Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

After an orgasm like that, Rainier almost could have gone back to bed with Felix for a couple of hours, but they needed to go.

Also, he could tell his Kitten was quite excited to get going.

“Shouldn’t you eat if we’ll be riding?” Felix asked once he finished his breakfast.

Rainier shook his head. “You didn’t need breakfast before you rode me like a horse.”

Felix chuckled. “That’s different.”

He’d have to eat in front of Felix during this trip, and he told himself he’d be fine even though it made his stomach twist with nerves. It was just a few days; he wouldn’t snack, and with so much riding, which took energy even though the horse was doing the legwork, he surely wouldn’t gain anything.

He was still afraid he’d return and look fatter to Mum. When he went to say goodbye to her in her rooms, she was pleasant despite him going with what she only thought of as a whore.

“Don’t eat too much,” she reminded him before he left. “Inn fair is often greasy.”

“I know, Mum,” he said, barely able to keep the stiffness from his tone.

As he walked down the hall, he took a deep breath. Maybe he’d lose weight during the next few days, and she’d lay off of him for a bit.

Why did he even bother kidding himself?

***

Lunch wasn’t as bad as Rainier thought when they stopped at a tavern in a town. Actually, it was terrible, but that meant he didn’t have to worry about eating it. Felix looked like he was trying to simply get through at least some of the stew.

It was supposed to be chicken, but Rainier said he was pretty sure it was the eyeballs and other nasty bits of the chicken that no one wanted to eat. The bread that came with it was also stale. Complaining wouldn’t do much good because everyone else had the same food, and taverns usually served what was available.

“This is making me sick,” Rainier said after a few small bites, and he pushed away the bowl. “We can’t eat this.”

“That other tavern up the street didn’t look too good either,” said the guard. “If an owner lets his windows get that filthy, I doubt he keeps the kitchen clean. That’s what my Pa always said.”

Rainier wasn’t sure what else this town had since he’d never spent any considerable time there. “Let’s find a bakery. We’ll get rolls instead.”

Felix eagerly pushed away his bowl. “Sounds good to me.”

A nearby bakery had rolls from that morning and little glass jars of norben. They stood outside by the horses while they ate. Or more like, Felix and the guard ate.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” asked Felix.

Rainier patted his horse’s neck. “No. That stew made my stomach hurt. Thank Elira we didn’t sit there and force it all down.”

Felix scrunched his eyebrows together. “Do you want to find a physician or an apothecary? We could get something for your stomach.”

“I’ll be fine. It’ll pass.”

The lie made his stomach hurt even worse. He wanted a roll slathered in the butter-like spread, or five of them, but he had an opportunity to skip food, so he’d better take it.

In the afternoon, they passed the farm where the norben must have come from. The whitish tilker plants waved in the breeze, and the little pods that hung from them were fat. The leaves could be eaten, although some people didn’t like the faint tart taste. The pods could be pressed to get the liquid out which was boiled down into norben.

When they stopped for the night at the next place on their planned journey, Rainier and Felix ate in their room. Felix must have been hungry since he ate faster than normal, and he said he was going to use the bathing room down the hall.

“Is your ass sore?”

“Yep.” Felix smirked. “I definitely haven’t forgotten last night. My legs are sore too. I haven’t ridden that much in ages.”

“I’ll give you a massage before bed.”

Rainier had been eating slowly and trying to ignore the shame of eating in front of Felix, and he hadn’t quite gotten through half of the roasted beef with spinach and mash. When the innkeeper came to fetch the plates, he seemed flustered that the Prince hadn’t eaten much. He offered to make something else, but Rainier said his stomach wasn’t feeling well, so he didn’t want anything even though the food had been delicious.

Once he was alone, he flopped on the bed to wait for Felix. At least here, he couldn’t go downstairs and get anything to eat. He was used to riding more than Felix, but so little food had worn him down. He almost wanted to skip bathing and simply go to sleep right then, but he wanted to give his Kitten a massage even more.

Felix lasted through the leg part and was fast asleep halfway through the backrub. Rainier put out the lantern, settled in the bed, pulled the sheet over them, and draped an arm over Felix.

It took a long time to go to sleep with the hunger in his gut.

***

When they stopped at the rebuilt inn the next night, Rainier had grown hungrier. He’d eaten half of lunch, ignored Felix’s concerned face, and he ate half of dinner once they settled in their room. Fortunately, Felix didn’t question him and force him to churn out the usual lies.

Jolly Farms wasn’t far, and they rode out in the morning after paying the innkeeper for a packed lunch. More of the trees in this area were made of clear glass, but a few different-colored trees and plants dotted the wide, winding road. Felix could barely stay still in the saddle when they came around a corner and saw a fence in the distance.

“Look!” Rainier pointed. “There’s one.”

In the vast field beyond the fence and the shrubbery that had sprouted around it, a white unicorn stood.

“Oh, my God!” exclaimed Felix. “It’s just like the stories back home. Do they lay their heads in the laps of virgins?”

“The gold ones occasionally do, but it’s not a big thing for them.”

Felix grinned. “I guess that won’t happen to me.”

The guard had been hanging back, but he must have caught that since his cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh at first. Rainier couldn’t help but chuckle as he and Felix continued riding along the fence.

Plenty more unicorns were toward the front of the property. A few enormous stables were past a gate, and smaller paddocks took up one side. A house across the dirt road going by must have been the owner’s, and the main fields were too big for Rainier to see the other side. A few people were hanging around by the gate into the fields, and a silver unicorn was eating something out of a little girl’s hand.

By the stables, a golden unicorn stood, and part of his horn had been broken off.

“What happened to him?” asked Felix.

“It might have been hunters,” said Rainier. “Some hunt them for the horns even though that’s repulsive.”

It was generally agreed that only rich scumbags would collect unicorn horns or something made from the bone material.

A stablehand for visitors came to take their horses, and they were able to enter through the gate since Rainier said he’d pay for them to ride. The guard didn’t want to go and said he needed a break from riding anyway.

Felix stayed outside of the main stable to stare at the unicorns while Rainier paid the owner. When he came out, a white one was approaching Felix who looked like he didn’t know if she should run or touch it.

“They’re gentle as long as you’re nice to them,” said Rainier, and the owner came out to join them. “My friend, Felix, is from the human world. He’s never seen a unicorn before.”

“I bet Snow over there senses that, or maybe he just likes you,” said the owner. “He doesn’t like anybody for the most part unless he knows them for a while.”

Snow had gotten close enough for Felix to touch, although he seemed a little skittish. “Why not?”

“We rescued him from a nasty guy who had caught him and tried to break him in for riding.”

The fairy must have horribly abused the unicorn. No wonder he didn’t trust anybody new except for Felix who hesitantly put out his hand. Snow drew a little closer and let the human stroke his neck.

“He’s so soft,” said Felix.

“He seems to like you,” said Rainier. “Can he ride Snow if he allows it?”

“Yeah, sure,” said the owner.

Unicorns were gentle with those they liked, so Rainier didn’t have to worry about Snow tossing off his human rider. The owner said Rainier couldn’t ride the gold one because he was attached to the man’s oldest son, and nobody else had the privilege. They weren’t sure how he’d ended up with a broken horn, but he’d popped up a few years ago.

Some others were scattered around the field, and the owner called over another silver one to see if he liked Rainier. Even if a unicorn senses a person is good or nice, they might not feel like being ridden or doing what the fairy wants.

The owner saddled them, and Felix didn’t hesitate to mount Snow.

“I can’t wait to tell Mother and Grandma.” He leaned forward to hug Snow’s neck. “This is so amazing. Thanks for bringing me here, Rainier.”

He leaned over to kiss Rainier. Seeing his Kitten so happy was far better than sex. He almost wanted to buy Felix a unicorn, but whores often didn’t have a spot for mounts. It was another expense that they didn’t really need, and the stables outside of whorehouses were for customers.

Someone from the stable went with them, and he led them around the fields to the others who were grazing and playing. In a separate paddock, a Mother watched her baby run around on his gangly legs. The stablehand said it had only been born three days ago, so they’d picked a good time to come. They couldn’t pet the baby because Mothers were quite protective of their children.

A male who must have been the Father came to the fence to watch, and the baby ran up to him. When the Father lowered his horn, the baby tapped his tiny one on it. The stablehand said they were probably saying hello to each other, and horn taps seemed to have a lot of meanings.

Rainier’s unicorn kept neighing while the stablehand led them on a trail through the woods behind the owner’s house. He had no idea what it was saying, but he liked it.

The stablehand was far enough ahead, and Felix whispered to Rainier. “Are some people into unicorn play like they are pony play?”

Rainier snorted and nodded. “Yes. I’ve heard you can buy a fake horn to strap on your forehead."

“I guess if you can think of it, it’s probably been done.”

They spent a few hours on the trails. Rainier enjoyed it too even though unicorns weren’t new to him, but he couldn’t shake off his tiredness. Barely any food and so much exertion were certainly taking its toll, and he hoped he’d lost some weight.

Even if he didn’t, it was worth being tired and starving to see Felix talking to Snow who occasionally whickered or snorted.

When they returned, they were allowed to sit in the grass by the Mother unicorn’s paddock since they’d promised not to try to touch her child. The Mother looked content since they were a suitable distance away, and Felix could barely tear his eyes off of the baby who kept coming up to the fence to peer at them.

Rainier slowly forced himself to eat some of the cold chicken, and he took his time while the other two ate at a normal pace. The innkeeper had roasted it to perfection and rubbed spices on the outside.

When Felix was done, he stood to approach the fence although he stayed a foot away and kept his hands to himself even when the baby ran up in excitement. The Mother lifted her head to watch them both.

“How long until the Mother isn’t so protective?” asked Felix.

Rainier squinted. “I think it’s usually at about five or six months that she might allow someone to touch the baby. It depends.”

“Well, even if she doesn’t allow it, I still want to bring Mother and Grandma here to see it and the rest. Grandma is getting up there, and I think it’s about time she saw a unicorn if she’ll agree to go in a carriage. She could never ride a horse all this way.”

A carriage from Yorn would cost quite a bit, but Felix obviously wanted them to have the experience, and Grandmas don’t live forever. That gave Rainier another idea for a gift, but it could wait for a bit.

But not too long because they didn’t have much time left together.