Chapter 4: The Fall of Silverfen

As before, we napped together on her bed. Since it was so early in the day, we didn't have to worry about her parents coming home and finding us like that, so we leisurely slumbered for a long time. Whenever I awoke, I would start stroking my lover's skin, and that felt so relaxing that I would immediately fall right back to sleep again. I awoke a couple of times to Sarah doing the same thing to me. It was such a simple yet tender act, something that seemed to bring us even closer together than the sex we had just shared. I knew I wanted to be with Sarah forever, and I suspected that she wanted the same thing.

When we finally got up, Princess Allura showed me to the Falls of Fire, a waterfall naturally heated by volcanic activity in the mountains in the south of Silverfen. It also happened to be conveniently located in the bathroom right down the hall from her bedroom. We bathed in the shower, washing each other's bodies. I was growing in confidence now that I was no longer a virgin, and especially since my princess enjoyed having me touch her like that. I was learning all kinds of things about the female body as I explored her with curiosity and delight.

She returned the favor, running her soapy hands all over me. She even got me semi-hard, although after what I had just been through, it was a wonder that she even managed to do that much. We hugged and kissed some more under the water, enjoying the time we had together to the fullest.

Strangely enough, after we left the shower and Sarah gathered up the sheets on her bed to toss them in the washer, we went right back to innocent playing. Somehow, miraculously, what we had shared had almost no effect on our friendship. True, Kenneth Shadowbane and Allura of Silverfen were now married, but there were still dragons to hunt, demons to defeat, and barbarian hordes to conquer. Allura wasn't content to just sit back and let her husband do all the fighting; she wanted to go out adventuring with me. Who was I to say no?

We didn't talk about what we had done that morning. I don't think it was out of embarrassment; rather, we just felt comfortable with it. There wasn't much that needed to be said. I hoped we could do the same thing again soon, but I didn't bring it up. If it happened, great. If not, well, I still had my memories. Besides, we still had most of the summer, so we were bound to end up in bed together again some time.

At lunchtime, Sarah suggested we eat in the fortress atop the mountain pass, where we could keep an eye on the barbarians that were gathering in the lowlands. We were safe for now, but last time I checked, it looked like they were preparing to march on Elderhaven. We would have to deal with them eventually, so we needed to make plans.

Sarah fixed a couple of sandwiches and poured some apple juice into a large thermos, then we headed out to my backyard and the tree house. Being somewhat smaller and lighter, I was more agile than her, but she still managed with only a little difficulty to scramble up after me. We surveyed the barbarian forces in the valley and determined that it would be some time before they had enough manpower to seriously challenge the Elderhaven Army, especially with the new alliance with Silverfen.

Allura was more interested in the mountain towering above us, the ancient plateau full of unknown dangers and unknown treasures. Legend had it that it had been cut off from the rest of the world for thousands, if not millions, of years, and the creatures there were like nothing anyone had ever seen before, except perhaps the lost tribe that had built a great empire there in the early days of the Elder World. No one knew if they still lived there, or if their civilization had collapsed. Princess Allura suggested we go explore that world some day soon. It would be an all-day trip, so we would have to plan it out in advance and bring provisions.

We talked more about the world of my imagination as we ate. Actually, it was beginning to feel more like the world of our imagination now, not that I begrudged her a bit of a claim on it. Rather, I welcomed it. For years it had existed only in my mind, but now that I had someone to share it with, that made it somehow more real. It also made me feel closer to Sarah, because in a way, we were the only two residents of that world.

We took a swim in her pool later, and unfortunately she insisted that we wear swimsuits. Apparently most of the sea monsters of Lake Nightmist were otherwise occupied, because we only had to fight off a couple of them. Princess Allura did wrap herself around me for protection from the mythical sea beasts when they threatened us, which really felt nice, but the monsters were no match for the Champion of the Elder World, so we spent more of our time just horsing around than in actual combat.

By the time her parents came home, we were dressed and back inside the house. My mom called me home a little later, so I gave Sarah one last hug and returned to my kingdom.

That night Sarah didn't give me a show, but instead we spent nearly half an hour talking across the space between our windows. We talked about nothing in particular, letting our conversation wander wherever it wanted to go. Half the time we played our parts as Kenneth and Allura, and half the time we were content to just be Kenny and Sarah. We switched back and forth so seamlessly that most of the time it really didn't matter which we were.

That seemed to define my relationship with her. There was so much blending of fantasy and reality that the two seemed to overlap and become one. When I looked at Sarah I saw a princess, and when she looked at me she saw a hero. It didn't matter that those were just characters in a fairy tale; as far as we were concerned, that was reality and the mundane existence of two teenagers in the modern world was just a frivolous game, a way of passing the time while we waited to return to our true forms.

It didn't help that she visited me in my dreams that night. Not that that was surprising; after what we had done that day, I would have been more surprised if I didn't dream about her. But the dream world was so much more vivid, and in that world there was no such thing as Kenny Grant and Sarah Laurent. We truly were the characters from our imagination. I replayed the capture and rescue of Allura by the Shadow Monsters, including the kiss and our snuggling later. Only this time, instead of rectangular walls meeting at right angles and the dull colors and geometric construction of her bedroom, it was the dark and morbid caverns of my enemies. Perhaps in other circumstances it might be considered a nightmare, but Kenneth Shadowbane feared none of the creatures that haunted the dreams of boys and girls. Especially when I had such a lovely target as Princess Allura.

In the end, I saved the girl and escaped the desolate caverns, and we rested in the magical grove, just the two of us. In the dream world I fell asleep in her arms, just in time to awake in the so-called real world.

Because it was Saturday and my mom was home all day, there was no need for Sarah to babysit me. But she called up and asked if she could come over anyway. Mom was more than happy to agree; I had never been particularly social, especially around the opposite sex, and I think she wanted to encourage me in that direction. Of course, I was delighted to have Sarah come over.

We spent almost the entire day just sitting on the couch and talking, making plans for our future adventures together. We never mentioned our marriage; neither of us were sure how our parents would take it. In a way, it was a kind of elopement. Granted, in the only world where the marriage was binding, her father the king approved and I had no parents that I knew of, but in the real world there were too many complications.

When Mom showed an interest in our discussion (she had always been supportive of me in that way), we explained that Sarah was Princess Allura, and that I was training her to defend herself against Silverfen's many enemies. That training involved going on various quests together.

That seemed to satisfy my mother, so we left it at that.

Sunday was much the same, except that we spent most of the time at Sarah's house. Her parents showed a surprising interest in our game for a couple of old people, and were particularly amused to learn that they were the King and Queen of Silverfen. I decided that I really liked them. I admit that I was looking forward to spending more time alone with Sarah, but since that wasn't possible on the weekends, I was content just to spend time with her whole family. When dinner time came around, Mrs. Laurent sent me across the yard to invite my mom to eat with them. Sarah's dad thought it was a good excuse to unpack the barbecue from the crate where they had stored it while moving into this house, so we ate grilled hamburgers out on the Laurents' back patio.

I was having a great time, and not just because Sarah sat by me the whole time. My mom seemed to get along just fine with the Laurents, which was good for me because the better friends our two families were, the more opportunities I would have to be with Sarah. I didn't relish the thought of a Romeo and Juliet type of relationship with her, and fortunately it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

On Monday, I received a pleasant surprise. I woke up with a smile on my face, knowing that I would have another chance to spend all day alone with Sarah. That would give us the opportunity to do some things that we wouldn't want to do in front of our parents. I tried not to get too excited about it; nothing was guaranteed after all. But just the possibility was enough to put me in a good mood.

Sarah met me at the door just as my mom was leaving for work. Mom gave me some last-minute advice of the "be good" and "don't do anything I wouldn't do" variety, then disappeared out the door, leaving me alone with Sarah.

I was happy to travel with her back to her kingdom again, and like before, she led me straight up to her bedroom. I was tempted to ask if we were going to have sex again, but I was still a little afraid of moving too fast. I still didn't know how to understand a woman's mind, and in my innocence I didn't realize that that was the natural state of the relationship between men and women.

Fortunately, Sarah had her own plans.

"Kenneth dearest," she said, and I was surprised to find that I really didn't mind when she used lovey-dovey terms like that. "I was wondering whether you would be willing to do something for me."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, you know that there are dozens of elven tribes in Silverfen."

"Sure," I replied. I hadn't really much thought about it, but I was willing to play along for now.

"And you know that some of the more remote tribes hardly have any dealings with the others. Some are very primitive, in fact, and they have all kinds of strange and unusual traditions and rituals."

I wasn't sure where she was headed with this, but so far it sounded interesting. "That's what I heard," I replied.

"Well, part of my education as Princess of Silverfen was to get to know my subjects, especially those with whom I share a common heritage. The elven blood in my veins has led to a great interest in these tribes. They are my kin, after all. I've traveled all over Silverfen, from the mountains in the south to the jungles in the north, from the shores of Lake Nightmist to the Secret Valleys of the Elder Wind. I have seen many things, many peoples, many traditions. But one sight has intrigued me more than any others. Are you familiar with the mating ritual of the Firefern Elves?"

"Um ... no..." I said, although it did sound interesting.

"As I said, these are my kin, so although they are primitive, I feel a kind of bond with them. I know we were already married in a traditional royal ceremony, but I feel kind of incomplete. I would like to perform the mating ritual of the Firefern Elves with you."

"Er ... it sounds complicated."

"Not for you. Your part is easy. All you have to do is lie there."

"That's it?"

"Don't worry. I guarantee you'll enjoy it. We may be with a true Firefern Elf tribe, but we can still have our own private little ceremony."

"Well, I guess that would be all right," I said. Actually, it was sounding better and better. As long as all I had to do was lie there, I was willing to give it a shot.

"Good. Now before you lie down, you need to get dressed," she said.

"I'm already dressed."

"No, you have to dress in the traditional ceremonial outfit of the Firefern elves. Come here." She took my hand and led me into the bathroom, where she handed me a towel. "Take off all your clothes and wrap this around your waist," she said.

"A towel?"

"The closest thing to a loincloth we have in the house," she laughed. "I told you the Firefern elves are primitive. Besides, I'll be wearing almost exactly the same thing."

"Okay," I agreed happily.

I had no reason to be bashful around Sarah, so I immediately began stripping out of my clothes. She left the bathroom and closed the door behind her though. I would have liked to watch her dressing in her costume, but I didn't mind; no doubt this was something like seeing the bride before the wedding.

I hurried and undressed, then wrapped the towel around me like she said, tucking in one of the edges tightly so that it wouldn't fall down. Then I opened the door.

Sarah stood in the middle of the room, wearing just her bra and panties. "I'm going to be moving around more than you, and I decided my loincloth probably won't stay on," she said, "so I'm substituting."

"I have no objections," I grinned.

She hustled me over to the bed, instructing me to lie down sideways on it facing the room, with my legs over the edge and my feet on the floor. I did so.

"Now whatever happens, you have to just lie still," she said. I watched as she walked over to her stereo and turned it on. Instantly, the room was filled with music. Primitive music. Tribal music. Full of energetic drums, an African-sounding chant, and what must have been some kind of wooden flute. I figured it was to set the mood, but I was only half right.

Sarah turned around and stood in the center of the room again. She gave me a wink, then began to dance.

What a dance it was! It followed the rhythm set by the raw, primordial song that ran through the air, swaying and jerking with the pounding beats. Half the time her body flowed with lithe grace, and half the time with jarring, almost violent motions. Her body contorted into a thousand different postures, but always emphasizing the erotic sensuality of the human body. She spun and whirled with her hands in the air, then let them slide down her body, tracing her supple curves. There was a touch of ballet, a dash of modern dance, and maybe even a hint of hula. But all were subordinate to that raw, animalistic eroticism that the dance was meant to convey.

I had no doubt that she was making up the moves on the spot, and I also had no doubt that the dance was meant to do one thing, and one thing only: to arouse me. She had said that it was a mating dance, and it certainly inspired in me the desire to mate.

It wasn't long before the physical manifestation of that desire became apparent. A lump in the front of the towel I wore started to arise. Lying mostly prone like this, I knew it was impossible to hide.