Free 3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale by Danbert Nobacon

deeply, which sent her into a coughing fit.
     
    “Easy, girl,” laughed Glamour. “Pass it back to me. And watch me closely this time. Inhale gently. Let the vapors wash over you.”
     
    Stormy tried again with less coughing.
     
    “Ere, shufty up a bit.” Stormy wriggled on her back sideways and Glamour lay down alongside her on the bed.
     
    “Now just lie down, close your eyes and relax. Think warm thoughts. You are lying in a boat, floating down a river with a wide gentle current on a summer afternoon.”
     
    The two girls were silent, apart from the rise and fall of their shallow breathing. They lay there for some measureless amount of time.
     
    Stormy felt a smile spread across her face, and made a whimper trying to stifle it. It was no use. The giggle erupted mostly from her nostrils and the bed shook.
     
    “What?”
     
    “I ,” and Stormy broke into a full laugh. A whole array of muscles across her face danced a dance of joy, for being allowed to do again what they did best. “Leaves,” she said. “We floated under a tree and the leaves from a drooping branch tickled my nose.”
     
    Glamour guffawed. “What are you talking about, girl? I was being massaged by the river spirit. He was just about to move from my shoulders to my neck when you interrupted.”
     
    Stormy laughed even louder. “River spirit? You’ve never seen a river spirit!”
     
    “Have too.”
     
    “In your dreams,” said the Princess, now not fearing dreams at all.
     
    “Yes. In my dreams.”
     
    “What’s he like?”
     
    “He’s strong and handsome. And he has a cute goat beard. Not like the shaggy mess all the boys are wearing these days.”
     
    Stormy was silent at this, thinking thoughts that surprised even her. She was even more surprised when she heard herself say, “You ever been with a boy?”
     
    Glamour almost seemed to be expecting the question. “Yes,” she said calmly. “And more than once, too.”
     
    “What’s it like?” Stormy said, raising herself up on to an elbow so she could see Glamour’s face.
     
    “Well, at first I didn’t like it. But that’s because I didn’t like the boy. Though I didn’t know that at the time. I thought I loved him.”
     
    “Eugghh!” spat Stormy, shaking at the memory of looking longingly at Mercurio when they were banqueting at Bald Mountain.
     
    “Then I met this other boy and I didn’t really fancy him, but we got drunk and started fooling around. And he was the sweetest most loving boy you could hope to meet. And it felt good. Really good.” Glamour reached for the herb pipe, lost for a moment in her own sweeter memories.
     
    Stormy had a warm flash, thinking of when she had kissed River, the traveling player. Then she thought of Fred and winced.
     
    “So what happened?”
     
    “Well,” Glamour shrugged sadly. “I didn’t fancy him. I mean in the morning when I woke up.”
     
    “Oh,” said Stormy, now thoroughly confused.
     
    “I once slept with a girl too. Same thing. I went with the flow and it was okay, but not my…I dunno. It just wasn’t me. Ohh, but she was heartbroken. Poor thing.”
     
    “I don’t think I will ever fancy anyone again,” Stormy said. “After what happened to me.”
     
    Glamour passed her the smoke. “You will, girl. There’s no magic way to find out. I mean find out who you are. It happens or it doesn’t. You try things along the way, cos it’s part of seeing whether you really like someone or not. It can feel really weird, or great, or all mixed up at the same time. It’s not easy to know if it’s right or wrong. It’s just part of finding out who you are.”
     

    “It sounds painful to me,” said Stormy.
     
    The girls were silent for a moment.
     
    “You learned the first rule though,” said Glamour.
     
    “What’s that?”
     
    “Well if someone forces themselves on you it’s always wrong. No matter who it is! Mind you. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to kill a fella, even