Fantasyland 01 Wildest Dreams(116)

“Archery practice with Annar then knife work with Lund.”

He shook his head and started chuckling.

I had found my girls had packed some of Princess Sjofn’s shirts, sweaters and breeches and, being me, I tried them out. The first time I had appeared in these garments, I caused quite a stir. This stir caused Frey, standing at the helm, to look to the heavens as if seeking deliverance from his gods. But he didn’t say a word (this, I also liked).

I also heard from Annar that they’d packed my bow and arrow and they did this by giving it to him to pack with his own as it didn’t fit in my trunks. He offered to work with me and I took him up on it. While practicing with the bow one day, Lund showed and offered to teach me how to handle a knife. I took him up on that too. I thought both were important to know, considering Sjofn knew them and even though I would probably never be as good as her considering the amount of practice she had, at least it would provide some cover for I wouldn’t appear a complete amateur should spies be paying attention (and, obviously, they were).

Not to mention, I wanted to learn.

Orion had offered to teach me swordplay and I took him up on that too but found I could barely lift a sword, they were so freaking heavy. No one onboard had one I could wield so we decided to leave it at knife play until they could find a sword I could use.

So while Frey spent his days captaining his ship, planning raids and communing with his brethren (when he wasn’t locked in his cabin with me), I spent my time shooting arrows, dancing around the deck while Lund tried to stab me and playing multiple games of tuble and meerkin while all the men taught me how to cheat (when I wasn’t locked in Frey’s cabin with him, where, if Frey and I weren’t doing other highly pleasant things, Frey also spent time teaching me how to cheat).

In other words, I was having the time of my life.

“Right, wee one,” Frey spoke, his deep voice light with amusement, taking my attention back to him, “after you get finished prancing around on deck with your lovely arse on display in your tight breeches, making certain every single one of my men is lying abed in their hammocks at night with their fists wrapped around their cocks and their thoughts on your arse, then we’ll meet back here this afternoon.”

I blinked up at him and whispered, “They are not doing that.”

“They are,” Frey returned.

“No they aren’t.” I was still whispering.

“Finnie, am I a man?” Frey asked.

“Yes,” I gave the obvious answer.

“Then I know they’re doing that.”

“But,” I protested, “I’m your wife and you said they wouldn’t –”

Frey cut me off. “They won’t stare and they won’t make their interest obvious for this would cause my displeasure. But I do not control their thoughts. They see, what they see is a pleasing image that is burned behind their eyes, so they don’t forget.”

Oh God.

“Maybe I should quit wearing breeches,” I suggested but Frey grinned wickedly and dipped his face to mine.

“You do, my love, then I won’t get to watch you prance around on deck with your lovely arse on display and, fortunately, when I’m abed at night, I have a wife who gladly wraps a number of things around my cock that are far, far better than my fist.”

Hmm. This was true.

It also explained why Frey had not said a word against me wearing breeches.

And lastly, it made me warm in a variety of places.

“This is true,” I muttered and Frey threw back his head and laughed.

When he tipped it back down, he lifted his hand, wrapped it around my head and pulled me in and up for another touch of his lips on my forehead.

When he let me go, he caught my eyes and said softly, “Until later, my love.”

“Later, baby,” I said softly back.

He smiled at me and I watched him walk out of the cabin.

Then I went to my trunks, got down on my knees in front of one, opened it and started sorting through in order to decide what I was going to wear that day.

While I was at the trunks, my mind went over the last week and a half and the things I had learned.

One of them was the story of Kell, who was the salty sea dog I’d seen my first night on the ship. Back in the day, Kell had been first mate on the first ship Frey worked on. Frey had followed Kell when he’d briefly captained a vessel for a merchant and then Kell had followed Frey when he’d used the inheritance his Grandmother Eugenie left him to order his first galleon to be built and it was put to sea.

And Kell had been with Frey ever since.

Kell and Frey were tight, I could tell (though Frey also told me). It wasn’t like they did man hugs or bumped fists all the time but there was no doubt about it; that closeness was there. It ran deep and Frey had explained Kell taught him everything he knew and then when Frey struck out on his own, Frey had earned Kell’s respect because Frey lived his life in a way that he kept learning.