by Kami Bryant
“Hey, dude,” I said as I rowed my raft up to his rock. He glared at me imperiously. I got that royal, “what the fuck, maggot?” look a lot from Em. I figured he must be a royal member of whatever race that he was. As he dried in the sun, his gills absorbed into his skin which was losing its green tint and was sporting a more tanned brown tone. Something weird was happening to his tail also. I figured this must be the native race on this island that Juniper had mentioned, only she hadn’t bothered to mention that they were half fish. “Hey! What’s up?” I tried again and then his tail started doing something extremely weird, it was splitting in two and his scales were absorbing into his skin and holy shit, I found myself staring at his impressive junk. “Holy shit!” I said out loud.
The naked man arched a brow at me and then scooted his ass on the rock and stood up on his now legs and walked up to the shore. I was fascinated so I followed him, trying not to stare at his chiseled ass.
“What happened to your gills and tail?” I called after him.
“Once a month, we walk on land and breathe air with lungs,” he answered.
“I am Beau,” I said introducing myself. “My girl and I have been marooned on this island. You are the first humanoid person that I have met here.”
“We are the only humanoid creatures here,” he answered. “I am Aryan,” he answered as an afterthought.
“Are you a prince of your people?” I asked him.
“King,” he answered.
“I knew it! My girl is queen on our world.”
“Hmmm” he answered and then sat his ass down on the sand and began sun bathing. I sat down beside him.
“You are going to get sand in the crack of your ass,” I said helpfully. “I probably have a pair of pants and a shirt that will fit you.”
“Hmmmpphhhfff,” he answered.
“Hey, do you know of a way off this island? There has to be more of this world. We were sent here through a magical portal. Do you know of anyone with abilities like that? I was trying to build a sailing ship, but it will probably take me a fucking year.”
“There are airship pirates who visit this island. They land their airships on the ocean, sail around and then take off into the sky,” he answered me.
“If I could hitch a ride on one of those, maybe I could explore more of this world?”
“They aren’t very friendly,” he answered me. “They might take you and auction you and your woman off to the slave ships.”
“Good to know.”
“They are the only people who come here,” he said.
“And your people live in the ocean?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Fuck,” I answered. “Would you like to join me and my woman at our cabin for dinner? I could get you those clothes. I would like to know more about this world.”
“Hmmm, maybe,” he answered soaking up the rays.
“Okay, then,” I said. “I will be back with those clothes.” I stood up, brushed sand off of the seat of my pants and I took off running to find Em. I found her bent over her garden.
“Hey,” I said. “I found a naked man.”
“Really?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah, he came out of the ocean looking like a fish and then he became a man sitting in the sun. He is a king and he said once a month his fish people become people people and now he has legs,” I said. “I have to go get him pants,” and I ran inside our cabin.
“What the fuck?” asked Emberlyn following me. “A naked man who used to be a fish?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said and retrieved a pair of pants from the wardrobe and a shirt. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Emberlyn was staring in fascination at Aryan the naked, when I handed him the pants which he slipped on.
“You don’t have a belly button,” said Em.
I looked at Arryn’s stomach and noticed that she was right. He didn’t have a navel. Em was staring at Arryn’s muscled body a little too much for my liking.
“We don’t reproduce on the land,” said Aryan in explanation.
“Say what?” I asked him.
“Our reproductive organs are fish. We only come out on land once a month. Why would be giving birth to live children?”
“You don’t fuck like a human?” I asked him fascinated.
“Beau!” said a shocked Em.
I ignored her. “How do fish get it on?”
“Beau!” repeated Em, her cheeks blushing a lovely rosy color.
“Our young are hatched from eggs,” answered Aryan, sounding bored.
“Huh,” I said. I guess that explained why he didn’t have a navel.
CHAPTER THREE
EMBERLYN
Juniper had left many changes of clothes for us and she had even left us a small mending kit, but she hadn’t left us any material to make new clothes. Not that I knew how to make clothes any way. I wasn’t even sure that I can mend our clothes straight. I wasn’t much for cooking or cleaning or any of the upkeep of our little cabin home. I did really enjoy the gardening, though. Funny to think that the blonde harlot Emmy had taught me a craft.
When I discovered that I was pregnant, after living on that island with Beau for a few months, the first thing that came to my mind was how was I going to clothe a baby? What would I use for nappies? Who was going to assist in the birth of my baby? The only one here was Beau, a community of fish people living under the sea and mysterious pirates that probably wouldn’t be much help. I just flopped to the floor and started to cry. Beau could build a cradle, I knew. But what would we do for the baby clothes? If I was back in my castle, there would be closets full of baby clothes and nursemaids and seamstresses. We could try trading with the pirates, but how would we fight them off if they decided to just take everything, with only the two of us?
Beau found me sobbing on the floor with all the beautiful clothes that Juniper had left me strewn everywhere. I would have to cut them up, that was the only thing to do. Plus, when I was fat I probably wouldn’t be able to fit into them. And that’s how Beau learned that he was going to be a father.
Then Juniper pulled me through a portal and brought me home and a part of me was so relieved. I was finally home. I was back in my room with automatons to care for me and make clothes for the baby. But then when I discovered that I was a prisoner in my own room, I was pissed. I kept trying to get past those stupid automatons, but they wouldn’t budge.
“Let me go!!!” I screamed at them. I kicked at them. I tried to pick up a chair and bash them with it, all to no avail.
“Stop!” they said in their mechanized voices. There were three of the mechanical bastards. “Stop! Stop! You will injure yourself. Stop! You will injure your child. You must remain calm. Stop! Stop!”
Then the stupid things sprayed me with some sweet-smelling substance and I passed out.
I was stuck in that room for weeks, becoming more and more pissed off at Juniper. I kicked at my automaton jailers and threw my dishes at them, which didn’t do anything to them, of course, but it made me feel better. I ate the food and vitamins they gave me, and even did the exercises that they suggested, but I wasn’t happy about it. When I got too unruly, they sprayed me with the sedative.
After being stuck in that room and with murder on my mind, I was shocked to hear a voice calling my name.
“Em!”
“Beau!?” I screamed back. “Beau!” And then there he was opening my door, his crooked grin on his handsome face. “What happened?” I asked him. “What happened to Juniper?”
His face fell, and he said, “She is gone.”
“I am sorry,” I said as sympathetically as I could, but I was still really pissed off at her. “We are in Mirovia. We are home.”
“Rumor has it that you are the queen. I guess that makes you in charge here,” answered Beau smiling his crooked grin again.
EPILOGUE
Emberlyn looked out at the gathered group of people from Traetan and Mirovia, her now combined kingdom. She looked out at the
human and non-human faces and smiled proudly. She promised herself that she would rule her people fairly and with kindness. She would be a good queen and make her mother proud.
The uniformed herald took his stick and pounded it twice on the ground and everyone in the crowd quieted down. Then the herald said, “Queen Emberlyn Miriam Julia Chittenden and the Queen’s Consort Beauregard Bartholomew Kitchingham!” The crowd applauded, and the herald continued, “And introducing the Crown Prince of Traetan and Mirovia. His royal highness, Levi Will Jarvis Kitchingham Chittenden!”
The crowd burst into applause and Emberlyn proudly presented her and Beau’s son to the screaming masses. She looked over and saw Beau grinning at her and the squalling prince with a wide grin spread from ear to ear.
The End