"Sure." Candy sounded less harsh now. She shooed them out with an amused smile.
Rithvik was speechless until they reached the tavern.
"Kerrien, I can't go through with this," he protested as they sat in a corner of the still crowded main room. "I mean, a fake wedding! How can we pull this off? And with two strangers..."
"Two strangers who are like us, but of the opposite sex, Rithvik," Kerrien replied. "They take care of each other. Judy loves Candy as much as you love me. The wedding is just a ceremony... we might act as betrothed first and get to know them better. I'm sure it's the best thing that could happen to all of us."
"But..."
"Rithvik, nobody knows us here. We can be just friends who met two lone women and fell in love, and nobody will ever find out the truth. We'll have a house and a room where we can do whatever we want and we'll be safe from Manusia and whoever else will try to hurt us..."
The maid interrupted them. Rithvik was so upset that he said he wasn't hungry, so Kerrien ordered two fish dishes like the one he'd had the night before.
He took Rithvik's hand across the table and squeezed. "We'll be all right, Rithvik," he said in a low voice. "Trust me."
Rithvik looked at their intertwined fingers and gulped. His green eyes looked up again, slightly blurred by tears. "I'm scared," he mouthed.
Kerrien squeezed his hand again and pulled back. Not here and now, but he'd wipe out Rithvik's fears. Not that he didn't have any – Candy and Judy were two strangers. But they had a chance of settling with them and he didn't want to miss it.
The maid brought the plates.
"Try this, it's delicious," Kerrien said, smiling at Rithvik.
The prince hesitated, sniffed the dish and then tried a bite.
"It is!" he said, brightening. "What is it?"
"Just eat it and then I'll tell you," Kerrien answered. He knew Rithvik wasn't too fond of fish. Luckily his appetite was back. Everything would be all right.
"I didn't know fish could taste so nice," Rithvik said as they went to their room to sleep. "Tomorrow we go to the public baths before heading to Candy and Judy's house," he added as Kerrien locked the door behind them.
Kerrien went to sit on the bed next to Rithvik and took him in his arms to kiss him.
"Let me undress you," Rithvik said then with his bedroom eyes.
Kerrien smiled, forgetting everything else.
Rithvik gasped at the sight of his bruised torso. He turned him around and brushed the signs of scratches on his back whispering, "Oh, my... who did this to you, Kerrien?"
Kerrien guffawed, but Rithvik's outraged face made him turn serious again.
"It was you, Rithvik. Well, Manusia in your body. I wasn't aware it was him, I thought you were a little rougher than usual, but well... I think I was under a spell, so I didn't really put up much resistance. He is the king of demons after all. And he did have your face and body to confuse me..."
Rithvik opened his mouth then threw his arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he sobbed.
"You weren't yourself," Kerrien replied, patting his back to calm him. "And I wasn't either. It's fine, Rithvik, it's just scratches. Tomorrow we'll buy a balm, like Aedwyr suggested, and there won't be any scars to remind us of that fateful night."
Rithvik pulled away and sniffled. "Are you sure?"
"Definitely. These other scars are from much deeper wounds. You don't have such long nails that could damage me like a blade or an arrowhead would."
Rithvik's lips trembled into a smile. "You shouldn't joke about that. You could have been killed."
"I survived long enough to find you in that tower," he replied. "Which probably means you were right from the start. We're meant to live happily ever after."
Rithvik held his breath as Kerrien's words sank in. Then he grinned and started kissing Kerrien all over his face, making him laugh. They both fell on the bed, giving vent to their passion.
THE END
About the Author
Barbara G.Tarn had an intense life in the Middle Ages that stuck to her through the centuries. She prefers swords to guns, long gowns to mini-skirts, and even though she buried the warrior woman, she deplores the death of knights in shining chainmail. She likes to think her condo apartment is a medieval castle, unfortunately lacking a dungeon to throw noisy neighbors and naughty colleagues in. Also known as the Lady with the Unicorns, these days she prefers to add a touch of fantasy to all her stories, past and present – when she’s not wandering on her fantasy world of Silvery Earth or in her science fantasy Star Minds Universe. She dabbles into historical fantasy with her Vampires Through the Centuries series and has started post-apocalyptic/steampunk series called Future Earth Chronicles. She’s a writer, sometimes artist, mostly a world-creator and story-teller. Two of her stories received an Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future contest and one was published in Pulphouse Magazine #5 (March 2019). She writes, draws, ignores her day job and blogs at: http://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com.
For more info on the series or other titles go to Unicorn Productions.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on your retailer of choice, thank you.
Did you love Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth? Then you should read The Path of Water (Quests Book 1) by Barbara G.Tarn!
Hinrik survives the battle outside the walls of Moriana, battered and hurt. He drags himself to the River Ondan to put an end to his misery.
But it's just the beginning of a new life of discoveries about himself and the world, a quest for his true calling in life. He is a half-blood and must learn what it means with the help of Bellinda the healer and Keneith the magic user.
The warrior, the healer and the magic user are all outsiders or outcasts looking for a place to call home in a hostile world, away from the aggressively expanding Varian and Blackmore Kingdoms.
A story of the northern kingdoms of Silvery Earth with magic and pain, loss and rebirth.
Read more at Barbara G.Tarn’s site.
Also by Barbara G.Tarn
Future Earth Chronicles
Brainwaves (Future Earth Chronicles Book 1)
Wanderlust (Future Earth Chronicles Book 2)
Across Continents (Future Earth Chronicles Book 3)
Himalayas (Future Earth Chronicles Book 4)
Airships (Future Earth Chronicles Book 5)
Silvery Earth
Books of the Immortals - Air
Books of the Immortals - Earth
Books of the Immortals - Ether
Books of the Immortals - Fire
Books of the Immortals - Water
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 1
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 2
Chronicles of the Varian Empire - Volume 3
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth
Amazon Spring
Amazon Summer
Books of the Immortals
The Hooded Man
Kilig & Hakeem
Saif & Kilig
Kilig the Sword
The Young King
Firebird
Beautiful
Amazon Fall
The Path of Water (Quests Book 1)
The Path of Fire (Quests Book 2)
Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 1
Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 2
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth Volume 2
Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth
Tales of the Queendom of Maadre
More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)
Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)
The Path of Air (Quests Book 3)
Quests Volume One: The Paths of Water and Air
The Path of Earth (Quests Book 4)
Quests Volume Two: The Paths of Fire and Earth
Talwar and Khanda - Assassins in Love
Saif's Story
Honorable Assassins
Axelle, Wanderer (Silvery Earth Heroines)
The Complete Chronicles of the Varian Empire Box Set
Assassins Guild of Silvery Earth Box Set
Fall of the Southern Kingdoms
Angelica, Scholar (Silvery Earth Heroines)
Two Stories of the Varian Empire
Male Lovers of Silvery Earth Volume 3
The Sun Sword (Legends of the Moren Empire Volume 1)
Quests Box Set
Star Minds Italiano
Angelo Tecnologico (Star Minds #1)
Mercanti di Schiavi (Star Minds #3)
Star Minds - la trilogia
Stella Cadente
Legame Mentale (Star Minds #2)
Star Minds Frammenti - Donne
Star Minds Frammenti
Star Minds Universe
Star Minds - The Trilogy
Star Minds Snippets
Star Minds Next Generation
Star Minds Next Generation Diaries
Star Minds Chasing Stardom
Star Minds Interregnum
Star Minds Third Generation Snippets
Star Minds Starter
Adventurer (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Pilot (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Hacker (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Thief (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Mercenary (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Freelance (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Star Minds Lone Wolves Shorts
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 1-5
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 6-10
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 11-15
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 16-20
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 21-25
Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - Missions 26-29
Rogue (Star Minds Lone Wolves)
Terra d'Argento in italiano
Amori Maschili a Terra d'Argento
L'eredità di Saif
Smeraldo e Kyrio
Il giovane re
Saif e Kilig
Vampires Through the Centuries
Charioteer of Buddha
Indestructible
Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness
Kristine the Youngest
Norman Blood
Rajveer the Vampire
Shashank the Fledgling
Vampires Through the Centuries Novellas
Standalone
Johnny & Marian
Six Months and Other Love Stories
Best of Friends
Ciaran & Harith
Happiness is...
Choices, Changes and Other Stories
Pat & Babs
Body Switches
Yash and Ryo Lost in the Milky Way
Today People
Soul Thieves
The Fern and The Cross
Otherside
Joint Operations
Relationships (5 Short Stories of Love and Friendship)
Mumbai Dreams
Watch for more at Barbara G.Tarn’s site.
Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth Page 29
