Forced

Eris visibly calms herself, taking long slow breaths, before taking a few steps back to the light pole. When she turns to face us again, the smile is back on her face. Somehow I'm even more scared of her smile than I would be of her wrath.

"I know how much of a hurry you're in," she states, "so the three of you can do it together. It would have been more fun if you had chosen to hate the mermaid, Lyden, but I think this will work out as well." Her grin widens even more, and the tattoos on her face and body actually begin to glow softly. She points at me. "You, Lyden, are always terrified about what your kids will turn out like. Always afraid they might become some kind of monster. You will get the mermaid pregnant, and I promise you, the dear sweet Pillar of Earth will be unable to make any changes to it. What it will be, it will be."