by Simon Archer
“What about food?” I asked as I reached for the sloshing, foaming mass of golden liquid twice the size of my head. I eyed the concoction wearily, not wanting to overdo it before I got something in my stomach. First, I didn’t want to be sick all day tomorrow, and perhaps more importantly, I definitely didn’t want Godfried to outdrink me.
“What would you like?” the bartender asked.
“Bring some of everything,” Bernsten said merrily as he gestured at the tabletop. “More like a lot of everything.”
The bartender nodded and rushed off through a wooden door by the bar. In not too long, the workers returned with plates full of beautifully greasy bar food.
“Awesome,” I said as I caught a whiff of some kind of breaded pasta covered in cheese that one of the servers placed in front of me. I loved the food in Eviroah, but I hadn’t had a nice heart attack on a plate since I left New York. This was long overdue.
“You find this amenable, Leo Hayden?” Bernsten asked as he reached for what looked like some fried shrimp.
“Oh, yes!” I grabbed some of the pasta with my fingers and mushed it into my mouth in a rush of greasy goodness. “This is perfect.”
It was far better than any bar food I’d ever had in my life, that’s for sure. Despite being obviously terrible for me, it still managed to taste fresh, like the pasta was just made today. But, then again, it probably was and right there in the bar, too. When I swallowed the pasta, I followed it down with a few swigs of the beer. A perfect combination. If I’d known the taverns had food like this, I wouldn’t have eaten in dining halls so much the past few months.
“How’s it going down there?” I asked, shooting a glance down to Godfried on Bernsten’s other side. He had just taken his first sip of beer and was grimacing from the bitter taste. I had to stifle a laugh.
“I am doing quite well,” Godfried said, rushing to cover up the expression and take another bigger swig of beer. He swallowed it quickly and didn’t grimace this time, though I noticed the corner of his mouth quiver slightly.
I merely chuckled in response.
“I believe I am well on my way to winning this wager,” Bernsten said, smiling and taking several gulps of his own drink. He sighed in satisfaction when he finished, nearly half his massive drink already gone.
“We’ll see about that.” With that, I reached across Bernsten for some of the shrimp.
Nadeine and Marinka simply sighed and rolled their eyes almost in unison.
After that, Godfried did his best to match Bernsten’s alcohol intake. He scrunched his nose up in distaste, held his breath, and chugged as much as he could at once. By the time he called on the bartender for his third drink, I was starting to second guess the whole thing. One of these glasses was the equivalent of at least three or four cans of beer back on Earth, and the alcohol content was definitely higher. Plus, Godfried was a kid.
His words were starting to slur, but not as much as Bernsten’s, at least. I was confident I could outlast them both, given that I was both larger than the elves and definitely eating more of the food.
“How about a game of wazo?” I asked as I finished off a third helping of the pasta and some cheesy bread not unlike pizza that had been sitting on Marinka’s side of the table. Maybe getting Bernsten and Godfried up and moving would distract them from the whole bet.
“I believe that is an excellent idea,” Nadeine said, undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
“I agree,” Bernsten cried, smashing his nearly empty fourth glass down on the tabletop which caused the whole table to wobble a bit.
“I will beat you at this, too, I assure you,” Godfried said as he stumbled from the table, his words slurring together. But before he could even take three steps, he lost his dinner all over the floor. I jumped out of the way to avoid the mess.
“Oh, dear!” Marinka leapt to her feet and walked around the table to Godfried’s side, placing a hand on his back. “I think that is enough, cousin.”
“No, I am fine.” Godfried waved away her concern and tried to move in the direction of the wazo tables. The poor kid couldn’t bring himself to stand upright and stumbled back into a crouching position within a few steps.
“That is enough, cousin,” Marinka repeated, firmer this time, and led him off and back in the direction of the royal castle. Godfried seemed to know that Marinka was serious and that he couldn’t argue with her this time, so he didn’t fight or complain this time.
“That was interesting,” I remarked to Nadeine as the rest of us made our way over to the game tables. We had to help Bernsten a little, but he was more stable than I thought he would be.
“Godfried is an interesting young man,” Nadeine sighed, shaking her head as Bernsten picked out a smooth disc to throw to start the game.
“Marinka seems to think pretty highly of him, though,” I said, thinking back to our conversation in the library.
“Oh, he is a highly accomplished knight and scholar. Truly a multi-talented youth,” Nadeine acknowledged with an added nod. “But as you have noticed, he has much to learn still in other areas.”
“Should we not take him with us?” I asked, voicing a concern I hadn’t dared express in front of Marinka. “I don’t want to walk into the mountains and have him lose it or something.”
“I do not know,” Nadeine mused as she looked over at me. “As I said, he is highly skilled. There are undoubtedly ways in which he will be an asset, but I worry that he will make decisions of his own accord and fail to follow orders. Or, worse, that his confidence will get the best of him, and he will rush into dangerous situations unnecessarily.”
“This isn’t inspiring a lot of confidence,” I remarked.
“Indeed, yet I must be truthful in my assessment.” Nadeine shrugged softly. “Still, I think that, in the end, he will be an asset. He is widely considered the most skilled young swordsman in several generations, and he is very intelligent. We shall see how he fares under your instruction at the training grounds.”
I nodded as Bernsten finally decided upon a stone, then tossed it across the wazo table. The stone fell into a circular indentation on the left edge of the table, close to the end.
I grinned. I could beat that. So, I picked up a stone of my own, turned it over three times in my hand for luck, and slid it down the table. It landed in a ridge just near the outer edge of the other end of the table. Some surrounding elves cheered at my skillful play. Even Bernsten would have a tough time beating that, and he knew it, too, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath.
“You are a difficult adversary, Leo Hayden, my friend, as always,” he said as he reached for another stone.
Just as he was preparing to throw again, a bartender arrived with yet another refill of our drinks, and Bernsten took another deep swig, his cheeks now rosy from the alcohol. He tossed the stone, and at first, it seemed as if it would reach the only ridge that would award him a higher score than me, or at the very least knock my own stone out of place so he would get my points for himself. However, he missed his mark slightly, no doubt because he was drinking just a bit too heavily. That caused the stone to teeter on the edge of the outermost ridge and then fall off the edge of the table, eliminating him immediately.
“Argh,” Bernsten cried in frustration at the shortness of the game. Then he sat down on a nearby stool, took another large swig of his beer, and promptly passed out on the wazo table, spilling the remnants of his drink on the floor beneath us as he snored.
“Well, I guess I won the bet.” I chuckled as the same bartender who had just refilled Bernsten’s drink rushed over with a rag to mop up the floor and take Bernsten’s glass before he had a chance to break it unwittingly.
“Congratulations,” Nadeine said dryly and rolled her eyes. Then she walked over to Bernsten and raised his now-empty hand to hook his arm over her shoulders. “I had best get him back to his chambers.”
“Probably a good idea,” I said as I approached Bernsten’s other side, “Here, I’ll h
elp, too.” I tossed my friend’s free arm around my own shoulders and helped Nadeine lead him out of the tavern and back to the royal castle.
Shockingly, not only did Bernsten not wake up, but he continued to snore as we walked. I waved my free hand in thanks to the bartenders as we left. The elves who remained in the tavern watched us closely as we left, admiration in their eyes. I guess there was no making a fool of yourself if you were a hero in Eviorah.
I left Nadeine and Bernsten near their quarters with a wave and a goodnight and walked back across the hallway in the direction of my own room. To my surprise and delight, Marinka was waiting for me outside my door.
“Hey, how’s Godfried?” I asked when I approached her.
“He will be alright,” Marinka said, her brows furrowed together, “but tomorrow will be a difficult day for him.”
“Serves him right.” I chuckled. “Maybe he’ll learn not to try to outdrink Bernsten.”
“Indeed,” Marinka agreed. “To do so would be an impossible task, I imagine.”
“Well, I lasted longer than him,” I admitted, “but then again, I didn’t drink nearly as much, so there’s that.”
We stood there in awkward silence for a few moments in front of my door, glancing at each other every few seconds. We hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and I wasn’t sure whether or not we could just pick up where we left off. I hoped so.
“I have missed you,” Marinka said finally, and a wave of relief crashed over me.
“Me too,” I said, running a hand through my hair. She reached out to take my other hand, and I leaned in to kiss her. Her lips were soft and light, just like I remembered, and as we kissed, I reached behind me to push open the door.
I led her back through the door and over to the bed, running my hands up and down her petite form as we went. Without breaking from the kiss, we sat down on the edge of my bed and pulled each other’s mage’s robes off, sending them falling to the floor in a cascade of silk and flashing golden patterns. Her robes were easier to remove than her armor, and their light color accentuated the softness of her features well. She also seemed more comfortable with them.
Unclothed now, we lay down next to each other on my bed and crawled under the covers. Eager to get straight to the point, I lay across her and reached down to stroke her clit between her legs and loosen her up. She breathed in sharply at my touch and let out a gasp.
“Leo,” she cried, grasping my neck as I bent down, moving my lips from her cheek to her neck to her collarbone. I felt myself grow firm at the sound of her calling out my name. She seemed to sense this and reached down with her other hand to take hold of my cock, moving her hands up and down my shaft in a thrusting motion, pumping me. I groaned myself now. Marinka had an almost magic touch, and she always knew how to get me excited and throbbing, and then pull back just before the release, and this night was no exception. She worked her way around my cock as I continued to enter her with my fingers, and we groaned together now, gasping and crying out each other’s names.
“I truly have missed you,” she whispered. “I have been waiting quite some time for this moment.”
“So have I,” I groaned just as I felt I was about to cum, and then Marinka pulled back, running one finger up and down my shaft gently. It was true. Between leaving Freyja behind in the forest and Marinka returning to the royal castle, I’d been getting a bit frustrated. Pretty much any of the female kingdom elves would offer themselves to me, to be sure, but Freyja and Marinka were by far the best.
Marinka quickened the pace of her gentle stroking, finally returning to grasping my cock with her whole hand and pumping me once more. I groaned into her shoulder, and the sound came out muffled. She continued to run her hand through my hair and down my neck with her other hand, and my skin tingled at her touch. I continued to move my own hands in and out of her, running my thumb over her clit.
“Ahh,” she called out, and I could feel her bristling beneath me, shaking from the pleasure. I pulled her tighter and continued my work, and she continued hers, moving her hands up and down on my cock faster and faster now. I groaned as Marinka came, feeling myself about to blow.
“Not yet,” she whispered in my ear when she was done writhing in pleasure. “Enter me, Leo.” I was more than happy to oblige, hurriedly shifting my position on top of her. She spread her legs wider and wrapped them around my back, intertwining her small feet behind me and placing her arms around my neck.
I thrust myself into her gently but firmly. I pushed myself deep inside of her quickly, having loosened her up with my hands already, and she cried out in pleasure and surprise. Pleased with her reaction, I continued to move quickly and firmly, moving my cock in and out of her with gusto. She was, as usual, even tighter than I remembered, and my cock pulsed and throbbed inside her.
I cried out into her shoulder again, and she took my face in her hands and moved my face closer to hers. We leaned into each other to kiss again as she came a second time, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around me and calling out my name several more times.
“Leo, Leo, Leo,” she cried, and I smiled as I kissed her neck, relishing how I’d made her cum not once, but twice in a short period of time. I pressed myself even deeper into her and groaned as I felt myself about to blow my load inside her.
“Wait,” Marinka whispered, her voice breaking from the pleasure. “Let us try something different this time.”
“What do you have in mind?” I asked, meeting her eyes mischievously.
“You will see,” she said, shooting me a small, playful smile as she pulled me out of her and sidled down my body until she was eye level with my cock. I groaned in excitement and anticipation, understanding what she was about to do. I rolled over on my back and flipped her with me so that she was on top now, and I could get a better grasp on her head.
I ran my hands through her long, dark curly hair. It was soft and silky to the touch, just like I remembered. She started on the tip of my cock, though it was still erect and throbbing from being inside her tight body. She moved up my shaft painstakingly, tantalizingly slowly until nearly all of me was in her mouth. She sucked and pressed and stroked the top of me with her fingers as I moaned and groaned above her.
When I felt myself about to blow again, I grasped her head tighter and pressed myself deeper into her. She moved up and down my cock faster now, and I could hear her almost gasping for breath from the effort. I smiled and bristled, preparing myself to cum.
I did, and she didn’t pull back, absorbing my entire load and swallowing it with one large gulp. She continued to blow me for a short time after that, moving more slowly now, stroking and moving her tongue and lips up and down my shaft. I moaned softly, continuing to run my hands through her hair until she finished, wiping her lips on her hand and moving up to kiss me one more time.
“Was that enjoyable for you, Leo?” she asked softly.
“Very,” I murmured under my breath, and then I flipped her over, so she was under me one more time. I kissed her once more on the lips, and then buried my face in her supple, perfectly shaped breasts as she stroked my hair and upper back. We fell asleep like that, and I dreamed of having my way with her over and over again on our upcoming quest, all over the kingdom, and the forest, and the mountains. Freyja was there, too, lending her own talents to pleasuring me.
I never wanted to leave Eviorah.
5
The next morning, Marinka and I met our companions in the dining hall for a hearty breakfast of eggs, cheese, bacon, and ham. I scarfed down as much as I could, knowing the royal castle and its surrounding area had the richest, heartiest food in the realm, and I should take advantage of that while I had the chance. Godfried and Bernsten were both clearly hungover, as evidenced by Bernsten snoozing intermittently on the table and Godfried cradling his head in his hands and grimacing every time someone spoke above a whisper.
“Have you learned a lesson, cousin?” Marinka asked him pointedly as he held his head with one hand and pushed
around some scrambled eggs on his plate half-heartedly with the other.
He only groaned in response.
“I believe I will go retrieve some stina root,” Nadeine said at that. She placed her fork down on her now-empty plate and rose from the long rectangular table at which we were seated near the council members. “Would you like some, Leo?”
“No way,” I said, waving my hands for emphasis. The last time I’d eaten some of the plant in question, I’d felt like I’d drank ten cups of coffee at once. Plus, I wasn’t that hungover, just a little groggy. The power of wise drinking practices paid off.
Nadeine nodded and rushed off to flag down a servant. She returned several moments later, carrying a small wedge of the light green root in her hand. After she broke it in half with a loud cracking sound, she gave one part to Godfried, who took it without raising his head. As the young elf began to nibble it out of the side of his mouth, Nadeine gave the other to Bernsten after she coaxed him awake. They both brightened up almost immediately upon ingesting the root.
After finishing breakfast, we rose to head outside and begin our journey, but before we left, Dalibor and Noham made their way down the long table to speak to us.
“We wished to bid you farewell and good fortune on your coming journey, but most of all, we want to thank you once more for your service to our realm,” Dalibor said before bowing his head to us. His eyes twinkled with pride when he looked at his daughter.
“Thanks, no problem,” I said, smiling back at him.
“My son,” Noham cried, approaching Godfried and slapping a broad arm on the boy’s back. “You engaged in much celebration last night, I take it?”
Godfried rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Indeed, Father.” He stood up straighter and puffed out his chest, making an effort to appear more lucid than he was. “It was a glorious evening.”
I had to stop myself from laughing, covering it up as a cough in my sleeves.