Androse lowed like a bull as he began to thrust into her once again, claiming her clutching tunnel once more for himself. But not for long. Fabia writhed against him, imagining it was the Red Witch above her. That shapely woman, filled with such primal power. Pure in her nakedness. Fierce in her every movement. Crimson hair writhing, and who knew what magic she possessed! Perhaps she would take Fabia with a cock. Perhaps even fill the concubine with her seed. Enhancing Fabia’s curves with the fecund shapeliness of pregnancy. Her breasts swelling, milked by her mistress, her pussy claimed again and again.
“Yesss!” Fabia screamed, those visions burning in her mind. Soon. So soon! “Yes! Take me! Claim me! Ah. Ah! Yess! Breed meeeee!”
Androse roared with delight as he thrust faster. “A royal heir! How brazen, whore!”
Fabia gasped. She wrapped her arms around him, clawing his back in spite. “Ohhh my Emperor!” she gasped. “My Emperor! March on! Fight the monsters! Lead the charge!”
“I’ll bring back the Duke’s head!” Androse howled, arching atop her, his cock pulsing, exploding within her in a sudden surge of his seed.
Fabia screamed in ecstasy, cumming for the first time with him since she could remember, imagining Androse’s head and the Duke of Ashes side by side. Presided over the Red Witch, the queen of monsters! And Fabia at her side, beautiful, voluptuous, triumphant.
She collapsed atop the table, panting. As Androse moaned and pulled out of her, his seed drooling from her pussy, she reminded herself to take her herbs, preventing pregnancy. It would hardly do to have Androse’s child growing in her when she betrayed him.
“Lovely,” Androse breathed, running his hands over her quivering golden curves.
She smiled up at him, eyes lidded to mask her thoughts.
“The future is grand, my liege,” she breathed.
Advance
Fabia sat alone at the grand table normally used for breakfast, a letter in her hand. The message carrier had just managed to get through the lines on the last baggage train, and among the dispatches, claims, replies, reports, there had been a single, weathered envelope sealed with plain wax.
Fabia tapped its corner on the table thoughtfully. She lifted it again, read the name, the handwriting. The envelope was a filthy thing, incongruous in her perfectly manicured hands, her face rouged and brows painted black. Her gown bared the upper globes of her large, firm breasts. Self-consciously, she fingered the necklace she wore, the simple jewelry shining. At last, she gave in and tore open the envelope, pulling free the missive.
Dear Fabia,
Mother has been asking about you again. I told her you were doing wonderfully, and that you would doubtless be along to meet us again soon. I’ve asked Rickin to write this for me and send to you. I pray it arrives in time.
Fabia. I know you have little time for the life you left behind. I love you as a sister only can, and know you have little time for us. So you must understand the desperation that makes me have this written. I pray it finds you in time. That’s all we have left now. Prayers. And I’m terrified they aren’t enough.
Longin’s Bay is in danger, sister. Monsters have been spotted in the region. Gertlings in the hills and wugs crawling out near the shores. I’m worried. They haven’t attacked town yet, but several women have gone missing, and a number of fishermen haven’t returned. I fear the beasts are plotting an attack. Those who left have. But mother and I can’t. And even if we could, two women on the road would be the perfect prey for the creatures.
Please. I have heard you are with the Emperor. If you have any love for your family or your people, please, ask him to send some troops to defend us. I’m scared, sister. I’ve heard tales of the monsters. I don’t want to become theirs. I beg of you. Use your influence. Help us.
Your sister,
Lanelle.
Fabia leaned back in her seat, slowly rolling the paper up. She tapped the tube against the top of the table in a slow, thoughtful beat. Her eyes were lidded with thought. Her full, red lips pursed. At last, she lifted the rolled letter to the candle flame. She watched as the paper caught, crackling as it turned to ash. She tossed the burning letter aside and to the ground where it curled, blackening into ash.
Impatiently, glancing at the silent servants in the corner, then once more to the empty throne of the emperor. She pushed out of her seat and rose. “Well?” she demanded of one of the servants. “Where is Androse?”
The man quailed before her. “M-my lady. I’m not sure…”
“Oh forget it!” she snapped, brushing past him. “I’ll find him myself!”
She stormed out of the dining tent and back outside. The campfires had been extinguished, the army mounting up and baggage trains being assembled. She frowned, noting the footmen standing at attention, the curious stillness holding over the troops ready to begin marching, but none of the generals in place before their ranks. Her eyes scanned the field, finally locking on the one scene of frantic activity.
Androse stood surrounded by his generals. But something was wrong. Even from a distance the concubine could sense the tension among the gathered men. Fabia frowned a little, making her way towards the group, grimacing as she walked through the muck of mud and grass.
“No!” Androse barked, his voice carrying even over the noise of the camp. “No! I won’t believe it!”
“Believe it or not, my lord, it is true,” Gedravor said in a quieter tone. “I fear my reports are trustworthy. My scouts saw what they saw and corroborated with a number more. The reserve forces have turned off. They aren’t coming.”
“Where? Where have they gone damn you!” Androse snarled furiously.
“They have gone to join your sister,” Claudus said quietly.
Fabia stumbled in her approach, stunned.
“What!” Androse snapped, rounding on the man. “What do you mean join her?”
Claudus stood stolidly as a statue carved of the ancient marble of the old empire. He stared sadly at the emperor. “My Emperor, I fear your sister has circumvented you. She has gained the loyalty of your reserve troops. I warned you, my Emperor. Many among the rank and file have grown dissatisfied with your command. We tried to tell you yesterday. Desertions among the men have grown high. They brave the wilds around us, even knowing monsters stalk our ranks and attack any man found alone. We have pulled too many defenders from their provinces and homes. The people are turning against us, my Emperor. We must stop our advance. Consolidate our forces. We cannot march blindly into the realms of the Duke of Ashes and hope the reports of a monster army are true.”
“We needed a decisive blow!” Androse howled, his face purpling in anger. “We needed to strike once and surely against the Duke of Ashes! Crush him all at once!”
“This is not an enemy you can crush at once,” Gedravor said. “My Emperor, we tried to tell you. Though the monsters are mustering, I’m not sure it’s to meet us. I think there might be more going on…”
“Either way,” Claudus interrupted. “The fact is we cannot hope to strike at the beasts with your sister at your back. Even if we prove victorious, we will need to face her afterwards, and your troops will be too wearied and depleted to fight them.”
The other men gathered nodded and murmured in agreement. Androse looked wildly at them as if unable to comprehend what was happening.
“Quiet! Silence damn you!” Androse roared. “I am the Emperor of Istanov! How dare they! How dare they betray me! I’ll have their heads! I’ll mount them on pikes! My sister! Her generals! I’ll whip those whores of the Rose Knights naked through the streets! I won the Rose Tournament when I was fifteen damn you! I can fight her. I can take them! Do you hear me? Where the devil is Jackdaw!” he snapped suddenly. “How dare he disrespect me? Bring him here now! I am holding court!”
A tense silence fell over the assembled commanders. Claudus cleared his throat. “My lord. It seems… It would appear the raven knights withdrew during the night.”
Androse stared at Claudus like
the man were a nightmare made flesh. The emperor’s face turned from purple with rage to a deathly white. “Withdrew… withdrew where?”
“I cannot say my lord. But he and his order departed last night. I fear they are gone. Likely back to their lands to prepare for what will. Or, perhaps to join your sister, my Emperor.”
“Gone?” Androse said blankly. He looked around him at his remaining commanders, stunned. “But… but he cannot go. I’m his Emperor. I am the ruler of Istanov! He can’t…” His eyes narrowed. He drew himself up, and fat as he was, Androse was still a large man. “How many of you saw him? How many of you are in league with those traitors? Well!”
“I am loyal to the Empire, sire,” Claudus said. “And to the throne which your father sat upon. And so I am loyal to you. But I cannot advise on your plan. Our position is too changed. We are weakened, sire. We must withdraw from the advance. Perhaps your sister shall be willing to strike up a true.”
“A truce! With her?” Androse said dully.
“My Emperor,” Claudus said grimly. “I fear she already outnumbers us. She has rallied many knightly orders from within and without the empire. To defeat this monster horde, we must have the army united. Should we parlay with her, perhaps we can salvage some of that. But divided...” He shook his head.
Androse stood very still, his head bowed in contemplation. Fabia’s heart thudded in panic. If they withdrew, then the Red Witch’s plan…
“My Emperor!” she cried, suddenly pushing forward and taking Androse’s hand. “There you are!”
Androse looked up in surprise, blinking blankly at the sight of her. “Fabia?”
“Come. Come. Gentlemen,” Fabia said to the startled commanders. “The Emperor of Istanov must… must consider your wise council in private.”
“Y…yes. Yes!” Androse managed. “I will… I must consider your words…”
Claudus stepped forward, reaching for Androse’s shoulder. “My Emperor-“
“Come, my liege,” Fabia crooned, pulling Androse away from the man’s touch and the ring of his generals, drawing him towards her tent. “You must have a clear head to consider your next action.”
She glanced back at the waiting commanders, their expressions grim and stormy, but none pursued, which she was thankful for. If they had dared, she had no idea what she would have done. She sighed in relief as she and Androse slipped into her tent. She hastily had him sit down on the side of her bed and lit several incense sticks. As the ribbons of cloying scent drifted into the air, she took a seat beside him, stroking his hand. “My Emperor…”
“Oh gods Fabia,” Androse moaned, putting his head in his hands. “Oh gods! It’s all going wrong isn’t it? It’s all gone so wrong!”
Fabia managed to hide her exasperation with him. Gods. She couldn’t believe this! They were so close! She hid her contempt and stroked his shoulder and head, pulling him against the soft pillow of her breasts. “No, my Emperor. No. It hasn’t gone all wrong. In fact, this is to your benefit, my lord. Entirely to your benefit.”
“Oh really?” he snarled, raising his head and glaring murderously at her. “And how do you figure that, whore?”
Fabia knew she was treading on dangerous ground now. Androse may be fat, but he was still strong, and his temper volatile as a gale. The wrong thing could send her to the gallows or worse, see him simply strangle her in the tent right there, and not a soul to say a thing against it. But she knew him well by now, and she had not risen from a fisherman’s daughter without cunning.
“Oh my Emperor, don’t you see?” she breathed, leaning against him and stroking his chest adoringly, her breasts mashing up against him. “Your enemies are now all together, and concentrated themselves away from you.”
Androse crinkled his brow. “What do you mean?”
“The reserve troops were those who took so long to muster, my liege. They did not answer your call at once, meaning they are simply cowards, traitors, and opportunists. Do you really think they took so long because they needed the time? Oh my Emperor,” she breathed, her voice a seductive croon of surety. “My powerful, mighty liege, they were late because they were afraid. If they had joined your forces, you would be constantly looking over your shoulder, fearing their inevitable betrayal.”
Androse frowned, but she could see her words were having the desired effect. Some of the tension left his shoulders and he sat up a little straighter. “I suppose there is some truth in that…”
“Of course,” Fabia purred, her fingers tangling in the buttons of his jacket, slowly easing it off. “Those men are mere cowards. When battle is joined, they would break at the first sign, throwing your own troops into disarray. And now that they have joined your sister, you have weakened her. For once those troops see your victory over the monster hordes, they will scramble to your side again. And better yet, they will draw some of her own ranks with them.”
Androse frowned deeper with thought. “Possible…”
“More than that, my Emperor,” Fabia crooned, opening his jacket and baring the slope of his chest. Gods he was fat, she thought. Not at all like the slender power that was held in the Red Witch. The thought of that magnificent woman, one who would reward Fabia with a place at her side, ruling over a new world of beasts and monsters thrilled her, spurring on her efforts. She imagined the Red Witch’s praise, the sorceress’s sensuous body being beneath Fabia’s fingers instead of Androse’s hairy chest. “When your sister sees that you have bested the monster hordes, that you, my Emperor, have slain the Duke of Ashes and brought back his head to Moskov, her whole rebellion will fall apart about her. They will see the truth in your wisdom. In your advance. They will at last be free of your sister’s lies. For they will know that you, my Emperor, will have saved Istanov.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Androse grinned, shrugging off his jacket. Then hesitated. “Though, my generals…”
“Lack the wisdom you have,” Fabia quickly put in as her fingers trailed down his chest and to his pants. She unlaced the front, drawing out his cock and slowly stroking him. “They lack the vision, my Emperor. They are old men. Cautious and afraid of the monster hordes. But you have ruled Istanov. You won the Tournament of Roses when you were nearly a child, besting such men as them. They fear the unknown, my Emperor. But you are bold enough to go forward. To face the darkness of the future with courage, and lead them on. They are merely men, my liege. But you are the Empire!”
Androse let out a booming laugh. “Too true, Fabia! Too true.” He grinned down at her, looping his arm around her and tugging her against his side. “They always doubted me. They think I’m my father’s son still. Well I am not! I am their emperor, and I will gain a greater triumph than my father ever knew! And by the gods those men will obey me or I’ll put their head on a pike beside my sister’s!”
“Oh yes my Emperor,” Fabia breathed, rubbing herself wantonly against him, unabashed excitement shining in her eyes, though surely not for the reason Androse would think. “Your name will be written in the books of history! The savior of Istanov! The greatest emperor in your long line.”
“Damn right!” Androse barked with a grin, his cock hardening in Fabia’s stroking hand. “I’ll show them all yet!”
“Oh my Emperor,” Fabia cooed, sliding down his side and between his legs. She leaned in, running her tongue along the underside of his cock. “You are a man of such vision. Of such… power…”
Androse groaned as she lapped at his cock until it shone with her saliva, finally raising her head, her lips engulfing his shaft as she began to bob. The sharp, musky taste nearly made her gag, as ever, but she endured it, imagining the reward that would await her at the Red Witch’s hands.
“That’s it,” Androse moaned as she eagerly sucked his cock. “That’s it! Serve your emperor, slut. Ahh… Good girl. Who knows? Maybe… ah… maybe you’ll even be in the history books beside me.”
Fabia had to swallow her laughter, disguising it with a swirl of her tongue about his throbbing sha
ft. Androse groaned, fisting her long blonde hair as he started thrusting into her mouth. “Yes. Yes! Fuck! Take it! Take my cock you whore!”
Fabia tightened her lips around his shaft, moving faster in time to his thrusts, sheathing his cock to the root. Her nose pressed against the tangle of dark hair at the root of his cock, inhaling again that pungent scent she so detested. But she powered through, stifling her disgust, moaning in forced appreciation for his rough handling. She couldn’t deny there was a certain appeal in being so used, even if it was by such a man as Androse. But it was necessary. Necessary to climb past him, and to a higher place.
She heard his peak approaching in his laboured breathing. How his face flushed, screwing up with nearing climax.
“Oh. F-fuck! Yes! Here I… aughhh!”
His cum pumped into her mouth, the taste splattering over her tongue. Her stomach roiled as she swallowed his seed. Not for much longer. Not for much longer would she have to endure his touch and his pleasures. Her throat worked frantically to swallow his cum, knowing he so enjoyed the sight. At last she pulled off his shaft, panting, flushed. “Are you pleased… my Emperor?”
Androse smirked down at her. “Very. Now on your knees. I think I’ll take your lovely ass today.”
She smiled beatifically even as contempt coiled inside her. “Oh of course, my Emperor. Nothing would please me more than to offer you my ass.”
“Of course not,” Androse barked in amusement, and Fabia took comfort in seeing him once more his arrogant self. She turned about on her hands and knees, raising her shapely rump for his appreciation. She gasped as he threw the hem of her gown up, baring her pale cheeks, still slightly reddened from the Red Witch’s torments. She gasped, moaning softly as Androse stroked her bottom, his touch sending echoes of aching pleasure throbbing to her core.
“Ohhhh my liege,” she moaned.
“I’ve always loved that ass of yours,” Androse breathed appreciatively, his hands running along the plush curves, stroking up, fingers running along the tender seam. “It was what first drew me to you.”
The Pillaging of an Empire Page 33