“Why, Your Majesty, I desire nothing more than a good night’s sleep.”
She worshipped the devilish expression on his beautiful face, could gaze at it forever. They sniggered, their eyes locked together. They were happy. They were married.
“What mischief are you two hatching now?” Abraham grinned broadly as he strode up to them.
“We are overtired, friend, and need our sleep.”
“We must retire immediately, we can hardly stand.”
They sniggered again, and Abraham roared with laughter. “Talia, I think you have corrupted our virtuous king and are dragging him off to bed to have your way with him! Shameful behaviour.” He shook his head, still laughing at them. “So, no drinking until the early hours, then, Sire? You have something better to do?”
“Sleep, Abra, sleep.”
“Friends.” Abraham held his hand high above his head, bringing a halt to the music and dancing as all eyes turned respectfully to him. His voice was commanding, addressing everyone gathered in the great hall. “Our king and his beautiful bride are sadly overtired and must retire to bed now.”
His words were met with much whooping and good-natured witticisms.
“Tired, Your Majesty? I am sure your fatigue will disappear as soon as you get your beautiful queen back to your room.”
“We should revert to the old ways and accompany you to ensure you do your royal duty!”
They all laughed uproariously. Isaac laughing along with them as he caressed her face.
“You will anger my precious Talia with such talk; she wants me all to herself, as I do her.”
His words were greeted with more appreciative cheering and clapping.
“You must rest then, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, we don’t want to keep you from your sleep.”
It was endearing, they were acting as if Isaac had never been intimate with her before. Tonight was different, of course, she and Isaac were man and wife now. This was a night of symbolic sex, a coupling infused with profound implications. The royal family had merged with Lokian blood and changed Cornicunia for all time.
“Come, my beautiful wife.”
“There’ll be a lot of that going on, for sure.”
Isaac laughed, but his eyes glinted dangerously, a subtle warning they had gone far enough. The men recognised the shift instantly and refrained from further comments, simply clapping and cheering as he led her from the great hall.
“May you enjoy a wonderful wedding night that will bless you with magical memories for years to come.”
Abraham’s voice was soft and husky with years of friendship and love. She smiled as Isaac patted Abraham’s shoulder, and then they walked out onto the corridor and were finally alone.
They meandered to the bedroom, no haste for either of them now, tonight was a new beginning and they wanted to treasure every moment. Never had the ancient stone of Isaac’s palace appeared more beautiful, the perfect setting for the momentous night ahead. The ethereal glow of the hundreds of candles set high upon the walls was the most romantic thing she had ever seen, illuminating the mercurial beauty of the man by her side. She had found her destiny and everything was vivid and exciting as if she were seeing it for the very first time. She was Isaac’s wife, and the mortal world was suddenly a mystical place, home to fairies and angels and fantastical supernatural and spiritual beings that had never existed here before. She had no need to travel to the spirit realms tonight for she and Isaac would create their magic in his palace, spirit realms born of the bond of their souls. True love blessed those lucky enough to find it with powers unheard of in the mortal world.
Yet even on this most magical of nights, she could not have envisaged what happened next. She gasped as Isaac led her into their bedroom, smiling at her widening eyes. Red and white rose petals were scattered on their bed, and enormous bunches of wild flowers and foliage transformed their room into a fragrant glade. But it was not this beauty that caused her to swoon, not this sweet-smelling wonder that affected her so. It was not the cause of her spinning head, her thumping heart, the massive lump consuming her throat…
It was the absence of something that touched her so profoundly.
The cage.
The cage had disappeared as if it had never existed, a figment of her fevered imagination. It had been a constant reminder of Isaac’s past, of his debauched life before her. His dominion over women, over her. Not anymore. This truly was a new beginning for the cage had vanished, spirited away by fairies to leave wonder in its wake. In its place was a long, soft velvet-covered chair in rich, vibrant aquamarine. It was the shade of the sea, and Talia imagined a mermaid reclining upon it as she strung a seashell necklace. The cushions were plush and welcoming – and it was easily big enough for two. Now the cage had gone, the long window was unobstructed; she could sit with Isaac and look out over the vast grounds of the palace, see the river, see the swans! And draped over the chair’s elegant, sloping back was an exquisite, gossamer-light night gown the same colour as her wedding dress.
“Breathe, sweetheart, remember to breathe,” Isaac murmured into her ear.
“Isaac.”
“Don’t cry, Wanwisa, this was meant to make you happy,” he teased as her tears fell like a waterfall.
“Too happy, can’t contain it, too much emotion, oh, Isaac, thank you, thank you!”
He gathered her tenderly into his arms, pressing his face into her hair. “I wanted you to know just how much you mean to me, Talia. Our life together is infinitely precious – my old life is over and I thank God for that. You are everything I ever dreamed of and so much more.”
She could not speak. She simply pressed her face into his chest and moaned incoherently. He held her away from him a little, smiling as he examined her wet eyes.
“So many happy tears, Talia. My aim is to increase your happiness still further tonight, but I fear if I succeed we will both be drowned.”
And then she was giggling like a maniac; poor Isaac had acquired a psychotic wife. But he was smiling as if she was the sweetest thing ever and not a terrible mistake.
“And, this is for you, although, I do not think we will need it tonight.”
His eyes glinted devilishly as he led her to the chair and gathered the turquoise wisp up into his arms. It was so delicate, the silk was transparent and as he held it up against her, it fell into a feather-light cloud of delight that had surely been crafted by angels or fairies just like…
“So beautiful,” she whispered, staring up into his eyes, “like my wedding dress. I love it, Your Majesty. There is a mystical presence at work in this world for this dress was destined for me. It is exactly what I would have chosen for myself. Please, honour me with the story of the dress.”
Isaac’s eyes were wet too now. He draped the fairy gown back over the velvet chair and turned to her, taking her face in his hands.
“This dress was always destined for you, Wanwisa, it told me you would come for me. Shortly after I had the blue dream, I travelled to the mountains to the village of Gaal, where Abraham was born.” He paused to study her enrapt face, smiling at what he found there. “My beautiful Wanwisa.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek and bent to brush his lips against hers. “That visit changed my life. It was a seemingly innocuous event, a Saturday market, brimming with the exquisite crafts the Gaals are renowned for. It was a feast for the eyes: beautiful, unique jewellery, trinkets, and one stall of clothes.” He grinned, suddenly playful. “Abraham and I had just become friends, he had only recently joined the court, and despite his holy work, he was a fool for clothes, still is; we both are, I suppose. He was deliberating over many fine waistcoats and I was assisting him with the profound mission of choosing which to buy.” They laughed together as he stroked her hair back from her eyes. “And then, I saw one I wanted for myself – the one I wear today for the very first time. I immediately grasped it so Abraham did not set his sights on it too! But the instant I held it in my hands, I knew there was some
thing more waiting for me. I asked the old woman if she had any complementary shirts and she found this for me.”
She stroked her fingertips lovingly over the turquoise silk covering his muscular chest.
“But I was not appeased, it was not what I was looking for, something was still missing, something… intangible. Magical. There were women’s clothes at the other end of the stall. I felt such a fool, Talia, but I was compelled to go there, I was drawn to a wooden rail containing about a dozen fine dresses and cocooned in the middle – I found this.” He stroked his fingers over her bodice and she moaned softly with need. This story was the most erotic thing she had ever heard for it was further proof of their predestined love, their fateful place together in an often random universe. Such confirmation of destiny was exactly what every Lokian yearned for.
“There was the merest glimpse of turquoise silk, the exact colour of the shirt and the thread in my new waistcoat. I pulled the gown out and as I looked upon it for the first time, my world shifted with the sure knowledge it was destined for my future bride.”
He took a deep breath as if the recollection of this moment astounded and moved him. She gasped as her head spun with spiritual delight.
“Breathe, Talia, always remember to breathe. I need you,” he whispered into her hair.
“This would make anyone breathless… it is such a beautiful story, Isaac.”
They clung to each other for a moment before he continued.
“The old woman knew, Abraham certainly knew, I was like a man possessed. I had money and horses to trade, but I would gladly have given everything I owned, including my very soul, to have this piece of my future in my hands. I had to have it. The old woman knew, the Gaals are spiritual people – she looked into my impassioned eyes and told me the dress was a gift. I tried to give her extra monies as thanks, but she said taking payment would tarnish her soul for the dress was destined for me. Fuck!” He ran his hand over his hair and shook his head. “Talia, you must understand, I was not inclined to musings of a spiritual nature. This was yet another revelation almost impossible to comprehend. But my instinctive feelings were too strong to resist or deny. I knew, just like the old woman, that I would tarnish my soul if I rejected them. This dress was meant for me, it was my destiny.”
Their eyes were wet; this must be the most emotional wedding night ever. The story of the wedding dress had transported them to a magical world of spiritual joys and possibilities, taken them to the spirit realms.
“Abraham and I never spoke directly of what had happened; he simply patted me on the back and said well done. He knew I could have denied my destiny and was proud of me for accepting it. There was nothing either of us could really say. I didn’t know when, or how, I would be giving this dress to its destined owner, but it was clear to both of us who it was for. Abraham is probably the only man I know who wouldn’t laugh at what happened, he believes in such miracles, is dedicated to the will of God. And the dress strengthened my resolve not to succumb to my advisors evermore militant attempts to persuade me to marry.” Isaac smiled ruefully as he rubbed his nose against hers. “What a travesty that would have been! Their last attempt at matchmaking was just after my thirtieth birthday, clearly having decided no self-respecting king should be without a wife and heir at such an advanced age. We were visiting the King of Zunbar when they suggested a possible union with his daughter.” Isaac shook his head in disbelief as she listened silently, fascinated by this insight into his past life. “She was barely sixteen summers, Talia, and the poor child was so shy she couldn’t even look me in the eye and that was before my advisors started their ridiculous plotting. Fortunately they are my friends as well as men of wisdom and did nothing before talking to me. Marry a child! My rather explosive reaction put a quick end to that. Christ, what a debacle!”
Talia smiled into the fervent eyes of the man she already knew so well. “Some men would welcome such an innocent bride, Your Majesty, so very biddable and pliant, willing to be educated in the ways of the world and do as her husband says. You could have been her teacher in all things.”
She was being mischievous but the inflection in her words made her meaning clear. The game. Isaac could have played the game with this child-woman, moulded her into the lover of his dreams. Talia knew exactly what his reaction would be…
“Hah! Some men, my sweetness.” He rubbed his nose against hers again, desire rising in his eyes. “Never me.”
“You could have enjoyed the bliss of controlling your wife, Your Majesty, made your relationship exactly what you wanted it to be.”
He chuckled as he eased the plaited straps from her shoulders. “That would not be a relationship, it would be a dictatorship. Any man who desired such a thing would be inadequate and weak. Is that what you think of me, Wanwisa?”
She moaned softly into his enticing mouth. “Of course not, Your Majesty, but I think you wanted to control me for a while.”
He ran his lips down her neck causing her to shudder with delight. “Control you, my little Lokian visionary? Well, you can be insufferably difficult at times, it was tempting… but no, you are a challenge, Talia, and I need that. Thank God for you! If I had married that poor blushing child, I would have had no idea what to talk to her about and would have been bored within a week! Blind adoration and obedience must get irritating very quickly – I suppose.” His mouth brushed against hers as he pretended to weigh up the question in his mind. She bit down hard on his lip, and he winced and bit her back, sending a red-hot shiver of sensation through her over-sensitised sex. “I much prefer fighting with you, my little Wanwisa, especially as I intend to always win.”
He eased the straps down over her arms and the destined dress eagerly slithered to her waist. Her bare breasts shamelessly jutted towards him, begging for his attentions.
“That is good to hear, Your Majesty, for you have promised yourself to me for all eternity. We shall enjoy our battles until the end of time.”
“Bonded for all time,” he whispered solemnly, his mood transforming in a heartbeat causing hers to do the same. She was every bit as docile as the poor child princess, her moods and desires aligning with his. The difference was Isaac was her destiny and everything she did was the informed choice of an adult woman in love.
“This is the most blessed of days, husband, and the story of the dress is the most wondrous story I have ever heard.”
“With you as the unknown heroine,” he murmured, his lips taking a slow, erotic journey down her neck. “I don’t want to forsake this moment, Talia, I want to live in it forever.”
“This moment – or the next, Your Majesty?” she whispered as his fingers caressed her erect nipples.
“You know me too well, wife.”
“I hope so, husband. I think we will agree there is a moment even more precious to live in forever, the moment when you are inside me again.”
He smiled seductively into her eyes, his own brimming with desire. “My wife, you are the perfect match for me, for never has a truer word been spoken. I think we should embrace that moment immediately. Do you agree?”
“Your esteemed Majesty is always right,” she murmured, breathless with anticipation. She had waited so long for this moment, an interminable afternoon and evening suffering the torment of the stimulating oil as it worked its torturous magic on her clitoris and sex. And Isaac was unaware of this… She caught her breath, and Isaac raised his eyebrows as he placed her hand firmly on his swollen manhood.
“I think you are overexcited, Wanwisa, but I am as in thrall to you as you are to me. See what effect your words have on me – I am yours to do with as you please.”
His erection throbbed beneath her hand, their bodies and minds as one, desperate for the intimacy that transcended words and the pleasure that accompanied it, desperate to fulfil the magic of their love. They undressed each other impatiently, without finesse, craving the sweet sensation of skin against skin.
And she discovered Isaac had a surprise of his own
…
He stood back, smiling at the awe in her eyes. Her new husband had undergone his own preparation ceremony, perfected himself for their wedding night. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He flexed his muscles unashamedly, basking in her appreciation. The dark hair surrounding his rampant manhood had been neatly trimmed, giving an unhindered view of the impressive length and girth of his erection. It was a sight to mesmerise any adoring new wife. The skin of his torso glistened, highlighting the fine muscles of his stomach and chest, and he smelt of orange blossom, spice and Isaac. Her head spun as if intoxicated – by her husband, by her love-soaked new life.
“Thank you, Isaac” she whispered, “for honouring me with your beautiful body. You are perfection.”
He grinned playfully. “I’m glad you approve, Talia. Abraham and I very much enjoyed our preparations for tonight. We believe men should not miss out on the pleasures of wedding rituals.” His eyes lingered on her naked body. “But your preparations, Wanwisa, have had much more spectacular results than mine.”
He stroked his fingertips reverently over her hairless, painted vulva, and she shuddered at the intimacy and worship of his touch.
“Katrina has surpassed herself, but she had such exquisite beauty to work upon.”
“Thank you, husband,” she whispered, thrilled he was pleased with her gift for a greater surprise still awaited him. Her sex tingled, throbbing with arousal. Soon the magic of the oil would caress Isaac’s manhood too, bless it with fevered heights of sensation and pleasure. She shivered as a surge of erotic excitement coursed through her body; her gift would bring a new level of sensuality to their wedding night.
“Talia?”
“Isaac.”
Her face was revealing too much. She was overexcited and it showed.
“You are luminous, glowing like an angel, my little goddess of the sea.”
“I am your wife, Isaac, what you see is the glow of happiness you created when you married me.”
He scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her to their bed, laying her reverently amongst the rose petals. They stroked and kissed each other’s bodies, languidly, sensuously, in wordless, spiritual communication, holy appreciation of each other. It was a moment to live in forever but then he was atop her, their kiss deep and everlasting, his manhood beginning its mysterious journey into her body and soul. And suddenly this was the moment to live in forever, each second of their wedding night transcending the beauty of the last.
Talia and Isaac Page 45