by Kai Andersen
“So many mattresses! How could you still feel anything?”
“I don’t know, Your Majesty.” Serena made her eyes go as wide as they could. “I admit to being puzzled too. The past few nights, I slept very well, even though I had only one mattress. But I had twenty last night and it felt as though something were sticking into me, no matter where I lie.”
A sound like a snort escaped Frederick’s lips. Serena looked over to see that he was manfully hiding his mirth.
The queen sniffed. “I don’t see what’s so funny, Frederick. That such a guest would complain signifies that our arrangements are lacking.” She turned back to Serena. “I’ll take care of it, Serena. I’ll personally ensure that you have a good night’s rest tonight.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
* * * * *
Later that morning, Frederick and the queen were ensconced in his sitting room. The queen paced up and down as Frederick watched her from where he was leaning negligently against a wall. One didn’t sit when the queen or the king was standing.
“Do you admit now that Serena is a real princess, Stepmother?”
“I don’t believe it! She must have heard from the servants --”
“No one knew about it but the two of us.”
She whirled on him. “Then you must have told her.”
“I told her nothing.”
“Then how could she --”
“The only explanation left is that she’s a real princess, which is why she has such soft and sensitive skin that she could feel a tiny pea under twenty mattresses.” If Frederick’s voice was a little sarcastic, the queen paid him no mind. “Surely with such proof, you wouldn’t have further objections to our marriage. Even my mother would’ve been satisfied.”
She drew herself up regally. “Very well.” As queen, her word, once said, couldn’t be retracted. “I’ll retire to my rooms.”
Frederick watched her leave, a satisfied smile on his face. He intended to go to Serena’s bedchamber tonight and propose to her. Then maybe they could do some serious playing.
Chapter Fifteen
“Giselda, wake up, you sleepyhead!” The queen nudged and pinched her sleeping daughter into wakefulness. She didn’t know how Giselda could be so unconcerned. If they didn’t do something, Giselda wouldn’t have a chance at being queen.
“Ow! Mother, stop pinching me!” One hand rubbed at her eyes and the other at her thigh where she’d been pinched. She yawned and stretched like a cat.
“Really, Giselda! I don’t know how you can sleep in the afternoon and be sleepy again at night.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at her stretching daughter. “You aren’t pregnant, are you?”
“Mother!” The shock in Giselda’s eyes assured her. “How could you ask that? You know I’ve been keeping myself pure for Frederick.”
“See that it remains that way. But you have to wake up now.” She paced the room, brows knitted. “We have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“That fool Frederick means to marry Serena.”
Giselda sat up and sputtered, “But -- but -- she’s not a princess!”
“Apparently, it doesn’t matter to him.” The queen paused and stared at her. “Weren’t you the one who conjectured that she might be? Well, that’s not a question anymore. She is a princess, if you’d been paying attention at the breakfast table.”
Giselda frowned. “I distinctly remember something about mattresses and her high-pitched complaints -- God! She squealed like a pig about to be butchered.”
“Well, that pig is about to be the future queen of Mithirien, if we don’t do something about it.” The queen related the test she and Frederick had agreed on and the subsequent outcome.
“Surely, you don’t give much credence to that bullshit, do you?”
“Giselda! Is that proper language for a princess?”
“All right, all right, I’ll watch it.”
“After seven years of deportment training --”
“Mother, can we get back to the topic?”
“We’re not through with that, young lady.” Sometimes, like tonight, the queen wondered if she was doing Mithirien a disservice by maneuvering her daughter in the position of future queen. Suddenly impatient with herself, she pushed these unworthy thoughts aside. She was queen, and her daughter deserved nothing else but to be queen too. Anything less was unacceptable. “But now, we have to talk about Serena. The way I see it, we can’t let the wedding take place. We have to stop Frederick from even writing that letter.”
“Gods! I really really hate that bi-- Serena.” Giselda stalked to the closet and rummaged through her clothes, throwing dresses and underwear to the floor. “I wish she’d lost her way into that fenced area with all those wild beasts.”
“An admirable sentiment, dear, but useless to us.” The queen understood. It couldn’t have been easy for her daughter to watch Frederick lust after Serena. She wished she could spare her, but if Giselda was to be married to Frederick, she needed to learn how to cope with it, Frederick being what he was.
Giselda suddenly whirled around, a pool of clothes at her feet. “Why don’t we ruin Serena totally? You know, get Frederick to discover her in bed with another man. I’ll wager he won’t want her then.”
“Go on.”
“The thing is, we can’t confirm Serena’s status, whether royalty or commoner. If she were royal, having her de-virginized would be enough to ruin her prospects for a good marriage forever. But if she were a commoner, she’s probably not even a virgin anymore. Considering that Frederick wants to marry her despite the uncertainty of her status, that means only one thing.” Giselda waded through the clothes, her movements jerky and urgent.
The queen wasn’t surprised to see an unholy light in Giselda’s eyes, though she was shocked when Giselda took her by the shoulders and shook her. Nobody has ever taken such liberty before.
“One thing, Mother!”
The queen’s teeth rattled. “What’s that?”
“He’s been bewitched.”
“All right, that’s enough. Take your hands off me!”
Giselda obeyed, but she continued her protests. “But I really think he is. Serena’s cast a spell over him; that’s why he didn’t even care that he might be breaking his oath.” She advanced toward the queen. “Mo-ther, I --”
“Stop right there.” The queen moved swiftly to the other side of the bed. “I don’t fancy losing all my teeth.”
“Mother, you have to help me!”
“I am, you dolt! Even though you didn’t do some of the things that you were supposed to. If you did, Frederick would’ve been yours by now. That’s it!” The queen’s face lit up. “You have to seduce Frederick tonight.”
“Seduce?”
Talk of sex and her eyes lit up.
“Yes. You have to give up your virginity to him. In the morning, he’ll be obliged to marry you.”
“But ... but he’ll know I’m not Serena --”
“Not to worry.” The queen hurriedly left the room and came back seconds later with a small vial clutched triumphantly in her hand. “I have this!”
“But that’s your headache medicine.” Giselda looked confused.
“You’re right, but what you don’t know is that this is a very potent medicine. Do you remember how I used to lock myself in my room whenever I have a headache?”
Giselda nodded, her eyes wide.
“That’s because one drop of this can make a person hallucinate and see things. Not just any thing, but that which he most desires. So,” the queen smiled, “if Frederick drinks even a drop of this, he’ll see what he wants to see, which is Serena, even if it’s an elephant standing in front of him.” She leaned over to whisper in Giselda’s ear. “And that drop will be in the glass of milk that I’ll be sending to Frederick tonight, ostensibly as a peace offering to help him sleep better. When you go into his bedroom to seduce him, he’ll see you as Serena.”
“Great!” Her face glo
wed. “By this time tomorrow, I’ll be on my way to being queen.”
“Simmer down, you still have work to do tonight.”
“But it wouldn’t be work, would it, Mother?” The chit had the audacity to wink at her. “What about Serena, Mother? Don’t you think she should experience the same pleasure?”
The queen liked the malicious glint in Giselda’s eyes. She knew she had the same look in her own.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Absolutely. I’ll get my most trusted footman to seduce her. She’ll think it’s Frederick going to her.” She rubbed her hands in glee as she imagined the scenario. “She’ll be so ruined she won’t be able to hold her head high. Then Frederick won’t want her either.” She walked over to hug Giselda. “You’re brilliant, daughter.”
Giselda grinned. “I know.”
A thought suddenly occurred to the queen. “They might get suspicious if I send them glasses of milk without any reason whatsoever. I’ll send you all glasses of milk. But take care not to drink yours, Giselda. You have to be clear-headed for this. Remember, when Frederick calls you Serena as you seduce him, don’t mind him, because that’s who he’ll think he’s seeing.” The queen grasped Giselda’s arms. “Don’t fail me, daughter. This is our last chance.”
* * * * *
That night, Serena was relieved to see that all the mattresses, save her original one, were taken away. She was climbing into bed when there was a knock on her door.
She climbed down and walked to the door. “Yes?”
The queen’s maid was there, holding a silver tray in her hand. A glass filled to the brim with milk was sitting squarely in the center of the tray. “The queen sends you this gift of milk, my lady, for you to have a good night’s rest.”
Serena looked at the glass of milk with suspicion. “The queen sends this?”
“Yes, my lady. She also sent similar glasses to Prince Frederick and Princess Giselda.”
“Oh, then.” She paused. “Please thank the queen for me. You may place the tray over there.” She indicated the table beside the bed.
The maid did as instructed, but she stood beside the table with an uncertain expression on her face.
“Yes?”
“The queen’s instructions were for me to see you drink the milk, my lady.”
Serena’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
The maid shrugged.
Serena puzzled it out. “I suppose she’s apologizing for my sleepless night and just wanted to make sure that I sleep well tonight. I’ve heard that milk is able to relax the mind and induce sleep.” She thought a moment, then decided there was no difference if she drank it now or later. “Very well.”
She raised the glass to her lips and drank the whole thing. It was delicious. The cows here in Mithirien made better milk. Was it because of the grass here?
The maid picked up the silver tray and prepared to leave.
“Please thank Her Majesty for the milk.”
* * * * *
“Milk?” Frederick’s face was full of distrust. “Why would she be sending me milk?”
The queen’s most trusted footman, Flamsey, was standing in the doorway of his sitting room. Flamsey’s eyes flicked to him and then to Rodin, who was standing behind Frederick.
“It’s a sign of Her Majesty’s goodwill, Your Highness. She had even sent one to my lady Serena and another to Princess Giselda.”
Frederick’s distrust vanished. “She did? I hope that means she’s ready to accept Serena as her daughter-in-law.” He opened the door wider. “All right, come in then. You can place the tray on that desk over there.”
Flamsey set it down and remained standing beside the desk. “Her Majesty instructed me not to leave until I see you drink the milk, Your Highness.”
“Why?” Suspicion blossomed within Frederick.
“Her Majesty said something about it being a peace offering. If you drink the milk, she’d consider that you’ve forgiven her for her meddling.”
Frederick reached for the glass. “All right.”
Chapter Sixteen
Serena didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping. One second she was in deep slumber, and the next, she was awakened by someone climbing into bed beside her. She opened her eyes sleepily and smiled.
Frederick.
He came.
She held out her hands to him and he positioned himself between them, lowering himself and nudging her legs apart until he lay on top of her, his cock cradled at the juncture of her thighs. He supported himself with arms planted on both sides of her head, and then he lowered his head and claimed her lips.
He was gentle, kissing her as if they had all the time in the world. He placed light, butterfly kisses all over her lips, but when she would press her lips firmly against his, he laughed and turned his lips to her ears.
She didn’t know her ears could be so sensitive. He tugged at her lobe, drawing it into his mouth. Pleasure streaked through her, culminating at the juncture of her thighs. She felt a certain wetness there and knew she was aroused. Frederick had only to come into the room and she would become wet. His maleness excited her.
He blew lightly into her ear. She shivered.
His lips moved, kissing her cheeks and her chin, tiny biting little kisses like a butterfly’s gossamer wings. His breath fanned her, sending shivers through her body. This close, she breathed in his scent, earthy and male, cool like the healing drops of the rain.
His lips touched her nose and then both eyelids. He then trailed down her cheeks again to bury his face in her neck, and raining her throat with gentle kisses.
A feverish longing burned in her belly. She moved, showing him with her body what she wanted. She lifted herself a little, rubbing herself against his body, and fretted at the clothes that were keeping them apart.
He ignored her, and moved his lips down to kiss the pulse that was beating madly at the base of her neck. She moaned, a long drawn-out sound. Delighted to find one of her sensitive erogenous zones, he continued to shower attention on it, licking and tonguing.
Serena was a mass of nerves. Her entire body felt flushed, and her nipples ached. They had hardened into tight little buds and were pushing upward through the thin material of her borrowed nightgown. But even with desire running rampant through her veins, she couldn’t understand what he was doing. For one, it wasn’t quite like Frederick to avoid her lips, to seduce her gently. She’d expected him to rip her nightgown into shreds like the last time and do ... whatever he did the other night.
His tongue finally left the madly leaping pulse, and moved toward her shoulders. He kissed every inch of her right shoulder, pushing the right sleeve of her nightshift down in the process. The left shoulder lining pressed against the left side of her neck as he tugged and pulled, and finally, she heard it rip, a ragged tear right in the middle. He pulled both torn sides systematically downward, paving the way for his invading tongue.
That’s more like it.
Serena closed her eyes, enjoying the exquisite sensations coursing through her. She felt like she was being worshipped, and her body, the altar he was worshipping on. Her hands reached up, and clasped his head, running her hands urgently through his thick hair. “Frederick ...”
He was absorbed in kissing her soft skin, sucking and licking every inch. His lips reached the upper swells of her breasts, and he swirled his tongue in little circles, drawing closer to her nipples with every rotation. He prolonged the moment, making her cry out in anticipation.
His hot mouth finally captured one distended nipple. She moaned, thrashing and moving restlessly, pressing his head closer. He sucked strongly, leaving to kiss the firm, soft mound and then coming back to suckle. He transferred his attention to the other breast, making sure that both breasts were wet and thoroughly kissed.
He sat back on his haunches, studying his handiwork in the dim light.
Missing his mouth, Serena opened her eyes. “Frederick, what are you doing?”
&nb
sp; “Looking at you, my love,” he whispered. “Sexy, wanton and very, very desirable. You make me ache with lust. I dreamt of this for a very long time, of possessing you and making you mine.”
His words went straight into her soul. “I’m yours. Take me.”
He bent his head once again and kissed her ribs, her abdomen, and the tight curls at the juncture of her thighs. He threw the shredded nightgown away. Placing both hands at her buttocks, he lifted her to his mouth. He held her steady as she thrashed and tried to roll, whimpering, “Frederick ... Yes ... Yes ...”
She felt his rough tongue sliding in her wetness, like the other night. Hunger rose in her, deep and strange and familiar. She wanted ... oh, she wanted him to do that again. Wrap his tongue around that tight little bud. Thrust his tongue into her opening. Lick her, lap at her, suck ...
She screamed, feeling herself shake with the force of her contractions. She felt his tongue leave her. No!
Suddenly, she felt something more, something bigger, at the entrance to her vagina. It tried to nudge in. She opened her eyes. It was his cock, his sword, his shaft. He grunted with the effort to push it in.
She sobbed. Her core still felt so empty, a wide, yawning gap that made her yearn. Looking at his cock, she realized she wanted that big, monstrous thing in her. But it’s not going to fit.
She wasn’t aware that she’d spoken aloud until he looked at her and laughed.
Abandoning his attempt, he came back up and kissed her lips. She noticed just now that he was fully naked. His bare skin on top of hers felt so good, so warm and velvety. She squirmed beneath him and rubbed herself against him. Her stiff nipples chafed against his springy chest hair. It felt so wonderful, she did it again.
His cock now lay at the juncture of her thighs; she felt it pulsing there, a hard, hot length. He kissed her and moved down to capture a taut nipple in his mouth, and at the same time, reached a hand between their bodies to slip among her curls. The double assault of his lips and his fingers excited her, causing her juices to flow and flood her pussy. His fingers spread that wetness, flicking her clitoris in the process.