Makarovia? Where The Hell Is That? Freshman Year - 10. Chapter 10

The flight to Makarovia was…lengthy. This trip was on a private plane again. There were three students chosen from Northeastern going with us. Two guys and one girl, but I was told they were very good photographers. They knew each other, of course, and were talking amongst themselves and seemed pleased to be going. One refueling stop and we were airborne again. It wasn’t too long after the refueling before Peter smiled; looking out the window and turned to me.

“We’re now flying over Makarovia.” He said and sighed contently. He was home.

I had seen some images of Makarovia, but…looking out the window…it was a mountainous country. The mountains were not like the ones in North Carolina. They were darker, sharper. I’ll try to convey what I saw. The mountains were dark rock and dirt, in between the crevasses where trees and forests spread out from there over flatter land. There were houses scattered here and there were with the occasional farms nestled in wherever there was available land to plant on. We were lowering and passing over clusters of buildings making up villages. The one resource they used was the stones and rocks, which was the main thing all the houses were constructed with. The houses also looked like the mountains, dark. A circular approach we circled a town! This was a sizable town that was built out of necessity. The need for a house, you built one where there was land. In many ways, it was like this part of the world could be any time period. There was color here as some houses of Stryia were painted and some even had festive roofs of red. There was little evidence this was the twenty-first century except for the cars, otherwise, it could be hundreds of years in the past. The river was flowing through the middle of town. The largest structure was the large brownstone structure that towered over everything that stood on the precipice near the river. It was not the beautiful castles in other parts of Europe. Clearly, it was a fortress; hardly any windows on the tall structure on the lower levels to prevent any invaders from taking control. Back before guns and more modern forms of warfare, they used arrows, swords, and spears. An arrow shot might reach the top, but the hard stone would block penetration and the windows there were small to prevent as many arrows they could from getting through. The palace just said one thing. Keep out! It looked strong and built for defense. What it lacked in appearance, it was practical with purpose. Then I smiled, Stryia didn’t have the skyscrapers or metal and glass buildings. Nothing below was more than two or three stories tall. Also, what they were missing were the billboards and tacky signs promoting a business or something like a cola or something. Except for an occasional gas station; and those weren’t those sprawling stores that sold everything including gas. Very little of modern times reflected in Stryia; there was no mall, no large structure surrounded by acres of parking spaces. I wondered how they got supplies. I looked at Peter.

“Where do you get a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk?” I asked him.

Peter gave a grudging nod. “We have stores.” He said a little defensive. “They are scattered throughout Stryia.”

I smiled and took his hand, placing our foreheads together. “Remember what I said to you before? About my world and your world. Now, we’re in our world. Now, you will be my life partner…helping me.” I kissed him. “I will become used to it, with your help.”

He smiled and nodded. “Sure.” He looked out the window as we lowered even more. “Now you know why I’d never been to a mall or even Walmart.” He shrugged. “There isn’t one.”

“With so many changes coming…” I began as we neared the paved runway. “Will that change?”

Peter nodded. “I hope so.”

I waved out the window. “But Stryia is charming as it is! We can’t change it too much.”

Peter again gave a shrugging nod. “We’ll just have to find a good middle ground.”

With the increase of population, I feared it would have to change.

We got out of the plane at a small airport and the temperature wasn’t bad, in the mid-sixties…or rather in the mid-twenties in Celsius. I had to retrain myself on that. It was midday now. It rarely got over 85 degrees…there I did it again…rarely over 30 degrees Celsius even in July. One small building that looked as if it had been converted and expanded as an airport. I got the impression that not many flights came and left here. The runway was a single strip of pavement. Then I noticed the first…modern structure; a covered hangar. The only plane was stored here.

“There’s a bigger airport in Skoal…” Peter said, again a little defensive.

I turned him to look at me. “You don’t have to be ashamed of what isn’t here, Peter,” I said again. “This isn’t a big metropolis, I get that.” I got him to look at me. “I like what I’ve seen. It’s like…a window back in time. It’s like a storybook village. Show me more!”

Peter smiled more. “You’ll see it all, I promise”

Getting in an SUV, we were taken in a couple of cars through the town. The streets were…well…until a few decades ago, mostly horse-drawn carriages were traveling these streets. Cars and trucks came about fifty or sixty years after their invention. Most of the cars were older models…many were Russian and European small cars. No big Cadillacs or Lincolns. Stoplights! Even they weren’t at every corner and only two lights, red and green. The streets were paved! Approaching the palace, it was even more intimidating from below. It stood…I guessed about fifteen or twenty stories, maybe. The road brought us to a large entrance at the palace’s base. Driving in the entrance way through, and I’m not kidding, a huge iron gate rose up to let us in. I smiled wondering where the moat was. There were huge, thick and heavy wooden doors that could be shut and barred presenting invaders with an even more of a challenge. We came in a courtyard that was surrounded by very thick, high walls. In the past, it was where people came and got off horses or out of carriages, now there were places to park cars. Even a gas pump!

“In the past, this was where…if there was an attack we would house as many villagers as possible here for their protection. There are plenty of rooms.” Peter explained and waved me to a door in the side. “Now, you’ll see where you’re going to live.”

Again, there was a large wooden door many inches thick that could be shut, blocking the entrance. If they got into the courtyard, they’d get the message again. Keep out. I wondered how many times that was tested. Enough to warrant these precautions!

Going through the wide entrance way we ended in front of…an elevator!? It was an older one, no enclosed elevator with walls, but a platform that was sturdy and could lift several hundred to several thousands of pounds!

“The Soviets added this,” Peter said smiling. “They didn’t want to climb all the stairs.”

I grinned and turned. “The poor things,” I said mockingly sad as he pushed me gently to get on the elevator. “How did the kingdom survive with the Soviets in charge?”

Peter grinned and shrugged. “We supplied them with iron and other metals, they didn’t really do too much as long as we kept the supplies going.”

A man in his forties got on with us and nodded to me. “Greetings, Prince Eric.” He said in accented English.

I nodded and smiled at him and said in Makarovian. “I’m not a prince yet, but thank you.”

The man smiled. “But you will be!”

All the things Makarovia didn’t have, it did have a lot of kinds and accepting people. That was just so rare! The man grabbed a lever and pulled. There was the whine as motors started and we began to rise. The path this elevator took had been made; chiseled out of the rock. We stopped at a landing? Peter again pushed me gently into a corridor that led to other parts of this castle. It was…rock! I expected to see torches instead of burning lights. They had electricity. Going in deeper, the corridor opened to a wide and tall area….a few feet away were more steps, not stairs, but finely honed rock that took you up to a large chamber. There were chandeliers that hung and the floor here was still rock, but polished rock and more decoratively placed.

“Peter!” I heard Olek call out as he approached us with his arms open wide as he came. Dressed casually in dark slacks and white shirt, he looked comfortable. “Welcome home!” He hugged his brother and turned to me. “Eric!” He greeted and hugged me, too. “Welcome to Makarovia!”

“I’m thrilled to be here, Olek!” I said sincerely. “Thank you.”

Olek smiled still. “What do you think?” He looked around the castle.

“This is nice!” I said again. “It reminds me of some of those stories I was raised on; a fairy tale.”

“Peter!” A female voice I knew now greeted. Queen Alla did the same as her stepson had and me adding a kiss on both of us on the cheek. She was also comfortable, dressed in a nice dress, but not fancy. She was at home. “I know you’re all probably very tired. How long was your flight?”

Peter nodded. “About eighteen hours, stopping to refuel in Germany.”

Olek nodded. “Well, your quarters are still there and waiting. Go, rest and we’ll have a good dinner later tonight, okay.” He looked at me. “You’ll be fine for now, but…” he let out a moan. “You’ll know jetlag by morning. Time changes are the hardest.” He said kissing Peter on the cheek. “It’s so good to have you home!” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek! This was Europe! They did that as a custom, but Olek’s greeting was heartfelt. He patted his brother on the arm. “Go rest. Welcome home, you two.”

Peter reached and took my hand. “Now, you will see our rooms.” He said turning.

The best way to say it, this was the palace in a castle. While the palaces in France, Germany, and England were sometimes pretty on the inside and out. This part of the palace in Stryia was…they used what they had! The outside was a little rough, but here…it was pretty! The polished floor and light fixtures were elegant, no crystal chandeliers, but nice. The floor the steps led us on was wide. On either side of those steps were stairs going up. On either side of the…what is the word? Not a lobby, but from this area, there were doors that led to other rooms or halls. The ceiling of this lobby was about three stories up. Peter led me upstairs to a hallway and led me to a set of double doors. Peter opened the door and waved me in.

Now I understood why he said “our rooms.” It was more than one! This area entered was where he lived and did his…whatever. There was a big fireplace on the left, a sofa and chair in front of that. He had a desk with a computer, a large screen TV. Through a door on the right led to the bathroom, another door on the right led to his bedroom…our bedroom. Heat was the main concern in Makarovia. The rooms were not big; in fact, they were kind of cozy so the fireplace didn’t have to heat as much space. There were a couple of small windows not big enough for a person to get through on the far wall. It didn’t let anyone in if they could climb the outside, but it limited the light from the sun. Electric lights were the illumination, but having those windows told me just how thick the walls were; they were at least a foot to a foot and a half inches of solid stone. Peter watched as I walked around. There were pictures and other things more personal, artwork, but he noticed a shelf of…books and CDs! I grinned as I read some of the titles in English, Russian, French, and German. I smiled back at Peter.

“This is very nice, Peter.”

He smiled now, more relaxed. “I’m glad you think so.” He motioned to the room. “I spend many years in here. Hiding.”

I nodded. “You’re not hiding now,” I said coming up to him. “I love you, Peter. I’m home where you are. This is very nice.” Then I grinned. “How’s your bed?”

He smiled back. “You’ll see for yourself!” He took my hand and led me to the bedroom.

The bedroom was mostly all bed which was at least queen sized. No jokes, please! With maybe a foot or a little more on either side was the walls. The ceiling in here was lower, heat rises and they wanted to keep the heat down where you slept. The fireplace kept the room warm, two small tables with lamps on either side; that was it. I didn’t care for hunting, but I could understand why there was a huge fur on the bed as a cover. With it getting that cold outside in the winter, what kept the bear or whatever warm worked well. I would also find they were damned warm to wear moving around outside in subzero weather. They were very necessary, but that would be later when I found that out.

He kissed me gently wrapping his arms around me. “Are you tired?”

I nodded. “Sure, you are too,” I said seeing it in his eyes. He didn’t need to say so.

He smiled. “I am, we’ll rest a few hours.” He kissed me again gently. “I want you to be comfortable here.”

I nodded. “I am already. You’ll have to help me in Makarovia.”

He nodded. “I will. You’ll do fine.” His arms tightened around me. “I love you, Eric.”

I smiled kissing him back. “I know.”

It is a rare moment when we lay down and didn’t make love, but it had been a long trip! The fur was removed as it wasn’t needed now. I lay down with Peter right next to me and we drifted off in minutes. It was a very comfortable bed.

The thick walls also allowed it to be dark during the day. Sleep was not a problem.

I woke as Peter moved slightly. I was spooned behind him. He was waking up. Hearing him move and feeling him turn slightly; I knew what he was doing, checking to see if I were awake.

“I’m awake, baby.” I chuckled. “But you can’t really see that as its dark in here!”

He turned and faced me. “I like the dark.” He shrugged. “But I like to see you, too.” He turned again and turned on the lamp beside the bed. He grinned back at me. “Now, I can.” He reached under the covers and I felt his hand on me, taking my cock gently. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

He leaned over again and went in a small portion of the bedside table and pulled out a bottle. He grinned. “Show me.” He waved the lube in front of my face.

I didn’t need any more encouragement.

We did make love showing each other love. Afterward, he looked at his watch. “I guess we need to get up, shower and dress.” He got up and smiled. “We can shower together.”

I grinned. “We often do.”

His home was an interesting combination of old world structure and modern ways. The bathroom was added from another room. The floor was covered with a rug to protect feet from the cold stone floor. The pipes and other things were added and ran along the wall. I would find that in the entire palace; electrical cables, satellite fiber optic cables and pipes were discretely lining the walls. This castle was over seven or eight hundred years old! Like the protection from arrows; which wouldn’t be used now. They just added what was needed. His shower was a nice one, but free standing. A large tank nearby provided the hot water. We showered and…well…we were both naked, so…why not? After we got through, Peter smiled and got his jacket and handed me one.

“Before we go to dinner, you should see something,” Peter said. “It’s still a little chilly, you might need a jacket.” He said putting his on.

“Okay.” I did what he said I should and he led me through the corridors, but instead of going down, we went up. On the roof of this colossal castle, the roof was flat. On it sat Satellite dishes, but we were up high and it was evening. The sun had set and he led me to the side to overlook all of Stryia. Instead of the harsh, bright lights of cities, the lights below were a soft yellow and seemed to add a touch of magic; to me, anyway. Almost no light pollution and above us was a nearly cloudless sky full of stars. The surrounding mountains were black on the horizon in all directions. I smiled at what I saw. “It’s beautiful,” I said reverently.

“And tomorrow, I’ll show you more,” Peter said kissing me on the side of my head. “Welcome home, my love.”