P. Power - Knight of the Realm

His gaze found, not the happy go lucky crowd, but the half dozen people openly staring at him the whole time. Some of the faces were familiar, from around the palace, or even his old school. They'd watched him there too, he realized now. At the time he'd just thought they were staring because they just didn't like him, but now..

“Spies?” She breathed into his ear the moving air tickling slightly.

What did he know of spies really, but it made sense.

“I can have fun with you and Trice, possibly Collette even, but Maria? No way. That would look a bit like the King doing her before the investigation. No one would ever trust it as to a fair hearing or trial then, would they? It's why I need to get back to the Capital and fix up Smythe and get him to agree not to kill me anymore, in some way that will stick. He seems to be the only one everyone will trust. But… Yeah. I have to watch myself. Bad enough I'm thinking about asking you to marry me if this thing with Varley really does fall through. It probably will, since she's pregnant and we've never, you know…” Tor blushed brightly. “You were my first.”

Petra tried to kiss him, and made him drop his shield so he could.

“I'll think about it… really I was your first? And you're already that good? Damn. Well, engagement or not, be sure I'm going to be jumping into bed with you again. I would tonight, or even right now, but really, you should take a shot with Collette, too good to pass up. Tomorrow if you have time?”

Tor agreed. What did he have to lose at this point after all?

The last competition was drinking, in which everyone, except the winner for some reason, nearly died. They drank as fast as they could, of a stronger beverage than Tor had ever encountered before, and were succumbing to poisoning when Petra went around and started healing them all. Then amazingly, half of them started drinking again. Laughing Petra held out her hand.

“Don't do it! I'm leaving to get some work done and won't be back till dinner, die before then and it's on you.”

That got a chorus of laughs for some reason Tor couldn't understand at all. Trying to drink yourself to death was funny here? That was insane.

They flew to the beach so that no one would follow them and then, over the water by about fifty feet, Tor hit the sigil under his shirt. It was a tiny action that made a huge boat appearing beneath them. It was two hundred feet long, the deck looked like wood and the rest was a stark black, shining like glass. It was forty-five foot wide and set into the water nicely as he lowered it, hoping he'd gotten the hull the right shape. It floated and didn't tip over at least, which he took to be a good sign. Landing on the deck pushed the boat a little lower into the water, a gentle bob of the whole thing. Being careful Tor took off the amulet and went through a door in the side of the cabin on the top deck. There he hung it on a metal hook meant just for that purpose.

“The stairs here take you to the living quarters below.” He started towards the door, bet an arm snaked across his chest first, making Tor pause.

“Drop your shield.” She spoke gently, though with a little bit of a growl. Petra seemed happy enough, if suddenly serious, so he did it, not really knowing if she was going to hit him or give him a hug. The answer was neither. She kissed him long and hard, a lot more passionately than he figured she would for a simple present like this.

Then, laughing she pulled back and asked for a tour.

Petra ran past him into the driving area, which she called the “pilot house”. It had windows all the way around, well, invisible shields, but that was even easier than making them look like something else, so Tor hadn't stinted on them. Petra examined the controls and smiled, it was the same as for a fishing boat, even if the craft was way larger. She started slow, a few miles per hour and then inched the lever forward slowly. It gained speed, moving faster until the whole thing started to shudder and skip a little on the waves. She giggled and slowed it down wide eyed and smiling. At a guess she was moving at around forty miles per hour still. The turning radius seemed horrible, the big ship making a circle about an eighth of a mile in diameter, but she seemed pleased with it. Very.

“It's just how boats this size are. Actually this one seems to handle better than most. A lot better….” She took it out for miles before bringing the speed to zero, pulling the level, one that looked like polished wood in a dark color, all the way back. They stopped moving then, except where the waves lifted the boat a little bit.

That's what happened when stopped, so there wouldn't be a need for an anchor. That earned him another hug, then a kiss, her hand moving down his back and finally clutching his behind. It was playful and seemed a little interested, if Tor was any judge of such things. Petra grinned again.

“Show me the rest?”

The deck, obviously was just a deck and had no special properties at all. There wasn't even a hatch for a cargo hold, since it wasn't meant to carry any he let her know. The railing looked good and they spent a minute looking at the ocean, holding on the rail and each other for a while.

“I love this. The ocean I mean. The present is alright too.” She chuckled and shook her head gently. “Of course now I'm spoiled and no boy giving me mere flowers will ever stand a chance. Well, unless he's really cute of course, then it might work…”

Tor stuck out his tongue.

“Like you'd ever be anything but proper? Besides, flowers are nice. Their colorful and smell good. Who doesn't like that? At least the equal of something like this.” Tor grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the door at about mid-deck that held the stairs. It was a spiral set of steps, because Tor thought it was elegant, if slightly dizzy making, each looking like sturdy pieces of drift wood. So the look was eclectic? It gave it a bit more character than if the whole thing was just one style, right?

The rest of it was massive, now that he got a good look at it. It had five rooms in all, a restroom, done to look like warm wood and that had a pattern to it that made you feel like you were in a forest somewhere, the ceiling looking like trees with a daylight sky above. That was where the light came from, but it didn't change. He hadn't figured that part out yet, making the image move. The bathing chamber had a big tub, but it looked like it was made of clear glass. The shower next to it also had the same look. The walls did too, something he was particularly proud of.

“Obviously, we can see out, but even someone trying to look in will only ever see the side of the ship. I um, thought you might appreciate the risque aspect of it.”

She did, and wanted to show him just how much right then and there. Tor was tempted, but he kind of had something set up with Collette. When he admitted it, Petra just smiled at him and shook her head. She didn't push the issue though. Tor wondered if he should have done it anyway. It was so tempting, but felt wrong somehow.

Yes, it was wrong.

If he was in Two Bends.

Here having two women in a day was probably normal. He so needed to finish reading that book on manners Holly had lent him. It was probably covered in there. If not he needed to make up a list of questions and just grab someone to ask outright. Rolph would tell him. Or Rich maybe, if he really got desperate. If the poor man could find the time to talk about things that trivial to the kingdom.

Pet tested the water and then tasted it. It was pure, and cold. It didn't take her ten seconds to figure out how to set the water to what she liked, something far hotter than what Tor would have picked himself. Then she let it all out, checking the speed and action as it drained, seeming impressed.