Make Camp

You ride for maybe another half an hour, before dismounting and setting up your bedrolls in a sheltered area. Daena draws a crossbow from her mount's saddle and saunters off to go on watch.

"Care for some refreshment?" Donald asks, producing a bottle from his things. Your spell of roughness in the morning notwithstanding, you're not about to refuse another drink. You eagerly take the bottle and take a swig. It burns, but in a good way.

As you sit and drink, Donald gathers some wood and tries to get a fire going. Despite an impressive array of logs and kindling beneath him, he's having trouble with the flint.

"M-makes me wish Alanna was here. She'd have this lit in seconds, snap of her fingers." You tell Donald.

"Who's she?" the Prince asks.

"Our- my Court Mage." You say, having to remind yourself she works directly for you now. Even after a month on your throne, your newfound authority took some getting used to.

"Mages." Donald says, shaking his head slightly. "Don't have much use for 'em up here. Bloody witches'll come down from the mountains into the lowlands and eat kids."

"Alanna's more interested in swallowing seed than kids, in my experience." You say with a snicker, recalling some of your trysts with the intoxicating mature blonde.

Donald shares your wry smiles, the fire momentarily abandoned for firewater as you pass the bottle and regale him with tales of your escapades.

"...and the twisted thing is, she was my mother's plaything first, as far back as I can remember!" You cry, your merriment increasing with every swig of drink.

"The twisted cunt!" Donald laughs. "I remember your mother too, swaying her from that must'a been quite the feat!"

As Donald makes mention of your mother once again, you can't resist asking him.

"You fucked her, right?" You ask, leaning in towards him. "You fucked my mother when she was up for the last Contests?"

Donald hesitates. You can tell admitting to it would be beyond the limits of even his sense of propriety.

"Donald, it's alright. You were both adults, with healthy urges. My mother's a gorgeous woman, incredibly striking... so I understand." you finish.

"Aye, I did." he finally confesses. "She was wild, brother. One of the best of my life!"

It's all you can do to bite your lip, keep yourself from agreeing with him. The brief mention of her has left you feeling a little homesick.

"You know, one day you'll be King, and will have to make a royal visit to Itheria." you muse. "Mother likes to stay close to the throne she stewarded."

"Dirty bastard!" Donald grins. "I may hold you to that."

You could tell she'd left an impression on him. Only natural, you supposed. The young prince had lain with a succubus and never even known it.

As you continue to talk, the bottle soon goes the way of the others last night. Eventually, the two of you settle into your bedrolls, content to catch some sleep, before completing your journey in the morning.