And yet how small I felt, how powerless and pinned! I felt so far away from home, here under the soaring starry ceilings, that I couldn’t imagine going home. How could I return to my father and sisters and pretend that nothing had happened, after I had been fucked by this creature?
I moaned from the pain as it went on, and he scowled at me. His golden eyes glowed a little like a cat; set in his ghastly pale skin, he looked like some sort of ghoul frowning down at me. I wondered how many of the girls who came to him ended up screaming.
But for all that, there was something in his eyes that looked concerned for me. I didn’t think he was really as fearsome as he tried to make himself out to be.
“I’m sorry,” I panted. “I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
“How do you know that? I don’t care if I hurt you. It’s the nature of the transaction.”
The strokes came faster and deeper then, and my head twisted back, as if I could escape it all. Then I felt him coming inside of me, and I moaned a little from the urgency of his final convulsions. He was silent except for the few smallest grunts. When he withdrew from me I felt empty and sore. My legs drew together, my thigh muscles aching from the position he’d held me in, and everything inside me hurting.
He slid away from me and stood up immediately, yanking his trousers up and buttoning them, like he didn’t want to see me anymore.
“Are you very sore?” he asked sharply.
“Yes…”
He crossed the room and opened a cabinet. I didn’t pay much attention to what he was doing. Between the day of walking, the hot bath and what I’d just experienced, every muscle in my body was simply done. I didn’t want to move, just wanted to sleep. Even inside the cool interior of the cave, the air smelled warm and thick with lust—maybe mine as much as his.
He walked over to me with a smooth pearlescent stone that was shaped very much like his cock.
“Spread your legs.”
“Wh—what now?”
“This is healing stone,” he said. “It will soothe your soreness and keep you ready for me.” He moved my legs apart for me, although I didn’t fight him, and the cool stone slid easily inside my slick entrance. It was not quite as large as he was, but harder, although soft as stones went.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
“When?”
“I’ll try and give you some time to sleep.”
He left without another word, and I pulled the covers over me, but despite how very tired I was, despite the length of stone filling me inside, I felt empty and unfulfilled, like something was missing.
Chapter Three
The Goblin King
Since the curse began, I didn’t care as much for virgins as I once did. It used to be so exciting, being the first man to bring a young woman to the heights of pleasure, the first one to hold her afterward, the first name she ever called out in joy.
Now, it was simply inconvenient. Unromantic. This girl would remember me as a brute who fucked her without regard for her feelings.
But I had no choice.
I waited for her as long as I could. I stood outside her door, my cock erect and throbbing, listening to the small splashing sounds of her bath. Soon…soon, I could take what I needed and be done with it, at least for a few hours.
I never looked at them anymore. I refused to let myself have feelings for a girl who would soon be gone. And usually, I think it was easier for them not to look at me either. Humans didn’t care for goblins.
This one seemed a little different, right from the start.
She was beautiful, in a human way, that was true. Her thick brown hair fell in heavy braids down her back. Her skin was very soft, especially her little feet, which I could tell were not used to walking around barefoot as goblins liked to do. Her hands, however, were a little rough, indicated that she had been cleaning something at home, the soap harsh on her skin. Who was asking a girl like this to clean? Just beneath her thin nightgown I could see the soft swells of her breasts. She had big green eyes with long lashes and a full—rather opinionated—mouth.
She wanted to know my name. She wanted to see my face. She even told me I ought to enjoy it!
And when I lifted up her nightgown, baring her sweet little virgin pussy, it was already wet.
Damn.
No, I told myself. Don’t travel this road. You know it will end badly.
I couldn’t resist letting her see just a glimpse of my old self, the man who would take his time to bring the most beautiful blush to a girl’s face, to make her willing and hungry for me with every inch of her being. My cock was demanding to thrust inside her, but I knew it would be better for her if I took just a moment with her first. I stroked her clit and almost immediately—there it was.
Her face flushed. Her body convulsed gently. Her sweet juices made my glove slick.
This girl was genuinely attracted to me. Or else just very, very ready for someone to touch her like this.
That had to be it. I had to remind myself what she was getting out of this. Gold. Gold that would buy her something she needed, raise her station, pay for some beloved family member’s medical treatment…who knew what. It didn’t matter.
But for the first time in a long while, this didn’t feel routine.
That was what scared me—angered me, even. How dare she make me feel this way? How dare she ask me my name?
I had to get on with it. I had to stop looking at her face and remind myself—she was just a vessel for my relief.
But even as I claimed that relief, I could hear her whimpering, and it tore at my ears. I was hurting her. I wished I could be more gentle. I wished I had more control. I wished I could show her the man I used to be.
Usually, when I was finished, my body calmed down for several hours. But this time, almost as soon as I left her to sleep, my cock was hard again.
And I knew I had to give her time to recover before I claimed her a second time. The second time would be better. The healing stone would soothe her and keep her stretched and ready for me, if I could just wait.
Damn it all.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Four
I’ve never slept alone, I realized. One of my sisters was always there.
But before I knew it, I obviously had slept, because he was waking me up, pulling the stone out of me none too gently. “I’ve waited too long,” he said, as he replaced it with himself. I was barely awake and his warm body was overwhelming mine in the dark. For a moment I said nothing, still half asleep as his cock invaded me, bringing a mixture of pain and pleasure that made me instantly warm and fogged my thoughts. My body didn’t feel like my own; I had the strange feeling that it belonged to him now, and I couldn’t imagine it would ever be mine again.
I was even more flushed when I thought of that. But I could not lose focus.
“Waited too long?” I asked. “This is some sort of curse, isn’t it?”
He said nothing, but of course, curses usually came in with a built-in clause that one couldn’t talk about it.
“What are you the king of?” I asked. “Where are your subjects?”
“They are in the caverns,” he said.
“Can I see them?”
“No. Stop talking. I’m tired of raising my hopes for silly money-grubbing little girls.”
“You’re trying to push me away.”
“I’m trying to fuck you.”
He sounded so ferocious that I finally went quiet and let him finish, but this time, after he sprang to his feet and slid the stone back inside of me, I said, “I’m going to figure out what cursed you. I’m not a silly money-grubbing girl.”
“You are not the one to save me,” he said. “You’ve already failed the first test. You’re no better than any other girl; just like the rest of them, you’re a careless little fool who takes whatever she can get. And time is running short.”
I huffed. “Take what I can get? Foolish?” Then I forced myself to stop. This was w
hat he wanted, to goad me into anger. “Test?”
I knew he wouldn’t answer. But he had given me a clue, hadn’t he?
And as if to emphasize the point, the walls shook once again, and one of the little crystals that formed the constellations fell to ground and rolled past his feet.
He woke me twice more, using me for the fourth time before the sun rose—I knew this, because I realized there was a small skylight in the ceiling of my room, where I could see the sky lightening.
This was the bargain, of course, that he would have me as many times as he liked before morning, but by this time I was feeling quite exhausted and irritated with it all.
When I let out the slightest little grumpy sound, he looked triumphant. “Yes, there it is,” he said.
“What?”
“Tired of me already. It’s easy enough to make your noble declarations the first time or two.”
Then he held out a gold coin.
“O courageous one,” he said, sarcastically, “Will you remain here for another day and night, and allow to fuck you tonight as many times as I like?”
“Yes,” I said, looking right into his eyes. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Very well.” He gave me the coin. “Then, I will see you tonight.”
“Where are you going now?”
“To my much-needed rest.” He bowed slightly and I watched his sturdy boots depart.
Breakfast was already waiting for me on the small table on one side of the room, while a warm bath awaited on the other. Both appeared to be staying warm by magic, so I could choose either. I ate first, a magnificent spread of oatcakes with butter, sausages and fresh milk.
I thought I saw something flutter behind me.
“Hello?” I called.
It was very quiet. Did the goblin king have any pets? Or was this one of the mysterious subjects of the goblin kingdom? I got up and looked around the room, even checking under the bed clothes, but I was quite alone.
I kept feeling as if something was watching me.
After eating, I sank into the bath. I scrubbed all of last night’s sweat and…other things. It felt more embarrassing by day.
As I soaked, I looked at the coin I had earned. A lot of money for a poor family—perhaps a week’s wages for a strong laborer. Not all that much compared to what my family was accustomed to. My father used to make several gold coins in a poor week. I would have to give myself to the goblin king every night for the rest of my life for my family to enjoy the splendor they had known, and I knew that couldn’t happen. He would not keep me for long. They would buy themselves some time if they were smart, but I feared they would squander the money instead.
Damn them, why aren’t they doing anything for themselves?
The thought was unfamiliar to me. All my life, I had never wanted for anything, and no one expected anything of me, so I never resented how spoiled they were. Of my sisters, I was the one who dreamed—of becoming an explorer or a novelist or a scholar. And yet, here I was, stuck selling my body for the sake of the rest of them, just because I had always been intrigued by the puzzle of the goblin king.
Clara was probably at home sewing embroidery or writing letters to her friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hardly thought of me while I was gone.
But what could I do? I wasn’t heartless enough to let them be turned out on the street, even if they were heartless enough to ask this of me.
Time is running short, he said. That must be why girls never remained here for long. There was a time limit on the bargain—the enchantment. There was an enchantment, I was sure of that by now. He didn’t want to invite me to his bed; he was compelled to.
I opened the wardrobe. Voluminous skirts popped out at me, barely contained by the heavy doors. There were dozens of dresses stuffed into the wardrobe, some of them quite fine, but since I planned to explore the caverns even more thoroughly today, I chose one of the plainest ones: a forest green dress with a laced bodice, over a simple linen shift. And for good measure, I tied on my own apron.
I was tempted to return to the library and spend the whole day reading, but if time was indeed short, I had to figure out as much as I could about the king’s situation.
Suppressing a yawn, since I had not exactly slept well, I walked down the hall to begin at the beginning once again. A lantern was waiting for me outside my room, already burning with a steady flame. Where did these thoughtful gestures come from? The glittering walls were bright enough for me to find my way, but the lantern would certainly be useful for more careful exploration, since my bedroom seemed to be the only room with a skylight.
The entrance hall, I noted, was large enough to accommodate a whole gathering of people. And there was the painting that caught my eye the first night, of the dancing goblin maidens. I looked at it closer. Goblin maidens were certainly fearsome looking. All those teeth and claws, strange enough on a man but particularly unfeminine. And yet, they didn’t look ugly to me, the way people said. I thought I wouldn’t mind having fangs and claws myself. No more troublesome suitors! And they were having such fun in the painting. I wouldn’t have minded climbing into the scene, cutting my hair shorter like they did, letting it tumble around my head without bothering to brush it, gallivanting around in the night.
“Where are you?” I whispered to them.
I continued on, poking my nose in every corner, finding tiny passages that led to a music room with everything from lutes to pan pipes, and then finding servant’s quarters, including the well-stocked kitchen. I saw beds for hundreds of people, clothes hanging on pegs, cribs for babies.
But everywhere I went, there was no sign of life. It was eerie.
The one thing I could not seem to find was the king’s bedroom. Where did he sleep? I thought I had searched every inch of the place, except one.
In the deepest depths of the caves, I found a grotto where clear water flowed by in a river, and the walls were covered in moss and colorful lichen, with tiny white flowers that somehow bloomed without ever seeing the sunshine. “Oh my,” I said, when I came upon it. “Is this the source of water for the house?” (I was starting to talk to myself by now, for lack of company.)
I approached the river, picking my way over rocks that were treacherously slick, for the ceilings and floors all seemed to be excreting moisture, and all around me I could hear the little pit-pat of water, even over the sound of the swiftly moving river.
But there was something—some kind of altar or construct—on the other side of the river—
I gasped.
It was a glass coffin. And from here, I could see a beautiful man sleeping inside. He was so beautiful, so perfect and golden with his shining hair and white and gold clothes, that I thought he must be one of the fey race.
I wanted to get a better look. I was standing right on the edge of the river now. The current was fast, but it didn’t look very deep or wide. Currents could be deceptively dangerous, I knew, and yet…I might never see anything so remarkable again. A fair gentleman, frozen in sleep, like one of the sleeping kings who waits to be summoned in a time of need…
Kings.
I was about to put my toes in the water when I stopped, and thought of the goblin king, the king I had already known. He was not so beautiful, but he needed my help, I knew he did. Something was tormenting him, forcing him into this position. He had already given me a number of small clues that he wanted someone to set him free, but he didn’t trust me, had probably given up hoping.
What was this man in the coffin? Why would he be sleeping here in the king’s cave?
It made me think of the legends of the fey, luring humans to their grand feasts of food, offering them fine clothes, only to find in the morning that it was all made of bark and moss. Bad goblins would steal from a man; bad faeries would deceive.
A test, I thought.
But what if the test was, in fact, to be brave enough to cross the river? Oh, how I wanted to cross, wanted to lift the glass and touch the m
an’s skin. I felt sure he would be living and warm, perhaps waiting for me…
No! I took a step back. The desire burning in me was too strong. It spoke of magic.
I failed the first test, but I’m not going to fail again.
Chapter Five
What else was there to do? I had searched everywhere. Now I had an excuse to go to the library. It might be the only place for answers.
I quickly realized that the one subject missing from the library was magic. There was not a single tome about enchantments or curses or even common household spells, not even “The Hedge Witch’s Book of Advice” which nearly every literate person owned along just after their holy writ.
I was starting to feel a little despairing by the time dinner came around. I ate alone in my room, surrounded by so much beautiful food, and yet I couldn’t stop murmuring to myself nervously. “How much time do I have? What test did I fail? I don’t want to go home… I don’t think I could bear to go home, in fact. My family doesn’t care about anything much, except having money and stylish clothes and impressing everyone. Sometimes I wonder if they even care about me. I think I'd rather be a goblin and dance around in the moonlight, but…” I trailed off, poking at my soup.
The table before me was set with bread and butter, a joint of beef, spring peas, red wine…too much food for me.
I suddenly noticed that the butter dish was still vibrating. At first I thought it was another tremor. But no, it was just the dish. I picked it up, to make sure there wasn’t a bug underneath it making it move. The butter had been formed by a mold, and had the shape of a rose set in it.
Beauty and the Goblin King Page 3
