Part 2

Lars shook his head and laughed, as the man running the lottery handed over our third Wizard's Ring. "I don't believe it. I simply don't believe it."

I'd won several free plays, and lost one, before I won the first Wizard's Ring. The process was much the same for the other three, except I never had another dead spin of the wheels. "One ticket left. Let's see if we can't get a fourth, for insurance purposes."

Thakkor laughed, "I don't see why not, you've certainly done well, and it isn't costing us anything."

Handing over our last ticket, I told the man, "Give her one more spin. Poppa needs a new pair of shoes."

The man stared at me in confusion for a moment, but then shook it off and turned back to the wheel. He gave it a spin, and when the first wheel stopped, I knew we weren't getting a fourth ring.

I turned back to my companions and said, "Oh well, we got three, and had some fun."

"We have a grand prize winner!" The man behind me announced.

I turned, and saw the wheels had landed in the proper sequence to win me the Golden Card, which would give us a twenty-five percent discount on anything we purchased from a shop.

"Woot!" I sang out, and took my prize from the man, who stomped off muttering to himself. Holding up the card, I said, "Looks like we'll be getting that Shield of Strength for Gwen on the cheap."

Slapping her cousin playfully on the arm, Gwen told him, "Close your mouth, Lars, before a bird takes roost in it."

"Impossible," Lars muttered, with another shake of his head.

"Impossible perhaps, but true," Thakkor countered. "Let's go take a room at the Inn. We could probably all do with a good night's sleep. That storm that's rolling in will keep us from leaving today, but tomorrow, we're heading back to Rhone."

That put a major damper on everyone's mood.

A good meal — and plenty of drinks — lightened us all up at the Inn later. The storm rattled the walls and windows, and we were all glad we hadn't decided to set out in the ship immediately.

We were all a little tipsy, mostly because we hadn't paid for a thing since we'd walked in to the Inn. Someone had recognized us, and patrons had stood for our food and drink from that moment on. The innkeeper even offered us our first night's stay for free, even though we would be using three rooms — one for me, one for the Princes, and one for Gwen.

Thakkor stood, looking a little unsteady. "I'm going to bed. If I drink any more, I'm certainly going to regret it."

Lars stood as well, "I agree, cousin. We should all seek our beds."

Gwen yawned, and shook her head in agreement too.

"Go on, I'm going to stay for a while. I'm a night owl, and I just don't feel like I could sleep yet," I told them.

The three cousins wished me goodnight, and went to their rooms. One of the other patrons stumbled up to me, and slurred, "You wanna nuver un?"

"Think I've had enough for tonight, friend," I said politely, steadying the guy before he fell on me.

Leaning down next to me, acting as if he was whispering, but talking loud enough to be heard on the other side of the room, the drunk said, "Hey, you wanna have some real fun? You go ta my brother's place. It's over behind Arcon's wevon... The werp... The place where they sell swords an' stuff."

"I'll keep it in mind, thanks."

The drunk nodded, nearly throwing himself off balance and pitching into the floor, and then stumbled back off to his table. I waved to one of the serving women, and asked her to bring me another small plate of stew. The stuff was delicious, and I figured having a bit more of a buffer against the alcohol couldn't hurt.

Once I finished the stew, I sat back to listen to a flute player who was trying to earn his supper. The guy was pretty good, and he was playing songs from the game, of course. A few people even got up and danced when he played Only the Lonely Boy.

Walking over, I dropped a few gold coins into his cup — double what he'd earned from everyone else all evening. "Bless you, Sir," he said gratefully.

"You're good, you earned it," I said, and then yawned. Bedtime for me, now, I thought, and headed upstairs.

Entering my room, I pulled off my shirt, and draped it over the armor I'd removed upon first arriving at the Inn. My first priority had been a bath, and putting back on the armor would have made that pointless. Armor, I found, always stank, no matter what you did.

I kicked off my boots, and then pulled off my pants, leaving me in just some short cotton pants, about the closest thing to boxer shorts in this world. Walking over to the bed, I pulled back the covers, and fell in.

About two hours later, I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. I was tired, but I couldn't get to sleep. The Inn was quiet, the sounds from the taproom having died down an hour or so before. Only the continued buffeting of the wind and rain against the roof broke the silence.

Then another sound intruded upon the quiet. I could barely make it out, but it sounded like a weak, gasping scream. Sitting up in bed, I heard something that sounded like weeping. I threw off the covers, and slid out of the bed. Walking around the room, I traced the sound to a wall — the one separating my room from Gwen's.

Grabbing my sword, thoughts of some drunk having broken into her room rushing through my head, I headed out my own door, and pressed my ear against hers. I could hear the sound of her crying quite clearly.

Opening the door, I saw her pull the covers up and gasp. Her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her cheeks. I shut the door, and lay my sword down on a chest of drawers nearby. "Are you okay, Gwen?" I asked, while lighting a lamp on the table next to my sword.

Sniffling, she said, "I had a dream about... About..." Gwen started to cry again, and I walked over to the bed.

She was sobbing into her sheets, and I stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. After a few false starts, I reached out and stroked her back gently. "It's okay, no matter what it was about, it was just a dream."

Her voice broken up by gasps for breath, Gwen looked up at me and said, "How I wish it was only a dream. If it were, my father and everyone else in Moonbrooke would be alive."

"Oh, Gwen..." I said helplessly. I could only guess how much she'd heard, hidden away in a cellar when Hargon launched his attack on Moonbrooke Castle. Worse, she might have seen the devastation, if they'd dragged her out of the cellar, before transforming her into a dog.

I sat down on the bed, continuing to stroke her back in the only comforting gesture I could really provide her. After a minute or two, she threw her arms around me, weeping up against my bare chest. I wrapped my arms around her too, holding her and rocking back and forth, as I might have with a fussy baby in my arms.

It took quite some time, but Gwen eventually cried out her tears. Sniffling, she wiped her face on the sheets, and lamented, "I must look absolutely dreadful."

She was only wearing a light linen nightgown, something I hadn't noticed yet in my concern for her. I tore my eyes away from the clear outline of her breasts beneath the cloth, which confirmed my earlier guess from the beach. I was glad I only noticed the sight out of the corner of my eye, and so I wasn't staring right at them before I snapped out of it. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Gwen."

Gwen sighed, "How can I ever hope to fight Hargon, if I can't even withstand a dream I've had more times than I can count?"

Taking her trembling hand, I said, "Because you're the only one who can. You, Thakkor, and Lars are the only hope of saving everyone from Hargon. Life continues for now, but how long will it last? He's going to get stronger, and that's when the nightmare at Moonbrooke will be repeated everywhere. You've made it this far, because you have the inner strength and conviction to do what must be done. You're of the blood of Erdrick, blessed by Rubiss, and in the end — you'll win."

"I wish I was that confident," Gwen chuckled with a hint of self-depreciation.

"You can do it, Gwen. Stop Hargon, rebuild Moonbrooke, and reverse all the damage he's done to the world."

She looked up at me, smiling, and then I saw a rush of color flood her cheeks. "I'm sorry I woke you."

I shrugged my left shoulder, still holding her right hand in mine. "I couldn't sleep anyhow. Seems to happen every time I drink. I tried to sop some of it up with some more stew, but it doesn't seem to have done the trick."

The storm kicked up again, rattling the Inn stronger than ever. I knew I'd never have heard Gwen if the storm had surged like this earlier, and doubted that anyone would hear a three ring circus going on outside their own rooms now. Lightning flashed, overpowering the lamplight, and making everything look like it was being illuminated by a strobe light. The shockwaves from the resulting thunder added to the rattling of the walls and windows, and I half wondered if we were any safer on land than we would have been out in the ship.

Gwen looked over at the window and shivered. "I hate lightning."

"That's a little strange, coming from someone who fights with a Staff of Thunder," I chuckled, standing up to go close the curtains. It wouldn't completely block the flashes of light, but at least she wouldn't be able to see the forked bolts of nature's fury streaking through the sky.

"That's different, I can control that," Gwen said as I walked toward the window. Her words trailed off a little at the end, becoming almost inaudible over the cacophony.

I pulled the curtains closed, and turned to find Gwen's eyes were focused on my butt. My face grew warm, as I finally remembered I was standing in her room wearing nothing more than underwear, which probably did no more to hide me than her nightgown did to conceal her.

"Uhm, I should probably get back to my room," I said. My inner devil was screaming at me, but my conscience was still in control at the moment, after spending so much time trying to comfort the distraught Princess.

Gwen tilted her head, and I could tell that she hadn't heard me over the storm. I walked a little closer, and repeated, "I should probably get back to my room."

Her eyes darted down at my crotch for a moment, the movement appearing almost reflexive, and bringing a fresh rush of color to her cheeks at the same time. She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "You're so kind — and so handsome."

I chuckled nervously, trying to ignore my inner devil, which was getting louder by the moment. After the incident with Nara and Mara, I was more than a little reluctant to get involved in any more shenanigans between the sheets, while I was stuck here in game world. "I try, but I don't know about that second part."

"I do," Gwen said in a breathless whisper. I couldn't hear, but I could read the words in her lips and demeanor. She let the sheets fall to the bed, revealing the gown below, still clinging to her petite curves. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Down, boy. Down, boy, I silently screamed at my cock, which ignored me, swelling with blood, and pressing tighter against the cotton restraining it by the moment. "You're a very beautiful woman." How else could I have answered?

"Do you find me attractive?" Gwen asked, her glance at the growing bulge in my shorts nowhere near as short-lived this time. She leaned back slightly, putting her hands behind her, which served to pull her gown tighter over her breasts, revealing two very obvious points where her nipples pressed against the material.

It was painfully obvious that I did, considering I was standing only a few feet away, stiff as a board, and barely covered. "Yes," was the only word I could manage to get out.

Gwen swung her legs over the edge of the bed, long expanses of them visible, because her nightgown was short to begin with, and it had bunched up well above her knees in the bed. She crossed the few steps separating us, and ran her finger down my bare chest. "Do you want me?"

I couldn't help but shiver from her touch, and the look of need in her blue eyes, staring into mine. My conscience fitfully made one last effort to stop the inevitable. "Gwen, you're just feeling vulnerable after the dream, and Rhone, and..."

Shaking her head, Gwen put her finger to her lips in the universal — apparently even across planes of reality — sign for silence. She reached her arms around my neck, pulling me down at the same time she stood on her tiptoes, and kissed me.

My inner devil laughed, kicking my conscience into the back of my head. Working graveyard shift for years, in a small town — and being more than a little geeky — it had been quite some time since I'd seen any action. Whether any of this was real or not, pent up sexual frustrations were going to trump everything else any time the potential to get next to a woman came up. I returned the kiss, my hands moving to rove over her back, and slipping down to her firm bottom.

Gwen gasped and shuddered when our lips parted. "I want you," she whispered, her breath hot against my chest.

"But..."

"Shh," she admonished again. "I know what you're thinking. I have magic, remember?" Grabbing my hand, she tugged on it as she walked backward toward the bed. "I know spells that aren't for fighting monsters, and one of those lets me know when I can become with child. I've been casting it every day since the beach on World Tree Island, hoping we might have this chance."

We reached the edge of the bed, and Gwen sat down, still holding my hand. "Make love to me. I don't want to face Rhone again without having the chance to be with a man again — a good man, the kind that helps people he doesn't know, just because it's the right thing to do. I don't want to risk death, with that regret."

I didn't answer with words, but my eyes obviously did. Gwen smiled sweetly, and tugged at the hem of her nightgown, pulling it over her head. My cock throbbed, as I drank in the sight of her bared body. Small pink nipples capped her breasts, which were just as firm and perky as I'd imagined them, and her mound was adorned with meticulously manicured blonde curls. She beckoned me with her eyes, glancing at the shorts that covered me, and then looking back up at me with a lusty grin.

I pulled down the shorts, my erection twitching as if rejoicing in the freedom from its confinement. Gwen let out a little moan, and reached out to run her fingertips over it. When she withdrew her hand, her other slipped between her legs, to press over her sex, causing her to arch her back slightly and let out a sharp gasp.

I climbed into the bed, beyond any hope of resisting now, and unable to find even the slightest hint of an excuse to do so, really. Gwen sat up just enough to wrap her arms around me, pulling me down to the bed as soon as she did so. Holding my body tight against her, she kissed me hungrily, her legs wrapping around me as well.

My cock was throbbing against her leg, and I could feel her wet heat against mine where they were intertwined. The stiff points of her nipples brushed against me as our hands roamed over each other. We kissed, becoming more ardent by the moment, gasping and pressing our bodies even tighter together.

Gwen broke away from the kiss with a sharp gasp, breathing heavily, and looking hungrily into my eyes. She lifted the leg lying atop mine slightly, and reached down to curl her fingers around my manhood. We both scooted a little bit on the bed, until the tip of my cock rested against her folds.

Wiggling the swollen head between her lips, into the warm wetness beyond, Gwen used her other hand to pull my hips toward her. She let out a quavering cry of pleasure, as I slipped into her depths. A groan escaped me as well. She felt like heaven, squeezing me tight in her velvety embrace.

We both rocked our hips slightly, stroking my cock inside her, moaning and sighing as the feeling overwhelmed us both. Our bodies continued to undulate against each other, and I was surprised to discover that I didn't feel the urge to start thrusting harder. Our eyes locked frequently, despite the fact that our eyelids fluttered shut on a regular basis.

Our breathing quickened, as our pleasure mounted. The sensation was amazing, so different from the urgent pounding I was more accustomed to. I'd taken it slow with women before, but nothing like this. I'd heard the expression make love many times, but now I knew what it was really like.

Gwen's beautiful blue eyes went wide, staring up into mine, and her lips parted. Tiny sounds of pleasure bubbled from her, and I could feel her walls squeezing tighter around me. Her mouth slipped open wider, and then she quivered, a long high-pitched gasp marking her gentle slide over the edge into orgasm.

The tight clenching of her intimate muscles around me pushed me to the precipice as well, and I rocked my hips a bit faster. It was still nothing like fucking, and when I came, it was just as subdued as the road to it. My cream pumped out of me languidly, and she moaned as she felt the pool of heat from it spreading through her depths.

We squeezed each other tight, our bodies trembling, and we both sucked in a great breath of air at the exact same moment, neither of us realizing we'd been holding our breath. We relaxed, still joined, and lay in each other's arms until the little after-quakes subsided.

"That was so wonderful," Gwen whispered into my ear, the sound nearly lost in the continuing fury of the storm that still raged outside the Inn. I realized I hadn't even noticed all the noise the whole time we were coupling, and a little chuckle escaped me unbidden. Gwen giggled as well, and snuggled up against my chest.

We relaxed a while longer — and when Gwen shifted slightly — my flaccid member slipped from her. Her eyes popped open, and she let out a little, "Oh," of surprise. I knew what the problem was, and rolled over to grab a towel from the empty washbasin on the bedside table. She smiled at me, saying, "Thank you," as I handed her the towel, and she then pressed it over her nether lips, where my cream was starting to dribble out.

I started feeling guilty again, thinking that she was going to end up being hurt. The experience with Nara and Mara proved well enough that her feelings in this world would be very real, whether the whole shebang was or not. "Gwen, we're from different worlds..." You don't know how different, I thought.

"I know, Matt. I've known that since I was a little girl. That doesn't mean I can't have a little bit of joy in my life now, before I have to bow to my duties. I know this can't be more than it is right now. I just want to have a little something saved up, for when I have to marry the right man according to politics, and not my feelings."

I sighed. "Right about now, I'd like to forget that this is just a flight of fancy too. That was incredible, Gwen. I've never felt anything like it."

A coquettish grin spread across her face, and Gwen said, "You're welcome," with mischief in her voice. "We should probably stop lying here being so sweet to each other, so we don't get caught up in something that can't be." She reached down to trace her fingers over my soft cock as she spoke. "Maybe we could do something a little different."

I laughed and kissed her smiling lips. "It's going to be a little while before I'm doing anything at all, after that."

"Maybe — maybe not," Gwen said. Sitting up, she continued, "Like I said, not all of my magic is for fighting monsters. I know another spell that could make that little while a lot shorter."

I knew what spell she was talking about. Apparently, that bit of magic crossed the worlds like so many of the magics mentioned in the games did. Taking a cue from her, I said, "You're naughty."

"I can be much naughtier," she said sultrily, licking her lips.

"Oh boy," I chuckled.

Her fingers went back to my cock, stroking over it much quicker this time. "I want more."

I grinned and twitched my eyebrows at her. "So do I."

Letting out a purr, Gwen sat up and cast her spell. It was only beginning to work when she helped it along, leaning down and slurping my still soft cock between her lips. In no time, I was completely hard again.

Gwen released me from her lips with a pop, and then rolled over onto her back, pulling two pillows beneath her shoulders. "Take me," she gasped, passionately.

I sat up, and Gwen popped her legs wide open as I did so, pulling her knees up toward her chest. She leaned her head forward as I moved between her legs, watching as I sighed in pleasure, sinking into her hot sheathe again.

There was nothing of soft or slow in our coupling this time. From the moment I took my first thrust, Gwen encouraged me to give it to her harder, and faster. She cried out her pleasure loudly, her voice mingling with the crashes of thunder and the roar of the wind. Grasping her legs, I gave her what she wanted without any reservations.

Desensitized somewhat from having come only a short while before, I was able to hold off my orgasm for quite some time. Gwen came once, screaming and bucking beneath me, forcing me to simply hold on to her and ride out her climax — further delaying my own. When she settled somewhat, I started thrusting into her again, feeling the tickling itch that told me I wasn't going to last much longer.

One of Gwen's hands snaked down to her sex, rubbing her bud in quick circles. She gasped and screamed, her head alternately popping up to watch me pounding home into her, and slamming down hard onto the pillows as her back arched. When the loudest scream yet burst from her, her walls contracted tight around me, and I exploded inside her with a growl.

My hips jerked spastically as I spurted jets of cum into her, growls and gasps accompanying each pulse of my throbbing organ. My head fell forward as my strength drained, and I panted for breath. Beneath me, Gwen likewise gasped for air. Shortly thereafter, I let go of her legs and fell down to the bed over her, supporting my weight partially on wobbling arms.

Gwen moaned, and then let out a sensual, satisfied growl. We both laughed, though mine was a little weak and distant, as I barely had the strength to breathe, let alone anything else. "I've got to move, or I'm going to collapse on you," I gasped out.

She let out a disappointed moan as I withdrew from her. My breath exploded from me in a gasping scream, and I fell heavily to the bed next to her. Gwen searched weakly until she found her towel, putting it back between her legs again. For a while, all we could do was try to catch our breath.

"Mmm, that was wonderful too," Gwen cooed after a while.

"Uh huh," I gasped in a high-pitched voice, prompting her to laugh.

My eyes were getting heavy, and Gwen sat up when she saw it. She reached over and swatted my ass playfully. "No falling asleep. I would die of shame if my cousins saw you coming out of my room in the morning. I wouldn't mind if they knew we're doing things, but that is a bit much."

I groaned and rolled over to the edge of the bed, getting up on wobbling knees. Gwen stared up at me with a satisfied smile, and the afterglow of her orgasms shining in her face. I leaned down and kissed her, and then walked around the bed to collect my shorts, afterward. I kissed the droopy-eyed Gwen once more, picked up my sword, and stumbled back to my own room, where I collapsed into the bed, asleep before I landed.

The storm blew itself out just before dawn, and the skies were clear when I awakened. Pulling on my clothes, whistling Only the Lonely Boy, I walked outside my room and downstairs when I finished dressing. Despite the fact I'd only slept about six hours, I was feeling pretty good — for obvious reasons.

Lars and Thakkor were already up, finishing their breakfast. Thakkor waved me over, while Lars turned away to request more coffee from a serving woman. I walked over, still whistling, and sat down. "Morning," I greeted them, with a wide smile.

"You must have slept better than we did," Thakkor chuckled. "That damn storm kept me up most of the night."

"I'm feeling good," I chuckled. "What's cooking?"

"Ham and eggs," Thakkor replied, and then looked up, nodding in the direction of the stairs.

I turned around to see Gwen skipping down the stairs. She crossed the room quickly, pulled a chair closer to me, and sat down with a cheery, "Good morning."

Thakkor raised an eyebrow, while Lars' brow furrowed. Lars' expression remained dark, but the edges of a smile touched Thakkor's lips a moment or two later.

When the serving woman returned with Lars' coffee, I requested a plate for Gwen and me, and two cups of coffee as well. I noticed that Lars kept his eyes averted from Gwen, and me, but didn't really pay it much mind. Lars was a bit stuck up, in my opinion. What should I have really expected from a guy who wore a fur coat as his most powerful armor?

Lars chugged down his coffee, finishing it while Gwen and I were barely started with our breakfast. "I'm going to go ahead to the ship," he announced, rising without further comment, and walking back up to his room.

I glanced at him as he left, wondering what the curt tone was about, but shrugged and returned to my meal.

"Don't mind him. He's a bear any time he doesn't get enough sleep, or drinks. We have the best of both this morning. He's a little over-protective too." A knowing smile spread across Thakkor's lips as he said the last. His chuckle a moment later prompted me to look where he was looking, to see Gwen blushing.

Still chuckling, Thakkor stood up and said, "I'm going to head back to the ship, too. Even though the monsters here aren't dangerous, we really shouldn't travel alone, and it's a bit of a walk to the ship. You two come along whenever you finish eating." He clapped me on the shoulder as he passed, and tickled Gwen's arm before heading for the stairs.

Gwen was still blushing, and asked, "Are we that obvious?"

"I guess so," I responded. "We'd better eat and get ready. If we miss the tide, Lars will have a cow."

Gwen's eyes narrowed in confusion, and I laughed in response. "Another local phrase. He'll have a fit if we miss the tide."

"You're funny," Gwen laughed.

"And you're beautiful," I said with a wink.

"And sweet," she came back, leaning over to give me a kiss on the cheek.

First Lars, and then Thakkor came back downstairs, pausing at our table before heading back outside to set out for the ship. Gwen and I were nearly done with our breakfast, and Gwen told them we'd be along shortly.

We finished eating, and I left a generous tip for the servers before we went back upstairs to get our things. I finished getting ready first, and walked over to knock on Gwen's door.

"Come in, Matt," she answered from the other side of the portal.

When I walked inside, she said, "I'm ready," hefting her bag over her shoulder. She smiled at me, and walked across the room to kiss me hungrily. "I wish we had one more night here. It will be so crowded on the ship."

"There's always Beran," I said, offering her a wink.

Gwen moaned, kissed me again, and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room. We saw a few odd Kaskos Hoppers, and other monsters, on our way to the ship, but they all kept their distance. Like I'd told the cousins, the monsters weren't stupid, and they could tell we were dangerous. We reached the ship without incident, and we were underway with the tide.

Thanks to Lars' repel spell, the two-day trip was uneventful. His spell seemed to work on him too, because we barely saw him during the voyage. I got a pleasant middle of the night wake up during the trip, when Gwen crawled into my bunk with me on the ship. The creaking of the bed mingled with the groaning of wood and ropes, but Gwen had to stuff a pillow in her mouth to muffle the sharply contrasting sounds of her pleasure. When we reached Beran, we headed directly for the weapon shop. I presented my Golden Card, much to the dismay of the merchant, and we left a short time later with a discounted Shield of Strength for Gwen.

Pausing outside the shop, Thakkor said, "Well, are we ready then?"

"Why don't we spend a night in town, and leave in the morning. I know you never sleep well on the ship, Thakkor," Gwen suggested.

He obviously saw through her subterfuge, but a faint smile touched his lips. "I appreciate it, Gwen. We'll stay the night, and then go face Rhone in the morning, well rested."

The innkeeper was no more pleased to see my Golden Card than the weapon merchant had been. He brightened up when I left him a tip equal to the discount. The result was that he actually made more off our stay than he would have otherwise.

Gwen and Lars started toward their rooms, but Thakkor put his hand on my shoulder as I started that way. I turned around to see him smiling. "I know what Gwen is up to. You do understand that she is Royalty..."

I held up my hand and interrupted, "We've been over it. I brought it up, actually. I think she just needs something to contrast her nightmares, and the nightmare to come."