave them back to Brent before they turned to head deeper into the city. Gaia, as usual when she was in a city, rode on Malachite's shell with him being just big enough for her throne to form. It made it easy, so she didn't trip or end up falling due to the unknown terrain and other people. The downside of this method of transport, it made her stand out, or would it be sit out, a lot.

Gaia was worried something would happen as she had read too many stories during her time on earth to believe that all nobles were like the Baron. Thankfully, they reached their first destination without any incidents. Their first stop was William's Wondrous Wears, so she was safe for now. As they entered the shop, a man's voice called out from somewhere deeper in the building.

"Welcome! I apologize for the delay, but I will be out in just a moment."

The group waited in the main room for the man to come out. A few of the group moved around the room and seemed to be looking at the merchandise. Gaia just sat there unsure of what to do. The man luckily entered the room after a few minutes.

"Ah, Baron Carrelion! It's wonderful to see you again and you come with a group! To what do I owe the pleasure?" The man asked.

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"It's good to see you too William. We're actually here to get some suits made for the upcoming Royal ball. My companions are the hunters that explored and helped clear the ruins. You're the best at making suits, so I immediately thought of you, especially since we arrived earlier than we planned." The Baron replied.

"I understand. Does everyone need some attire? Ah, you plan on going to Flare's place next, correct?" William asked.

"Yes, that's the plan."

"Very well. I will go ahead and bring out the designs. When you have all decided, I will take measurements and coordinate with Flare for color schemes. All I absolutely must know is if any people will be matching, whether colors or style.." William stated.

"Great. For matching, my wife and I will be matching of course. I believe Mr. and Mrs. Irons would wish to match styles as well. For the others I believe Fergus would like to match styles with Gaia." The Baron stated.

"Is that everything for matching?" William asked.

"We would like our party to have matching colors, but outside of that I don't think so." Griff replied.

With this, William just nodded and began taking the Baron's measurements while everyone else looked through the designs. They spent a few hours in the store as William took all the men's measurements and they discussed the colors and other minutiae of the designs. This was when Fauna had decided on their choice of colors, purple with pink and blue. They were going with this as they worked well with each other and were part of the Baron's colors.

Now that the men's suits were decided on, it was time for what Gaia had been dreading, dress shopping. The last time she'd been, had been with Jess which had ended up being six hours of what Gaia could only describe as torture. She was hoping since other women were there it wouldn't be as bad, but she was very wrong.

As soon as they entered they heard a deep female voice. "Welcome to Flare's Fabulous Fashion!"

"Hello, Flare. How have you been?" The Baroness asked.

"Baroness Carrelion! It's wonderful to see you again. I'm going to guess you are all here for dresses?" Flare asked the group.

"Yes, we are. We just came from William's so he will likely come to collaborate on the styles and colors of a few." The Baroness replied.

"Very well. It's been a while since we've collaborated on anything. I'm looking forward to it. Now, are you looking for a dress for the ball or something different?"

"A dress for the ball for all of us. We're going to be attending the Royal ball in about three weeks. The group with us are actually the reason the ball is happening." The Baroness explained.

"Wonderful! Shall I bring out some designs and start measurements?"

"Please begin. Were in your capable hands." The Baroness replied.

Flare immediately moved away at this statement and brought back what Gaia realized were books of designs. She didn't do anything since it didn't matter to her and just waited for her time to be measured. This bliss was short lived when Titania asked if they could try a few dresses that had styles similar to those displayed in the books. Flare happily agreed and brought a few for them to try on. This was how, after everyone had decided on their designs, Gaia became a life-sized dress up doll for the group of women.

She hated every second of it, but the women loved it. They also said it helped them see what styles and designs would look best on her. She couldn't argue with the logic, as they were the experts, and she didn't want to make the Baron and Baroness look bad due to some unknown fashion faux pas. She spent her time like this for around four hours before they decided on a design. She couldn't argue as the last dress she'd tried on had been the most comfortable one she'd tried.

With their attire decided, the group bid Flare farewell and headed towards the jewelry and accessory shops. Gaia didn't understand why all of this was so important, but once again she'd read enough medieval romance stories to know they mattered. She spent most of the time in these shops following Titania around as she had the items presented on Gaia. Once again, she'd become a doll, only this time for the jewelry and other accessories, most of which she didn't know the names of.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long for everyone to find the items they wanted, and Gaia couldn't really complain about the experience. The Baron and Baroness were footing the bill for all of the attire and other items, so she viewed it as her way of paying them back, as they refused to allow anyone to pay for any of it anyway. Soon they were once again on the streets looking at the different shops for any other things they wanted.

Gaia couldn't sense any of the items in the shops, and most would frown at someone touching everything, so she mostly stayed outside on Malachite's shell while everyone went inside to check other shops. Fergus or someone else would usually stay outside with her out of courtesy, but she'd told them all to go look around and she'd be fine. This was when something she'd been worried about happening happened. Some noble person walked straight up to her before speaking, which she could only tell by their voice.

"Father, look! I want that big turtle!" A young lady yelled.

"That is a most interesting creature, indeed. Let me buy it for you." A man, she guessed the girl's father, stated.

"My daughter would like your turtle. He would make a fine pet for her. I'll give you a bronze rank core for it." He stated a moment later, as he went to move her off of Malachite.

"He's not a pet and he's not for sale." Gaia replied as she moved his hand away, before completely ignoring the man.

The man just stood there for a bit without speaking, so she spoke once more after about a minute. From her senses, he was low level stone rank, so she didn't think about what she said next. "Did you need something else? If not, I'd appreciate you moving along."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say to an entitled noble as she found out a moment later when he started yelling. "Do you not know who I am? I'm Count Walmer, and I was only asking and paying out of courtesy. Captain, please arrest this wench for disrespecting a noble!"

Hearing this, Gaia just sighed. She had to be right about nobles being entitled and had honestly expected this to happen at some point but had been hoping she'd be wrong. As this passed through her head, she sensed someone else approaching her.

"You might not want to do that, especially not with a hand on what I can only assume is a weapon. Also, do you not realize you're making a spectacle of yourself? You're trying to arrest a blind girl for refusing to sell, what is essentially her family to you. Not only that, but also a member of the Hunter's League who is only here due to being invited for a Royal ball." Gaia tried to reason and explain.

Thankfully, this was also when Titania came out of the shop, having heard the commotion. "Gaia, what's going on here?" She asked before noticing the Count. "Ah, Count Walmer, it is horrible to see you again, but may I ask what the issue is that you have with my sister-in-law here?"

The Count spluttered for a moment, not having thought that Gaia was a friend of a noble, let alone the Baron's supposed daughter-in-law. He quickly recollected himself before replying. "Well, I asked her to sell me the turtle she is on, as my daughter wanted it. She refused, then told me to move along while completely ignoring me, a noble. Thus, I ordered her arrest for disrespecting a noble."

"I see. So, let me get this straight. You attempted to arrest my sister here, who can't see, on the fact that she refused to sell her companion to you, and also didn't recognize you?" Titania asked.

Hearing this explained to him, the Count ended up turning around and walking away in a huff. Thankfully, that was also the end of the issue, so Gaia returned to comforting Malachite. He was horrified someone had just attempted to buy him, or rather just take him, but Gaia was able to soothe him. She decided to have at least one person from their group with them whenever they stayed outside from then on. Honestly, she realized she should have just had someone stay instead of saying she'd be fine, as it had led to this situation.

The rest of the day passed without any other incidents. Her friends all checked on her after hearing about what happened to make sure she was really alright. They all just noticed she was tired after everything that'd happened during the day. While her companions looked through shops, she enjoyed the aromas of the bakeries and the sounds of people and children going about their days. It was calming now that her worry about something happening was gone, since it already had, so she could finally allow herself to relax a bit. When she did all of the tension, she'd been holding slid off her, she almost slumped down and fell asleep. She'd been so wound up expecting something to happen, that she didn't realize how tired she was from it all.

They'd stopped to get snacks a few times throughout the day, but Gaia soon realized that the best one was saved for last. It was the final stall or shop they stopped at to get some food before beginning the walk back to the Baron's mansion. It had a wonderful earthy aroma with cheese coming from it so she was surprised when she'd been handed a bowl of food. When she smelled it, she nearly started drooling. She'd only had this meal in one place before, a place on Earth when she'd gone on a trip with her dad to Canada. It was some form of Poutine, it was definitely different, as the cheeses and most other ingredients all tasted different than Earths versions, but it was still utterly delectable.

They eventually arrived at the mansion, just as the sky started to darken. They quickly went in and sat to relax or went off to pursue their hobbies. The time passed rather quickly and they had a small dinner where the Baron explained that everyone was free to do what they liked for the next two weeks. He only had two caveats, the first was to always travel in at least pairs so a situation like the one with Count Walmer didn't occur again. The second was to not get arrested, because they were going to go to a Royal ball and that would not look good at all.

They all agreed, and so they all went to their rooms to get some sleep. Gaia's mind couldn't forget that Titania called her, sister-in-law. She didn't expect anything from it and guessed it was Titania teasing her, but she couldn't forget it. She decided that would be a question to ask Titania, so she got up and went to ask the woman. Titania just laughed at the question and as Gaia's blush got deeper the more she tried to ask the question.

"While I don't think it'll happen anytime soon. It's my way of showing support for you two. Also, mom and dad love you, so you're essentially part of the family already." She explained through her laughter.

After that statement, Gaia returned to her room, once again with more to think about. She laid in her bed for a while as her mind went through all of the thoughts one by one. Thankfully, she ended up falling asleep only a couple hours later than she'd planned. The next morning was similar to the day before. She went out for a walk in the garden, only this time Fergus joined her from the beginning. They didn't talk but instead just enjoyed each other's company with their small menagerie of bonds around them.

The next two weeks were spent doing whatever they wanted to do. Fauna stayed close to each other for the most part, but they all went out to get their own things. Stephanie went out with Griff to find any smiths or crafters willing to let her watch and buy any items they wanted. Griff also dragged Stephanie to the library since it was magnitudes larger than the one in Boundary. Fergus went with Gaia when she went out to find new seeds she could bring back to plant in her garden. This was the same day the Baron gave her a small plot in the garden for her to use as she wished. Fergus went out with his sister and family a few times for family activities. Gaia was invited and went once but otherwise let them go by themselves.

Each party also took some requests from the Hunter's League while in the city. Most were just small quick jobs that they could do in the city, and that many probably didn't want to do. One had been to find a noble's missing pet, while another was to clear some low-level monsters out of the sewers or back alleys.

The final week before the ball soon arrived, and it was time to go try on the suits and dresses they'd made. They once again went to see William first then Flare. This didn't take nearly as long as the first time she'd been there, so they were done in about two hours. They would be going back tomorrow as they adjusted what needed to be changed.

The last week also passed by in what seemed like the blink of an eye as it was finally the day of the Royal ball. They'd picked up their attire the day before and now everyone was having to get up early to begin their preparations for the ball. Gaia even had to go through all of the preparations everyone else did, which she hated. She was given a bath, then a massage which she loved, and then helped her dress. The dress she had was actually quite comfortable, so she didn't mind having to wear it. It was a design that wrapped around the neck while leaving the shoulders free, that transitioned into more of a ball gown from the waist down. It wasn't as fluffed up as most ball gowns were but still had that image while being sleeker. She also had long gloves that reached from her fingers to halfway up her biceps. Next up to be done was her hair and makeup. Both of these she left up to the maids who were assisting her. Her hair ended up being combed and pulled to go over her right shoulder, while for her makeup she didn't really care and couldn't see it anyway.

The last things she needed to wear were the jewelry and accessories, which included shoes. She had a bracelet on each wrist, a pair of earrings which had caused her to have her ears pierced, and a hair pin. She didn't know what they looked like but based on her maids excited whispers they likely looked pretty good. The final hurdle was the shoes. They'd originally wanted her to wear high heels, but she straight up refused as she would already have a hard enough time walking without them. They'd tried to convince her to wear flats, but they eventually gave up when she refused to wear anything. It looked like she would be going barefoot. Thankfully, her dress was long enough to hide this though.

With her preparations done, she was led out into the hallway and towards the main hall, where everyone was to gather when prepared. All that was left was to go to the palace for the ball.