by Eric Vall
“It sounds like fun to me.” The cat-woman sighed with a dreamy look in her large, round eyes. “Getting to dress up all fancy and have lots of people look at you and tell you how pretty you are.”
“You might think so,” Morrigan said pointedly, her nearly black eyes heavy on Carmedy’s, “but, some of us do not enjoy such trivial things.”
“But, anyways,” Annalise interrupted, and everyone turned to listen to her raspy voice, “during the debut, they tour us around each province. Usually we stayed about two nights in each, but that winter was exceptionally cold, and the snowfall was heavy. We stayed in Tintagal for close to a week because the roads were impassable. That’s where my parents were formally introduced to the man they later arranged for me to marry.”
She frowned a bit as the memories came back to her. “It’s a huge city, but Tintagal and Tamarisch are separated by a massive river called the Riese, if you could even consider it a river. It’s the largest moving body of water in the northern provinces. We’ll have to cross that river before we can enter Tintagal. I think our best course of action is to cross and stop at the island of Machstein. It’s at the midway point between the regions, and there are two well-known dungeons there.”
“I think that is best,” I interjected as I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, laying my eyes on each of my beautiful minions. “Kalon has told me the frontlines of fighting are along the shores of the Riese. Your brothers are there, correct, Annalise?”
“Yes, they’re pushing back the Tintagal army that invaded after I left,” Annalise snapped angrily, and her hands formed into fists in her lap. “It seems Baudouin, the man I was supposed to marry, doesn’t like to be told no.”
“He’ll get some, don’t worry.” Rana laughed as she punched out at the open air with closed fists for emphasis, and Annalise relaxed and let out a soft chuckle at that.
“Does this mean we get to meet your brothers?” Carmedy squealed happily as she tucked her hands up underneath her chin and gazed over at Annalise. “I can’t wait to see them! I bet you all could be twins!”
“Well, if you don’t remember, two of them are twins, pussycat.” Rana roared with laughter, and Carmedy pushed out her bottom lip only a moment before her expression cleared and she joined in with the laughter at her own expense. I smiled and chuckled along with them, then turned my face towards the other man in the room.
“Kalon?” I asked, and he shifted his dark-eyed gaze towards me and nodded for me to continue. “Would you watch over Tamarisch while we’re away? Just to keep things in order?”
I found out early that Kalon was a skilled and honorable man. As the military trainer, he was strong, level-headed, and determined to have his subordinates succeed, and he was a worthy man to take care of Tamarisch, though for only a short time. Soon, I knew he would be needed back in the army ranks as a war hero.
During our short stay in the castle of Tamarisch, I heard stories of his prowess on the battlefield and was glad to have such a man on our side to guide our ranks in the future if anyone dared to challenge our kingdom. Annalise and I agreed Kalon would be the one to watch over things while we were away, but the one better suited to rule in our wake was her oldest brother, Ansel. My high queen was unsure if her brother would agree to such a responsibility but had decided to seek him out anyway. Her brothers, I assumed, were like Annalise, proud and dignified in all of their ways, but I hoped they wouldn’t be as prideful and secretive as Annalise was in the beginning. I eyed her carefully, and she was deep in her thoughts, her angular face heavy with storm clouds.
“Of course, I will,” Kalon promised as he bowed his head to me, then to Annalise. “Tamarisch is my home, and I will do everything I can to protect it.”
My queen pressed her lips into a tight line, her brows furrowed as she stood slowly and made her way towards the door. Carmedy watched her go with concern in her eyes, but Morrigan was the one to stop her with a gentle hand as she whispered to her. The white-haired woman’s mouth moved silently as she spoke, and Annalise’s dark eyes rested on the floor.
I knew Annalise’s worries because she had voiced them to me privately. She was unsure if her brother would accept the position we were offering since he had no interest in ruling the kingdom alone. This situation was a burden on her heart, and I tried my best to relieve her of it, but this was something she would have to work out for herself.
I also stood and gestured for Annalise and Kalon to follow me out into the hall. Once we were alone in the massive space, they flanked me as we walked together, and I looked between the two of them. Annalise’s face was pensive, her dark brown braid swinging out behind her as she strode confidently, but Kalon looked at me attentively.
“Annalise,” I directed at her, and her eyebrows raised as she stared deeply into my eyes, “tell me a bit about Tamarisch and its trade.”
“You may not have known this, but Tamarisch is one of the strongest trade importers in all of the nations. Due to the year-long cold weather, hardly any perishable items are produced here, like fruit and vegetables. A few here and there in the lower elevations where the weather is milder, but those are very few and far between. We have one exception that is Machstein Island, but other than that, we have to import all food besides meat, which is plentiful.” The swordswoman spoke in a matter of fact tone, and it was clear she knew the shortcomings of her nation from the expression on her face.
“What about exports?” I inquired, and she shook her head.
“If I may?” Kalon interjected, and we both nodded for him to go on. “Tamarisch has always been a rich land, and the proof is within the mountains around us. Long ago, our land to the east was bountiful with iron and marble, as you can see from this palace. This marble we stand on wasn’t imported, it was mined from our own mountains. The high queen’s great-great-grandfather was the one who started the mining, but we were attacked shortly after by enemy troops, and our mining died with our then High King.”
“Are the mountains in the east the only ones that have marble and iron in them?” I asked.
Kalon shook his head fervently. “No, city surveyors who planned to expand housing in one of the sectors told us there are iron and marble in all of the mountains surrounding us.”
“Good quality?” I questioned thoughtfully as different trains of thought raced through my head.
“Excellent, better than any out there.” He reached out and touched the marble wall, and it shone under his fingers. “Look here, look at the veins of blue within the gray and white and the way it fans out from the other colors. No other marble like this exists outside of Tamarisch. We call it Cerulean Flame, and I would wager it would fare a hefty price if we traded it.”
“And the iron?”
“Strong, good quality,” Kalon replied. “We still mine for it and use it for anything, from our military weapons, to the spokes in street-vendor cartwheels. Very versatile and very strong.”
“Would they fetch good prices if we were to trade?” I asked, and Kalon nodded once more with a smile.
“With how well it holds, no matter what you use it for, absolutely,” Kalon guaranteed, and I glanced over at Annalise. Her chocolate brown eyes were bright, and when she looked at me, a broad smile spread over her plump lips.
“Master, let’s do it, let’s bring trade to Tamarisch,” she said fervently, and her hands clenched into fists excitedly at her sides.
I smiled back at her, and stroked her shoulder tenderly. “Yes, we will,” I said proudly before I turned back to Kalon. “You may not know, but I have taken control of Valasara as their king. I would like to speak to my regent, Makar, and see what type of trade we can set up between our two cities. I will contact him in a few days, and then I will let you know what we decide. For now, we will keep this between the three of us until our plan is solid, understood?”
“Yes, Master,” Kalon said as he bowed to me then Annalise.
“We leave tomorrow for the frontlines of battle,” I declared as I steered my warr
ior queen towards the hall on the left. “I will contact you after I speak with my regent.”
Kalon reached out a hand, and I took it and shook it firmly in agreement. When Kalon was halfway down the hall from us, he turned back with a muddled expression.
“And how will you contact me, Master?” he probed while scratching his dark-haired head.
“You will know when I call for you,” I promised through a knowing smile as I guided my swordswoman into the hall towards our shared bedroom. “You will know.”
I woke in the early morning to the bright rays of sunshine slanting over my eyes and shifted comfortably back as I raised my arms above my head. I glanced down, and Annalise’s naked body was pressed into mine. Her dark chestnut hair, which was usually pulled back in its neat plait, was loose around her shoulders. She groaned against me, shaded her eyes with her forearm, and exposed one of her small, soft breasts. The nipple was hardened and rosy pink from the cold chill in the air, and I cupped it gently in the palm of my hand and ran my fingertips over the hardened bud.
Annalise opened one drooping eyelid and gazed at me with one sparkling brown eye. After we had married, the high queen told me something none of the other minions knew. The Tamarisch traditions said no man should see a woman’s unbraided hair unless they were married, especially if the woman was of royal lineage, the only exception to this tradition was their fathers. I brushed through the loose waves of her silky hair, and she hummed under my touch as my fingertips whispered over her smooth jawline. I considered myself a lucky man to be able to behold such a woman and the glorious locks that created a curtain over her pert breasts.
Annalise yawned and stretched, and the light played against the thin bones of her spine in the morning light. She turned over, and I grabbed her by the hips and brought her closer as I pressed my arousal into the soft flesh of her ass. She giggled airly and peeked at me over her shoulder, and when her dark brown eyes caught the light, they turned golden like the eyes of a tiger.
I pressed my lips to her exposed neck as I ran a hand down her thigh and lifted it to allow my entrance from behind. She moaned into the pillow as the head of my penis brushed her wet lips, and as I pushed in harder, she gripped the bedsheets in pain but didn’t pull away from me. She had been a virgin on our wedding night, but with much practice, she was becoming more accustomed to my length and size. I gripped the hollow between her hip and thigh and pushed all the way inside with a low grunt. She wriggled against me, enjoying the sensation of my huge cock against the inside of her body. When I pulled back and thrust inside her again, she threw her head back and moaned loudly into the open air.
She felt like exquisite silk wrapped around me. Each of my minions were different in bed, but Annalise, who was hard and callus on the outside, was warm and soft at every touch.
As I quickened my pace, our bodies slapping together lustfully, her moans transformed into raspy screams as her hand fluttered up and grabbed onto my forearm. Then her eyes closed tightly as she pumped her hips against me. Annalise had no prior experience with lovemaking, but she was taking to my lessons with great enthusiasm.
I lifted her right leg higher and slammed in as my free hand snaked around her and stroked her exposed clitoris. Her eyes opened wide as she gasped for air, and I knew that was her spot that she liked the most. I swirled my fingers over its dripping surface, and her screams rose in pitch as they vibrated against the walls. Her pussy tightened and gripped me, and I grew dizzy from the contractions on my member, but right as I reached the edge, she pushed away from me.
I gasped for air, desperate for more as she weaved above me and placed her strong legs on either side of mine. Then she clutched my hands and brought them up to her breasts as she slid back down on my cock, where she belonged. Annalise bounced on top of me and used the bed to fully slide my member in and out of her core at a fast pace. Her hips rocked, and I felt my tip glide all the way to the entrance of her sweet hole then slam back down until our hips were pressed against each other.
If she kept at it like this, I wouldn’t last very long. Every movement of my high queen was ecstasy, and I wanted to savor every moment. I sat up with my penis still inside her and held her to my chest as I savagely plunged deeper and gripped onto her shoulders for leverage. Her head fell back, and her chest rose and fell as she struggled between moans and screams. Her forehead was sticky with sweat, and the baby hairs at her hairline stuck there.
“Yes, Master, yes, please,” she choked out between gasps.
I gripped her and pushed her back onto the bed, and her legs wrapped around my middle as I slammed into her, my release on the horizon as her pussy convulsed and tightened around me once more. Her beautiful face was serene as her orgasm took her in its fist, and her body moved against mine in urgent waves and I allowed her to ride it out. After all, her pleasure was my pleasure, as it was with all of my minions. Watching them moan and beg for me only aroused me more.
Her eyes opened as the orgasm let go of her, and then she stared up into my hazel eyes in wonder and love. She moaned weakly, but her hips still moved against mine, not satisfied unless she made her Master cum.
“Give me your seed, Master, give it to me, I want it,” she whispered hotly into my ear as I quickened my pace. I gritted my teeth as my hand buried itself in her dark mane, and I felt it rising within me, building up inside my loins and about to explode at her begging voice. “Master, please.”
I slid deep into her once more as my frothy seed spilled into her, and she moaned loudly as the warmth from it spread inside her womb. My climax lasted for what seemed like a full minute, but once it had ended, I collapsed on top of her and let my breathing return to normal while she ran her slender fingers through my hair. We stayed like this for awhile, the High King and Queen enjoying the tender moments of their marital bed.
But there was work to be done, so I swung my legs out and brought my armor over in preparation as I shrugged on my underclothes.
“Come back to bed,” she begged lustfully as she reached out for me once more, but I shook my head as I slipped into my heavy boots.
Right as I was about to speak, the door shot open, and Rana and Carmedy piled in. The cat-girl was already clothed in her heavy winter gear, and she dove for the bed and bounced up and down on it.
“Get up! Getup, getup, getup!” the cat-woman chanted as she jumped, but Annalise spread herself out and clung to the sides of the mattress for dear life.
“What?” my queen asked as she tried to keep the sheets of our bed from falling away from her naked body while the cat-girl hopped around.
“Today is the day!” Carmedy cheered excitedly.
Rana stomped over with a sly smile, raised her hand high over her head, and brought it down on Annalise’s sheet-covered ass with a loud smack that resounded around the room. Annalise yelped, let go of the bed, grabbed the blankets she was covered in, and retreated from the bed as she rubbed at her sore butt-cheek.
“I was getting up!” she shouted red-faced as she pointed at Rana angrily. “You didn’t have to hit me!”
“If we had let you get up on your own, we would be stuck here for weeks,” Morrigan’s cold voice said from the doorway, and Fea and Macha, back on their mistress’s shoulders, bobbed their heads up and down in agreement.
“I’m up!” Annalise bellowed as she ran a hand through her loose hair, flustered. “Now everyone out before I make you get out with Bloodscale!” Her threat was menacing, but her lips twitched at the corners as she tried to hide a smile.
“Come now,” I laughed loudly at Annalise’s behavior and gestured the two rambunctious women out, “before Annalise lops off all our heads.”
We spent most of the morning collecting our things, packing our bags, and scarfing down a delicious breakfast prepared by the palace’s cook. As per usual, Carmedy ate more than any of us, three scrambled eggs, five pieces of buttered toast, a pile of pancakes dripping in syrup and lastly, four slices of peach pie. When we went to leave the kitchen,
the cook held up a hand, waved the cat-woman over, and handed her a package wrapped in thick wax paper. Carmedy squealed in excitement as she peeked into the tightly wrapped box, and then she ran over to us with a straight face as she attempted to hide her surprise behind her back.
“Whatcha get, pussycat?” the fox asked as she tried to snatch the box away from Carmedy.
“Nothing,” Carmedy sang in a teasing voice and effectively avoided Rana’s probing hands.
“Come on, just show me!” Rana shouted in utter exasperation. “It’s not like I’m going to try and steal it!”
“Knowing Carmedy, it is most likely a pie or some type of dessert,” Morrigan interjected with little interest as her dark eyes moved over the package then wafted away.
“It is a pie!” the cheery alchemist said and nodded. “I’ll share this time, I promise!”
“The last time you offered to share a pie, you ate the entirety of said pie. Are we supposed to scrape the remnants from your fur and share that?” Morrigan asked with a lifted white eyebrow as she pulled on her red coat and buttoned it over her usual black dress.
“Did you … ?” Rana shuffled forward in disbelief, grabbed Morrigan’s slender hands, and held them tightly in her own, “Did you just make another joke? Guys, Morrigan made her second joke. Oh! I’m so proud!”
Morrigan snatched her hands away with a small frown, and Rana wiped a fake tear away then burst out laughing.
“Where are we going today?” the cat asked Annalise with round green eyes, excited to start out on another adventure.
“We have to pass through the small village of Bickenbane. I heard there is a dungeon hidden away in the mountain, and Bickenbane is at the base of that mountain,” the swordswoman said as she pulled out a map of Tamarisch and pointed to our destination.
“How far is it?” I asked as I clipped on my bear fur overcoat and the matching gloves.
“Not very far compared to our other journeys, three hours by foot to Bickenbane, then another hour to the mountain.”