by Eric Vall
I considered the situation. I didn’t really want to kick a ninety-year old’s ass, but we couldn’t run with Cienna in her condition, and I didn’t want to pull out the magic from the carpet in front of him, either. I hoped he was so distracted by the women that he wouldn’t notice it, but I saw the exact moment his eyes lit up when he caught sight of the rug.
“Heyyy, that’s a pretty nice rug you have there,” he exclaimed, and I could see the expression in his eyes change from lust to greed. Then the old man looked up at me with a smirk on his face. “I bet the soldiers in the town up the road would be interested in hearing about a fancy carpet like this. I didn’t see it floating by itself, did I now?”
He leaned in closer to me, and I could smell his rancid breath.
Suddenly, someone squeezed my hand, and I felt a momentary spark. Then I realized I’d been so distracted I hadn’t noticed Jessamine come up next to me.
“Joe, just hold my hand,” she hissed, and I grabbed onto her tightly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a look pass between the two women, and I couldn’t say exactly what happened next other than the biggest spark I’d ever experienced jolted up through my arm, and I jumped back.
When I looked down at the ground again, nothing but a scarf laid there.
“What rug?” Jessamine asked as she batted her eyelashes at the old man, who stood there with his rotted mouth hanging open.
“Holy shit,” I mouthed, and I was pretty sure my jaw was hanging open, too. This was by far the fastest illusion I’d seen yet. I was pretty sure the princesses had used their magic together, but even if Cienna had managed to stop time, I thought Jessamine had probably transformed the rug in under a second.
“Now, get the fuck out of here!” Cienna yelled. She still sat on the ground, but she sounded pretty mad.
The old man jumped and scurried away, and I thought I would also listen if and when Cienna had occasion to yell at me.
We watched in silence until he was far down the road, and then I spun around to stare at the princesses.
“Jessamine, Cienna, that was incredible,” I breathed. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t know if I would be strong enough, but I was able to use my time magic again,” Cienna replied, and I noticed that, for once, she was actually grinning.
“And Joe, my magic has never been so strong!” Jessamine cried out. “When we were holding hands just now, I was able to hide the rug in the second when Cienna stopped time.”
“How did you do that?” I marveled at the two gorgeous women. “You worked so well together.”
The two princesses looked at each other and shrugged.
“I’m not sure,” Cienna replied with a thoughtful look on her face. “I had the feeling we would have to work together, and then it kind of just happened.”
“I agree.” Princess Jessamine nodded. “It all happened so fast, but Cienna and I were able to cooperate without even speaking to each other, even though we only just met in person recently. Great work, Cienna.”
“Thank you, Princess Jessamine, you were also amazing,” Cienna responded, and I had a feeling that if we’d been back in L.A., the two women would have fist-bumped and then exploded their fingers.
“Nice job, everyone,” I reiterated. “And did you hear what that creepy old dude said? He told us the town is right down the road.”
We all looked down at the scarf on the ground, and I thought we all had the same question.
“Cienna, do you think you can walk a little bit from here?” Jessamine inquired, though she still looked nervous as she chewed on a fingernail.
“Maybe, help me stand,” Princess Cienna requested and reached out an arm to each of us. We pulled her up, but she shook a little bit on her feet.
“Are you going to be alright?” I asked the blonde as I gripped her arm tightly.
“I think so,” she responded. “Let go of me for a second. Let’s see what happens.”
Jessamine and I dropped her arms, and Cienna remained standing.
“This is the first time I’ve felt truly free in weeks,” she told us with a big smile on her face. “I was held captive for so long, and I’ve been feeling so ill. I just want to be strong right now and walk with you two.”
Princess Cienna started to wobble a bit, but she grabbed Jessamine’s arm to stay on her feet.
“How about you take hold of both of our arms, and we walk on either side of you?” Jessamine suggested. “We might be able to make it to the town that way.”
“Let’s try it,” Cienna said, and she grinned bravely.
I was impressed by the princess’ sudden strength as she held onto our arms, and we tested out a couple of steps. With us at her sides, she seemed to be able to walk with some confidence.
“Here, let’s grab our packs,” I suggested. “And Jessamine, do not forget that carpet.”
A few moments later, we stumbled down the road with one of us on either side of Cienna, and thankfully we could soon see the small structures of what appeared to be a peaceful, rural village. Small stone structures were scattered across an idyllic village green, and I was happy to see there were still parts of Fairyland that hadn’t been touched by war. Chickens pecked around on the grass while small barefoot children chased them, and despite the old man’s warnings, there were no soldiers in sight.
The sun shone brightly in the sky as I surveyed the area for somewhere for Cienna to rest, and then I spotted a stone bench and gestured over to it.
“Princess Cienna, you’re doing great,” I told her as she sat down, but I saw that she was distracted and looked across the green field with a sparkle in her giant azure eyes.
“There’s no fucking way,” she breathed.
I followed her gaze over to a man in rough peasant clothes holding a giant, white horse by a rope. The beast was at least six feet tall at the wither and towered over all the people nearby.
“What is it, Princess Cienna?” Jessamine asked.
“I think… Starlight!” the blonde exclaimed, and before I could say a word, she jumped up and started to run toward the horse. “It’s okay, baby, I’m coming for you!”
Chapter 11
I’d never seen Cienna move so quickly as she virtually sprinted across the green field, and Jessamine and I quickly jumped up to follow after her. By the time we reached her, she’d already started to have an animated conversation with the man holding the horse.
“What I’m trying to tell you is that’s my horse!” Cienna argued as her blue eyes flashed in anger. “Her name is Starlight, and you need to give her back to me.”
“Sorry, honey,” the short, stubby peasant replied. “I found this beauty when I was out hunting in the woods the other day, and there’s no way I’m letting her go.”
“That horse is mine!” Cienna shouted as she stomped a small, bare foot in frustration.
She really needed to work on her diplomacy skills.
“Here, let me handle this,” Jessamine said as she rested her hand on Cienna’s arm and turned to the peasant. “Sir, I think this horse actually belongs to my friend. Is there anything we could do to get this animal back?”
“Uh-uh, no way, sweetie,” he responded as he shook his head firmly. “This horse is mine now.”
“I think you’re mistaken,” I said, and I stepped forward with my hand on the hilt of Genie’s Wrath. “I think you meant to say, ‘Sorry, I didn’t know the horse was yours, ma’am, here you go.’”
The peasant’s eyes flickered from the scowl I wore on my face down to the golden hilt of my sword, and I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
“I-I-I--” he stammered.
“If you’re not trying to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ we’re going to have a problem,” I cut him off, and I pulled my broadsword several inches from its sheath with a deadly rasp.
The man gulped audibly as he took a step back, and then he seemed to come to his senses.
“H-Here,” he stuttered as he tossed Starli
ght’s rope in Cienna’s general direction, and then he immediately turned tail and ran off.
“Wow, Joe!” Jessamine giggled. “That was amazingly strong and attractive of you. I was going to go for the diplomatic route and offer to buy the horse off him with a gem, but that was a much better solution.”
“All in a day’s work for a hero.” I smirked, but inside I was doing a victory dance like I’d just scored the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl.
Being a hero with a great golden broadsword in the middle of an apparently lawless fantasy world definitely had its perks.
When I pulled myself from my thoughts, I noticed the blonde princess had run over to the horse and began to stroke her nose. She could barely reach the huge steed’s neck, but she attempted to wrap her arms around the great horse and give her a hug.
“Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” Cienna cried out. “I missed you so much.”
“I’m so happy we found her!” Jessamine gushed as she latched onto my arm.
“Me, too.” I grinned. Having a horse was definitely going to make traveling easier.
“Um… Joe… ” Cienna cleared her throat as she turned to me, and her eyes were shining with unshed tears of happiness. “That was quite… uhhh… thank you for getting my horse back. It… really means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” I told the blonde, and she flashed me a shy smile.
“I wish I could have helped,” Jessamine sighed. “If Joe wasn’t so dashing, I would have definitely offered to buy the horse off that man. I know how much Starlight means to you, Cienna.”
“Man, I miss those days,” the blonde remarked with a grin. “Having pockets full of jewels, being able to buy absolutely anything I wanted or get out of any situation. Princess life, am I right?”
“You’re right,” Princess Jessamine laughed. “I still have some of my belongings, but it’s nothing like the good old days. Although, I have faith we’ll be able to bring those days back, with Joe at our side.”
The raven-haired beauty squeezed my hand, and I was glad everything seemed to be working out for the moment. It would be so much easier to travel now that we had a horse, and Cienna was in a better mood, at least for the time being.
“Now, what can we gather in this village to eat?” I asked. “I’m absolutely starving.”
“Princess Jessamine, will you go look around for stuff?” Cienna pouted. “I really want to stay here with Starlight, and I need to rest for a moment.”
She leaned up against the horse, hugged Starlight’s leg, and closed her eyes.
“No problem,” Jessamine replied. “I think this will be easy work with what I still have in my pockets. Joe, do you want to come with me?”
“Sure,” I responded. “Cienna, you rest for a minute.”
“You’re going to leave me here by myself?” Princess Cienna frowned. “Are you sure I’ll be safe?”
I looked around and noticed a small grove of pine trees off to the side of the houses.
“Here, Your Highness, why don’t you and Starlight come over behind these trees?” I suggested. “That way you’ll be safe if any soldiers come by.”
The princess sniffed, but she grabbed her horse and walked over in the general direction of the trees.
With the blonde safe for the time being, I tagged along with Princess Jessamine as she wandered around the town and chatted with peasants, and I was amazed at the way the beautiful woman seemed to be able to get along with everyone. She traded coins and fabrics for bread, cheese, some kind of hard sausage, and ale, and we filled our flasks of water at the well.
When we were done gathering supplies, we returned to Cienna, and the three of us sat in the grass under a tree at the edge of town and had a little picnic. My stomach had been roaring with hunger, and I was more than ready to feast.
“If you keep eating at this rate, Joe, we’re going to have to stock up all over again,” Princess Jessamine giggled. “But I don’t really mind watching you eat… ”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed.
I couldn’t help but smile when Jessamine joked around with me, and I had a slight buzz from the bottles of ale I’d drank.
“How many jewels do you have on you, exactly?” I asked. “Can we afford to keep up with our food needs?”
“Well, they aren’t unlimited,” the beauty admitted as she gave me a sideways glance. “I know it seems like I’ve been pulling things out of those packs for days, but we’re running a little low on supplies. I’m going to have to be careful about spending my jewels. We’re kind of out of almost everything except some clothes, and now this food, and the carpet, of course…”
“I think we’ll be able to figure it out,” Cienna said as she nibbled on a bite of cheese. “Except, I could really use a pair of shoes.”
“Oh, darn.” Jessamine frowned. “I’m sorry, Cienna. I completely forgot since you haven’t been walking.”
“It’s alright.” The blonde shrugged and wiggled her bare toes as she lounged in the grass in the sunlight.
I could see every curve of her body through the thin, flowing garb she still wore. Her blonde hair gleamed, and she licked a drop of ale from the side of her lip. I almost felt like I was cheating on Jessamine, but I started to get aroused as I watched Cienna lie back in the grass with her perfect body on display like a piece of candy.
Although, I knew Jessamine actually wanted me to fuck Cienna, so that brought a whole different element to the situation. I still couldn’t believe my luck, and there were even more princesses beyond the two I’d already met.
“Hey, Joe, what are you thinking about?” Jessamine purred as she ran her hand up the inside of my pants leg, and I shivered.
“Oh, uhhh, just feeling lucky to be lying here with two beautiful women on this sunny day,” I told her, and I thought it was possible I’d had a little too much of the strong ale.
Cienna rolled her azure eyes, but she also blushed a little. If Jessamine was right about the legend, I was going to have to figure out a way to win the blonde princess over.
Not to mention, I kind of just wanted to bang her.
Then Jessamine rolled over on top of me and gave me a little kiss as she pressed her full breasts into my side, and I was definitely hard now.
“Hey, you two, knock it off, that’s gross,” Cienna groaned, but she smiled a little as she spoke, so I hoped we were making progress toward the princess threesome of my sixteen-year-old boy dreams.
“I wish we never had to leave here,” Jessamine sighed as she rolled off me and stretched her arms over her head. “It’s so warm, and comfortable, and Joe is here, and you’re here, Cienna. I almost wish you could do the ritual right now. It would be fun to watch, and then both of our magic would be stronger.”
My cheeks burned in response, but I noticed Cienna looking at me out of the corner of her eye, and I wondered what she was thinking about.
“I think maybe we should get going soon, though,” Cienna said in response to Jessamine’s proposition, and she clearly tried to ignore any talk of the marriage rites. “It’s only going to get later, and I think we should get off this main road. Just because we haven’t seen any soldiers in a while doesn’t mean there aren’t any lurking around.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I told her. I wasn’t really interested in peeling myself off the ground at this point, but we couldn’t stay here for much longer.
“Awww,” Jessamine groaned. “But I want to stay here with the two of you forever.”
She rolled over onto her stomach and put her arms over her head, and I couldn’t help but stare at her perfect ass. I wanted to grab it and slap it and…
“Ahem,” Cienna cleared her throat. “People, I mean it. This isn’t safe. You need to stop thinking about fucking each other for five minutes so we can get on the road. You can talk about this ritual all you want once we find a safe place to hide.”
“Fine,” I sighed as I pulled myself to my feet. I knew Cienna caught s
ight of me adjusting my pants, but she just smiled and looked away.
“Let’s go find you some boots, Princess Cienna,” Jessamine said as she rummaged through her pack. “I don’t think I have anything that’s going to work.”
“Are you sure that’s going to be safe, Jessamine?” I asked. “Maybe I should go with you. The two of you… attract a lot of attention.”
Jessamine frowned for a moment, and then she snapped her fingers.
“I know!” she said. “We can use scarves to hide our faces. Joe, you can sit here and relax. We’ll be fine.”
She pulled out a couple scarves from the pack, and I immediately recognized one of them. Jessamine gave me a sly look as she tied the scarf from the ritual around her head, and I hoped that wouldn’t be the last I saw of it.
Then the princesses got up to head back into the village to barter for a pair of shoes, and I inspected what was left in our packs. We’d grabbed a couple of extra loaves of bread and a wheel of cheese, in addition to the small, red apples that hung from the tree above me. I wasn’t too worried about food, though it might help if we could find a stream to help us with our water supply. We still had a few loose textiles in addition to Jessamine’s fur cloak, and of course we had the rug. There were our weapons and armor, too, as well as my plumber’s tools, so I thought we were in fairly good shape to hit the road.
“What do you think, Starlight?” I asked the large white horse.
The mare just sniffed loudly and shook her head, and I thought it was funny the horse seemed to share her owner’s attitude.
Less than twenty minutes later, the princesses came back giggling, and I was happy to see everyone was in a good mood and that Cienna now wore a pair of practical brown boots.
“I can’t wait to ride Starlight again,” the blonde announced as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Then she stroked the horse’s neck and cooed. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”
Cienna looked up at the huge mare and then glanced at me.
“Princess, do you need a hand?” I asked her, and I was more than happy to help.
“Well, it’s just… I usually have stirrups, and she’s so tall… ” Princess Cienna responded, and she blushed slightly in embarrassment.