by Alexis Ward
“Sounds good to me. Plans for the rest of your night?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her waist and hooked two fingers into the band of the sash that held her robe in place. She grabbed my hand and tugged it gently as she spun away from me.
“Ah ah. I need to sleep. And think on these new developments. I get the feeling Yenette is going to want to confront Hightower as soon as possible. Unless he wants a civil war over this kidnapping issue, it probably won’t be too difficult. If you need entertainment, I think Marybeth keeps late hours. You remember the way to her room?” Sasha said.
“I’m pretty sure I do.” I said.
A while later I stood at the door to Marybeth’s room. A faint light was visible along the bottom edge of the door and I could hear something an intermittent scratching noise coming from the other side. I knocked on the door gently. “‘Beth? You up?” I whispered. The noise on the other side of the door stopped, then I heard footsteps. The door opened and Marybeth stood on the other side, wrapped in a thick blanket. Her shoulders, arms and feet were bare. Her dark hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders, framing her face.
“I tend to sleep a bit less than the average person. I was just working on some diagrams for improvements to the walls. How has your evening been Clive?” she said as she leaned on the doorframe, he arms crossed over her ample breasts. The blanket barely came up to cover the tops of her nipples, in my estimation.
“It’s been… eventful. I guess I rescued a Princess, and it turns out that neighboring Baron was trying to sell her into slavery. So that’s news. Sasha said we’d figure it out after sunup, and mentioned that you wanted to see me?” I asked. It took a concentrated effort to look into her dark eyes and not let my gaze wander back down to her chest.
“Interesting. And yes, I decided on what I’d like that favor to be.” Marybeth said as she took a step back into her room. “I spoke to some of the others, and apparently you have the libido of a deity. Please demonstrate.” She gave the blanket a tug and it fell from her shoulders, fully revealing her naked form. The tips of her nipples were hard points, and her arms, thighs, and the area beneath her breasts were covered in a thin layer of flexible black scales, the only markings of her strange heritage. In all the important areas she looked delightfully human.
I stepped inside her room and shut the door behind us, my cock already swollen and feeling uncomfortably trapped in my pants. “I mean, that sounds simple enough. I would have taken you up on the offer without any favors or anything. We’ve both just kinda been busy, and our paths don’t cross often. It doesn’t have to be a deal, it can just be a… gift.” I said as I fumbled with the buttons on my shirt, my eyes focused on the small patch of hair above her crotch, the budding feeling of arousal making me feel light-headed.
Marybeth chuckled. “Fine! A gift then. That means you’ll still owe me a favor.” she winked at me. Then she held her arms over her head and cocked her hips to the side. “Well, what next? Surprise me.” she said. I threw my shirt to the floor, then unbuckled my pants. They dropped down to my ankles and I stepped out of them toward her. From a step away her body practically radiated heat, enough so that my front felt almost too warm, while the air behind me was still uncomfortably cold. I reached out with my hand and brushed a fingertip along the scales beneath her breasts, they felt warm, but also surprisingly soft, more akin to a callous than a scale.
When I looked up to her face, she looked me in the eye and let out a deep breath as I ran my hand back and forth along her chest. “Hmm… that’s gentler than I expected. It’s nice though.” she whispered.
I stepped forward so that her breasts pressed against my chest and I wrapped one arm around the small of her back. Her hand settled on my shoulders as she lowered her arms. “Did you take me for some kind of brute?” I asked. Her fingers found the back of my neck and I felt a bolt of heat move down my spine straight to my groin.
“Kind of. You seem the uneducated type, you’re certainly no noble.” Marybeth remarked. My erect cock prodded the inside of her thighs, almost neatly trapped in the triangle that her pelvis and legs made. “Though you have other remarkable qualities.” she whispered. As my lips found hers, she groaned and hooked on leg around my hip. She balanced precariously on one foot as she ground her hips against me. I adjusted my arms behind her to help prevent her from falling while one of her hands slid down off my shoulder to grip my cock.
As she pushed my cock into her hot, wet pussy, I broke away from the kiss and glanced around the room, to see a straight pathway to where I wanted to go. As my tip slid into her, she moaned with pleasure and I took the opportunity to lift her up off the floor. She was lighter than expected, but still dense, her breasts squished pleasantly against my chest as she wrapped her other leg around me. “Hmmm. How strong you are… but please, a little more than the tip... “ she whispered into my neck as she continued to try to push her hips down on mine, as she sought deeper penetration.
“Patience, hot thing.” I carried her over to a spot of wall, and pushed her up against it, so that the wall bore some of her weight, leaving me more free to enjoy and explore her body. She was literally hot, so warm in fact that the air in the room no longer felt cold. As I first thrust into her, she felt even more fiery from the inside, almost to the point of discomfort, but not quite. As she began to pant and writhe as I pushed my cock in and out of her, waves of pleasure spreading from my the tip of my cock up through the rest of my body, I got used to the sensation of her heat. Maybe our temperatures had equalized or something, but I became too lost in the sensations of my own pleasure to logic that puzzle out.
“Is this what you wanted to feel?” I whispered. At this point we were both sweating and Marybeth seemed to be past the point of coherent conversation. Her eyes were closed, her head tipped back to rest against the wall as she gasped and panted for breath. Her arms and legs were wrapped tightly about me as her hips worked frantically to keep up with the rapid pace of my thrusts.
“Yes-- good. So close.” she gasped. I keep up my pace and we climaxed together, almost at the same time. Her arms and legs pressed against me harder as my hips pushed up against hers one final time, both of us shaking as shared waves of pleasure crashed over us. I was glad that we had the wall for support, or else I would have likely goofed it up and fallen over. I came back to my senses a few moments later, as I felt our hot intermingling juices oozing down my inner thigh.
“You okay ‘Beth?” I asked. She didn’t say anything, just nuzzled her face into my neck and squeezed me with her arms a little. “I’ll take that as a yes then” I said as I carried her over to her bed. Once her butt made contact with the mattress, she untangled her limbs from around me and flopped down, her face hitting her pillow squarely.
“Mhm. Good. Nice. Again sometime. Sleepy now.” she muttered. With her body away from mine, I felt cold. Opting for the most direct route, I crawled on to her tiny mattress next to her, against her back, and pulled her close. Once again, her unnatural warmth flooded through me. Soon she was snoring soundly, occasionally stirring in her sleep to squirm and press her body against mine for a moment. I passed out some time after her, my mind racing with half formed thoughts of what tomorrow might bring.
Chapter 19 - The Journey Begins
When I awoke the next morning, I felt the cold air wrapped around my naked body and Marybeth was nowhere to be seen in her room. I mean, I wasn’t sure that it was morning till I got dressed and stepped into the hall and looked out a window. The sun was just barely peeking over the treeline, I opted to make my way to the dining room. If I had known where the kitchen was, I would have gone that way, but I realized too late that I had never asked where the food in the castle was stored or prepared.
Once in the dining room, I found Sasha, Yenette, and Stella already seated, with some trays of fruit and crackers set in the middle of the table. I grabbed an apple and a fistful of crackers to delay my hunger, but hoped that I hadn’t missed out on more substantial foodstuffs. The t
hree girls were silent as I sat down, and seemed to have been quiet since before I entered the room. “So what’s up?” I asked them.
“From Yenette’s retelling, it’s clear that the Baron had her kidnapped as she was heading north back to the Capital, presumably to prevent her from making the new claim on my lands official. Unfortunately for Yenette, she had a stellar reputation and there was no easy route to blackmailing her, though I’m surprised that Hightower didn’t go the ransom route.” Sasha said.
I took a bite of the apple. “I follow so far. What’s it mean for us?” I said.
“It means unless we can sneak a messenger through, we’re effectively cut off from any support from the rest of the kingdom until we deal with Hightower one way or another. Unless he’s going to be a good sport and flee his estate.” Sasha said.
Yenette frowned. “Unless he abdicates, it means civil war, or having him assassinated. Or finding a man competent enough to defeat him a duel and claim his title and holdings.” Yenette looked at me as she said this last part.
“I mean… Sasha and I did kinda discuss that a while ago. Not so bluntly maybe. I’m not really sure I’m capable enough for that though, Sebastian was on the verge of gutting me last night. Not exactly a confidence boost.” I said.
Stella nodded. “Fair. You probably need another solid year of tutoring before you’re ready to handle a properly trained opponent.” she added.
“Well, then our options are limited. I’m not really the sort of person who has connections to hire assassins, so we’re probably looking at a small war. Nothing that won’t end immediately when forces from the Capital arrive though. Hightower may be a brute, but he’s not stupid, he’ll give up and accept his punishment if the odds are overwhelming. But to make that happen, we’ll need to get word to the capital.” Yenette said.
“And that sounds like the perfect thing for you to manage Clive. You’ve got the skills, and if Feera carries you it won’t take you more than a couple weeks round trip.” Sasha said with a smile that showed her teeth. Her hands were up on the table, palms pressed together while her fingers wiggled.
“I get the feeling this whole plan was figured out before I arrived.” I said dryly.
Stella smiled. “Just a little. None of us want to see you die attempting the dueling option, nor is waiting a year while giving Hightower more chances to interfere with Sasha’s affairs a wise idea.” she said.
“We’ll make it worth your while?” Sasha said.
“How worth my while?” I asked. Then I bit down on a cracker and started to chew.
“A kiss from a royal?” Yenette said sweetly.
“That has far less value than you might think, when it’s my life on the line.” I said.
“Why don’t you take her with you? The King will be more likely to act if his own daughter is the one relaying the message, right?” Sasha said with a wink.
Yenette’s playful grin turned sour immediately. “What? No. I mean yes, it’s true father would listen to me and likely act faster than if I sent a letter but--”
“Haste is important in this case.” Stella said.
“Indeed. And it wouldn’t do for you to be here if Hightower decides to strike first and siege this understaffed, barely held together with wishful thinking and glue castle now would it?” Sasha added. That seemed to settle the matter. Yenette, Feera and I would go north to the Capital, starting this morning. Which meant I wasn’t going to get a proper breakfast.
An hour later Feera, in wolf form, carried both Yenette and I on her back as she sprinted through the forest in a generally northward direction. She assured me she knew where the Capital was, and had been there once before. Yenette had borrowed some proper outdoors clothes from Sasha, that fit her just a bit too loosely, other than that, she carried nothing but a rolled up blanket. Meanwhile I sported an overburdened backpack, with everything we could think to pack for the trip. Most of the weight was food and water though. I held onto Feera, the pack’s straps dug into my shoulders, and Yenette wrapped her arms around the pack, which only furthered the strain. We stopped only at streams to refill our water supplies, or whenever Feera felt she needed a break, which was only about two or three times a day on average. Each night I was generally too exhausted to do much other than cook dinner for the Princess, and then collapse in to my bedroll and pass out.
On the third day of our journey, we had a brief encounter with some men in green and red on horseback, about ten of them, when we had to cross a road that ran east to west, dividing the forest. They spotted us, but once Feera had bounded over the road and got up to full speed in the thick of the forest, we were easily able to avoid capture. That night as we settled down, it occured to me that it would be as good a time as any to ask a few questions. “So, what is the capital city called anyway?” I asked Yenette.
“Generally we just refer to it as the Capital. Boring I know, but I have failed many times to convince father that it needs changing. It’s old name is Thronehold, which isn’t much better, is it? What was the capital of your land called?” she said.
“Atlanta. It was overcrowded, a silly place. The countryside was far better. How long do you think it will take the King to mobilize enough troops, assuming he agrees to aid us?” I said.
Yenette shrugged. “I know little of military matters. Probably a month at most?” she guessed.
“Hmm. Fair. As long as we don’t have to wait around. I want to get back to Sasha and the others as soon as we can. The talk of the castle being sieged doesn’t sit well with me.” I said. After that little exchange, we didn’t say much more. Feera remained mostly silent throughout the journey, only speaking up to ask us to look away when she transformed. Though she still curled up next to my feet each night in her human form, showing her affection in her own weird way, I guess.
After five more days, the Capital was in sight. It was situated in the center of a broad plain, miles wide. We approached through the forests to the south, and mountains further north formed a contrasting backdrop to the wide stone walls and the massive towering keep that were the defining features of the Capital at this distance. As we got closer, I could make out plots of farmland and clusters of buildings outside the walls. As the trees thinned, we halted briefly so that Feera could shift back into her human form. It wouldn’t do us any good to terrify the local populace. Yenette had seemed unfazed throughout the journey, but warned us earlier that werecreatures, even those in control of their transformation, were still considered monsters by many people of the Kingdom. Feera already knew that, but I hadn’t really thought about it.
As we approached the city gates we walked past crowds of people and some horse drawn carts. Yenette walked up to one of the gate guards and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. On her arm was an ornate tattoo, of a golden crown wreathed with roses with unusually large thorns. It was the first time I’d seen it, she’d always worn long sleeves. The guard’s eyes bulged for a moment, then he hurried us past the line and into the city proper. “Princess, this is highly unusual. Where is your escort?” the guard asked as he led us toward the large castle that sat in the center of town.
“They were slain Andrew. Things above your pay grade, I assure you. I must see father as soon as possible, just get me to the castle and I’ll take care of it from there. And stop fidgeting and looking at shadows, it’s not the kind of situation where we need to worry about assassins. Plus, I may have lost my original escort, but I have gained a new one.” Princess Yenette pointed toward Feera and I as we followed a few steps behind her and Andrew the guard.
The castle itself was decorated with many banners. Lots of symbols and heraldry I didn’t recognize, but one that matched the tattoo on Yenette’s arm hung prominently, on either side of the massive archway that led into the inner courtyard. Andrew stayed with us, and the armored figures at the gate waved us through once they recognized that we were with him.
Meeting with the King as soon as possible turned out to be a longer affair than I had antic
ipated. We had been ushered by some fellow in a yellow robe, royal court appointment manager or some such nonsense, to sit in a small side room. The room itself was nice enough, plush couches, silver and gold bowls held pristine fruits, crystal decanters held water and stronger drink. The walls were wood paneled and inlaid with rare metals and tiny square cut gemstones. An overarching motif of gold and roses was present throughout the space.
Feera was immune to being impressed by such things, and promptly passed out on a couch in the corner. I seized the moment to remove my too-heavy pack that had burdened me the entire trip, and poured myself some water, then set about devouring some of the grapes on the table. Yenette chewed idly at a baby carrot, her eyes drifting between the two doors to the room. Just as I was about to say something, the door we had not entered through opened, and another court employee peeked into the room. “Princess, your father to see you now.” he said.
Yenette and I stood up and walked toward him. She stepped past him, but as I moved to leave the room he held up a hand. “The Princess only please. She will return for you when the meeting is over.” the flunkie said. I briefly considered shoving him out of the way, but thought better of it. I shrugged and went back to the chair I had been lounging in. I heard the door close behind me.
