Princess Hannah of the Jade Harem CH 02

This is a repost of book 7 chapter 1 under the new title. Some minor changes have been made

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“Eeeeee!” Umtha cried as she was flung over the fantasy city, her wings spread wide to catch the wind. They were playing a game with Breanne holding onto her tail. Quinny trailed behind her, holding on to Breanne's tail with Umtha in the rear. She swung the farthest with every turn, her giggling voice serenading the city with her joy. Hannah chose a zig-zagging course through the bright sunny sky as they held on. Every turn she made sent them swinging wide to choruses of screams and laughter.

“Go faster!” Quinny cried from behind as Hannah turned in a spiral, dragging her girls through the roll.

“I can't go any faster,” Hannah shouted back. “Unless you want me to dive into the ground.” She took them up, soaring into the sky that was always such a pure, rich blue. She often thought it seemed too blue to be real as if it were made of glass heavily dyed to mask the color. It crossed her mind to see just how high up she could go, but she was here to play with her girls, not test limits. She twisted and turned, dragging them along as they showered the city with giggling laughter.

Hannah smiled at how wonderful her life had become and how everything was wide open to her now. Gone was the worry that some old nemesis would show up and shatter her dreams by shouting that she was a necromancer. The people had been told of her past, and the local rulers were placated in a tense interrogation. Word was spreading that Princess Hannah was no longer a threat and should be left alone.

Hannah decided to add some fun to their game and loosed clouds of pollen in the air creating golden pockets for them to fly through. The other laughed in happiness as she flew them higher, her heart set on reaching the clouds that seemed so tantalizingly near.

“Oh my gosh, we are so high!” Quinny cried as they burst through the pillowy mass into a world few had ever seen. The ground was hidden by a blanket of white, and above them was the azure blue of an endless sea. It looked as if nothing existed but the sky, and Hannah cried out for joy as she threw her arms wide.

“I'm free!” she cried to the heavens as golden sunlight bathed her skin. With a smile of pure joy, she banked and dived into the white, dragging her lovers along. They came out below the misty mass and flew toward the city. From here, she was able to admire what they had built like never before as her kingdom sprawled out before her. It was all nestled in a huge valley between ice covered mountains. The center was a vast lake that ran from one end to the other. Paradise city nestled along the mountain edge to the west, the city laid out in rings around a central plaza. Above it floated the palace that was her home and the seat of power in her land. Fountains bubbled on all four corners of her palace, the water cascading to the city to create waterfalls and fill the canals that flowed to the lake. It was a magical place of white stone and blankets of flowers, where people came to enjoy the world as it should have been.

“I can’t believe we built all this,” Hannah said as tears filled her eyes. “How did we manage it?”

“You did this,” Breanne cried from behind. “You and our husband who never gave up on you, even when everything fell apart.”

Hannah loved to hear them call Frank their husband, and twisted in a long spiral as she dived lower. The squeals of delight told her that her wives approved, and she flew over the rooftops of their city.

“It’s really coming along,” Umtha said as they looked down on people in the streets. “What is your player population now?”

“Almost six hundred,” Hannah replied. “But we have room for thousands.”

“They will come,” Breanne called from the back. “Word of you is spreading across the land. Soon everyone who wants to play the game properly will flock here to be a part of what you are creating.”

Hannah beamed with happiness at her kind words and wondered if she was right. There had to be players who hated the way monster players were treated and were eager to play in their adventures. Once they heard she not only allowed these things but rewarded it, they would flock to her door and swell her numbers.

“Where is Frank?” Umtha asked. “Is it time for our picnic?”

“Umm,” Hannah replied as she twisted about to see the large clock that dominated a spire of the palace. “Yeah, we should probably get going.”

“Can we fly over the water, please?” Quinny asked.

“Alright,” Hannah laughed and headed for the walls. She flew over the walls as goblin guards waved to their queens, and the group headed over the green plains. The lake that marked the center of the valley was vast, and Hannah headed for the beach, flying low enough to turn heads as players heard them laughing. Once over the water, she inched lower and lower until the girls were squealing that they were going to get wet. Hannah tapped the surface with a hand, causing a spray that left them screaming.

With a sigh of contentment, she headed up, taking her girls with her, and headed for the secret site of their picnic.

Frank heard the laughter echoing from the canyon walls before he saw the girls come tumbling through the sky in a long chain. He smiled to see his harem playing and waved at them to let them know everything was ready.

“Alright, time to split up girls,” Hannah called, and the girls let go, each taking a flight of her own accord. They swooped down on the dark-haired human man who waved and called them to hurry, or he was eating all the spice cakes.

“No!” Umtha pleaded as she touched down beside the large white and green blanket. “I love spice cakes.”

Hannah landed just behind her as Quinny and Breanne touched down to the side. Their wings vanished in poofs of black smoke, and they looked over the banquet set out for their enjoyment. There was wine and fruity drinks chilled in magical decanters that came from Rajeen. Hannah knew one of them would contain her favorite drink, a blue glitter bomb and smiled as Frank pointed it out. A low table was set with roast meats, seasoned greens, and a half dozen varieties of bread. There were fruits, cheeses, and baked treats, sugared and decorated with candies. All of it looked delicious, and Hannah announced her hunger with a loud groan in her stomach.

“Oh,” Hannah scolded her tummy. “I thought I trained you to keep quiet?”

“I haven’t heard that thing growl in anger in a while,” Breanne laughed.

“Her stomach sounds dangerous,” Umtha insisted.

“It is dangerous,” Hannah replied. “It hasn't seen pizza anywhere on this table.”

Frank laughed and pulled a tray from under the table, revealing a large pizza loaded with meats.

“I figures since you were a devil girl now, you would be a meat eater,” he said.

“Oh, how I love you,” Hannah said as her stomach cried joyfully. “So, where is my spider?” she asked as she snatched a piece and sat down to enjoy it. “I am going to train him to eat cakes.” She looked for her familiar the jumping spider named Webster who had become her best friend. On several occasions he had saved her life and now spent most of his time snoring on a pillow beside her bed.

“He was just here a second ago,” Frank said as he spun around. “Oh, there he is.”

Hannah looked up and nearly gagged as Webster hopped down the rocks dragging a dead bird. He was the size of a large cat with a woolly black body and a blue diamond on his back. He had two large black eyes with rows of smaller ones down the sides of his head. As her familiar she could see through those eyes if she wished, and could speak to him telepathically.

“Oh, must you eat that here?” Hannah protested. “You give me nightmares of when you tried to eat me the time I turned into a bird.”

He chirped in his usual squeaky voice and settled in right beside her as she tried not to notice. The others tucked into the food as Frank sat with them, enjoying their celebratory meal.

“We need to do this more often,” Quinny said as she chewed a purple cookie. “I love it when we do things together.”

“Things have been hectic,” Hannah said as she ate her second piece of pizza. “But now things will be better.”

“It’s hard to believe you managed to cast off the stigma of being a necromancer,” Breanne said. “You were brilliant. From your speech to how you handled the nobles. You managed to solve everything.”

“Well, I had a lot of help,” Hannah said as she finished her slice. “But I am technically still a necromancer.”

“Nobody knows that and they never will,” Frank said firmly as he handed her a blue drink full of glitter. “And you are never going to use your necromancer powers again.”

“Yes master,” she said over her drink before taking a sip that left her lips covered in glitter.

“What about Webster?” Quinny asked. “He’s her necromancer familiar.”

“And what about her scythe?” Umtha added.

“Both of those can be explained by her flower singer side,” Frank replied. “The spider is her nature's companion, and she took the scythe because she thought it fit her gardening theme. She even decorated it with flowers, so it fits.”

“That does sound reasonable,” Breanne agreed.

“So,” Hannah began as she leaned into Frank and batted her eyes. “Shall we make love?”

“What, here?” he asked with a startled expression.

“Frank, sweety,” Hannah began and kissed his cheek. “You are the master of a harem, and your girls have needs only you can take care of.”

“Yeah, we're all succubi now, and you need to feed us regularly,” Quinny added.

“I am feeding you now,” he pointed out, waving a hand at the food.

“Oh, silly boy,” Hannah laughed. “You know the kind of feeding we are talking about.”

“You’re all strange,” Frank grumbled. “Why were there never any girls like this in the real world?”

“Trust me, there were,” Hannah countered. “They just tended to fight over the same men.”

“Yeah, lots of girls were sexually aggressive,” Quinny agreed. “But they overlooked anybody who didn’t meet their standards.”

“So I meet your standards, do I?” Frank asked as he glared at Hannah.

“Hmm, let's see,” Hannah began and started counting off fingers. “You’re tall, strong, handsome, rich, a prince of his own kingdom, and you have a fabulous home.”

“Truly, she is a woman of her time,” Breanne commented.

“Ha, that’s so typical,” Quinny laughed.

“I am going to punish you for that,” Frank said.

“Promises, promises,” Hannah teased and kissed his cheek. “Just don’t take my pizza away.”

He put his hands on the tray and Hannah’s eyes flared with anger.

“Frank, master or not, if you take my pizza away I will bite you and give you rabies,” she threatened and bared her fangs as Quinny laughed.

“I’m immune to disease,” he reminded and put an arm around her back as they settled in together. An hour later, they were flat on their backs, looking into the sky as clouds lazily drifted by an otherwise beautiful day.

“Do people have castles in the clouds like you see in the fantasy books?” Hannah asked.

“Yes,” Frank replied. “I never saw one, but there is an entire kingdom made up of floating islands and cloud castles in the east.”

“It’s called Ellidria,” Breanne added. “The city of clouds.”

“I want to see it,” Hannah said as her tail swished. “Then I could fly everywhere I wanted.”

“Can’t we put our palace in the clouds?” Quinny asked.

“We can't place it any higher,” Frank explained. “There is a limit to what we can do at our level, and even then, I think we would have to have Gwen do it.”

“Mom would do that for us,” Quinny said. “She likes us.”

“Ha, I like hearing you call her mom,” Hannah laughed. “I am sure she would appreciate it as well.”

“Well, we are technically going to be her daughters,” Breanne agreed. “So I it is appropriate.”

“We didn't have anything like flying cities in my homeland,” Umtha said. “Did you have something like that in yours?”

“Ours?” Hannah asked with a smirk. She remembered that Umtha was from another world and didn’t call earth home. Her people lived in small cities built in forested valleys between mountains. She had no concept of what the human experience truly was or what they achieved outside New Eden. “We built cities with buildings taller than our palace is. Some cities were so large they held millions.”

“We had machines to fly through the sky and swim under the water,” Quinny added.

“And we had the technology to leave our world, Breanne said. “We could fly into the void beyond the sky and look back at our tiny little planet.”

“We could also communicate with almost every place on the planet in seconds,” Frank said.

“You could?” Umtha said with wide eyes. “Your world must have been amazing.”

“I suppose it was,” Hannah agreed. “Funny though, it doesn't seem all that special when you grow up inside it.”

“It’s hard to see beyond the every day,” Breanne said. “When something is all you've ever known, you have no basis for comparison. It's just how it is and will always be, as far as you can tell.”

“I suppose,” Hannah agreed and used her tail to trace a little circle on Frank’s chest.

“So, you still want to escape?” Frank asked. “Do you miss our world?”

“Sometimes I miss things, but I wouldn't leave this for anything,” Hannah replied and turned to curl into him. She ran a hand along his chest, feeling the firm muscle underneath. She admired this human form, but it wasn't the real Frank. “Sweetheart, take your ghoul form for us.”

“What? Why?” Frank asked.

“Because it's the real you, and I love you no matter what you look like,” Hannah said. “Besides, you will be large enough to hold all of us while we watch the sky and dream.”

“Yeah, big guy,” Quinny agreed. “I want to be held by the ghoul I fell in love with.”

“Alright,” Frank agreed, but had them move away while he changed. He fished the little statue from his pocket and called out the magic word. Instantly, he was a horrific monster with grotesque teeth, slits for a nose, and solid yellow eyes. He was nearly eight feet tall with arms as long as Hannah’s body that ended in powerful hands and long claws. He lay back and spread his arms so the girls could join him, feeling odd to be in his ghoul body.

“That's better,” Hannah said with a smile and settled back into his chest. The others piled on as Frank held his girls and watched the sky, wondering how life could get any better. An hour later, Hannah was stroking his chest, singing a beautiful song as flowers bloomed all along the rocks. Quinny firmly held her around the waist as Breanne held Umtha like a lover. It was a moment of joy and peace as so much of the stress that was their old life melted away. They were free to play and love without fear of being persecuted for their past and only now was that starting to sink in.

“I have come to appreciate her flower singer class,” Breanne sighed as the air filled with the sweet scent of fresh blooms. “It has made her voice so beautiful.”

“I could listen to her sing all day,” Quinny added as she picked a flower to tuck into Hannah’s hair.

“Well, thank you,” Hannah said, rubbing her cheek on Frank. “So, has anybody heard anything about Zillix?”

“He's awake,” Frank replied. “Idris has been caring for him night and day. She refused to leave his side, and when he woke up, she insisted on carrying him.”

“I think he rather likes being carried by women,” Breanne commented. “He has a fondness for breasts.”

“Idris loves him,” Hannah said. “You can see it in her eyes. She feels a sense of connection to him.”

“Do you think they will join the harem?” Quinny asked.

“Rajeen did ask them,” Frank replied. “I think they asked for time to talk about it. In the meantime, Gwen is going to make Zillix a duke like Roric. She wants to place a statue of him in Hannah's garden to honor his sacrifice.”

“He did go out of his way to help people he hardly knows,” Breanne agreed.

“Can we see him?” Umtha asked. “I want to ask him questions about his homeland.”

“What’s so special about his homeland?” Hannah asked as she used her tail to scratch at her ear.

“I think we may have come from the same world,” Umtha said. “We had great trees like he showed us growing in the south. I never saw them myself, but the elders said they were the home of the suedrago. I think that might be a pseudo-dragon in his language.”

“Did they tell you anything more about them?” Frank asked as he looked at the lovely goblin woman whose long tail danced playfully.

“Just that they were little flying lizards,” Umtha said.

“That must be them,” Quinny said. “How neat that Umtha met somebody from her world.”

“Lots of the goblins are from her world,” Hannah corrected. “But it would be nice to know if he was from it, too.”

“We should run Idris’s adventure,” Breanne said. “Really, give it a proper workout this time.”

“She's done with the main story,” Frank nodded. “She's just adding fluff and little details to make it more alive.”

“Isn't it cheating for the undead to run an undead adventure?” Quinny asked.

“What undead?” Hannah asked. “All I see are my little succubi.”

“And a big gray ghoul,” Quinny pointed out.

“Oh, he's no bother,” Hannah replied, stroking her cheek on him again. “All you have to do is throw yourself in his arms, and he will keep you safe forever.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Breanne agreed. “I have never felt more safe than I do when I am with Frank.”

“Me too,” Quinny said.

They went silent and watched the sky, enjoying a little breeze that came up to stir the corners of the blanket. Suddenly, the sun moved and raced from one position to another, indicating three hours had passed. It was a glitch in the world where the sun hung motionless for three hours, then in a matter of seconds it moved to where it should be, only to stop and wait three more hours. The rumor was it was broken in an update and the visitors never fixed it, but Hannah knew something more about it. A while back she discovered a letter addressed to herself from the mysterious Hathlisora. In this letter is clearly stated that Hannah had broken the sun during an experiment she was conducting on Hathlisora’s behalf. The letter had thrown doubt on the idea that Hannah and Hathlisora were the same person, but since then they had found evidence to prove otherwise. She put that out of her head and looked at the funny star as it came to rest in its afternoon position.

“I wonder if I should fix that,” Hannah said. “The visitors don’t seem to be in any hurry to do it.”

“Do you think you can?” Quinny asked as she rolled to look into Hannah’s eyes.

“I dunno,” Hannah replied, and shrugged. “I was just making an idle comment to be silly. But I suppose I did break it, so I should be able to fix it.”

“Where would you even start?” Breanne asked. “You don’t remember anything of that past life.”

“Hmm,” Hannah replied as she gave it some thought. “Umtha, you don’t have to tell me anything about details, but do you know how I did it?”

“No, that is something I know nothing about,” Umtha said. “You did a lot of things in secret with separate groups that didn’t coordinate.”

“That sounds like I was trying to keep secrets,” Hannah said. “I wonder why?”

“You probably didn’t know who you could trust,” Frank said. “It sounds like a lot of people betrayed one another during that period.”

“No, she couldn't,” Umtha agreed. “That's how they found the first goblin machine. Somebody close to her told them where it was and how important to her it was.”

“This sounds like a tv drama,” Hannah laughed. “But let's not drag up old wounds. I don't remember any of that, and it can stay that way.”

“So, how will you fix the sun?” Quinny asked. “I mean, if you could.”

“I dunno,” Hannah replied. “But I bet I could learn something about it from that strange clock in the magic room,” Hannah suggested as she recalled the strange magic room. They had found it while crossing the desert in the possession of a very irritating man named Endril. He pretended to run a caravan that crossed the red sands, but in truth he was hunting for artifacts and secretes related to Hathlisora. The desert was littered with these remnants, and he used the caravan as a cover to hunt for them. From the outside the magic room was just a door frame that could easily be picked up and carried away. But if you walked through the frame you stepped into a small stone room that was somewhere unexplained. He used the room as a hidden storehouse but Hannah found it more interesting. It contained two things of particular note, a clock carved into the wall and run by magical means. It always showed the suns current position and a bar at the bottom slowly shrank to show the time remaining until the next move. The other was a hidden room with no obvious means of entry. Inside was a magic circle etched into the floor by the long dead necromancers of old. Why it was there and what purpose these circles played, Hannah didn’t’ know, but her necromancer powers were boosted when cast from inside one. The room was in her possession now and hidden in her tower, but they hardly used it except to store items of great importance.

“Right, the one that marks the passage of time by sun movement,” Breanne agreed. “Did you ever look into why there is a necromancer's circle hidden behind the wall?”

“We haven’t figured out how to open it yet,” Hannah replied. “And I am in no hurry since our mountain home has a circle I can use.”

“Or not use,” Frank replied. “You just wiped away all suspicion of what you are. You are not about to go fiddling around with anything that might stir it up again.”

“I wasn’t going to fiddle, more like tamper,” Hannah suggested.

“I am your master, and I say you will not,” Frank stated. “I forbid you to use any power, tool, or item based on necromancy.”

“Uh oh, Frank is in charge,” Quinny laughed.

“So he is,” Hannah said, running her hand to his shoulder. “And yes, master. I will obey.”

“Good,” Frank sighed.

“Speaking of which, what are you going to do about your bone champion?” Breanne asked reminding the group of Heather’s powerful undead servant. He was a knight of undeath with considerable power but creatures like him could only be summoned by necromancers.

“I already dismissed him,” Hannah replied. “There was too much danger of somebody stumbling onto him. So I got rid of him and hid all the necromancer books in the buffer.”

“Good,” Frank said. “That champion always looked at me funny.”

“He did,” Hannah agreed. “I swear he didn’t like you.”

“And he kept moving around on his own,” Quinny said.

“That's part of why I dismissed him,” Hannah said. I told him to stay in the magic room, but I found him in the hall outside the door. He was standing there staring off into oblivion like I had ordered him to wait. I realized that if I couldn’t rely on him to stay hidden then he had to go.”

“He was creepy, but he fought for you fearlessly,” Breanne said.

“Yeah, but I don’t need creepy in my life anymore,” Hannah said, using her tail to caress Breanne's side. “I have my family now and will never need anything more.” She lay back and looked to the sky, watching a cloud roll by. She thought of how much she loved flying and then felt sad that Frank couldn't join them.

“Frank?” she began as the thought tickled her mind. “Did you ever wonder what it felt like to fly?”

“Sometimes,” he replied. “I watch you flying, and I wish I could fly with you.”

“Huh,” Hannah said as she toyed with an idea. “You could fly with us if you were willing to take a risk.”

“What do you mean? I don’t have a class with wings,” Frank said.

“Well,” Hannah said as she leaned up to look him in the eyes. “You could always put on one of my collars.”

“And become a succubus?” he balked. “No thanks.”

“No,” Hannah said as she struggled to figure it out. “There must be a male version of the succubus.”

“What would that be?” Quinny asked, as she rolled onto her stomach to join the conversation.

“I don't know,” Hannah said with a shrug. “But even if there wasn't a male version, he could still fly as a woman.”

“I don’t like that idea,” Frank argued.

“You were me for a little while,” Hannah said. “We could even use the stone to trade bodies again. You could be me as I am now with wings so you could fly.”

“I don't know,” he said, curling his long arm around her. “You get very nervous when somebody else is in your body.”

“He's right. It was the only time I have actually seen you become unhinged,” Breanne said. “You looked like you were going to burst into tears when Quinny did it.”

“I'm sorry,” Hannah sighed as she thought back to that day. Through the use of a magical figurine Quinny and Hannah switched bodies and suddenly Hannah had a panic attack. Quinny was having fun, but she was ready to break down and become irrational. Hannah flew into a rage and demanded they change back immediately, but she didn't know why. All she knew was she felt trapped with Quinny in her body, and that sense of helplessness overwhelmed her.

“It probably just took her by surprise,” Umtha offered, leaning into Hannah's back. “She was traumatized by a sense of loss.”

“I suppose you're right,” Hannah agreed. “But let’s not wander off topic. Frank, do you want to fly?”

“I guess so,” he replied.

“Then let’s put a collar on and see what happens,” Hannah suggested. “If you don’t like it, you can take it right off.”

“I am excited to see what happens when he puts a collar on,” Breanne commented.

“I guess I will try it,” Frank said nervously. “But let me do it from the human form.”

“Whatever you want,” Hannah said as she got up, and the girls gave him some space. He reached for the figurine, and with a single word was the handsome dark-haired man they called their husband. Hannah then dipped into her power, producing a magical collar with a snap to hold it before him.

“Here, put this on,” Hannah said.

“Wait,” Breanne cut in and snatched the collar. “I am not missing my chance to do this. I want to collar him.”

“You do?” Frank said with a funny smile.

“I do,” Breanne said, raising the collar to his neck. “Now be a good boy and submit.”

“I bet she had a few boy toys back in the real world,” Quinny whispered as Hannah struggled not to giggle.

Frank sighed as the collar went around his neck and snapped shut, marking him as Hannah's slave. Breanne stepped back, and Hannah came forward, smiling at him, wearing a collar. He was still himself but technically he her slave and she felt a desire to take advantage of that. She restrained herself and tried to imagine what was going to happen when they kissed. In order to turn one of her slaves into a succubus she had to kiss them and start the transformation. Would it work on Frank? Would he turn into a male succubus or was he about to learn what it was like to be a girl?

“To think you tried to make us take these off for so long,” Hannah laughed as she traced the collar around his neck.

“Just kiss me and activate the power,” Frank sighed.

Hannah leaned in and planted her lips to his as she triggered the conversion. There was a flare of black fire, and Hannah jumped back as her husband was instantly replaced by someone else.

“Whoah!” Quinny said in shock. “What is that?”

“A treat,” Breanne said as her smile spread. “I could spend a few hours feeding on that.”

“I could spend the rest of my life with that,” Hannah agreed as she looked at a tall, sleek man with pale skin and lean muscles. His hair was a short white spike, with blue spiraling tattoos across his shoulders. He was crowned with tall black horns that faded to blue at the tips. His chest was bare, but his legs were covered in tight leather pants held up by a crossing pair of spiked belts. A long blue tail ending in a small fork swished behind him, adding to his devilish appearance. He had black eyes with red slits that glowed with a fiery intensity. He looked like the bad boy from some fantasy anime, and Hannah immediately felt a racing desire.

“Did it work?” Frank asked as he held up his hands. “What do I look like?”

“Dinner,” Umtha said with a smile. “He looks so delicious.”

“We should go back to a private room,” Quinny suggested.

“We are private enough here,” Breanne quipped.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Hannah laughed, then held up her hand. “Down, girls, let's give our husband a chance to flex his wings.”

“So it worked?” Frank asked. “I am a devil? Wait? Am I a girl?”

“Yes it worked and no, you are most definitely not a girl,” Hannah replied, taking him in. “Look up your sheet and see what it calls you.”

“Ok,” Frank replied and pulled his sheet open. The translucent screen appeared in the air before his face as he looked over it with an intense stare. “It says I am an Incubus.”

“You were right. There is a male version of a succubus,” Breanne said as she looked over his shoulder. “And he's got all the sex skills we have.”

“How wonderful,” Hannah cooed.

“Great,” Frank grumbled and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, stop grumbling,” Hannah said as she walked around him to look him over. “You look handsome in an evil bad boy kind of way. All you need are a few tattoos, a leather jacket, and a motorcycle.” She paused to look at his back and asked if he could spread his wings.

“Let me try,” Frank said, and before their eyes, a pair of blue wings with black tracing appeared.

“It works,” Quinny cried. “He should be able to fly.”

“Alright, now I know it seems scary,” Hannah began. “But flying is very fun once you…” Her words were cut off as Frank ran for the cliff ledge and jumped, his wings easily carrying him upward. He cried out in joy as he turned spirals above, taking to flight as easily as walking.

“Why is he able to fly without any direction?” Hannah demanded as she shook her head in frustration. She and Umtha were the first to have wings, and they avoided flying for days until Frank forced them into it. Even then, the first flight had been terrifying and took an hour just to attempt. “He wasn't even scared.”

“He's a boy. They don't have any sense of self-preservation,” Breanne replied.

“You and Umtha were terrified of flying,” Quinny laughed. “You stood on that railing for nearly an hour before I tricked you, but Frank didn’t even hesitate.”

“Once again, our husband makes me look like a fool,” Hannah sighed as her wings spread. She picked up Webster and placed him on her shoulder. “You can ride with me here,” she said, turning to the others. “Well, girls, let's go chase our husband.”

“Yay!” Quinny cried as their wings spread wide and they darted into the air. Hannah led the way as they chased after Frank, soaring along the hills and cliffs of the mountains. Frank was like a boy in a toy store, yelling as he flew like he was born to it. Eventually, they linked arms with him in the center, two girls to each side, flying in a line over the city.

“This is amazing,” Frank said as they looked down. “I want to fly all day.”

“So let's fly,” Hannah offered, and they veered off, going over the mountains. They flew for hours, circling the valley until they headed to the west in the alpine gap. Frank explained how he wanted to build his pyramid and add gates to the narrow pass to protect it. Hannah heard the boy in his voice again and smiled as he flew and flew, never growing any less excited. They went over the cliffs and forests, laughing and playing as they chased one another. Eventually, the sun moved again, and Frank suggested they check in on their kingdom and head for the palace.

“I want to fly again later,” he said as the palace came into view.

“Well, you are free to wear a collar any time you want,” Hannah said as she beamed with happiness for him.

“I wish I had a class that could fly,” Frank said. “I don’t really like wearing the collar.”

“Oh, it's just for when we want to have fun,” Hannah insisted. Webster chirped from his perch on her shoulder, and she struggled to contain her smile.

“Did he say something funny?” Frank asked.

“He said you look good in a collar,” Hannah said, causing Quinny and Umtha to giggle.

Frank sighed as they headed for the palace to find a dozen harem girls at the railing looking over the city. Since joining the harem, they felt more free to wander the connected spaces, and the palace was now considered part of the harem quarters. They loved to come to the balcony and look over the city as a cool breeze licked at their skin. Hannah liked having them around, as it meant somebody was always on hand to fetch her a drink. She suggested they land, and Frank agreed, steering them to a clear area beside the girls. They touched down as the girls smiled at the new and interesting man, prompting Frank to immediately remove the collar.

“Oh, it's Prince Frank,” one of the girls said.

“And here I thought lady Rajeen finally found a man to add to her collection,” another girl added.

“I doubt that will ever happen,” Hannah said as she took the collar from Frank and made it vanish. “Any news while we were away?”

“Hmm,” A black-haired elf woman said as she made a face like she was thinking. “Rajeen is planning to celebrate your victory with a special feast, and the woman known as Alexandria wanted to speak with you.”

“I wonder what she wants,” Hannah pondered.

“We can find out later,” Frank said. “First, let's go to the adventurer's guild and run a quest.”

“Sounds like fun,” Hannah agreed, taking Umtha and Quinny by the hand. Breanne settled into Frank's side, and together, they headed for the guild to seek adventure. The day was bright and mood high as Hannah and her family enjoyed their lives. Today had been a good day, tomorrow would be better, and every day afterward would be full of love and adventure.