"There it is," Talise said calmly as she placed a basin right in front of my face.
I threw up harder than I did after a night of Jager Bombs. I heaved
until my stomach clenched and burned, and then I heaved some more. I was pretty sure I was on the brink of dying, that I was going to throw up my
spleen or liver or something, when it finally stopped.
"Never again," I moaned as I wiped my mouth.
"That's what they all say," Talise said, and I could hear a smile in her voice. "Now, you must drink this."
"Oh,hell no!" I argued as Ipushed away the cup she offered me. There was no way I was putting anything in my stomach right then.
"You must!" she said more firmly. "The queen will see you shortly, and you are in no condition to receive her. Trust me, Ben. This will fix what ails you. Just drink it quickly."
I almost started gagging again at the thought of swallowing anything, but the insistence in Talise's voice convinced me to cooperate. If there was some chance that whatever was in the cup would help this hangover at least a little,I would be stupid not to try it.
"Fine, give it to me," I growled
"Don't think about it," she instructed as she handed me the cup again. "Just drink it fast."
I downed the cup of liquid in one gulp. It was oily and slightly bitter, but really didn't have much taste at all. I was incredibly thankful for that.
"Now chew on these leaves," the healer ordered.
"Will these help, too?" I asked as Iput the leaves in my mouth. "Yes, do you like them?"
"Yeah,they taste pretty good." I realized I was chewing on mint, and the flavor was actually pleasing. I also noticed the room had stopped
spinning, and the marching band had moved out of my head. I chanced standing up and realized how good I felt.
This woman was a magician.
"What in the hell was in that cup?" I asked around a mouthful of mint.
"It's probably better if I don't tell you," Talise said ominously
I didn't want to think about it too hard. I was positive I didn't want to know now.
"Whatever it was, you could bottle it up and sell it where I came from," Ichuckled.
"That's all well and good, but now you need to bathe," Talise said with a smile before she wrinkled her nose cutely. "There is a tub of warm water behind the curtain along with soap and all you need to get clean. There is a drying cloth, as well, and a small soft brush to clean your teeth along with more mint. You will find your own clothes freshly washed,
along with some from our village. Dress however you wish. Be thorough but quick, please!"
Talise gave me a bit of a push toward the curtain, and I kicked off the slippers I'd slept in and pulled off my pants. I realized Talise could still
fully see me, and I blushed a bit at the thought. I glanced over my shoulder, and she abruptly turned around to give me privacy, but not before I caught a hungry grin on her face.
My dick immediately hardened in response. This woman was giving me the worst case of blue balls just from her existence.
I was actually surprised to find a large enough tub for me to stand in, and it was full of warm water. Next to the tub were several pitchers of clean water I assumed were for rinsing. I used an empty pitcher to soak my head and body with the water from the tub, and then I picked up the same sweet smelling soap Talise had cleaned me with the other day and began to wash myself.
I had the habit of singing show-tunes when I was in the shower and being on a strange island wasn't going to change that.
"One singular sensation, every little step he takes. One thrilling
combination, every move that he makes. One smile and suddenly nobody else will do. You know you'll never be lonely with you-know-who!" I
belted out and even did a little chorus line kick to bring it all home. Then I rinsed off with clean water and heard giggles on the other side of the
curtain.
Great. I had an audience.
I finished getting dressed and opted for the new island clothes over my old worn out jeans. I wanted to be accepted and trusted by these
women, and I didn't see how sticking to my old ways would help that. On top of that, the clothes they gave me were softer than anything I'd ever
worn. The pants were made from the same soft, dark gray material as the last pair they'd given me, but these fit a little more snug than the other pair, bordering on the lines of skinny jeans. The shoes were boot shaped, but
flexible and almost magically molded to my feet. They offered support and protection but were incredibly light. The shirt was a creamy color and fit
snug like the pants, but it was still the most comfortable shirt I'd ever worn.
I walked out from behind the curtain and found Talise, Mira, and the twin guards trying to hide their fits of giggles. It wasn't going so well for
them. Once they made eye contact with me, they lost any pretense and practically fell over from laughing so hard.
"Are you not entertained?" I asked in my best Russell Crowe imitation.
They certainly didn't get the reference, but it was enough to start the laughter back up, and I had to join in. Finally, after several minutes, we
regained our composure enough that Mira could speak.
"I am to take you to the palace to meet with the queen," she informed with a grin still tugging at her full lips. "You will not be returning to this
hut. Instead, you will have a room in the palace until proper accommodations can be made for you."
"Thank you, Mira, you may have tried to kill me with nectar last night, but I am still grateful for your friendship," Iteased.
"I did try to warn you," she replied with a chuckle.
We began our walk toward the palace, and the women pointed out
various things along the way. Talise showed me multiple plants they used for medicine, and Mira and the twins talked about the different defense
measures they had in place. It was a lot to take in, but it got my wheels
turning. I could see many ways to make this island safer for the women I
was strangely growing fond of. Even without all the alcohol in my system, I
knew I wanted to help them defend themselves before I figured out how to get home.
After a twenty-minute walk, we reached the palace and found it
bustling with activity. Many women carried baskets on their heads, and the containers were overflowing with coconuts, seaweed, and fish. There were several stations set up in the palace courtyard for different activities, and I could see a few women in front of a large loom weaving thin strips of
seagrass. At first glance,I thought they were making some kind of netting, but then I realized they were making more roof thatching for huts.
Across from where the women were weaving looked like a
blacksmith of sorts, with a lot of hammering and heat pouring out of the shed. I made a mental note to check that out as soon as I could. I also saw basins of dye in various colors in another station, one that appeared to be sorting through the baskets of food the women were carrying, and another seemed to be some sort of botany center. I was going to have to find the time to spend an afternoon exploring this busy courtyard.
"This is where I take my leave of you," Talise said as she turned to me. "I must get back to my research and duties. Enjoy your day with the queen, Ben." Then she made a little head bow and turned to go.
I couldn't help myself as I watched her walk away. The healer had the curviest ass I'd ever seen, and it swayed like it knew I was watching. I
made no effort to hide my ogling of her body, and I was sure she sensed this when she threw a coy smile over her shoulder.
"She has always been an incorrigible flirt," Mira said at my side
before she smirked at me. "Come along, Thrilling Combination. The queen awaits."
She chuckled at her clever nickname for me, and I was just glad they didn't catch me on an 'I Feel So Pretty' day.
The queen met us in the doorway to the main part of the palace, and I was totally thrown off again by the beauty of this woman. Her silver hair
was piled loosely on top of her head and made a nest for her crown, and a few tendrils escaped and cascaded down her long and perfect neck. Her
iridescent scales reflected the aquamarine color of her wrap that was the
exact color of her eyes. Her voluptuous breasts strained the top of her wrap, and her hourglass flared hips created the perfect handles to hold on to.
I got lost in thoughts of how smooth her skin would feel under my hands, how I wanted to taste and touch every inch of her body, and how her voice would sound moaning in my ear.
"Merry morning, Your Majesty," Mira greeted as she simultaneously elbowed me in the ribs and bowed her head.
"You are a beautiful sight this morning, Your Majesty," Iblurted and bowed my head a little deeper than necessary. I was afraid I'dinsulted her with my word choice and daydreams. Again.
"Merry Morning, Mira and Ben," Nerissa said with a smile. "I am happy to find you bothwell and rested."
I looked up to find a mischievous grin on the queen's face. Had word of my drunken escapades from last night reached her ears?I could feel a
blush reach my cheeks at the thought. It would be no time before she heard about my shower performance.
"Yes, Your Majesty, umm, rested and well, that's me," Ifumbled.
To my right, Mira tried to hide a laugh with an improvised cough and failed miserably. Ishother a harsh look, but it just made her laugh even
harder.
"I request your company for the rest of the day, Ben," the queen
practically purred in the sexiest voice I'd ever heard. "I would like to show you around the island and let you see how things operate around here. Then I would like to hear your suggestions on how we can make things more
efficient and safer. You said you would like to prove yourself worthy of our trust. This would be a good start."
"It would be an honor and a pleasure to accompany you today, my queen." I bowed my head again.
"Excellent. As the head of our defense,I would like Mira to join us. Zarya and Darya, you both may continue with your usual duties." She
nodded to the twins to release me, and I took it as a signshe trusted me a little more than last time, since she was comfortable having just one guard with her in my presence.
I was making progress.
"Our island is naturally protected on the western and most of the
southern coast by high cliffs," Nerissa explained as we made our way to the nearby southern coastline. "They are very perilous and rocky, which makes them difficult to traverse. The coastline smooths out along the southern
border the further east it goes. This is where we do most of our fishing because the schools are much less disturbed, and the fish are more
plentiful."
"What do you use to catch the fish?" I asked as I took in my surroundings.
We had walked away from the cliffs and onto a sandy beach about a hundred yards long that curved out into a sandbar and formed a small and natural gulf in the water. The water was so clear here I could see out for half
a mile, and there were four women spread out in waist deep water working on their catch of the day.
"Some women prefer to use spears and some use small woven baskets," the queen replied. "When food is scarce, the baskets are ideal because they can catch more and less escape, but the sport in using the spear is still appealing for many of us."
I watched as Nerissa picked up a spear and waded out into the water waist deep. She wore a serene smile on her face as she stood patiently, and she didn't move a single muscle. A few moments later, the spear in her
hand moved faster than I thought was possible, and just as quickly, she pulled it out of the water.
Skewered on the end was a grouper the size of one of my thighs. "Damn. Great job!" I cheered from the beach.
Nerissa laughed at my excitement and made her way over to where Mira and I waited. Then she handed her spear to one of the women catching fish and joined us again.
"It's been a long time since I last did that," the queen said with a grin, and she was obviously delighted with her catch. "I wasn't sure I still had the touch."