Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Rainier struggled to ignore the smell of roasting meat from a nearby stall over a month later as they watched a man fumble a trick. A bunch of hidden cards fell out of his sleeve, and half of the crowd busted out laughing at him.

“Oops,” Felix said in a low voice.

The accident certainly distracted Rainier as the man rushed to pick up the dropped cards while his face grew redder and redder.

“Someone’s going to get the sack,” a woman shouted.

Some of the people started to disperse, and the man, having collected his cards, hurried off toward the troupe wagons to one side of the field.

“I think he’s done for the night." Rainier’s stomach ached as his eyes landed on the nearby stall. Some people were buying skewers of the spiced meat.

Elira, he wanted one so bad. Weeks of only two half meals a day with salad were getting old. He hadn’t eaten breakfast in ages, and one day, when Felix had been racing up and down the hall while dragging Inky’s feather toy for the cat to chase, he’d tossed his dried fruit down the privy.

Worse, he was sure he didn’t look any thinner at all. Judging by a few disapproving glares he’d gotten from Mum in the past few weeks, he hadn’t lost any weight. In fact, he was positive he looked fatter.

For a moment, he was insanely jealous of Felix who had been nibbling on a mellyball pastry. His Kitten could eat whatever and have snacks during the day if he was hungry, and he looked utterly perfect naked or clothed.

Felix held up his pastry. “Do you want some?”

Rainier realized he’d been staring at the food like a damn, greedy idiot who didn’t know what the word control meant. “I’m good, Kitten, but thanks.”

“You haven’t eaten anything.”

“Sweets don’t appeal to me, remember?”

“They’ve got other stuff too,” said Felix.

“I’m not hungry.”

How he hated lying to Felix.

At least the traveling fair was fun. The group had set up outside of the city, and a few businesses from Rosewood had put up stalls to draw more customers. More than one fairy was drunk thanks to a couple selling ale.

The traveling fair itself consisted of acrobats, jugglers, musicians, and various other people who could do tricks including dangerous ones like swallowing swords. Thankfully, only the magic card man had messed up with his act.

It was past dark, but the fair would probably go on until after midnight, and the citizens showed no signs of slowing down. Colored lanterns hung from ropes strung between high posts, and a couple of pixies kept fluttering overhead as they giggled.

Rainier kept his hood up. Since the air cooled at night, and he kept getting rather chilled easily, he was grateful for his cloak. Felix made a kissy noise and called to a pixie as he held up the last bit of his pastry. She swooped in, grabbed it, and flew off while holding it above her head and squealing.

“Pixies are amazing,” said Felix.

Rainier wrapped an arm around his shoulder and chuckled. “They are pretty adorable.”

“How come they can’t talk much? They’re basically like tiny humans or fairies.”

“I don’t know,” said Rainier. “It’s one of those mysteries.”

Mum had wrinkled her nose when Rainier had said he’d be going to the fair. She probably thought he was stuffing himself with cheap snacks, and for a moment, shame made his empty stomach hurt worse.

It had almost made him not want to go, but Felix had seemed excited about it, and he loved going out with his pet even if they simply went riding in the surrounding forests.

They watched a play which wasn’t bad, although the two people in a unicorn costume looked pretty cheap. It didn’t help that the guy in the back end kept fidgeting.

“Have you ever seen a unicorn?” whispered Felix.

“Of course. It’s Glasswood.”

Felix stared at him with his mouth slightly open.

“You haven’t?”

“No.”

“You’ve lived here for twelve years, and you’ve never seen a single unicorn?”

“Not one.”

“We’ll have to remedy that.”

Unicorns weren’t simply wandering about cities, but there were plenty more south, and a few farms caught and rescued them too. If Felix had never seen one before, he’d probably love to see a farm full of them.

Once the play ended, Felix led him over to where people were dancing as musicians played.

“I don’t know how to do fancy court dances, but can we waltz?”

Rainier chuckled as he put a hand on Felix’s waist and took one of his hands. “We do this at court too.”

Felix nestled against him while they danced to the slow music. Being with his pet was the only thing that made him happy lately, and Felix was the only one that could truly distract him from thinking about food or his weight for at least a while. Mum had been more snappy lately, and she’d criticized some work he’d done in the office. Every time he saw her, he imagined she must see him as a fat pig with no control.

Felix must have thought he was fat. If he did, he must have loved being his Kitten far more. In fact, the human had a talent for it, and he’d been practicing wearing his gag a couple of times a week for the past month, although Rainier hadn’t fucked him or done anything too kinky while he wore it.

He seemed at ease in it, so maybe they would soon. Rainier simply wanted to be extra sure. Without it, Felix was good at keeping quiet except for appropriate noises.

Like when he screamed the Prince’s name that afternoon when they had fucked on the couch.

His stomach tightened again since their time was already more than half over. It’d be nice if Felix could stay, and Rainier would pamper him forever, but that was just a fantasy. Mum would never let him live it down.

When the musicians struck up faster songs, both of them kept messing up the steps as they tried quicker dances. Also, the movement was tiring him out, but he didn’t want to stop because Felix was having so much fun.

He was a bit out of breath when they finally stopped, and he internally cursed himself. If he was worn out after a few dances, he was fat and needed to lose more weight. They watched a juggler with flaming knives for a bit until Felix yawned, and Rainier asked if he was tired.

“Mm, yeah. Are you? We can go.”

They had walked, and when they entered the city, someone ahead was eating a packet of something they must have gotten at a stall.

Elira, how was Rainier going to wait until lunch tomorrow when his stomach felt like it was gnawing on itself now?

***

Rainier’s stomach decided to shame him after they got in bed by letting out a loud growl.

“Are you hungry?” asked Felix.

“No,” Rainier instantly said.

In the dim light of the fire, Felix’s shadowy face seemed to scrunch up. “Do you want me to get you something from the kitchen because that sounded like you’re hungry?”

Rainier kissed his cheek. “I’m not hungry, Kitten. Honestly. Dinner’s not being so agreeable right now.”

“Are you going to fart all night?”

“Crown Princes don’t fart,” Rainier declared in his loftiest voice.

“That’s the biggest fib I’ve ever heard, and you did one night a couple of weeks ago in your sleep. It was a little one, but still!”

“I did no such thing. It must have been the wind you heard.”

“Yeah, the wind you let out under the blanket against my leg.”

They both dissolved into laughter and shook the bed so hard, Inky got up from near Rainier’s legs and jumped onto the floor.

“W-wait. Come back, In-Inky.” Felix could barely talk. “Actually, maybe it’s safer for you down there in case the wind blows again.”

“He’ll come back.”

Felix nestled against his chest. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that the Crown Prince of Glasswood farted in his sleep.”

Since they calmed down and stopped jiggling the bed, Inky jumped back up, and he crawled onto Felix’s hip. Rainier’s was probably too fat. Felix told him he was a great hip warmer, and after a few minutes, his breathing grew deep and even as he slept. His warmth was so good under the blanket, and Rainier wished he didn’t get chilled so easily.

He lived in a Kingdom where it was always spring. Even if the nights grew cooler, he was pretty sure other people never got cold with a fire in the room, a blanket, and a warm body against them.

His stomach growled again as if announcing how weak he was. Felix slept on, and Inky got off of his hip so he could settle on the human’s pillow instead.

“That’s right,” Rainier whispered to him. “You keep watch over our favorite human.”

Inky sniffed at Felix’s hair and laid his head down to sleep.

Rainier’s stomach continued gnawing on itself while he struggled to achieve what his two bedmates had. He thought about going to the kitchen for something because the salad and stew were long gone. He had avoided the chicken and ate the libby leaves and corn from it as slowly as possible while he talked with Mum about mundane matters.

Maybe if he ate something small, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Just a tiny little bit of food from the kitchen so his gut would calm down. But he didn’t want to disturb Felix who had an arm over him.

He tried to force himself to sleep again for a good fifteen minutes. Felix shifted and rolled onto his back but didn’t wake up.

Well, Rainier could get up now as long as he was careful, but he should sleep. If he simply kept his eyes closed, it would happen.

He hurried into the kitchen a few minutes later with his cloak around him, and he took the lantern from the work counter so he could see in the pantry.

Everything felt like it was too much. The pastries the servants ate glistened with honey under their glass dome. The loaf of bread was plump like him, and if he put butter or norben on it, he might as well go find a farmer and get in the pen with his pigs or join a field of mookies.

The nibs he had in the room were for Felix’s treats, and he never allowed himself to even think about eating one. He didn’t dare look at the cacao on the shelf either because he’d want a whole handful.

Why was he even here? He was too big for any of this, and likely all sorts of fruits and vegetables were in the cellar, but even that would plump him up more. He couldn’t eat any snack without getting fat. He forced himself out of the panty and leaned on the work counter as his stomach whined for food.

Why couldn’t he be like Felix or Natalie? Maybe a few bites of apple would work and not add yet more padding to his bones. Perhaps Mum wouldn’t know tomorrow.

The problem was that he’d want the whole thing, and he couldn’t finish an entire apple. He shouldn’t waste part of it either. He needed to fucking control himself. Mum was right about him. Gritting his teeth, he went to fetch a cup, and he scooped water from a bucket in the corner.

Three cups worth seemed to help his stomach a little, although it created a new sort of discomfort, and he was surprised he didn’t slosh when he moved. He forced himself back upstairs.

When he got back into bed, he draped an arm over Felix. At least his sweet human didn’t seem to mind if he was chubby.

***

Lunch had barely put a dent in the hollowness of his gut the next day, but he told himself he’d never get up for food again at night. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t actually eaten anything. The fact that he’d gone down there proved his weakness.

After he finished work in the office, he was too excited to think about food because he had somewhere to take Felix. He’d asked a servant about it and was already planning it in his head.

As he was heading up the stairs, he heard a voice from below, and he paused. The court physician came hurrying up with his leather satchel.

“Your Majesty, I almost didn’t recognize you. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Rainier plastered on a smile even though the sight of the physician brought back unpleasant memories.

“I came by to see your Mother.”

Rainier tilted his head. “She’s sick?”

The yellow feathers coming out of the physician’s head twitched. “Female troubles.”

No wonder she didn’t ask Rainier to heal anything. It’d be too embarrassing even if he could do something for that. “Ah. Well, I won’t keep you.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“You look a bit…” He glanced down at Rainier’s body. “You look a bit thin.”

He either needed to get his eyes checked, or he was lying and covering it up when he meant to say fat.

“There’s nothing wrong with me.”

The physician squinted and made a faint chirp noise in the back of his throat. “You look thinner than the last time I saw you, Your Majesty.”

“I haven’t changed a bit.” Unfortunately. “Excuse me.”

He hurried ahead to the sixth floor where the library was and had to pause in the hallway and lean against the wall. Two quick flights of stairs, and he felt like he’d run the city wall. Weak.

He found his Kitten in the library at a table with a book. Inky was loafed on the table with his eyes half-closed, and Felix’s face brightened at the sight of him.

“Look who it is, kitty.”

Inky barely acknowledged Rainier’s presence as he sat. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“Since you’ve never seen a unicorn before, I’m going to take you to Jolly Farms so you can see a whole bunch of them!”

Felix’s eyes lit up in the sunlight from the windows over the shelves. “You’re taking me to a unicorn farm?”

Rainier smiled and nodded. Felix forgot the book and leaned over to hug him.

“Oh, my God. I’ve always wanted to see one. Mum mentioned us going because I wanted to before, but you know how that is. Life got in the way, and we kept forgetting.”

“We do have to wait a bit,” said Rainier. “The owner of Jolly Farms is cousins with one of our servants. I asked her about the area because there was a bit of a bandit problem last year, but she said the lord there took care of that. It’s been quiet and safe, but there’s no place to stay since the nearby village has no inn at the moment. It caught fire, and they’re rebuilding.”

“That’s terrible.”

“She said no one was hurt, but there’s no other place close enough to sleep unless we don’t stay long. I would think you’d prefer to enjoy the unicorns for more than a couple of hours, and I’d prefer we not sleep outside. They have some there that can be ridden if you’d like.”

Felix’s eyes widened. “Hell, yes!”

Rainier laughed and kissed him. “She said it’d be safer to wait a month for them to rebuild, get furniture, and all of that.”

“I can wait if it means we get to ride unicorns.”

Rainier reached to pet Inky who made a quick noise when he was touched.

“Are you all right?” asked Felix.

“I’m fine.”

Why were two people asking if he was fine in the space of ten minutes?

“Are you sure?” asked Felix.

“I’m sure.” Rainier was tired and hungry, but he wasn’t going to tell his Kitten that. He was here to enjoy himself and be spoiled, not worry about Rainier’s problems. “Do you want to do the fair again tonight? They’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Maybe they’ll do a different play.”

“I wonder if the card man will be there.”