Gareth and Janessa’s horses were strong and well rested, and soon they were far from the capitol, heading towards a place where Royalist cavalrymen were waiting to escort them back to their lines. The royalist forces had only been told Gareth had been on an important mission, and to protect him and the woman with him until they were deep within royalist held territory.
After a few hours Gareth decided to find a secluded spot to rest and water the horses. They still had over an hour before they were supposed to meet the patrol, and he thought they were only about twenty minutes’ ride away. Spotting a dense tangle of woods just off the road, he led his horse away from the path, with Janessa following close behind.
The princess—err, prince—seemed excited, her grey eyes almost gleaming as she reigned her horse to a stop and carefully dismounted. A small stream ran through the woods, and the horses were led over to drink while Gareth leaned against a tree, enjoying the breeze that whistled through the small stretch of forest.
He closed his eyes for a moment, only to suddenly open them again in surprise as Janessa embraced him. “Thank you for saving me.” She said, staring up at Gareth. The prince had never been very tall, and Janessa was much shorter than he had been.
“It was my duty, Prince….ss”. Gareth said, remembering abruptly that he wasn’t supposed to contradict Janessa’s faulty memories. The redhead beamed up at him.
The two of them engaged in small talk for the next few minutes, proving beyond any doubt to Gareth that Janessa had no memory of ever having been a man. The amulet, which had almost seemed to slightly glow late at night in the harem chambers, now looked dull, as if its energy had been totally used up. Gareth had a worried feeling it might be harder to get Jasper back than anyone had thought.
“So what was it like being Greta?” The princess had asked with a curious look on her face and a slight smirk a few minutes later. “Was it strange being stuck as a pretty girl for so long?” Gareth laughed. The magic Anya had used had done a good job, and he actually hadn’t minded being Greta too much. Even having sex with men had just felt…normal. As Greta he’d had to rely on skill, rather than strength, to avoid the guards and move around the palace unnoticed. It had been a challenge, and one he’d had to accomplish without using his usual talents.
“I wouldn’t mind being her again, if you or Karagot needed me to.” He said, and Janessa had looked happy at his reply.
“Don’t be in too much of a rush, though.” She said. “You told me you were going to propose, after all.”
Gareth nodded, his thoughts on the past few days. It had almost been nice, in a way, having a man hold “Greta”, and when they’d been having sex—-
Wait.
Gareth’s eyes widened and he turned towards Janessa. She seemed unsurprised, “I can understand wanting to wait until the war is over, but I still think you should do it sooner. We can always have the wedding now and a proper celebration after the fighting stops.” She continued.
Seeing how Gareth was staring at her in total shock, Janessa rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you forgot what you said to me! When you were taking me to the hallway, as the rebels first began to overrun the palace?” She said. “You said you’d propose as soon as you got the chance. You haven’t changed your mind…” she was starting to look upset.
Gareth was starting to wish he had saved some of the wine last night. He obviously hadn’t proposed to Jasper, but Janessa’s memories were telling her something totally different. “Do not try to argue with Janessa over whether her memories are real.” He heard Anya’s voice echoing in his head from earlier.
Working up a weak smile, Gareth shook his head. “Of course I’m still proposing, Princess Janessa.” He said. “I just wish to do it properly, as your role as crown princess demands.” Janessa stared nervously at him for a moment, then broke into a smile and embraced him again…..
And then they were kissing.
It was a passionate kiss, the sort Janessa had been giving men for days now, and Gareth couldn’t bring himself to pull away. Finally the princess broke the embrace, and, still smiling at him, went to check on her horse.
Gareth nervously glanced down at the ground. He had a feeling he would have to do a lot of explaining to Anya soon….
After another few minutes they were back on the road, reaching their cavalry escort without any trouble. As dusk began to set, they reached the rebel stronghold where Anya was waiting for them.