by Eric Vall
Cienna had been giving me a lot of attitude, though, and I was hoping I would be able to win her over soon. I’d gotten a little tired of her scornful tone of voice, but there was no doubt the blonde was tough and beautiful. She would definitely be a harder nut to crack than Jessamine. Then again, she hadn’t seen me summoned by a genie, and I could somewhat understand her skepticism.
Once we reached a high enough altitude, the carpet coasted to an easier speed, and if I ignored the dizzying drop to the ground far below us, I could almost imagine I was on one of those tiny scenic trains that were in some parks back on Earth.
“So, who exactly is Jamar?” Princess Cienna asked in a confused voice after some time had passed. “I keep hearing his name these days, and I thought I heard those soldiers say his name, too, but I never heard him mentioned back home in my kingdom.”
“Jamar is one of Chernabog’s high-ranking generals, and he originally came from my kingdom,” Jessamine informed the other princess. “He has the power of hypnosis, so after Chernabog raises the dead, he can then let Jamar control them to do his evil bidding. They are the most horrible zombies you have ever seen, with rotting faces and blind red eyes. When I summoned you to my kingdom, I was hoping you could help me defeat these awful, undead monsters.”
I was curious to hear Cienna’s story, so I hoped she would be nicer to me this time if I asked her a question.
“Princess Cienna, where exactly have you been this whole time?” I turned and inquired.
“Where have I been?” she asked as she cocked an eyebrow at me. “Where have you been? If you’re the hero who’s here to save everyone, what took you so long?”
“W-Wait, that’s not what I meant, Your Highness,” I replied.
“I think what Joe meant, Cienna,” Princess Jessamine took over, “is that we have been extremely worried about you. It was bad enough to lose communication in the first place, but when we arrived at that town and realized it had been taken over by hostile forces, it was even more concerning. I think we’re lucky we were able to find you at all.”
“I agree, it is lucky,” the blonde woman conceded, and she sighed as the gentle breeze blew her golden hair back away from her face. “After I arrived in this town, I sent the correspondence that you, apparently, received.”
“I got the letter several weeks ago that said you would arrive within the fortnight, but then you never came,” Jessamine explained.
“I had brought fifty troops from my kingdom to assist you in your battle, Princess Jessamine,” Cienna continued, “and we were traveling with my carriage. Well, it’s really more of a battle wagon, but sometimes I like to think of it as a carriage when I look back on my more… delicate… days as a damsel. We left the carriage up the road and made it as far as the border town, but then things started to go wrong. It was like half my men had been possessed by Chernabog himself, and perhaps they were. They started to turn against me, one by one, but there were many brave soldiers who stayed by my side. We attempted to retreat back up to the carriage, but my remaining men… ”
“Those we saw on the ground back at the campground?” Jessamine said with a catch in her voice.
“Yes, it was over for them quickly.” Princess Cienna’s voice quivered, and she sighed. “The bastards who sided with this Jamar killed the men who had remained loyal to me and took me prisoner. I have lost track of time, but I suspect it has been a few weeks now. They kept saying Jamar was coming, and they were saving my body for him.”
I frowned as the princess wrapped her arms around herself, and I wished I knew the blonde better so I could figure out a way to comfort her.
“Well, you’re with us now,” Jessamine said as she reached out and took Cienna’s hand, and I could tell she was trying to be cheerful. “I’ve held off Jamar for a long time, and I’m not going to let him get you. We can all travel together, and we’ll come up with a plan. With a strong battle strategist like Joe around, I know we’ll figure out what to do.”
I pursed my lips but decided to stay quiet instead of correct the raven-haired beauty. What could I say? There were only so many times I could argue with her about my actual battle experience.
“Princess Cienna,” I began as I turned my head, and I was careful to call her by her proper title, “I have one more question for you. You did something amazing back there when we escaped from that tent. We basically won because of your magic, which let me kill almost all those dudes at once. What was that?”
“It’s a long story,” the blonde sighed.
“Well, it’s not like we have anything else to do,” I chuckled and gestured to the empty sky around us.
“Yes, and we would be delighted to hear your story!” Jessamine grinned.
The blonde princess chewed on her pink lower lip for a moment before she nodded.
“A long time ago, when I was younger, I had a problem keeping track of time.” Princess Cienna smiled sadly. “The clock kept running out on me when I was trying to get things done. So, I decided to make sure that wouldn’t happen anymore. I was lucky I had someone to teach me, a magical mentor if you will. She was the one who taught me the magic that stops time. Right now, I am very weak from being captured. My powers are usually much stronger, but I can only stop time for a couple seconds right now, and I can only do it for one other person. Princess Jessamine, what did you see when Joe slit those men’s throats?”
“Honestly, I didn’t really see anything,” Jessamine admitted with wide, dark eyes. “It all happened quicker than a flash.”
“You see, Joe, time only stopped for you and me,” Cienna continued. “When I’m stronger, I can do it for more people--whoa!”
The carpet suddenly dipped beneath us, which made my stomach flip over.
“How long do you think the carpet is going to last this time?” I asked as I glanced at Jessamine.
“I wish I could tell, but I’m not sure how to figure out the extent of my magical powers yet,” the black-haired princess replied into my ear. “We’ll be safest if we can get far away from the men, but, as far as the carpet goes, I also feel like it’s probably going to be safer to land sooner rather than later.”
“I think we need to land soon, then,” I told her.
“I sure hope the two of you know what you’re doing,” Princess Cienna called over the sound of the wind as the carpet continued its slow and bumpy descent.
For the next fifteen minutes, I scanned the woods below for a clearing large enough to land in, and I eventually spotted a wide break in the trees up ahead in the distance. If I squinted hard enough, I could see that it looked like a deserted campground, and I hoped it would be a good place for me and the princesses to spend the night.
“Hang on, I’m going to try to bring the carpet down,” I announced over my shoulder.
“You can do this, Joe!” Princess Jessamine encouraged me.
I tried to put downward pressure on the front of the carpet and concentrated as hard as I could. Since our previous landings had been so unsuccessful, I still wasn’t quite sure how to bring the thing down. Still, I held tight onto the tassels and was relieved to see the rug seemed to drop in altitude. I had to pay attention, though, despite the fact that Jessamine’s arms were wrapped tightly around my waist with her hands dangerously close to my thighs.
“This might be a little rough,” I told my companions, but to my relief, I managed to steer the carpet toward the campsite I had my eyes on.
“Hang on tight, everyone!” Jessamine exclaimed and squeezed me even harder.
We sailed downward toward the foliage until I accidentally steered the magic carpet over the top of a tree and bumped it across the wet branches.
“Watch it!” Cienna complained.
“We’re almost there,” I reassured her.
The rug was now sloped forward at a downward angle, headed directly for the opening in the trees. Both princesses skidded forward and slammed directly into my body, but at least it seemed like everyone was still hanging on. Wh
en the front edge of the rug approached the ground, I tried with all my might to straighten it out horizontally so we wouldn’t all fall off.
All of the sudden, the back end of the large carpet bumped against the forest floor, and I was jolted slightly up into the air. Then the front tassels dipped forward into a muddy patch, and abruptly and unceremoniously, we came to a stop.
I quickly turned around to make sure my passengers were okay, since I couldn’t believe we’d all managed to stay on the rug.
“We must learn how to properly land the carpet,” Princess Jessamine giggled as she struggled upright and swiped her wind-swept hair out of her face.
“I agree,” I told her, but I was a little bit more concerned about Princess Cienna now.
The beautiful blonde woman was still sitting up, but she was leaning back on her hands and looked dizzy. Then she closed her eyes, and I thought she would probably need a new place to rest. Even though we’d spent the night in that cottage, the princess had been imprisoned and most likely malnourished for weeks, so she needed more time to regain her strength.
I stood up and surveyed the situation. Bumpy ride aside, it appeared we’d landed in a good location, and I couldn’t see or hear any signs of human life.
“Look, Joe!” Jessamine exclaimed, and she pointed across the clearing in excitement.
I followed her finger and saw the campground already had a couple of abandoned shelters. They were made of rickety, splintered logs and looked like they could fall over at any minute, but they would suffice for the night.
I silently congratulated myself that I’d selected the right location.
“I think we put enough distance between us and those soldiers, and this looks like a great place to spend the night,” I announced, but it had gotten colder, and I was worried about Princess Cienna catching a chill. “We’re going to need to start a fire to keep warm.”
I quickly collected some small logs for kindling and pine needles for tinder, and I found a flat stone and began to dig a hole in the center of the clearing. I thought I could make a small pit and fill it with rocks, and then light the fire on top of that.
When I was done digging my hole, I considered how I was going to actually light the flames, and once again, I was infinitely grateful I’d managed to bring my plumber’s tools with me to Fairyland.
“Jessamine, bring me my pack,” I called over to her, and the princess complied eagerly. “I’m going to need my plumber’s tool bag.”
She dug through the large pack and pulled out the toolkit.
“Here you are, Joe,” she said as she handed the bag over to me. “What are you planning to do?”
“You’ll see,” I replied with a smile. I had my PVC pipe glue with me, and that shit would go up in seconds. So, I spread some of the glue across the wood, and it was now time to pull out the trusty blowtorch. The tool would run out of fuel eventually, but for now we were golden. Once I had it in hand, I pressed the button, and we had a roaring fire almost immediately.
“Oh, Joe, you’re so incredible,” Princess Jessamine gasped as she stared at the flames, and she grabbed one of my hands and massaged it gently.
Was it my imagination, or was the beautiful woman having trouble keeping her hands off me these days?
“Hey, over here,” Cienna called out. “I-I’m not feeling that great.”
I looked over, and while the blonde was still incredibly gorgeous, her face was pale, and I didn’t want her to get even sicker.
“Cienna, let’s go check out those shelters,” Jessamine suggested, and she walked over and gently helped the weak princess to her feet.
“Be careful,” I warned them as the raven-haired beauty wrapped her arm around the blonde’s slumped shoulders.
“I always am.” Jessamine smiled faintly, and she used her free hand to pat the scimitars sheathed at her waist.
The two women disappeared inside one of the rickety structures, and I further examined my surroundings. The sky had grown cloudy and was getting darker by the minute. I was relieved we’d managed to find somewhere to stop before nightfall, and I looked at my roaring fire with pride. I knew the princesses, at least Jessamine, were more than capable, but making them a fire made me feel pretty manly.
After some thought, I decided to pull some logs around the fire to create a cozy atmosphere where we could sit and talk, because we definitely needed to come up with a plan.
“It’s not too bad in there,” Jessamine said as she and Cienna emerged from the ramshackle structure and returned to my side. “I think we'll be able to make beds quickly with some of the tapestries in my pack.”
“Sounds good,” I muttered distractedly, since my eyes were busy roaming over the women before me.
I was struck again by how incredibly beautiful both of my traveling companions were. In their peasant’s tights, I could see the outlines of both of their firm, tight asses. Jessamine had changed into an embroidered white blouse that was practically see-through, and my thoughts immediately drifted to the full breasts that laid underneath. I imagined sliding my hands up her warm, flat belly to cup them in my hands, and I had to turn back to the orange flames of the fire to distract myself.
The dark-haired princess had started to drive me completely insane.
I shook my head and sat down on a log, and Cienna collapsed on one of the other logs I’d set up and rubbed her hands together in the warmth of the flames.
“Is there anything to eat?” she asked weakly, and I wondered what there was left in the pack.
Jessamine sat down next to Cienna and rummaged through the bag to see what she could find.
“Here, I still have some dates and almonds,” Princess Jessamine announced. “And the water we got from the cottage.”
She handed the food and drink to Cienna, who only seemed to be able to nibble at the snacks and sip gingerly from the flask.
“So, what exactly are we planning to do here?” Cienna asked after a moment, and her blue eyes flickered between Jessamine and me. “It’s great that we found a place to shelter for the night, but we still have a war to fight.”
“I think we should return to my kingdom,” the black-haired princess said with a determined expression. “We have barely made it into your domain, Cienna, and I am worried about what’s going on back home.”
I hated to disagree with Princess Jessamine, but the situation wasn’t exactly promising back at her castle. I hoped the men were holding their own with the flamethrowers, but there was no question they had been outnumbered.
“Princess Jessamine, I think you really need to focus on bringing more troops back home,” I suggested gently.
“I understand, but I feel like I need to check in on my men,” Jessamine replied as she chewed on her plush lower lip. “How do you think they are doing without me? The whole world is crazy these days, and I don’t want them to feel abandoned.”
“I think they have their flamethrowers for the time being, so they are probably okay, but what they really need is more men--”
“I agree,” Princess Cienna interrupted and lifted her chin. “If the situation back in your kingdom is as dire as it sounds, we should continue to make the journey to my home. I still have plenty of men I can bring back to fight alongside your soldiers, assuming they haven’t turned against me yet.”
“I think Princess Cienna is right,” I said. “Our best chance of survival is heading to her castle to see what kinds of forces she has left.”
“If you think so, Joe… ” Princess Jessamine trailed off and frowned in concern.
“I do think so.” I nodded and tried to sound reassuring.
Princess Cienna still sat next to Jessamine on the log, and she laid her head weakly on the other princess’ shoulder for a moment.
“Hey, are you alright?” Jessamine asked Cienna.
“Yes, I’m just tired,” the blonde muttered. “Maybe I should rest for the night. Can you help me set up my bed?”
“Of course,” Jessamine said, and the
n the two princesses set off toward one of the structures, which left me alone with my thoughts.
I poked at the fire with a stick, and I couldn’t help but think about the way that Jessamine had massaged me when we were on the magic carpet. I didn’t want to make any assumptions, but the gesture seemed very intimate.
When Jessamine returned from helping Cienna a few minutes later, she sat next to me on the log and stared into the fire.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked the princess, who seemed to be unusually quiet.
“Joe, this is hard for me to talk about,” she sighed, and she seemed to be blushing in the firelight as her eyelashes lowered upon her cheeks.
“What is it, Your Highness?” I murmured. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”
“Do you remember what the genie said before he disappeared?” she asked as she reached out to stroke my arm, and tingles went up my spine. “About the marriage rites?”
“You were going to tell me more about it,” I responded. “All I know is that he mentioned submission… ”
“Well, it’s a little complicated, but I will try to explain,” the gorgeous woman said as she smiled shyly. “I wasn’t sure it was a real thing until the genie mentioned it, but I have read about it in books. Basically, there is a tale that has been passed down through the ages in my kingdom. In this tale, the princesses of legend must unite to defeat the greatest evil Fairyland has ever known. And the way they must do that… is by using their bodies.”
“Their… bodies?” I repeated.
“Yes, Joe, their bodies, or maybe, rather, our bodies,” she responded, and every inch of my being surged with energy. “Perhaps it is easier if I show you rather than try to explain with words. Do you think we could try to move somewhere a little more comfortable?”
The princess stood up from the log and grabbed me by the hand to pull me to a standing position. Then she looked around the campsite, and we both locked eyes on it at the same time: the magic carpet. My fantasies about fucking the princess on the carpet immediately came rushing back to me, and I wondered what was about to happen.
