by Kiki Leach
Norvack laughed heartily, as if someone had placed a jester before him. “Placed a spell upon me? My brother was a tyrant, Sheriff. No woman nor witch could ever get me to deny that.”
“He was still the first born son of the king, and that woman murdered him in cold blood with your very own sword! I admit to saving myself that night, reason being why I held some things back when I knew the truth then, but she committed the crime and deserves to pay! You inform your father this instant, or I shall tell him the truth myself.”
“Inform my father, who just suffered a mild heart attack mind you, that my wife murdered his precious first born son?”
“That little tramp is not your wife yet!” he hollered.
“You watch your mouth--”
“The king’s heart may not be up for it but he deserves to know the truth! Inform him, or I shall!”
A long pause ensued. My heart felt as if it were going to explode straight from my chest and through the door.
“Very well,” said Norvack, finally. “Then I shall inform him of what I saw as well, you dragging my brother’s body from the river and placing him near the fountain.”
“I don’t care!” he snapped.
“Not even for your wife and children?”
I heard an audible gasp and feet ripping across the floor.
“You touch a hair on Maryanne’s head, or so help me--”
“Then we agree to keep this between us? You remain quiet and I spare your family.”
I only heard muffled speaking from then on, nothing clear or concrete.
Moments later, more footsteps hastily approached the door and I raced behind a column on the right side of the corridor, peeking around as the Sheriff exited in a huff. Norvack whispered something to his approaching servant and nodded. The servant then followed after the Sheriff down the corridor.
As Norvack reentered the library, I took a deep breath and leapt from behind the column, calling after him. He turned to me and smiled serenely, as if his argument with the Sheriff had never occurred.
“You’re back quite soon.” He looked down and raised his brows in odd surprise.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing. Only, the queen’s lady never allows one from her clutches without a proper book in hand.”
“Oh. Well, perhaps I was the exception.”
“How so?”
“I offered to drop the book on her face.”
He laughed. “And how was your lesson otherwise?”
“Quite boring. I’m sure the queen will order more lessons for me, even after we are married.”
“Then you plan to stay?”
“For now.”
He turned his head and leered. “Forever.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I stepped past, purposely shoving myself against his body, and entered the library. It was almost identical to the other I had seen just yesterday, right down to the piano in the corner. I went over and draped my fingers across the delicate keys, playing a few harmonic notes between the tips of them. From the corner of my eye, I could see Norvack staring at me but didn’t acknowledge it. “How was your meeting with the Sheriff?” I asked, feigning nonchalance.
He moved in behind me and pushed my hair aside. He kissed and licked the back of my neck and I wanted to melt into him just the same as I had before. “The meeting was tedious, but he shall not bother you again,” he mumbled between kisses.
“You’re sure? No matter what he says, it is quite difficult to take him at his very word.”
“I threatened his family.”
The words shook me to the core. I tensed and jerked away, turning to look him in the eye. He glared. “He has children,” I said. “You threatened to harm them?”
“I wouldn’t, Cinder,” he replied in a stiff tone. He stepped away from me and reached out for a decanter near the bookcase, pouring more brandy into his goblet which sat on the desk. “I never threatened to harm his family, certainly not his children. I inadvertently threatened he would lose them if he were dead. He took it another way and I allowed him to do so.”
“You would murder him to keep him quiet?”
“If I had to, as I am certain you would as well. I meant what I said, no one will ever take you away from me.”
I crossed my arms and breathed out. “You sound mad.”
“I blame you for that.”
“Me?! I am to blame for your insanity?”
“Near insanity, Cinder girl.” He sat the goblet down and slipped his arms around my waist, yanking me to him. I took in a breath and held it tight inside my chest. Norvack looked me over, scrunching his brows, almost as if he were trying to read my mind. He placed both hands on either side of my throat and lifted my face. I rested my hands alongside his waist. “We are to be married tomorrow,” he said. “Answer me now, shall I finally have you then?”
“Norvack--”
“I wish to taste every part of your skin.” He leaned forward and shut his eyes, pressing his nose to my throat and inhaling. “What do you taste like, my favorite girl?” He slid up alongside my skin and then pulled back, extending his tongue and circling the tip around the center of my lips. “Mmmm.”
I trembled and squeezed the sides of his tunic in excitement and let out a rattling breath inside his mouth. I was unsteady and on the verge of falling into his arms. I could feel myself coming as he moved his lips back down to my throat and began kissing down to the center of my breasts. I looked down at him as he placed his tongue between them.
“Dear God!” I yelped.
“You are my very own personal torture chamber,” he spoke softly. “You know that. You tempt me in ways no other woman ever could or has. I belong to you, my favorite girl. My entire being, mind, body, soul. You indeed possess me.”
I dropped my head back, relishing in the feeling his tongue gave my body. I felt warm and wet and ready for him inside me. Tiny bumps formed on my arms and legs, my clitoris longed for the feel of the head of his cock stroking against me.
“Aren’t you,” I started, out of breath, trying my best to regain some sort of consciousness in the midst of overpowering elation, “aren’t you curious of what exactly occurred during my lesson?”
Norvack ignored me and continued washing my body with his tongue. He slipped two fingers beneath the rim of one side of my gown, his index slightly stroking my rock-hard nipple, and I quickly pulled it up and moved away, all the while trying to catch my breath and recover from approaching ecstasy. I rested my hand on my face. I was as warm as a hotplate.
“Cinder…” He came up behind me again, his hard cock rocking against me. I moaned and laid my head back on his shoulder. He rested his lips at my pulse, inflaming me inside and out. I was so helpless to his touch, it was embarrassing how much. He began walking me forward; I extended my hand out to the bookcase as he shoved himself against me even more, and grunted harshly. “What you do to me,” he whispered, his breath hypnotizing me. He licked my skin and wrapped one arm around my breasts, the other around my stomach and held me so tightly, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. “I wish to make you come.” He moved one hand to my waist and shoved my gown up. I bent forward and pressed my backside against his cock, instinctively allowing him to touch me, take me as he ever so pleased.
“NOOOOOOORVACK!”
I choked on air and stood up straight. “The king!” I said in a fright. I pulled my gown back down and scurried away, fanning myself as I felt flushed and mortified. Norvack rushed over to me, kissing my throat. I whipped around and shoved him away. “Your father is coming! He’s calling for you.”
He grinned roguishly and clutched my wrists, removing them from his chest and pressing them down at my sides. “My body calls for you, Cinder.” He lifted one of my hands and placed it on his bulging cock. My fingers twitched against it. He started sucking on my neck and I cried out in delight. My eyes flickered shut as he walked me back into a wall. “Kiss me,” he murmured. “When I kiss you on our wedding d
ay in front of our guests, it shall be chaste and unfeeling. I wish for you to know how much I desire you before tomorrow.”
“I am quite aware of that already,” I said.
He pulled back and smirked as if he were holding onto a million secrets. “Are you?”
As I stared at him, his smile grew.
Instantly I was curious and needed to know more.
His father suddenly burst into the library then, and Norvack spun around, raising his hands as if preparing for battle. As the king moved closer, Norvack stood as a guard between us. Belarus made immediate eye contact with me, peeking over the prince’s shoulder, and grumbled something as he looked to his son. “What is this I hear about a disagreement between you the Sheriff?”
The prince straightened his back and appeared disgusted. “What on God’s green earth are you doing out of bed? You were ordered to rest until the wedding tomorrow.”
Belarus wobbled back and forth a bit, appearing woozy. I saw a shine on his forehead and wondered if he was perspiring from having been out of bed for too long. He stroked his heavy moustache and ran his hand over his head, then pointed at his son. “I am still king of this country and demand to know what occurs within the walls of my palace.” His voice boiled on a quiet rage. It was low, almost subtle, but just as powerful. And frightening. “And I shall ask you again, what is the disagreement between you the Sheriff?”
Norvack glanced back at me, simultaneously worried and suspicious as he wrapped his arm around my waist, lightly stroking my back with his fingers. He grinned and laughed as he returned to his father.
“We had no disagreement. Has he broken the promise of allowing you to rest, and informed you of such lies?” he asked. Belarus stood back and stared Norvack straight in the face. It was as if the room suddenly went cold. I felt a chill on my skin. He lowered his lids around his eyes and I could tell that he didn’t believe a word of what the prince was saying. Norvack stiffened and dropped his hand, reaching for mine. A tiny crease appeared between his brows. “Father.” He seemed to shake the king from a daze. “Did the Sheriff inform you of some sort of disagreement between us? Because I can assure you, one never took place.”
He looked to me again, but stayed silent. He shook his head and eyed the floor, bewildered. “No. No, the Sheriff never said a word. A few members of the court overheard you discussing something regarding Cinder.”
Norvack made a face, hiding his guilt. “Really?” He released my hand and moved toward his father. He crossed one arm over the other and placed his hand on his chin. “And, what exactly did certain members of the court overhear?”
Belarus was cautious, and apprehensive. “Not enough to draw any conclusions as to what you were speaking of--”
“Then it should be of no matter.” He grinned. But there was something else behind this smile as well, deception, fear. “Is that all you wished to inform me, or was there something else?”
Belarus paused and nodded toward me. “Has she finished with her lesson?”
“Yes, she finished quite a bit ago. Why?”
“Because your mother and I request your presence on the lawn at once. Father Calhoun has arrived early for the pre-ceremony festivities. I shall be taking part in those as well.”
“Alright. We shall join you in a moment.”
The king took one hard look at me once more before leaving the room. I hadn’t realized I wasn’t breathing until I exhaled deeply at his exit. I rested my hand on my chest and slowly breathed in and out, and looked to Norvack.
He clutched my face and grimaced. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” I answered. “What exactly are the pre-ceremony festivities?”
He tenderly pushed my hair back and released my face. “We rehearse the wedding. A dinner follows in the ballroom in the form of a gala.”
“Another gala?”
He chortled. “Yes.” He suddenly grew somber and rested against the desk, folding his arms.
I walked over and leaned aside him. “Do you believe the Sheriff informed the king of what was discussed in here?”
He shook his head. “But it’s clear my father has his suspicions. They will not die until he speaks to the Sheriff himself. I can’t let that happen.”
“What are you going to do, Norvack?”
“I shall think of something clever. You shouldn’t worry. In the meantime, I shall escort you to our wedding destination.”
I skeptically, and tentatively took his hand.
When we arrived on the east lawn of the estates, we saw the queen already seated beside her husband beneath a canopy on the opposite side, her army of handmaidens fanning her as the weather grew warm. The king wiped his shiny bald head with a handkerchief and kept a goblet filled with water nearby.
Norvack introduced his childhood priest, Father Calhoun, as he stood beneath a flower made archway on the other side, stuffing his Bible beneath his arm. As we made our way over, I looked around, realizing we were the only ones on the lawn. Father Calhoun took my hand, blessing me for managing to capture “wild Norvack’s heart” and directed us to stand side by side, and then face one another. He explained that we would only be going through the motions today, as much more would be saved for the actual ceremony tomorrow. Before we got started, he told an odd story involving a duck and a cat and Norvack laughed loudly -- seemingly to appease him -- as I stood there confused and annoyed. The prince took my hands in his and smiled wide as his priest went on explaining that this was going to be his first royal wedding that took place outdoors on the lawn. Per tradition, most weddings for the royal families took place within the palace chapel, but it had been made quite clear from the very beginning that Norvack was going to be anything but traditional, especially when it came to marrying me.
He squeezed my hands as Father Calhoun continued to explain the basics of the ceremony. I had hoped to come down the aisle alone, but that was one thing the king stood up and refused against. He insisted walking me down the aisle himself, and I couldn’t help but become immediately wary of his motives. The prince insisted he would speak to his father beforehand, but I wasn’t certain it would matter.
“Now, as far as the kiss,” continued Father Calhoun. “It shall be one kiss per cheek. Norvack kisses you first, left to right, and you follow the same.”
“I would rather it be more intimate than that,” he chimed in. “She’s not a daughter I’m sending off to be married, she is indeed marrying me. Our kiss should be fulfilling and passionate. It should make her feel something, not only in her heart, but between her thighs.”
I flushed as red as a tomato, uncomfortable as ever, but also completely aroused.
Father Calhoun opened his eyes as wide as he could and fervently searched his Bible, perhaps trying to figure a way to scold Norvack for such crude behavior. But the prince didn’t care, and continued going.
“I wish to make you feel, Cinder. Therefore, I must ask. When I kiss your lips, which I shall, do you prefer it with or without tongue?”
“Norvack!” Eliza shrieked in the form of a speared animal after having heard enough from him.
I guffawed and covered my mouth, turning away to keep from seeing the fuming eyes of his parents.
Father Calhoun started blinking like mad! I was almost sure he was on the verge of a heart attack right there! He was so visibly traumatized and shaken.
The king huffed and reached for his head. “My God, son. Have you no shame? You shall discontinue such nonsense before a man of God, and you will keep to this tradition! ”
“My apologies, father, but I don’t believe I can, and I felt it wise for that very reason to ask my future bride what kind of kiss she prefers before we’re to walk down the aisle tomorrow. The last thing I wish is to embarrass her before this country by inappropriately sticking my tongue down her throat unless she so prefers it.”
I laughed louder, unable to help myself! I raised my hand and then held my chest. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, rattling my head and
clearing my throat.
Norvack turned to me and grinned mischievously. “No need to apologize, Cinder girl. And I must ask once more, do you so prefer it?”
I tightened my jaw to try and keep a straight face and muttered. “I do not.”
He placed his hand behind his ear, bending it forward and leaning in. “What was that my favorite--?”
“No!” I shouted. “N.O.”
He leaned back, smiling. “We will discuss it later. I would also request that objections be stricken from the ceremony, if at all possible.”
“Impossible!” Belarus hollered, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair. The queen reached over, placing her hand atop his in an attempt to calm him, but he snatched it away. “The objections shall stay within the ceremony.” He wagged his finger. “It’s tradition.”
“I am beginning a new tradition and the objection shall be stricken. No one will prevent this wedding from occurring. Certainly not my loving parents.” Norvack returned to Father Calhoun. “Strike the objection.”
Father Calhoun gulped and looked to Belarus.
Norvack noticed and stepped in front of him.
“Look at me,” he snarled, pointing to his chest. “I shall be the one getting married tomorrow. I will be the one you listen to. Strike the objection from the ceremony, or I shall find another ‘man of God’ who will.”
Father Calhoun nodded sheepishly as if he were being threatened with a hanging in the square if he refused to comply, and eyed the grass. “Yes, prince.”
“Alright.” He slapped his hands together, rubbing them. “Then are we finished out here? I would like to take Cinder someplace quiet and less crowded.”
“There were a few more things I wished…” He looked to Norvack who was glaring. He loosened the rim of his collar and cleared his throat. “We are finished.”
“Good.” He glanced at me. “Come with me my favorite girl.”
“But the gala, Norvack!” said Eliza. “It is in your honor. As well as hers.”
“We shall return for the gala, mother, if and only if it ever so pleases my future wife.”
He took me by the hand and dragged me back into the palace and up to his chambers.