Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) by Chrissy Peebles Page A

too.”
    “Such
as?” the man asked.
    “We
enjoy fish and shellfish, rabbits, chickens, doves, pigeons, and—” Victor
started.
    “Do
not eat the pigeons!” I cut in.
    Everyone
laughed.
    “They’re
very tough, the nastiest poultry one could ever eat.”
    Sitting
in his big throne, Victor stayed in character simply by telling the truth. “Venison,
pork, and duck are my favorites.”
    “How
do you move around in all that armor?” a man asked. “I read somewhere that chainmail,
plate, helm, and a sword can weigh over a hundred pounds.”
    “It
isn’t a problem for me. I began training for battle at age twelve, and I can do
everything from riding a horse to fighting in a heated battle.”
    “So
chainmail is completely functional?”
    “Yes,”
Victor said, “and in it, I don’t feel there is anything or anyone I can’t
conquer.”
    I
winked at him. “Unless you go for a casual swim, Highness.”
    He
laughed. “Of course! I suppose then I’d sink like a lead dragon, my love!”
    “And
be gobbled up by a sea serpent,” I kidded.
    A
wave of laughter drifted through the air.
    “Do
you brush your teeth?” someone asked.
    “Of
course not,” I said, and the crowd stared at me as I broke into a fit of
laughter. “Surely I jest! Just be lucky you have toothpaste in this century. We
are forced to use mixtures of herbs and abrasives or even burnt rosemary ashes.
It is rather nasty, and sometimes I feel compelled to down some medieval ale
just to get the taste out of my mouth.” I made a face, then frowned at the
memory. I had scolded Liz about wanting to meld too much of our world into theirs,
but I had every intention of taking a large supply of toothbrushes and
toothpaste back with me when we returned to Tastia.
    The
crowd roared with laughter.
    “She’s
so good!” the production manager said. “If I didn’t know any better, I swear
she’s really brushed her teeth with herbs a time or two.”
    The
woman who ran the theater smiled. “Yes, she’s definitely a natural. I’m gonna
have to give these two a raise. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose them to some
big-time Hollywood agent.”
    We
answered questions for the next hour. By then, my feet had swollen up like
balloons, and I was dying to get home so I could lift them up in the recliner
and snuggle with my medieval hottie. I was just glad we had Colgate instead of
burnt rosemary, because that made kissing him all the more delightful.

Chapter
8
    W e
rented a house in the woods, surrounded by quite a bit of land, and we even
bought a yellow Labrador for a pet. Liz and Charles lived down the street and
got jobs at the theater too. I enjoyed showing Victor around, sightseeing in
California, and teaching him all sorts of slang. Before long, he began to sound
and look like everyone else, a real California boy if there ever was one,
except that he still insisted on exercising with heavy logs instead of weights.
 
    My
life felt perfect. I had everything I’d ever wanted, from my friends and family
to my kind, sweet husband to the perfect house with the little white picket
fence. Nobody ever suspected our true identity, and we lived quite incognito. Victor
fit in more and more every day, but I knew he had no intention of staying in my
world. He’d promised me he would stay until our baby turned eighteen, but I
knew the second that happened, we would have to return to his kingdom. I tried
not to think about it so I could just enjoy my time in my world. I would watch
my baby grow up, spend time with my family, and make the most out of every
single moment I had in California.
    I
couldn’t help but admire my king. He had gone from living in a huge castle and
being royalty to living in an average-sized house, working for a paycheck, and
living as a normal person, with no real luxuries. Still, with modern technology
at my fingertips after living for a year in a medieval kingdom, I felt like I
was living the high life; by comparison, Tastia reminded me of