“Oh, so the wild witch has become a mama bear, is that it? I suppose I can see that. Now leave me, I am tired.” He closed his eye and tried to lean his head over, though he could barely move it an inch.
She kicked him hard in the side, forcing him to scream louder than any of the times his fingers were ripped. “That is for the shit you pulled. You coulda told me yourself. We dinnae hafta get Billiam involved like that, not all of a sudden at least.”
“It would be obvious you lied when a halflock popped out of you. It doesn’t matter when he learnt of it. I do not feel bad for you, or for him, or for myself. We are all fucked-up, and it doesn’t bloody matter.” He was both smiling and crying quietly. He felt a mix of every feeling. A bit of bile won out, at last, as he muttered to her, “Billiam was wrong. You have only five months to cure him. That is the average gestation for halflocks. Purebloods gestate for only three, in case you are curious. You will show in a few weeks, most likely.”
“Blow it out yer arse!” She smacked his head against the tree and knocked him out cold. There was a possibility he could be concussed, could die, but she doubted he’d give up that easy. She didn’t care if he did, anyhow.
Shemmy was walking over to the fire but stopped short. Micah had drunk quite a bit of ale for someone with no experience with the stuff and had fallen asleep in Billiam’s lap. She could hear his cute quiet snores and didn’t want to disturb him. More so, she did not want to be alone with Billiam. She knew no amount of apologizing would do any good; this would take time.
She was about to sit just where she was, uncomfortable and alone, when he called out to her, “You can come over. I won’t yell at you.”
She skipped over happily, for she had expected it to be ages before he addressed her. Despite his invitation, he was scowling. “Can you hand me a blanket? I don’t want to disturb the prince, but I require some padding.”
“Uh-huh,” she muttered solemnly, handing him a quilt.
As soon as he grabbed it he turned away from her coldly, erasing her presence from his mind. She recognized this behavior; this was exactly how he had treated Zan when she first met them. Does he really hate me as much as him? she thought to herself, distraught.
She grabbed one of the other quilts, then laid herself down a few paces away. She pulled it over her head, trying to force herself asleep. She felt more alone being with them than she had over by the trees.
As she lay there lonely, she felt some solace knowing they would be at the City of Alafor the next day. She would be reunited with those other faces she met and not have to depend on these men for her sole company. She tried to convince herself any friends, any laughter would do. It did not have to be with Billiam. She knew it wasn’t true—she grew to love him quickly, yet she was too proud to accept that.
She couldn’t sleep, so she thought hard on how to make Malcolm, Kat, and me as enjoyable of companions as Billiam and Micah. Her first hurdle was to remember our names, which was what she mulled over in silence until her brain finally switched off.
Chapter 19
May 13th, 989
IT WAS about two hours after sunrise when Micah awoke with his very first hangover. It was not that awful, thankfully, but he felt dizzy as he lifted his upper body from the ground. He instinctively went to pull on his nightshirt to cover up and found he slept fully clothed. He was confused, but seeing the smoldered-out fire pit next to him, it began to make sense.
“Good morning, Micah,” Billiam whispered before sitting next to him on the quilt. “Other than you and these blankets, we are all set to go. Zan is tied up to your horse already; however, it seems there was an issue in the middle of the night with Shemmy’s. It passed away while we slept, so she is working on reviving it. She is confident she can, but that it will take at least another hour.”
Micah leaned into him, craning his neck up to look him over. Billiam’s voice sounded distant, and his face showed only distress. He was still extremely upset about the betrayal, whereas Micah was essentially over it. This was not only due to borrowing Zan’s feelings, but also to his own lack thereof. His emotions were still clouded and easily repressed, replaced with a pleasant albeit superficial joy. Regardless of why, he felt better and wanted Billiam to do so as well.
Micah crawled over to face him, leaning his back against the stump he sat in front of. “So, basically, you are telling me I have you to myself for the next hour?” he asked coyly, sitting on his lap and going in for a kiss.
Billiam moved his mouth away and frowned, before lecturing, “Micah, not only are we out in the open, it is broad daylight. Besides all that, I am hardly in the mood. We will be in Alafor tonight, as long as that horse is alive. You will have to wait.”
Micah shook his head and giggled, wriggling himself closer on Billiam’s lap. “You are not in the mood? Does that even happen? I think that might be a sign of the apocalypse.”
“You are right, that doesn’t sound like me at all. As sure as I am you could coerce me into it, that does not eliminate the danger.” Billiam groaned and wanted to remain upset, but Micah’s flirtation was making it impossible. He was quite irritated with Shemmy and felt if he were to let go of it and be happy, he would be letting her off easy. In reality, he was just punishing himself by forcing the bitterness.
Micah smiled triumphantly and was finally allowed to kiss him. “Well, right here as we are, I can see all behind you and you can see all behind me. It is not that unsafe. I could do what you did to me back in Param. That would work, would it not?”
Billiam was not entirely convinced, yet he did not stop the prince from undoing his pants. “You mean when I rode you?” he asked with a laugh, amused by Micah’s ever-decreasing innocence.
“Riding? Is that what it’s called? I guess I can see that, but I think you make a better horse than me,” Micah whispered, as he pulled up his dress. He found there was benefit to wearing frocks other than just discretion; it seemed to also be rather convenient.
“Micah, you cannot just hop on me. You will hurt yourself. Honestly, we should really just wait” was what Billiam said; however, his actions seemed all for continuing as he reached a hand up Micah’s dress.
Pleasure had encouraged Micah to bury his face in Billiam’s shoulder, completely dissolving his effectiveness as a lookout. Before he could lift his eyes, a pistol was cocked against his lover’s skull once again.
He looked up quickly, and though he was terrified, couldn’t help himself from laughing. “What is it about the back of your head that attracts guns in the morning, my love?”
Billiam looked at his prince, not the gunman behind him, and saw he was oddly calm. There was obviously something about the person that put him at ease, so he joked back, “I must have a magnet back there. I’ll have to visit a physician in City of Alafor.” He began to retrieve his hand and push Micah off his lap, resulting in the gun digging angrily into his scalp.
“I don’t want to see that!” grunted out the furious female voice. “Just leave him where he’s at. The damn dress covers you all up, thank Spirit. Where is Shemmy?”
Billiam was about to answer honestly as he was mad enough to hand her over. Micah bounced himself up and down a few times, making him groan instead.
He placed his hand over his embarrassed man’s mouth and replied, “I haven’t the foggiest of whom you are speaking. Just us perverts fucking in the woods. However, outdoors isn’t enough for him; he requires cross-dressing as well.”
“What the hell,” Billiam mumbled angrily through his fingers.
The gunwoman pulled the pistol from his head, shoving it in the prince’s face instead. Billiam was finally able to look up at her, quite ready to rip her head off.
She smiled at him, a familiar goofy grin with sparkling sienna eyes. Her short hair was cleaner, but the same shade of blackened brown. There was no mistaking the resemblance, especially when Annalise DuBois spoke with her accent. “How ’bout the truth, now that I have yer precious li’l twink targeted.”
“Your sister is over in the woods a good twenty yards. You will find her with two horses and a bound-up faelock. Which one are you?” Billiam asked, smacking the gun off Micah’s forehead and hugging him close.
“Not important, but obviously I ain’t her enemy. Carry on; you are safe. I have been taking care of all the other mercenaries on my way out here, and this region should be quite clear,” she snickered as she continued into the dense albeit naked forest.
Annalise could have found Shemmy on her own, but she couldn’t resist tormenting them. She had heard the entire conversation regarding safety and whatnot, hence her picking the exact moment Micah’s eyes were averted to run up behind them. Getting to witness the heir to the throne seducing a man while wearing a pink frock was too ridiculous to pass up, even if she was not at all interested in dandies. She was laughing to herself her whole walk over.
“Oi, sis, there is somethin’ right up yer pervert alley goin’ on o’er there!” she yelled out as soon as Shemmy was in eyesight.
Shemmy had been lying under the late horse, enchanting its midsection, but wriggled out at the sound of the familiar voice. “I’ve already seen it! Quite delicious, are they not?” she yelled. She was nearly finished, though she wasn’t certain how well she had done. She was attempting to give it second life, not just reanimate it, despite her lack of a faerie spring.
“Not my thing at all, you know that, sis. It was hilarious enough to watch for a bit before I interrupted them, but I doubt that I stopped them for long. Are all men just stupid, humping rabbits?”
“Pretty much,” Shemmy laughed, holding her sister’s ankle fondly before turning her needle back to the beast’s heart.
“It was dead?” Annalise queried. She held her bloodstained hand in front of its muzzle, feeling its warm breath collect against her palm.
“Now it’s alive!” Shemmy cackled as she got herself up. She was quite positive she had done it, a genuine resurrection; however, not a blessed one. She worried little for the stupid beast’s soul, making that of no importance. “So, you got that bounty too, eh, Annalise?”
“Yes, the cardinal himself brought it, printed it at Connor’s. He promised something to our brother about lifting your excommunication, but I don’t trust that pious asshole with my toilet water, so I came out here after you myself. Besides that, when I saw him it looked as if he was already booted from the castle, not to mention within inches of death. How could he accomplish anything for ya in that state of disgrace?”
“Feh, dun need his pardon, I revived the damn Prince o’ Casperland. He gonna take care o’ me forever, owes me his life he does,” Shemmy bragged, wrapping her arms around her sister’s waist while being pushed off by her playfully.
Zan was hysterical, interrupting their reunion and forcing Annalise to finally notice him. “What happened to him being your babe, and you doing anything for him? Now he owes you, he is in your debt? Make up your damn mind, Shemmy. I’d be careful too; he will know anything I hear.”
“Oh, so you is one to speak of two faces, eh? I was talkin’ shop, idiot. I dun wan my sister to know I am wrapped around his little finger. Which I am, Micah, happily I might add, and I love you, so when you get this memory please hear this part!” She shouted the last bit in Zan’s ear, making him wince in pain. She didn’t do this to punish my brother; it was simply because she was worried about Micah becoming upset. She could not bear having him angrier with her, especially as she believed Billiam to be a lost cause.
“I have no idea what the hell either of you are speaking of, but I gather it means you will not return with me, sister,” Annalise muttered, while looking over Zan in disgust. He was a complete mess.
“No, I am stayin’ wif Micah, no matter what. How bad is it? We only had one group of bounty hunters come afta us so far, and they was awful at it.”
“I have been dispatching the others as I’ve made my way up. So you burnt up Beatrix’s troupe? Found the charred-up lot o’ bastards a few days back. Thank goodness, that slut was an insult to all female mercenaries.”
“That freak did all o’ it,” Shemmy muttered, pointing at Zan. “I thought the blonde looked familiar. She was your little heartbreaker, eh?”
“Heartbreak? Hardly. Pocketbook breaker, yeah that could be, but you can’t crush steel!” Annalise yelled, toughening up her pretty face.
Shemmy couldn’t help laughing at her cute baby sister’s attempt at acting macho. “So we are okay to keep headin’ up? You got our backs?”
“Well yeah, I already ran up to Alafor and back this morning. It’s totally clear. You know you are only three hours out at your snail’s pace, right?”
“The fuck? Zan, you said a whole day. Thass why I wasted time on the horse.”
“I lied. I am not excited about getting to Alafor like the rest of you. Who do you think killed the horse?” Zan grunted from his pathetic seat on the ground.
“I am gonna tell the prince, ya know!” she shouted childishly, jumping in front of him.
“You don’t need to bother. He will find out anyways. You loved enchanting that thing, so don’t feed me your fake anger.”
“You are all really weird,” Annalise laughed out, slapping her hand onto her hide-covered knees. She was dressed head to toe in dark brown leather that was lined with fur. You could only see the soft tan fluff poking out around her hood. She was quite well dressed for the territory, unlike the rest of them. “I can’t believe the Prince of Casperland wears girly dress and gets fucked in the woods. Connor is gonna shit himself when he hears this. It’s too good!”
“Noooo! You cannae tell him!” Shemmy shouted, pushing her hands into her sister’s face. “The prince needs to to get back on the throne. He cannae do that if he becomes Connor’s sideshow centerfold.”
Annalise frowned, kicking her boot into the dirty snow angrily. “He’d never have a dick in his centerfold, you know that, but there is no way he would’nae write about it. I cannae tell him at all, can I? I can’t tell any of our family, for that matter. I sat through that for nothing!”
“How much did you even see?” Zan asked, both curious and jealous.
“I didn’t see anything, but I think I know what was happening, and that is bad enough.”
“Aww, my pure little sista, yer so cute!” Shemmy squealed, picking her up although barely, to show her off to Zan. “Isn’t she gorgeous? She be scared of cocks, though. Yours would give her a bleedin’ heart attack, but can you imagine this li’l bod on ya?”
Shemmy was patting and groping Annalise all over. She was bright red, embarrassed and furious, knocking Shemmy onto the ground as soon as she could.
“She just looks like you, only cleaner. You are both absolutely stunning,” Zan answered, smiling at them. He was not lying, although he did find Shemmy more attractive because of his feelings. Annalise was just the younger model, without the passion her sister held that had entranced my brother so.
Shemmy was blushing but also looked nauseated, prompting Annalise to back up from her. “I would offer to escort you all to City of Alafor, but I am getting more creeped out by the second. Just because I am your sister doesn’t mean you get to grope on me, Shemmy. Will you ever learn to keep your hands to yourself?”
“Nope!”
“Right, since you can’t be trusted to act like an adult, I will be gettin’ the bloody hell outta the snow and back home. I need some proof you’re okay, though, something to show Connor so he doesn’t have a fit.”
“I’ll sell ya my soul for a big kiss on the lips!” Shemmy yelled gleefully, as she ran over to her horse. She rummaged through the saddlebag lying on the ground beside it.
“What are you on about? How could I buy your soul let alone show such a thing to brother? Furthermore, you dun even like lasses. I can’t understand why you act like such a creep towards your own sister.”
“It’s cos you is my darlin’ sis, yer just so cute. You can give the kiss to Zan instead, if yer so opposed. Here’s my soul,
should keep brover from havin’ a meltdown.” She held the nasty doll and danced around her sister while dangling it out in front of her.
“I ain’t laying lips on either of yas, just give it!”
Annalise was unable to rip it out of Shemmy’s constantly flailing grasp until Billiam interrupted. She snatched the soul from her distracted sister when he called over, “Is the blasted thing alive yet?”
“Wha?” Shemmy called to the voice, staring at her now empty hand in defeat. She looked at him before answering and took a moment to appreciate the fact that Micah was not only wearing pants but that also his black dress had become a blouse.
“Yeah, ’tis alive, but what are the two of ya doin’ here so soon? Ain’t no way yer awlready spent, topman.” Shemmy felt very uneasy teasing him with as tense as things were left the night before, yet she still couldn’t resist showing off in front of her sister.
Billiam showed none of his usual indulgence of her. He simply gritted his teeth and kicked up the snow as he walked within reach of them. “I’m not sure what Miss DuBois here thinks she witnessed, but if you’re all so curious, I had just barely begun using my fingers to tease His Majesty’s—”
“Billiam Grimhart!” Micah shouted, blushing enough for both of them and stepping on his foot with the pointy heel of his boot.
He shrugged and shook his head apologetically at the prince before smirking at Shemmy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we are allowed intimate details all to ourselves now. I was under the impression everything was to be shared with your dear sister. She was obviously fantasizing up her own scenario anyways. I’d rather it at least be accurate.”
Shemmy looked like she was going to cry as she began desperately pleading her case, “Hey no, it was’nae like that, just Annalise said you was… I dinnae fink of it on my own, I just—”
“It doesn’t matter! Do not embarrass me to get even with her!” Micah whined up to him, tugging on his sleeves angrily but also as if he just wanted attention.
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