The Nevermore Chronicles: Silencing the Queen

by Stephanie McKitrick

  After discussing everything and weighing the option's Zephyr and I decided we were the only one's who could know of our plan's. This way there would be no chance of anyone discovering our plot to catch the criminal's. We sealed ourselves in my room until we knew without a shadow of a doubt the plan was perfect.

  I would do my royal duties and welcome everyone to the Raven's Ball, make the regular announcement's, join in a dance or two, then when everything calmed down and everyone was caught up in their dance's and drink, I'd make my move!

  5 day's till the Ball...

  The next morning I woke to the sound of someone rapping at my chamber door. I slipped out of bed and threw on my long deep purple robe as I made my way to the door. I whipped it open, fully prepared to skin whomever was on the other side for waking me so early, only to see Bear standing in the hall.

  He looked as rugged and handsome as ever in the morning's light. I suddenly became very aware of my lack of clothing and loosely tied robe, considering I slept in the nude and had nothing on under said robe, I decided to pull it tighter together just as I saw Bear's eye's slip, for just a split second, onto my abundance of cleavage. He smiled brightly at me.

  “Morning your highness, I haven't seen you in what feel's like age's may I come in for a visit?”

  Still a little groggy I agreed and moved aside to allow him entry. I closed the door and turned to face him and in the little amount of time it took me to do so he grabbed me and held me fast in a tight but comfortable embrace. Shocked, I simply stood there, unsure of what to do.

  Then I gave into the feeling of warmth that seeped through me and I hugged him back. I breathed in his sweet scent and it was like pure happiness to my scenes. I didn't want this moment to end, so when it did I felt a little lost and sad.

  He straightened and looked away out my window which stood open, Zephyr's doing I suppose. He must be out catching his breakfast. Bear suddenly noticed my fireplace was unlit and busied himself lighting a fire. It was a bit nippy this morning I guess.

  Then it struck me....oh no, no, no I looked down, yup, there they were tried and true, my nipples were hard as rock's. Could he have felt them through his shirt? Wait his shirt? Where was his uniform? Hmm, I forgot all about my little cold problem and went to my big overstuffed chair that sat adjacent by the fireplace. Bear was a master with fire, he already had a great blaze going.

  He turned to look at me then, his eye's roamed all over my body stopping at my breast's and exposed leg's as I sat and crossed them. I must admit I was truly relishing it. I loved when he looked at me with his animalistic desire's in his eye's. I hadn't noticed my robe had loosened again and was now very much showing way more of my breasts than I had ever intended.

  I moved my hand to close the gap when he stopped me by laying a gentle but firm hand on my own. He looked deep into my eye's as he spoke in a rough, manly tone that made me weak in the knee's.

  “No Serra, I love seeing you...all of you.”

  I held my breath as he slid from his seated position to his knee's. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

  “I can't stop myself Serra, I must tell you the truth, even if it mean's the end of me.”

  What in the world could he be saying, why would it be the end of him? Oh no, it couldn't be...he was the traitor? No, no I wouldn't believe it. Tear's started to swell in my eye's and I looked away, but his hand was fast and he caught my chin and made me face him as he leaned even closer, our lips were almost touching.

  “Serra...I...I love you. I've loved you since we were children. I'll never stop and for that I cannot say I'm sorry.”

  I had never felt more foolish then I did in that moment. To think my best friend, MY Bear could ever betray me! I was an idiot! I'd loved him as a child and on into our later year's but I'd never acted on my feeling's.

  Now here he was in front of me ripe for the taking. His lip's so close to mine I could almost taste him...I wanted to taste him, so badly! I thrust my mouth onto his. He responded by tangling his hand in my hair and pulling me into him. I sunk to the bearskin rug with him and kissed him deeper, our tongues danced in each others mouth's.

  He rolled me onto my back and the robe fell nearly completely away, leaving my breasts and everything else fully exposed to him.

  He ran his free hand all over me stopping only for a moment or two on my inner thigh and then again on the peaked mound's of my nipple's. I moaned and rubbed against him as his mouth released mine and began its decent down my body. He trailed kisses from my neck to my nipple's to my belly then even lower.

  He spread my leg's and inserted his head between them. Liquid fire warmed my belly as I felt his tongue lick the crease of my womanly fold's.

  I moaned and caught my breath when I felt his finger slip past the fold's then venture inside me. He then started to gently thrust them as he licked and suckled my little pink mound. Oh, it felt so good. I clutched the bearskin rug in my fist's as he thrust his second finger inside me.

  Ecstasy shot through me with the faintest inkling of pain as I stretched to fit his finger's. He licked me more rapidly and now he was sucking harder and nipping at me. Just when I thought I could take no more he stopped. I opened my eye's to find him staring down at me. I looked away as embarrassment colored my cheek's but he simply turned my face back to him.

  “You're a virgin.” He said, more of a statement.

  “Yes, I never married remember. Therefore, I never... well...”

  “Oh Serra, it's nothing to be ashamed of! You should be proud you stayed pure! You should be proud you still are. I won't take this from you my love. Not yet. I will, however, give you a small taste of what I could do to you. Over and over and over again.”

  His voice took on that rough and gruff tone I loved so much.

  “Oh are you now?” I said defiantly.

  His eye's lit up at my coy playfulness. I could tell he liked it.

  “Oh yes, my dear I swear it!”

  Then his mouth was on mine again. I tasted my own salty sweetness on his lip's. His finger's had resumed their pace as I lay there writhing under him and wanting more. I felt myself teeter on the very edge of ecstasy and in the next instance I fell over the edge and let the sensation of an orgasm wash over me. I had no idea if I could do it again but then he suckled my nipples and ground his hardened shaft against me and once more I felt the now familiar tingling wave of an orgasm.

  He reached down and unfastened his breeches so he could place his throbbing manhood between my now hot, wet fold's, he then began to grind against me, hard. I arched my back in reply to his warmth on top of the rose bud that sits just above my opening.

  He began to thrust faster and harder, slipping once or twice and almost penetrating, but he slowed down and readjusting when he did. We met our release together. I could feel his seed spill all over my stomach then my backside as it seeped down my body. He jerked and moaned against my breasts as he held me tight.

  We lay there afterwards and just held each other until we finally fell asleep. It was late in the afternoon when I finally woke again. I was clean and laying in my own bed. The fire was still going, though it was lower now. Beside me on the table lay a note....

  Serra,

  I have gone to take care of some business in the lower region of the village. There has been a disturbance with a farmer and his cattle. Could be a band of thieves. I'll be back as soon as I can, though it may be a few day's to straighten everything out. We have much to discuss as soon as I return. Please, I implore you to speak to no one about our escapade this morning.

  B.

  “We have much to discuss...Escapade?!”

  My heart sank...he thinks he's made a mistake with me. Maybe I didn't mean as much to him as I had thought. The letter was so short, so impersonal. I felt crushed, A knock at the door summoned me back to reality and up from my bed yet again. I made sure I was properly covered this time and opened it. Connor, a man servant of mine, I had placed in Dimitri's service after his ar
rival stood before me. He bowed low and handed me a piece of paper. I opened it and read it quickly.

  My Lady,

  Please accept my invitation to a picnic by your lovely pond this very evening. Should you find yourself free please convey your time of arrival to Connor. Thank you my queen and I hope to see you very soon.

  Dimitri”

  I thought about it for all of two second's.

  “Tell Lord Darkwood I'd be happy to picnic with him. Tell him to meet me there in half an hour.”

  Connor smiled then bowed and off he went. If Barron didn't want me then fine. I don't need a man, I've ran this kingdom for year's without one. A date with Dimitri may just be what I need. A nice quiet evening by the pond.

  Yes, that should do quite nicely, and it help's to have excellent company as well. I sashayed around my room looking for a dress to wear that would be fitting for an evening out ,when in through my window came Zephyr.

  “Well, where have you been, my fine feathered...and fine

  furred friend?”

  He shook his feather's and stretched his enormous lion body, then trotted up to me to rub his head across my own. I laughed and pushed him away. But my smile faded. I couldn't help myself, for a split second I thought of Barron. Zephyr looked puzzled, then the note on the table caught his eye. He scanned it, then looked back at me knowingly.

  “He's not worth your time my sweet. I told you from the start he was a Darkling. He has a deep seeded darkness inside him. Though he may not be evil and it may lay dormant, that darkness still lives. I'm sorry Serra, I know you cared for him.”

  “I'll be fine Zephyr. I'm going on a picnic with Dimitri, I'm hoping he'll make me laugh a little so I can forget about my.....foolishness with Barron.”

  “I do very much like Dimitri. He's polite to me and he knows his place. Not to mention he's very taken with you. I feel I need to warn you though....” He paused as if searching for the right word's.

  “ I can't read him Serra.”

  I was taken back by this. Never, in all our years together had there ever been someone he couldn't read.

  “What do you mean you can't read him?”

  “I mean what I say Serra, I can't read him. I can see his aura, but not all the time. It's as if I can only see it when he want's me too.”

  I didn't know what to say to this. Then Zephyr smiled.

  “I still like him though. The feeling I get from him is a good one. I can sense he want's to protect you. Anyone who put's off that much concern and care for you is OK in my eye's. Go have fun and relax. I'll be nearby should you need me.”

  He nuzzled my neck and made a little purring sound. I wrapped my arm's around him and squeezed. I loved him so much, we'd been together for as long as I could recall. He had protected me when I was a child and my power's started to show themselves.

  People were afraid of me and stayed away. They said horrible thing's to my father and mother, thing's like, I was the reason other kingdoms wanted to go to war with us. They wanted my power's. But mother and father always stood their ground and refused to send me away. One day, I left on my own to explore after escaping the nurse maid.

  After several days' lost in the mountain's, trying to survive on my own with only the knowledge my father had taught me of the wild, I met Zephyr. I was caught in a bear trap and was bleeding horribly.

  I thought I was to die that day, but he saved me, I was only 7 years of age. He knew my name and my destiny and for the next few year's he taught me how to control my magic, when to use it, and how to use it.

  Soon after, I returned to my kingdom and took my place as princess. No one knew why I left and I never gave them a reason to try to find out, they seemed so happy I'd returned safe after so long. Later when father died, I was still his only heir and when mother followed him to the grave a few day's later from heartbreak I became Queen.

  Zephyr has been by my side guiding me every day since. I trust him and his judgment. I finished getting dressed then saddled myself onto Zephyrs back and out the window we went.

  Dimitri was already at the pond waiting. When we landed, he bowed to Zephyr who in return lowered his head as well. Then he allowed Dimitri to help me down. He nuzzled me one last time and started to trot away, but not before taking his hip and pushing me flat against Dimitri's chest.

  I lost my footing and almost fell on my face had Dimitri's strong arms not caught me. I threw a heated glance towards Zephyr but he was already gone. Go figure, he would pull a rotten trick like that. Dimitri smiled down on me.

  His eye's were so beautiful and bright like shinning emerald jewels. I quickly remembered myself and pushed back from him then busied myself straightening my dress.

  “ Sorry, sometimes I don't know what comes over him.”

  He simply smiled and offered me a seat on a blanket he had laid out. Then he opened a large basket and started serving. The ham and beef smelled delicious, along with the potatoes, grapes and berries, it was pure heaven. We laughed and joked while we ate then talked of our favorite book's and places over chocolate cake for dessert. By the time we had finished, we were both stuffed. We laid back on the blanket to watch the clouds.

  I breathed a deep sigh and a vision of Barron invaded my thought's. I was determined not to think of him though, and pushed the image away. But the pain stayed. I must have looked like I was discomforted because Dimitri pushed up on one elbow towards me with a quizzical expression marking his beautiful face.

  “Are you alright Serra?”

  I don't know why, but I loved hearing my name come from his beautiful mouth. I could sit and listen to him call my name forever.

  “Yes, I'm fine.” I lied.

  “You seem upset my dear. Anything I can do? You may not know me well enough yet, but I already feel a deep connection to you. It's confounding to be honest.”

  He said it so matter of factly. I took up his position and then we were face to face.

  “You barely know me, I barely know you. How can you determine we are alike or connected, Dimitri?”

  “I don't know. I just feel that we are. I'd like to get to know you, the real you. If you'd allow me. I may even be able to get the brown eyed Captain out of your head.” he said with a wry smile.

  How did he know about Barron?!

  “How did you...”

  “I see the way you two look at each other. I can also see the emotion's of other people, It's a gift and...... a curse.”

  He looked away, into the pond a deep crease furrowed his brow. He must have felt my eye's on him, he straightened and smiled at me. There was a slight chill in the air then and I shivered. Suddenly his arm was around me, not possessively or with any intent to harm, but only as an object of protection from the cool wind.

  “Thank you.” I said.

  “My lady, I would whether the deepest cold to keep you warm.”

  His smile was so inviting and warm I was so tempted to kiss his beautiful lip's. But I'd already been burned once today by a man, I'd not make the same mistake twice. I looked away from him, quickly trying to mask the tear's that threatened to fall from my eye's. Then I felt a warm hand on my chin. He turned me to face him.

  “Your full of sorrow, regret, anger..”

  He was quiet for a moment, then as if he realized something slowly he started to look angry. I hadn't expected this, why was he angry? I started to pull away in case I needed to fight for my life but he caught me.

  I braced for the inevitable impact of his hand, but it never came. Instead, he looked away, the same angry expression on his face. Then he finally spoke.

  “What did he do to you?”

  “What? Who?” I asked, confused.

  “The man who hurt you. What did he do? Who is he?”

  “How did you know...”

  “I can see your emotion's I can see the anger, hurt, pain, regret... Unless these are feeling's you have towards me?”

  “No!...I mean...no they aren't towards you at all. I can't tell you Dimitri...it
's too embarrassing. I was being foolish and an idiot. I'm so ashamed of myself. I let him play me the fool.”

  There were those damned tear's again. I tried to wipe them away nonchalantly, but Dimitri beat me to it. His hand was warm and a bit rough against my cheek as he wiped the streams away with the pad of his thumb. I still couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye.

  “No one could ever play YOU the fool my dear. This man who has hurt you, he is the fool not you! You are strong, stubborn, compassionate, just, and wise. You have lead your kingdom with no help from a man and look, it flourishes and thrives! You control one of the rarest and most feared creature's in the known world, not because you force your rule on him, but because you love him and he allows you to have the control. He respect's you and you respect him in return. You are truly one of a kind my lady, you're very special Serra. One day you'll make some lucky man a wonderful wife! When that day come's he should count himself the most fortunate man alive. He should also know I will be most jealous of him.”