Endora wrapped her arms around Snow’s arm and pressed her breasts against his arm. “I hate seeing you depressed, Prince Snow. Isn’t there anything I can do?” She batted her long eyelashes at him.
Snow’s gaze lowered to Endora’s cleavage and he smirked. “You’re already doing something. Strangely, I’m already feeling better, Milady. Especially, below the waist.” Endora’s breasts were even larger than Elvira’s and they were practically bursting out of the sheer, blue silk dress she was wearing. Snow had to resist the impulse to bury his face between her breasts and take a nap.
“Who needs stinky ol’ men when you have the attention of cute girls like us though?” Tabitha said, flipping one of her pigtails over her shoulder.
“Yeah! Who needs men anyways?” Snow agreed, raising his goblet in a toast to the three beautiful witches that were currently keeping him company in the Gentleman’s Club Forbidden Fruit. “I love women! I don’t need…friends. A toast, to the fairer sex!” Snow started to gulp back his entire goblet of wine. The three witches raised their wine glasses in unison and drank.
“You know…men can be friends with women too,” Elvira pointed out.
Snow shot Elvira an incredulous look. “Friends don’t have sex though…and anytime I get close to a woman we end up having sex.”
“Maybe that’s why you’ve never found true love,” Elvira said keenly. “You should try becoming friends with a woman first and not sleeping with her. Your feelings for her could deepen into love that way.”
Snow let out a sigh. “Easier said than done…women can’t resist my charm. And I can’t resist a woman who throws herself at me so…a plutonic relationship with a woman is never going to happen.”
“One day you’re going to meet a woman that resists your charm, Prince Snow,” Elvira said with a far-off look in her eyes. “And she will be your destiny.”
“A woman that can resist my charm?” Snow let out a hollow laugh. “The only time that happens is when they’re in love with someone else.”
Endora was pouting at the idea of Prince Snow finding true love with someone other than her. “Prince Snow, sing us a song. Please?” The blonde witch put her hands together in front of her as if in prayer.
“You’ll have to forgive me, Endora, but I don’t feel much like singing today,” Snow said in an apologetic tone.
Endora’s hopeful expression fell. “What a pity. You have such a lovely singing voice. It makes my body throb with want for you when you sing.”
Snow arched an eyebrow at the witch and smirked. “That’s good to know,” he responded in a deep, husky voice. He was about to make a lewd comment when a loud roar reached their ears. The three witches stiffened in their seats. The roar was followed by the sound of flapping wings. Finally, there was a tremendous thud right outside the Gentleman’s Club.
Snow gawked at the giant black dragon that had just landed outside Forbidden Fruit, and narrowed his eyes at it. “Is that Aurelion’s pet dragon Fenix?” Snow watched as Aurelion and Ashe dismounted the dragon, approached the front entrance to the club, and entered.
All eyes were instantly on Aurelion and Ashe, and those that were female quickly turned into hearts. “It’s the hero Aurelion!” “Eee! It’s Prince Aurelion!” “Who’s that with him?” “Who cares? He’s hot!” The witches let out various excited exclamations.
Ignoring the fawning witches, Aurelion looked around the club with an oddly serious expression on his face. When he spotted Snow he grinned brightly and approached Snow’s table. Ashe followed a few feet behind with an apathetic expression on his face.
Aurelion stopped in front of Snow’s table and addressed him, “Greetings, Prince Snow Flurris. Ashe and I were wondering why you never showed up at Rapunzel’s Tower.”
Snow gave the hero a confused look. “Er, was I supposed to go?”
“I said I would teach you swordsmanship, remember?” Aurelion said, quirking his head at the playboy.
Snow rubbed the back of his neck in an abashed gesture. “I thought you were joking when you offered to train the likes of me.”
“I meant what I said,” Aurelion said firmly. “I want to train you, and I want you to become a hero of Fantasia. I see great potential in you.”
Snow gave Aurelion a skeptical look. “You see great potential in me to become a swordsman?”
“Well…no,” Aurelion admitted. “I mean, you have the potential to be a hero. Heroes are busybodies and the way you decided to help Ashe find Rapunzel’s Tower and offered to pay for Ashe’s weapon…those were kind, selfless acts. You have the makings of a hero!”
Snow’s expression was one of disbelief. “You really think someone like me, a…”
“Flashy playboy,” Ashe finished helpfully, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking.
“What he said,” Snow agreed with a self-deprecating nod. “Can really become a hero?”
“Yes.” Aurelion flashed him a brilliant smile. “And maybe it’s selfish, but I’d like my new friends to become fellow heroes so we can help protect Fantasia together. I can’t do it alone forever…”
“Friends?” Snow echoed skeptically.
“Indeed.” Aurelion nodded. “Friends!”
“This guy doesn’t really know how friendship works,” Ashe said dryly. “He’s going to be our friend whether we like it or not. There is no escape.”
“Well, that’s cryptic,” Snow muttered, but then smiled lopsidedly. “I’d be honored to be your friend, Aurelion. And you too, Ashe.”
“The honor is mine!” Aurelion boomed.
Ashe startled in surprise at being included. “Tch. I don’t have friends,” Ashe grumbled.
Aurelion draped an arm around Ashe’s shoulders and shook him slightly. “Well, you do now!”
“Get off!” Ashe started to try and shove Aurelion off of him, but it was like pushing a mountain. “I can’t believe you’d want to be friends with this handsy meathead! You must be insane too!”
Snow chuckled in amusement and couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
“Aren’t you at all disappointed that the legendary hero Aurelion Borealis…turned out to be like this?” Ashe questioned Snow curiously. “He’s a perfect example of why they say: ‘Never meet your heroes’.”
Snow stroked his chin. “You know what? I think I prefer him this way. He’s way less intimidating than he would be if he were actually as scary as the legends make him out to be. I thought he was this big, scary guy…well, he’s still big and scary looking, but in reality he’s a softy.”
“Softy?” Ashe arched an eyebrow at the playboy. “I wouldn’t underestimate him. When I was sparring with him earlier he nearly cut me in half. His strength is monstrous.”
Snow gulped and his eyes widened like saucers. “R-Really? That doesn’t make me want to piss my pants. Nope. Not at all.”
Aurelion let out a boisterous chuckle.
Abruptly, a chill crawled up Snow’s spine. He looked around the club and noticed that all the witches were eyeing the three of them in the way a hungry lioness might eye a gazelle. Uh oh. They’re eyeing us like pieces of meat.
Snow realized that the combined presence of himself, Aurelion, and Ashe was simply too much for the witches to handle without going a little crazy. Some of the witches were even beginning to drool visibly. And were they getting closer? This isn’t good. Snow thought nervously.
Ashe and Aurelion were both dullards, and concealed this fact by having magic swords strapped to their sides. But, if any of the witches here defeated Aurelion or Ashe in battle they could enslave them. Those were the rules here in Apple Kingdom. Witches and wizards reigned supreme, and dullards submitted and obeyed.
“Um, guys? I think we should get going,” Snow said ominously.
Aurelion looked around, noticed that the witches were closing in on them, and raised an amused eyebrow. “These girls look…hungry. Perhaps, we should treat them to dinner.”
Snow scrubbed a hand down his face in a show of exasp
eration. “Food…isn’t really what’s on their minds unfortunately, Aurelion.”
“Women,” Ashe sneered, his lip curling in disgust. “It’s pathetic that they can’t even control themselves. They’re acting like they’ve never seen a man before. What’s wrong with them?”
Snow opened his mouth to explain to Ashe that they’d probably never seen men as handsome as Aurelion and Ashe before, but decided against it. Knowing the prickly Ashe, he may end up doing something weird like wearing a bag over his head for the rest of his life if Snow pointed this out.
Snow got up from his seat at the table, grabbed Aurelion and Ashe, and dragged them out of the club before things could escalate. He’d noticed Ashe’s hand going to the hilt of his new sword. But, Ashe wouldn’t attack a woman? Would he? Snow gulped. Ashe had mentioned that he hated women so Snow couldn’t put it past him.
The trio mounted Aurelion’s dragon, and Fenix ran down the cobbled street, flapping its wings, and then took off into the sky.
“Uh, where are we going? Rapunzel’s?” Snow asked loudly.
“No. We’re going to go to Rose Kingdom so you can both register with the Heroes’ Guild and become official heroes of Fantasia!” Aurelion announced in a booming voice.
“What about Rapunzel?” Ashe asked, his brow furrowing. “Shouldn’t he come with us?”
It was rare for Aurelion to frown, but in that moment he did. “Punzie…never leaves his tower. He says it’s because he’s antisocial.”
“But you don’t believe him?” Ashe asked.
“No. I don’t,” Aurelion admitted, letting out a sigh.
“You became his friend because you want to help him, didn’t you?” Ashe asked keenly.
“Indeed,” Aurelion agreed. “I hope to one day gain his trust so he’ll tell me the truth about what’s going on. Then I’ll be able to help him.”
“Why do heroes register with The Guild anyways?” Snow asked curiously.
“When a hero manages to defeat a monster The Heroes’ Guild pays them for their services in helping to keep the peace in Fantasia,” Aurelion revealed.
Ashe’s interest was suddenly piqued. “You mean to tell me that you get paid for killing monsters?” Ashe’s eyes turned into two gold coins. “How much are we talking here?”
Aurelion let out a chuckle. “I know what you’re thinking, Ashe, but killing monsters is much more difficult than killing humanoids. You’ll need a lot more training before you can go monster hunting in Fantasia. Trust me.”
“Tch.” Ashe pouted.
***
The trio managed to reach Rose Kingdom in only a couple of hours. Ashe was jealous of Aurelion’s pet dragon Fenix suddenly. It was incredibly fast and convenient to travel by dragon. As Ashe peered down over the side of the dragon he got a good look of Rose Kingdom for the very first time.
Rose City wasn’t what Ashe had expected. The houses were smaller than the gardens people had. And the gardens were filled with roses that apparently came in all different colors. The kingdom ended up being very colorful and cheerful as a result. Ashe understood Aurelion’s personality a little better now. This place seemed so…carefree and peaceful.
“That’s…a lot of roses,” Snow remarked dryly.
“Indeed! The people here tend to their roses daily in an effort to outshine their neighbors’ gardening skills,” Aurelion informed his friends. “Once a year, the citizens of Rose Kingdom compete against each other for the title of Best Gardener. My father, King Leroy, grants the winner 10,000 Gold Apples!”
“10,000 Gold Apples!” Ashe exclaimed, his golden eyes sparkling with interest. “Maybe I should take up gardening.”
“Where are the Gentleman’s Clubs?” Snow asked as they began to pass over the center of the city.
“Or casinos?” Ashe added.
Aurelion chuckled. “There are no casinos or clubs in Rose Kingdom.”
A horrified expression settled over Snow’s face. “Then what do people do here for fun?”
“Well, besides, gardening?” Aurelion asked in a cheeky manner.
“Yes, besides, gardening,” Snow replied dryly.
Aurelion stroked his chin in thought. “Rose Kingdom is also known for its fine cuisine. It has the best restaurants in all of Fantasia. The flower shops are also very popular. And let’s see…the potion ingredients shops do well because they sell their wares to the witches and wizards of Apple Kingdom. So…dining and flower arranging, I suppose. Oh, and the citizens like to put on plays from time to time in my city!”
My city. Ashe thought. He’d almost forgotten Aurelion was the prince of Rose Kingdom and would one day be King. Come to think of it…Prince Snow Flurris will one day be King of Apple Kingdom. How the hell did I end up hanging out with royalty? I’m just a lowly slave. Shit. Ashe ran a hand over his mouth in an uncomfortable gesture.
Here Ashe was hanging out with princes and would-be kings, and he wasn’t even a lord. Not anymore. He was a slave. If they knew the truth would they still want to be friends with him? Probably not. Ashe’s shoulders sagged in a dejected manner, and he scowled down at the people that were strolling down the sidewalks. They looked so happy, and everything was so peaceful here. What the hell is wrong with this city? Is this a Utopia?
Aurelion pointed ahead of them at a large, white marble building that could be seen in the distance. “There! That’s the Heroes’ Guild Headquarters. It’s something else, isn’t it? The elves constructed it. That’s why its architecture is a little different from the other buildings within the city.” In the center of the building the roof gave way to an enormous blue glass dome.
“Elves…” Ashe murmured. He’d almost forgotten that the elves, angels, dwarves, and fairies also lived in Rose Kingdom. Ashe had seen these races in Glass Kingdom, of course, but it was strange to see an elf family walking down the street together hand-in-hand. The only experience Ashe had had with elves was in trying to avoid a she-elf’s advances while he was at a casino.
The dragon swooped down and landed in front of a flight of wide marble steps that led up to the entrance of the Heroes’ Guild Headquarters. Aurelion, Ashe and Snow climbed up the steps, and once they’d reached the top Aurelion pushed the heavy, golden double doors open. Ashe noticed that on each door a golden rose had been engraved onto the door’s surface.
Aurelion ushered the others inside first, and then followed Ashe and Snow into the grand entrance hall. On the opposite side of the hall was a long counter. Standing behind the counter at different stations were a dozen fairies. The fairies were currently in their largest form, and they didn’t have their wings out.
Even though the fairies rarely had their wings out while in their largest form they were still recognizable with their pointed ears, luminescent skin that reminded Ashe of an Opal stone, and hair that came in a rainbow of colors: pink, blue, yellow, green, purple, red, and orange. The fairy females were dressed in short dresses made out of flowers while the males were wearing colorful suits decorated with intricate embroidery.
Zipping through the lobby and out open windows in the dome ceiling that was overhead were hundreds of tiny fairies that were only a few inches tall. Most of the fairies had wings that were translucent and shaped like a dragonfly’s, but some had wings shaped like those of a butterfly. “What are those fairies doing?” Ashe asked curiously.
Aurelion arched an eyebrow at Ashe. “You’ve never heard of Fairy Post?” Ashe shook his head. “Fairies are hired to carry and deliver messages to people throughout Fantasia. They’re the fastest way to send word to someone that’s in a neighboring Kingdom, for example.”
Ashe narrowed his eyes at the fairies and noticed that a lot of them were indeed carrying rolled up pieces of parchment, letters, or small notes. Some of the fairies were exiting out the windows with the notes, but others held notes clutched in their hands that they were bringing into the Heroes’ Guild Headquarters. “And the messages they bring here?”
“Ah, those must be monster hunting
requests!” Aurelion explained brightly. He pointed to a large notice board that was standing to the right side of the hall. “The fairies tack any monster hunting requests, and other types of requests for aid from heroes to that board. That way heroes can decide which job they’re interested in, or if it’s a job they can handle.” The corkboard was covered with pages and pieces of parchment.
As they approached the counter Snow’s gaze became fixated on the lovely female fairies. “Hello, ladies,” Snow purred, waggling his eyebrows at them. A few fairies giggled in response and blushed.
Ashe shot Snow a disgusted look and grabbed Aurelion’s arm to get the man’s attention. “We’d better choose a male fairy to help us, or else Snow here is going to waste our time with his flirting.”
Aurelion opened his mouth to object when he noticed how all the female fairies were suddenly eyeing Snow with interest. “Good idea. That charm ability of his is no joke. Remind me to never let him meet my fiancée.”
Ashe’s eyes widened. “You have a fiancée?”
“Of course. Her name is Princess Jabberwocky,” Aurelion revealed with a note of pride in his voice. “Her hair is the color of apples and her eyes are golden like the sun. She’s the daughter of King Maleficent.”
“I see,” Ashe said with a nod. “Congratulations on your engagement.” It made sense for the prince of Rose Kingdom to be engaged after all, but he had trouble picturing the boisterous man in a relationship. He wondered what Aurelion acted like around his fiancée and smirked.
Ashe returned his attention to the fairies and scanned the options available to them. As soon as he spotted a male fairy that was free to assist them he quickly made his way over to that fairy’s station. The five-foot-tall fairy had short, sky-blue hair, dark blue eyes, and was wearing a sky-blue suit that was decorated with swirls of silver embroidery.
The male fairy was busy stamping some important looking documents and Ashe had to clear his throat to get the male’s attention. “Ahem.”
Ashe and the Glass Sword Page 11