The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) (15 page)

“I was.” Alice confirmed.

“You want me to go? Harold asked. “But I was defending you.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, but I think it would be best if you leave.”

Elsa stepped forward. “That seems like a fine idea. I think I’ll close the Inn for a bit. Come back later and I’ll give you a free meal and ale.”

“But…”

“Go.” Elsa said firmly. “And please don’t tell anyone about any of this.”

“But…”

“Please go Harold,” Alice asked him. “It’s all right.”

He wavered. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Fine.” Before going he sent Waldo a hard look. “You better not insult her again.”

“How is calling her a monster an insult?”

Harold tensed.

“I wonder if the worse thing about the stocks is spending hours bent over or having everyone see you in them.” Elsa said. “What do you think?”

He muttered something foul and left the Inn slamming the door behind him.

“Well that was fun,” the other girl said. “What are you going to call her next? A troll? A hag?”

Waldo gave Alice a speculative glance. “Are you a troll? I didn’t think they could disguise themselves as human.”

His question made Alice look uncomfortable while the brown haired girl started to laugh.

“Nancy,” Elsa said. “Why don’t you go back up to your room and make yourself look pretty?”

“I’m already pretty.”

“Then make yourself prettier.”

“Hmmph, fine!” She slid off her seat. Padding over to Waldo she expertly slid her modest breasts against his arm. “It was a pleasure meeting you. If you would like to have a little fun I’m upstairs in room five.”

“You shouldn’t be so forward with someone you just met.” Waldo told her. “It makes you sound like a whore.”

Nancy blinked, and then burst out into fresh laughter. “You really are too much!”

She headed up the stairs and to her room.

“Why was she laughing?” Waldo asked. “I was just telling her the truth.”

“You might want to do a bit less of that.” Elsa said.

Waldo nodded slightly. “Yes, lying is a skill I need to improve in.”

“How did you know about me?” Alice finally burst out.

“A vampire told me. How he knew I have no idea.”

“A vampire? But how would…” She stopped and swallowed. In the end, how he knew didn’t really matter. “Doesn’t it disgust you? Knowing I’m not human? All the men who want me would be sickened if they knew what I really was.”

“Then they’re all fools. Being what you are makes you special. It’s because you’re what you are that I came here. If you were just a pretty girl I wouldn’t be interested at all.”

She stared at him.
He knows and still wants me.

Alice felt a torrent of emotions. He didn’t care that she was a monster or that she was low born. He wasn’t trying just to sleep with her. Here was the handsome prince come to save her and take her far away just like she’s always imagined.

She’d never once dreamt he would have black robes, but she thought he was cute and could tell he was kind. She thought she could be happy with someone like him.

Is this what it feels like to fall in love?

“If you came all the way here for Alice then I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time.” Elsa said.

Those words brought Alice’s momentary hopes crashing down. Even if he was serious it didn’t matter. She was still trapped.

“Why is that?” Waldo asked.

“It’s because she isn’t free to just leave. As my indentured servant and I don’t intend to let her go with you.”

“Oh, I see. So you’re her owner?”

“The correct title would b,e ‘employer’ but close enough. Do you even know how much trouble you’ve caused me? I doubt anyone will actually believe Alice is a monster. They’ll just think it’s a dark wizard being insulting. Even so, word of this will definitely get out. There’s no way Nancy won’t talk about it no matter how I threaten her.”

“I don’t understand. Just how have I caused anyone trouble?”

“No one else here knows I’m a monster, darling.” Alice told him. “The men who like me wouldn’t want anything to do with me if they knew.”

“But you have monsters here.” Waldo stated. “I saw a goblin pulling a cart and I could tell there are others in this city.”

Elsa waved her hand. “We also have oxen and donkeys. Most men don’t want to sleep with them though.”

“You have a prohibition against being intimate with non-humans? How close minded.”

“So… so you really don’t find it disgusting?” Alice asked, her hopes rising despite the circumstances.

“Of course not. Obviously no one would ever want to touch a goblin, but elves? Vampires? In Alteroth we believe a person should take pleasure wherever they find it.”

“Then you can also love someone who isn’t human?”

“Well of course.”

Alice gave a heartfelt sight. “You really are a sweet, kind man aren’t you?”

“There is no reason for you to be insulting.”

Alice opened her mouth and didn’t know what to say.

“Enough of this,” Elsa declared. “People here don’t much care for your sort. It’s time for you to leave and move on.”

“Fine. How much?”

“How much for what?”

“Alice, obviously.” Waldo shrugged off his backpack and put it on the floor. “As I’ve already said I came all the way for her. I am not leaving without her. Since you’re her owner I will buy her from you.”

“Oh I’ve heard that before. There is no way you could afford the price.”

“How much?”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “One hundred pieces of gold, by coin or by weight.”

“Fine.” He opened up his backpack and rummaged through it.

Alice stood there certain she must have heard wrong.

“What did you just say?” Elsa asked.

Producing the leather purse his mother had given him, he opened it up and let all those beautiful coins spill out onto the bar.

“One hundred pieces of gold, by coin.” He smiled eagerly at Alice. “You belong to me now.”

She couldn’t believe it.

He was literally giving up a fortune… for her.

He was her hero, her savior…

Her husband.

“Darling!” In one easy move she leapt clear over the bar and landed at his side. She wrapped her arms about him and hugged him, mashing his face into her massive breasts. “I’m so happy!”

Waldo’s arms jerked about. “You’re… crush… ing… me.”

“Oh! Sorry!” She immediately let go of him. “I’m much stronger than I look.”

He staggered and gasped for breath. She was really strong. He also noticed that she was also about a head taller than he was. “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re so robust.”

He is so cute
, she thought. “Normally darling, I don’t like being touched by men, but of course you can touch me as much as you want.” She put her hands together and twisted about girlishly. “Though, ah, could we wait a little while to have our wedding night? I’m sort of shy about those things, so could we hold off just for a while?”

XXX

Wedding night? What is she talking about?
It wasn’t as though he was marrying her. He just assumed that was how the locals here referred to the first time being intimate with someone. She was certainly very beautiful and he had no problem believing lots of men wanted her. Waldo though was not worried about losing his virginity. He had much more important things on his mind. He still needed to acquire the other two Great Monsters and continue his quest.

“That’s fine,” he assured her. “Like I said, I didn’t come here just to try and sleep with you.”

“Do you really mean that darling? You don’t mind waiting?”

“No, of course not.”

XXX

She sighed contentedly. He was just too perfect. He’d paid a fortune to free her and didn’t even demand a husband’s privileges. He was treating her with respect and care; the way you would treat a wife rather than a mistress. Now he was going to take her far away from this place.

He was everything she’d dreamed of.

Well except for him being an evil wizard, but then we all have our faults.

Everyone knew that the people from the south were evil to the core. They were savages who murdered and stole almost from birth. She’d met some merchants and wagon drivers from the south; they had seemed no better or worse than the people who lived here. Alice had never met a Dark Mage before though, and her new husband certainly didn’t seem anything like the stories.

When she really stopped to think about it maybe it was
because
he was a dark wizard that he was so accepting. No ordinary man would have been so generous and compassionate. There was no comparison at all between him and Sir Lancel. The knight would have spent money on her, but she would have been nothing more than his property. Alice was sure he spent plenty on his mounts and his armor as well.

“I will definitely make you happy, you will never be sorry that you chose me.” Alice said.

Rubbing his ribs he nodded. “I have no doubt.”

“I am a good cook and can sew and take care of the home. I also promise to be a good mother to our children.”

“Our children?” Waldo echoed sounding confused.

Alice began to twist about again. “Let’s just take our time though, there’s no need to rush.”

While all this had been going on Elsa had been counting out the coins. She bit a couple of them just to confirm they really were all gold. She also checked to make sure none of them were shaved. Most were ducats, but there were also denari, lions, and gleks mixed in. All the coins were minted to the standard weight, which was all that mattered to her.

Elsa could find nothing to complain about.

When she finished counting out all one hundred coins she quickly slid them into the small chest she kept behind the bar.

“You belong to him now Alice.” Elsa announced. “Go gather up your things. It was a great pleasure doing business with you Sir Waldo. If you ever grow bored with her please feel free to come back and enjoy the services of our other girls.”

“My proper title is, ‘Master’ not, ‘Sir.’” Waldo said. He turned back to Alice. “Now that you are mine we need to perform the ceremony that will bind you to me.”

“Right now? Right here?”

Waldo nodded. “I insist on it, I refuse to take any chances of you being parted from me.”

Hearing him be so decisive and manly just made her want to melt. “Oh! Darling, is this the ceremony they perform in your country?”

“Well yes, though as far as I know all mages use it, not just the ones from Alteroth.”