(part 2)
Queen Naomi looked peaceful and beautiful, laid out on the
litter that would carry her on her last journey. Prince Blair sat
beside her for a long time, running through his memories in his
mind, talking silently to her, holding her cold hand. The Poser
of Limbs, Merlyn, had done an excellent job, she looked only
asleep as she lay there. But the prince knew better.
I'm sorry, mother. If I had been less wild, if I had not run
so hard and so fast...perhaps then you wouldn't have had to send
me away so soon. We could've had more years together.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find the High
Priestess Cyn standing over him.
"It is Gila's will. Everything must return to what it comes
from, Prince Blair. Your mother was happy with her life."
Blair nodded and stood.
"It's time?" he asked.
She nodded. The women of the court came forward to lead him
out.
The ceremony itself didn't take long. Prince Blair lit the
bonfire while the Apothecary Deb gave the sacred herbs to Cyn and
Kim and Sharon to fling into the flames. The minstrel and bard
sang her on her journey, Lisa and R'rain finding harmony. Through
it all the prince was aware of the Scribe, sitting off to one
side, her hands always moving, recording the event for future
generations.
Then it was done and he was led to his rooms to bathe and
change for the feats.
In the baths Kathi waited for him and then waited upon him.
the wardrobe mistress, Lady Scarlet and her assistant Lisa
hurried in with the seamstress, Wanda and fitted him to new court
clothes, rich fabrics with simple, unadorned styles that made him
more comfortable.
Tired from his long ride and the exhausting emotional storm
the prince chose to rest before the feast. In his chamber he
found his bedwarmer, Jackie Cee, had anticipated his wishes, and
was even now curled deeply in his blankets, eagerly giving up her
spot to him.
His bodyguard, Laura a woman he had known well as a boy,
took her place at his door, with orders to let no one in save the
Blessed Protector himself.
It was very dark before Sir James came to him and woke him
with a gentle touch. having slept nude to preserve his clothes,
Prince Blair was mildly embarrassed to rise before him, but did
so and his valet, Kathleen, rushed in to help him dress. Then Jim
and Laura escorted him to the main hall.
Filled with people, his people, there was music and
merriment as they celebrated Queen Naomi's life. The High
Punstress, Lady Mysti, outdid herself, while the Jester, Lady
Vyola and the Village Idiot Linda provided more basic
entertainment.
The cook, Denise, brought the prince's dishes from the
kitchen herself, and scolded the taster, Lord Shawn, for taking
too-big bites. A childhood friend of Blair's, this was his first
day on the job and he was nervous. Michelle kept to her assigned
place, barely eating as she tried to get everything down, The
royal artist Lady Tacs right beside her.
Many women, and several men came to greet the prince. He
could tell from their smiles and their walks that they wanted him
to consider them for the third challenge, but he was too worried
about passing the first two to consider it.
At the end of the meal Queen Kim stood and made a sweet
speech, speaking of Naomi's love of her people, her love of
travel and new places, her ability to make friends wherever she
went, and her dedication to her son. Then she called for the
Bearer of Godiva, Lady Dallas, to close the meal in a manner
Naomi would have approved of.
By the end of it Prince Blair was stumbling with exhaustion.
He was lifted from his feet by Sir James,w ho carried him to his
chamber and stayed while he was out to bed by Jackie Cee. His
assigned courtesan came into the room soon after.
"I am prepared to fulfill my duties, my prince." she smiled
sweetly at him.
Blair shook his head.
"Not tonight, Lady Felice. I would ask that you do not come
to me until I have passed the challenges."
Disappointed, but trusting in his word, Felice bowed to him
and left the room, leaving only the prince and his protector.
Blair looked over at James, who was leaning against the wall
with a concerned look on his handsome face.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" he asked quietly.
"I don't want the first time...my first time...to be with
someone I do not know. I will avail myself of her services once I
know her better."
"You're aware that she volunteered for the position." James
said slowly.
"Yes." Blair turned over and stared at him in the firelight.
"Tell me, Blessed Protector. How close were you to my mother? Did
you sleep on the floor beside her bed..or in her bed?"
"I slept before her door, Prince Blair." James answered
softly. "I never became that to my queen."
"Then will you sleep here beside me tonight?" the prince's
voice was hesitant and shy. "You're the only one I know here and
I don't want to sleep alone this night."
"AS you wish." swiftly Sir James stripped to his hose.
Laying his sword at the side of the great bed, he slid in beside
the frightened prince. "Laura keeps watch at the door. You are
safe here." he soothed, gathering the younger man into a
comforting embrace.
"I wanted to see her, James. Just one more time..." the sobs
he had held in through the ceremony and the feast after broke
free now and the crown prince once again cried himself to sleep
in his protector's arms.
***
"Lady Arete will administer the first challenge."
The audience chamber was silent as the prince greeted this
new lady. She had not been here when he left, he had never met
her before. When she stepped out into the light of the giant
picture window he couldn't restrain a gasp. No one had told him
that she was an Amazon as well as the scholar she must be to
challenge him.
He glanced around the hall. Sir James had left him for the
morning, he could have attend the challenge but had decided to
spend the morning with Legion and his trainer, Lady Kathy Eff.
The prince wondered if it was to put him at ease or to make him
concentrate.
Lady Arete presented a serious challenge and the prince was
sweating by the time he finished, But he knew he was successful
when she came and knelt before him with a smile.
That night there was a second feast, this one with a dance
as well. The women were beginning to make their approaches more
obvious, vying to be his for the third challenge, have the
chance of having the royal firstborn. Tiring of it took refuge
in the kitchen where Lord Shawn and Denise entertained him with a
cooking lesson until the Chatelaine, Lady Katrina, discovered
them and shooed him back out to the party.
He was careful to divide his time between the ladies, never
paying too much attention to one or another, though he did dance
twice with Lady Felice to ease the sting of his rejection and
make it clear that she was not out of favor. He was mildly
surprised when Lady Arete proved to posses yet another talent
when she joined Lisa and R'rain in entertaining the crowd.
A soft rub on his ankle made him jump and then he was
squatting down to pet the feline beauty that purred at him. He
remembered the first court cat, his mother's beloved pet
Aphrodite, named for a goddess Naomi had discovered on her
travels. This one wore band of unusual golden material around
it's neck with a name stitched into it; Keeker. He thought he saw
a second cat slinking in the shadows but it vanished before he
could be sure it was real.
The party was disrupted slightly when a woman in white robes
entered. The crowd feel away before her, several bowing, a few
covering their eyes, and the prince stood as she made her way to
him.
He was instantly aware of Sir James' presence behind him,
and then felt the warmth of his bodyguard on the other side as
Laura joined Sir James.
He started at the approaching woman in fascination. The Seer
was a rare sight within the city, he had only seen her twice
before he had left.
"Lady Janette." he greeted her quietly, calmly. "I am
honored by your visit."
Her eyes were warm and she was staring at him. Then she
looked significantly at Sir James for another long moment before
letting her gaze slide back to Blair.
"Do you have a message for me?" the prince asked, hope in
his voice.
"Your mother sends her love. She tells you; make your choice
carefully. That which you need is beside you now."
Blair staggered at the words. His mother's love, carried
through the unearthly powers of the Seer. James' hands caught and
steadied him.
"My thanks are too deep for words." the prince whispered. He
pressed her hand between his. She would not accept payment, he
knew that. She never did. But she would ask a favor in return.
"When you know what you need come to me and it shall be yours."
he said the words the way he had been taught them.
Her nod was his only reply and then she was leaving.
Blair let James lead him to the table to rest and drink a
mug of warmed wine. His heart was beating too fast, but he was
smiling.
"My mother knows." he whispered to James. "She knows."
"Of course she does."
After a while he let James lead him upstairs and put him to
bed, chasing away his attendants and caring for him alone.
But sleep would not come to him. After a long hour James
stirrred from his place on the floor, taken this night, and went
to fetch the one person who could help the prince this night.
A visit from the Lady High Insomniac, Merry, and Prince
Blair was soon drifting off to the rest he needed.
***
"Oh Gila." breathing the words almost silently, prince Blair
fought the urge to turn and look beneath him.
Clinging to the side of the cliff, hands dug firmly into the
crack that ran up the side of it, he looked only up, at the
bright blue sky.
It had still been grey with dawn when they had brought him
here this morning. The second challenge was as bad as he had
feared.
This was a climb often undertaken by young men, said to
bring luck to one who completed it in less than a day. The prince
needed only to complete it. But the knew that he would lose
status of it took him too long, and he'd gotten a very slow start
battling his fear.
Now he hung, muscles quivering, stomach rolling, trying
desperately to find the courage to move again.
A small shower of rocks slipped from beneath his booted foot
and he tightened his grip, turning his head up again, searching
the sky for inspiration.
Suddenly a cloud -- only a dark spot on his horizon, really
-- rose at the top and his eyes could just make out the form of
his Blessed Protector.
Sir James was waiting for him. Encouraging him with his
presence.
Locking his eyes on that shape the prince began to climb
again, determinedly.
When he reached the top and thrust his hand upwards it was
Sir James who took it and pulled him easily over the edge, held
him until he stopped trembling and then presented him to the
court proudly.
"I don't know what I'm going to do." the prince slumped into
a chair in the kitchen, noticing that it was a new one, large and
padded and comfortable. Having noticed his habit of hiding in the
kitchen Lady Katrina had made certain that he had a comfortable
chair to do it in.
"It's not that bad. All those women throwing themselves at
you." Shawn teased from his place at the table.
"But I don't know any of them, not that well. And I want
this time...the first time...to be special."
"I think having the entire court watching will make it
special enough." Shawn smirked and Blair glared, but then
grinned. He liked having someone who remembered him as a
troublemaking child. Shawn would never take him too seriously,
not after he'd pushed the young prince into the duckpond and then
howled with laughter when Blair had climbed out liberally smeared
with duck shit and chased him down. Blair had beat the snot out
of him, but only because Shawn had been laughing too hard to
defend himself.
His mother had laughed, too. He remembered.
"It doesn't have to be a woman, Prince Blair." Despite the
rebirth of their easy friendship Shawn refused to drop the title.
Now Blair caught his eye, wondering if Shawn was offering.
But, no, he knew that Shawn had a life partner. Catching his
expression Shawn grinned wider. "No, my prince, I wasn't
suggesting myself. But there are others that were your friends in
childhood who would gladly bare their souls for you this night."
Blair just shook his head, slender hands delicately
shredding a piece of bread into crumbs.
"I only have a little while left to decide." he sighed. "If
I don't choose they will choose for me. Maybe that would be
better."
"Think Lady Peg." Shawn said sternly.
Blair grimaced.
The investigation into Peg's involvement into his attempted
assassination was going, albeit slowly. The court assassin
herself was assisting Captain Lord Banks and his men while Sir
James went about it his own way. Blair was assured that they
would have the true culprit in the dungeon soon. And in the
meantime he was safe within the castle.
By the time the feast began he still hadn't made a decision.
After the first courses were served and the toasts made he became
anxious. He was aware of the concerned glances Sir James kept
throwing him from his place across the room, stationed to one
side of the door, Laura on the other.
When he didn't stand and speak, as custom dictated, Queen
Kim and the others began giving him the same looks. He saw her
say something to Cyn and Cyn nodded, started gathering up her
skirts to stand.
He had to say something. Make this decision for himself.
"That which you need is beside you now." he heard Janette's
voice in his head and looked around, just a little frantically.
No one was near him now, he was alone at the head of the table.
Who had been beside him when she spoke those words?
Sir James and Laura.
*Sir James*.
Just as Cyn gained her feet he stood, his cup held high. He
heard the sigh of relief that ran through the crowd and managed a
small smile himself.
"Yesterday -" he wasn't a speech-maker but he was going to
try "- I passed the first challenge. My mind is sound and well
trained. Today the second challenge was met. My heart beats
strongly even in fear." he paused and took a deep gulp from his
cup. Every eye was on him.
"Tonight I will prove my body. With the court as witness I
will take a lover to myself and demonstrate that I am fully
functional." Another deep gulp. His voice wavered when he spoke
again.
"And now I must choose. A body and a mind that I can share
this with. A person who can give themselves to me as I give
myself to them."
A third gulp and his cup was empty. He brought it down and
held it tightly between both hands, pressed to his chest as his
eyes sought out the bright blue ones he was only beginning to
realize he knew so well.
"With the approval of the court I ask the Blessed Protector,
Sir James Ellis, to join me this night."
A gasp rose from the assembled crowd. This choice was
unexpected, even shocking.
Prince Blair ignored that, he didn't care for their
reaction. All he cared about was the small nod that Sir James
gave him. Acceptance.
He turned his eyes back to the high court members, most of
whom looked pleased.
"Is this choice acceptable to you?"
"We believe you have chosen wisely." Cyn answered for them
all. "Go and prepare yourself."
He left the hall as quickly as he could, aware that Laura
and Kathi and others were following him, not caring.
Sir James had said yes. He was going to get through this
after all.
***
He was carefully bathed by Kathi. Then Brandy came in to
soothe him and help him prepare for the night ahead. He knew that
she would go to James next.
When it was time to leave his chamber and go to the *room*
he was startled by a knock at the door.
A young man he didn't know was standing there, his hand
behind his back.
"I am Paul, Valet to Sir James." he spoke softly. 'My master
regrets that he is not allowed to see you before the night
begins, but he bade me bring you this with his esteem." he
brought forth a single blue rose.
"Ohhh." with a soft sigh the prince took the flower and held
it to his nose, the enticing fragrance tickling it as he scented
deeply. "Tell Sir James that I only hope to be worthy of him."
Accepting that as his reply Paul turned and left. And then
it was time to go.
The *room* had no official name. It was simply a large
bedchamber much like any other -- except that it had a large
glass window on one side and many small ledges for candles
scattered over the wall. With the viewing room darkened and the
candles lit nothing could be seen on the other side of the glass
but all who entered here knew what was there.
The high court. Anyone of importance, anyone who could claim
a right to be there. Prince Blair knew that when his mother had
come to this room she had been very young, only seventeen. Her
choice of that night was undoubtedly watching him now. Lord Banks
had given the young queen a night to remember.
But now it was his turn. And although she had been young
Naomi had been no virgin when she entered here.
Laying back on the tremendous four-poster bed, covered in
thick blankets and topped with a sinfully soft fur, the prince
took a moment to send a prayer to Gila, asking for her blessing.
Or at least a decent performance from himself.
He didn't know if Sir James had ever been here before. the
room was also used on wedding nights, to verify the sanctity of a
union. Then it would be a priest or priestess and family who
watched. If he ever married -- and he would be encouraged to, he
knew -- he would come here again.
I wish I had done it already. Just once, so I would know
what to expect. He was thinking these thoughts when the door
opened and Sir James entered.
They both heard the bolt slide home on the other side. No
matter what happened now they would not be released until
morning.
Prince Blair sat up and leaned forward. His long hair, left
free, fell around his face.
James sat in the armchair before the fire and watched him
for several long minutes.
Blair began to speak. So quietly, so softly, that he knew
the only one who would hear him was the man in the chair.
"I'm very frightened, James. I don't know what I'm supposed
to do. I don't know how I'm supposed to act." he paused and his
voice grew even softer. "I don't know if you really want to be
here or if I'm forcing you to do something against your nature."
He stopped speaking and the silence stretched. He wondered
briefly if this was normal or if the viewers would object.
Finally James picked up the bottle of wine that had been
left on the fireplace mantle to warm, and poured it into the
single goblet on the table beside the chair.
"Come here, my prince." he said gently.
Trembling, Blair climbed from the bed and approached him. He
was wearing only a pair of short pants, loose and soft, that tied
at the waist.
James lifted the goblet and held out his arms, inviting
Blair into them. Shivering now with something besides cold, the
young prince sat carefully in his lap, stiffly, awkward.
"Drink this." James held the goblet to his lips. Blair
remembered that only one bottle of wine was allowed in the room.
This was not supposed to be a drunken mating. He parted his lips
and sipped obediently, the warmth spilling through him, easing
his shivers as he finished the goblet, James feeding it to him so
sweetly.
With a small smile James poured another. This time he sipped
himself before pressing it to Blair's trembling lips.
As he fed Blair the second time his free hand slipped around
and rested in the younger man's hair. Soon his fingers were
stroking and caressing and the prince sighed and leaned back,
relaxing against him.
"Do you mind that I picked you?" he whispered, allowing his
eyes to close, afraid to look at James when he answered.
"I am honored, my prince." James touched his lips to the top
of Blair's head. "Grateful."
"I was afraid you would be angry." Blair sighed and
unconsciously snuggled closer to the big man's chest. His arm
went around him instinctively.
"I was hoping you would choose me." the quiet words brought
Blair's eyes open again, the dark blue wide.
"I wish you had said something. You could have saved me days
of worry."
"I didn't want to be presumptuous." James gave a tiny shrug.
Blair looked up to meet his eyes. The movement brought their
lips very close.
It was so easy to close that distance and press his mouth to
James' for a long moment, feeling the heat, the pressure the
softness.
When Blair drew away James sat the goblet down and brought
both hands to cradle the prince's face.
"Shall I teach you this?"
"Teach me everything." Blair breathed.
James' mouth covered his, hot and soft. His tongue traced
the outline of the younger man's lips and then teased between
them until, with a soft sigh, they parted and it dipped inside.
Tasting his mouth, exploring it until Blair felt the need to
respond in kind, offering his tongue to James, feeling the shock
that ran through his body when the older man took it into his
mouth and sucked gently on it. Startled, Blair pulled away, and
saw the gentle humor in James' eyes.
"Do you like that?"
Unable to speak Blair simply nodded and leaned back,
offering himself up again, this time participating in the kiss
fully, his arms creeping around James' neck, his body pressing
closer to the large one cradling him.
They kissed for hours, until Blair was dizzy from the lack
of air and his body was remembering what it had been like before
he went to St. Sebastian's and learned to sublimate those urges.
"I want..." he didn't know how to say it. "More, James. I
want more."
"All in good time, my prince." James pulled him close again,
his hands leaving Blair's face to stroke the soft fur of his
chest, fingers seeking out and teasing the dark nubs hidden
there. Blair gasped and shuddered.
"Call me...call me Blair,please, James." he gasped.
"As you wish." James took his mouth again, hungrier this
time, plundering the sweetness there as Blair gave it up to him
willingly.
He stood without breaking the kiss and carried the prince to
the bed, laying him across it and lowering himself beside him,
hands molding their bodies together. Blair was suddenly,
graphically aware of the hardness pressed to his stomach. He
whimpered and wriggled and them n felt his own aching erection
settle against the firmness of James' thigh. He sighed into the
bigger man's mouth and moved again, his hips setting a rhythm all
their own, new to him.
James let him move until it got to be too much for him, then
he pulled away and sat up, staring down at the beautiful man in
his arms.
"When you were younger, I was just waiting for you to grow
up." he crooned, hands running down the slender sides. "But you
left before I could tell you so."
"I've come back now." eyes darkened with passion, lips
swollen from their kisses, Blair reached for him, urging James to
lay on him, to let him take his weight and feel him. "Thank
Gila." he breathed, and felt James' grin against his neck as the
older man tasted and teased him there.
As James moved lower with his tongue and hands, teasing,
tasting, testing, the prince shivered and quivered and moaned
softly, the sensations so new but so right that he felt his mind
slipping away. He caught James by his shoulders and tugged, his
hands slipping through the short hair that felt like silk.
"Wait..!" he gasped. "Give me a minute...to get my
bearings..."
"Are you sure you want them?" the words were muffled by the
skin of Blair's stomach.
"I need to know...what to...expect." the prince panted out.
James rose at that, leaning over him on his elbows.
"I only know one way to do this, Blair." he said steadily.
"But I will do whatever you want me to."
"I want to take everything you can give." the prince
answered firmly, with conviction. Feeling brave, he reached for
the ceramic pot on the table beside the bed and handed it to
James. "Just...tell me what you're going to do, okay? Don't
surprise me."
Taking it with a kiss to the hand that offered it, James
nodded seriously.
"As you wish."
Blair relaxed again and let James go back to exploring his
body. Soon his hands were doing some exploring of his own. When
James loosed a deep moan he jumped and stopped petting him, but
James reached up and very firmly replaced Blair's hands at on his
chest.
"You don't have to be so gentle." he whispered. "Pinch
them...like that, harder, uuunh." he moaned again as Blair
followed his instructions, then dropped his head to nuzzle at the
waistband of Blair's pants. The erection within bounced eagerly
and he took that as an invitation, untying and pulling them off,
leaving the prince naked beneath him.
Trying to catch his breath, Blair shivered, exposed. Then
James' hands circled him and his hips came off the bed as he
moaned in surprise.
"That feels so good...I never knew it would feel this
good..." he panted, suddenly breathing like a racehorse.
"It will feel better." James whispered, nuzzling down into
the thick curly hair that surrounded him, tongue teasing the
heavy sac that seemed to swell beneath his mouth.
Blair panted, writhing, twisting in a desperate effort tot
ease the pressure in his body. He had never felt anything like
this, never *dreamed* of anything like this. Was this why his
mother had taken so many lovers? Searching for this feeling, this
overwhelming need?
James was holding his hands at his sides. He'd put them
there after the prince had yanked his ears once too often, trying
to get his mouth back where the younger man wanted it.
"James...." he moaned louder now, the sound taking an edge
of desperation. "James, *do* something...."
Busy between his prince's widely splayed legs, the knight
smiled at the sound. It was what he had been waiting for.
Abandoning his ass, he crawled back up the twisting body and
settled himself over it. Blair began thrusting against him
immediately, but James held him still with his greater weight.
"Please....please,please,pleasepleasepleaseplease...." the
words were bordering on hysteria and that was farther than James
wanted him to go.
Taking Blair in his arms he rolled to his side and snuggled
the smaller man close, stroking him with long, deliberately firm
movements, gentling him, bringing him down from the edge he had
walked. When the prince was again breathing only quickly and had
stopped moving so frantically he spoke to him, in a quiet, tender
voice.
"You know how we must finish this, my prince."
Blair didn't even object to the title. He drew in a quick
breath and held it, then let it out slowly before nodding.
"I will be as gentle as I can."
Again Blair nodded. He was still while James searched the
bed with a hand, locating the ceramic pot Blair had given him
earlier. It contained a salve that Apothecary Deb prepared just
for these situations. Slick and smooth and sweet-smelling, it was
far superior to any other form.
The hand on his smooth ass startled the prince, who jerked
away. Carefully, with words and hands and mouth James soothed him
back into his arms, against his chest, one hand playing with the
younger mans' chest hair, the other continuing it's exploration
of this most private part of his body.
His fingers, slick with the salve that warmed quickly on his
skin, sought and found the entrance that the prince guarded.
Tiny, vulnerable, so hot and tight. Sir James played around it
for a long time, just teasing and stroking while his mouth
seduced the neck before him and his other hand brought Blair's
erection back to full hardness.
Tightening it sharply he pumped several times feeling Blair
thrust into the movement, and sank a finger deep into his body at
the same time. Caught unawares Blair tensed and shook, then
relaxed as he realized that it didn't hurt.
"Not...so bad." he panted, letting his body move against it,
feeling the dual stimulation, wondering if he was going to
survive this. "Think..I like...it."
"Good boy." James crooned into the back of his neck, licking
the sweat that gathered there. "There's more."
He searched with the single finger until he found the place
that made Blair shout and arch into him and then slid in a second
finger, moving the harder, stretching and loosening the ring of
muscle that guarded him. Blair moaned deeply, torn between he
pain and pleasure.
"Alright?" Jim panted. Just the feel of him was almost too
much, he wanted to take him now.
"More..." Blair moaned. "Something..."
Hearing the need in his voice James pumped him harder,
keeping careful watch of his reactions. He didn't want the prince
to reach orgasm too soon, because then they would have to finish
without that stimulation and it would hurt far worse when James
took him.
"Please, James. Don't stop." Blair pleaded when his hand
slowed. He pumped again while trying to fit a third finger in.
Blair was small and tight and it was close...he moaned and shook
and James' arms, no longer thrusting, but still and tense.
"Easy, my love. Rest easy, almost done." he soothed as the
third finger found entry and he reached for the hotspot that
would make him forget the pain. As soon as he hit it he rubbed
gently, rewarded by a howl of pleasure and renewed thrusting both
forward and back.
He kept the motion up, bringing Blair to the brink and
drawing back again time and again, until Blair was incapable of
speaking, could only gasp and moan breathless pleas for release.
He was too close himself. Time to finish this.
When he removed his fingers Blair bucked and sobbed a
protest. One hand firmly gripping his hip, digging in for
purchase through the coating of sweat, he spoke to his future
king firmly.
"Going to do this - now." he panted. "Whenever you're
ready..."
"Now, now, *now*....!" Blair chanted, thrusting mindlessly,
body taking over. James took him at his word. Spreading salve
thickly, clumsily over his cock he pulled Blair's ass tight to
him and squeezed his erection hard, then released it and lunged.
The prince screamed and came half off the bed, only James'
greater strength keeping him from pulling away completely.
Murmuring words of love, stroking and soothing and petting him
James gradually brought him back to his place and could begin
encouraging his failing erection, which soon recovered from the
shock and begged for release it had been denied so many times
this night.
It took a long time, during which James felt as if he'd
explode, but eventually the prince began to welcome him again, to
move with him, to make those noises deep in his throat that meant
he was reaching that pinnacle.
When he began begging again James knew that he had him,
that everything was going to be fine. He stroked Blair's cock in
time with his thrusts and Blair returned each pump frantically,
until a red haze dropped over James' mind and he sped up his
movements. He was only vaguely aware of the prince's scream of
fulfillment a second before he shoved himself as deeply into him
as he could get and clung there as waves of pleasure pounded him
fiercely.
When he opened his eyes again the prince was soundly asleep
in his arms. With shaking hands he pulled the blankets high and
gave a glance at the dark window, wondering what the court had
thought of their performance, but not really caring just now.
He woke hours later. Blair had turned in his arms,
separating from him, and was cuddled close to his chest, a warm,
trusting weight. There were no real windows in the room, but he
knew instinctively that dawn was long past.
The footsteps in the hall that had woken him stopped and he
heard the bolt slid back and the hesitant knock.
"Come." he said as quietly as he could and still be heard,
not wanting to wake the sleeping king he held so close. It had
been a difficult, confusing time for Blair, he needed to rest now
that it was over.
Several servants entered, carrying trays and buckets. They
moved so silently that he knew a normal person would not have
been woken by them. They set a large wooden tub by the fire, a
heavy tray laden with food on the table, a long row of buckets,
filled with rainwater, before the fire. Then Queen Kim stepped
and stared at him, a gentle smile on her face.
"When the king awakens tell him that he has nothing on the
agenda today and is to rest and recuperate."
James nodded, his arms tightening around the body he held.
"You did a splendid job, Sir James." her smile widened.
"Some of us had even begun to believe that you hadn't been
waiting ten years to do that."
He felt the heat of a blush rise in his face as she
chuckled and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Closing his eyes he nuzzled his face back into his king's
soft hair.
He'd got what he'd wanted. Now he had to find a way to keep
it.
(the end)
