The Pilgrimage Ch. 04

Vanessa giggled nervously. "Um... I think maybe D's? C cups may look a little too small on this frame."

"Okay D's it is my child. I'm gonna make 'em extra sensitive though with three inch light tan areolae and half inch long big, puffy, pink nipples. Now let's increase that eighteen inch waist of yours to twenty three inches and give you some nicely rounded thirty four inch hips. Uh huh, now that's what I'm talking about! How about a nice firm ass that looks like two halves of a melon? Yup, I'd have to say that's one hot, fuckable body you've got now Vanessa. Okay on to your hair. I'm not gonna change the color. But I'm gonna make it thicker and longer. Just above that sexy little ass should be about right. Oh yeah, that looks perfect. Now let's give you some short curly streamers down alongside your cheeks and some cute bangs to go with them. Very nice, that definitely suits you. I know you girls don't like to shave so let's solve that by permanently removing any body hair from the neck down. We'll finish up by giving you longer thicker eyelashes that curl at the ends and some nice full pouty lips." The goddess Banba created a full length mirror. "What do ya think My Child?"

Vanessa stood there looking in the mirror, her eyes wide and mouth agape for several long seconds. Finally she giggled and said, "I didn't think it was possible. You've made me look as hot as my sister, but in a different way! I don't even look like the same girl that walked in that door! I look and feel like a whole new woman! Thank you, My Goddess!"

"You're welcome My Child. I've made a few other changes to your body that you can't see. You've been given eternal youth and beauty. You're also immune to all sicknesses and diseases, and you've become immortal just like your sister. It's a shame to cover such a beautiful body, but I suppose we have to." The goddess Banba created a dress on Vanessa's body exactly like the one Vanessa was wearing earlier but tailored to Vanessa's new size then said, "I know you haven't realized yet, but you've become a true daughter of Erie, My Child. I'm very proud of you, Princess Vanessa!"

Brigid came strolling in from the kitchen. She smiled at Morrigan giving her a wink and a wave of her hand before turning her attention to Vanessa. "WOW! It looks like Banba had a bit of fun with you today Vanessa! You look FANTASTIC! As Crown Princess, you're gonna be Morrigan's second in command. So I'm gonna do something a bit different for you." A pair of solid steel bracers appeared on Vanessa's wrists. "These bracers are enchanted to increase your strength, stamina, speed, and endurance." Next, a fifty two inch great sword in a scabbard appeared hanging from a chain belt around Vanessa's waist. "This sword is Caladcholg. It once belonged to Fergus Mac Róich, one of Erie's greatest kings. With those bracers you're wearing, you can swing that sword for days without tiring, and you're strong enough now to slice someone in two with a single swipe of your sword.

There's one more thing I need to do." Brigid touched Vanessa's ring. "There we go. Your ring is now exactly the same as the ones Morrigan, Aileen, Kelli, and Ashling are wearing. Your spirits are all intertwined, so there can never be any jealousy or discord between any of you. Understand that the gifts you're being given can only be used against Morrigan's enemies. Don't take that the wrong way. I know you and Morrigan shared an instant bond and I'm ecstatic for the both of you. But you're a very powerful woman now, and the battlefield is an extremely chaotic place. This is simply a precaution to prevent you from accidentally killing or injuring a friend or ally."

Danu popped in. She bent over giving a surprised Morrigan a kiss on the cheek. "Good afternoon My Child." She stood in front of Vanessa with her hands on her hips as she looked Vanessa over from head to toe. "Let's see here. Fantastic body. Perfect weapon, magnificent bracers, and her breastplate should be here in a few minutes." She turned to the other two goddesses. "Between you two and your father, you didn't leave me much did you?"

Brigid giggled. "Sorry Mom."

Danu smiled. "Not to worry, your old mother still has a few tricks left up her sleeve." She turned back to Vanessa. "Well, you're not a virgin, so I can't give you ALL of Morrigan's magic and knowledge, but I CAN give you a good part of it. So let's start with that. Next I'm gonna give you Goswhit, the golden jeweled helmet of Arthur Pendragon. It'll give you all the knowledge you'll ever need on strategy and tactics, and it'll keep your mind clear and focused during battle." A golden half helm with a dragon crest and a variety of gems appeared on Vanessa's head. "I'm also gonna give you Carnelian, Arthur's enchanted dagger. It'll never miss its intended target, even if you throw it. I think I'll finish up by giving you Gosdain. They're the enchanted greaves of Roland, one of the greatest paladins in human history. They'll allow you to leap great distances, make you fleet of foot in battle, and help you to always follow the path of the light. I too am extremely proud of you, Crown Princess Vanessa!"

As soon as Danu finished speaking, Dagda popped in. A golden breastplate appeared on Vanessa's body as he said, "Hello Daughter of Erie. I'm glad we can finally help you. My gift to you is the Golden Breastplate of the Seer. It makes you invulnerable to almost everything. Morrigan can explain more about that later. It also gives you the gift of prophecy, allowing you to see and understand what Morrigan's enemies are up to in plenty of time to disrupt their plans. I've added some additional enchants to give you complete knowledge of the frost, fire, and lightning schools of magic.

As with Morrigan, the other gods and goddesses with favored aboard the Arc will be giving you gifts as well. Unlike the gifts we've given you, there's no need for you to be in their presence to receive them. But trust me, you'll know when it happens. I realize you have a lot of questions. You've shown remarkable restraint by not asking any of them yet. I want to thank you for that. It's made things go a whole lot faster and smoother. I'd like to suggest you continue following that path. At least for today. Bask in the love of your new found family. Celebrate your crowning and let them show you how proud they are of you. There'll be plenty of time for you to ask questions later.

Oh, I almost forgot. Your gear is controlled by you're will. If you don't want it on, it simply disappears, and when you want it on it reappears. If it should ever appear on its own, stand ready, because danger's close by. That's all I have for now. I suggest you and Morrigan return to your party and enjoy the rest of the day."

As they were walking back to the rec room Vanessa said, "Ya know Sis, all this shit's happened so fast, it's got me a little dizzy. This morning I was a nobody. I was hiding in my quarters and trying to stay invisible so I wouldn't get thrown off this ...Arc? Yeah, I finally understand what THAT'S all about. Anyway, now I'm this princess with all these powers, and it's like, what the fuck? I don't know whether I'm coming or going anymore...and these powers? They scare the shit out of me. I know we're supposed to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. But how in hell am I supposed to do that when I don't have any clue as to what I'm supposed to do. I mean...what do I say? What do I do? How am I supposed to act? Doesn't being queen scare the shit out of you?"

Morrigan stopped walking. She turned to face Vanessa and took both of Vanessa's hands in hers. "I don't have a lot of answers for you Sis. The truth is I don't know what I'm doing any more than you do. Being responsible for all these people doesn't just scare me, it terrifies me. I get through it by knowing the Goddess isn't gonna let me screw up. At least not so badly that it can't be fixed. The best advice I can give you, is to just be yourself. Trust our Goddess. Let her guide you when you need it. Believe me, she won't ever let you down. As far as your powers go, don't let them bother you. At least yours have a built in safety measure. You couldn't abuse them even if you wanted to. Think of the princess thing as a title, not a job description. I promise, I'll stick close to you and help you every step of the way. Okay?"

"As long as you're promising to help me, I think I can handle it. But are you saying you have all these powers with NO checks and balances?"

"I think it'd be easier for you to understand if I just showed you what I'm talking about. Do you trust me enough to let me link minds with you?"

"I don't know what you mean by linking minds, but I trust you completely."

"I trust you just as much, otherwise I wouldn't even consider doing this. For a short time our minds will become one. You'll see and understand everything. You're gonna hear my voice inside your head as I lock the link down. I realize it'll be your first experience with telepathy, so don't freak out on me." Morrigan reached out to Vanessa's mind. "Okay Sis, just relax and let me in."

"Wow! This is really freaky! I like it though. Too bad we couldn't do it all the time. It feels so...intimate...so private."

"We can talk telepathically whenever you want Sis. We don't need to link minds for that. You've been given full telepathic skills. You just need a little practice using them. All right, the mind link is locked. Just picture yourself taking a walk through my mind. Look around all you want, then let me know when you're done."

As Vanessa looked around in Morrigan's mind, Morrigan heard, "Holy shit! Jesus fucking Christ! Oh my fucking god!" Along with a whole string of other curses. Finally Morrigan heard, "Okay Sis, I think I've seen enough. I get the picture. Christ, I'm glad I'm not you."

Morrigan released the mind link and said, "You can't talk about this with anyone but me, and our Goddess, Sis. That includes Mom, she'd flip if she knew."

"Yeah she would, and I wouldn't blame her one damn bit. Christ Sis, how in the hell do you handle all of that?"

"It's not easy Vanessa. But I trust our Goddess to keep me on the right path, and I have a lot of help. Aileen, Kelli, and Ashling all have a pretty good idea of what I can do. But even they don't know all of it. Megan knows some of it too. When I first met her, she was in the hospital dying from injuries she received during a gang rape. The only way I could help her was to link minds like we just did. But that was before I got most of my powers. One of the reasons I asked Megan to be my personal assistant is because she knows who, and what I was before I got all these powers and became... whatever the fuck I am now. That and she's not afraid to speak up if I do something my old self would never do. On top of all that help, now I've got a big sister that I absolutely adore. I'm sure she'll be there to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow."

Vanessa giggled. "I'll do my best, but that may be a bit difficult until I find my way back to that path myself."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Princess Vanessa. You're already there, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten all those gifts today. Come on, let's get back to your party. I don't know about you, but I want another bowl of chunky monkey ice cream."

"I'd love that too, but I just got this great new body. I don't wanna get it fat before I get time to enjoy it," Vanessa laughed.

Morrigan smiled as they walked on. "I guess you missed a few things while you were running around inside my head, Sis. You could eat fifty gallons of chunky monkey and not gain an ounce. Your body will stay exactly the way it is right now for eternity unless you ask the goddess to change it for you."

Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks. "HOLY SHIT! It's for real isn't it? They actually meant eternal as in forever, didn't they?"

"Yup. Now are you coming, or are you just gonna stand there catching flies with your mouth?" Morrigan laughed.

Vanessa was so deep in thought, she nearly ran Morrigan over when they reached the doorway to the rec room. Morrigan held a hand out to steady Vanessa as she asked, "Are you okay Sis?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I...um...I just don't know what to make of all this right now. It's a lot for me to take in all at once. The concept of looking exactly the same forever is... um... I don't know...I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. It's...um...mind boggling, ya know?"

As they took their seats at the table Morrigan replied, "Yeah I know, and if you keep thinking about it, it'll drive you batty. Which is exactly why I try NOT to think about it. I take things one day at a time and focus on solving the immediate problems. That kinda makes things a little easier for me because there are sooo many things I need to get done. I have a project in mind for you that I think you'll enjoy doing. It'll divert your attention for a while and give you some time to adjust to things. What do ya say? Think you might be interested in helping your little sister solve one of those pressing problems she's got?"

Vanessa laughed. "Okay Sis, you win. No more dwelling on all this crap. You've got my attention. Tell me about this 'project' of yours."

Morrigan made the list of 'loose ends' that the Goddess Banba had given her appear. She handed it to Vanessa saying, "As you can see there are a hundred and sixteen names on that list. Every one of them is in the same boat you were in. They're related to someone aboard the Arc who has a patron god or goddess. Most of them are half siblings. Some of them know they have a brother or sister, some don't. None of them know whether or not their siblings are on board. In most cases only one family member knows about the other. Your job is to talk to the loose ends and their family members, and if at all possible, unite them."

"Are you sure you want me for this job Morrigan? I don't have a clue what I'd say to these people, let alone how to get them to form some kind of a family unit."

"I think you're perfect for it Vanessa. You've been there. You understand exactly how they're feeling right now. Don't try to overthink it. If you just let your heart do the talking, you'll do great."

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Vanessa replied. "But I'll give it a try. Is it okay to talk to their patron god or goddess first to get some background on the people involved?"

"Actually, I think that's great idea," Morrigan said. "The list is already broken up by the various god's and goddesses so it would be really easy to do. You shouldn't have any problem summoning them one at a time, but if you do, just ask our goddess for some help. As a matter of fact, if I remember right, the Goddess Banba has four names on that list. You might wanna start with them just to get your feet wet."

"That's probably the best place to start. Then I'll move on to Brigid, and Danu. They both have some names on this list too," Vanessa replied.

"Hey you two, I thought you were told no working today." Erin asked.

"Oops," Morrigan giggled. "Sorry Mom. We're not exactly working, we're just talking about...you know...stuff. I was trying to give Vanessa something to keep her mind occupied so that she doesn't go stir crazy on us."

"Yeah well, no more of that kind of 'stuff' today! I mean it young lady! You may be my queen, but I'm still your mother. Heaven only knows when you two will get your next day off. So please, enjoy it while you can."

"Yes Mom," they chorused then giggled.

Erin smiled. "That's better, thank you both. Morrigan sweetie, why don't you have Vanessa move in to your quarters with you? I really don't like the fact that she's down on deck two all by herself."

"That's a great idea Mom! How about it Vanessa, wanna babysit your baby sister?"

Vanessa laughed. "I wouldn't exactly call it babysitting, Sis. But what the hell, why not? Sounds like it could be a lot of fun."

"Great! I've got a king size bed, so you can either share it with me, or we can get our goddess to add another room onto our suite."

"Either way works for me, but I think I like the idea of sharing better." Vanessa leaned over with her hand beside her mouth as she winked at Morrigan and said in a loud whisper, "That way we can talk about 'ya know stuff' without getting in trouble."

Morrigan hid her smirk as Erin snapped out, "VANESSA!"

Vanessa spun in her chair giggling and said, "Only kidding Mom, honest."

"You had better be kidding, young lady," Erin replied with a playful frown. She looked around the room then said, "Ya know what? This party's getting kinda boring. I have an idea I think you two will love." Erin nodded at the Goddess Banba. Suddenly, the room changed to an ocean side beach complete with sand, sun, and surf.

Both girls giggled when their dresses were replaced with two of the skimpiest bikinis they had ever seen. "OH WOW, COOL! THANKS MOM!" they exclaimed in unison then giggled.

"I thought you'd both like that. Here's some music to help get you in the right mood," Erin laughed as Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' began blaring from the overhead speakers. Erin smiled as both girls ran to the water holding hands and giggling.

The two teenagers swam, splashed and frolicked in the water for about an hour. Morrigan looked up on the beach and saw Erin, Sally, and Gael lying on lounge chairs facing away from her. She connected with Vanessa's mind. "Look at them laying there like bumps on a log. I think we should get them to have a little fun too. Can you run fast?"

"Yeah, but why am I gonna need to run?" Vanessa asked.

Morrigan made two buckets appear handing one to Vanessa. "Fill it with water. You go up one side I'll go up the other. Throw it on them then run like hell." Vanessa heard Morrigan's giggle in her head.

"Okay, but I don't know if I can run THAT fast." Vanessa giggled back.

Both girls snuck up a side of the lounge chairs, threw their buckets of water then ran like a couple of scared kittens back into the water while laughing their asses off.

The three women sat up and laughed. Erin said, "We'll find a way to get even with you two for that one."

"Gotta catch us first," Morrigan laughed.

Erin, Gael, and Sally stood spreading out in a wide line. "Oh, you think we can't catch you huh?" Erin asked.

"Oh shit! We're in trouble now. Fill your bucket quick," Morrigan said to Vanessa as she laughed again.

It took a while, but finally both teens lost their buckets. After Erin, Gael, and Sally each took a turn dumping a couple of buckets of water over both Morrigan and Vanessa's heads, the three older women laughed, tossed the buckets in the water and walked back to their lounge chairs.

Morrigan and Vanessa followed the three women. Erin handed them each a beach towel and the two teens plopped down in lounge chairs next to her. Morrigan grinned at Erin and said, "Thanks Mom. I really needed that. It was a lot of fun. How'd you come up with the idea of a beach anyway? I never would've thought of that."

"You're welcome sweetie. I'm glad you both had some fun today. Heaven only knows when you'll get another chance. Your Aunt Sally and I were talking earlier about how we usually go to the beach this time of year, and I thought, what the hell, why not?"

Vanessa spoke up. "It really was a nice surprise and a great stress reliever too! I had a blast. Thanks Mom, you think of everything don't you?"

"You're welcome Vanessa. No one can think of everything sweetie. But I like to think I'm a good mom. Morrigan and I have always been close. She's like an open book to me. I know she's been really stressed lately, and even though she doesn't think so, I have a pretty good idea why. When she's ready, she'll talk to me about it. Right now, I'm just glad she has you and Megan to talk to. In the meantime, all I can do is be a mom and give you both a gentle kick in the butt to have some fun when you can." Erin closed her eyes for a minute or so. When she opened them again, Megan and Kelly got up and left the room unnoticed by either Morrigan, or Vanessa. Erin looked over at the Goddess Banba and nodded. Suddenly the room changed into a dance club complete with strobe lights and a DJ and once again Morrigan and Vanessa found themselves wearing the same slinky, sexy dresses that they'd both been wearing earlier.