by Crystal Dawn
“I’ll need them in the morning but I need at least one to pick out horses and gear. Ender is getting three wagons and they all need loaded tonight. Serena is dealing with the head cook for what food supplies we need. I’ll also need the guards to load some water for the trip. I’m sure we’ll forget something, I’ve heard that’s the way of long trips.”
“You’ll have money or trade goods, I wouldn’t worry so.” Arcan advised.
Flint would miss him and he hoped he would join him in Serena’s kingdom someday. “You are a good friend.” They shook in the way of warriors by clasping arms.
When he left Arcan, he felt sure that things would be done and anything not taken care of would be minor and easily traded for. He snuck into the kitchen and got two hens for Sir and left out to feed him. The dragon was a likable creature and he spent some time getting to know him. Sir was easy to talk to, maybe because he said nothing in return only shaking, nodding, or snorting.
It was lunchtime when he made his way back to the kitchen to find Serena had all the supplies in hand. “I see you’re back just in time for lunch. Is Sir doing well?”
“He’s looking good and seems happy. How is the work going?”
“The cook has been exceedingly helpful. Your father should give her a raise before some other kingdom steals her away.”
“I’m sure he’ll consider it. What’s the special today?”
“Chicken and dumplings. I’m looking forward to trying it since I’ve never had it.”
“You’re in for a treat. It’s one of cook’s best dishes.”
They each grabbed big bowls full of food and went out to the main hall to sit down and eat. The server from yesterday brought them their drinks and Flint ate his food with gusto. Serena ate like she was hungry, too. Ender came in and joined them with Arcan coming in minutes later.
“You will have a great adventure. I can’t wait until you return with all those marvelous tales to tell.” Arcan enthused. “I bet the hunting will be good, not like it is around here.”
“Sere thought the hunting here was good enough. He hunted and got game every day.” Serena explained.
“Sere must have hunted like he fought, better than the average man.” Arcan observed.
“Yes, that’s true.”
“I never met this Sere. Who is he?” Ender questioned.
“My guard, he came here before me and prepared things for me.” Serena explained.
“He knocked Flint on his ass. It was an amazing fight.” Arcan recounted.
“Where is he now?” Ender asked.
“He’s headed back home.” Serena replied.
“Without a horse?” Ender asked.
“A horse is easy to trade for and Sere likes to walk.” Serena noted.
“Maybe I’ll meet him when we get to your kingdom.” Ender declared.
“I’m sure you will.” Serena said and she smiled brightly.
“How are the preparations coming for the trip?” Ender asked.
“Better than expected. Serena took care of the supplies from the kitchen, Arcan chose four guards and they are dealing with two wagons, horses, and the water. You’re in charge of a wagon, two guards, and other supplies. Tell me how your part goes?” Flint asked.
“Mine is done. My guards have the wagon ready and loaded.” Ender bragged.
“Mine, too.” Arcan added.
“Looks like all we need is a good night’s rest and we’ll be set.” Flint said.
“I doubt you’ll get much rest.” Ender said, glancing at Serena.
“I’ll get what I need.” Serena and Flint were through eating and they said their goodnights.
Once they hit their bedroom, the clothes disappeared. Flint could get used to that. They jumped into bed rolling around like they were wrestling until he moved her under him. She let him take the lead and he kissed her first. His lips moved from her mouth and wandered down her throat as he licked and kissed his way down. He moved down to her shoulder and finally to her aching breasts, tugging hard on one nipple, then the other. Serena moaned and arched up toward him wanting more and not wanting him to ever stop.
His mouth nipped, licked, and kissed a trail across her stomach and continued down until he was between her thighs. He moved his fingers to her wet and welcoming folds to spread them before he licked her from gate to clit. It felt amazing and she squirmed needing more.
He slid one finger into her channel and his tongue attacked her clit making waves of need shoot through her. She spread her legs further giving him better access and he added a finger as he continued to pump into her while his tongue continued its assault on her bundle of nerves. So close was she to losing her mind in an all-consuming orgasm that she could almost taste it. Wanting to hold it off and enjoy his ministrations, she knew it would be impossible because of his skills and he sent her hurtling over the edge.
He pushed into her fast and she felt so tight he knew she must be feeling the burn as she stretched. His finger went to her clit massaging the already sensitive button as he slowly worked his way in further. He moved back and forth using the need he was building with his finger to distract her. Leaning in and capturing a nipple in his mouth, he tugged hard on the aching peak. Once he was fully seated, he gave her a moment before he started to slide in and out. Her body had adjusted to accommodate him and now she encouraged him to move faster.
It was amazing after having been with him before that she could have any trouble adjusting to him, but he’d never felt a woman squeeze him like she did. Maybe he was getting bigger. Pulling her legs up to her chest he plunged even deeper, but she showed no signs of discomfort. She just wanted more. “Faster,” she urged him. She arched up to meet him and she acted crazy with lust. Her pulse raced, she panted, and her skin felt heated.
He moved faster pounding into her and he was ready to fall off the edge of bliss into the whirlpool of emotion below. She screamed, her nails dug into his back, and he plunged the deepest yet and her climax hit. Her body exploded around him as she pressed against him as if she were trying to become part of him.
Flint felt the come pulled right out of him and he bucked and jerked as every drop sprayed into his wife. They were both sweat slicked, breathing hard, and trying to come down from a climax that left them feeling high. Exhausted, they both fell into a restorative sleep which was just what they needed. If he dreamed, he couldn’t remember when he woke and if she dreamed, she never mentioned it.
They both seemed to wake at the same moment and they got out of bed. Serena dressed them with her magic, which he was getting accustomed to. They went to the room his parents usually had breakfast in and joined them.
“I’m glad to see you before you leave. I wasn’t sure if you planned to say goodbye.” His mother said.
“Of course, we planned to say goodbye. I’ll miss you both, but we’ll come back when we can.”
They ate breakfast in silence and then it was time for the last goodbye. By then, Damian and Forest had joined them. The queen broke down in tears, the king’s eyes were shiny but he held back the flood, and even Damian and Forest looked sad to see them go. It gave Flint hope that his two brothers would straighten up and toe the line.
Flint finally pulled free of the hold his mother had on him and gently held her away from him. “We have to go now, but we will be back to see you. Hopefully with a little one.” She tried to smile, but the tears and her sadness made it look more like a grimace. He hated that his leaving was making her and his father so sad, but they had to go.
He led the way out of the castle and to the wagons, horses, and the guards that would accompany them. The sadness was dissipating as excitement took its place. Flint planned to focus on the adventure, because that was what this would be.
Mounting up, he waited until everyone was ready to go before he led them down the road that would take them away from the kingdom where he had been born and raised. On Ender’s face, he saw mixed emotions. There was excitement and sadness, even the slight
amount of uncertainty he saw there wasn’t unexpected.
It wasn’t long, at their steady pace before the castle was no longer in sight. That, more than anything made this feel real. They stopped a few times briefly to eat, relieve themselves, and to stretch their legs. Other than that, they made good time until twilight. Now there would be a time of revelations for those with them.
Once the horses were unsaddled, fed, watered, and otherwise taken care of, Flint called everyone together. “I have some information to give you before we get any closer to Serena’s homeland. First, I need each of you to swear that if you return home, you’ll not reveal what I’m about to tell you.” All the men swore they would never tell another soul. “Okay, I must tell you first that Serena’s horse is a dragon.”
“You are jesting? Damn it, Flint.” Ender said.
“Serena, change Sir.” She did, and the men jumped back with their eyes wide. “He’ll not hurt any of you.”
“How is she changing him?” Ender asked.
“That’s the next thing I must tell you. Serena is a princess, a fae princess with magic.”
“Fuck!” Ender said, and that was a mouthful for him because he rarely cussed. None of the other men seemed able to speak, the fear of magic was in their eyes.
“Our trip is not as long as you were given to believe. Our worlds are separated by a magical curtain and in two days, we will reach the spot where we enter her world. Once we enter, we will be a few days from the castle that will be our home. Sleep on it and tell me if you wish to head home in the morning.” Flint offered. It was a big decision and he felt he needed to give them the choice.
“I’ll stick with you, my brother.” Ender said as he slapped him on the back. “Where did the dragon and your bride go?”
“Hunting.” Flint said with a feral grin. “She’s hunting some meat while we get the camp set up and the fire going.”
“The dragon hunts with her?” Ender asked.
“The dragon is a predator. He hunts for his own food.”
Ender shivered. “That’s a scary beast.”
“Yes, and he’s just a youngling according to Serena. He’ll grow much larger with time.”
“He’s beautiful too, in a scary rip your throat out and gobble you up way.”
“Sir has restraint. He’ll only hurt someone tries to hurt him. Did you know Forest broke into his pen in the stables?”
“No. He lived to tell about it?”
“Sir only kept him cornered until we showed up. The damn fool was lucky, Sir could have eaten him whole and no one would have known.”
“That’s a scary thought, too.”
“Forest intended to steal him.”
“I hope he learned something from the experience. He’s smart enough to help Father, but the boy is lazy.”
“He works so hard to avoid work, just doing it would take less effort.”
“Let’s hope he finds a happy medium or the kingdom may fall without us there.”
It saddened Flint that there seemed to be too much truth in Ender’s statement. Now that they had left, he just hoped for a good result for his father. Maybe Damian had felt overwhelmed by him and Ender’s early successes. Forest had just followed Damian down the road of bad choices. With them gone, maybe there was hope.
The guards took care of the horses while he and Ender gathered wood and started a fire. They got out the blankets and placed them a short distance from the fire. Next, Flint got out the water and a cup for each of them and some corn to roast to go with the meat he knew Serena would bring soon. He looked up to see her carrying a white tail deer over her back. It wasn’t much smaller than her and it showed him the supernatural strength she had.
She took a rope and hung the deer from a limb and proceeded to skin and gut it. While she was doing that, he set up a spit so they could roast the deer overt the fire. Once the animal was gutted, Sir ate all the insides so they wouldn’t draw in animals looking for an easy meal. Flint looked away, but he still heard the slurping noises Sir made.
He helped Serena set up the deer on the spit and they took turns turning it. The delightful aroma of cooking meat wafted through the air. The guards and Ender soon gathered around the fire and they began to tell stories. Someone asked Serena to tell a tale and she told a magical one about two poor children mistreated by their step mother. At least it ended well.
“Tell us about this magical world you come from.” Ender asked. The guards said little to Serena and Flint thought they were awed by her and the thought that she was a magical being.
“My world is much like yours in many ways. We have mountains, but dragons like Sir live in the caves there. We have lakes but mermaids and other magical sea creatures make a home in them. We have woods, but magical plants grow there and wood sprites and other magical creatures hide there. We also have people who have a different kind of magic, like some people in your world do. They can grow things, or they can take lumps of metal and fashion the finest swords, take food stuffs like wheat and turn them into delicious treats, and some can take threads and turn them into the finest ball gown. Magic is a relative thing. Often a great skill can be magical, too.”
Flint could see everyone was thinking about what she had said. With everyone helping, all the supplies got put up and the meal leftovers taken away from camp. Flint wanted privacy with his new bride, but that simply wasn’t to be. Instead, he had to settle for cuddling up with her and getting a good night’s sleep.
“Good night, Sweetheart.” Flint whispered, as he curled around his mate once they finally settled in for the night.
“Good night, my love.” Serena said and just like that, she was asleep. He wished he could fall asleep so easily. Tossing and turning took up part of his night but finally, he succumbed, too.
There was only a hint of light in the east when Serena woke him. She handed him some bread, cheese, and meat to break his fast with. Once he was up, he drank some juice knowing it wouldn’t keep long on their journey. Everyone else had a cup of it, too.
Flint couldn’t deny he was sore all over since he rode rarely. He’d thought being in good fighting shape would help, but if it did, he couldn’t tell. Serena didn’t seem to suffer like he did or she hid it well. They made good time this day too and when they stopped, she and Sir went to hunt without delay. This time she brought back a boar strapped onto Sir’s back. It was too heavy for her to carry and she wasn’t using magic unless it was necessary.
None of the men had chosen to return home, but she was exposing them to her world as slowly as she could considering they would be there in two more days. The boar smelled even better than the deer had and Serena had placed an apple in its mouth. She said it would add a good flavor to the meat. He had never heard that before but the boar tasted marvelous and everyone ate their fill.
“So how did you learn to hunt like that?” Ender asked.
“It’s a skill all my people have. I started hunting with a bow when I was five. It was for small game like rabbits and birds. We have plentiful game and all of you will enjoy the hunting.”
“Perhaps you will give me some pointers?” Ender asked. “I’m not the best, but I haven’t hunted much.”
“I would be honored. Perhaps we can all go on a private hunt sometime in the next month.”
Hearing her offer, it occurred to Flint that she expected to resolve the issue quickly, one way or the other. The fire died and they all worked to put the camp in order before settling in for the night. The only difference between this night and the last one was he went to sleep quicker.
Again, it was his mate waking him with a bite for breakfast. The same as yesterday, but it was a filling meal and he was ready to go. His aches had lessened and he hoped they would continue to improve. There was little talk since they were in no man’s land and didn’t want to attract the attention of bandits. It was a real risk along these desolate portions of road.
They made the best time today of the trip so far and Flint was sure it was becaus
e they were adjusting to riding and the horses were as well. They camped near a river just before dusk and instead of hunting, Serena made a spear and went fishing in a shallow area. The men were all amazed at how quickly and easily she got enough fish to feed them all. Sir went hunting but returned quickly so he could eat the remains after Serena filleted the fish. She wrapped the filets in leaves she picked carefully and she put them in coals she pushed away from the fire. About an hour later, she pulled them out and checked on them.
She seemed satisfied and handed them out to everyone. They each got two fish and they scarfed them down quickly. They still had some meat left from last night and they ate that too, after reheating it over the fire. Flint had never expected to be fed so well on game and fish on this trip. The only thing he missed was the sweet baked goods like cakes and pies.
Tomorrow night they would cross over into the White Dragon Kingdom. He felt anticipation but there was some nervousness as well. Flint knew things would be harder than Serena had led him to believe. Mating a human was a big no no and her father wouldn’t allow her to get by with it, if he could stop it.
They were married in the eyes of his people, but not yet mated in the ways of hers. That they had a struggle ahead was a certainty, and it wouldn’t be long now before he would know how bad things could get. Serena was trying to protect him and he couldn’t blame her for it. He would do the same but he wished he knew what to prepare for.
Chapter 7
Home Again
The trip home had been easier than the trip away, maybe because of the company she’d had on the trip home. Her mate especially had calmed her nerves and soothed her worries, but today there was little anyone could do to set her at ease. They were just getting ready to start the last day of their journey to the White Dragon kingdom.
By the time twilight arrived, they would be at the perfect place in the veil to slip through and enter her kingdom. Would anyone be waiting to greet her since she was sure her father knew where she had exited into the human world? Would he leave guards to take her into custody and bring her before him? No, he was a proud man and he’d probably told anyone who missed her that she was on a trip for him.
