Princess Master 2

by Eric Vall

  “Hey,” I snickered as I made sure my sword was aimed at his chest. “You’ve probably never heard of The Legend of Zelda, huh?”

  “Wha?” He tilted his head in confusion.

  “I’m like Link with full hearts, so suck it, bitch!” I shouted, as a huge blast of purple lightning shot out of the tip of Genie’s Wrath and toward the pirate captain’s heart.

  Unfortunately, the recoil from the explosion was strong enough to send me reeling backward, and the last thing I saw before I went flying over the ship’s rail was purple lightning shooting out across the deck and decimating all of the pirates.

  Before I knew it, I was in the freezing water. I was a strong swimmer, but the waves were too powerful for me, and I was thrown back against the side of the ship. I wanted to flail my arms so someone could see me, but as my head kept going under the surface, it was almost as if I were paralyzed.

  My head went under again, and the pirates must have gotten to me, because I thought I could hear Davy Jones laughing in the distance. I was sinking even further down now, and my ears began to pop from the pressure. I wanted desperately to take a gulp of air, but I knew I had to resist.

  Suddenly, I thought I felt a hand on my arm, and then everything went black.

  Chapter 7

  I came to choking on sea water, and everything, from my nose to my lungs, was on fire. I noticed the sun had started to come up in the sky above me, and I realized it must have been a bit of time since I fell overboard.

  Someone had positioned me on my back and was now towing me through the waves, and I assumed I was back in California. Maybe that whole Fairyland thing had been a strange dream caused by inhaling too much water.

  Then I looked to my side and saw the Lady Starlight about twenty feet away. Nope, I was clearly still here in Fairyland. Whoever rescued me seemed to be an incredibly strong swimmer, though, and we were getting closer and closer to the ship by the moment.

  As my water-soaked brain began to clear, I realized I actually had no idea whose arms I was in. So, I turned my head to the side and gasped, because I immediately realized no ordinary lifeguard saved my life.

  The woman who had me safely tucked under her arm had long, bright-red hair that streamed out through the water behind her as she pulled me back toward the boat. Her face was the picture of perfect beauty, with wide-set aqua eyes, long, dark lashes, and full, ruby red lips.

  “Who are you?” I tried to splutter, but it was difficult to get the words out.

  “Shhh,” the mystery woman replied. “You’re safe now. We just need to get back to the boat.”

  “O-Okay,” I mumbled and laid my head back again into the water.

  As we approached the ship, I saw someone had thrown a rope ladder over the side, and I heard someone shout my name from above.

  “Think you can climb?” my rescuer asked.

  “Yeah, after you,” I said weakly.

  The redhead grabbed the rope, and I caught a glimpse of her entire body for the first time. Her spectacularly toned torso was bare except for a lavender bikini that barely covered the nipples of her perfect cantaloupe-sized breasts, but that wasn’t the most amazing thing, and I involuntarily gasped when I saw what curved outward from her hips: It was what appeared to be an iridescent fish tail, covered in shimmering scales in tones of greens, blues, and purples, and it was almost too beautiful to look at directly.

  “Holy shit…” I breathed.

  Did I just get rescued by a fucking redheaded mermaid supermodel?

  Only in Fairyland.

  As the woman pulled herself out of the water onto the rope with strong, toned arms, the tail suddenly disappeared and turned into a pair of legs. Said legs stretched up to a perfectly curvy ass in a pale green bikini bottom, and as she climbed, I could see all the way up the inside of her thighs. The water that dripped from the space between only fueled the immediate fantasy that popped into my head, and I had to remind myself I’d just almost drowned and needed to use my strength to make it back up onto the Lady Starlight.

  So, I pulled myself up onto the ladder with a grunt and was relieved to have something solid in my hands again. As I began to climb, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the incredible view above me, and it took a minute for me to realize voices were calling my name again.

  “Joe!” I heard Jessamine call out, and I could now see her hanging over the side of the ship and watching us climb with an anxious expression. “Oh, hero, we’ve been so worried.”

  The gorgeous redhead made it to the top and climbed over the ship’s rail, and then it was my turn. I groaned with exertion as I pulled myself up and over the wood, and I stood weakly on the deck for a moment before my knees buckled beneath me. Then I slid down to sit against the railing and rested my head in my hands.

  “We thought you were dead,” Cienna murmured in a grim tone as she leaned over me and gently touched my face. “Don’t do that to us ever again.”

  “I-I don’t remember what happened,” I managed to get out. “What happened to the pirates?”

  “Oh, Joe, you were incredible,” Jessamine gushed. “Genie’s Wrath killed all of them and ended the fight in one blast. Here, it fell on the deck when you went overboard.”

  She handed me my golden sword, and I laid it down next to me. Thank god I hadn’t lost it.

  “It’s true.” Cienna nodded at me with a huge smile on her face. “Joe, you saved the Lady Starlight and so many members of the crew. You were incredible.”

  The blonde kissed me on the cheek, and then my wives turned to my rescuer.

  “Thank you for saving our hero,” Jessamine said to the redhead, who now stood shyly to the side of our small group. “But I must ask you, what is this Zelda Legend you spoke of before you smote the pirates? What is the link with full hearts?”

  “Ohh,” I chuckled. “Uhhh… I’ll tell you another time, but first, where are my manners? Thank you…uhh, Miss… I don’t know your name?”

  “I’m Ariana,” the red-haired beauty said with a bashful smile. “I… I saw you out there, and I wanted to bring you back to somewhere safe. I always try to save humans when I can.”

  “Humans?” Cienna asked with a furrowed brow. “But aren’t you--”

  “No, not exactly,” Ariana cut the blonde off. “I appear as a human sometimes, but… I can live under the water, as well.”

  “A mermaid… ” Jessamine breathed, and her dark eyes widened. “I have only heard of your people in books. That’s amazing.”

  “Why don’t we get Joe down to my cabin?” Cienna suggested. “We can get some dry clothes on you, Joe, and then we can all talk more.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good,” I mumbled. I’d started to feel a lot better, but I was definitely chilly.

  As my wives helped me to my feet, I was relieved to see someone had started swabbing the deck, and there were only a few bodies left scattered around. The ship had definitely sustained some damage in last night’s carnage, particularly the cut to the mainsail, but the crew of the Lady Starlight had definitely come through with a major victory against the pirates.

  I followed the women to Cienna’s cabin, where I immediately collapsed onto the bed. It felt incredible to be back somewhere safe and warm and surrounded by beautiful women. Cienna pulled a clean shirt and pants out of our belongings and tossed them over to me, and I saw Ariana’s ivory cheeks turn pink.

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Jessamine reassured her. “Joe’s not shy at all. In fact--”

  “I-I think I’ll just step out for a moment,” the redhead stammered. “It’s fine. Just call me back in when you’re ready.”

  Ariana stepped out of the room so I could change, and Jessamine and Cienna immediately made eye contact with each other.

  “Who is that?” Cienna mouthed in Jessamine’s direction.

  “I have no idea!” my dark-haired wife whispered. “She’s beautiful, though, isn’t she, hero?”

  “Yeah, I guess she’s alright.” I grinned and rolled my eyes as I pulle
d the dry pair of pants on.

  “Do you think we can trust her?” Cienna hissed.

  “Well, she did rescue me,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t working for Chernabog,” the blonde replied with one raised eyebrow.

  “Well, I still say we keep everything on a need-to-know basis for the time being,” I said as I tried to consider the best thing to do.

  “I agree,” Jessamine replied. “We can find out who she is, and get to know each other better first.”

  “Okay,” Cienna agreed, and some of the tension eased from her shoulders. “You’re right, we don’t even know where she came from yet. Are you ready? Should I let her back in here?”

  “Sure.” I nodded.

  The blonde princess pulled open the door, and Ariana came back into the cabin.

  “Please, sit,” Cienna said as she gestured to one of the chairs that sat around the room’s small dining table.

  “Thank you,” Ariana replied with a small smile, and she perched herself demurely on the edge of her seat and delicately crossed her ankles.

  “I am Princess Jessamine, and this is Princess Cienna,” my dark-haired wife introduced herself to the newcomer. “And this is Joe, our husband, the hero of legend. You may have heard of his deeds, as he is very famous now.”

  “Hello,” the redhead said with a nod, but she looked confused. “I apologize, but I’ve never heard of the hero of legend before.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Cienna assured her. “Right now, I just wanted to tell you how grateful we are that you rescued Joe.”

  “O-Oh, it was nothing.” Ariana blushed again. “I just swim well, and of course I care about saving people.”

  “Well, it means everything to me,” I told her. “I’m so sorry to be rude, but I have to ask: who are you?”

  “Oh, please pardon my rudeness,” the redhead replied. “I am Princess Ariana, and my family and I rule the kingdom that lies under us right now, beneath the waves.”

  I couldn’t believe we’d just randomly met another princess in the middle of the ocean, and I saw Cienna and Jessamine raise their eyebrows at one another.

  “Oh, my goodness, Your Highness,” Jessamine said as she made a quick recovery and bowed her head in respect. “I didn’t realize you were a princess, too. It is so wonderful to make your acquaintance. So, this does mean the hero story is relevant to you. Let me tell you--”

  “Jessamine, don’t overwhelm our visitor,” Cienna cleared her throat. “I’m sure everything will come out in time, if it, in fact, needs to. Let’s take a moment to get better acquainted. And yes, Your Highness, I am honored to meet you, as well, and I would love to learn more about you and your kingdom.”

  “I am honored to meet both of you, too,” the redhead told my wives as she smiled shyly. “It is rare I get an opportunity to communicate with royalty outside my kingdom.”

  “So… let me get this straight,” I said. “In Fairyland, there’s a whole other world under the sea?”

  “Yes,” Ariana replied. “It is where I live with my people.”

  “Is there a… prince, Ariana?” I couldn’t help myself.

  “No, I was married once, but my husband died a few years ago,” the redhead said with a sad expression.

  “We all have so much in common,” Jessamine gasped with shining eyes. “Cienna and I have both been married before, although we’ve each bonded with Joe now.”

  “I see,” Ariana murmured as her aqua eyes shot back to me. “My husband was actually a human, and he passed away in a shipwreck. I used to spend more time up on the surface, and I was better familiar with the rituals of Fairyland back then. But since Aaron’s been gone, I have mainly focused on the occurrences within my kingdom.”

  I looked around at the women around me and couldn’t help but stare for a minute. Ariana sat right next to me, and I was trying to resist her salty perfume that somehow had a faint touch of coconut. The newcomer’s long red hair fell in damp waves around her shoulders and down across full, round breasts that looked just about to spill out of her purple bikini top at any moment.

  To my left, Cienna wore a man’s tunic, but the laces at the top had come open and revealed her cleavage to perfection. The blonde’s hair was pulled up on top of her head, but a few loose strands had come out of the pins and fell around her perfect face.

  And then there was Jessamine, dark-haired and dark-eyed, who now wore a teal silk robe that clung to her lean curves like paint.

  “Hey, Joe.” Cienna waved a hand in front of my face, and as she brought me out of my trance, I realized all the princesses had been staring at me. “Are you in there?”

  “Of course, I’m listening,” I said as I waved a hand and tried to look casual. “We were just talking about Ariana’s husband, and a shipwreck…”

  “Actually,” Cienna began, “Ariana was just telling us about the trouble she’s been having in her kingdom. Your Highness, why don’t you start again?”

  “I apologize, please go on,” I said and focused on our guest. “I really am interested in what you have to say.”

  “Okay.” The redhead nodded. “I was just telling the other princesses my father, the king, has been away a lot lately, leaving me to rule over our kingdom. And the merman who would usually advise me has been gravely ill lately. It’s been a huge loss for all of us, and I’m still fairly new to ruling. I’ve always preferred to stay behind the scenes and try to learn more about the world to help my father, but being the leader of a kingdom is entirely new to me.”

  “I can certainly relate,” Cienna responded. “Can you tell us what happened to your advisor?”

  “Yes, we suspect he was poisoned,” Ariana sighed. “Things have been pretty bleak lately in my world. There is a witch, Eudora, who constantly terrorizes my kingdom. Many, many people in my kingdom have been getting ill lately, and I believe Eudora is behind it, although I haven’t been able to collect any proof yet.”

  “Oh, how awful!” Jessamine clasped a hand to her mouth. “Cienna, Joe, do you think this could possibly be related to what’s going on up here with Chernabog?”

  “Cherna--who?” Ariana shook her head with a confused expression.

  “So, you don’t know about what’s been going on up on the surface?” Cienna tried to confirm.

  “N-No, I suppose not,” the redhead replied. “I read all the time, but I mainly have studied history and geography, and a little science, and now, of course, I am learning more about poisons. Can you tell me more about your problems?”

  “Of course,” Jessamine said with a nod. “Fairyland has been threatened by a huge, evil demon named Chernabog for several years now. We are still trying to learn about all of the ways he is terrorizing our world, but he has many terrible minions beneath him who do his bidding. I was just wondering if Eudora could be another one who serves him.”

  “Have you discovered any weaknesses?” Ariana asked. “Do you know how to defeat him?”

  “Can I tell her about the legend yet?” Jessamine turned to Cienna.

  “Fine,” Cienna said as she rolled her eyes and laughed. “I know it’s your favorite thing to talk about, Jessamine.”

  The dark-haired princess stuck her tongue out at the blonde before she continued.

  “Princess Ariana, the only thing we know is it involves a hero of legend,” Jessamine began. “I asked a genie to bring us a hero who would save all of Fairyland, and here he is. Joe’s been so incredible. He even defeated Jamar, Chernabog’s evil general who was terrorizing my desert kingdom.”

  “Are you from the desert, as well?” Ariana turned to Cienna with wide eyes. “I’ve only read about such landscapes.”

  “No,” the blonde replied, “but I do come from a neighboring kingdom. I met up with Jessamine so I could assist her with her kingdom’s battles, and we’ve been traveling together ever since. Along with Joe, of course.”

  “Oh, yes, back to the legend,” Jessamine continued. “There is an ancien
t story that states the only way we can defeat the greatest evil that has ever threatened Fairyland is by uniting the princesses and the hero. All of the princesses must come together and complete a bonding rite with the hero, which increases all of our magical powers.”

  “A bonding rite?” Ariana asked, and her aqua eyes glittered with intrigue. “I would love to know more.”

  I was really starting to like this princess, who, despite her red waves and revealing bikini, kind of reminded me of a sexy librarian. Nonetheless, she seemed a little shy, and I wasn’t sure she really wanted to hear the details of the bonding ritual at the moment.

  “Well, you see--”

  “Jessamine, let’s give Princess Ariana a few minutes to settle in before we get into all that,” I interjected. “I’m not sure the details are all that important for the time being.”

  “Okay, Joe,” Jessamine sighed, but she couldn’t seem to keep a mysterious smile off her lips.

  “I wonder if this Chernabog has anything to do with the trouble I have been hearing about out on the open seas,” Ariana said and tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. “I have heard rumors of ships being attacked, but I haven’t been able to figure out why all this trouble is starting now.”

  “Yes, this ship was attacked by pirates last night, as you might be able to tell from all the damage up on deck,” Cienna told her. “Have you heard anything about pirates out on the seas up here?”

  “Yes, pirates, and then I have also heard there have been attacks of unknown origin,” the redhead said before she yawned.

  “Ariana, are you tired?” Jessamine asked. “You could go rest in another cabin.”

  “Yes, that might be nice,” the redhead replied with a faint smile. “I need to get home, of course, but I might like to take a break before the long swim.”

  “Here, follow me,” Cienna told her as she rose from the table. “I’ll get you some food and a bed for as long as you need it. We can talk more in a little bit.”

  The two women departed the cabin and left Jessamine and me alone at the table, and my dark-haired wife leaned her hand on her chin and smiled at me.