I watch as he unearths the meal. It is wrapped in one of those huge, massive, incredibly oversized leaves. It is a little mushy at the corners where the hot stones beneath have kind of cooked it. But the leaf is not the meal. The leaf folds out to reveal a bed of grains and what looks and smells somewhere between fish and chicken, but not in a disgusting way. The smell is fresh and hot and so wholesome. My kitchen in my apartment is like 50% trans fats and 50% high fructose corn syrup. It’s kind of a wonder I’m alive. Statistically, I’m not.
“Sit. Eat.”
There is no table, and no cutlery, and no plates. We sit cross-legged on the ground, and we eat the food one handful at a time.
“This is very good. Thank you. Did you add spices or…”
“There are various plants I grind up between rocks. They are too intense on their own, but when you sprinkle just a little it is quite flavorsome.”
“Indeed,” I agree.
I eat until I am full, which is also a strange change. I usually eat until I hate myself, then wait thirty minutes and eat something else. I get the feeling I won’t be doing that here. I won’t be able to. It’s not like I can put some pop tarts in the toaster. I’d have to dig a hole and build a fire and… yeah. Eating is not going to be something that happens nearly as easily as it used to.
“What are you thinking about? You look very concerned.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about how good the food is.”
“And what else?”
“And… I don’t know. It’s going to be hard to live here. Is there… any way back?”
He leans in, and his voice drops as he becomes even more serious. “That’s something I have been trying to figure out since I landed here. This is a spectacular world, and to rule over it is a privilege, but I miss my realm. Ten thousand warriors fought beneath my banner. My castle spanned ten acres, and my harems burgeoned with hundreds of the most beautiful females of all species…
A flash of jealousy so powerful I feel it as a physical sensation rocks though me.
“A harem?”
“Oh yes, I used to collect women. I also had a stable full of the most powerful and fastest horses.”
He talks about his harem without shame, or much in the way of bravado. It is simply one of his many missed possessions. He doesn’t seem to miss any particular woman, which I guess… what am I even doing falling for this guy? I don’t know him. I’m getting swept up in the romance of the situation, that’s what’s happening.
“Sounds cool,” I say, fishing for the last of the grains.
“It was exceptionally cool. Of course, there were many who wished to slaughter me for it all, and take it for their own.”
“Nothing’s easy, is it?”
“It is not. Do you have much to miss in your world, Kristine?”
I keep silent for a moment. I don’t want to tell him how little I had, though I have already told him how little I had.
“I guess I’ll miss online videos.”
I won’t really miss online videos at all. I won’t miss the politics. I won’t miss the chaos. I won’t miss all the fucking opinions. God. I take a deep breath and draw in a hefty whiff of opinion-free air.
“Are you tired?”
“I am, yeah.”
“Come to the bed chamber," he beckons me. There is something suggestive in his tone which makes me fizz with excitement again. I think back to his request to see my mating parts so he knows if we are compatible or not. That’s basically an admission that he wants to sleep with me.
I climb the stairs to the bed chamber, as he calls it, wondering if this is the beginning of a seduction unlike any I have ever imagined.
The bed is, well, dubious. I somewhat expected furs, but I don’t think mammals of a big enough size to make bedding out of them exist yet. Instead of furs, there are feathers woven with dried fibers into a blanket or two.
“Sit,” he says. It’s an order, because he speaks in orders. I guess it is a habit from being a king. I do as I’m told, because I’m curious as to how it feels. Softer than I imagined. I sort of sink into it and am enveloped by the long, comforting fronts of the feathers.
“You will find this comfortable,” he says, issuing another order.
I look around. For the most part, the fortress is fairly bare. He has made some pots and shelves, and there are some various things on them. This is vague, because I don’t really know what’s in them, and most of them are shades of red and brown.
But one item stands out. A very ornately carved chest in the corner of the room. Unlike everything else in the fortress, it does not seem to be handmade, or at least, not rough-hewn handmade. It shimmers blue and green, and is marked with golden filigree. It must be some kind of royal relic.