by Sky Winters
“Release the boy and take him home. Behead both of his parents while he watches. That should prevent him from stealing again.”
The guard nodded and left, another in the line behind him moving forward to take his place. After a few more equally heinous encounters between various commoners and the Evil Queen, Prince Oswald returned. This time, he was properly attired and sufficiently groomed.
“This is so much better. Now, what is it you have to share with me?”
“I have met a woman in the forest, Mother.”
“This is not news. You meet women in the forest all the time. Tales of your antics with the most unworthy of women do not escape me.”
“This was no unworthy woman, Mother. She bears the necklace of old lore, the compass that directs her toward the man who will become father to the new leader of the shifters. It directed her into my path!”
“Clear the court!” she suddenly screamed, sending everyone in the large hall surrounding her throne scurrying as far from her angry visage as possible.
The Prince looked nervous, as if he would like to be leaving with them, but he stood in his place and waited to see what she would do next.
She jumped up and stormed angrily toward him. “And you let her escape?”
“I had no choice. I was attacked by a pack of white wolves and injured. That is why I was in such disarray when I appeared before you earlier,” he said, knowing she would be even angrier if she knew it was only one wolf that had defeated him. There was great shame to be had from being bested by the likes of any of the wolf clan.
“Where is this woman now?”
“They took her. I presume back to their lair in order to mate with her. I have to get to her before they spoil her. I’ll need some men. There are far too many of them, even for me.”
“I will send my Queen’s Guard to seek her out,” she growled, calling to one of her guards to return to the room and giving him very simple instructions. “Take a contingency to the white wolf lair and find the woman they hold there. Bring her to me so that I can watch as they take off her head.”
“Mother, no. I want her for myself.”
“Your raging hormones are of no concern to me. I’m not about to let the wolves usher in the new shifter leader as a part of their blood line.”
“If I get to her before they have had a chance to take her for themselves, then we can bring forth the shifter leader as our own!”
The Evil Queen studied him for a few moments and then took a deep breath. Motioning to her guard to stand down for now, she seemed to ponder this for a moment and then nodded toward her son.
“Very well. You get to the village and get to her before they do. The Queen’s Guard will go with you and take care of the white wolf pack while you locate and impregnate this mother of the new leader. If you fail, she refuses or if she is already with child by a wolf, she is to lose her head immediately. Bring it to me.”
“Yes, Mother,” the Prince replied, his sneer matched only by her own. He scurried away to ready himself for the journey and battle with the wolf shifters.
Once he was gone, the Evil Queen spoke quietly to her guard, issuing instructions that were not to be shared with her son. He nodded and motioned for some nearby guards to follow him, heading out to do the Queen’s bidding.
Chapter Six
Night was beginning to fall as Alice and The Huntsman reached a large grove of trees that seemed to be enclosed by vines growing up from the outside, creating a sort of natural woven fence on the outside of the thicket.
“In here.” He motioned and she followed him into an extremely narrow opening that didn’t even seem to exist until he was pulling her through it.
The trees around them began to bend and twist, watching them as they passed through. It was very unnerving, but Alice had already begun to get used to the oddities of this place to an extent. Still, some things were terribly off-putting. Being watched by trees was on that list, as were giant flowers prone to violence. As much as she had begun to adore The Huntsman, her world was much less frightening than this place and she would need to return there soon.
“Are these trees moving?” she whispered.
“Yes, but they are harmless unless they sense you have wrongdoing in your heart.”
“What if they feel you do?”
“Let’s just say that is something you would prefer not to know.”
Alice frowned and looked ahead, ignoring the trees that swayed and murmured all around them. Shortly, she spotted a small cabin that almost blended in with the branches. The Huntsman led her there and opened the door, lighting a small lantern to reveal an interior that appeared much more spacious than it had appeared from the outside.
“We will be safe here for the night. The trees will warn us if anyone comes near, if they make it that far.”
“Who does this place belong to?”
“No one. Everyone. The trees allow those with no evil intent who seek shelter to stay here.”
“This is truly a strange place,” Alice observed.
“Strange to you, perhaps. It is all just a matter of perspective.”
“I suppose so.”
“Come on. The light will come up in less than four hours. We’ll need to grab what sleep we can so that we can head out very early in the morning. I’d like to be back at my village before lunch.”
Getting undressed for bed, Alice couldn’t help but notice that her belly was slightly swollen. No doubt it was from the huge meal she had eaten earlier. Trying not to be self-conscious about it, she climbed into bed, noting that The Huntsman seemed to be looking at her and smiling. She dismissed it and climbed into bed beside him, anticipating a repeat of the night before. If nothing else, she should at least enjoy a lively sex life while lost in this weird world.
Curled up against his naked body, she tried to go to sleep, but it was no use. All she could think about was how wonderful he had felt the night before in the cave and she wanted him again. Apparently, he wasn’t having much luck sleeping either as he tossed and turned beside her.
Alice took matters into her own hands as she reached beneath the covers and slid her hand around his cock, which she was not surprised to find was already rock hard. He moaned as she began stroking the length of it in her hand before leaning over to kiss him. His mouth was hot and wet as her tongue explored it eagerly, wanting more of him.
“That feels so good. Your hands are like velvet,” he muttered.
“You will enjoy my mouth even more then,” she said boldly, slipping beneath the covers and taking his cock in her mouth to lick and suck her way up and down the length of it as his hips pushed forward for more. She drifted down, licking his balls and sucking each one into her mouth as her hand moved back into place to stroke his heavy cock. She loved the way she was making him moan, wanting her like she had wanted him last night and was again now as she thought about having him inside more than just her mouth.
“You’re driving me nuts with your teasing,” he moaned, his body trembling beneath hers as she took the whole of him in her mouth and began to move up and down the length of it, sucking his cock as he buried his fingers in her hair to pull her further down. At some point, she lost control as he began guiding her with his hands, taking what he wanted from her rather than letting her do what she pleased. She struggled to keep up as he fucked her mouth with increasing depth, the head of his cock brushing her tonsils with every stroke.
Alice’s hands clutched at the sheets on either side of his hips as he face fucked her, then suddenly yanked her upward and repositioned her on top of him. She struggled to catch her breath as she straddled his throbbing cock, dropping down onto it so that he was buried deep inside her. She let out a cry of pleasure as he touched her very depths and grabbed her waist with his hands to bounce her slowly up and down the length of him.
“That’s the way, Alice. Ride my cock. I love watching you impale your beautiful body on me,” he told her.
Alice had forgotten all about b
eing self-conscious over the little rise in her belly and lost herself in how delicious he felt inside her. She pushed her hips forward, grinding her wet pussy deeply against his cock and balls until they were dripping with her juices. Alternating her strokes between fast deep fucking and slow grinding, she found that she couldn’t hold back any longer, her body perspiring and shuddering as she came so hard she thought she might pass out.
“Godddddd,” she moaned, picking up the pace again to ride him as if she was a rodeo queen trying to stay on a bronco that hadn’t been broken. His hips rose and fell with hers, letting her fuck him like she wanted to as she brought herself to climax over and over against his enormous cock. When it seemed she might have nothing left to give, he took over, flipping her over and pulling her legs over his shoulders to bury himself deep inside her once again.
His eyes never left her face as he rubbed at her already tender clit with his thumb and fucked her deeply. She was shocked that she still had anything left in her as her body shattered into yet another earth-shattering orgasm that left her gasping for breath. His strokes grew heavier as he pumped into her, joining her as his body shook with the force of his explosion and cum flooded into her and dripped from her swollen pussy. Sated and relaxed, they fell asleep in one another’s arms until the daylight came.
Chapter Seven
Alice awoke feeling a bit tired and sore. She smiled knowingly, attributing her aches to the wild night before. Making her way to the bathroom to get a quick bath, she noted once again how bloated she seemed and frowned. She hadn’t eaten since their meal at the inn the day before. What had been in the food or perhaps it had been that strange drink or cake afterward? Whatever it was, she hoped it passed soon. Her usually flat, chiseled abs were beginning to expand into a keg rather than a six pack.
Stepping into the shower, she was amazed at how good the hot water felt cascading across her body. She was busy washing her hair when the door creaked open and The Huntsman stepped in, padding naked across the floor toward the shower to join her.
“Need some help with that?” he asked, smiling at her.
“I’d love some help,” she replied, pulling back the shower curtain to let him step beneath the water with her. After washing her hair for her, he moved on to wash her from head to toe. She was more than happy to return the favor, getting turned on more by the minute. Kneeling down, she ran her tongue along the length of his cock once again.
“Mmm, as much as I would love the feel of your precious lips wrapped around my cock, I’m afraid we’re growing short on time. We need to get going.”
“That’s a terrible shame,” she replied, looking up at him through wet eyelashes.
“It certainly is. Just hold that thought for later, my love. I’m sure we will have plenty of time for such tasty delights once we get squared away in my village.”
Alice nodded and stood, stepping out of the shower and drying off. They dressed and headed out, back down the path on which they had arrived. The trees weaved and bobbed, watching them as they made their way back out of the thicket that surrounded the cabin. The sun was just beginning to fill the skies as they once again began making their way to their destination.
“What is that?” Alice asked suddenly, spying something very odd hovering near them in the sky between some tree branches.
“Crazy cat,” The Huntsman murmured.
“Cat?”
“Cheshire,” he replied, then turning toward what looked like a large smile with no body in the sky. “Come out here, Cat.”
Alice watched as a large cat materialized on the branch of the tree below where she had seen just the smile.
“Hello, Huntsman.”
“Hello, my ass. Why are you following us?”
“I’m not. I’m going to a tea party and was just cat napping on a branch. You woke me.”
“Yes, well sorry about that. We’ll be on our way.”
“You can’t. You must attend the tea party with me now that we’ve crossed paths.”
“Seriously, we’ve no time for that. Enjoy your party.”
“The Mad Hatter will be there,” the cat told him.
Alice watched as The Huntsman’s eyes narrowed and he seemed to contemplate this. After a moment, he rubbed his chin, looking from her to the cat before responding.
“How far is this tea party?”
“Just over there in that opening to the South Forest. I was early. That’s why I decided to nap.”
“Very well. We’ll go, but only for a few minutes.”
“Of course,” the cat replied, jumping down from the tree and almost floating along the ground toward their destination.
“Why are we going with a cat to a tea party in the woods?” Alice whispered.
“You’ll see,” he replied.
Moments later, they arrived to a long table of strange creatures sitting down to tiny tea cups. A long-haired mouse sat sipping and busily chatting to the white hare beside him until he saw the Cheshire Cat. Alice heard a shriek and watched as he jumped up from his seat, scurrying down the length of the table and disappearing into the woods beyond.
“Stupid rat. I keep telling him that I don’t like the way he and his kind taste, but he just refuses to listen,” the cat grumbled.
“Well, who is this?” a voice asked from nearby.
“Hatter,” The Huntsman said, sounding as if it was almost some sort of silent warning.
“No, Huntsman. I am the Hatter. Who is she?” the bizarre-looking man replied.
“I am Alice,” she told him. “Thank you for inviting us to your tea party.”
“I didn’t invite you. Who did?”
“Oh, um, well,” she stammered, looking toward the Cheshire Cat for guidance, but he had faded away to just a smile again.
“It doesn’t matter, Hatter. We can’t stay. I believe you owe me something. That’s the only reason I stopped by.”
“Owe you?”
“You know what I speak of,” The Huntsman replied.
“Oh. That. Yes. What do you want?”
“Shoes.”
“Shoes? I’m a hatter, not a footer. And they call me mad!” he scoffed.
“Don’t toy with me. You can get shoes and she needs them.”
“Fine,” the Mad Hatter replied, looking down at Alice’s tattered feet in their weird little turtle boats. His head cocked to and fro before turning around and whistling shrilly and calling out for someone named Milly.
Alice watched as a girl with a shock of bright orange hair equally as wild as that of the Hatter appeared and stood looking at him expectantly.”
“Give me your shoes.”
“What? These are brand new.”
“Even better. Hand them over.”
The girl grumbled and removed her shoes, handing them to him. He jerked his head to one side and she returned to the other end of the very long table where everyone was still enjoying their tea. Alice called out to thank her, but she never paused as she returned to her spot. The Hatter handed Alice the shoes and she shed the turtle shells to put them on. They were a perfect fit.
“There we go. Are we even now?” The Hatter asked The Huntsman.
“Yes. Have a good day.”
“Only if you are leaving,” The Hatter replied.
“I am. We are,” The Huntsman replied, grabbing Alice by the hand and heading back down the path toward the direction in which they had come.
“What was that all about?” Alice asked.
“I saved his life,” The Huntsman said simply.
“And you deemed free shoes as adequate payment for that?”
“Yes. Alice, in this world, you don’t do things for repayment. You do them because they are right or because people need your help. He needed my help, so I helped him. I needed shoes, so I expected him to do his part.”
“But you just said that you don’t do things for repayment.”
“You don’t. I didn’t save his life with the thought that someday I would need something fr
om him. It didn’t enter into my thinking at the time. However, when I found a need and knew he could accommodate it, I saw no reason not to take advantage.”
“I see. An odd way of seeing things, but I suppose it makes sense.”
“It does. Now, I need for you to be extremely quiet for the next mile. Don’t speak and walk as softly as you can manage.”
“Why?”
“Dirt trolls. If you stir the dust with your voice or your feet, they will come out and we don’t want that.”
“What are they?”
Rather than respond, he held his fingers to his lips for her to be silent. They began walking very slowly and quietly along the path. It made the walk seem like it might take forever. About two-thirds of the way down the path, he held out his hand, stopping her in her tracks. Alice watched as a pair of gophers ran across the path just ahead of them, completely lost in a heated argument. Without warning, several clouds of dust suddenly seemed to rise from nowhere, sucking the pair into them and down into the ground. Alice clamped her hand over her mouth to silence the impending gasp. Once the dust settled, she and The Huntsman continued on the path toward their destination in complete silence.
“We’re good now,” The Huntsman told her, advising that she could speak again once they were out of danger.
“That was crazy! What happened to the gophers?”
“No one knows. The dirt trolls drag creatures or even people down into the dirt and no one ever sees them again. Maybe they die or maybe they are prisoners. For all we know, they are in a better place where they are living happy, fulfilling lives in some other land. Bottom line, no one wants to find out.”
“That makes complete sense to me.”
“It is one of life’s great mysteries, I’m afraid.”
“So it would seem.”
“We aren’t far out now. Just another twenty minutes,” he told her, as they made their way the final mile toward their destination.
Alice felt so incredibly tired, more tired than she had ever felt in her life. This trip had been exhausting. She nodded wordlessly and forced herself to continue putting one foot in front of the other. It seemed like the final bit of the trek took twice as long as it actually did. She was relieved when they finally came to a large village set along the edge of a cliff.