“Cedrych,” he rumbled and smoothed one hand over the bulge in his trousers, “Are you trying to abbreviate my timeline?”
“No, my lord, but I could surely help you with that too.” I eyed his crotch hungrily, longing for another taste of him.
“Tempting, but we are both practicing restraint today.”
“So boring,” I said snottily and my lord only grinned. Rather than focus on my very internal predicament, I inspected our mode of transportation. Another elvish marvel, the carriage was made entirely of metal and powered by steam created by the eternal flame. A driver steered and braked at intervals, but the machine moved entirely of its own power.
“Your machinery is remarkable,” I said to Lord Vasil. Many an intrepid fae had attempted to steal the eternal flame from the elvish, but it always died during passage across the Lunar Straits as if tethered to the land itself, a phenomena that has vexed my mother unendingly.
“We are pioneers of industry, but we borrow heavily from other cultures and add a smidge of sorcery here and there. The humans called this one an ‘automobile.’”
“Human artifacts are banned in Emrallt Valley,” I told him, something he probably knew already. “My ex used to watch human programming with his summoner, but it was too risky for me.”
“Was your summoner surveilled?” Vasil asked with a perturbed look.
“I’m sure of it,” I said, not wanting to go into all the ways in which my mother attempted to control me against my will. Perhaps sensing my mood, Vasil deftly changed the subject.
“There is much prejudice against humankind in your realm. Understandably so.”
“We lost an entire generation to the War of the Realms,” I reminded him. We were nearly decimated by the humans before the other realms joined in the fight, which our people are still bitter about as well. “And so, we hang onto our petty hatreds and make it very difficult, if not impossible, for humans to settle amongst us,” I concluded.
“Perhaps that is why your people cling so rigidly to tradition,” Vasil mused. “To preserve a culture that was once on the brink of extinction.”
“There are many social ills I wish I had the power to remedy, but my mother doesn’t take my ‘radical’ opinions under advisement. She’d rather feed into the fae hysteria that the other realms are out to conquer and enslave us.”
“Very short-sighted of her,” Vasil said. “I rely on my advisors heavily for their insights. And my spies for their intel. Both help me to make the most informed decision.”
“A scientist as well as a philosopher,” I teased. “Here is a question: why don’t your subjects call you king?” I knew the historical reason; the Treaty of the Realms granted the elvish independence from the fae as a concession for their participation in the war but that sovereignty came with several conditions. I wanted to know why Vasil hadn’t pursued it.
“If I rose to the title of king, war between the elvish and fae might break out,” he said.
“Do you truly believe that?”
He shrugged. “True power isn’t guaranteed by titles.”
In some ways, Vasil was a humble man, one I was growing to admire more and more the longer I knew him, but he was, at times, too modest for his own good. “Titles make a difference, my lord. You should be king.”
“If it pleases you, Cedrych, you may call me, ‘Your Majesty.’”
Smiling, I said, “You would enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”
“Perhaps I’ll negotiate it the next time I have something your mother wants,” he said with a wink. Arousal surged to my cock, which was immediately blocked by the bars of Vasil’s cage. The sensation was altogether frustrating. Vasil only smiled at my predicament. “We will be arriving soon. Repeat my security protocol back to me.”
I sat up a little straighter, wanting to impress him. “I’m to stay by your side the entire time, and if any sort of threat presents itself, I follow the direction of Commander Farrow.”
He nodded. “And why is that?”
“Because I’m a fae prince.”
“And your safety is paramount. You are my betrothed and an irreplaceable treasure.” He drew my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. Despite his outward sternness, I was beginning to think Vasil was a romantic at heart.
A troubling thought occurred to me. “How will that look to your subjects, my lord, parading me around as your intended when our future is so uncertain?”
His smile vanished and he looked pained by my question. “I suppose when the time comes, we can say there were… irreconcilable differences.”
I detested the idea of it, the lying and the fact that we might be separated.
“We could always blame it on my famous temper,” I said in an attempt at levity.
