by P. S. Power
It wasn't though. None of that kind would pay enough to make missing an evening with a Countess worth doing. Especially her, Maria knew. She was a fun time to be around, if you had the chance. For almost everyone. It was her job, after all. The part of things that she was in charge of. That and running the spies for the County.
There was a hesitant smile from the woman, as Petra slapped her on the back hard enough to make a thump. Not painfully so, because no shields looked to have kicked in. Maria didn’t know that Martya had one for certain, but she thought it very likely. Everyone that knew Tor had one.
Even she had one, around her neck at that moment, given to her from his hand directly. After everything else had happened. For a while she'd wondered if that meant he'd wanted to be her lover. After all, he'd liked her well enough at one point to ask her to a dance with him, hadn't he? He'd even told the Queen that they were lovers. Well, he said that she and Marvin were his very good friends, but that's what it meant. It was a good thing, even if he'd never followed up on it, wasn't it?
She should have, but honestly, she feared him, more than a bit.
If anyone in the whole... She nearly thought the word world, but there were three now, weren't there? Luna, Earth and Mars. She was the only one that called it by its proper, old name, but Luna was much prettier than Moon.
Tor lived on a space station now, most of the time, she'd heard. On the good side that meant she probably wouldn't have to deal with that issue on her next trip.
There was a soft murmur of thanks and consideration from Martya, as Petra's hand lingered on the smaller woman's back. That caught Maria slightly off guard. It wasn't like the large fighter really. She wasn't drunk either, but was nearly being cuddly, considering it was a meal. She looked at her sister in-law, who regarded her back, and gave a huge shouldered shrug.
"That sounds fun. We could take a trip into orbit? That's worth doing just to see the sights."
"It is. We should do that!" It was the simple truth, and she also had a space rated Timon-shield for that kind of thing. If you were bold enough, you could leave the proper vessel and fall back to Earth, using that kind of thing. It let you fly, so when you got close enough you simply commanded the thing to slow you, and it would. Then you drifted to the ground like a feather.
It sounded incredibly exciting, really. Most people found the idea fear inducing, but she didn't really understand why. Oh, she understood the basic idea, that it was like falling, but with a shield on you weren't simply safe, you could actually stop whenever you wanted, couldn't you? It even kept you in fresh air, for hours, or even days. Warm too, or cool, if you needed.
That gave her an idea of what to do that night. Smiling a bit too brightly at Petra she nodded. It was hard not to clap like an idiot.
"Lovely. We should finish our meal first. I have an idea of what we can do! It will be incredible."
That got a funny look from Petra, but Marvin acted like he hadn't heard her. After all, to his mind, with all the problems the two women had over the years, if they could do anything together, it would be a miracle. Maria couldn't naysay him on that thought either. It really would be good if they got through the evening without harsh words.
Petra didn't say a lot more after that, but when the meal was over she gave Martya, her brother and Debbie a big hug each, and slapped Maria on the back lightly.
"Shall we get going? Or do you need to grab something first?"
What that would be the Countess didn't know, but she shook her head.
"I have my space shield with me, and that should be enough for the trip, shouldn't it?" Focusing she tried to pick up any hint of subtext from the woman, but there was just a nod. The shield seemed to be what she was asking about. Not everyone had them, but Maria had been up to Harmony a few times. It was law that if you went there you had to have a shield on, at all times. They gave you one if you didn't have such a thing already, and never collected them back up. The things were worth millions of golds, and if the most common man or woman asked for them, they could have had a small box of them to take back as free trinkets for their friends.
Then, you couldn't buy magic on Harmony. Really, you couldn't buy anything. They gave it all to you for free. The custom was that you didn't take more than you needed, and that you worked at what you could find to do for others. It was mainly based on magic, but there was an actual struggle to keep everyone employed. If you were good at making up jobs you were considered one of the prime citizens there. In fact several people had been given ruling political powers just because they were skillful at that kind of thing. It was very different that way.
Her sister in-law put her large, well sword callused hand on her back then, and led her away a little, so that the tiny ship she had could be produced. Then, without asking, the darker girl smiled at her, and made it roughly four times as big, simply by touching the side and concentrating on what she wanted. With her eyes wide open. That took skill.
Then Petra moved to open the door for her, since Maria was a Countess, in her own county, at the moment. True, the larger woman was technically of higher rank, but it was very polite of her to defer like that, if a fiction. Once on the craft however, she became not just a Conserina, or Princess by marriage, but also the Captain of the thing. One of the rare and very hard to get jump ships.
Really, it was an act of trust on her part, getting on the thing with Petra, Maria realized. She could strip her of her shield, and dump her in space and it would be legal, once they were high enough up. The thing there was that it would also anger Marvin, and be so low in honor that it wouldn't have been happening anyway. That was a thing for Petra's entire family.
Honor above all else. They lived it, even in private.
When the doors sealed themselves, they moved straight up. Quickly. The craft, which was lovely inside, and made to look like a very large carriage with a single bed in the back, all done in red velvet, except for the windows which dotted the side every few feet. There was no sense of motion as it rose, and Pet looked straight ahead, even as Maria glanced back at the lovely pink coverlet on the giant bed behind them.
That was telling, wasn't it?
Maria wondered if she should try to get out of it, for about ten seconds. Then realized that it would serve more than one purpose to have Petra that way. It would bring them closer together, especially if they did things regularly after that. Maria was skilled enough to make that attractive, even if the other woman didn't normally show interest in the same sex. Plus, if nothing else, it really showed that Pet was willing to actually try to be her friend. Not doing it would be foolish.
Plus, she'd never thought that Petra wasn't attractive, had she? Oh, perhaps while being beaten, but only because of anger.
When they were up high enough for the world to seem like it was slowly spinning under them, a dark hand brought out a different amulet, which was placed under the control bauble. The one that was there looked like a floating crystal ball, but that was simply what had been picked. It could be made to look like anything, after all. The entire craft could.
Petra took a deep breath, then let it out very slowly.
"So. Plans for the evening?"
Maria let her lips curl up, and batted her eyes a bit, flirting openly.
"Well, we could go down on each other? Then, after that... We could..." She actually felt shy suddenly, since it was a lot to ask of anyone, wasn't it? The words caught in her throat, which got a strange reaction.
Bafflement.
Petra actually shook her head a bit.
"What's so bad that you're blushing about asking? I mean, you? We didn't bring any oil, so anal fisting is out, and other than that I'm not too sure there's anything you wouldn't do with a smile on your face. So, what is it? Just tell me. It will be better that way than being ambushed when you suddenly try it."
It was a bit mean to say it that way, but she just nodded.
"Not that. I'm not into causing pain, when it can be avoided, unless that's what
my friends need, I mean. Then it's fine enough. No, I..." She looked away and swallowed. "I need to get a message to King Richard. You know that Marvin and I..."
Petra looked away herself then, her shoulders going stiff.
"That you betrayed your oaths to him? Yes, that has been mentioned. More than once. I'm not all that happy about it. I can't go against the King. I love my brother, but throwing in with that rabble is less than noble. I... If we're to do anything toward mending our relationship, I don't think this is the topic to start with."
Nodding, Maria looked back at the woman.
"Ah. I'd never been sure if you'd been told or not. I shouldn't now, since it's horrible spycraft, but I need to get a message to King Richard as soon as possible, in a way that won't be traced. The rebellion is making a last effort to kill him, before it's too late. Everything else has failed, and in this action, they know, those left, that being found out will surely lead to their deaths. We can use this to break the backs of those that would overthrow the King, if we are clever enough about it. We can’t use their plan, because, frankly, it’s close to useless." She saw the light begin in Petra's eyes.
How the woman had missed knowing about Marvin and her, she didn't really understand. Prince Gerent knew, after all. He'd figured it out. Apparently when Debbie had asked him not to mention it to anyone. He'd been better to his word than any would have suspected, she realized, if his own wife didn’t know. It made her decide to have sex with him whenever he wanted. Even if he turned out to be into kinky things.
That was possible, given the abuse that he'd suffered for so long. Since he was a child he'd been used. Harshly, as often as not, she was willing to wager. Once a person had already decided on rape, there was little reason for them not to do whatever they pleased, was there? The punishment for raping a woman, or man, was the same if you did it gently with only minor threats, as if you beat the person and violated them to the point of severe damage.
That was less than fun to think about, but she nodded as Petra started to get the idea.
"He, King Richard, put us in place for infiltration, years ago. After that small matter with us declaring war. Well, you know that story, so I won't bore you with it. Needless to say, I have to be most careful in passing messages. Most of the time I use our man in the Fast Transport business, Morgan, for that kind of thing. They let him into the Palace often enough that he can hand things to a few Royal Guards he knows. That gets passed to Queen Constance, who does as she will with them, as is proper. I tried to set it up so that she'd take Morgan as a lover, but so far she hasn't taken that bait. A bit of a shame. He's older, but rather attractive, don't you think?"
That earned a nod, at least.
"Yes, he is... I... No one told me anything. I would have thought..."
Her face flashed toward anger, but Maria held her tongue. If Prince Gerent was going to get in trouble for this, she wasn't going to add to it. He'd done his part, now she had to do hers.
Then she grinned a bit and shook her head.
"Well, I never figured that the King would tell me everything. He'd mentioned a bit, but I always thought he was just saying things to make me feel better about being related to traitorous scum. No offense."
That got her to play huff and cross her arm.
"Hmmph! Is that the thanks I get for ruining my reputation to try and save the Kingdom? Just for that you have to go down on me first. Here..." Touching her chest she closed her eyes and concentrated on the outfit she wanted to appear.
It was one that she'd practiced before, since it was useful for a lot of different occasions. The bodice of it pushed her breasts up, leaving them pointed enough to be interesting to the most hardened and jaded of people. There were smooth white stockings too, but no bottom was added to it, letting her bare behind hit the soft cushion under her. It was warm, but not enough to be uncomfortable. The outfit, if it could be called that, had puffy sleeves that left off above her elbows on either side. Also an inner pocket for the letter she had. That part was new, but she managed it well enough that it didn’t show.
She smiled, to show she'd been playing. Sort of. She really was aroused suddenly, so she pointed at the other woman, with her whole hand, the palm toward the floor.
"Now, strip and kneel? This thing rotates, right?"
Pushing her hips forward she found that the seat did turn far enough around to face Petra, who looked confused suddenly. As if she wasn't quite understanding what was happening. That got her arms pulled at.
"Come on. I want you, now. Do a good job and I promise to return with the same?" The tugging was token, but Pet moved to her knees, as requested. She could have said no, or even changed the topic, but didn't, so Maria nodded at her.
"That's right. Dive in. I'm more than ready."
She was hesitant anyway. At first it seemed to be about true reluctance, but after a moment she snaked her tongue out and hit the right spot very well. Even if she wasn't a lover of women, they'd all had classes on the subject in school, hadn't they? Maria hadn't, but there had been tutors for that kind of thing.
It was pretty clear though that Pet hadn't had the same ones, since she did things in a very different way than was expected. First paying attention to her lower lips. Each one was first given a long slow and lingering caress with a finger, gently tickling the outside. It wasn't intense, but that wasn't the point. Not yet. Then all the fingers were brought into play, the short nails of her right hand being slowly and carefully lifted upward, like a brush across her womanhood.
This was done several times, but just as Maria was about to ask for more, it was there. The pressure and intensity of the moment increasing. A warm tongue found her then, the little nub of her clitoris hardening under the attention. Before she was really ready, a finger found her, making a ring of her inner lips, gently, moving in time to the licking.
Finally, instead of entering her, as expected, there was a brief pause, and solid eye contact.
"You really aren't a traitor?"
It was a strange thing to say, given the moment, but also an understandable one. It was hard to give yourself to a person you hated, wasn't it?
"I'm really not. I never was."
"Oh. Good then."
The lovely pink tongue settled in then, working harder than before. Every few moments Petra's beautiful eyes would look up, locking with her own. It was sweet, and in the end, satisfying enough. For a first time.
As she held the girl's head, she came into her mouth, again and again, grinding until she'd had what she could take from the moment, for now.
She didn't let go though, just holding her new friend there for a bit. Letting her taste the victory she'd brought about.
"Thank you, love. Now, I believe it's your turn?"
That got a shy grin from the woman. Maria decided it looked good on her. Then she got to the subject at hand. Or, as it were, mouth.
Chapter five
It was over half an hour later when they were both finished. They'd moved to the big bed in the back, which was very soft, and warmer than Maria would have made it herself. She liked things to be slightly cool, personally. It wasn't bad though, and neither of them worked up a sweat, since it seemed they were both in shape for what they were doing. For the most part.
Petra, who was nude, sat up and rubbed at her mouth, then cleared her throat.
"My tongue is sore. The muscle in the back?"
It was a thing that could happen if you weren't ready for such things. Maria was better off that way herself, but it was probably due to all the regular practice she had at pleasing women. So she winked and nodded her head a bit.
"You'll strengthen with practice. Do this, three, four times a week and that will stop soon enough. I would have thought that someone like you would have worked on that already." She made movements in the air, pretending to swing a sword around. Poorly. She wasn't a fighter after all. "Isn't that a big part of what you teach? Be prepared for everything, and practice constantly? What would you do
if you got into some kind of contest where you had to please different women for the fate of the world? Hmm? Get through the first two and then fail, apparently, too sore to go on. You should be ashamed, really." Maria leaned in, sitting not too far from her and kissed her on the mouth gently, nibbling just a little on her bottom lip. Savoring the taste of herself that was still there. It wasn't too bad. Slightly salty, but nice. "Good thing we found out now, before something too horrible happened that way! I'll help you practice for that, because I'm so kind, but you really need a few other training partners. Countess Printer perhaps? You two are still friends, aren't you?"
It was a real question. Holly Printer had thrown in with the rebellion a few years before. After King Richard had failed to kill one of the rebellion members, strangely enough. Maria understood the basic idea however. Count Rodriguez had taken Petra, her best friend, and tortured her for weeks. She'd been raped too, but seemed to be recovering now. Years later.
That part had been hidden from everyone, to keep Marvin from declaring war on that County, to seek his revenge for the act. It was a hard thing for all involved, no doubt. County Ward had kept that fact secret from the people after it was found out, too. People from the Capital had sought to prevent a war by torturing Rodriguez in retaliation, then slaughtering the men that had done the actual deed themselves. The guard that had taken it upon himself to set that part up, the sexual abuse itself, had been raped for weeks first, then beheaded.
By Prince Gerent.
Well, the man hadn't done the rape portion. He'd hired some rough men for it, but the death had come at his hands. Later he'd confided to her that he'd thought that part, what he'd done, would have Petra canceling their betrothal. Then, Gerent was used to people leaving him. Her sister in-law wasn't that kind of person however. No, she was a warrior, in her soul.
