The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

Just after they woke up, Theon went to Ragnar to discuss new types of armour and weapon patterns for the legions. Luna organised an emergency meeting with her sister Queens. They were sitting in the very special tea room that Theon made especially for them. One of its walls was entirely made of glass and connected the tearoom to the palace greenhouse, granting a magnificent view of the evergreen island in the middle of winter. This room was one of the most beloved places of the Queens in the entire Palace, where they often spent their time in deep discussion or just reading books. The richly decorated pieces of furniture were simply the best- Bjorn and Verni created masterworks of carpentry and engineering; carved flowers and animals were painted with vivid colours. On the corner bookshelf, the three women gathered a very random collection of books and copious copies of reports, most of which were just a placeholder until they found more entertaining works.

Luna was wearing a light dress, more appropriate for the summer heat- not for the middle of the winter, but the same could be said about Amber and Irene’s attire. However, every building in Avalon was always warm, so the winter cold could never reach the people fortunate to live here. They were drinking an excellent fruit tea made by Annika while Amber and Irene were trying to digest what Luna had just told them. The uncomfortable silence spread in the room, but Luna was prepared for this outcome.

"So... It's not our fault?" Amber sighed, relieved.

"No, but maybe a little, Amber. I scanned him and I know basically everything. Theon is attracted to all three of us. However, he is no longer a mortal man."

"He is a dungeon." Irene nodded and ruffled her long, wavy black hair. "He will very soon stop paying attention to us at all at this rate!"

"No... Yes... I mean, it's complicated." Luna fixed herself on the chair. "As you know, he was a human once. He lived his entire life in a place so foreign and strange that for any of us, it would be a wonderland. We might know magic and we think we are powerful, but Theon is rightfully looking at us from his throne and smiling softly because he originates from the world where all of this not only comes from..." She pointed around the room, at the greenhouse, at the heaters hidden near the floor, and at the magical light fixtures. "... but works in his world without a single drop of mana. His people harnessed other powers that dwarf mana and magic itself. They created weapons that were more devastating than the most powerful magic spells we know. They took to the sky with machines of their own creation, powered by energy sources more powerful than anything we can imagine. They created thinking machines, and they left their planet and started colonisation of another one in their solar system. Compared to what we have here...*sigh* Despite all of that, he somehow is intrigued and enchanted by our world."

Amber and Irene were listening in awe, with sparks of curiosity in their big eyes. Luna understood this very well, since she also craved every piece of information about Theon. She made a sad face.

"But he is no longer a man. Or not exactly... Aaagh!!" She cried out, trying to describe Theon's current state. "No matter! Listen... Theon, for better or worse, is a dungeon core and still has the soul of a human. But as you, Irene, accurately noticed, he is not a human anymore, and this is very complicated. I haven't told him the entire truth because I didn’t want him to panic." Luna slowly inhaled and put both of her slightly trembling hands on the table. "He is losing his humanity."

"But what does it mean?" Amber tapped the table, fully focused on the matter. "Try to explain this slowly this time, Luna."

"Right now, Theon has his humanity bar at just twenty-three percent. When I was talking with him yesterday, he told me he just feels that something is wrong with him. How to explain this..." Luna stood up and nervously made a few steps towards the glass doors to the balcony. She sighed and turned around. "Imagine that Theon, at one hundred percent of humanity, is like a regular man, albeit he still is the amazing man we know and love. As he drops towards zero, he changes and slowly becomes more and more.... inhumane. I think he will become more like a dungeon. I'm just not sure what will happen when he hits zero..."

Luna shook her head and her ears nervously twitched, but she wasn't alone- Amber and Irene's long elven ears moved as nervously as hers. They slowly nodded their heads and sighs of relief filled the room when Amber and Irene finally smiled.

"He needs us, right?" Irene slowly asked.

"It’s complicated." Luna started playing with her hair, slowly walking near the balcony doors. "We need him more than he needs us... *sigh* when he loses all of his humanity, he will also lose all his human emotions and desires. He still recognizes us as his wives and thinks of us as beautiful, but he no longer has a man's desire to... You know... Do something about that."

She blushed a little when she finished the sentence, but Amber and Irene looked seriously at each other.

"Putting away our personal desires, my sister, this is a very serious situation. Is it possible that he will do something that he is going to regret if he ends up regaining his humanity?" Amber put together her hands and was calmly observing her sister queen.

"Yes, and this is not a question of if but when." Luna nodded with a sad face, still walking slowly near the door to the greenhouse. "However, we can influence his decisions in any state he currently is in. Theon is very serious about us, and that's why we can change his decisions even when he stops being a man and becomes a dungeon."

"Do we know how or when he loses some of his humanity?" Irene also put together her hands and held them pressed so hard her fingers became pale.

"He loses it anytime he does anything dungeon related- all his expansions, buildings… everything. This lowers his humanity in the most significant way."

"But that means... That means he was almost drained from the beginning!" Amber almost screamed and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, sisters..."

"Yes. He was drained from the very beginning. However, it was you, Amber, who saved him. His humanity is restored every time he interacts on friendly terms with the people of the world. So you were his lifeline, and the decision to become his first Queen was probably a decisive factor that saved his humanity." Luna sighed and returned to her seat near the table. "Interactions with other residents or citizens also restore his humanity- when people complete the quests he gave them or even after simply chatting with him. But we are the key figures to restore his humanity through our affection."

"The unnamed skill! Right? Right, sister?!" Irene smiled brightly, leaning over the table and pointed at Luna.

"Partly." Luna smiled...

•••

While I was in the forge discussing new armour and weapon patterns for my legions, I felt a strange emotional swing; from indifference to mild irritation. After a bit of conversation, I left the workshop, hoping that Ragnar would manage to create the upgrades I wanted. I teleported to the Palace and sat in a chair in my office, sighing. I felt mentally exhausted, as if my actions had no meaning, which was a bit strange. The messenger eagle screamed in the sky outside the window, announcing his arrival with an urgent report. I blinked and received a message from the group that stayed in the Wolf Manor Dungeon- it seems that the snow monsters pose a much bigger threat to anyone than I estimated. According to my fenrirs, winter monsters steal the mana of dungeons, which is yet another reason to keep them away.

Right... That reminded me of the previous demand from Demesne. She is insane if she thinks I will accept her master-servant contract; not after I saw how inept she is. If her denizens are unable to kill five winter beasts, how does she want to be my master? I focused on my fenrirs, forming the direct connections between us. They were initially excited upon contact but worried about what I intended to do. I assured them I want to learn more before I do anything, but the impression Demesne left on them was exactly the same as mine. They were more angry and resentful than anything else, but how could I blame them? I decided to simply ask...

•••

Hrulf was kneeling in the Core chamber listening to his delighted Master, who fantasised about how powerful she would become once this young dungeon became her servant when the door opened. Well, not exactly opened- they were obliterated with a single strike and one of Theon's fenrirs entered the room, ignoring Hrulf completely. He started growling and lashed out at the intruder, but a single strike of a paw pinned him painfully to the ground.

"I would kill you, but you are needed." Fenrir calmly stated. "My Master sent me here to ask you about your proposition."

Demesne looked in panic at the monsters from another dungeon that effortlessly held her denizens out of her core room. She was too arrogant and had not considered the option that young Dungeon could reject her proposal, which ultimately led her to this situation. Her strongest scion was held under the paw of the black-furred fenrir, who was looking straight at her. She had never before been so afraid like this.

"My master wants to know the truth, all of it. You can't deceive us. Lying to us is highly unwise because we will know whether or not you tell us the truth."

•••

I confirmed all the information I had gathered about her long before she even contacted my scouts and Thor. Demesne was not a hidden good dungeon like she tried to present herself, but fortunately for her, she wasn't a murderous one, either. She killed or favoured the people who explored her grounds entirely on her whim, many times killing them without warning. It was depressing, or it would have been if I believed her introduction in the first place- my spies in the major cities gathered even petty rumours, not to mention the priceless information from the adventurers' guild in the Everlight. How exactly she planned to pass as a benevolent entity was beyond me. Hmm... Probably other dungeons could be deceived since most of them don't talk with the people or do that so rarely that they have no extensive experience with dealing with people. If Demesne could be used as an example, dungeons grossly underestimate the mortals. I sighed- once again I called them mortals...

"Theon? Something wrong?" Amber's voice, as always, brought a smile to my face, but not for long this time.

"Everything?" I sighed exhaustedly, wondering what I should do now. "The fenrirs sent to the Wolf Manor Dungeon discovered enough to basically consider her an enemy. Can you believe that she tried to bind me as her servant?"

"Somehow I do, Theon." She smiled, sitting on my lap. "So, what do you plan to do about her?"

"For the life of me... I do not know." I exhaled heavily and wrapped my hands around her.

I felt her warmth and the beating of her heart when she hugged me. As always, her mere presence was enough to soothe my worries and give me new strength to act. Before I could say anything more, she kissed me. Her long and passionate kiss turned something inside my soul, the same way Luna did yesterday. I felt as if I had woken up from a strange slumber; I saw all my actions of the last day or two in an absolutely different light and I started being angry at myself.

"Do you have to decide what you are going to do with her right now?" She asked, tilting her head and giggling.

"I don't think so. She can't do anything about my fenrirs and they will simply wait for my orders."

"Then I propose to give yourself a bit more time to think, my Darling." She stood up, and I slowly nodded. "In the meantime, Luna wanted to tell you that you should sleep today. So go take a bath before you go to bed."

"Thank you, my Queen."

•••

I took a quick shower and went to bed, frustrated that once again something was just outside my reach. With a sigh, I lay down in bed, hoping that the bliss of sleep would give me some ideas on how to deal with this situation. But before I could do or say anything- once again, I was passionately kissed this time by Irene, who had silently approached me. Once again, some weight inside of my soul shifted and disappeared, bringing back a great deal of my clear thinking. When she stopped her kiss, I felt a velvety touch of Luna and her kiss was like an explosion inside of my soul. I blinked a few times and while I somehow regained clarity of thoughts, most of them were focused on a very serious accusation.

You neglected your wives, man.

I saw the green eyes of Amber and her delicate freckles hovering over my face with a very satisfied smirk.

"Welcome back, our Theon."

Her kiss was like the fire consuming my soul- my thoughts were clear for a moment but now were occupied by Amber, Irene and Luna. I kissed her, hugging her slim body hidden under a thin piece of silk, which certainly was not a welcomed addition tonight. My hand slowly moved up, delicately pressing her back while the second one undid her bathrobe belt. She straddled me with a giggle, slowly arching her back and straightening up to look at me with sparkles in her eyes. She slowly took off her bathrobe, and I saw her incredible body when the soft material revealed her to me. She moaned with pleasure when I grabbed her by her waist and slowly moved my hand upward towards her beautiful breast.

A satisfied giggle from Luna and Irene, who were on both my sides, already naked, and I felt a spark ignited my soul. I do not know what was wrong with me, but I am absolutely sure I love the cure.

•••

Now when I think of that, Luna never intended to allow me to sleep tonight.