Erik and Merry saw a lone traveler at the bottom of the hill, farting away.
...BBBRrrraaaappphhttt...!
BRPHT!
Erik's nose instinctively flinched at the sound. "Goodness... are they..?"
"They seem to be really bloated," Merry observed. "I'll go see what's wrong."
As Merry made her way towards the traveler, Erik followed behind and asked, "Wrong? Is that not normal around here?"
Merry looked at Erik, still keeping her pace down the hill. She told him, "No, this is unusual - flatulent as Esterians can be, that amount of bloating is concerning."
"So, there's a thing as being too flatulent here?" Erik half-joked.
Merry gave him a snide smirk. "Laugh all you want, but there are still limits to our gas. To exceed them can have bad results."
Erik's eyes widened slightly. "Er, but, how can we help?"
"I at least want to see if they're alright."
Erik nodded. "Right, I see."
The closer the two got to the traveler, the louder their farts became.
BRRRRAAAPP!!
FFRRRTTT!!
...BRRRRRRrrrrrrraaapppp!
"Eugh..." The traveler groaned. "M-My stomach..."
"Are you quite alright?" Merry asked as she approached the traveler at the base of the hill. The traveler, somewhat surprised at the sudden company, turned to face the princess.
Erik stopped right at Merry's side, and was able to get a good look at the traveler - they were a woman, and a young one at that. Her face was slightly rounded with soft, freckled cheeks and large blue eyes. Her hair was rather short, no longer than a couple inches at most, and brown as tree bark. As for her attire, she wore a short-sleeved leather jacket on top of a mint-green shirt, coupled with matching pants. On her back was a large backpack, no-doubt full of various supplies.
The woman's torso had appeared enlarged ans swollen, likely a result of flatulence build-up causing her to bloat. Erik didn't say it out loud, but he thought it almost comical - she was almost like a walking balloon. Her midriff was left exposed as her belly poked out from underneath her shirt and jacket. She kept both hands placed on it, likely as a response to the bloatedness.
"Ahh, h-hello--!" The woman nearly yelped.
Brrrrpphhhh... brrr--
She then quickly moved one of her hands over to her rear. Her cheeks became flushed. Clearly she was embarrassed to be seen in such a state by a couple of strangers.
"M-My apologies," the woman continued. "I didn't mean to be--"
"No no, don't worry about it," Erik interrupted. "It's quite alright. We, uh, don't mind."
Well, I DO mind, Erik said to himself. This girl can barely control herself. And I can smell her from where I'm standing. But... if she needs help, then the best I can do is at least assure her.
Merry chimed in. "Exactly. Besides, it's best to let it out of your system anyway. Holding in your farts will only cause the bloating to get worse than it already is."
The woman seemed both bewildered and relieved at how candid the duo were. "O-Oh... uhm, you r-really don't mind if I keep passing gas?"
"It's either that or you get bigger," Merry added with a cheeky smile. "Besides, I won't judge."
BrrrrrrrRRRRRAAAAAAaaapppphhtt!
Merry let rip a rather large fart, causing Erik to flinch. "H-Hey, can you at least warn me first? I am standing right here, after all..."
Merry just chuckled to herself before turning her attention back to the woman, who seemed to have calmed down slightly.
"Alright, if you say so... uhm, sir?" She said to Erik.
"Er, yes?" Erik replied.
"I'm just... warning you," she muttered. "I really don't mean to be rude..."
Erik tried his best to hide how awkward he felt. "Well, it's appreciated."
A faint smile crossed the woman's lips, as she took her hand away from her rear and breathed out a long sigh. Her then then quickly scrunched up in an instant.
BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FTTTTTT...!!
The woman pushed as much of the gas out as she could in one massive fart. Erik couldn't help but wince, but as he turned to see Merry's reaction, she seemed not only unbothered, but unfazed as well. And as for the woman, a sense of relief came over her.
"Whew... much better..." she said with a blushing smile. "I feel much better now!"
Erik and Merry both blinked. "Really? But your stomach..." the princess pointed at the woman's still-bloated belly. "Seems you still have a lot left to go."
"Oh, I do," the woman clarified. "I just don't feel the pressure anymore, that's all."
"I'm not sure I understand," Erik admitted.
"I-I can try to explain more in a bit! But, before I do," the woman said as she stepped closer towards Erik and Merry and extended her hand. "I should introduce myself. M-My name is Sonia, Sonia Swellgut."
Erik shook Sonia's hand and smiled. "Erik Leif."
Merry took her turn to shake Sonia's hand. "And I'm Meredith Merrifall, But you can just call me Merry--"
"M-Meredith Merrifall...?" Sonia stammered as her face started to glow beet-red. "You mean, P-P-Princess Meredith Merrifall...?!"
BRRRRaaaaaappphhh...!
A nervous fart slipped out of Sonia. "M-M-M-My--"
Merry held her hand up to stop Sonia from continuing. "Don't even think about sayin' sorry for farting just because I'm the princess, alright? Besides, I already told you, I don't mind."
"I-If you say so, Your Highness--"
"When it's just us, you can call me Merry," the princess reiterated. "Save the politeness for more polite company."
"R-Right," Sonia replied. "But, princ--erm, Meredith, I mean. Why are you out here instead of back at the castle in Central Esteri?"
"Oh right," Erik added. "I never heard how you ended up at the cave either."
"Cave?" Sonia asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Merry chuckled. "We can discuss this more later," she told them both. "For now, we need to find some civilization. Sonia, would you happen to know if there's a town nearby?"
"Oh, yes there is!" Sonia exclaimed. "See, I was just on my way there when I had my, er, impromptu flatulence. Would you like me to guide you both?"
"That would be much appreciated!" Erik said. "There's a dirt path on the other side of this hill. Maybe you can help us if we cross a fork in the road at all."
Sonia smiled. "It would be my pleasure to help the Princess of Esteri and her... ward? Who exactly are you, Mr. Leif?"
Erik chuckled. "We can, uh, fill you in as we go. It's quite the story..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------
The unlikely trio had continued their travels together. Sonia told Erik and Merry that the town they were making their way towards was named Traveler's Passage. Being that it was the town nearest to Esteri’s western border, it was meant primarily as a brief stop for those traveling to or from the country, rather than a proper neighborhood or village.
"It's a nice place to stop for food, shelter, and supplies," Sonia explained. "We may even find some more help - no-doubt several people there would be willing to help the princess of the land."
"Not to mention it help Erik get back on his feet," Merry mentioned.
He nodded.
"It's a shame you were attacked and stripped of your belongings, Erik," Sonia said with an apologetic tone. "Please, if you need to borrow of my things, I would be more than willing."
"I appreciate the gesture, Sonia," Erik answered. "I'll consdier it. As for losing my things, I don't mind too much - I choose to think of it as wiping the slate clean and getting a fresh start to a new adventure."
Silence fell between the three.
"Uh... d-did I say something strange?"
Merry and Sonia shook their heads.
"Not at all," Merry replied. "In fact, I applaud your attitude. Not many men would have that same positive mood you do. I find it quite admirable."
"Admirable indeed!" Sonia chirped. "You must be of exceptional character, Erik!"
Erik wasn't sure how to respond to the praise. "I suppose it's just my adventurer's spirit."
The trio shared some smiles amongst themselves. Then Sonia let out a fart.
Brrrrrraaappphhht!
She couldn't but blush.
"So, Sonia," Erik began, "about your stomach..."
Since Sonia had joined in Erik and Merry's travels, her belly had since started to shrink back down to normal, but was still somewhat bloated even now. Clearly a lot more gas was in her system than Erik had imagined.
"Ah, y-yes," she replied. "See, it has to do with my family name: Swellgut. Everyone in my family has this condition where we occasionally experience sudden surges of flatulence that cause us to bloat and swell like this. For the first few moments, it's extremely uncomfortable, as out bodies adjust to the influx of gas. But, once enough has passed through our systems, we begin to feel relief, and eventually we start to, uh, deflate, for lack of a better term."
"I see," Merry added. "Very interesting. Not many Esterians possess such a feat."
Sonia just blushed, as it was clear that she was taken aback by a compliment from the princess of the land.
"But, as for you, Merry," Erik said. "I still don't understand how you were brought all the way out here."
"I would very much like to know too," Sonia added. "It is very strange to see royalty such as yourself all the way here in the outskirts of Esteri."
"I suppose an explanation is in order," Merry agreed. "I'll try my best to explain, but first."
She stopped, and drew the trio's attention to a fork in the road just ahead of them.
"Sonia, which way is it to Traveler's Passage?"
"Ah, of course. We will take a--"
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