by Amy Faye
The princess was easy to throw into black moods. Anoud told her this was something her mother did, as well. When in such a sorry state, any attempt to cheer her would lead only to anger. She once gave Anais a black eye, though her cousin quickly forgave her.
Helina listened as she tried to calm down. The scent of the roses did much to aid this. After a while, Helina stood. “I am going to take a short walk through the roses, to collect myself before the ball. I'll be right back.”
Anais nodded and Remiel continued to giggle, thinking about handsome men from faraway countries. Helina stood, wiping her clammy hands against her slacks.
The breeze through the garden carried with it many bees. They were spelled to be gentle, but could also attack if given the order by The Queen's Guard. One landed on her shoulder, and she smiled at it. “Hello, friend.”
There was a sound from far away, at the front of the manor. Helina plodded over to the corner of her home and peeked around it, seeing a purple rift in reality tear open. A portal! Only the strongest witches could create one anymore. She was barely able to do so, though her teacher promised that she would become better at it.
Watching, she saw a company of men exit. They wore strange, dark clothing, and their skin was very pale. Perhaps they were witches from the north? She'd heard that they were extremely handsome, and these men did not go against that rumor.
One man in particular caught her gaze. Even from far away, he took her breath straight from her lungs. His hair was light blond, light as the sunshine itself. The tallest of the group, he led them into her manor quickly.
Maybe they were soldiers? Anoud wasn't past calling in bodyguards for her. He'd done it after a traitor's son had tried to stab her as a teenager, and she wasn't allowed to dismiss them until she came of age.
Her eyes followed the handsome stranger until they no longer could, their party disappearing inside. She could hear the thump-thumping in her chest.
She wondered if he might be someone with a marriage proposal. A lost royal from a faraway land, come to help Helina claim her throne and rule her country. Her heart danced in her chest when she considered this.
If the man was that handsome, she thought she might not only have to marry for her country. She thought she might be capable of marrying for love.
“Or at least lust,” she whispered, giggling before she turned back to her friends, who were watching her.
“See anything interesting?” Anais asked. It was true that Anais was her best friend, though her tongue was often sharp and her jokes extremely unfunny, offensively so. Helina thought she needed someone like that, someone to keep her in reality even as Anais kept her head in the clouds.
“A group of men, who all came through a portal.”
Remiel gasped. “Do you think he might be here to ask for your hand?”
Helina grinned, then shrugged. Her face was hot. “Maybe. They were all very handsome. I hope not all of them intend to ask, I would hate to have to choose.” She knew who she would choose, though. The tall, handsome stranger with the light hair. Only thinking of him made her whole body feel weak.
The one time when corsets truly were not out of style was for balls, especially balls for religious holidays. Every woman dressed in their finest clothes and made their waists as small as possible, especially if they were looking for a husband.
“This corset is so beautiful. Did Bella make it?” Anais asked as she held the ribbon of the corset tight for Remiel to tie. Bella was the best corsetière in all of Mindren, and maybe the whole world. Her creations were coveted by all, especially since she made them so infrequently. Corsetry was only her second job. Her first was caring for a whole stable of royal horses.
“Yes, she sent it to me for my last birthday. This is my first time wearing it.” Helina paused, taking a breath and looking at herself in the mirror. “I think it could go a tad tighter.”
“You're already a fine catch, Helina. I don't think we need to suffocate you,” Remiel chastised. She looked at Anais, who laughed and rolled her eyes. Remiel was a worrier, something of a mother for her group of friends. It helped that in her studies to become a member of The High Court, she was required to take nursing classes every single year.
Helina even asked if Remiel would be her midwife when she finally got married and fell pregnant. Remiel blushed at the thought, but she of course agreed.
“Well, if the handsome man from the portal is here to ask for my hand, I'll be sure to find out if he has any available brothers or friends for you, Anais.” Helina gave her friend a wicked smile, which faltered when the blue haired girl tugged on her corset strings.
“Don't tease me!”
They both laughed as the girls helped Helina dress. Her gown was pink satin, blushing like a secret admirer's rose. She wore a necklace her mother once wore, a black stone on a platinum chain, and dotted her lips with a lipstick spelled to make her lips more supple and pouty.
“You should wear the matching ring, too,” Remiel said, gazing at the onyx ring in her jewelry box. “The one she wore when she met King Orussus.”
Helina thought on it for a moment. Would her mother approve? Would Queen Anai think it romantic if her daughter met the love of her life wearing the same ring she did when she met hers? “Maybe I should,” Helina considered.
Remiel held it out to her, her small hand trembling. She treated Queen Anai's trinkets with such reverence. There was talk around the kingdom of pronouncing the missing queen a goddess. Remiel agreed with the movement, but couldn't petition with them without risking her future.
Taking the ring from her friend, Helina slipped it onto her right hand ring finger. It fit perfectly, though of course it was spelled to fit perfectly. She held it to the light. It looked lovely on her hand.
Would Anoud approve?
“I hope I finally get my marriage proposal,” Helina whispered as she stared at the ring.
“To be fair, you've turned down a fair number.” Anais said, braiding Helina's hair.
Shaking her head, Helina shot Anais a look. “You know that I have to marry for my country. It has to be at the right time, to the right person. Any old duke would never do. I need someone strong, and who cares for our people as much as I do. Someone willing to lead our armies while I lead those who stay home.”
“But what about love?” Remiel asked.
“A queen cannot marry for love.”
Anais snorted. “Your mom loved King Orussus.”
Nodding, Helina sighed. “But she was rare, wasn't she? The previous queen, before Queen Anai, was murdered by her husband. The one before that was the fourth of five wives, the fourth of seven mistresses. They were good leaders, but their marriage was not one of love.”
Remiel and Anais looked at one another, a look of worry and confusion. “Well, I think you'll be the exception, too,” said Remiel. “I think you'll find love.”
When she was dressed and her hair done up, Remiel and Anais dismissed themselves to finish dressing themselves. Finally, Helina had a few minutes alone.
Poking her head out of her bedroom's door, she looked around for guards or, even worse, Anoud. The hallway was clear. Moving quickly, she dashed across the tiles without her shoes on, down the servant's staircase and into the kitchen.
There, alone, was the one face she'd wanted to see all night. He was the only cook on duty in the manor's kitchen, since most servants had been sent to the castle to prepare for the ball.
“Edward,” Helina whispered. The man, tall and with a long, handsome face, looked up from the bread he was kneading. His garnet colored hair was caked with flour, which also found its way to his nose and cheek.
“Helina!” Edward said, setting the dough into the freezer and wiping his hands on his apron. “It's so good to see you, especially since I could be fired tomorrow.”
Frowning, Helina touched his face tenderly, wiping away some of the flour. “Did Anoud threaten you, too?”
“All of us, actually. I hope the traitor i
s found before he does anything drastic.” His face went grim, his eyes focused only on hers. Looking down at her, Edward seemed as though he was holding back many emotions.
Touching his lips to hers, his shoulders relaxed and she pulled him closer to her. Edward holds her close. “I was so worried when I heard.”
“Anoud is hiring a taster, soon.” She hated the idea. She didn't want others to be in danger, just to protect herself.
They kissed again, and then again. Edward's hands grabbed her waist, sitting her on the kitchen counter so that she could reach his face without standing on her toes. His hands cupped her breasts.
“And by the way, you need to stop flirting with Anais. She's thinking of trying to start up an affair with you!”
Edward barked out a surprised laugh, and then pecked her lips. “Well, do you think I should have an affair with her?”
Pouting, Helina crossed her arms. “I most certainly do not.”
“Well, it isn't as if you can marry me. You've told me as much many times.”
“That's true,” she said, kissing his neck. “But every queen can have one extramarital lover. I want you to be mine. There are perks, you know.” She could feel his manhood growing within his pants as her lips brushed his skin. “Aside from being between my legs, that is.”
Grabbing him, she stroked his cock through his pants. He let out a deep, guttural sound. Like a gulp and a growl all at once. He kissed her fiercely, powerfully.
“Well, if there are perks, I just might take you up on your offer.” He spread her legs wide, pushing up her skirts to reveal her flesh. Stroking her, he felt her growing hotter. Wetter. He licked his lips.
Giggling, she held her skirts even higher. “You'll have to prove to me how bad you want it, then.”
Edward pushed her legs wider, his broad shoulders stretching as he did so. Dipping beneath the fabric of her dress, he found she was wearing nothing beneath it. No shoes. No stockings.
No panties.
He breathed hard, his stomach flipping. His cock was struggling against his pants, painfully so. He adjusted himself while kissing her soft thighs, his tongue flicking out now and then for a lick. She tasted like vanilla.
Spreading her labia, he tongued her pink, soft inner lips. With a squeal, Helina lifted her right leg onto his shoulder, opening herself wider for him.
His lips gripped her stiff nub, manipulating it in the most delicious ways. The man knew how to please a woman, and he loved pleasuring Helina. He slipped a finger inside of her, which elicited another squeal of pleasure.
Moving the finger in and out of her, he stroked her thigh with his other hand, enjoying the soft feel of her skin. She cooed and sighed below him, her clit twitching now and then when he hit just the right spot with his finger. He toyed with her nub with his tongue, pressing it hard and then soft.
When his erection was too much to bear, he stood and scooted Helina closer to him on the counter. She giggled and wrapped her arms and legs around him, which made it harder for him to undo his trousers.
They kissed, their tongues flicking in and out of each other's mouth. Edward loved the taste of her, how she tasted like honey. Caressing her breasts once his erection was free, he pulled her against him so that his cock pressed right against her slit.
“Ooh,” she purred. “You're so warm.”
“It'll be even warmer when I do this,” he grinned a wicked grin, pushing the head of his manhood inside of her. She moaned, her arms tensing around his neck as her sunk deep into her.
He pulled out of her, almost completely, before pushing himself back in. She gasped with each stroke, kissing his neck with little nibbles in between. She couldn't give him a bruise, though she desperately wanted to mark her territory.
Her orgasm is intense, and the afterglow is like a long stretch after not moving for a day. It felt good, and natural. He was still inside of her when they heard footsteps.
“Edward?”
It was Anoud. “Shit,” Helina said. She crouched onto the floor, spotting a space beneath the cupboard where she could hide. She slid under there, motioning for Edward to go deal with her adoptive father.
“Yes, Your Grace?” Edward said, his gravelly voice becoming very professional. Helina stifled a giggle at seeing her lover become so serious.
“There will be a dinner tomorrow, and I need you to prepare the entire kitchen. It must be the finest food you know how to cook. Food from all over the world would be best, I think. Find the oldest wine we have in the cellar, too, and for Hecate's sake, clean your team up. You all look like a mess.”
“Yes, sir. Is there a special occasion I should be aware of?”
“Helina will be getting married.”
Her heart stopped.
Edward's eyebrows raised higher than she'd ever seen them, but only for a second. He tried to make his face neutral again. “Are you certain? Has she already agreed?”
“No, but I think the girl will see that this is the only way to regain the crown.”
“I see. One more question, Your Grace. How will I know who will still be in my kitchen if you may fire us all tonight?”
Anoud cleared his throat, shuffling his feet. “Oh, that mess. One of the serving girls came forward and admitted she allowed a child into the kitchen, some horrid thing off the street. We've sent her to the dungeons, and she will be hanged tomorrow.”
Helina felt sick and relieved all at once. They found the traitor, which was good. That they would kill her disturbed Helina, however. That was a policy she was not sure she would keep as queen.
Anoud cleared his throat again, then steps out of the kitchen. “So, just clean up.” With that, he was gone.
Waiting just a beat before she came out, Helina faced Edward. He looked grim, as grim as she was shocked. “You're to be wed, apparently.”
“Yes,” she replied. “I suppose so.”
Awkward. So very awkward. Helina reached out and squeezed Edwards hand, then turned away. She had to go fix herself before she could go down to the ball, which would be starting very soon.
Edward sighed loudly, leaning his hole body against the counter.
The night was going by so fast. Helina wasn't sure if she should reveal the surprise to her friends, but decided against it. If Anoud found out she knew, he might have been able to figure out why she knew.
She couldn't put herself or Edward in danger. Technically, she was expected to stay a virgin until she was married, though that had long since been a laughable idea to her. There was no law, no rule. It was just an expectation, one she had no problem breaking.
She did have a problem endangering Edward's life with their affair. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying for her. This was especially problematic because she knew there was really no chance of them being together. She couldn't have an affair with a cook. She couldn't make him an official lover.
The castle was packed. There were men and women from across Mindren, and the entirety of the Witch Country. Mindren was only one city, the capitol city, of the Witch Country. In reality, the country was many disparate nations, which exist between the borders of other countries. Though they don't connect, they're all ruled by the queen.
One day, Helina was going to rule those people. Maybe that was why she felt so small when she was surrounded by them. It was like they expected her to be a great queen before she was even on the throne.
Every question from them dripped with expectation and disappointment that Helina was not yet ready to discuss foreign policy, or that she didn't have an answer for werewolves attacking Hel Mountain.
Thankfully, no one ever asked her the worst question of them all: how she intended to deal with the vampires.
Another man, this one a knight from one of the American cities, stood before her. “May I have a dance?” His voice was too high pitched for his handsome face.
Remiel and Anais were already on the floor, being wooed by their own handsome annoyance. She stifled a sigh and allowed the man to take he
r hand. One of many dances of the night, but all Helina could think of was the handsome stranger from the portal. Who had a witch powerful enough to create a portal?
As they danced, though, she felt as if she was being watched. Whenever she could do so without seeming rude to the knight, she glanced around the room, trying to find the source of the disturbance. She saw a shadow slipping through the crowd, but could never see it well enough to make it out. She wondered if it was just a trick of the lighting.
“My good sir, I was wondering if I may step in.”
The knight stopped. He was glaring at the very handsome man who had stepped out of the portal. Possibly the man who intended to marry her. He looked even paler, lit as he was by the magical lights above. His jaw was set, as if he was ready for a fight, but hoped to avoid one with a delicious smile.
Helina wondered what his soft lips might feel like against hers. Blushing, she pulled away from the knight, who continued to glare at the man who had stolen the future queen from his arms.
The music paused for only a second to switch songs. The man held out his hand. It was slightly cold to the touch.
Pulled into his arms and forced to move by his movements, she took in his face. Though he was pale, he had light freckles dotting his nose. His blond hair had a tint of red to it, too, and his eyes were a dazzling mix of yellows, browns, and greens. A beautiful hazel color.
She wanted to ask who he was, but didn't want to ruin the moment. She wasn't sure she could move her lips either way. Moving with the man, she let him lead her through a waltz, pressed close to him. She was burning up, feeling faint. He pressed her forward, his arm tight against her back. There was something strange being pressed against her abdomen. Something hard.
Her breath came faster, harder as she realized it was his manhood. Gripping his coat as he moved her, her lips parted. She was so hot. She felt like she was burning up.
And then he was gone, with a bow and a wink and a wicked smile. Wobbling, Helina only watched him leave, trying to catch her breath.
