The Curtain Ripp'd

The Curtain Ripp'd Chapter 4

The Curtain Ripp'd

By Vic James

Copyright 2016, 2018 by vicjames2@hotmail.com

This story is copyrighted 2016 and 2018 by Vic James. All rights reserved.

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This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people.

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Four ====

When he awoke, the Red Wizard of Elmland began his meditation. Once again, his spirit flew toward the White Wizard of Westmoreland's village. The wizard Joe might not be from Westmoreland, but that was how King Stephen would think of him. The red wizard was shocked to see the charred ruins of the white wizard's house. But the white wizard was still in David's house. Was the potentially troublesome fiancé dead? He felt panic growing as he realized things were too conveniently falling into place. Everything that would seem to thwart his plan of recruiting the white wizard for King Stephen, was being swept away. He saw no curses on the house that could explain the fire. Of course, a fire was not suspicious, in itself. It was the timing that was suspicious. He began to entertain doubts about the wisdom of his plan. But his ambition would not allow him to abandon his plan.

I woke alone, in bed. I heard men's voices in another room. I got out of bed and dressed. I walked out of David's bedroom. Emmie was eating in the kitchen with Mary.

"Good morning, Emmie," I said. I kissed the top of her head. Mary smiled at me.

Emmie was happy. I had a feeling she hadn't been told about the fire.

"Good morning, Joe. Are you going to be living with us?"

The question surprised me. I looked at Mary. She smiled at me.

"I think so, Emmie."

"Good. Aunt Jessica said you are very nice. And you made Grandmama young."

"I guess I did."

I went looking for David. I saw him and two men I'd never met. Strangely enough, the magic toilet and magic tub from Jim's house were on the floor. They seemed untouched by the fire. But the toilet was made of porcelain and the tub of steel. Maybe that was why.

"Good morning," I said. "Actually, it isn't a good morning. Hello," I said.

The men introduced themselves. One was an undertaker named Tom, and the other was the village's baker, Annabeth's husband. His name was Edward. Tom looked at me with lust. Then he smiled at me. It was a nice smile.

"Do you know if Jessica was in the house at the time of the fire?" Tom asked me.

"She was there when I left. She was with Jim."

"We went to locate the bodies," Tom said. "But there was little left of them. Ashes, mostly. That is uncommon in a fire like this. They aren't normally hot enough or don't last long enough. These were all that was left undamaged," he said, pointing at the tub and toilet.

I stared at him, wondering what it meant about the ashes.

"We're wondering if it is because the house was magicked," Edward, the baker said. "Maybe magicked wood burns hotter."

"That second floor was new," Tom said.

Would magic walls and floors burn hotter than real wood? I had absolutely no idea.

"It could be. I've never seen a magicked house burn. I've never seen a magicked house before yesterday."

Edward laughed, then suppressed it.

"Neither have we," Tom said. "Well, there seems to be too much ash for one person. I think we should assume both died."

I nodded.

"Did you have a fight with Jim? Dan mentioned something about that, but he wasn't clear headed," Edward said.

"No. I heard Jessica scream. I ran into her room and found Jim and Jessica in bed together, having sex. It upset me, and I came here. But I couldn't blame either one of them. I thought all along that maybe the two of them are meant to be together, but Jim told me he loved me and he didn't love...this Jessica."

"That sounds like him," Edward said.

I frowned, wondering what he meant.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Now, don't be offended, but Jim was never overly troubled by the truth. He would say anything to get what he wanted, especially when it came to sex," Edward said.

I shook my head. I didn't know if I believed him, or not.

"I didn't want to hear them making love," I said. Tom nodded his head. "I wanted to get out of the house, so I came here."

"Of course. We trust you, Joe," Tom said. I almost groaned. That was because of magic. I wanted them to believe me.

"Dan thinks I killed them, but that is not true," I said. "David had already become a very good friend. I wanted...needed to talk to him about what I'd seen."

"That's true," David said. "We talked and I told Joe he didn't need Jim. I was ready to be his...lover. We made love."

"I find that really hard to believe, considering how many times you told me I was disgusting for having sex with men," Tom said to David.

"I'm sorry about that, Tom. I did believe that, at the time. But Joe proved me wrong. I'm in love with him. I hope he'll marry me someday."

"I told you!" Tom said to David. "I said don't knock it, if you never tried it."

"There was never a man I thought of, that way, until Joe," David said.

Tom smiled at me.

"I didn't have many friends where I came from," I said. "Jessica was one, though. I thought she was wonderful, a really fine person. Last night, I was only mad at Jim. I wasn't mad at Jessica. She had always loved Jim, her Jim. She was all alone on this world, because of me. She was lonely. The fact that she would cling to this Jim made perfect sense. After I gave it some thought, I realized it was dumb to be mad at Jim. If she wasn't really his wife, she still looked and mostly acted like her. He missed her. And I was here with David, where I hoped I belonged."

"Really, Joe! You don't need to tell us all this. Don't worry about what Dan said. Nobody is accusing you of murdering them. There was plenty of lightning with the storm. Lightning can cause fires. Just last year, a lightning bolt caused a barn to catch fire on the opposite side of town. And if you want to think it was murder, there's a couple other folks who have much better reasons to murder Jim," Tom said. Edward laughed and nodded his head. Was that a joke, or did he mean it? "It's just Dan's temper talking. He has a fierce one. He'll calm down."

Mary walked into the room. Both men stared at her with open mouths.

"Is that you, Mary," Edward asked.

"It is, indeed! Joe made me young, again. Isn't he marvelous? He's going to be my son-in-law, you know."

I cringed inside. Yesterday, I was Jim's fiancé. Today, I seemed to be David's.

"Uh, yeah. We heard," Edward said.

They left.

"Do you think there's anything I need to do to help them?" I asked David.

"You mean like magic help?"

"No. I was thinking about Jim and Jessica."

"There is nothing that can be done for them," Mary said. "Tom has the ashes. It will be up to Dan to make the arrangements for the funeral, since you weren't family, yet."

I sighed.

I explained to them about the toilet. Mary had already heard all about the magic tub from Emmie. I put them both in a closet in their house. They could use it as a bathroom. I tried them both out. They worked perfectly.

"What are you going to do with the corn?" Mary asked David.

"I was planning to take it to the south market."

"Joe, you should go with him. It will get your mind off your loss," she said. "And it will give you two a chance to be alone. You're acting like a newlywed, David."

I wondered what she meant. Then she glanced at David's crotch. He was hard. His pants were tented.

"I can't help it. I feel like a newlywed! I want to spend a week in bed with Joe."

Mary grinned and shook her head. "Well, just remember you have a young daughter in the house, this time. And if you don't want to spend part of your honeymoon explaining the facts of life to her, be careful."

David nodded.

He took my hand and we walked to the barn. He took me in his arms and kissed me, as soon as we were inside. He pulled away, after a couple of minutes. "I got something I want to show you. I think you'll really love it," he said. I assumed he meant something farm-related. Instead, he unfastened his pants and let them fall around his ankles. I licked my lips as I looked at his erection.

"I do love it."

I knelt and began sucking him. David moaned.

"I wanted to do things like this with Juda. But she would only do it at night, in bed, and in the dark."

I pulled off him.

"Well, I like to do it all the time and just about everywhere," I said. "And when I'm with you, it's never going to be very dark."

David laughed. Then he looked serious.

"Will you marry me, Joe? We talked about it, but I need to hear your answer."

"Yes, but I wish we'd kept it to ourselves, at least for a little while. Yesterday I told people I was Jim's fiancé. It seems indecent. But Edward and Tom already know. Maybe it's too late."

"I understand."

"Will you come with me, if I work for King Stephen?" I asked him.

David smiled, hugely.

"Oh, yes! I really hope I get a chance to meet him! I was talking to Mother bout it. She's excited, too. And meeting the king will be something Emmie can remember for the rest of her life."

"Good!"

David looked serious for a moment. I began stroking his cock.

"Tom wants you to use your magic to help him. But I think he really just wants you to suck him. And he also wants to fuck you. Tom likes men. Especially cute men like you. Those are his words. He and Jim and Dan have sex together all the time."

"Well, I would need my husband's permission before I do anything. If you don't think I should, I won't. If you want me to get all my magic from you, I will."

"If you're helping the king, you'll probly need a lot more than I can give you."

"That's true. He probably isn't going to want simple things from me when he already has wizards." David nodded. "But I may not need more, here in town."

I began kissing his erection.

"Oh, baby! I love it when you do that!" David said.

I pulled back the foreskin and began lapping at the head. David shuddered and moaned. His precum gave me tiny bursts of pleasure. It tasted very good, too. I looked up at his face while I tasted him.

"Damn, Joe! I wish sex with Juda had been like this. I would thrust a few times and it would be over."

"Well, I plan to do the work on the farm. That means you'll be free for sex," I said. "What do you think about four hours a day, for sex."

David laughed. "Sounds about right!"

I rubbed the head of his cock on my face. David groaned.

"I want milk," I said, afterwards.

David grunted. Then he pushed his beautiful erection in my mouth and began fucking my face. His balls slapped against me, rhythmically. After a couple of minutes, I wrapped one hand around them and tugged on them. David cried out as he came. As before, the pleasure was intense. His cum burned like fire as it slid down my throat, fire that turned into fireworks. I lost awareness of everything, except the pulsing pleasure and the taste of his cream.

"Shit!" David said. "Who the hell are you?"

I forced myself to concentrate, as David pulled his erection out of my mouth. But he was still shooting. I lunged at his cock and received the last of his spunk.

"Damn!" he cried.

He quickly softened, which surprised me. But then David pulled me to my feet.

"Hello, Joe. I seem to have arrived at an awkward time." I turned around and saw the Red Wizard of Elmland said.

I laughed, nervously. I wiped my wet mouth on my forearm.

"Your glow is intense. You must have enjoyed that," he said.

"Uh. I did. Immensely."

"That is a sight I won't soon forget. A wizard enjoying sex," he said. "I always thought it was impossible, but I suppose it is only impossible for users of black magic."

I looked at David. He looked humiliated.

"Please don't be embarrassed," the red wizard said to him. "It is my fault. It just never occurred to me that I would find you this way."

"It's hard not to be embarrassed," David said.

"What happened at your fiancé's house?" the red wizard asked.

"Lightning caught the house on fire," David said.

"We believe Jim and Jessica were inside," I said.

"Well, you seem to be handling their death's well," the red wizard said.

I got angry at him. But I was at least as mad at myself. Jim and Jessica had been dead only a few hours, and I was having sex. Of course, Jim had sex with me the day after his wife died. But that didn't make me feel any better!

"Will you please leave," David said to him.

The red wizard frowned.

"When should I return?"

"Never," David said.

The red wizard looked shocked.

"I seem to have upset you. I'm sorry. I really don't understand romantic and sexual protocol. I began training as a red wizard at the age of seven."

"Oh," David said.

"Should we forgive him?" David whispered.

I sighed.

"You can stay," I said to the wizard.

"I had hoped I could introduce you to King Stephen today."

"Today!" David said. "So soon? I don't have anything to wear! Mother will want a new dress and Emmie will need one. I thought we had days, weeks, even!"

I dressed David in a tuxedo. He gasped. I thought he looked extremely handsome.

"How's that?" I asked.

I put a full-length mirror in front of him. I gave myself the same outfit as the red wizard, only in white silk.

"You both look perfectly presentable."

"What kind of clothes are these?" David asked me, as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"That is called a tuxedo on my world. You look very, very good in it."

He grinned at me and nodded.

"If you'll dress the mother and daughter, we can leave," the red wizard said.

"I guess I am ready," David said. "But my stomach sure isn't."

I wished David was calm.

"You do something? I feel better," David said.

"I made you feel calm," I said.

"Let me introduce you to my mother," David said.

We walked to the house. Mary was speechless when she saw the red wizard.

"He wants to take us to see King Stephen, Mother," David said.

"I'm hoping Joe can help the king with his white magic," the wizard said to her.

Mary held her hand out, fingers pointing up.

"You use black magic," she said, frowning. "I can feel it."

"Yes. The king employs red wizards for several reasons. We use black magic, but only in the king's service. We are not allowed to use it for our own benefit, without permission."

"Hmm."

"You look too young to be David's mother," the red wizard said.

"Joe cast a spell on me that made me younger."

The Red Wizard of Elmland spun around and looked at me, intensely. There was hunger in his eyes. I was a little frightened of his reaction.

"You can do this?" he said.

"Yes, he can. He did," Mary said.

Several minutes later, Mary and Emmie were dressed to Mary's satisfaction.

"Are we all ready?" the red wizard asked.

"I think so," I said.

Suddenly, we were in a huge, ornate room. I could see by the expressions of the people in the room that we were not expected. I saw shock and anger. We were obviously not expected. I saw an older man on a throne, about fifteen feet away from us. He looked startled. Then I was shocked. Not far away from the king, I saw my father! And the king looked just like his father, my grandfather! Suddenly, a ring of red wizards appeared around the king and my father. All the wizards held black wooden staffs that pointed towards us. I was dumbfounded. How could my father and my grandfather be here? And how could my grandfather be the king?

"This is King Stephen the Seventh of Westmoreland," the red wizard said to me. On hearing the word Westmoreland, a feeling of wild panic came over me.

"Hello, Father. Hello Grandfather," the Red Wizard of Elmland said. His voice changed. It sounded intensely hateful, nothing like his normal, rather emotionless voice. I knew with certainty that it was someone else speaking, and I knew who it was. Someone who could wear bodies like other people wore clothes. It had to be the Black Wizard of Westmoreland. One of the red wizards pointed his staff at the Red Wizard of Elmland, who fell onto his back. Then I was pushed aside in my own body. I lost my vision. I was certain the Black Wizard had moved into my body, the body he considered his. I didn't even struggle. I was too shocked to realize that in this world, my family was the royal family.

"Grandfather, it is your beloved grandson. I'm here to repay you for all you've done for me," he said, this time through my mouth.

How was the black wizard here? The demon promised he wouldn't escape. But he did. Evidently, he was more powerful than demons. I accepted then, that I was going to die. But David and his family didn't need to. I wished David and his family was somewhere safe. I was much calmer then. I was ready to die. My body had already died in front of my parents and sisters. But I wanted to do something. I wanted to die fighting. I didn't care if I suffered a thousand years of torment. I tried to summon the demon. I tried to picture him, his face. I knew it was horrible, but I couldn't remember why it was horrible, or what it looked like. Somebody help me! I screamed in my mind. I wished I could remember when that demon looked like. Suddenly, I pictured him. I heard a roar, but I couldn't see anything! Suddenly, I heard many voices.

"You can take me back, but you'll never keep me there. I can necromance myself!" the black wizard said, through my mouth. "And I can keep doing it for all of eternity. This body controls all the magic of an entire world. I am more powerful than all of you combined. I am the most powerful being in the universe!"

What an asshole, I remember thinking.

I wished I could see something. Suddenly, I could see. The entire chamber was full of demons and what had to be ghosts; they were semi-transparent. Some of the ghosts were dressed as red wizards. I saw one red wizard ghost with red eyes. He stared at me. Or rather, the black wizard. The king's throne was well above the floor. He was surrounded by even more red wizards. Another red wizard ran up and thrust a hand carrying a piece of paper, into the circle. I turned around to make sure David was gone. But he was right behind me. I wished he was somewhere safe, again. He remained. My power was gone.

"Jack. His name is Jack," the king said to the red wizard directly in front of him. Because of his position, defending the king, I assumed he was the most important red wizard. I found out later he was the Wizard of Venice, the highest ranking red wizard. Later, I wondered why the king didn't know his own grandson's name. I was told the black wizard wiped it from the memories of everyone. His name had been deduced. I should have known the black wizard and I would have the same name. Jim and Jessica had the same name in both worlds. It just never occurred to me.

The black wizard, still in my body, roared with rage.

"Jack, the black, I summon thee, I command thee, I compel thee," the Wizard of Venice said, pointing at the ground in front of him with his staff.

The black wizard roared and suddenly appeared in front of the Wizard of Venice. It seemed to be just his soul, because I had not moved. But his soul had seemed insubstantial in the hospital, like a ghost. Here, it was much more substantial, almost physical.

David wrapped his arms around me. I felt energized by that.

"I wish that Jack, the black wizard had never been born," I said, meaning it with all my being.

The black wizard turned around, facing me. I felt so much fury radiating from him, I couldn't breathe. He began uttering a string of curses. I fell backwards and felt excruciating pain. David helped me up.

"I wish that Jack, the black wizard had never been born! I wish that Jack, the black wizard had never been born!" I cried, over and over and over. As I said it, I watched amazed as the Black Wizard of Westmoreland evaporated. He slowly disappeared, still screaming, over a period of several seconds. Once he was gone, I felt incredibly weak. But David held me up. Finally, I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes, I was on the floor looking up at the Red Wizard of Elmland and the Wizard of Venice, who were arguing. They turned and looked at me. Both smiled, very slightly. David was there, too, on his knees, holding up my head. He looked worried. I smiled at him. He helped me up, again. The ghostly and demonic crowd was all gone, although the demon I had summoned was still present. There were at least twenty more red wizards in the room. One of them had been the ghost of the wizard with the red eyes, only he was alive! As soon as I was on my feet, everyone began clapping, including the king. They all seemed to be looking at me.

"You did very, very well," the king said. "You have the gratitude of everyone on the many worlds, for we are now safe from that monster."

"Where did he go?" I asked.

"He was never born," the Wizard of Venice said. "You put enough of his body's power into your wish to undo him."

"I hereby announce that from henceforth, the White Wizard of Fort Worth is my true grandson," the king said.

There were many gasps, including my own. How did he know I was from Fort Worth? I hadn't told anyone that. It didn't exist in this world. I looked at my father. He glared at the king, who wasn't looking that way. Then my father glared at me. Why would he be angry? True grandson? I just realized the king had said that. What did that mean? Was he adopting me? Could he? My parents were alive. I had no desire to be royal. But I saw the demon patiently waiting. I wouldn't be getting adopted, for certain. It was time for my punishment. I walked over to him. It got more difficult to walk, the closer I got. I told myself it was worth it. The black wizard was gone. But the demon didn't do it. I did!

"I suppose the thousand years of pain can't wait a year or two," I said to him.

"No. You had a good reason to summon me, unlike the last time. As this king said, many are grateful for what you did. I am able to tell you this. Your two friends were destined to die. Nothing could be done about it. Only the circumstances of their deaths could be altered. Your necromancy only delayed the death of your friend."

"Thank you for telling me," I said, but he was already gone by the time I finished. I wondered what demons did. They were supposed to be the bad guys, but they were opposed to the black wizard. I didn't want to think about them, though. Mary, David's mother, would not approve.

I walked back over to Red Wizard of Elmland. The Wizard of Venice had rejoined the king. They whispered in each other's ears.

"Was the black wizard possessing you all along?"

"No. Others would have detected that. Not even the Wizard of Venice detected him in me, and he saw me a few hours, ago. But I was definitely under his influence. I didn't realize it until he left my body." The red wizard shook his head. "I immediately realized I had made stupid, dangerous decisions, like thinking it was a good idea to bring you here in secrecy. And there were other decisions that now make no sense. The black wizard wanted you here, because he could use the power in your body to easily smash any defense red wizards could mount. He thought to come here and kill his grandfather, who had him banished from this world, where he was born. He hated his father as well. I ought to be punished, but the Wizard of Venice is in such a good mood, I have been forgiven. Although, I have been demoted. Again."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I like you," I said.

He seemed very surprised.

"I don't suppose I still have his body. I hope not."

"No. You have a normal body, again. The other body was never created."

I nodded.

"Is all my magic gone?"

"No! Can't you tell you are still glowing?"

I looked at my hand. It was true; I was glowing.

"I tried to send David and his family somewhere safe, while all that was going on. They remained here. I assumed I lost my power," I said.

The red wizard looked thoughtful.

"Maybe they were safe while they were with you," he said.

I smiled. That was a nice thought.

"I can tell you the source of my power, now. It's, uh, semen."

The red wizard frowned.

"How do you absorb it? Oh. Of course. Sex. I should have guessed. That's why you were having sex a few hours after your fiancé died."

I cringed, inside. I really had done that.

"Um. Yeah. That's it. But I can't have orgasms. I had one and it almost killed me."

"Yes. I'm certain of that!" the red wizard said. "May I inform my superiors, or is that something you wish to keep private, your royal highness?"

I frowned. Was I now a 'royal highness'? I supposed the king's grandson qualified for that title.

"I guess you can tell them," I said.

The Red Wizard of Elmland walked over to the Wizard of Venice. He whispered something in his ear. The chief wizard turned and looked at me, with shock on his face. Then he whispered in the king's ear. The king began laughing, loudly.

"Come here, grandson," the king said.

I walked nervously up to him. I climbed the several steps until I was a few feet from him. I didn't know what I should do. Bow? Kneel? What? I knelt.

"Stand," the king said.

"Grandson, I am told you are willing to help me solve some rather serious problems. Is that true?"

"Yes. Of course, your...high...your royal...um...grandfather," I said.

He smiled.

"I see a young man looking at you, anxiously."

"That's my lover...fiancé, David."

I looked at the Red Wizard of Elmland. I sure hoped he didn't point out that I had a different fiancé the evening before. I was grateful that he didn't.

"Have him brought here," the king said to a wizard.

"He was really hoping to meet you, sir."

"Was he? He is going to get his wish."

David stopped next to me. I smiled at him. He looked terrified. I took his hand and held it.

"David, as my grandson's mate, you are now part of my family. Once you marry, you will be a Porfirio, by marriage. And you are very welcome here."

I smiled at the shocked expression on David's face.

To my surprise, I saw a chamber pot under the throne. I recognized it from movies. Was it actually used, here, on the throne? I wished I had my magic toilet. It appeared at my feet. I wished it to have a ribbon and bow. They appeared.

"I don't know if you use those," I said, pointing under the throne. "But if you do, you may prefer this, your royal, um grandfather. There is no mess and no smell."

"A gift, after what you've already done?" the king asked, smiling.

"Yes, sir."

"And is this an example of white magic?" the king asked.

I laughed, nervously. "Well, it isn't black magic. I don't know if it's an example of...anything."

"To be honest, I could use it right now," the king said. "Chief, will you have someone test it and then return it?" he asked the Wizard of Venice.

He bowed and both he and the toilet disappeared.

David introduced his mother and daughter to the king.

"And how, my dear woman, do you manage to look no older than your son?" the king asked her.

"Your majesty, I looked my age, yesterday. I have Joe, your grandson, to thank for making me younger."

The king gasped, along with everyone who heard her. I looked at my father. His look of hatred had changed to a look of greed, which I couldn't say was an improvement. How could he be so different from my true father? He wasn't my father, that was why, I told myself. Look how his son, who was my duplicate turned out. I was afraid the king was going to ask me to make him younger. I didn't know how to do it! I just used a healing spell, the same spell I used on Emmie's burned hand and Josh's sore foot. I wished I remembered exactly what I did. And then I did. I had wished there was something I could do about growing old! Could it be that my wish had given myself the ability to make people younger? It seemed that way.

"And who is this beautiful, young woman?" the king asked, while looking at Emmie.

She had a finger in her mouth, as she looked down at the floor.

"This is my daughter, Emmie," David said. "Um, your majesty," he added.

Emmie finally looked up and said hello. It was clear she had no idea what a king was, but it didn't seem to be expected.

The Wizard of Venice reappeared with the toilet.

"It is powerful white magic, Your Majesty. It is also a most delightful and useful gift," the chief red wizard said. He bowed slightly to me.

He leaned forward. "I want another one for the king, if it is possible, and not too much trouble," he whispered. "The thing glows like the moon. I assume a great deal of magic is required to make it. Let me know how many men you need to produce it. I am certain there will be no shortage of volunteers."

I blushed and looked down.

"What is this?" the king asked the chief wizard.

The chief wizard whispered in the king's ear. The king howled with laughter.

"I assume you know how your mate gets his magic," the king said to David.

David blushed, then. The king laughed more.

"Ah. I see. You are chief supplier, then," the king said to him.

David put his face in his hands.

"Is your mate sufficient to produce another of these?" the chief wizard.

"No, sir. I was very weak after producing it, um, with two men," I said.

"I am not surprised," the chief wizard said.

"Have the captain call for volunteers from the royal guard," the king said to the chief. He turned to me. "You have an eye for attractive men. I assume you will want to pick from the volunteers."

I blushed, again.

"Take the volunteers to the west pool," the king said to the chief wizard. The wizard nodded and disappeared.

I took David's hand and wished we could hear each other's thoughts.

"David, do you mind?"

"What? Did you say that?"

"No. I'm thinking it. You can hear my thoughts and I can have yours. Don't talk. Do you mind—the other men?"

"You can't say no to the king, Joe."

"I asked if you mind," I said.

"The king can ask a man to give his life for him. This is a little thing, Joe. Afterwards, if you still look at me the same, I'll be just as happy as I am now."

I smiled at him.

"You're wonderful, David."

"And handsome."

"Yes!"

"The men in my guard are completely loyal. So loyal that I believe they will even have orgasms for me," the king said to me, drily. I laughed.

"Your majesty—"

"Call me grandfather," the king said.

"Grandfather. You can call me by name, if you want."

"But I don't know it."

I leaned forward to whisper it. The red wizards near me blocked me.

"I trust my grandson completely," the king said.

I wondered if that was because I wished that everyone would trust me.

The red wizards moved enough for me to whisper it. Then I wondered if I would be overheard.

"It's the same as the other," I whispered.

The king frowned. Then he nodded.

"You use the name Joe?"

"Yes, grandfather."

"Is your grandfather in your world a king, Joe?" the king asked me.

I began laughing. The king didn't look pleased. I stopped, quickly.

"I'm sorry for laughing, but he is very far from being a king. He is retired, but he repaired refrigerators—machines, when he worked. He looks exactly like you, though."

"Machines. A nasty business. I expect you are very happy to be here."

I thought about that. I was very happy. But it had nothing to do with machines, or the lack of them. It had to do with David, and now, the king.

"People are important to me," I said. "It doesn't matter whether there are or aren't machines."

"A wise attitude," the king said. "How I wish the...other had the same priorities. I suppose you like being a wizard. You could not have been one in your world."

"To be honest, I miss my world. I miss my family."

The king nodded.

"But you get something in return, yes? You've become a member of the Porfirio family. And you are a wizard. You enjoy that, don't you?"

"It's fine. What I like better is being in good health. I wasn't in good health, before. And being a wizard lets me help people in ways I couldn't otherwise...do." Then it occurred to me that the seizures stopped because I had been in another body, Black Jack's created body. Would they begin again, now that I was back in a normal body? But I was a magician! I simply wished myself to have good health.

"Is it true you perform necromancy?"

"I did once. I'll never do it, again."

"And who did you kill, grandson who wishes to help people?"

There was a bite in that question.

"A black wizard. He had cursed all the people in David's town. At the time, I thought I was dreaming. I was popping from world to world. I wasn't controlling it; I suppose it was the black...your grandson, doing it. One of the worlds had a book of spells, including the spell for necromancy. It was unbelievable to me, since magic isn't real on my world. I thought it had to be a dream. I was just playing."

I wasn't surprised when a red wizard whispered in his ear. The king waved him away.

"He attacked you?"

"Oh, yes! He stole my body to hide in it from his pursuers. I was very ill. I guess he thought no one would suspect him of being there. He put me, or my soul in his created body. Then he killed my body, and was about to kill me by kicking me out of the body I was in, when demons showed up and took him. He absolutely despised me, probably more than anyone else. I looked like him, but I wasn't at all like him."

"Truer words were never spoken," the king said.

"He actually gave a long speech listing all the reasons he hated me. If he hadn't, he might have escaped before the demons arrived."

The king laughed.

"You must have been terrified."

"I was scared, but I still thought it might all be a dream. Things like that don't normally happen to me."

The king burst out laughing. Even some of the red wizards laughed.

"Now that I think about it, I don't know how much power I still have. Maybe most of it was, because of his body."

"Well, we will see. Even if you have little or none, you are still my grandson."

I smiled at him.

"Your majesty, we can see his white magic. He still has a great deal, although less than before," a red wizard said. "I suspect he is as powerful in white magic as the other was in black. And he was incredibly powerful in his own, that is, original body."

"That is logical. Thank you," the king said.

"How long have you known David?" the king asked me.

"Just since yesterday. Not long at all, but I love him, dearly," I said.

I looked at David. He smiled at me.

"Your mate seems to be easy to love," the king said to David.

"He is, uh your majesty. Joe is...all I want."

I smiled at David.

"Your...grandfather, where will we live?"

"Where do you wish to live? You can live here, if you wish. I have many other palaces."

"I don't know where we are," I said.

"We are in what in your world would be..."

"Northern Italy, your majesty," a red wizard said. The king nodded.

"Oh, you know about our world?" I asked.

"I have others who keep watch on a number of worlds," the king said. "Yours is one of the dangerous ones. Or I should say, dangerous people sometimes come from there. They bring knowledge of machines and weapons, and try to infect our people with their knowledge." I nodded. "Machines make people more aggressive. They increase the number and size of darker emotions. They also make formidable weapons which make mass killings possible."

Once, again, I couldn't argue. I nodded.

A red wizard whispered to the king.

"You don't defend your world?" he asked me.

"I'm sure you know better than I do," I said.

A red wizard whispered to the king, again. I looked at David and his family. Emmie was getting bored. She was twisting her foot on the marble floor.

"I think Emmie might need to rest or play or something," I said.

The king chuckled.

"She is too young to feel fortunate at my presence."

I nodded.

The king clapped his hands three times. A man appeared, walking very quickly towards him.

"Please take our honored guests to appropriate chambers, remembering that the young man is my grandson's spouse-to-be. And this is his mother and daughter."

The man bowed to the king.

"Please come this way."

David hesitated.

"I have things to discuss with my grandson. He will join you within the hour."

David smiled.

"Thank you."

The king nodded.

David joined his family. I felt a bit of panic as they left me.

"Did you leave a spouse behind?"

"In my old world? No."

"What would you like for yourself, grandson?"

I frowned. It was a simple enough question. But I had more than I ever dreamed, and I had no desire to dream for more.

"I can't think of anything. I guess it would be for us to be happy. My new family."

A wizard whispered to him, again.

The king smiled.

"Does that include me?"

"Of course."

Again, a red wizard whispered something to the king. I frowned.

"You wonder what they keep whispering. I will tell you. They are telling me whether you are telling the truth or not," the king said. "And do you know what they have told me?"

"No. Well, I guess I hope they are saying I'm telling the truth. I think I'm telling the truth!"

The king laughed.

"Usually, if you think you are telling the truth, you are!" he said.

I almost shrugged. How do you respond to that?

"They tell me you have no deception and not many secrets."

"I don't think I've been here long enough to have many secrets."

"Touché!" the king said, laughing.

"How I wish I could have had a single conversation like this with my other grandson. He was full of fury and hate from a young age."

"Why? Did something happen to him?"

"Nothing, but a life of comfort and a loving family. At first, we thought him possessed by a demon. But he wasn't. He was simply as evil as a demon."

"That is sad," I said.

"You don't hate him?" the king asked me.

I was surprised by the question.

"It's strange, but I don't remember feeling that. I was very afraid of him and I was furious when I saw the dead world. I hoped he would be punished. And I hoped I would never see him, again. But I don't remember feeling hate. It was so confusing when all that was happening, I was bouncing from world to world, sometimes mid-sentence. I'm not sure."

A red wizard whispered, again. I thought I was telling the truth!

"You speak your mind. That is a wonderful thing. I mostly hear what people think I want to hear. Often it is couched in contradictory words, like this. 'The people affected by the drought are very happy, your majesty, except for the mass starvations that have successfully reduced the population to better match the supply of food'," the king said.

I began laughing. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself. I thought it was very funny, but the king looked serious. I supposed it was. People starving definitely wasn't funny.

"I'm sorry I laughed. People dying..." I shook my head. "I hope I can help with problems like that."

As I'd come to expect, a red wizard whispered to him.

The king smiled.

"I believe you."

"Can you tell me what I can do for you that your red wizards cannot? I don't know much about magic, black or white," I said.

"There is plenty of time for that. You need a great deal of information before you can help me, not only about magic, but about our world."

I smiled and nodded. It was very true.

The chief wizard appeared.

"The men are assembled, your majesty."

"Very well. Take my grandson."

The chief wizard nodded. He held out his hand to me. I held mine out, unsure of what he wanted. He touched it and we both appeared in a small office.

"Before I introduce you to the guards, I have a few questions," the chief wizard said.

I nodded.

"How exactly do you take in their magic? Elmland said he observed you with your mate. As your mate's orgasm occurred, your glow increased. Is there a technique or manner that must be observed?"

"I can't just ingest semen. The man has to...ejaculate directly inside me. It can be at...either end."

"Did you really make your mate's mother younger?"

"It seems so. I wished I could do something about people growing old. Then I said a healing spell on her. Her joints were in pain. She began growing younger, but slowly. Yesterday evening, she looked about ten years younger. This morning, she looked like she does, now. It was a surprise to me. I guess that's true about all magic."

The red wizard shook his head.

"A dangerous gift. There are a great many people who need to grow old and die."

He frowned at me. "You are worried. Why?"

"My father seems to hate me. I suppose I need to stop thinking of him as my father. It's just he looks identical."

"There are going to be a great many people who despise you. You are a disruption in the normal flow of royal life. If you help the king, you will become a great deal more important to him than his own sons, that one included. I wouldn't give this man a moment's concern. It if bothers you enough, tell the king."

"Is he a good man? My father, not the king."

"It's not my place to judge royals. I will simply say that many of the royal family are not particularly interested in helping the king. It is sad, but true, and I am not divulging secrets by telling you this."

"Is white magic better than black magic? Everyone acts as if this is so, but I don't know why. I don't understand what I can do to help the king when he has so many wizards, already."

"These are pertinent questions. I will assign a red wizard to you to answer them."

"Could it be the Red Wizard of Elmland?"

"Why do you want him?"

"I know him, a little. And we were both used by the black wizard."

He nodded.

"I suppose. It will keep him out of trouble. You should know this: he once executed a man who he was not called on to judge. He saw the man commit a murder. He used magic to kill the man, without a trial, and gained power as a result of the execution. That is a violation of the Red Code which governs us. It is, in fact what distinguishes us from black wizards. He was demoted, as a result of that. Do you still wish to have him assist you?"

I thought about it.

"Yes."

The red wizard nodded.

We suddenly appeared inside what looked like a greenhouse containing a pool full of naked men. A handsome older man, also naked, stood next to the pool. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

"Assemble!" he said.

"Captain Rogers is much in demand as a sex partner by both women and men," the red wizard said, before disappearing.

That was the strangest introduction I'd ever heard. I didn't doubt he had no trouble getting sex partners. I was incredibly nervous. I wished I could speak bluntly and not be embarrassed about sex with these men. I wished my clothes away. I remembered what I'd been told about a Porfirio regent who had married the captain of the guards a hundred years earlier. I wondered what that captain of the guards looked like.

Men climbed out of the pool and formed a line, with their backs to the pool. Quite a few of them grew erect while they looked at me. They were all in very good shape. Some were handsome, some were not. Some were hairy, some smooth. I decided to ignore the faces and look at their cocks. It kept it more impersonal, and that seemed safer.

The captain walked up to me. He looked like he was in his mid-forties. He was in fantastic shape, though. His chest was covered with black hair, with a few white hairs mixed in. I watched him grow erect. His cock looked about the length of mine, about six inches, but his was fatter and uncircumcised. I couldn't help thinking about all the women and men demanding him as their sex partner!

"We don't have a lot of information. Just that you need us for sex. What is it exactly that you need?" he asked.

"I want you to ejaculate in my mouth and ass."

Several men cheered. I laughed.

"I don't have a lot of time to spend on it, so you need to come quickly and just make sure your cocks are in me when you shoot. Oh. And I go limp and even pass out when men shoot in me. I also glow."

"Damn!" a man said. Others chuckled.

"If you will, pick the ones of us you prefer, and the others can return to their normal duties," the captain said.

"I want you to stay," I said to the captain. "Is that all right? I mean, do you want to stay?"

He grinned and shook his erection. "You gave me this. Don't you want to work the stiffness out of it for me?"

"Uh. Yes."

He chuckled.

"Hey! The attractive ones are over here!" a man said.

"Who said that?" Captain Rogers asked.

No one moved or spoke.

"Tell me what you like in men."

"I liked hairy men," I said.

He nodded.

"All of you bare chests can leave," Captain Rogers said. "The king's grandson likes real men with hair on their chests."

There were many disappointed men. They left.

"What else?" he asked me.

"Men who can come more than once."

"With you, I think we can all do that," the captain said.

"Do you prefer big cocks?" he asked me.

"Not necessarily. Men who shoot big loads are better."

"Oh, you love man milk, do you?" he asked me.

I nodded.

I produced a small bed. I heard a few gasps.

"I want you to fuck me, while the others stroke themselves and shoot in my mouth. If I pass out, all of you can fuck me."

I laughed as the men cheered.

"I don't want to come, myself."

"I understand. You want to save it for your mate," the captain said.

I thought about correcting him, but didn't. I didn't know what should be a secret and what shouldn't.

"Captain, my brother and I would like to volunteer to serve as security to the new royal," a man said. I just realized that the man next to him was extremely similar. The one speaking wore a beard and the other, a moustache. They were both handsome. They were exactly the same size, had the same body hair, and identical erect cocks. Big, identical, erect cocks. They were bigger than David. But the men were taller than David, so it was proportional. Both of them grinned at me. I thought they were both incredible looking. Hotter than Jim, even. I hoped I didn't fall in love. I didn't want anything to come between David and me. Then I had an idea. I wished that nothing would come between David and me. Problem solved!

"I didn't even know you wanted volunteers for that!" a man said. Others agreed with him.

"Too bad," the other brother said.

"I was told to assign two men to lead your security," the captain said to me. "Are the twins acceptable?"

"Twins! Oh, sure!"

I leaned forward. "Can I have sex with them?" I whispered to the captain.

"They will be in twelve-hour shifts. The one who is on-duty is off limits. His full attention needs to be on your safety."

I nodded.

"All of these men would be happy to have sex with you when they are off-duty. You can stop by the barracks."

I smiled.

"You two have the job," the captain said. The twins cheered. The other men weren't happy. There was a lot of muttering.

I climbed on the bed, on my back. I let my head hang over the end of the bed, like I'd seen in a porn video.

Captain Rogers climbed on the bed. He pushed my legs up in the air. He placed the head of his cock against my asshole. I wished I was lubricated. He pushed inside me.

I watched the men stroke themselves. They were upside down, because of my position.

"You heard what he said. Stroke yourselves and shoot in his mouth."

"I love this job," a man said. A bunch of them laughed.

Captain Rogers was good. I got a great deal of pleasure out of being fucked by him.

Watching men stroke themselves upside started to give me a headache. I closed my eyes. A few seconds later, the head of a cock was against my lips. I wrapped them around the cock, which began shooting. I moaned as liquid pleasure filled my mouth and slid down my throat. My whole body tingled in a very pleasant way. I was still swallowing when the second cock was thrust into my mouth. I began shuddering from the intense pleasure. I saw stars, briefly. Then I went into a daze, but I didn't pass out. The third cock was pushed all the way into my throat. As it pulsed, I did pass out. When I came to, things looked different. I wasn't thinking clearly enough to know why. I was barely aware of my surroundings. I was very aware of the two cocks inside me, though. Liquid pleasure exploded from my ass. My mouth was free. I groaned. I forced myself to stay alert. The cock in my ass left. Another man pushed inside me. I tilted my head up and looked at him. It was one of the twins, the one with the moustache. I grinned at him. He grinned back.

"Can you take cocks in your mouth, again?" I looked up. It was the bearded twin.

"Yes, please," I said. I was having a three-way with twins!

"So polite," he said, grinning. "May I kiss you?"

"You'll get my cream all over your tongue," I heard a man say.

"Sure," I said.

He kissed me, briefly. Then he brought his cock to my mouth. He stroked himself a couple of times and then shot delicious cum into my mouth. I blacked out, again. When I came to, the captain was holding my head.

"We're a little worried," he said. "You started to cough up semen."

"Maybe the rest ought to fuck me," I said.

"That sounds wise. Are you enjoying this?"

I reached out and wrapped my hand around his cock.

"Yes," I said, grinning.

"I know you are in demand, but will you fuck me, again, sometime?"

"Delighted," the captain said. "I like a lot of sex."

"I want you to teach my David to do it the way you do," I said. "It felt great."

He grinned. "I've had a lot of experience, son."

The man fucking me ejaculated. I lost consciousness, again. I was awakened by a very bright light. I opened my eyes and saw all the men watching me with surprise on their faces. I realized the light was coming from me. I turned my head and was shocked to realize I was floating! I tried to sit up. I didn't have any problem doing it, despite the fact that I wasn't touching anything.

"I think it worked," I said.

"What worked?" the captain asked.

"I'm fully charged."

"Do you always float?" a man asked.

"No. I've never floated. I've never had this much sex."

I wished I hadn't said that. Maybe I shouldn't broadcast the fact that I got power from sex. I wished I could ask the chief wizard. Instantly I found myself floating in his office. He looked annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I made an accidental wish."

"What did you wish, that you ended up here?"

"Should I keep it a secret from the guards? I mean the source of my magic."

The chief wizard sighed.

"Normally, I would say yes. But you can just keep wishing that no one but red wizards can know."

"I didn't think of that. I'm sorry to interrupt."

I wished I was back at the pool.

"Do you always float?" the same man asked, again. I was confused.

"After sex," I said.

I wished I wasn't floating. My feet touched the ground.

"I'm going to my room," I told Captain Rogers.

He dismissed the men.

"Romulus, Remus, escort him to his room."

The twins grinned. They were named after the founders of Rome. I thought that was kind of cool.

"One of us will walk in front of you and one will walk behind you," one of them said.

"Which one is which?"

"I am Romulus," the bearded one said.

He led the way. They didn't bother to dress. I watched his hairy butt as we walked.

"How many times can you come in a day?" I asked Remus.

"I wish more people asked us that," Romulus said.

Remus and I both laughed.

"I don't know. Four or five."

"That's terrific. That's eight or ten orgasms with the two of you."

"I love my job," Romulus said.

I laughed.

"Do you really want to have that much sex with us?"

"Yes, but it's just sex."

"Of course. You have a fiancé."

"It's actually just your ejaculations that give me pleasure, although I really enjoy sucking cock."

"That's very interesting," Remus said. "I hope you really enjoy sucking our cocks."

"I'm sure I will. I can't wait to have both of you inside me, again."

"Personally, I'd rather not wait, either," Romulus said.

"Oh, wait. The captain said I could only have sex with the one who is off-duty," I said.

"There are ways to work around that. We can ask for a temporary guard," Remus said.

"Oh, good!"

They both laughed.

We continued walking. We weren't the only naked people. Most people wore clothes, but they seemed to be optional.

"You aren't looking around much," Remus said to me.

I laughed.

"That's because the view in front of me is so much better!"

"I think he wants to fuck you, brother," Remus said.

"No. I definitely don't want to do that. I was thinking more of...eating."

They both laughed.

"Five or six," Romulus said.

"Five or six what?"

"That's how many times I can come if you are eating my ass, regularly."

"It's a deal!" I said.

"This job is getting better by the moment!"

I laughed.

Romulus turned a corner. He opened a door and I walked through it. I was expecting to see David. But it was a closet. There wasn't a light in the room, except for me. I was producing plenty, though. Romulus locked the door behind us and grinned at me.

"Are you in a hurry?" he asked me.

"Not really."

"This is another way we can both have sex with you. Enter a secured area."

"Eat my brother's ass while I fuck you, again," Remus said.

But Romulus wanted to kiss me. I didn't mind a bit. He pulled away after about a minute.

"I can taste man milk when I kiss you. It makes me so hot," he said.

"Really?"

"Would it bother you to kiss me, right after someone—anyone, shoots in your mouth?"

I was surprised.

"No. It wouldn't bother me."

"I love the taste of semen," Romulus said.

"Me, too," I said.

"Let me suck you," he said.

"No! I can't have orgasms. I almost died when I had one yesterday," I said.

"I'm glad you told us. You are the first wizard I ever heard of who could have sex at all."

I nodded.

Remus pushed inside me, and began fucking me.

"If David doesn't mind, I'd love to kiss you while his cream is still in your mouth. I'd love to eat his cum out of your ass, too," Romulus said.

I groaned.

"His ass is full of milk right now," Remus said, as he fucked me.

He was right. It was running down my legs. I was shocked, when Romulus got on his hands and knees and began licking it off me.

"Here you go, brother."

Remus pulled out of me. Romulus knelt behind me and stuck his tongue in my ass. I groaned. I'd never felt anything like it. I looked down at Romulus' very stiff cock.

"You want that cock in your mouth?" Remus asked me.

"Yeah!"

"Well, mine is just like it."

I bent over and sucked Remus. His erection was covered with semen. I didn't absorb any magic, but I loved it. After a couple of minutes, Remus sighed as his cock began shooting in my mouth. I lost control of my muscles. Fortunately, the hot, liquid magic he was spurting into my mouth made me float, again. Once I had my strength back, I had Romulus stand in front of me. I knelt and pulled his furry cheeks apart. I began lapping at his asshole. His moans and groans of pleasure spurred me on. I reached around and stroked his cock. I went into a kind of frenzy. I tried to get my tongue inside him. I'm not sure why. But he spun around and stuck his cock in my mouth, just as it began spurting hot spunk. I lost consciousness. When I came too, they were both grinning and running their hands all over my body. It felt terrific. Romulus stroked my cock a couple of times while he pushed two fingers into my ass. I groaned, again. He stopped, quickly.

"Does that hurt?"

"No. It felt great."

Remus then took my dick in his mouth. I felt his tongue caress it.

"You better not. I might come unexpectedly. Oh. I should tell you. If I ever do come, I'll look like I'm dying. I won't die if someone ejaculates in me."

I could see they were having trouble believing me. But what could I do? I certainly wasn't going to demonstrate it for them!

"I didn't mean to imply that you could only have sex with me," I said to both of them.

"I think I speak for both of us when I say, you would be our first choice," Remus said. Romulus nodded. "We're fucking the man who is fourth in line for the throne!"

"And not only that, but you are very attractive, too," Romulus said.

"I'll probably go to the barracks, every now and then to suck anyone who will let me," Romulus said. "Then I come to you and shoot my load in you."

"That sounds like fun."

"If you want, you can come to the barracks with me," Romulus said. "Have you ever sucked a cock with another man?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"If you think you'd like it, we could suck a cock at the same time, passing it back and forth."

I groaned.

"I think he likes the idea," Remus said.

"I'll teach you how to milk a man, using your lips and tongue, so that when that hot milk shoots out of his body, you'll both think you've died and gone to heaven."

I groaned and nodded.

"Teach him using my meat," Remus said.

"Of course," Romulus said to his brother. "We can also use your David's cock to practice on," Romulus said. "He'll never cheat on you if you are the best fuck and cocksucker he can find."

Romulus thrust his crotch toward me. "I can come again. I bet you'd like that," he said. "Make me shoot in your mouth. Then I'm going to kiss you while your mouth is full of my milk."

I groaned. How I wished David was as horny as Romulus! Now, that would be heaven, for me! At the thought of David, I had to see him. I found myself in an incredible room with him. He was naked. He grinned as soon as he saw me. He ran up to me and kissed me. His cock was hard. He rubbed it against me.

"You're beautiful, Joe!"

I smiled. I was so happy to see him.

"I missed you so much," I said. He looked pleased.

"I missed you just as much. I need you, baby! I need to be inside you. I want to spend the rest of the day inside you!"

I stared at him in wonder. Then I realized what I'd done.

"Oh, David! I'm sorry! I accidently wished you were as horny as one of the guards."

David frowned.

"What does horny mean?"

"Lustful. Towards me. I'll unwish it."

"Wait, baby. We'll spend more time together, this way, won't we?" he asked me.

I smiled.

"I sure hope so!"

David laughed.

"This isn't like Jessica. It isn't fake lust. It's just more, is that right?"

I nodded.

"Some men drink to get this way. This is better," he said. "I'm sober."

"Well, tell me if you want me to remove it."

"You mean, when I decide I want to have less sex, and I want to make you less happy?" he asked, laughing.

I laughed.

"Besides, I don't think it's right that a guard lusts after you more than I do."

David was incredible!

"You are looking at me the way I love. I can see how important I am to you." He frowned. "You haven't wished anything about yourself, have you? This...your feelings for me, they're real, aren't they?"

"Yes. Absolutely real. I love your heart and your mind and your body, completely."

I wrapped my hand around his erection and smiled at him.

"I would tell you, you know. You need to believe that."

He smiled. "I do. You always want my opinion about them."

I nodded.

David gave me a smoldering look that made my legs weak. He grabbed me and kissed me, again.

Romulus and Remus entered the room, running.

"Never do that! We can't protect you if we aren't with you!" Remus said.

David pulled away from the kiss.

"Who are you?" he asked, irritated.

They introduced themselves.

"I'm Remus. This is my brother Romulus. We've been assigned to protect the white wizard."

"Call me Joe," I said.

"I'll protect him," David said.

"I mean no offense, but you can't protect him adequately. You don't know what dangers he faces," Remus said.

David frowned. "I guess you are right. What dangers does he face? Black wizards?"

"We can't help much with that. But all members of the royal family are targets of assassins. Also, it is possible people resent his now being fourth in line for the kingship. They might try to do something about it."

David looked shocked.

"What? You could become king?" he asked me.

"I have no desire to be king. I would refuse, if it came to that."

David looked at me, with worry on his face. I watched it change to lust. That made me happy.

David kissed me. I ran my hands over him. I moaned into David's mouth when I felt my ass cheeks pulled apart and a tongue slide into my ass.

David pulled away.

"What's he doing?"

I looked behind me. It was Romulus.

"He's eating the guards' cream out of me."

David looked shocked.

"Did you have sex with them?" David asked me.

"Are you upset?" I asked him, mentally.

"No. I knew that you were going to do that. But they're both very, uh, manly. I know you like that. They've got bigger cocks than me."

"David, it's you I love. You are absolutely perfect. I love your cock. I don't love theirs."

"You don't even like those big, stiff cocks betwixt their legs. Is that right?" he asked.

"Well, I can't say I don't like them."

David grinned.

"Are they good men?"

I was surprised by the question.

"I have no idea. I just met them. They are the royal guard. I assume the king wouldn't have them, if they weren't."

"Does it feel good, what he's doing?"

"It does, David. Remember, I did it to you last night."

"Oh, I remember! I was stroking myself thinking about last night, the two of us, in my bed."

I smiled at him.

"I guess you're going to get their cream."

"I have to get it from some men. If you don't like them, I'll get others. The king wants another toilet."

"No. They're fine, Joe. It's just an adjustment. I want you to myself. But I know you got to do it."

"I wished that nothing would come between us, David. Do you mind?"

David kissed me, wildly, passionately. I got the impression he didn't mind that wish. Meanwhile, Romulus' tongue was lapping at my insides. While we kissed, I ran my hands over David's furry ass cheeks. I planned to rim him, very soon.

"Joe, you love me more than anyone ever has or ever will. You prove that to my all the time. I'm not going to worry none, when you have sex with these men. You just enjoy their big meat and strong bodies. I'll be there with you."

"That's what I want, David. I don't want to have sex with other men when you aren't there. I'll worry about you. But I was afraid you wouldn't be able to watch."

"Baby, I don't mind if you want to wish that it not bother me."

"Are you sure?"

"You can always unwish it, Joe."

I thought about it. What did I want, and what was best for David, and for us?

"Do you want to enjoy watching it?" I asked

"Hmm. Let me think."

"You might feel more like joining in," I said.

"That is true. Yes, do that, Joe."

I wished David enjoyed seeing me have sex with other men. I worried a little about the wish, but, like David said, I could unwish it.

"Why don't you slide that big hunk of meat inside my Joe's ass?" David said to Romulus.

Romulus stood up.

"You mean it?" he asked David.

"I was just wishing we could have a three-way," Romulus said, grinning.

"What's that?" David asked him.

"That would be the three of us having sex together. You are a very sexy man, David. I would love to suck your cock with Joe. Would you like to have two mouths on your meat?"

"No. But I want to watch you fuck Joe while he sucks me."

I grinned at David. He chuckled.

"I can see I just made my fiancé happy. That's good, because he sure makes me happy," David said.

"You are a lucky man. You both are," Romulus said.

Romulus stood and pushed his big dick inside me. I looked over at Remus. He was stiff and his dick was drooling, but I could see he was watching the room more than he was watching us. I was happy to see David stroke himself, while he watched Romulus fuck me.

"How does that feel?" David asked me.

"Like you're fucking me, while I also get to look at your big dick."

David grinned.

"I'm glad you wished what you did. I stopped worrying, and now watching him fuck you makes me want you more," he said.

"I feel a little bad about changing your feelings. They aren't really yours; they're feelings I wished you had."

"I'm happy, baby. I've got you for my own. We love each other. Stop worrying."

I thought again how wonderful David was.

"Ah. You're looking at me like I'm the greatest man in the world. That's real, Joe. That's what's important to me."

"It is real. I never wished my feelings were different."

I bent over and took David into my mouth. David began fucking my mouth.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Romulus said. "Use his mouth just like a pussy. Try to get his throat pregnant."

"You got a filthy mouth!" David said, laughing.

"That's because my tongue was inside your fiancé's ass," Romulus said, as he continued to fuck me.

David and Remus both laughed.

"Why don't you let me eat your ass while you fuck your fiancé?" Romulus asked David. "Or let me suck on your balls while you fuck him."

"I can't believe he said that!" David thought to me.

"You can always give it a try," I said.

"I only want to have sex with you, Joe. Do you mind?"

"Not a bit."

"No, Romulus. I only want sex with Joe."

"Well, you'll be having sex with him. But I understand. Let me know if you change your mind."

"I'll do that," David said.

David fucked my mouth for a couple more minutes. Then he cried out as his semen shot into my mouth. Romulus came right after that. I saw a bright light and passed out.

I woke in bed with David. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

There was a knock on the door.

"David?" I heard Mary say. "Emmie needs you."

Romulus pulled out of me. I dressed all of us. I wanted the guards in their uniforms and they looked really good in them.

David and I went to answer the door. David opened it. Mary was carrying Emmie.

"What's wrong?" David asked his daughter.

"I don't like it here, Daddy. There's nowhere to play. Can we go home?"

David took her from his mother.

"I'm sorry, honey. We will be here a while."

"I have an idea," I said. "Where are you and Emmie staying?"

"Right across the hall."

"Let's go over there."

We walked over there. Their rooms were just as nice as ours (what little I'd seen of it). But it was clearly designed to be luxurious, not fun. The main room was enormous, with plenty of play room. I wished for a swing set and a seesaw. Then I realized she couldn't use that by herself. I had an idea. Since there was plenty of open space, I wished for a carousel with pink unicorns. It appeared, with the whole thing turning slowly, and the unicorns rising up and down. Emmie squealed. David squeezed my hand. I grinned at him. I had it stop turning. I took Emmie out of David's arms and put her on one of the unicorns.

"Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome, David. She does need playmates, though."

"She didn't have any at home. There weren't any kids her age."

That was a little sad. But she had a loving family.

"Now hold onto the reigns, honey," David said.

"That's beautiful, Joe. Thank you, Mary said.

I didn't realize until he spoke, but Remus was next to me.

"I wish I'd had one of those when I was her age," Remus said.

"Me, too," Romulus said.

I wished that there was no way Emmie could be hurt on the carousel.

"Shall we all ride it?" I asked. I made some of the unicorns larger.

I climbed on one. Mary got on another. Then David got on one of the unicorns. I had it start up.

"Emmie, would you like a magic tub?" I asked her.

She squealed. David and I laughed.

I wished for one.

"There it is, sweetheart," I said.

"But there's no dirt here," she said.

I wasn't sure anyone would appreciate it if I added dirt to the room. I had an idea.

"David, do you think it would be a good idea if had Emmie's clothes get dirty by themselves, when she's wearing them? Then she could use the magic tub."

"That sounds really good, baby."

"Is there any way we can get Emmie's toys and some clothes from home?" Mary asked.

"Yes."

"Remus, we are going to get their things from home. We didn't bring anything with us. Should you come with us?" I asked.

"Yes."

I wished us all at David's house.

Mary laughed and Emmie clapped her hands when we arrived. We startled Tom, the town's undertaker, who was in the living room, looking at the floor.

"Where did you go? Everyone has been looking for you," Tom said.

"It's a long story," I said. "We're going to be living with the king."

"King Stephen?" Tom asked incredulously.

"Our Joe is his grandson," Mary said, proudly.

Tom stared at me.

"You are joking, aren't you?"

"No. She isn't," Remus said. "I am a royal guardsman, assigned to guard Joe."

"And do other things," David said, mentally to me.

I chuckled.

Tom was speechless.

"We aren't going to be here long," I said to Tom. "We just came to get some things."

He looked disappointed.

"What are you going to do about the farm?" Tom asked David.

"I completely forgot about it!"

"The Widow Allen lost her farm," Mary said to her son. He grinned.

"I'm giving the farm to her," David said.

Tom nodded.

"She's got three strong sons to help her with it," Tom said. "Is there anything you want to keep?"

David looked at me.

"No. I have everything I need," he said.

I smiled at him.

"I'll let folks know. The town is getting smaller. First Jim and Jessica, now you and your family," Tom said. He left the house.

"What do you want to take?" I asked David.

"The servants said all our clothes would be made for us," Mary said to her son. "So there's no point in taking a lot of things. A couple of shirts and pants should be plenty."

David nodded.

"I can make anything you want," I said to Marr. "Simple things like clothes use barely any magic, at all."

Mary smiled at me.

"I forget," she said.

I followed David to his room. He picked up a drawing of his late wife he said was made by a traveling artist. I didn't say anything, of course, but she was very homely. David clearly loved her, though. He looked very sad as he stared at the drawing. I took his hand and held it. I didn't know what to say. I wished I had a high-quality painting of her. It appeared in my hands. I showed it to him. He began crying and hugged me. I began crying, then. Mary walked in.

"Oh, that's lovely, Joe," she said.

She hugged me.

"You are a very good person. Did you know that?" she asked me.

I smiled at her.

David wanted to show the painting to Emmie.

"Maybe I just made him sadder," I said to Mary.

"He'll be fine. It's a good thing you did. Most spouses would want him to forget."

"What happened to your husband?" I asked.

"I wish I knew. He disappeared. He left David and me, alone."

I was shocked.

"He just left?"

She sighed.

"He traveled. Once, he didn't come back. That was about ten years, ago. I guess he died or was killed. I don't think he chose not to return. We were very happy and he loved both of us. I guess I waited about five years, hoping all that time that I'd hear him open the door and announce he was finally home."

That was so terribly sad. I began crying. Strangely, she had to comfort me.

The Red Wizard of Elmland appeared.

"No one else could get through the barrier," he said to me.

I wondered why people were trying. I wished the barrier would disappear. The chief wizard appeared, then, looking annoyed.

"You can't simply disappear," the chief wizard said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone would care," I said, annoyed. "I brought my guard."

"So I see. And how would he protect you from a black wizard? No one knew where you went!"

"I said I was going to get our things!" I said.

"Explain it!" the chief wizard said to the Red Wizard of Elmland. Then he disappeared.

"Am I a prisoner?" I asked, very annoyed.

"No. You are a target. It is much more dangerous than being a prisoner."

"That's why I have a guard!"

"As the chief wizard said, how will he protect you from another wizard?" he asked me. "Do you realize that your power would become his, if a black wizard managed to kill you?" I sighed. No, I hadn't realized that. "You could be caught unprepared, in a surprise attack. I spent a year learning how to defend myself."

I looked at him. I couldn't imagine much worse than spending a year of my life doing that.

"I'm not used to this. Not used to being a wizard and not used to being royal."

"I know. May I call you Joe. I was told you prefer that."

"Please do. What can I call you?" I asked.

He seemed stumped by the question!

"I suppose Elmland would be best. We are supposed to suppress our identity, as much as possible."

I frowned. I wasn't sure what that meant, but it didn't sound good.

"Nobody told me what to do and what not to do," I said.

"I have been assigned that job. I'm told you requested me. It was quite a promotion for me. Thank you. May I ask why?"

"I like you. I told you that."

He looked mystified. I wondered if it was because he 'suppressed his identity'! Or maybe it was because I'd just met him. Why did I like him?

"Do you like being a red wizard?" I asked him. He frowned. "Did you volunteer to be a red wizard?" He frowned, again. I decided I would try to have a long talk with him sometime soon.

"Have you made the second toilet for the king?"

I shook my head. "I'll do it as soon as we return.

David walked back into the room. He didn't look all that happy to see Elmland. I wasn't surprised.

"You are glowing more intensely than ever. A great many guards must have ejaculated in you," Elmland said.

David made a rude noise.

"I really don't like this man," David said to me.

"I know. But he's had a sad life."

Remus looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"How many is a 'great many'?" I asked him.

Remus laughed out loud at my question. Of course, Elmland looked clueless. I felt sorry for him. He began training at age seven. He had to suppress his identity. He had no chance of a normal life.

I took David's hand and held it. He smiled at me and that made me happy.

"Why did only the other one want to have sex with you?" David asked me.

"Other what?"

"Other guard."

"Oh. This one is on duty. He can't have sex while he's on duty."

"Oh."

"You are looking at my meat," David said.

I grinned.

"No, I'm not. It's hidden. Oops. I almost wished it wasn't hidden."

David chuckled.

"I'll unhide it myself when we get back."

"I want to suck on it. I want to eat your ass, too."

I watched the outline of David's cock as he grew erect.

"I think we have everything," Mary said, as she walked into David's bedroom. She was holding Emmie's hand. Emmie had a homemade cloth doll clutched to her chest.

"Good, because I don't want to spend a year learning how to come here, again!" I said.

David chuckled, and then laughed.

"What do you mean by that?" Mary asked.

"Joe wasn't supposed to leave," David said. "There are a lot of rules in the palace."

Mary frowned.

"They aren't rules. We are just trying to keep him safe," Elmland said to Mary. "He's a member of the royal family and a wizard. That makes him a double target."

"Well, that's a good thing," she said.

Elmland looked relieved when she said that. I wondered if I was making his difficult life more difficult.

David put his arm around my waist.

"There is a box of things I want to take with us," Mary said. "It's in the kitchen."

I nodded.

We walked to the kitchen. We stood by the box and I wished us all back to the palace. We appeared in our room.

"Where are the unicorns, Jim?" Emmie asked.

"This is your Daddy's room. They are in your room."

"Oh."

Romulus walked into the room from another room to the left of the man door.

"Everyone became very excited when you left," he said to me.

"Yes. I explained the situation to him," Elmland said.

David introduced Mary and Emmie to Romulus and Remus.

"How can you be David's mother?" Remus asked. "You look no older than your son."

Mary smiled.

"Joe did it. He made me younger."

Romulus and Remus both turned and stared at me, clearly in shock.

"I guess that doesn't happen a lot, based on everybody's reaction," Mary said.

"I've never heard of it happening," Romulus said. "If the king can offer a second youth to people..."

"Is this something you only do for family?" Remus asked me.

"What do I say, David? Everyone over forty may want me to make them young again."

"Not 'may'. They 'will' want to be younger."

"I would have to discuss that with the king," I said.

"I expect he will want to remain young and king forever," Elmland said, nonchalantly.

I had a bad feeling in my stomach. The fact of the matter was, deep down, I didn't really take magic seriously. Resurrecting Jessica was supposed to be powerful magic, but I just put her in her body. Basically, she just woke up and was the Jessica I knew. I was glad I made Mary younger, accidentally, but the implications hadn't occurred to me. I might be able to make people immortal. Instead of wishing someone was younger, could I wish that they not age? I shouldn't be deciding who should age and who should not. Someone much wiser than me, someone as wise as I was powerful, should make decisions like that.

"I think you can expect to see Captain Rogers here, as soon as word spreads about you, Mary," Remus said.

"Who is Captain Rogers?" she asked him.

"He is the head of the royal guard. Our commander," Romulus said. "He bought a spell from a white witch that was supposed to make him feel younger. To actually be younger..."

I heard a gong. Then a man in a very fancy uniform walked into the room.

"The king would like to see his grandson," the man said.

I created another toilet for the king. Then created two more, one for Mary and Emmie, and one for David and myself. I looked at my arm. The glow had decreased, but I still glowed more brightly than I ever had before.

"I'm ready," I said.

"You can take both of us to him," the man said.

"I need to take Remus, don't I?" I asked.

"No. Not unless you wish to walk there."

I nodded.

I wished we were near the king. We appeared in a very plush looking office. The king was seated in a chair.

"Welcome, grandson."

"Thank you, your m...grandfather."

The king chuckled.

"Here is the second toilet that you requested."

"Thank you. It is truly a marvel. I believe that of all the gifts I've ever received, it is my favorite."

I smiled. I was glad to hear that.

"Please be seated."

I sat. The man who'd come with me left through the door.

"I'm sure you've been warned about leaving, again, grandson."

"Yes. I'm not used to having anyone caring so much."

"What you mean, is that you aren't used to being in danger."

I thought that was strange. I was used to being in danger. It might have been medical danger, but it was danger. Riding a bicycle was dangerous. Getting stressed out was dangerous. Was the king telling me how I should feel? I didn't say anything. I didn't think he'd appreciate me disagreeing with him.

The king sighed.

"I have a lot of angry relatives."

OK, I thought.

"At first they were worried about you suddenly becoming fourth in line to inherit my position. Now they are afraid I will never grow old and will remain king, indefinitely," he said.

"We were just discussing that," I said.

The king leaned forward.

"Were you, indeed? And were you discussing the fact that it is within your power to make that come to pass?" he asked.

"Not just you. Won't everyone want it? And won't everyone be angry when they learn that other people are becoming younger, but not them?"

The king looked surprised.

"I suppose they will."

"I can't decide who will age and who will not. I don't believe anyone can decide that," I said.

"Oh, but you can. You have. You made your future mother-in-law young. Most people would find that an odd initial choice."

"It wasn't deliberate."

The king closed his eyes. I could feel tension in him.

"If I asked you, would you make me younger?" he asked me.

"If I thought you were a good man and a good king," I said. I still didn't know why Jim had said he had never heard anything good about King Stephen. Maybe he was right. "I would need to know more about you. Making Mary younger affects only us and her. Making you younger could affect everyone."

He opened his eyes.

"That is a sensible position for you to take. I have devoted my life to being the best king I can be. I don't say that to convince you of my goodness. I say it because those in line to replace me are inadequate. I think you have the temperament to be an outstanding king, but you do not have the training or the necessary knowledge."

I nodded.

"What is my father like?"

The king chuckled.

"Ah, yes. Pertinent. He is next in line for the throne, and he is especially inadequate. He only cares for himself. What was he like on your world?"

"Religious. Kind, but strict."

"Then I can confidently say he is nothing like him. He spends much of his time worrying about wealth and sex, and especially, when I will die."

"Oh. He seems to hate me."

"Well, he hates me, too. You are in good company," the king said.

I chuckled.

"Captain Rogers informed the royal procurer of the kind of men you prefer. He will soon be in contact with you. He will provide as many men as you like for your entertainment and...magical benefit. If one does not please you, simply send him away, and another will be provided. I assume you need a regular supply."

"When I'm using magic, yes."

"I saw the carousel you made. It was quite impressive."

"I don't understand why it is. You have plenty of red wizards."

"Yes. But that is black magic. Power for their magic has to come from somewhere. Executions and torture are the usual sources." I was completely shocked. He said it so matter-of-factly. "And by torture, I mean inflicting pain. No physical damage is required. Can you imagine asking one of them to create a carousel, knowing that?"

I stared at the king. "People are tortured to give the red wizards magic?"

"Yes. I'm afraid so. Prisoners and volunteers. Nowadays, there are more volunteers than prisoners."

"Volunteers?" That seemed hard to believe.

"Well, we pay them. The more pain they are willing to accept, the more they are paid. I assure you that we pay them well. Magic is precious, at least as precious as gold. Also, criminals can exchange torture for prison time. If someone is convicted of stealing and they are sentenced to four years in prison, they have the option of being tortured for a month, instead. A week for a year, is the usual arrangement. We much prefer they accept torture. We don't have to feed them and guard them for years. No one is tortured continuously, of course. Not prisoners and not volunteers. Healthy individuals are tortured for up to three hours a day, in sessions lasting half an hour. Volunteers can stop at any time. Prisoners can change their minds and opt for prison.

"You see why having a white wizard is so important. You created that carousel by having sex with Captain Rogers and a few other men. Everyone enjoyed it and everyone is happy. There wasn't a nasty business behind the scenes, that make it possible for you to create it."

I was fascinated. Red wizards used pain to acquire black magic while I used pleasure to acquire white magic. They were opposites, just as their names suggested.

"I understand, now. It definitely is better."

The king nodded.

"Am I in danger from my relatives?"

The king sighed.

"That is always the case, for a royal. The closer you are to the throne, the more danger you are in."

I decided to do something to protect us. I wished that no one could harm me, David, or his family.

The king looked thoughtful.

"You can protect yourself, can't you? You won't face a magical attack. All the wizards work for me. My family can offer them no incentive to change their loyalty."

"What about offering to let them kill people for magic?"

"Renegade red wizards have been feared for as long as there have been red wizards. After all, the only difference between a red wizard and a black wizard is their training and intent. There is a group of twenty red wizards who monitor all the others."

I nodded.

"What would you do if I ordered you to make me twenty years younger?"

"I guess I would try to find out as much about you as I could, as soon as I could."

The king smiled and nodded.

"No screaming, no threats, no drama. I like you very much, grandson."

"Thank you, grandfather. Are you going to order me?"

"No. I will await your judgement about my character."

I smiled at him.

"My real grandfather let me hug him. I suppose that isn't done, here."

The king smiled.

"I suppose an occasional hug, in private, is acceptable."

I stood. The king moved to the side of his desk. I hugged him. His arms hung loosely down. It wasn't a satisfying hug. As I pulled away, he wrapped his arms around me, and really hugged me. He let go.

"Thank you," I said.

We both sat.

"Joe, I want to encourage you to have as much sex as possible." I laughed. "What I mean, is things here have become less stable since your arrival. I want you to remain capable of doing whatever needs to be done. That includes protecting yourself and your family."

"I understand."

"Grandson, are you willing to protect me, if one of my relatives attacks me?"

"You think it will come to that?"

"It could."

"Yes. I'm willing."

I wondered how I should do it. I wished no one would succeed in attacking the king, unless he was an unjust king or a bad person." I nodded my head. I thought that was exactly what I intended.

"It's done. No one will successfully attack you, Grandfather," I said.

"'Successfully'. What exactly did you do?"

"I wished that no one would succeed in attacking you unless you are an unjust king or a bad person."

The king looked thoughtful.

"I suppose you are the one who decides whether I am a bad person," he said.

It was presumptuous of me, but I didn't think I could take anyone else's word for it, since I knew no one who knew the king.

"Yes."

"Well, it will do. So someone may try to attack me, but they won't succeed," the king said.

"Yes."

"I think that is very good. I would like to know who wants me dead so badly."

I nodded.

"You may return to your fiancé."

I bowed and disappeared.

David was in our rooms with Romulus and Remus.

"Emmie loves that carousel!" David said. "Mother loves it almost as much."

"Good!"

"What have you been doing?" I asked him.

"Looking around. Let me show you."

He gave me a tour. We had a suite with four large rooms. The bathtub was the size of a swimming pool. We seemed to be on the second floor. We had a large balcony that overlooked an exquisite garden. Behind the garden were green hills, with patches of pink, blue, and lavender. I assumed those were wildflowers. Beyond the lovely hills were snowcapped mountains, the Alps.

"What a place!" I said. "The view is incredible."

David nodded.

"Mother and Emmie's rooms lookout on a courtyard with water fountains.

"Oh, Mother said Emmie's teacher was waiting for them when we came back. There are other children in the palace. She'll have plenty of playmates."

"That's great!" I said.

I took David's hand.

"The king asked me to make him younger."

"Did you?"

"No. I told him I wanted to know more about him and the world before I did it."

"He get mad?"

"He didn't seem to, but he may have hidden it."

"Where are you?" I heard a man said.

I frowned. We left the balcony and found my father waiting in the main room.

"So you've spoke to the king. Did you do as he asked?" my father said.

"I don't believe we've met," I said.

My father looked angry. Then he calmed down and nodded.

"I am Anthony Porfirio."

He held out his hand. I shook it. Despite what the king said, I wanted to like him. I was afraid I wouldn't, in fact I was pretty sure he was an asshole. But I wanted to give him a chance.

"This is my fiancé, David."

They shook hands.

"This is very strange to me. You look like my son, but you are apparently quite different. I can only think that is a good thing."

I smiled at him.

"You asked about the king. I haven't done anything, yet. I don't know any of the implications. Making him younger would affect every single person. I need to know how it will affect everyone, before I do it."

"And the king accepted this?"

"Yes."

"He didn't order you to do it?"

"No."

"That is interesting. But having witnessed your power, maybe he felt it unwise to push," he said.

I shrugged.

He looked around.

"Do you like this world?" he asked me.

"I miss my family, but I found David here, so this is home, now. By home, I mean this world, not the palace. I'm not sure I'm suited for life in a palace. Speaking of which, I have absolutely no desire to be king. I understand I am now in line for the throne, but I would refuse, if it was offered to me."

"You say that now..." he said.

"I'm not going to change my mind on that. I am not ambitious, at all. I'm willing to help the king, whoever he is, as long as I agree with what he wants me to do. But I don't want the be the one making life and death decisions. Since this isn't my world, I don't feel obligated to try and fix its problems. Also, I would be very tempted to allow at least some machines, so that alone probably makes me ineligible."

He looked relieved, as he nodded his head.

"Do you think of me as a relative?" I asked him. "I ask this, because it's hard to look at you and not think of my father."

He seemed surprised by the question. "You want honesty?"

"Of course," I said.

"No. You look like my son, but you are clearly not. That is a good thing. I never had a conversation like this with my son. First, he was too young, then he developed a murderous rage by the age of eight. I suppose I think of you as a distant relation, but not my son."

I nodded.

"Well, I'm sure you wish to get settled in. I will most likely see you soon," he said. He got up and left.

"Let's have sex. Just the two of us," I thought to David.

"Let me tell Mother, so she can keep Emmie from running in."

"Good idea!"

Just then, we heard a gong. The door opened, and a man walked in. He carried a leather sack.

"I am the royal procurer," he said.

"What is that?" David asked him.

"I arrange, shall we say, temporary romantic encounters."

"He means sex," I said.

"What is this, Joe?"

"This man will arrange to have men come by for sex. The king wants me to stay charged up, all the time."

"I'll show you some of the men who are available. Why don't we sit?"

I nodded. He sat on something that looked like a sofa, with half a back. I sat next to him. Then David sat. When the man wasn't looking, I reached over and groped David.

"I want to make love to you," David thought to me.

"I want that, too."

"We talk more about sex than have it," he said.

I laughed and the man frowned at me.

"I love you, David."

He put his arm around my shoulders.

The procurer pulled something out of a sack.

"Whoa!" I said. It was a drawing of a naked, erect man. He had a very large cock, he had incredible muscles, and he was hairy. He was also handsome.

"Joe likes him," David said.

I laughed.

"How do you know?"

"Because you like the twins, and he's got more of what they've got."

"That isn't true," Romulus said. Remus nodded.

I grinned at them.

Romulus walked over and looked at the man.

"Oh, him. I hope you like listening to a man who talks only about himself."

"I didn't get the impression conversation was important," the royal procurer said to me.

"It isn't, at all. I don't care if he ever says a word," I said.

The procurer pulled out another picture.

"He'll do," I said.

The procurer smiled.

"Now this one, refuses to be, um, entered," the procurer said, about the next handsome, hairy man.

"What does that mean?" David asked.

"He doesn't want to be fucked," Romulus said to David.

"The other two do?" David asked.

"They are flexible," the procurer said.

"I will be getting fucked, not them," I said.

The procurer nodded.

"That was my impression from speaking to Captain Rogers."

He had five more drawings. All the men were handsome, hairy, and hung.

"They're all fine."

"Excellent!" the procurer said. "When would you like the first to visit you?"

Romulus looked unhappy.

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" I asked the procurer.

"Of course."

I took David and Romulus into another room.

"What's wrong?" I asked Romulus.

"I just had the impression you wanted sex with me and my brother," he said.

"I do! I also want to suck guards in the barracks with you," I said. "I might also want to suck you while you're sucking other guards."

Romulus grinned at me.

"I'd love to fuck you while I'm sucking guard cock," he said.

"But the guards all need to shoot in Joe's mouth, not yours," David said.

Romulus looked confused. I decided to trust him.

"I get my magical power from semen when it is ejaculated inside me. I've used up a lot of what I got from the guards. The king wants me to be fully...charged, all the time. That means lots of sex. More than just David, you, and Remus."

"Damn!" Romulus said. "So that is why you glow and float."

I nodded.

"It's a secret though, so you can tell Remus, but no one else."

"Not even the captain?"

"I don't think he needs to know, right now," I said.

"Do you want lots of sex with Remus and me?" he asked.

"Yes. Many times, every day."

"Then maybe the captain does need to know. Maybe you need a third guard."

"I hate to pull a man away from other duty."

"There are plenty of guards. Most of the time, we're bored."

"Maybe you should just request a third guard and not say why," David said to me.

I looked at Romulus.

"We can try that. It feels strange being trusted to a secret when the captain isn't. But it's your secret."

I nodded. Romulus was clearly uncomfortable with not telling the captain. I wished neither of the twins would divulge the secret.

We walked back into the main room.

"Can I contact you when I need one of the men?" I asked the procurer.

"Certainly. But it will take up to an hour for him to arrive. They live in town, not here at the palace, of course."

"That's fine. Thank you."

The procurer got up and left.

"I think those men are going to make you uncomfortable," Romulus said to David.

"Why?"

"These are professional romancers. They are going to do their best to make sex better with them than with you. It's their job to be the best sex partners a person can have," Romulus said to David.

I was a little irritated with Romulus. But what he said made sense. David looked worried.

"You think that's true?"

"I don't know, David," I said.

"It sounds right. I think Romulus wants you to just have sex with guards," David said.

"No, not just guards," Romulus said, "There's a few men in town I can recommend. But not whores. Not professionals." He turned to David. "You're an amateur. I don't mean that as an insult."

"I understand. Maybe you're right. What do you think, Joe?" David asked me.

"I don't know. Those guys, the professionals were really handsome. That's completely unnecessary. Until you mentioned it, I didn't think of them as whore, but that's what they are. The guards were just fine. Let's ask for a third guard. I want Remus to feed me some cream."

Romulus grinned.

I heard a woman sobbing, but it was very faint.

"Do you hear that?" I asked David.

"Hear what?"

"A woman crying. I wonder if it is your mother," I said.

"I'll go check."

David took off running.

Romulus grinned at me. He showed me his erection.

"I've still got some cream," he said. "And we don't have to wait."

The sobbing grew louder. I heard a man's voice. I began feeling very strange. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was staring up at a white ceiling with a bar on it. That was certainly strange. Then I saw curtains hung from the bar on one side. The sobbing was much closer. I looked over and saw my mother! She was the one who was sobbing.

"Mom?"

She jumped up. "You're awake! He's awake!" she screamed.

My grandfather ran into the room.

"Granddad Stan! I haven't seen you for a while."

"I came, as soon as I heard what happened."

I looked around the room. I recognized the flowers from the last time I'd been here, when...I'd died! The demon said I couldn't travel between worlds, but I was back! Then it struck me. The Black Wizard of Westmoreland had killed me. But he was never born, so I never died. I had come back to life, just like the red wizard with the red eyes, and the people of the dead world. I wondered why it took so long for me to 'un-die', but maybe it happened in order of the killings. Maybe everyone he killed before me, returned to life, first. I grew tearful, as I realized I would never see David, again. I wasn't allowed to travel between worlds. I was stuck in this world. I didn't care about losing the magic and the rest. But I lost David! Tears began to run down my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked me.

How could I tell her? She would never believe me. No one would ever believe me.

"Jim and Jessica?"

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry, but they both died in a car accident."

I nodded.

"You don't seem surprised," she said.

I shook my head.

A man in scrubs walked in.

"Well, this is good news!" he said.

I stared up at his face. It was David!

"How's Emmie?" I asked him.

He looked very surprised. "My daughter? She's just fine. How did you know about my daughter? I just started work here, today!"

His first day was the day I appeared? That was a coincidence! Or was it?

"Maybe you were talking about her and he heard you," Mom said.

"No," David said. He frowned at me.

I just stared at his face. He was so incredibly handsome. He grinned at me.

"And your wife?" I asked him.

"She died."

"Oh. Juda?"

David looked very surprised.

"How do you know so much about me?"

"You won't believe me, but I had a very detailed dream. You were in it, along with Emmie and your mother Mary. Emmie was about to turn five. Your father had died."

David gasped.

"He is dead! Emmie's birthday is next month! My mother was in your dream, too?"

I nodded. "She was beautiful."

"I've got to go, but, um, could we talk about it on my break?" he asked.

"I'd love that. Maybe we can have lunch together. Do you like jello?"

He laughed and shook his head. He left.

"Granddad Stan, are we related to any Porfirios?"

"We sure are! That was my mother's maiden name. Most of them are still in Italy."

"Why do you ask, honey?" Mom asked.

"They were in the dream, too."

"That was some dream!

"I just texted your father and sisters. They are on their way. How do you feel?"

I thought about it.

"I feel great."

She looked so relieved. Then she began sobbing, this time from happiness. (I hoped!) My grandfather put his arm around her.

I sighed.

What was David doing? My David. Was he the one sobbing, now, on that world?

I wondered if it could really have been a dream. The whole idea of me being some kind of super wizard was ridiculous. I started to think it might have been a dream. But if it was, how did I know about Emmie, and Mary, and Porfirios? I supposed I might have heard the name Porfirios before, but not Emmie.

I looked over at the tray next to my bed. There was a sheet of paper on it. I really didn't expect anything to happen. After all, there was no magic on this world. But I wished it would come to me. To my amazement, it fluttered. Was it magic? Or was it a draft from the air-conditioner? I wished, again. I got a sharp pain in my head, but it moved closer to me. I sighed and let my head fall back. Then I wanted to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?" Mom asked.

"I'm getting out of bed."

"You shouldn't do that!" she said.

"Why not?"

My grandfather laughed.

"I don't know. It just doesn't seem right," she said.

A doctor entered my room as I was standing up.

"Well, this is excellent news! How do you feel?"

"I feel fine."

He looked surprised. He had me move my arms and legs.

"Well, it looks as though the brain damage was less severe than the scans seemed to show," the doctor said.

"What scans?" my mother asked.

The doctor blinked and looked lost for a moment.

"For some reason, I thought there were scans."

"No. Jack just... Well, isn't that strange. I can't remember why we are here. Jack? Why are you in a hospital gown?"

"What am I doing here?" my grandfather asked.

Suddenly, my grandfather just disappeared. Then the doctor did. Then I was in street clothes, not a gown. My surroundings changed. I found myself standing next to a bed. I looked around. It looked like I was in ICU. I turned back to look at the bed. Jim was in it. He was wired up and bandaged. I heard an alarm. Two nurses ran to the bed.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave ICU," one of the nurses said.

What was I doing in ICU? Why would they let me in? I looked at Jim, one last time. I was sure the alarm meant he was dying or dead. It was fate, just like Mary said. And the demon confirmed it. I found my way out of ICU. A middle-aged couple were hugging in the hall. I knew it had to be Jim's parents. I wondered if they knew he had just died. I walked over to the elevator. The elevator door opened. A doctor stepped out of it. I smiled as I saw it was David.

"David!" I said.

He gave a half-smile and frowned, slightly.

"Do I know you? You look strangely familiar." He paused and tilted his head, while looking at me. I wished he knew me. How I wished that! Because I still loved him with all my heart. "I do know you," he said. "But from where? Your name's Jack, right?" he asked, smiling.

I smiled back.

"Yes, it is."

The End

If you enjoyed it, please let me know. If I get enough requests, I'll write a sequel.