by Eric Vall
“Say no more.” I put out a hand, and she deftly stepped up and swung a leg over the horse.
“This is going to be great!” Jessamine giggled. “Hey, I bet the two of us are so small that we could ride together sometimes.”
“I want you to walk with me, at least for a little bit,” I said to the dark-haired woman. Then I nudged her in the side and grabbed her hand. “Ready to go?”
“What’s our plan, Joe?” Jessamine asked me. “How do you think we should do this?”
“I don’t think we should head into the woods right here,” I suggested, and I was still flattered every time she asked me for my advice. “If there are any soldiers left around here, I don’t want the people in this village to know what direction we’re headed in. I think we should travel up the path a ways and then plan to veer off into the woods.”
“I think he’s right,” Cienna agreed, and she pursed her lips.
The beautiful blonde actually seemed impressed with my strategy.
“Well, then, let’s go!” Jessamine replied with enthusiasm and swung my hand back and forth. “The two of you are good traveling companions!”
I admired her positive attitude, given that Cienna had barely been mobile for the majority of our trip so far. However, the addition of Starlight to our party had definitely changed things for the better.
We ventured down the road about a mile, with Cienna on horseback and Jessamine and I on foot. We’d started to see less and less people as we got farther from the town, and when there was no one left in sight, I thought we should pull off the main road.
“How about here?” I asked. I was encouraged because I thought I could hear the sound of a rushing stream, and it might be easier to stay on our westward track if we had a creek to follow. “This looks like as good a place as any.”
“Whatever you think, hero,” Jessamine gushed and ran her fingers down my chest.
I really liked to hear her call me that name.
“I think we’re going to have to go fairly far from the path,” Cienna mused with her eyebrows raised thoughtfully. “Starlight is the best horse ever, but you can definitely see her from far away.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I told her. “Plus, I want to get down to wherever that water is. Why don’t the two of you ride together for a little while? I can slash down the branches in front of us and try to make a slight trail using Genie’s Wrath. It will leave a noticeable path, but the underbrush looks really thick, so we don’t have much of a choice.”
I had to admit I was excited to have an opportunity to use the giant golden sword again, even if it was only on foliage, not Jamar’s forces.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jessamine chirped with a sweet smile. “Do you want to help me get on Starlight?”
I held out a palm, and the princess lightly stepped up and onto the horse. Then she wrapped her arms around Cienna’s waist, and I could imagine her breasts pressed up against the other princess’ back.
Another hour, another hard on.
We entered the woods as I walked ahead of the mounted women, and I cut down branches with my sword. I didn’t want to make too obvious of a trail because I was sure people were still looking for us, but the forest was thick, and the horse was big, so it was a lot of work.
I was impressed by Cienna’s handling of Starlight, though, since the blonde princess seemed to have total control of the animal even without reins. She seemed to be able to get the horse to move with the smallest of nudges and encouraging commands.
After about fifteen minutes of hiking, I was pleasantly surprised to reach a stony creek bed full of clear, rushing water. The forest opened up onto a sandy bank, and it would be the perfect place to walk. I felt like I hadn’t been able to wash myself off in an eternity, and I quickly removed my heavy boots to step into the fresh stream. The rocks were slightly sharp underfoot, but the water was cold and clean and felt amazing as it ran over my aching feet. Tiny silver fish swam circles around my ankles, and I chuckled as they nibbled on my toes.
“Oooh, me, too,” Jessamine squealed, and she hopped down from the horse to take off her shoes and roll up her pant legs. “I want to play!”
“Come on in,” I invited her before I splashed my face with water. “It feels great.”
Even Cienna looked a tiny bit excited as she jumped off Starlight’s back, but she sat down on the bank instead of hopping into the creek.
Jessamine reached down into the water and splashed me, so I thought it was only fair play to splash her back. Then I gave myself a little challenge: would it be possible to make my wife’s woolen peasant’s blouse see-through?
I wasn’t sure, but I was up for the game.
“Come on, Cienna!” Jessamine called out. “This is very fun!”
“No, thanks.” The blonde shook her head. “I wasn’t feeling that well this morning, so I’m not sure I should risk it. You two go ahead and have a good time.”
Her voice was convincing, but her face had gone from a reserved smile to a slightly mournful look. I wondered what was on Princess Cienna’s mind and if she felt a little left out by Jessamine’s and my flirting, or if she was having deeper thoughts about the men she’d lost and the trouble back home.
“We don’t have to do this,” Jessamine said with a concerned look on her face. “We can always get out and travel more, Cienna.”
“No,” the blonde replied as she frowned. “I’m not sure I want to travel more today. I really haven’t been well, and I think I might need some more rest. Would that be alright?”
“Of course, my friend,” Princess Jessamine assured her. “I think this sandy bank might be the perfect place to spend the night. What do you think, Joe?”
I looked around. We were about a mile off the road, and I didn’t see any other signs of human life.
“I think this will work,” I informed the princesses as I looked around for things I could use to make a shelter. It seemed like it would be fairly easy to build a simple lean-to in this spot, and it seemed like we were well and truly alone. It was amazing to me how quiet Fairyland was. There was some great nature in SoCal, but you always saw a person, or a piece of trash, or heard a car. This was the real deal, and it was slightly terrifying.
After a few more minutes of splashing, Jessamine and I got out of the water and sat down on the bank to dry ourselves off in the sun. I couldn’t believe it, but it seemed like it was already almost twilight. The weather was warm here in Fairyland, but it occurred to me that I had no idea whether they even had the same seasons as we did back home.
Once I was a little drier, I started to light a fire and build a shelter that we could use for the night. There were two trees in perfect locations on the bank, and I hung a long, thick branch between them at about shoulder height. Next, I gathered other long branches to lean up against the backbone of the shelter, and I tied the whole thing together with some of Jessamine’s scarves. Then I insulated the top with leaves and placed other small branches over them to hold them in place.
Satisfied, I leaned back to survey my work. Just enough room for me and the two princesses. I thought maybe we could get the rug out again to lie on, and I was turned on by the thought of spending the night close to two beautiful women on the rug where Jessamine and I had made love so recently.
We settled in for an early evening, and, as I’d imagined, all three of us laid on the rug together, with Jessamine in the middle. My fantasy had started off well, but what I hadn’t imagined was a giant, snoring horse lying so close nearby.
Oh, well. I snuggled up close to my dark-haired princess wife and prepared to close my eyes, but then I heard Jessamine’s voice.
“Good night, Joe,” she murmured as she laid her head on my chest. “Good night, Cienna.”
“Good night, Jessamine,” I responded dutifully. “Good night, Cienna.”
“Good night, Jessamine,” Cienna echoed, and then a long pause came.
I waited, and then I heard the sound of giggles as Jessamine poked the b
londe in the ribs.
“Fine, good night, Joe,” Cienna grumbled, but I could hear the laughter in her voice, and I took it as a decent sign the beautiful blonde woman was warming up to me.
When I first sat up in the morning, I could hear the rushing water again and the sound of what seemed like a million birds chirping. Jessamine was still asleep next to me, but Cienna had already risen. She sat on the banks of the creek next to Starlight, who laid beside her, and fed the horse an apple.
The blonde had washed the dirt from her cheeks and braided her thick hair down the side of her face. Her skin glowed in the dawn light, but her face looked concerned.
“Good morning, Princess Cienna,” I greeted as I sat down next to her on the bank. I smiled at her, but she still kept the solemn expression.
“Listen, Joe, I need you to know the way I act isn’t about you,” she began in a loud whisper, and she looked directly at me with those giant, bright blue eyes. “There are other things going on with me. I know we need to work together with Jessamine here and focus on what’s really important, which is defeating our common enemies. But I don’t know about this marriage--”
“Hey, did I hear my name?” Princess Jessamine, perky as usual, emerged from the shelter, yawned, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Just chatting about our plans for the day,” Cienna sighed.
I got the sense she didn’t want Jessamine to know she’d been talking to me about the marriage rite. The blonde seemed like a much more private person than the other princess, and my pulse quickened at the thought of what she had been about to say.
“Ooh, what were you thinking?” Jessamine asked, and she began to wander around the tiny camp as she chattered away the whole time. “I’m so hungry. What happened to my pack? Oh, do you think we have any cheese left? I’m going to get you some bread… ”
Her voice trailed off as she walked further away in search of her bag, and Cienna looked me in the eye one more time.
“I still want to talk to you about this, Joe,” she informed me in a low voice. “Next time we’re alone. Don’t forget.”
“Ahh, okay.” My thoughts immediately went to performing that ritual with Princess Cienna, and when I looked up, the blue-eyed beauty still stared at me, now with a knowing expression on her face, but she didn’t look angry, just slightly perplexed.
“So, listen!” Jessamine announced as she returned from collecting food and sat down next to us. Then she handed each of us a chunk of bread, including the horse, before she continued to speak. “I thought of something we could do while we travel through Cienna’s kingdom. I feel like you are starting to get stronger, princess, and we need to work on our magic powers. What we did back there together on the road was pretty amazing, and I know we can only get better. Especially with Joe’s help here. I wish you’d perform the ritual, Cienna, because we’re going to need extra help to win the next battle.”
I looked at Princess Cienna, and, to my surprise, she had actually started to blush.
“So, what were you thinking about doing to train?” I asked, since I wanted desperately to change the subject to anything but sex.
“Well, I need to practice my illusions,” Jessamine started as she tapped her chin in thought. “I’ve gotten pretty fast with the magic carpet, which is a good sign, but it’s different when it’s on myself. And ideally, I would even be able to perform the magic on another person. That’s the hardest of all. What about you, Cienna?”
“Well, let me think.” The blonde blinked as she appeared to consider the question. “Right now, it seems like I can stop time for myself and one other person for about a second, maybe two. If I were only stopping time for myself, it would be a little longer. I don’t think I could do it for more than one other person right now, though, so maybe I could practice that. It would be useful to be able to stop time for the three of us if we have to fight again, for example. I have heard of sorcerers who can even move time forward and backward, but I definitely can’t do that yet, if ever.”
“You two are so incredible,” I marveled. “What does it feel like to do your magic?”
The two princesses looked at each other for a minute, and then they shrugged.
“I don’t know,” Cienna said. “Sometimes, it feels as natural as breathing, and then, at other times, it’s as if there are these sparks.”
“Yes,” Jessamine agreed. “And I have to say, I have been feeling these sparks more strongly since Joe has been around.”
“You don’t say,” Cienna murmured with a wry smile on her face.
“No, no, that’s actually not what I meant this time,” Jessamine laughed. “I was talking specifically about the magic spells I’ve cast since Joe came to Fairyland. Having Joe near me has made my spells go faster and last longer.”
“So, how do you want to do this?” I inquired.
“Well, Cienna, I was wondering,” Jessamine spoke as she leaned forward with sparkling eyes, “I could try to transform Starlight into the image of my tiger back home, Ruman. I would love to try to recreate her beautiful orange and black stripes. With your permission, of course, Princess Cienna!”
“Ooh, that might be fun.” Cienna grinned before she patted her nearby horse. “Do you mind, Starlight?”
The horse whinnied, and the blonde princess smiled.
“I think she agrees,” Jessamine giggled. “Now, should I try this with or without Joe’s help?”
“I think you should try it without me first,” I suggested. “Because what happens if I’m not around when you need to do it?”
“True,” Princess Jessamine said, and she batted her eyelashes. “Though, Joe, I certainly would like for you to always be around.”
“Okay, let’s focus,” Cienna cut in as she clapped her hands together. “Starlight, prepare to become fierce.”
From her spot on the bank, Jessamine began to focus. Then I saw the usual wavering lines in front of Starlight’s body, and the vision slowly turned to black and orange. I would have guessed it took about half as long as the first time I saw her transform the carpet, and I thought that was pretty good, considering Starlight was a living creature. A moment later, I saw the horse’s long muzzle transform into a tiger’s flat face, and her body appeared to shrink as her tail elongated.
Then I blinked, and before me stood a real live tiger.
Well, it wasn’t exactly real, but it damn sure looked like it was.
“And there you have it!” Jessamine exclaimed and dusted her hands off with pride.
“Wow!” Princess Cienna breathed. “I’m impressed. Starlight, how do you feel?”
The blonde reached out to pet the tiger, and it made a sort of half-mewling, half-growling sound.
“I think she’s trying to neigh at you,” Jessamine giggled.
“Now, here’s a question,” I thought aloud, since I was suddenly curious about something. “Can you turn it on and off? How do you change her back?”
“That is a good question,” Jessamine admitted as her brow furrowed. “I’ve been so focused on trying to keep the illusion going for so long I haven’t tried to reverse it. Let’s see if I can do that now.”
She held up her hand and concentrated, and the orange color of the stripes started to get less intense. It got to the point where I could see the overlapping images of both the tiger and the horse shimmering in midair, but she seemed stuck from that point forward.
“Hmm… ” Cienna hummed and cocked her head to the side. “What if you try the spell touching Joe? You know that makes you stronger.”
I reached out my hand, and Jessamine grasped it. The usual sparks flew, and, almost instantly, Starlight returned to her original form.
“Whew!” Jessamine laughed. “That one was tough. Obviously, Joe made all the difference there, but I definitely need to practice. Can’t depend on Joe for everything.”
She smiled at me and winked.
“Okay, now my turn,” Cienna said. “I’m going to try to stop time for me and Jessa
mine. Joe, you try to watch. See what happens.”
I tried to pay attention to the almost nonexistent flash that occurred when Cienna performed her magic, but the next thing I noticed was both princesses laughing.
“What?” I asked. “What are you laughing about?”
And then I noticed Jessamine held Genie’s Wrath in her hand. The gold sword had been right next to me, and I hadn’t felt a thing.
Apparently, it was that easy for these ladies to disarm me, both figuratively and literally.
“Hey, now.” I grinned. “Isn’t that mine?”
“It’s okay, Joe,” Jessamine giggled as she handed me back my blade. “We all know you’re the master swordsman.”
My wife put her arm around me and kissed me on the cheek. I thought she might even reach out for my crotch, but then the other princess gave her a look.
I glanced at Cienna out of the corner of my eye, and I managed to hold her gaze for a second. She had stopped laughing and now gave me a tiny, mysterious smile, and I hoped the beautiful blonde had enjoyed the show.
“Ahem,” I cleared my throat. “So, how long were you able to hold the spell, Princess Cienna?”
“I would say that was at least four or five seconds,” Cienna said with a thoughtful expression. “Which is definitely better than last time, now that I’ve had a good night’s sleep and some food. I’d really like to see if I could try it for all three of us.”
“I know you can do it, Cienna!” Jessamine exclaimed, and she bounced up and down with excitement.
Cienna furrowed her brow in concentration for several seconds, and both Jessamine and I continued to watch her, but nothing happened.
“Dammit,” she finally sighed. “It didn’t work. It was as if when I tried to bring both of you into the magic, nothing happened at all.”
“I think you should try with Joe now,” Jessamine suggested. “Maybe you can do it when he’s holding your hand.”
“No, I don’t think--” Cienna began.
“Come on, you should do it,” Jessamine interrupted. “The whole point of the hero is he makes our powers stronger.
