A carrying wail interrupted him as two children coated in various colors of paint streaked out of a doorway and across the courtyard. The children skidded to a halt next to d’Vrengny’s chair. “Father, I don’t want to take a bath!” the first child said, clinging to the armrest. “It’s not my fault Ellie spilled paint!”
“I don’t want to take a bath, either, and Gaspie shouldn’t have thrown paint at me,” the other child said, stamping a tiny foot on the cobblestones.
“Enough,” d’Vrengny said with unmistakable authority. “Your majesty, allow me to present two of your more unruly subjects, my son Gaspar and my daughter Elusine.”
As he spoke an exasperated woman in a green dress dashed out of the same door as the twins, trying to smooth a mass of auburn hair escaping from her snood as she trotted up to them. “Hello, your majesty,” she said, curtseying to Matthias before capturing a wrist from each child. “I’m so sorry about this. Let me get these little hoydens cleaned up and presentable and I’ll be right back.”
She towed the arguing children with her back into the building, d’Vrengny watching all three of them with an unmistakable fondness. “I won’t have a brown hair left by the time they’re ten, but they do make life worth living,” he said, summoning more servants.
****
Danaë took the opportunity to freshen up in her well-appointed room with Flavia in attendance while Matthias spoke with d’Vrengny in private. Dinner was an hour later, with a now-serene Lady d’Vrengny supervising and two freshly scrubbed children glowering at each other across the wide wooden table. They didn’t seem impressed by the fact that their king and queen were dining with them, but their eyes widened when they were introduced to Ife. The mage indulged their pleading for a magical demonstration by making the water in their cups leap across the table, landing without a wasted drop in the opposite cups.
To Danaë’s surprise the food surpassed that served in the palace. The count himself explained it. “My cook is a wonder, and I’m a martyr to her art,” he said, nodding at the gouty foot propped up on yet another padded stool. “When one is graced with the food of the gods, one has to put up with a bit of discomfort as payment.”
Lady d’Vrengny snorted in fondness. “That’s an excuse if ever I heard one, my love,” she said.
“True, but I’m sticking to it,” d’Vrengny said, forking up another bite of braised beef in wine sauce.
In addition to the marvelous food, the conversation was far-ranging and most entertaining. Danaë noted the sharpness in both d’Vrengnys’ gazes and how they were evaluating their visitors. Unlike their children they hadn’t blinked at the inclusion of Ife in the royal party, but she could sense their heightened interest in the mage.
“So, did you find out anything useful from our host?” she asked Matthias in bed later that night.
The king slid an arm around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Caspar did note rumbles of discontent from the circles Lukas used to run in, but it was only among the younger nobles and faded over time. He promised to look into it in more detail, but I’m more interested in what he said about the mirror.”
Danaë twisted her neck to look at him. “He knows where it came from?”
“Possibly. One of our more eccentric nobles, the Earl of Bevaan, is a collector of magical arcana, as it turns out. All of it is supposedly despelled and harmless, but I’m not foolish enough to trust in an obsessed man’s word. Caspar remembered hearing Lord Bevaan complain about an item stolen from his collection a number of years ago. He’s going to nose around and find out if it was the mirror.”
“And if it is?”
“Then I summon Lord Bevaan to the castle for a private chat about his collection.” Matthias’s smile was humorless. “I’m sure the Grand Synod will be most interested in it as well.”
Danaë knew the magical ruling body took a dim view on magical items in the hands of non-practitioners. “I almost wish I could watch.”
“I’ll schedule it for one of your official visits,” Matthias said, then went quiet. The look on his face made his thoughts clear. She didn’t want to think about saying goodbye, either.
“The children were charming, weren’t they?” she said, changing the conversation topic. “Elusine told me all about her horse, and Gaspar is a budding natural philosopher.”
“Yes, they’re clever children. A late surprise for Caspar and Marthe, you see.” Matthias chuckled. “He thought he had a peaceful retirement ahead of him, and then Marthe presented him with the Twice the Trouble, as he calls them.”
Danaë remembered the times she and Darius turned the palace onto its ear after one of their adventures. “We might have twins, you know,” she warned. “They do run in my family.”
“We’ll double up on the palace guard and outfit their nursery with cages.”
“That’ll might work for a little while. But Darius knew how to out-argue our nanny and the guards by the time he was six, and if logic didn’t work he used charm to get his way. If I know my brother, he’ll be more than happy to pass his skills along to his nephews or nieces.”
“Noted. And what skills did you bring to your twin reign of terror?”
“I was an accomplished sneak thief. I could get in and out of the kitchens without anyone noticing, and I was a dab hand at picking locks.”
“Shocking,” Matthias said in mock disapproval. “And who corrupted the crown princess of Hellas in such a way?”
“Nidas, the palace chamberlain.”
It was Matthias’s turn to lift his head and stare at her. “Your chamberlain?”
“Yes. Apparently he had a bit of a spotted background when it came to criminal activity, but he also saved Father’s life many years ago,” Danaë explained. “When Nidas got married and needed a steady job, he asked Father for work. Within a year he’d been promoted to chamberlain. Father used to say that all chamberlains stole as a matter of course, so at least he was hiring a professional.”
“Your father was a wise man,” Matthias said. He eased a bit closer, resting a hand over her stomach. “Back to the subject of children. Gaspar and Elusine approve of you, you know. They said you should have babies as soon as possible so that they can play with them.”
“Oh, really?” She pretended to think. “Well, if we want some of our own, I suppose we should get started on making them.”
She stretched back and kissed him, enjoying the gentle firmness of his mouth and the way it opened under her own. Their tongues danced together in a long, slow swirl, ending when Matthias pulled back and nipped at her lower lip.
He rolled her under him in a quick movement, making her giggle, before returning to their kisses. Danaë let her hands roam over the muscled expanse of his back, loving the way he moved under her touch. His chest brushed against the tightening points of her breasts, and she could feel his own nipples harden against her skin.
As if reading her mind he eased her gown up, nuzzling his way down her neck and covering her breasts with warm, teasing kisses. To her surprise he started kissed a line down her sternum to her belly, then lower.
A flicker of hope grew. She loved giving him oral pleasure, but he hadn’t shown any interest in reciprocating and she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. “Matthias?”
He paused at her mound, lips warm against the sensitive skin there. “Please, little bird, let me do this,” he murmured. “I swear I’ll give you nothing but pleasure.”
She reached down and stroked his hair. “You never have to ask permission to do that, love.”
“Ah. Good.” He urged her thighs apart, kissing and nuzzling the soft skin on their inner surfaces. The light scratch of his stubble added a teasing prickle to the sensation, something that was trebled when he bit down. The unexpected sting sent a wave of sensation flooding upward, and she gasped in pleasure.
He raised his head, grinning at her. “To borrow your own words, I take it you liked that?”
“Yes,” Danaë managed, breathless. “In fact,
do that again.”
“As you wish.” He repeated the process on her other thigh, laving the bite mark before kissing it. She could feel herself growing wet, wondering if he could see it shining on her flesh.
He teased closer and closer, rubbing his nose across her pubic curls and laying closed mouth kisses along her outer lips. The sensation started out as ticklish, but transmuted into pleasure under his slow, deliberate nuzzling.
He paused. “I’m going to open you now and kiss you inside, all right?”
She suppressed a growled order for him to get on with it, wiggling under his hands instead. He chuckled and stroked her with his thumbs, parting her and exposing her wet inner core. “Oh, yes, all slick and eager for me,” he murmured. “I’ve wanted to taste you here since our first night together. And now I’m going to feast on you, little bird.”
She felt his warm breath gust across her, and then the deliberate brush of his tongue. She shuddered as desire flamed through her, heating her belly and making her moan. He licked her again, more firmly this time, sending up another rush of need.
“Gods, yes. More, please,” she begged.
He settled in, hands curling around her thighs as he alternated between licking and suckling her clitoris and nibbling along the edges of her inner lips. At one point his tongue slid inside her, swirling around and making her squeak at the delicious sensation. She couldn’t help wriggling in his grasp, but he held her in place as he licked and sucked the aching point of her pleasure. She reached down to press his head closer. Oh, gods, yes, do this as much as you like, I love feeling your tongue inside me, worshipping me, oh my love…
Then two fingers slid deep inside her, pressing against the upper side. They found that wonderful spot that sent so much pleasure arrowing through her, and Danaë shoved a desperate fist against her mouth to muffle her scream. She felt Matthias chuckle, then he drew her throbbing clitoris between his lips and sucked hard as he pressed against that spot again.
Her back arched as she exploded, white stars blurring out her vision. She bit down on her fist but still heard the high, keening sounds pouring out of her throat as Matthias continued to lick and suck her through her orgasm. After what felt like a marvelous eternity he eased off and rubbed his face on her thigh in a kiss. “Thank you, little bird. That was wonderful.”
“You, my king, are the master of understatement,” Danaë panted through what she was sure was a very silly grin. “That was amazing. My gods, why didn’t you do that before?”
He rested his cheek against her leg. “Hanne didn’t like it,” he admitted. “She said it was too intense. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about it.”
“Well, now you know.” She reached down, urging him up. As she expected his cock was hard and hot underneath his nightshirt, and she palmed it. “Of course, there’s a problem with giving me such pleasure.”
“There is?” His own breath was starting to grow choppy at her touch.
“Oh, yes. It makes me want even more.”
“Ah. Well, then.”
He shifted up a bit more, then slid into her. She was so wet from her first orgasm that she took him easily, wrapping her legs around him and tilting her pelvis so that he could go even deeper. This wasn’t a time for finesse, nor did she want it at the moment. She wanted to be ridden hard, filled and fucked and made to spend shuddering around him.
Matthias obliged her, using short, hard thrusts to rock into her at a steady pace. Each thrust rubbed his shaft against her already sensitive clitoris, and soon she felt her pleasure starting to build.
He shifted again, pushing her legs over his shoulders and pistoning into her. “I adore you,” he breathed, sweat beading on his face. “I adore you, little bird, and I’m going to fill you like this every night, plant my seed deep until it takes root. I want my babes in you, my love in you.”
Keening, she clamped down on him, digging her fingers into the meat of his back as she soared into joy. He groaned her name one last time as he thrust deep and spent inside her.
Panting, he sagged down, kissing her throat and chin and mingling their sweat. “My beautiful, perfect queen,” he breathed.
“My wonderful, perfect king,” Danaë breathed back, stroking his shoulders. I hope you got your wish.
The next morning Danaë, Matthias, and the rest of the royal party took breakfast with their host and hostess before rejoining the convoy camped outside the estate walls. Marthe made sure that everyone was well-fed, and the twins presented Danaë with a paint-spattered scroll that officially welcomed her to the d’Vrengny estate. A quick addendum invited her to return at any time. She thanked the children with the appropriate graciousness for their gift and promised that she would do her best to stop by during her next visit to Ypres.
“With a baby,” little Elusine reminded her. “We like babies, don’t we, Gaspie?”
Her brother rolled his eyes and Danaë had to bite back a snort of laughter. “I’ll do my best,” she said to Elusine. The little girl beamed at her, and she caught a flash of the same expression on Matthias’s face as he stood off to the side listening.
****
As the convoy got ready to head out, Danaë excused herself and went to ride with Ife in the wagon. Matthias understood her need to practice her magic, but missed her presence at his side as they rode along.
He wondered what it would be like to be father to a pair of twins at his age, especially ones as active as Gaspar and Elusine d’Vrengny. The idea didn’t seem all that dismaying.
And then there was Danaë. Beautiful, intelligent, and fearless, she had also turned out to have a sensual side that delighted him every night. It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed that aspect of married life with Hanne, he told himself. He had, and he had done his utmost to make sure that Hanne had, as well. But his first queen had been reserved when it came to certain bedroom activities. Over the years he’d learned to be happy with the acts she felt comfortable with, learning not to ask for more.
But Danaë was a revelation. Nothing seemed to faze her when it came to intimacy. What they’d done last night alone had been astounding. He loved the way she tasted, and driving her into a mindless delirium of need with his lips and tongue had made him harder than he’d ever been in his life.
Did I plant my seed, little bird? Do you have a new life in you already? He cautioned himself not to get his hopes up. Even if he hadn’t, there would be more than enough nights together before he had to leave her in Hellas. One of them would be the night where they created a new life.
And if it happened to be two new lives as Danaë said might be possible, all the better. The eldest would become heir to the throne of Ypres as dictated in the treaty, and the youngest would take the throne of Hellas. His beautiful little witch queen could secure the futures of two countries with a single pregnancy.
His thoughts were interrupted by Darius. “As my sister is otherwise engaged, I thought I would ride with you for a while, your majesty,” the Hellene prince said with a cheerful smile. “I hope our visit to the good count was a fruitful one.”
Matthias gave his new brother-in-law a sideways look. For all his personal excesses, Darius was a very clever and observant man, and undoubtedly knew of d’Vrengny’s political connections even in his so-called ‘retirement.’ “I’m unsure of its usefulness yet, but I hope to learn more soon,” he hedged.
Darius nodded at that, glancing over his shoulder at the wagon where his sister and Ife now rode. “May I speak to you frankly, sire? About my sister?”
“You may.”
Darius frowned, searching for the right words. “Did Danaë ever tell you about the day our father died?”
“No.”
The Hellene’s frown deepened. “As she got closer to her majority, our father had started indulging himself by taking a few hours off here and there, letting her attend a council meeting in his stead or oversee a royal event while he did whatever he liked. One of his favorite activities was to take one of our sailboats out by
himself. It used to drive his guards mad, but all they could do was follow along in another boat. I think he took a certain amount of pride in making them chase him.”
A bleak expression replaced his frown. “The day he died, Danaë had been attending a council meeting that broke up early. She decided to use the unexpected free time to practice a storm-calling spell. It was a festival day in Hellaspont, so after talking me into joining her and gathering some bodyguards we rode out to one of the cliffs overlooking the sea, where she could create rain without ruining anyone’s day. She ran through the spell a number of times until she was sure she’d mastered it, then dissolved the clouds she’d called. Once she was done, we all returned to the palace and Danaë went about her duties. Father’s guards returned a few hours later with news of his drowning. They said that a rogue wave came out of nowhere and capsized his boat. They almost died themselves but were able to ride out the worst of the wave and limp back to the harbor. ”
Matthias’s grip tightened on the reins. “I heard nothing of this, only that he’d drowned in a boating accident.”
Darius let out a slow breath. “We were very careful not to let it be known. The Royal Council and the Grand Magister Aqua of Hellas convened a star chamber, questioning all of us about what Danaë had done that afternoon. The grand magister, an officious little toad named Nikos Pelas, finally decided that Danaë’s spell practice hadn’t caused the rogue wave and that Father’s death was an accident. He was buried with all due ceremony, Danaë ascended the throne, and didn’t work another spell until that day in your chambers.”
Matthias rode along for a moment, thinking. “She didn’t believe the council, did she? She thought your father’s death was caused by her storm-calling.”
Darius gave him a bitter smile. “Of course she did, and it horrified her. It didn’t help that Pelas kept sliding in offensive little questions in about Danaë’s desire to rule. I had to point out that even if her loyalty could be called into question, which it couldn’t, my sister wasn’t foolish enough to cast a fatal spell in plain sight of three witnesses. That led to some charming questions about my own loyalty, as you can imagine.”
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