by Lisa Daneils
“It sounds like there are a lot of parallels between what happened to your father and what he’s trying to do to you.”
“That’s what I said, but he got really defensive. He claims he knows his friend well enough to know that I would be treated well. I already know what awaits me in that marriage, starting with his friend being upset once he finds out I’m not a virgin.”
“Why would he be upset about that?”
“Because he prefers women who haven’t been touched. It’s just so creepy.”
“Creepy, yes, but it also means it’s almost certain he is a terrible lover. Men who are lousy in bed want women who don’t have experience. These kinds of men believe that the woman won’t be unhappy with the experience if she doesn’t know what it should be like.”
“Are you trying to tell me you wouldn’t prefer a virgin for your wife?”
“I suppose if I were in love with someone who was a virgin, then I would overlook it. But my preference is definitely for a woman who knows what she is doing. They bring a lot more to the bedroom and are far less likely to be shy about it. It is such a turn-off to be with a woman who is nervous about sharing her body. I want her to feel as excited as I do. Having a woman lose control…”
His expression changed, and Nissa felt herself blush as his mind clearly went back somewhere that she was not going to ask about. Clearing her throat, she managed to say, “Well, I have to say you are unique in that.”
“Not at all. All of the males I know feel that way. We all start as blank slates, but experience is what makes us unique and interesting. That definitely counts in the bedroom. Or wherever the mood strikes.” He smirked at Nissa. “Would you want a man who was a virgin?”
“Of course not. Men are expected to be experienced so they can please the woman.”
“Right, because the first time for most men is entirely too short and he fumbles around the unfamiliar female body. It’s similar for a woman with zero experience, except you also have to be careful because it hurts a woman. Sex should be about losing yourself, not having to calculate every move while compensating for your partner’s inexperience.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, “I’m not going to talk about this anymore.”
He laughed, “That’s fine. I’m not trying to get your take on this. Actually…” He stopped walking and gave her a look. “Maybe I should be getting your take on it. I mean, I realize that you aren’t exactly the norm when it comes to this, but you could certainly enlighten me a bit about what it is… your kind want. That would be helpful.”
Nissa stared wide-eyed at him, her mouth open a little. Finally, she frowned, “I am not sure how to take that, but if I’m being honest, I am not entirely comfortable talking about this with a strange man with whom I am traveling for I don’t know how long.”
“Oh. Oh!” The man’s eyes widened. “You are right.” He gave a low bow, “I am Ethan.” He stood back up with a wide smile on his face.
“Divines! What would my tutors say?” She gave a low curtsey, pulling the sides of her cloak out. “I’m Nissa.”
“That is a beautiful name. But you should definitely use a different name while you are in this kingdom.”
“What? Why?”
“The only Nissa I’ve heard of around here is the princess. If anyone else were to learn who you are, it would be quite the giveaway for who you actually are.”
“Ah, you are right. I hadn’t even thought about that. Wait,” she titled her head to the side, “is your name actually Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you need to hide who you are too?”
“Do you know anyone named Ethan?”
“Well, no, it isn’t a familiar name.”
“We are nowhere near my home, so I don’t need an alias. And I assure you no one is looking for me here.”
“You really think things through, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been accused of overthinking things as well, but more often than not I am able to avoid the kinds of problems my friends encounter. All but Liam anyway.”
“Liam…” The princess frowned. “That name kind of sounds familiar. I can’t think why, though.”
Ethan shrugged, “Does it really matter right now? We should probably get going. We have a lot of ground to cover and no real starting point for locating a single… man.”
The way he paused, Nissa felt certain that Ethan had avoided saying something else. Feeling it best to not ask, she nodded. “Yeah. But I do have a rough idea of where he is. There are only a few towns that match what he’s told me. And he’ll be at an inn because he is from a different kingdom. Should be fairly easy to find him if we get to the right town.”
Ethan nodded, “That’s at least a good starting point. You tell me where you want to go first, and I’ll get us there.”
Chapter 4
The Broken Agreement
Nissa pulled out a small packet of paper. On the top were notes about what she knew, and the princess began to consider where Nicolas was likely to be, based on the list. “I think that Brighton is first. ”
“That’s a bit of a walk, but we should be there within a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?”
“Yeah. We aren’t going to be getting a horse. That just leaves walking.”
“Do you have a thing against horses?” She put the notes away because they were moving a bit too much in the gentle breeze. The last thing she wanted was to lose them.
“They are brutally uncomfortable. Just let me know if you need a break, and we can rest.”
“Thank you, Ethan. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t been in the town when I arrived.”
Ethan nodded and looked away. “Not entirely true, but definitely best not to think about it.” He turned back to her with a sly smile on his lips, “No more gratitude. It’s unnecessary and quite a bummer to be traveling with someone who sounds like a child just learning a new phrase.”
Her initial reaction was to feel insulted, but then she realized that was exactly what he wanted. Instead of giving Ethan the expected reaction, Nissa decided to turn the tables on him. “Does it make you feel a bit shy?” She adapted the teasing tone she had used with children who had been doing something wrong and were trying to hide it.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed a little. “Shy? My dear lady, you have no idea how far from shy I am.”
Nissa’s eyes widened a little, and a smile spread across her face. Apparently her teasing had hit somewhere close to home, giving her an advantage. Licking her lips, she finally said, “Oh my, but it does make you feel shy to have someone be so grateful.”
“What? No, it doesn’t.” He frowned at her.
“Too late, you already showed your hand, and it was a very poor bluff.”
Ethan clicked his tongue, but his lips curved up ever so slightly. “I can see that your father raised quite the headstrong young woman.”
“That is the popular opinion of me.”
“You can try to say it was because he spoiled you without a mother, but we both know that it is more than that. I’ve known princesses who were nowhere near this headstrong. No, your father spoiled you for other reasons. Or perhaps it wasn’t him at all.”
This time her traveling companion’s musing hit a little too close to home. “Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Or at least something similar.” She looked away, her mind casting about for something else to discuss as they walked out of the village. She turned back to look at it one more time. “You know, I’m not sure that calling that a village is accurate anymore. It seems much larger than what I imagined a village should be.”
“You could be right. I’m not sure what your… kingdom classifies as a village or a town.”
Nissa bit her lip, as her mind again hitched on the way he had obviously chosen his words more carefully. She knew it was wrong to ask, so she fought down the urge to find out just what he wasn’t saying.
“Something is bothering you,”
Ethan moved in front of her, and walked backward. “Out with it.”
“It’s rude.”
“I don’t think that either of us need to be terribly cautious about offending the other at this point. I’ve made it quite clear I’m not about to act out of character. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t act more naturally with me. I mean, this could be your only opportunity to be yourself.”
“Well, I disagree. You can be as condescending and difficult as you want to be, but I… well, I’m not going to,” she managed weakly.
He smirked at her, “Feeling a little too grateful to be your bratty self?”
“Divines, you are just—” Nissa threw her hands in the air. “You are acting like a child.”
“It’s part of the joy of being out and about on my own so far from home. I don’t have to worry about manners, customs, or caring what other people think.”
“Something tells me that you don’t worry about those even when you are at home,” Nissa said offhandedly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized what she had just said. The princess’s eyes immediately dropped as she stared at the ground, the regret at voicing her opinion beginning to make her feel embarrassed.
“Oh my heart! You are so mean!”
Nissa looked at Ethan, ready to start apologizing because she knew what she had said was completely wrong for someone of her station. Then she noticed the look on his face. The mock shock was ruined by the smile that was only barely hidden behind it. Realizing that he was just trying to get a rise out of her, she decided to react in a way that was even more unbecoming of a princess. She ran forward and slapped him on the chest, taking him completely by surprise.
Ethan stumbled backwards, knocking Nissa’s legs out from under her. She toppled forward, holding out her hands as she tried to catch her balance. Her foot struck his leg, and her body finally pitched over her center of balance. Landing on top of him, she stared down at the genuine surprise on his face.
It only lasted for about a second. His chest began to rumble as Ethan fought back a laugh. “My, my, but that wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I said be more yourself. I am incredibly flattered, but I just don’t feel that way about you.”
Too mortified to say anything, Nissa struggled to get up. At first she tried to push herself up, only to realize that her hand was on his chest. Almost as if she experienced a shock, she pulled her hand away, and immediately fell to the side. Her sword and legs were tangled with Ethan’s legs, catching him up in her momentum and rolling him over on top of her.
Nissa looked up into his red eyes as he stared down at her for a second. He swallowed, then placed his hands on either side of her and pushed himself up. He stretched a hand down to her, his eyes not quite meeting hers. “Here. Let me help you up since you seem incapable of standing.”
A part of Nissa’s mind noticed the hint of pink on his cheeks, but her own mortification at what she had done kept the rest of her mind more than occupied. “I am so sorry—I really—”
“Don’t worry about it. I was provoking you, so let’s just call it even.”
He reached out and for a second she stood completely still as his hand moved past her head. Then she felt her hood being pulled back up over her head. “Oh, thank you. I—”
“You still don’t need to thank me. If you thank me for everything, we will never have a real conversation. And we have quite a walk ahead of us.”
Nissa brushed off the dust, realizing only as she finished that no dirt had stuck to Ethan. “How is it that you didn’t get dirty?”
“Hm?” He was watching her with a look of curiosity, but shook it off as he realized she had asked him a question. “Oh, our tailors are quite skilled. It really takes a lot to get us dirty. As much out of necessity as from convenience.”
“Are you a sloppy eater or something?”
“Hardly, no. My friends and I have a tendency of getting into trouble. It saves our servants from having to dedicate staff to keeping our laundry done every day.”
“I suppose it is to be expected of you men.”
Ethan sucked in his cheeks for a second, “Clearly you would be surprised, then. We have the latest changes thanks to my sister and a couple of the queens. They take their sports quite seriously.”
“Wait! Are you telling me that royalty is allowed to play sports? That women participate in getting dirty where you are from?”
“The females and males in my kingdom are pretty much just anatomically different. Their roles are pretty much identical, and no one would dare to tell a female that she couldn’t do something just because of her gender. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to be healthy? Our power is often undermined by their flexibility, which is only enhanced by the fact that they are smaller than us. I mean, you should see the way—” Ethan stopped speaking in mid-sentence, his mouth open. He closed his mouth and twisted his lips, “Yeah, it’s not something you should see. I doubt you would be interested.”
“Are you kidding me? It sounds like your kingdom is way more interesting than the ones around here. Most of our women barely play sports, and we do participate in certain activities, but always stuff that can be done in a dress. It’s so boring, but my father was always very permissive.”
“That’s why you have a sword.”
“Exactly.
“You are a curious woman, Nissa.”
Nissa gave him a withering look. “Why, thank you very much.”
To her surprise, Ethan had a serious expression. “I don’t mean that as an insult. You are not… what I have been led to believe.”
The princess stopped from saying exactly what she thought of that because something in the way he said it made it sound like he was talking about something other than her specifically. “Are you saying that I have such a reputation that you are shocked by what I’m actually like? I think that is what you want me to think, but you actually mean something else. Don’t you?”
“I wonder,” he said, looking at her without answering her question.
“If you don’t know, I certainly don’t know what you mean. But I am definitely inclined to believe the latter.”
“Do you know what about your current situation really strikes me as odd?”
“What?” It was more of an exclamation than a question. Her traveling companion was again changing the course of the conversation in a way that broke the flow.
It was almost as if he were treating the change of topic as expected because he continued, “All of the princesses who weren’t already betrothed are supposed to remain single, or unbetrothed, for now. There is an agreement with the kingdoms on the other side of the mountains, and four of the princes over there have been… told they have their choice of bride. So why is your father breaking that agreement?” He frowned at her.
“What? I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve heard of no such agreement, and frankly, I find it impossible to believe.”
Ethan clearly looked surprised. “Really? He didn’t tell you? Because I definitely saw his signature on the agreement, which means that he is knowingly breaking it.”
“That’s not—no, there is no way my father would break such an agreement. Because nothing like that would ever happen.” Nissa vigorously shook her head, the idea too foreign for her to believe.
Ethan tapped his lips as they walked in silence for a few paces. “It would explain why he has suddenly decided to marry you off to one of his friends. He doesn’t want you to marry one of those foreigners and live so far from him.”
“That’s insane. None of the kingdoms on this side of the mountains has anything to do with the people on the other side.”
“Until recently, that was most certainly true. Do you know why?”
Nissa shrugged, “I always just figured it was because of the mountain range. It would be incredibly difficult to cross, and we have everything we need over here.”
“Then you haven’t heard anything about the people on the other side?”
“No. Do
es it matter? Well, I suppose if what you say is true, it might matter now, but I can’t understand why things would change so suddenly.”
“Yes, that last bit is a definite curiosity. You know… I’ve heard whispers in my travels.”
“Do you mean about the people on the other side of the mountains?” Nissa’s eyes got large. Even if she had never thought much about them, she was finding herself very curious now. As someone who was going to be free to travel, the possibility to learn about something so exotic wasn’t something to ignore.
“They say that they aren’t human.” Ethan watched her closely, and she thought at first he was trying to get a rise out of her.
“Oh, please. That’s just silly. Just because they are foreign doesn’t mean they should be demonized.”
“What?” Ethan seemed taken aback at first. “No, I mean literally. They… aren’t human. They look like humans, but word is they are actually shifters.”
Nissa’s eyes widened, “Do you mean like those horrible magic users who have been attacking the coastal kingdoms?”
Ethan frowned, “I had not heard about that. They shouldn’t be… well, that would definitely be a reason, a flimsy one, but…” It was obvious that his mind was elsewhere.
“Do you think it is true?” Nissa asked, grabbing his sleeve. “Do you think it is them attacking the coast since our kings are going back on the agreement?”
“What?” Ethan looked at her almost like he had forgotten she was there. “Oh, no, it definitely isn’t them. It’s one of their worst enemies. A type of human hybrid that is so self-destructive it’s amazing they haven’t self-destructed into extinction yet.”
