“Is something wrong, Prince…?” Sir Hament started to ask as Prince Kelton hurried from Ponderosa’s room.
He waved his hand as he started down the stairs. He wasn’t surprised that Sir Hamnet followed him, nor was he bothered by it. Prince Kelton headed straight for the kitchen. He had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when he heard Sir Gruph yell.
‘You sniveling little weasel! I should report….”
“That my knights have too much time on their hands if they can come in here and bother the help,” Prince Kelton said loudly enough to stop Sir Gruph’s rant.
“Sire, this man has been withholding….”
“Nothing! Dawson has done exactly as I have asked. You, on the other hand, are taking liberties where you have none.”
“But, Sire,....”
Prince Kelton backhanded his cheek. “If the food offered is insufficient for you, take your horse and pray you make it back to Greywolf Castle.”
Sir Gruph bowed low then made his way to the kitchen door.
“And take every knight that feels the same with you.”
Sir Gruph paused a moment before stepping out of the kitchen.
Prince Kelton let out his breath. “...Are you alright, Dawson?” he asked gently.
“I was about ready to give him a piece of my mind, Your Majesty. I appreciate your concern. I will be fine.”
Prince Kelton nodded. “Is anything missing?”
“We seem to have gone through a good amount of dried meat and apples, My Lord.”
“Can we still make it last the few months’ time you suggested?”
Dawson scratched his head. “If I take into account that none of your knights leave, just to be on the safe side, we might make it through provided no other food goes missing.”
“Thank you, Dawson. I will provide what help I can to ensure nothing else goes missing.”
“I’ll be blunt, Your Majesty. If I suspect any of your living pincushions of anything, I will not be giving them anything.”
A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips. “I would expect nothing less, Dawson.”
He nodded then turned to finish what he had been working on when Sir Gruph interrupted.
Prince Kelton and Sir Hamnet left the kitchen. He turned down the hall before Sir Hamnet spoke.
“Would you like me to see who all is leaving, Prince Kelton?”
“No, Sir Hamnet. Set up a rotating schedule to help Dawson keep the mice out of the gain.”
“...Yes, Your Highness.”
Prince Kelton clapped Sir Hamnet on the back of the shoulder. “Thank you.”
Sir Hamnet nodded. “About Ponderosa, Sire?”
“What about her?”
“Are you ever going to reward her for what she’s done for you?”
“If there was something she wanted, I would grant it, Sir Hamnet, but I can tell that you know as well as I that she seeks for nothing.”
He nodded.
“In the meantime, you and Droyn can take turns standing guard until she dismisses you.”
“As you command, Your Highness.”
They parted ways and Prince Kelton turned for Ponderosa’s room once more. Sir Droyn still stood beside the door as it opened. He turned. Ponderosa opened the door to let Mȧthair out as she held Nathaniel in her other arm.
“Will the two of you be okay on your own for a while?” Prince Kelton asked.
Ponderosa nodded.
“Okay. I’ve told Sir Hamnet, and I’m saying the same to Sir Droyn now, the two of them will rotate guard until you dismiss them.”
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She motioned that Sir Droyn could go.
“Do you not feel the need to have one of them stand guard anymore?”
She shook her head.
“Alright. You are dismissed, Sir Droyn.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll inform Sir Hamnet.”
“Thank you.”
Sir Droyn bowed then walked away.
“Do you need anything before we go?”
Ponderosa shook her head with a soft smile then closed the door.
Prince Kelton brought Mȧthair back to their room. The mood he had been in before he reached the kitchen was now gone. He pulled off his boots then lay on the bed with Mȧthair. He held her close and kissed her furry head. Then he sighed, “I don’t know what to do about them, Mȧthair.”
‘You will when they return.’
“Will they return?”
‘Yes.’
Mȧthair rolled over and slobbered all over his face and neck.
“Mȧthair,” he protested. “If this is your way of making it up to me,….”
‘It’s not,’ she replied. ‘I know the stress of having our magic exposed, Ponderosa’s life threatened, and now the troubles with Sir Gruph, Sir Houton, and Sir Fran, weigh heavily on your mind. I just want to help you relax for a bit.’
He nodded.
She nudged him to get him to roll onto his stomach before she used her large paws to step on him. She distributed her weight in a way that felt wonderful as she stepped on and put weight on all of the sore spots in his back and shoulders. An occasional grunt or mewl escaped her throat, allowing his mind to disengage from the problems surrounding them and his body to relax until he felt a shift deep inside himself that reminded him of the soul combining connection he felt with Mȧthair once he had taken on his Dinakal form. Prince Kelton reached for it, pulled on it, and drew it around himself.
‘Let go,’ Mȧthair’s voice whispered in his head.
His mind stopped struggling to hold onto the feeling and, in so doing, ended up relaxing into it. He felt his soul stir within her at the same time that her soul stirred in his. Her soul was human, her soul was Dinakal, and somehow he knew his soul was the same. Prince Kelton ravished her lips and mouth with his tongue. She moaned in pleasure. He felt her smile against his lips just before she playfully nipped at his ears. They drew each other closer. She relaxed against him as he sunk his soul deeper into hers. Waves of pleasure built as they washed over the two of them. He grunted and shifted just before their pleasure was flooded with pure bliss.
‘I love you, Kelton,’ Mȧthair said.
“I’m very glad you do, Mȧthair. I love you, too.”
They shared a few soft kisses before Kelton rested his head between Mȧthair breasts and fell into a restful sleep.
Mȧthair was curled up against his back, asleep, when he woke. He rolled over slowly, so as not to jostle the bed too much, and planted a soft, lingering, kiss on the top of her head. His dream of being able to make love to Mȧthair, despite their physical forms differing, had felt so real. Real enough that he felt some of the sensations from the dream lingering. Kelton kissed her once more, picking up on a smell that didn’t quite match his mate’s smell. He drew in a deep breath before he got up and smelled her back side. He licked it, feeling her shift slightly before he smelled her again.
“Mȧthair?”
‘Hmm?’
“Why do you smell different? I mean you still smell like you, but it’s different.”
‘Mhmm,’ she purred, before smacking him in the face with her tail and filling his nose with multiple scents.
“Pups?” he wondered.
‘Mhmm. Our pups,’ Mȧthair woofed as her tail swished back and forth some more.
Kelton laughed in delight and shock before crawling up and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her multiple times before he siddle down to kiss her abdomen. He kissed it five times, then five more times.
“I love you all,” he told her belly.
‘They love you, too, Beloved.’
Kelton shifted toward the head of the bed once more and drew Mȧthair close once more. She licked his cheeks and chin several times, before he stopped her with a kiss to her cheek.
“We should tell Nathaniel,” he said.
Mȧthair chuckled. ‘Once you’ve cleaned up.’
He looked down and immediately realized he needed to change clothes.
“So it wasn’t just a nice dream,” he muttered under his breath.
‘Nope,’ Mȧthair confirmed.
He kissed her once more then got up to change his clothes before they left the room.
After telling Nathaniel the good news, Prince Kelton left Mȧthair with Ponderosa while he went to gather his knights. True to Mȧthair’s words, Sir Gruph, Sir Houton, and Sir Fran were indeed absent. Sirs Thomas and Hett looked around uncomfortably.
“Before I thank you all for your loyalty, I must ask if there are any of you who now wish to have left with Sirs Gruph, Houton, and Fran?”
No one spoke.
“Sir Hamnet, was there any knight that you felt should not participate in the assignment I gave?”
“No, Prince Kelton.”
“Very good.”
“If I may, Sire?” Sir Thomas asked. “Is there a reason you suddenly decided to ration the food?”
“After the storm we just had and with how strong the winds remain, I highly doubt that the roads are suitable for the horses, let alone the carriage, and who is there to say that there may not be other storms to follow. I would rather be cautious than foolhardy.”
“And how much longer are you anticipating our stay to be?”
“We will see how long it takes for the snow to melt sufficiently to get the carriage back to the castle safely.”
“That could be months yet!”
Prince Kelton nodded.
“Which is why you had Dawson start rationing the food when the storm hit,” Sir Droyn surmised.
“That is correct, Sir Droyn,” Prince Kelton replied. “And it seems that an absence of responsibility has led to many of your minds to focus on your bellies. I did not knight you so you could be gluttons! So, we will train. Everyday. I want you to prove to me that you are still worthy of the title.”
He drew his sword then waited for the first of his knights to step forward.