“Right, thank you, Shemmy! I should get back to him. I did my best to stay calm, but obviously it was quite a strange situation. I hope I did not offend him. Are you feeling all right?”
“Ya, why?” She scratched her head, getting ready to lie on her bed. It was barely dark out, yet she was thoroughly exhausted.
“You seem preoccupied, that’s all. You aren’t being as bizarre as I’m accustomed to. I just wanted to be sure you are feeling okay. I care about you, you know?” Billiam smiled, obscuring his nudity slightly as he got ready to leave.
“Aye, love ya too, Dandy!” She smiled and waved as he left, but her head was down. She was ready to sleep. She felt very sick, very desolate. She had not brought enough elixir with her. She could tell this was going to be a big problem.
My brother awoke again after Billiam walked back into his room. It was not he who woke him, however. He felt a twinge in his stomach, a nervous emptiness. He was hungry, but this was not his feeling. It was Shemmy’s. Could he really feel her? He had never had an emotional connection to anyone but Billiam. He was surprised one night with her was all it took, when hundreds with Katrina could never bond them.
Zan could hear that Micah was quite preoccupied through the wooden wall, so he decided to take his chances. He strained to get off the ground, as he could only use his left hand to get himself up now. He knocked softly on Shemmy’s door yet did not wait for her to respond. He could feel how exhausted she was, and he didn’t want to make her get up. “Shemmy, I’m coming in, yes?”
“Feelin’ brave, eh?” Shemmy mumbled. She was lying on her bed but above the covers. There was a thin layer of sweat along her face and down her collarbone. Her whole body was shivering lightly.
“No, not brave at all. I could hear them. I think I am quite safe for a while….” He was staring at the ground, walking over to her slowly. She looked really ill, and he wanted to hold her. He didn’t know why he felt that way. “I had forgotten to give these to you before. I removed them from Gam for you.” He pulled the tunic out of his pants pocket with his good hand, letting it fall on the ground so he could retrieve the vial and doll from his coat pocket.
Shemmy looked up finally and grinned at him, exhaling heavily. Zan felt relief pool in his body, as it swept over her. “You are my fockin’ hero, didja know that? Come over here, bring my fings, and gimme a kiss, ya idiot.”
Zan took the one and a half steps to reach her and knelt at the side of her bed. He turned to reach for her tunic, but she grabbed his arm while shaking her head. He set the doll and vial on her stomach before positioning his face above hers. She smiled and grabbed the back of his head, smacking him into her mouth. Their teeth bounced against each other before his lips landed comfortably.
“Can you open dat vial for me and put a tiny drop on my tongue? I don’ feel like movin’.” Her arms and head were both down again, as she stuck out her tongue between her rows of dirty teeth.
My brother grabbed the bottle off her stomach and looked over it a bit before uncorking it. He obeyed her, dripping a small drop onto her tongue. He couldn’t help his curiosity as he closed it up, asking, “What is this stuff?”
She had brought her tongue back inside her mouth and was able to sit up slightly. “Well, it’s kinda like, the cost for what I can do…. The energy I put out has to be sustained, replaced somehow. That little beauty does the trick, juss fine. Here, put another drop on my tongue and I’ll show ya.” She stared at him and stuck her tongue out again, this time a bit suggestively.
As soon as the drop of black fluid was on her tongue, she pulled Zan’s mouth onto her own. She slid the top of her tongue against the length of his, so that the liquid transferred into his mouth. He thought of how much easier it would’ve been to drop it on his own tongue, but he still appreciated her kissing him.
“It’ll affect you more, an’ differently, than it does me. I ’ave a tolerance an’ also have depleted energies from ’chantin’. Dunno how elfbloom treats faelocks, but I s’pose we’ll find out.”
“Elfbloom?” my brother repeated, not knowing if he had really spoken or not as soon as the word left him. It had tasted like dark greens, maybe arugula, and felt like a sticky spot of honey. It was already gone, and his mouth felt numb. His hand wasn’t hurting, which made him quite ecstatic. He lifted it up between both their faces and started pinching the finger stumps while giggling.
“Ey, now. This is temporary! It’ll juss hurt more later if you muss wif it.” Her voice sounded serious, but she had a huge smile on her face. Zan could see she was admiring him and it made his heart feel warm. It was impossible for him to tell if it was her feelings, his own, or the elfbloom, but he wanted it to never stop.
“Shemmy, you are smart and pretty!” My brother was quite intoxicated, but at least he felt no compulsion to lie. He was grinning wide, the first smile that large to ever be genuine. He put his right hand, the incomplete one, between her breasts suddenly. This caused her to gasp and blush a bit, but she saw this was not intended as a grope.
“Shemmy, I can feel your feels now! You are the second person I have ever connected with. I like the way your heart feels.” He had his head plopped on her stomach and was giggling softly.
“I dunno if that’s cute or worrisome,” she responded with a laugh, stretching her upper body and enjoying how repaired it felt. She could not believe Zan had been kind enough to search through Gam, especially not knowing how important that vial was. The tunic didn’t matter, and the doll was pure superstition, but with the elfbloom he had saved her life.
“Let’s get you back in the hall, yes? We dun wanna give the prince reason to be harmin’ ya any more.” She picked up his heavy head and swung her legs off the bed to get up. He tried to lean on her as she led him out, a near impossible feat with their height difference. She walked him over to his pillow. He was silent and smiling the whole way. She sat him down and leaned his head back against the wall.
“Thank you, a’gin, Zan. I dun fink I can make myself hate you anymore.” She gave him a small kiss and smiled back at him as his smile only grew.
My brother’s eyes were closed. He was overwhelmed by the euphoria of the elfbloom, and it was trying to force him back to sleep. Before it could, he whispered, “I love you, Shemmy.”
“No ya don’. Yer juss high. Thanks for the thought, though.” She heard him laughing a bit as she closed the door behind her. She really hoped he didn’t. That was a level of awkward she felt unwilling to deal with.
Chapter 16
May 10-11th, 989
THAT NIGHT Billiam passed out before Micah, a surprising first. The prince took the rare opportunity to visit Shemmy briefly and learn what they had spoken of. She, of course, had to inquire about his reversed experience. He then revealed that he knew of her affair with Zan. Although she refused to admit any feelings for my brother, Micah still gave her permission to invite him in if she was so inclined. He was then abruptly retrieved and drug back to bed by his lover.
This prior conversation was obviously unknown to Zan, so it was a bit of a shock when he awoke on Shemmy’s floor, beside her bed. She had tucked him in with her rag doll, but he did not remember moving whatsoever. The sun was still waking up itself, so it was only half-light outside. The magic of the elfbloom had all but left his body, and his hand throbbed beside him.
He rolled himself onto his unhurt side and looked over at Shemmy sleeping in her bed. He had no idea what he was doing, why he was feeling the way he did about her. His attraction to Billiam had always made sense. He was strong, intelligent, dedicated, and loyal. Those are all very reasonable traits to admire and would make a natural pairing, as far as faelocks go. Shemmy was crude, criminal, and unpredictable. She obviously had a good heart and was brave enough to help them, but the reason she agreed was mostly self-centered. What Shemmy truly loved was enchanting, something that disturbed him. Was it her passion he admired?
He realized it was pointless to think about it. It didn’t matter w
hy. He would not be with her; she would not have him. No one would, and soon he’d be gone. He knew it was only days until he would have to face Katrina, face me, and be unable to lie. Thinking of that forced him to curl in a fetal position. His stomach, his chest, and his hand all ached in tandem.
He hadn’t realized he was still staring at Shemmy until she opened her eyes. He had been thinking as he looked, seeing nothing. He shook his head as she saw him, waving his bad hand in front of him apologetically. “Morning. I was simply lost in thought, not ogling. I am sorry.”
“Feh, dun care. I dun fink no man’s watched me sleep before. I guess still not.” She stuck out her tongue at him, smiling dreamily. “You sleep awlright?”
Zan nodded, stretching out his legs and turning onto his back. “How’d I get in here? Won’t Micah be upset?”
Shemmy jumped from her bed and skipped over to my brother. She climbed on his lap and sat atop him, digging through his pockets. She was looking for the elfbloom and found it in his pants pocket. He must’ve mistakenly returned it there in his stupor the night before. She held the vial but left her hand where it was. It was very warm. “I got permission for ya to stay in ’ere as long as ya slept on the ground. Dat’s why I’m down here instead of grabbin’ you onto my bed.”
“What?” My brother blushed, but with our gray skin it wasn’t red—it was more of a light blue. He was going to ask what he knew but then realized that was pointless. It was possible Micah knew anything that he himself did. “He hasn’t told Billiam, though, right?”
Shemmy smiled before pulling her ragged dress over her head. Her thin body looked smooth and clean in the areas that had been covered, unlike her dirty limbs. She pulled Zan’s good hand up and placed it on one of her breasts. It was perky and soft, filling only his palm. “Do you fink you’d be ’ere if ’e did?”
Zan’s finger stubs throbbed, but he couldn’t resist touching her more. Using his thumb and index finger he grabbed her hip, pulling her harder onto his lap. “I know you no longer hate me, but I didn’t think you liked me enough to pay me this much attention.”
“I guess I’m desperate,” she said with a laugh, surprising him by taking her hand from his pocket and crawling over his body. His neck was between her naked legs as she continued, “You were very nice to me yesterday, quite gentlemanly, I’d say. You wanna be nice to me again?” She did not wait for his answer. His grin was enough.
She needed only to make one step with her knees before her second pair of lips were atop his. She uncorked the elfbloom vial in her hand, placing a drop on her tongue before lifting herself slightly to place a drop on his as well.
Billiam was awake and getting ready at the same time Shemmy was stupidly amusing herself with my brother. Micah lay in bed, exhausted and sore. He had, perhaps, let his lover overdo it when they returned to bed. He was enjoying himself immensely, yet as morning arrived, he wanted to never move again. Every muscle in his legs felt as if they were stretched and overused. Both he and Billiam needed to learn the limits of his body. He wished and acted like he had none, but now he felt like a baby deer that could only wobble, not even dream of walking.
Despite his exhaustion, he knew he had to move. Billiam was dressed and would want to get them all going. Any minute now he would be heading to Shemmy’s room, but Micah didn’t want to let him know of the mercy he had shown Zan. “Billiam,” he called out weakly while trying to sound enthusiastic. “Come kiss me!”
“You are awake, my prince?” He bounced onto the bed and bent over Micah, holding his shoulder to prepare for the kiss. He was horrified to see him wincing in pain at the touch, as it was actually quite gentle. He removed his hand and gave only a light kiss on the prince’s forehead instead. “Did I take it too far? You are hurt?”
Micah grinned, and falsely shook his head no, but he hardly moved other than that. “Um… I think so.”
“Why didn’t you stop me, Micah?” He was so concerned he sounded almost angry. He brushed the hair off his forehead, rubbing his head lovingly. This was the only place he wasn’t afraid to touch.
“It didn’t hurt then, you silly brute; it felt absolutely wonderful. Why would I stop bliss?” Micah was smiling and tried to kiss his hand as it grazed him. He was glad Billiam was so distracted by his weakened state, as he could sense that Zan and Shemmy were still indisposed. “We’ll have to be more careful, I think, my love. That, and you are going to have to wait awhile to play with your toy again.”
Billiam knew he was being teased, but he didn’t respond with his regular excitement. “I will learn your limits, Prince, so I can give you the pleasure you crave, with no adverse effects,” he professed, lying beside him but barely touching.
“Yes, and I’m sure all these muscles I hadn’t used before will grow much stronger. However, just for today, can you carry me? I don’t feel up to walking or riding horseback.”
“You shouldn’t travel at all, then. We can stay another night. Spirit, I am so sorry, Micah.”
“No! No apologies necessary. I just want to keep moving. I’d rather not have to explain why we are delayed to anyone, either. Let’s get me dressed and go see the tailor before we bother with the others.”
Hearing that, Billiam lit up like a firecracker; he had quite the weakness for fashion. He carried Micah while dressing him, not wanting his body to have the strain of holding itself up. I highly doubt the prince was quite that damaged, yet that was Billiam’s love for him. It was a bit overbearing but endless and kind.
My brother and Shemmy were downstairs at the tavern when the prince and his page returned from their shopping trip. Zan was going on his fourth glass of milk and second bowl of stew. Shemmy was nursing her third ale and picking at bits of her pot pie with her fingers. The barman was laughing and chatting with her, that is, until he caught sight of Micah.
Although Micah was not entirely sold on his passing for a woman, he realized the ruse would have to live on as long as they were in Param. Furthermore, he conceded it was quite an effective disguise. No one was looking for a missing princess as far as they knew.
At the tailor’s they had many lovely long gowns, but not many short ones due to the cold. Micah’s enchantment kept him warm, and he wanted to have nearly the range of motion of wearing trousers; thus he was against anything floor-length. He located a pretty navy blue silk frock that had a ruffled front and bounced with frills at the tops of his knees. He could see the tailor did not want him going out into the cold in such a delicate dress, but he insisted he really could not stand long gowns. She brought him a nice, long cloak; it was an ivory wool with a silver fur trim. It was long and gaudy, and definitely would dissuade a person from thinking he was cold.
Billiam agreed he would buy his bride the cloak, so the tailor brought out some other knee-length dresses she had for the summer months. Micah got one in pink cotton, tight on the body but with a full skirt so nothing could poke through. The third and final gown was a brilliantly tailored glamorous concoction. It had a black skirt crossed over with violet and emerald ribbons, following up to an intricate corseted chest. It looked like it would have a rough brocade feeling, but it was smooth to the touch. That was his favorite, and of course the one he chose to wear out, along with his coat. The tailor’s husband was a cobbler who brought out some lovely black heeled ankle-boots for him. They had real pearls at the lace inserts, rather ridiculous but opulent enough for the prince.
For himself, Billiam grabbed three pairs of woolen slacks, black of course. One pair happened to be Micah’s size, yet the tailor didn’t mention it. He procured a thick black peacoat so he might fit in with the frigid area as well. He got a few of their finest knit shirts, even getting a pale blue one to break up his entirely monochromatic wardrobe. Micah picked out his ties for him, deciding on a veritable rainbow.
Billiam combed Micah’s flaxen hair to the side. He was beaming, his happy face completing the outfit beautifully. The tailor was so taken with the image he created that she donated a beaut
iful jeweled barrette of her own to his head. She couldn’t bear to see the outfit leave without the perfect accessory.
With their trip to the tailor being such a success, it was not a surprise they left the barkeep speechless. Billiam held the prince in his arms, his knees hanging over his elbow and Micah’s arm over his injury-free shoulder. His ivory mantle hung down around him, veiling Billiam’s body so that it appeared he almost floated. The ribbon-covered skirt peeked through the cloak, leading down to his black tights. The boots hugged his delicate ankles as they swung around the arms that held him. Billiam looked quite dashing too, but he was not awe-inspiring like the lovely ladylike creature he held.
“Aye, now thass an outfit suited to ’oneymooners in Alafor!” the barkeep yelled with a laugh, turning to get his notebook from behind the bar. “I won’t mind ya’ll leavin’ now. Won’t have to be fearin’ my guests are turned to icicles.”
Billiam smiled as he walked over, setting the prince in the seat next to Shemmy. She was petting him, touching every bit of fabric and giggling.
“Yes, thank you, sir. I suppose we were a bit ill-equipped. Shall I settle the tab with you now? Might we also be able to procure as many loaves of bread as you can spare, a few flagons of ale, and any preserved meats you have?” Billiam asked over the bar.
“Oi, I’m sure my wife can put some type o’ picnic togetha for yas. Dun think she’ll make it cheap, though. She said you folks were loud as all get-out. I dinnae hear a thing. ’Course I was passed out drunk as soon as the sun set.” He laughed and grabbed his large belly before walking into the kitchen.
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