15 comments/ 107881 views/ 88 favorites The Prince Ch. 01 By: RomanticRealist This story is written for the love of my life and dedicated to fulfilling every one of her fantasies. She has already exceeded so many of mine and continues to every day. Here's to the Prince that has always existed in her dreams and the love that has helped make him a reality. As Amber looked to see her assignments for the day, she found herself wondering whether she was being rewarded or punished. She was assigned to the Prince's quarters. The possible meanings of this job were well known to anyone who had worked in the palace for more than a week. The Prince was said to be completely unreasonable in his demands and impossible to please. The most capable maid's were sent to him as a test to see just how good they were. On the other hand, maids who were disliked by the staff management were sent to him as a sentence of execution; they were never to work in the palace again. The Prince had an incredible reputation that was enhanced upon each retelling. The Prince's fury was legendary and it was not uncommon for anyone working under him to come back with tears streaming down their face after meeting him. It was said that he had a glance that was full of fire, a fire so hot that it would leave any one caught in that glance burned to their core. Most felt as though they had been beaten after seeing him, but he never laid a hand on any member of the staff. Nearly every person that came into contact with him wondered what they had done to deserve the punishment of his gaze. No maid lasted more than a month working for him. He demanded perfection and would tolerate nothing less. It seemed that no one could ever perform well enough for him. It was well known that this trait extended far past the realm of cleanliness. He would eat only the best food, drink only the best wine, and entertain only the most beautiful women. None of these women seemed to live up to him as he never met with any of them more than a handful of times. Amber knew all of this, but she did not fear him. She knew how reputations could grow and that while there is always some truth in them, there is also exaggeration. She had never seen him in person, but she had heard that there was no mistaking him. It was said if anything could surpass his cruelty and malice it would be his strikingly handsome appearance. Surprisingly, no one seemed capable of giving a more thorough description than that. It wasn't until she saw a finger pointing at her name on the sheet that she noticed how long she had been standing there staring. "I wonder, who made that decision?" Amber knew that voice, it was her friend Marissa. Marissa had started working at the palace at about the same time that she had. They had both bonded quickly, even though Amber rarely bonded quickly or easily with anyone. They had found a sort of kinship with each other, one that had made it easy for the two of them to talk to each other. "I don't know." Amber heard herself say. "Are you all right?" "I believe so, but, it is rather sudden." Amber had only been working at the palace for a little over two years. No one that had been assigned to the Prince had worked for less five years. That was at least, no one until her. "Someone in management must really like you or really hate you for you to have to deal with that," Marissa stated nodding her head in the direction of the Prince's quarters, outside the window. "I'm sure that you must be liked, you do some of the best work out of all of us. I can't imagine it being anything else...I mean you always work hard...Anyone would be crazy not to like you." Marissa said trying, unsuccessfully, to look more sure than she sounded. However, Amber's placement baffled her. This was unheard of and left her feeling very uneasy and worried for her friend. "I certainly hope that your right, but I will be okay. Don't worry too much." She replied calmly. Marissa knew that Amber wasn't as calm as she sounded, but didn't want to place any more stress on her friend than she was sure she already had. "All right. So, I'll see you tonight?" Marissa asked more cheerfully than she felt. "Of course" The two friends then set off to their respective parts of the palace to do their work. The Prince Ch. 01 Greetings to the readers, This is my first ever story on literotica or anywhere for that matter. Hope you all enjoy it and share your opinions with me. This chapter is written as a prologue to the story. The aim of writing this chapter was introducing the important characters in this series. Spend a few minutes with them, you might like them. This story is purely a work of fiction based in ancient India. All characters are at least 18 years old. All rights reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The huge, ancient banyan tree stands magnificently at the far end of the training ground. Innumerable aerial roots hang down the tree, giving a proof of its old age. The old man is standing near the tree, inspecting his assistant Raman's handwork. A breeze of wind blows by long white hair of his head and beard that make him look as ancient as the tree. In his highly rich, peach colored clothes, he looks like a divine entity. He is the chief Guru of the great empire of Magadh. He is responsible for the training of all the best warriors in the empire, including princes. He also guides all other gurus, who are responsible for the mass training of warriors of the Magadh army. At the old age of sixty years, Guru Bhargava is still stronger than a lion. No other warrior in the whole empire, young or old, would dare to challenge him for a duel. Though he is a master of all kinds of weapons and battle tactics, his love for archery is well known. There isn't a person on earth who could do better with a bow. His knowledge of arrow enchantments is something that was rare in the empire before he came. The only other warrior, who is as skilled at the particular art, is my grandfather. Guru Bhargava had come to the empire with an infant daughter about twenty years ago and offered his loyalty to my uncle, our great King Sagara. Being the smart ruler he is, our king quickly realized Bhargava's potential and readily appointed him to train the best warriors in the army. Over the time he gained high enough respect and authority to be the most powerful person of the empire, besides the royal family. With his rise, the empire grew in strength and might. He has been instrumental in countless battles, defeating various foes of the empire over the years. He seems pleased with Raman's efforts. The wooden bird is hanging from one of the top branches like a pendulum. It is moving to and fro in a constant linear motion, under Bhargava's enchants. As our Guru walks with a firm gait towards us, everyone looks at him anxiously. Raman follows him obediently, happy to have pleased the old man. Bhargava stops at some distance from all of us students and looks intently towards all the males and two females present. Many fidget in their places, as nobody knows what awaits them next. "Children, today each one of you is going to aim at a moving target. This is a test for extreme concentration and only the successful marksmen get to stay and learn the more complex enchantments from now on. Since all of you have already excelled in the battle form of your liking, those who fail will have to leave for the army," roars the master in his heavy voice. "And of course, the target is the center of the eye of that bird," he adds after a brief moment's pause. Everybody groans. When we woke up this morning, none of us had the slightest clue that it might possibly be our last day to train with our beloved Guru. This task is nearly impossible and everyone has realized it. While each one of us is good enough to aim at a moving target, today our master has set the target at a distance where a good archer would most probably miss a stationary shot. Even a fraction of error means a miss. On top of that, each one of us is supposed to aim at the center of the tiny eye of the oscillating bird, from such a long distance. Murmurs of nervousness start out. Nobody wants to leave this place, for we all have our perfect little world out here. Leaving the training means a huge change in life and like every human being in this world, we are afraid of change. "Silence!" says the thundering voice of Bhargava. "You all are warriors of the great Empire of Magadh, not some coward tribesmen. Now get ready with your bows. I want all of you to create your own arrows and then shoot it at the target." His voice has the power to silence everybody. Even the free birds stop chirping. "I'm ready Master," says prince Raghav, readily standing up. Everyone stares at him with curiosity. As always he succeeds in commanding attention and rightly so. After all he is the first heir to the throne and elder son to the king from his first wife. Naturally, he has to be first at everything. Even though the Gada or the club is his favorite weapon on a battlefield, he wants to go first with the bow. For some people it is a sign of confidence and leadership, while for others it is a sign of arrogance and stupidity. Our Guru belongs to the first category. "Good," Bhargava says approving. "Now go ahead and make me proud, prince Raghav." Raghav smiles as he earns our master's approval. He steps ahead and walks to the spot where a circle is drawn on the soil. As always, Raman has done his job impeccably. The circle is drawn in a perfectly round shape. Raghav looks towards Raman and nods his approval. That is what a leader is supposed to do, encourage the men who are good at their jobs. It still doesn't mean that everybody likes him. My best friend Kush is one of those. "Why does he always make a show of everything?" asks Kush from my side, displaying his dislike for the future king. I look sideways at my best friend with a wry smile on my face. I shrug at him and focus back on my older cousin. Raghav bows to the master first and then enters the circle. He touches his bow to his forehead in a gesture of respect. Closing his eyes, he begins enchanting to create an arrow with magic. Our Guru prefers to call it Energy of the Universe and not magic. He says you can convert any form of energy into another form, if you know how. Anyways, creating an arrow is the easy part. Everyone can do it. But creating it quick and giving it the desired shape needs immense skills. I created my first arrow when I was ten and it was curved with a mushroom head. It was kind of funny and embarrassing at the same time. But once I had taken notice of Kush's flower-headed arrow, I had hurt my gut laughing back then. Guruji says you can judge your opponent's ability by his speed of crafting a decent arrow. This makes Raghav a good bowman, since he has created a perfectly straight arrow, in very little time. He mounts the arrow on the bow and holds the bow firmly in front of him. As he stretches back the bowstring to its limit, his hands are steady and parallel to the ground. He gradually raises the bow to get the required elevation. I admire his concentration as he fixes his gaze on the target. The look on his face is very intense. A few moments to make the necessary adjustments and he takes the shot. The arrow flies with a great speed towards the target. As the arrow cuts through the wind, the sound of the flying arrow can be heard as everyone is quietly holding their breath, waiting for the hit. As the arrow strikes, the bird wildly sways sideways with the impact. The arrow manages only to brush the leg of the bird. A grim expression takes over Raghav's face. He kicks the dirt with disgust. Guru Bhargava's face remains passive. But I think he is still pleased with the almost perfect shot. My cousin goes and sits back with a gruff face. Suddenly the atmosphere has become much more tense, as everyone has realized their slim chances of success after the failure of a top warrior. One by one, others go ahead and try their luck at shooting the target. Some of them miss by little, others by large. But no one has succeeded in touching the bird yet, except Raghav, let alone its eye. Now it's Maya's turn. She is Bhargava's only daughter and my betrothed. Being Bhargava's daughter lends her the luxury to train as a warrior, which most of the women do not have. A woman is considered as the most treasured asset in a man's life. This philosophy makes our men over-protective of their women. Women are given the utmost respect but usually are not allowed to fight alongside men. Every time I look at my lady-love, I do not agree with the people. Ever since we were engaged at the age of fourteen, my eyes have followed her every single move. She is as graceful as a woman can be. And yet, she has managed to become one of the finest woman warriors of our generation. Most of the males out there cannot outdo her in an archery duel. Whenever I lay my eyes on her, my chest swell with certain pride. As she stands up on those shapely legs of hers, I cannot help but admire her perfect feminine posture. With a woman-like subtleness she glances sideways at me. As I catch her looking at me, she quickly averts her eyes from me. A shy little smile crosses her beautiful face. Just like that my heart skips a beat. She has ensured that my attention is solely on her. She bows to her father and goes to the circle. Once she steps inside, she closes her long eyelashes momentarily. When she opens them, there is a determined look fixed on her face. She instantly creates a beautiful arrow with the spell. Without delay, she mounts it on her bow and aims. The arrow leaves the bow a moment later and strikes the bird dead in its belly. She looks at her father for approval. He gives the slightest nod possible. That relieves her tense features slightly. As she makes her way towards her place, she once again glances in my direction. A discreet nod of my head lets her know my approval. She returns the gesture with another one of her dazzling smiles. It feels great to bring the smile back on her beautiful face. I can devote his whole life to this task. She goes and sits near her best friend Meera, who is the next one to try her aim. Meera stands up and every eye is set on her. That girl is a walking erotic dream. Blessed with ample curves and a perfectly toned warrior body, she is the epitome of artistic creation, created by the God himself. Every single male trainee lusts after her and she is aware of that. Raghav actually harbors intentions to make her the future queen of the empire, which according to me is a really bad idea. Surprisingly, she also looks in my direction, same as Maya did before. But it's a look of disgust on her face that I can easily recognize. Oh yes, she hates me. All the males of our species for that matter. But somehow I manage to be the most hated person in her life. It wasn't like that always though. We were actually very good friends as kids. Somewhere during growing years, she stopped talking to me and started hating me. Till date, I'm not sure what I've done to earn her hatred. I even tried to ask her about it in the past, but just got ignored. Now I too have some anger of my own for her in my system. It's difficult for a hot-blooded prince like me to stay calm when a merchant's daughter, even as beautiful as her, looks at me with such disdain. That's right; she came to Magadh with her merchant father as a child. Her father would trade with our neighboring empire and once brought some valuable gifts for the king to gain his favors. Happy with his gifts, the generous king rewarded him some land and a nice house. King also took Meera under his wings and requested Bhargava to train her with Maya. Bhargava didn't only accept her but kept her with him. After her merchant father's demise soon, Bhargava accepted her as his second daughter. Maya and Meera are as close as two persons can be and that's what keeps my anger in check. My respect for my guru and my lady-love requires me to ignore the infuriating lass. Well, she is hard to ignore actually. Not only she is beautiful, she is also a beast on the battlefield. She can defeat almost every male at hand to hand combat. Maya and her, both of them make the best warrior pair among all of the pair is probably even better than me and Kush. Guru Bhargava always claims that Meera will go on to become the best woman archer of our era. That's how good she is. The fact that she has crafted her arrow before she even reaches the circle is a testimony to her aggressive nature. She takes very little time to aim and shoots the arrow without a moments delay. The arrow flies at a frightening speed and strikes the rim of the eye! Everybody is awed. Yet she seems slightly disappointed, which can be perceived as a quality of a perfectionist. Bhargava finally has a smile on his face. But it's me, she looks at first. Her gaze seems to be challenging me to top her act. I do not react, even though I'm furious as hell. It's not my turn yet. Kush goes on next. His arrow manages to cut through the wooden feathers on the tail of the bird. That's a good one from him and he knows it. He comes back and sits beside me. "Good one, mate!" I say as he punches my fist. "Thanks," he says with a broad smile on his face. "And Shaurya, good luck! Show everybody, why you are considered the best marksman in the whole empire." I smile at my best friend's kind words. I know he is being partial to me so I do not let his words affect me. I stand up and bow to my guru. He doesn't acknowledge me. He never does until I do what he asks of me. He has always been hard on me that way. I'm not sure if one actually treats his future son this way. Well, I'm too eager to demonstrate my skills to mull over his lack of acknowledgement. My mind is solely focused on hitting the center of that tiny eye and show Meera her place. I take a deep breath and calm my senses. As I step inside the circle I recall my idol, the legendary archer Arjuna. Till date, he is the best archer to have walked on this earth. Once, he had to hit the eye of a fish which was placed behind seven rotating wheels. Each wheel rotating in opposite direction to that of its adjacent one. And he did it by merely watching the fish's reflection in water. The mere thought of such an unbelievable feat fills me with inspiration. A moment later I have crafted an arrow. An arrow, which has a pointed head made of iron with a tiny area of cross section. While the shaft adjacent to the arrowhead is made of hardwood, the remainder of the shaft consists of softwood. Softwood makes my arrow lightweight. I will rapidly lose the force by using a lighter arrow but it will have less drop during its flight, something that is desirable at such a long distance. The three feathers running along the length of the shaft enhance the beauty of my arrow. But their actual purpose is to behave as fletching that increase the accuracy. I am satisfied with my creation, so would Bhargava be. As I mount the arrow on my bow and stretch the bowstring to its elastic limit up to my ear, my mind stops feeling any kind of emotion. Neither I can feel any excitement nor a little bit of anxiety. All I can feel is a gentle breeze against my skin; the wind seems to be friendly for the moment. I consider the gravitational pull that will act on the arrow during its flight, I have the perfect elevation. I squint my open eye; the eye of the bird is oscillating steadily in an arc. I determine its range of movement and speed; I know exactly when and where my arrow is going to meet its center. It's a gift to register so much of information in a fraction of a second, I'm thankful to god for that. I'm ready but I recheck all the data again, there is no space for a mistake. Every little noise in my surroundings has vanished; I can sense some anticipation building behind me. Twang! I love the peculiar sound the bow-string makes as my arrow leaves it. A dull thunk is heard from the distance, which means the bird is hit. I'm ecstatic to see the arrow tip embedded deep inside the center of the bird-eye. There is some clapping and whistling behind my back. I turn around to see Guru Bhargava walking towards me with a smiling face. I smile back at him sheepishly. I'm hugged in a very strong embrace by the old man. "Well done, son," I hear him whispering in my ear. "I knew that you would do it." "Thank you, Master." I'm happy to hear him call me son. 'That's more like a future father, old man,' I want to add, but I resist. I look at my betrothed over his shoulder; she seems genuinely pleased with me. She looks so beautiful when she beams with joy. Beside her is the man-hater bitch with a face devoid of any kind of emotion, even as I smirk at her. Kush is whistling like crazy, I hope the disciplinary self of Bhargava doesn't kick in. Finally my guru frees me and I can go back to my place. There is one more candidate left yet, prince Prithvi, the son of king's younger wife, third in line to the throne. Oh yeah, the king can take more than one wives. Perks of being the king! It must feel special to be able to marry multiple women. Well, Prithvi is the youngest and most mischievous prince among the three of us. He is creatively funny and one never knows what's on his mind. It's impossible to dislike him and I love him deeply. Both of us are as close as real brothers. Apart from Kush, Prithvi is someone I can confide my secrets in. After the customary bow to the guru, Prithvi goes to the circle and mumbles an enchantment. Habitually, he makes somewhat exaggerated lip movements while whispering the spell which makes it very easy to recognize the enchantment he has mumbled. Surprisingly, he is not creating the regular arrow. Most of the trainees around me are confused. I am worried that Guru Bhargava will have my behind for this since I'm the one who discovered that particular enchantment and taught it to Kush and Prithvi. I look at Bhargava and it dawns on me that he has recognized it, but he makes no move to stop Prithvi. As the enchanted arrow leaves the bow, it transforms into a shower of arrows. Several of those arrows pierce the wooden surface of the bird's body. All the students are stunned. They have only heard of such amazing tricks but never seen one in reality. Prithvi's face breaks into a smug smile as he turns around. He is amused with himself as he has hit the target without using much of his aiming skills. Everyone starts clapping for him. I don't, because I do not appreciate him revealing our secret. Bhargava seems slightly unhappy, so we might be in for some punishment later. "Alright pupils," says Bhargava, once everyone calms down. "Only one of you have managed to hit the target but since five others were almost as good, they also can stay here to learn advanced battle arts and refine their skills." I am happy that I won't be staying here alone. Other chosen five look very much relieved, rest don't. "I'm very sad that most of you kids couldn't make it and have to leave, but I'm also very happy because the inclusion of highly skilled warriors such as you all will strengthen the empire's army a lot. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new phase in your life. I hope you serve the empire with all your might and courage. Bring glory to the empire my children, my blessings are always with you," with that he concludes his little speech. His eyes are moist, a very rare sight indeed. Everybody has become emotional. Many have tears in their eyes, some are letting them flow. A couple of guys are even sobbing, I personally think that is quite un-warrior like. Probably I'm being a little harsh on them but warriors don't cry, I suppose. I suppress every emotion deep in my heart and prevent any tears from crossing the boundary set for them. One by one I hug them all and wish them luck. They all congratulate me in return and many wish me greatness. I promise them, one day I will achieve it for sure. Hasn't that always been the purpose of my life? The Prince Ch. 01 One by one, they all go and seek the old man's blessings. I've never seen him behave this way. He's transformed into a father and comforting his children. I see my peers leaving in much more peaceful mood, once they have spoken to the old man. They all leave for the city after spending most of their growing years here. Now it's only six of us left with Bhargava and Raman. As expected, Prithvi is called up by the old man. Bhargava has once again transformed into another form, the authoritative form. He inquires everything there is to know. He quickly finds out who the real culprit is and who all are involved. Surprisingly, Meera is asked to stay along with me, Kush and Prithvi. Maya and Raghav are allowed to go. Maya gives us all a worried look before she leaves the training ground. We all are at the mercy of my future father. Meera seems confused, just like us all, since nobody knows the reason for her detention. Bhargava's facial features have turned non friendly at the moment. How can he forget the love he had for me some time ago, so quickly? That man is such a mystery. Meera standing beside me seems more frustrated than me. I'm not sure if that is because she is detained or because she is detained with us. "Shaurya," roars my girl's father, "Come here." I obey his commands. I don't think there is a way to get out of this mess. "Have you forgotten the rules around here, Prince?" he asks me. "Don't you know that hiding anything from your master is unacceptable?" I look down towards the ground. Staying silent and taking whatever comes my way is the only thing I can do. I do not look back at him, because I'm afraid of the Prince inside me coming to the surface and be rude to the old man. It's like an entirely different entity, a different myself, an evil myself that resides in my body. It's like I lose my humble self, my control over my mind and body. When this other person takes over me, I act like an animal with primal instincts that cares for nobody. I can be arrogant, violent and god knows what else. If my memory is correct, it started happening to me around the age I hit puberty. I call him the Prince inside me, because I think that the sense of power that comes with being a prince has given birth to this thing in me. "You two," the old man gestures towards Kush and Prithvi, "You also hid it from me. Tomorrow morning, you two are going to the forest to collect sandalwood for me." Both of them groan but the old man has already dismissed them. The sandalwood forest is full of snakes and if you are not careful, you just might get a poisonous love-bite from one. And of course, chopping trees and carrying heavy wood is not exactly an idea of fun, at least not for a warrior. "And you two," now he is pointing towards me and the frustrated female creature beside me, who also happens to be his adopted daughter, "You two will go and get lotuses for me from the Saroj Lake." I groan, she gasps. The Saroj Lake is a beautiful lake of lotuses, deep inside the forest. It is rumored that the wild tribes protect it and attack any person who tries to take flowers from the lake. It's a dangerous task and everybody knows it. 'Well done, father,' I feel like using sarcasm but once again I keep mum, obedience is the first thing taught to a student at Bhargava's training. Apparently, Meera has forgotten about it. "But father, I didn't hide anything from you," she argues her case, "Why am I being punished?" Finally she has asked the question, which we all want to know the answer for. "I thought it was very clear, Meera," says Bhargava with a stern voice. 'I think not, old man. Please enlighten us,' my mind whispers. "You are being punished for letting your emotions control you during the test. And I'm your father at home, not on the training ground." Her face is flushed. It is rare to see that emotion on her face. It is very unlikely of her to shy away and back down. But she knows that the old man is right and there is no point arguing with him. She should have made a perfect shot but she did let her hatred of me take over, while aiming for the bird's eye. Now the only problem as I see it is, that one of us is going to die tomorrow and it won't probably be at the hands of the wild tribesmen. Most certainly, that's going to be me since I'm not the person who can hurt women. Maybe I can persuade my girl to arrange a life saving treaty with the Bitch. And to be honest, I'm not humoring. "We are done for today," Bhargava concludes and leaves. I stare at his back, like the others do. Meera follows him, so does Raman. Naturally, my gaze shifts from old man's back to Meera's behind. Wrapped in a white sari, her apple shaped bottom sways in a hypnotic dance with every step she takes. I might hate her but I absolutely admire that curvy butt. Above that big bottom of hers is a slender waist which is left bare by a midriff baring bodice. I can only stare at the smooth skin of her toned waist, but can't touch it. I have some very dirty ideas for that body in my mind; unfortunately the owner of that body will never be mine. I chide myself for lusting after my sworn enemy, but I cannot help but think of how much sexuality that bitch oozes. If she is alone with me tomorrow for the entire day, I just might die off of sexual frustration. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Brother, I'm really sorry," Prithvi says, "I was just trying to amuse everybody. I wasn't thinking clearly." "Well the arrow has left the bow, quite literally. So I don't see a point in mulling over it," I tell him. Honestly, there is nothing that can be done to revert what is coming our way tomorrow. I just want to enjoy this night with my friends at these cottages, where we all stay. As we all sit on the front porch of Kush's cottage, I miss the usual activities of my peers who left today. The sports, the unstoppable chatter, and the fights that used to happen, it's all gone. "But, we will have to be more careful to guard our secrets in future," Kush says looking at Prithvi. Prithvi gives a silent approval. "Where is Raghav anyway?" asks Prithvi. "I saw him go after that buxom woman Lata, the woodcutter's wife. It seems her husband is not home, so Ragahv will be having a busy night," Kush shares the information with a huge grin on his face. A wicked smile spreads across Prithvi's face. He seems to have sensed an opportunity for mischief. "Let's raid them!" he says excitedly. "I don't think our older brother will appreciate it much," I suggest in an attempt to dissuade him. "Oh, come on! Don't be a spoil-sport," says Prithvi, "It'll be fun and besides what are the odds that Raghav won't share her with us, once we catch them red-handed? Even the woman will comply to keep her affair secret." I shake my head. They know my answer. They know I'm in love with my girl and I do not care for any other woman, at least not any that they are aware of. Hell, I can't even admit to myself of my attraction towards Meera, the human Bitch. "Come on Kush, let's go," he asks Kush, "Let this virgin die of sexual frustration." I swing a powerless punch at him. He dodges it swiftly and runs away laughing hysterically. Kush follows him, he's laughing at me too. Soon, they disappear in the night's darkness. They are right I guess, because I'm really sexually frustrated. Staying virgin till the age of twenty one is very rare for a prince. Most of us just bed the young maids that work at the palace. Or there are always plenty of girls and women from towns who are willing to sleep with a warrior. Women seem to be the easier preys as many of them are not satisfied with their married lives. It's very easy to persuade them when their men are away and they are lonely. All in all, you can score if you know how to. Anyways, I'm still a virgin. Clearly, it's not due to lack of opportunities. I have been trying to seduce Maya for a last few years. But she is shy, very shy. There was a time when I had to coerce her just to extract a kiss. With time, she is warming to the idea of romance and lovemaking. Probably, I will get lucky soon. But that doesn't do any good to me. I'm frustrated sexually all the time. Having a beautiful woman but still staying celibate is very frustrating. I just keep mulling over a solution to my problem. Just like that, a crazy idea flashes in my mind. Automatically, an evil smile has made its way to my lips. I am going to sneak inside Maya's room and lose my virginity. All I have to do is make a good excuse to enter her room. Oh well, I already have one! Only the thought of doing it has gotten me excited. A night with my girl seems like an amazing idea. One precaution I need to take is, avoid getting caught. If I get caught by her father, he'll probably kill me. But evading her father is easy, since he sleeps on the ground floor. It's that infuriating sister of her that I got to stay clear of. I have this feeling that she will most definitely enjoy catching me and handing me over to her old man. I walk through the shadows, in the direction of her house. Bhargava has trained me well in use of stealth. Only if he found out how I utilize those skills! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stand behind a tree at the backside of Maya's house from where I can see her window. A lamp is on in her room and I can see a feminine shadow moving around the room. I can also see another feminine shadow in the next room which has much more pronounced curves. Just for a moment, my wicked mind asks me to go in there and pound the bitch like a dog in heat. I put that thought away and focus on my original plan. I wait till lights on the ground floor are out. The old man must have slept. I climb the tree near Maya's window and enter inside silently. She is lying in her bed, turned sideways, facing away from me. She seems engrossed in a painting, hung on the wall across me. That's why she is unaware of my arrival, it seems. I admire her shapely form from behind. The sari she is wearing does well enough to cover the body below her waist as well the front of upper body. She is not wearing a bodice. Apparently she takes it off while she sleeps. The thought is good enough to make my mind dizzy. The delicate fair skin of her bare back glows in the soft light. Her shiny black hair lie untied over her neck and shoulder. I feel a strong urge to feel the softness of her bare skin with my fingers. I want to know if her body trembles when I teasingly run a fingernail over the length of her naked spine. The mere thought causes my penis to stand in attention. I move stealthily and stand behind her. Suddenly, Maya turns around as she senses my presence behind her. Her eyes widen when she sees me standing inside her room. Involuntarily, her hand goes and clutches at the front of her sari to maintain her modesty. "Shaurya, what are you doing here?" She shouts before I can barely cover her mouth with my palm. She stares at me with wide eyes as I climb in her bed. "Shhh...I came to see you," I whisper silently. "But it's not the appropriate time," she says as she removes my hand that is over her mouth. "I'm sorry dear but I couldn't wait till an appropriate hour to meet you. Do you want me to go?" I ask her gently. Thankfully, she shyly averts her gaze lower in a way that is only possible for a delicate woman. She looks adorable as a blush arises on her cheeks. I feel a warm, fuzzy feeling inside me as I see her lowering those beautiful eyelashes. It is beyond my understanding, how a hard trained warrior woman can have the perfect feminine traits. I guess I'm just a lucky man to have her all to myself. Startling us, there is a knock on the door. Maya's gaze immediately turns towards the door. I notice little panic in her eyes. Then she looks at me, her eyes pleading me to leave. "Maya, are you alright in there?" comes Meera's voice from behind the door. "Yes, why would you ask?" Maya asks ever so innocently. How do females manage it is a mystery to me. She deserves some credit for being able to use that tone. "I think I heard you shouting," says Meera in a concerned voice. "Oh that! I was just scared of the lizard," she lies. I cock an eyebrow at her. Did she just refer me as a lizard? She just laughs it off. "Oh! Alright then, good night," thankfully the bitch leaves us alone. Maya leaves a sigh of relief. We need to keep it low I guess. "Did I just hear you calling me a lizard?" I ask her with a feigned anger. She just smiles naughtily. Whenever she does that, my male hormones go wild. I feel like grabbing her hair and drag her mouth to my crotch. Such practices are rare and she must not know about them but I do. Anyways she is not the right person for it and neither is the time appropriate for that. Still I push my hand behind her head and grab some of her hair. I make a move towards her lips as she stares at me. Her playfulness is replaced by apprehension. "Answer me woman, did you just call me a lizard?" I ask in a low, gruff voice. She meekly shakes her head in a 'No' motion. It's really amazing to see, how a fine warrior has an innocent girl inside her. She swallows as if her mouth has gone dry. It is probably my closeness or the hunger in my eyes which has caused change in her demeanor. Her graceful neck looks very tempting in the soft light. I give in to the temptation and nibble at the soft skin of her neck. She takes in a sharp breath. She must look beautiful, holding her breath like that, but I can't take my lips off of her soft skin. My tongue sneaks out between my lips and licks her throat. The wet trail I leave as I move up towards her jaw somehow fuels my male ego. As my lips leave her jaw and I look into her eyes once again, I can see a hint of need in those eyes. As I trace my thumb along her pink lips, she gives it a slow kiss. My mind goes into hyperdrive as I see her lips responding to my touch. Without wasting another moment, I close the gap between us and kiss her pliant lips softly. As much as my instincts ask me to just take what I want from her, I keep a control over my senses since she is not used to the animalistic act of love making. I genuinely care for her and I want her experience with me to be wholly pleasurable. My lips gently move against hers, her face has become a mask of ecstasy. As her eyes close and her lips begin moving with mine in sync, both her hands grab my arms. There is definitely something very erotic about a woman tracing the bulges of your muscle. Since both of her hands are caressing the muscles of my arms, her young bosom is left unprotected, covered only by a single piece of sari. As this extremely vital information registers in my mind, my hand immediately finds the end of the sari on its own and takes it away from her breasts. "Oh...!" she moans against my lips, as she realizes that her bosom is left bare in front of me. I break the kiss and look down at her round tits. Those are some tits! They may not be the biggest tits on a female but all one needs to do is take in the perfect roundness of those globes and he is a goner. When I avert my gaze back up with a great deal of self control, I see she is once again shifting into her apprehensive mode. "Beautiful!" Her eyes search mine, asking me silently if I'm really telling the truth. "You are breathtakingly gorgeous sweetheart. Your beauty drives me insane," I compliment her. "Here, check this," I take her hand and place it on my incredibly hard erection. She jerks her hand back as if she had been burned, once she realizes that she is touching my cock over my clothes. She looks shocked to have realized an absence of underwear. Alright, now she knows I came prepared for this, so what? "But they are so small," she says complaining about her tits. I raise an eyebrow, asking for her to explain more. "They are smaller than Meera's," she admits shyly. "Nonsense, your breasts are perfect my lady," I just cannot understand why a woman like her is insecure even when she is absolutely breathtaking. When I look at her bosom, I see two perfectly round breasts that are more than a handful. The skin is without a single blemish and they seem very firm. Small, light brown areolas in the center of the fair skin, topped with erect nipples complete their 'please feast on me' look. I decide not to dwell anymore on her insecurities. I place a hand on her toned stomach. That is one good thing about a warrior woman's body; they have fat only where it should be. I gently caress her smooth skin. I can feel her trembling ever so slightly under my touch. Gradually, my hand starts a journey to her ample bosom. The closer I get to her breasts, more noticeable the shivering becomes. Her responses cause my penis to swell to its painful limit. My wicked self asks me to just grab her tits and maul them roughly, but I resist myself and move my hand back down to her stomach. I love to caress her silken skin. My tanned fingers look so wicked against her soft, fair skin. I tease her beautiful navel with my middle finger. I like to see how my touch affects her. The continuous storm of emotions on her angelic face keeps on fueling my lust for her. The continuous rise and fall of her heavy chest is hypnotizing. As she gets comfortable with my touch over the time, the trembling seems to be lessening. She seems completely lost in passion as I see her lustful eyes closing. I reckon it's time to make the next move. Once again my hand starts a voyage towards her inviting bosom. As my hand closes around her supple breast, the shivering returns with a force. The flesh under my palm is incredibly soft and I give in to the urge to knead it. Her hand grabs back of my head and pulls me in for a fierce kiss. As my fingers pinch her nipple ever so slightly, she bites on my lower lip passionately. I let my other hand capture her other breast while I open my lips and lick her lips with my tongue. She seems to like the wet teasing of my tongue as she whimpers against my lips. As soon as there is an opening formed between her lips, my opportunistic tongue makes its way right inside her warm mouth. She doesn't seem to mind it in the slightest. As my tongue gets enveloped in the warm, wet and velvety sensation of her mouth, I start losing my control. It feels like I'm high and my body is responding instinctively. I roughly knead her tits, like an animal in the heat. Surprisingly, she enjoys my wild ways with her body and tugs on locks of my long hair forcefully. And right then her body jerks violently as her screams are muffled against my mouth. Just like that she has had an orgasm! What an incredible woman! Is there any greater pride for a man than the feeling of being good enough to dish out such responses from a woman? I let her enjoy the high tide of passion which has overtaken her senses. As I break our contact so that I can also inhale the much needed air, she opens her big, deer-like eyes slowly. Her heavy breathing tells me that she is still as much excited as me or even more. She has a dreamy expression on her face. I'm happy to have caused it. It's a joy to know that you can satisfy your partner. You just feel proud when you know that you are good enough to give pleasure to a woman who is the love of your life. Well, isn't sex all about pleasure? I want her to receive more pleasure. I also want more pleasure for myself. So I wink at her and move lower to her neck and nibble on it. I keep going lower and reach the upper swells of her breasts. Her fingers pull my hair with anticipation. I would think that she doesn't want me to go lower if I wasn't so sure about her needs. I suck hard on her swells. It's an inner urge to leave her my mark on her body and I satisfy it. The red prints on that tender skin are proof that this amazing woman is mine, only Mine! I let my lips make their way to a taut nipple. The Prince Ch. 01 "Oh...!" a loud groan again escapes her mouth, as soon as my lips envelop her nipple. Instantly, her fingernails dig deep inside the skin of my bare back. But it only fuels my lustful mind and I suck on the erect nipple with some pressure. Every little movement gains a new response from her. It seems as if she is being tortured in the most pleasant way possible. When I bite gently on the nipple, her amazingly strong legs circle around my waist in order to gain some leverage, as her body tries to rise off of the bed. That makes me realize how sensitive her nipples are. So, I give my full attention to both of her nipples for a while. Soon she seems ready to go off again. Damn! I haven't had my release even once yet. I decide that I will try to hold her release until I can catch up with her, so I stop playing with her tits. Surely, I also deserve some incentive for enduring the throbbing erection for so long. I get a hold of her legs and place them over my shoulders. The great thing about a sari is that it is very lose fitting, so the lower end just falls back over her knees and gathers around her thighs. I grab the sari with my hands and push it further back. Taking a hint, Maya lifts her bottom in the air and let the sari bunch around her stomach. I can't decide on what is more surprising, her readily helping me to bare her privates or the utter absence of an underwear. I'm stunned to see what beauty a woman hides between her legs. The tiny black curls that are present at her nether region are in stark contrast with the richly fair colour of her skin. In the center of the bush I can see her light brown vaginal lips shining with wetness that is flowing along the crack of her butt. I never knew that a girl can get this wet. There is also a little, fleshy knob at the top, I think that's what they call the clitoris, the love button. I curiously touch it and her body immediately rises up in the air. Whoa! I almost let her get away with another orgasm. She seems very close anyway. I am not going to waste another second. She is very wet and willing; I reckon it's the perfect opportunity to take what belongs to me. I fumble to release the knot of my dhoti, but I manage it somehow. "Oh my god!" she whispers and her eyes widen as I let my clothing drop and my impressive erection comes into open. Well at least I like to think that it is impressive. "Like it sweetheart?" I ask her as I rub her naked, muscular thighs. "It's huge!" she says as she looks somewhat intimidated. I'm proud of my cock that it can intimidate a warrior woman who isn't afraid of ferocious foes on a battlefield. Now I know which weapon to use to make her forfeit. "It's just slightly bigger than normal," I tell her so that she will be able to relax. In reality, I don't have the slightest clue if I'm really big or not. Well it's not like I go on checking every single erection around me. "Here," once again I take Maya's hand and place it on my dick. This time she doesn't jerk away but my cock does. An electric bolt shoots through my entire body when her fingers curl around my erection. The tables have turned and I'm the one who is shaking now. As she gradually starts rubbing my erection back and forth, it starts leaking a lot of pre-cum. I am so excited that I might orgasm before my hardness can meet inviting vagina. "Alright sweetheart, you need to stop," I say holding her hand in place. She pouts which tells me she was actually enjoying it. But it can wait until another time. I take her hand off my throbbing erection. "Why?" she whines like a child who lost her candy. "You are too hot to handle babe," that seems to put a smile back on her face. "Really?" she asks. "Yes! If you continue what you are doing, I will be finished even before I start," I inform her. She finds this information amusing as she giggles loudly. She looks so breathtaking in that moment, so happy and carefree. I also notice that she is as relaxed as she'll ever be so I spread her thighs apart and open her sex for me. That puts a break to her laughter and she again becomes little anxious. I move a finger along the length of her wet slit as she jerks visibly and moans loudly. As I reach her love button, her body once again goes off of her bed in the air. I let her go. As she comes down, I once again put my fingers along her slit and penetrate the cavity I was searching for. I push a finger inside and can feel the velvety silk wrapped along the length of my finger. All sort of fantasies of past fall short compared to the wet path inside her body. I marvel at how her vaginal muscles contract around my finger. I go deep inside till I feel a resistance. That's her virginity which is mine to take. I can feel her body writhing under me now. She is extremely excited and almost there. I have to just do the deed immediately, if I am going to keep up with her. I immediately pull my finger out and rub all the pre-cum I leaked, along the length of my cock. I take a hold of my throbbing cock and place it against the wet slit that seems to be on fire. I try to gather more moisture on my erection by rubbing it along her wet pussy lips. "Oh yes...!" she shouts loudly as once again her body goes in the air and copious amount of clear liquid oozes out of her vagina. I'm stunned! She has just had her second orgasm. Just how fired up this woman is? How many women are blessed with such a gift? I'm a little frustrated but I know I'm lucky to have her. The noise she has just made was quite wild by her standards. She seems to keep spasming oblivious to me or anything else in the world. As I feared, the door to the next room opens and shuts. There is a loud knock by a certain bitch on the door. That brings Maya out of her dreamy world and she is pretty startled by all that happened. "Maya, are you sure you are alright?" Meera's voice is loud. "Yes," Maya replies in a weak whisper. That should make Meera more suspicious. "I'm coming in. Open the door please," Meera's voice has got an urgency to it. No, no... This can't be happening! I have a freaking hard-on for mercy's sake. Why is God so unfair to me? "I'm sorry my Prince, but you have to leave now," Maya looks at me weakly. Two orgasms have certainly worn her out. But she still looks amazing with all those beads of sweat on her beautiful face. It's a crime to get her naked and not fucking her till she cries my name loudly. It's really a huge crime to leave a young man horny as hell, when he was inches away from entering the hottest cave of ecstasy. I must look crestfallen because that's exactly how I feel. My heart wants me to stay right here and spend the whole night with this beautiful woman. "I'm really sorry," she says sadly and then gives me a gentle shove. I know she is right in asking me to leave, so I gather my dhoti around my waist and shoot out of the window. To put it mildly, moving quickly with a throbbing erection is not really the most comfortable task. I experience it now. Once I'm out of the window, I climb down the tree. I head back to my cottage once again full of sexual frustration. And it is all because of that nosy Bitch! I got her tomorrow for the whole day and she is going to pay for what she did today, she really is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I stand in the training grounds, I'm feeling quite restless this morning. I couldn't get a good sleep the whole night due to my residual sexual frustration. The culprit for it is standing in front of me. I want to wring her neck but I don't hurt women. Bhargava has finally told us to leave for our little journey or rather punishment. It depends on one's perspective, to be honest. I am going to focus on her more than on the task at hand. That female is quite dangerous and infuriating. Not to mention the fact that she is the hottest woman possible, is very distracting. I have said my goodbyes to my friends and taken blessings from the guru. Prithvi and Kush are also leaving for their task. As the bitch stands talking with my girl, I can just stare and get more frustrated. Finally when they hug each other, all I notice is how those two large bosoms mold against each other. Okay, I swear it is an indescribable sight. All I can say is I'm very thankful to the restraining underwear I'm wearing. I admire the noticeable bounce of the large rack of my adversary as she walks towards me. She is looking at me with disgust which is an everyday occurrence. Honestly speaking I also do not have much good opinion of her, if you do not count her body. I try my best not to let her presence affect me. As she keeps looking in my direction, I give her a fake smile. She doesn't seem impressed. "I know you came to our house last night," she drops the bomb on me as casually as she can swing a dagger. * Note :- If you think that the story was worth your time, please vote and comment. That is the only way to motivate a new guy to write more ;) The Prince Ch. 01 She gingerly grabbed onto him and started licking up and down the length of his shaft. After she had layered the length of his cock with saliva she started onto his head. "Suck on it." he commanded. She opened her mouth and put as much of him into her as possible. Sucking on him as she moved her head up and down. She heard him groaning with pleasure. After some time he told her to lay back and placed a pillow underneath her ass. He was over top of her and he placed his throbbing cock at her entrance. He began pressing himself inside of her. It hurt. He saw her wince. He learned then that he truly was taking her virginity and that she had never been with a man before. "It will only hurt for a moment." he said wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. He continued slowly moving inside of her and then letting her body adjust to his size. He waited patiently until he finally had himself all the way inside of her. Then he started fucking her slowly at first, but very gradually picking up speed. Pain gave way to overwhelming pleasure. She was at his mercy. Her body was his possession and he could do with it anything he pleased. He made her come again. He didn't give her a choice as he rubbed her clit while he was fucking her. Then feeling the overpowering need to orgasm himself, he came. He came and she felt it as his hot juices spurted out all over the inside of her. She felt exhausted and as though she needed to be close to him. As though he was her only anchor to the world. He allowed her to cling to him. He acted as though he did not care or notice her. She held tightly to him. Sleep overtook her. The Prince Ch. 02 Love can often surprise us. I know that it has surprised me many times. Luckily those surprises in love lead to great things and happiness you would never expect. I would not be writing this story if not for the love I have found. This is just one more way to celebrate it. I hope you enjoy. * That night Amber dreamed of him. She dreamed that they were in a room she had never seen before and, somehow, she knew that it was her room. She saw him walk around the room as if it belonged to him, as if it had always belonged to him. He reached into a small chest. She knew that chest, it was the one where she kept all of her most personal possessions; possessions that she had saved from her life before the palace. Nothing in there was very valuable, but each and every item had some important meaning associated with her; each item was a memorial to a piece of her past. She could not see what he grabbed from there, but she knew she must not let him have it. She ran to him only to realize that she could not catch him; she could not touch him. She awoke to find herself lying in her bed. She was wearing her normal pajamas. She began wondering whether she had dreamed all of the things that had happened to her the previous night. Her body ached and she felt sore in many places that she had never felt sore before. This was more than enough proof that last night had in fact happened, but she had no idea how she had gotten here. She felt a pang of loneliness when she realized that he was not going to be there. That he must have had her brought there. She suddenly remembered her dream and forced herself out of bed. She opened her chest. She looked inside of it and saw her father's locket remained, as did the silver chain, the letter, and the pendant. She sighed with relief, at least that much had been a dream. She then demanded her body to stand. She went to the bath to clean her aching body. Hardly anyone was there this morning and she was glad of it. She needed the privacy today. The water felt as though it were wrapping around her and providing comfort she didn't know she needed. She had always liked coming here whenever something was upsetting her. Nothing seemed to soothe her as the soft caresses of the warm water over her skin. The hot spring that provided the water for the bath was one of the reasons the palace had been built here. It was one of the few things that she truly loved about the palace. She knew no amount of time here could cure her of the pain and trepidation she now felt, but it was a welcome relief if only a temporary one. After finishing her bath she headed back to her dormitory. As Amber walked she realized that she was not going to have a uniform to dress in as hers had been torn to pieces the previous night. She went to her wardrobe to decide what she was going to where and found to her great bewilderment that her uniform was hanging intact. She once again wondered if all the things that had occurred last night had been merely a figment of her imagination. Knowing that it was not possible for her to have cooked up the experience she could only stop and stare. After she dressed she started heading towards the dining hall. Amber did not notice that everyone passing whispered when they saw her. She was lost in thought. She knew that he must have done this too, but she didn't know how it was possible. She didn't know how she could have slept so soundly after what he had done. She knew it should not have been possible, but then here she was walking without realizing where she was going. It wasn't until Amber had arrived at the dining hall and saw Marissa sitting at their usual table that she remembered where she was. She went to join her, trying to look as though nothing was wrong. Instead, Amber looked as though she did not think that anything happening to her right now was real. "What happened to you last night? I didn't see you at dinner and neither did anyone else. I was worried that something had happened to you," Marissa rattled off with obvious anxiety. Marissa had always been protective of Amber. It had always seemed odd to Amber that she should be so protective when they were both nearly the same age. Marissa was a little shorter than Amber and self described as much more intimidating. Marissa had thought that Amber needed to be protected since the first time she saw the soft lines of her face. She didn't think that anyone with a face that had such a serene look of tenderness should be allowed to be hurt by anyone. Marissa would fight for her shy friend any time she needed her too even if it was unsolicited. "I'm all right," Amber said with obvious effort. "You certainly don't look all right. You look as though you've been up all night. What happened?" Marissa asked this question with a hint of iron in her voice. She was not letting this go. "I, I will tell you later," Amber said as she looked away from her. Marissa could hear obvious pain in her voice, "Please, just let me pretend that things everything is all right for now. I will tell you afterward." Marissa stared at her friend. She had never seen her quite like this before. Amber had always been sensitive and Marissa had seen her hurt before, but this was different. The pain that Marissa knew that Amber must be feeling was much greater than anything she had ever witnessed before. Marissa understood she could not help Amber right now, but she felt a great hatred growing inside of her. That hatred was directed at whoever had done this to Amber. "All right," she said sharply, "but don't think that I will forget." "I wouldn't expect you to," Amber said with a soft smile. A smile that told Marissa how much their friendship meant to her. She then went on to say, "So, catch me up on the latest gossip." Marissa could not help but to smile as she heard Amber say this. She then launched herself into the conversation telling Amber about all of the various dramas going on in the other girls lives. Marissa knew not to ask any questions about the previous day even though she desperately wanted to know what had happened. She had heard a rumor that she had been in the Prince's quarters all day and into the night and knew that man could unleash all manner of unbearable torments upon anyone he chose. She knew he must have done something. Marissa kept speaking, but she didn't know what she was saying. She was looking very closely at Amber; she was looking for clues. Marissa had always thought that Amber was far too beautiful to be a common maid and she was reminded of that thought as she stared intently upon her. Amber had nearly completely straight hair that became wavy at a certain point only to become straight again. It was almost as though her brunette locks changed mind part way through there growth only to go back to doing what they had always done. Her face was supremely feminine; she had large eyes, a small nose, and soft lips. Marissa had never been jealous of Amber. Marissa had often wondered where Amber had come from and what had happened in her life before she had come to the palace. Amber never spoke of it. It was almost as if she had never had a life before she began working here. They spoke to each other until they had to go and perform their tasks for the day. Marissa wished that they were both going to be working in the same portion of the palace so that she could hear what had happened to Amber. Marissa knew that she would have to wait until after each of their days work had been finished. It was going to be a very long day. Amber walked toward the board that had their assignments for the day listed on it, hoping in vain that she would no longer be working for the Prince. "Amber, head to your post at once. The Prince has sent a special request that you be there early and I will not tolerate any one of my girls being lackadaisical when such a rare order is given," said a shrill painful voice. The speaker was none other than her supervisor Mildred. Mildred was a short stubby woman that had worked at the palace for longer than many of the other staff had been alive. Her hair had long since grayed and her face appeared as though it had never known a smile. Happiness appeared to be the most unnatural trait that could ever be used to describe her. "Yes, I will head there immediately," replied Amber, but before she left she turned to Marissa and said, "I'll tell you everything tonight." Marissa grabbed her and gave her a hug before Amber could protest. She whispered, "Just make it through today first." Amber was then released and had no choice but to begin heading towards the Prince's dwelling. She knew that he would be there. She knew that that should frighten her. She never thought about running away or escaping. All that she thought about was his eyes and the mystery that they held. She could see those golden orbs as if she were boring into her at that very moment. Those eyes were mesmerizing and she felt that it was very important to learn the source of their power. Amber did not know why it seemed important, she only knew that it was something that she had to discover. As she thought of those eyes, she felt her body getting weaker and something else stirring inside of her. She had not experienced anything quite like it before; the feeling resembled a hunger. The hunger was not ravenous, it was a sensation that urged her lightly, but constantly, to go to him and surrender herself. Amber wondered what was happening to her; what had he done to her. The closer she came his home the harder it seemed to breathe, the harder it was to think. His home was having the same effect on her body as his touches had. It was as though his home was somehow an extension of his body and that approaching it was more of a surrender to him than when she had been driven to the point of begging to be fucked by him. She continued walking in stubborn obstinance. She knew that running away would be a much larger surrender than acting as though he had not affected her. She would not stop was all she would allow herself to think as she entered the foyer of his home. * * * He had been up since dawn. He hardly ever needed sleep, but he had felt particularly restless this day. She had been wandering through his thoughts unannounced and uninvited ever since the previous night. No matter what he began by thinking about his mind would turn to her. No one had ever captured his attention so fully. It was an impertinence that a common maid should have this much of an effect on him, that she should have any affect on him at all. He was going to make her pay for this; he was going to make her pay for taking away his control over the directions of his thoughts. His own actions the previous day had surprised him. He had never touched any of the servants. He had never needed to. If a servant was inept or incapable, he would simply look at them with scorn and judgement. Often, the servants would not understand the full meaning of his glare until much later. At the time all they would feel was an indescribable terror that would leave them paralyzed until he released them. The few that learned the meaning behind that terror came to realize that they could see their life in his eyes and the judgement placed upon it. The judgement was that of worthlessness. The terror that they felt was caused by the knowledge that their life had no worth and that they had not earned the right to exist. The Prince did not know what his eyes had told Amber. He did not know what sort of judgement his eyes could place on people, only that they held immense power. No one could stand looking into his eyes without being encased in fear. No one except for her. He had not determined what she had felt that night when she had looked into his eyes. The only thing that he knew for certain was that she did not fear him. This knowledge intrigued him. He knew that her eyes held something special just as his own did, but he did not know what. He remembered her eyes vividly, though, as they were the same color as her namesake. They were almost the same color as his own eyes. There was something hidden within the depths of them, something sitting just below the surface, and he knew that he would find it out what it was soon. Comprehending and analyzing had come naturally to him and it had never taken him long to solve any problem. He was able to read anyone that he met almost instantly. At first glance, he would know how they thought and would then be able to manipulate them with ease. She provided the first challenge to his powers of observation, that he had experienced in a long time. He had determined that he was going to establish complete and total dominance over her to prove that he was the master of his domain in all respects. He was going to transform her into his slave. She was going to be turned into a whore that only wished to please her master. He was not going to take only her body; he was going to claim her soul. He was going to have absolute power over her. He was going to make her crave his body to the point where she would not be able to live without it. She was going to worship him with her body and her mind. He felt himself growing harder as he thought of this. He couldn't help but to conjure into his mind what he had done to her the night before. He knew what it had felt like to be inside of her and he craved to hear her begging him to fuck her. Suddenly, the thought struck him of how she had grabbed onto him and had fallen asleep. She had slept so soundly even though he had done so much to her. It seemed to have been one of the most peaceful rests that anyone could experience. He had thought about punishing her then for having fallen asleep and forcing her to walk back naked and still dripping with his cum. Something had stopped him though. He told himself what he really wanted was for her to suffer in silent agony. He told himself that he did not want anyone to know what had happened so that she would be trapped alone with her burden. So, that night he walked to the palace and found her name. After he determined who she was he spoke to Roland, the only butler he trusted and a man he had appointed to the staff himself, to find out in which dorm she slept as well as to have him replace her uniform without anyone knowing. He then silently went to her dormitory and took her pajamas. When he returned, she was sleeping still sleeping, but was obviously cold. Unbelievably, it was almost as though she could sense his presence as her body visibly relaxed the nearer he came. He gently clothed her as she slept. Looking at her body it was hard for him not to grab and tease her. It was shocking to him that it should be so difficult to keep himself under control when it had always come so naturally to him. After he finished clothing her, he wrapped her in a blanket and carried her back to her dormitory. He moved with same silence that an owl has as it flies. He put her in her bed and left her as if she had been there the entire evening. No one heard him and no one saw him. He could act as a specter. When he had awoken, he sent a special request, with Roland, for Amber to report for duty immediately. He did not want to give her time to think. He did not want her to find solace in another. He wanted her as she was, as she had been last night. He wanted her to feel alone and to know that she would have to face with no protection and no defense. He wanted her to be helpless. He saw her through the window as she approached. She walked forward with a stubborn determination, her eyes straight ahead. He smiled, he was glad that she was still standing so strong, it would make it that much more meaningful when he broke her. He expected her to hesitate as she came closer and closer to his home, but something was driving her toward him that would not stop. He lost sight of her as she took her last few steps towards the door. He had made sure that the two of them would be alone today. He had given Roland strict orders to make sure that no one was admitted, as well as to tell everyone that he had gone to the city for the day. He had no intention of giving his new pet any chance of salvation or escape. She was going to be his in whatever way he wanted her. He heard her enter and waited. He was going to require her to go through her work knowing that he could claim her at any time. * * * As she entered, she felt as though his hands were running over her body. Every object that she saw around her was a reflection of him. Each object was another piece of him, another extension of his body. She could not look around the room for fear that she would be overwhelmed by the things that she saw. She knew that she had to begin her work. She knew that she could not lose herself, that she had to fight the urge to find him and offer herself to him. With great effort she regained control of her muscles and commanded them to move her so that she could begin her work. She began by scrubbing the floor. She couldn't help but to wonder if he was watching her as she cleaned. She was aware of her body's movements to an acute degree. She felt as if her ass was exposed every time she had to bend over. She kept imagining that he was touching her every time she brushed up against something, every time her clothes shifted against her. She kept working just barely on the edge of self-control. Her body was screaming in anticipation of his touch. She knew she shouldn't feel this way about a man who had done what he did. She knew that she should hate him for what he had taken from her, but her body would not listen. She wanted to hate him, to loathe the very thought of his existence. She could not explain the sensations she was experiencing. She thought that he must have somehow warped her mind. She had never before felt herself aroused in the way that she had been the previous day. She had never felt the warmth spreading between her thighs before then, but she was feeling it again now. The change that he had affected on her body was to such a tremendous degree that it appeared unnatural and impossible, but she could not rid herself of it. She knew that he was nearby, that he could come to her at any moment. The waiting was driving her to the point of insanity, but she did not stop. She kept at her work and began focusing in on it more and more. She was trying to forget where she was and what was going to happen. She knew that if she could focus hard enough that she could stop herself from feeling the palpable tension around her. She could not lose herself in her work though. Her work was not enough to fill her mind so that it could think of nothing else. As she continued working, she felt a change. There had been no sound and she had seen nothing that would alert or alarm her, but she knew he was in the room. She knew he was right behind her. She refused to give in to him. She was not going to look where she knew he would be, she was going to keep working. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her look at him. He was standing less than ten feet away from her as he watched her work. He had seen her pause in her work as he had entered the room. Her pause had only lasted a moment and he knew that she should not have noticed, but he was certain that she knew he was here. He watched her fighting the urge to look behind her. She was not wavering, but he could see that it was difficult for her to breathe. He could see the slight edge to all of her movements. She was his prey and she knew it. She knew a great beast, that she could not possibly fight off or escape from, was stalking her. She would not give him the reward of acknowledging what he was and what he had done to her. She was going to rebel against him and all of the things that he had done to her as long as she was able to. If he was going to take her, she was going to make him come and claim her. She was not going to offer herself to him. It was a small rebellion, but it was the only one open to her. The Prince Ch. 02 Suddenly, she realized that he was less than an inch away from her. She felt her body start to lock up. The knowledge of his body so close to hers was hard to bear. She could feel how warm he was even with the slight distance between them. She could make out his scent, it left her body weak. "You are not doing a very good job of acting as though I am not here," he said with an evil grin in his voice, "Or am I mistaken and whenever you are alone you neglect your work." His voice resonated within her. It was powerful, just as all the things about him were. "I do not neglect my work when I am alone," she said softly. "Then, you will continue with it," he said in a smooth low voice. She obeyed and moved to clean the nearest book shelf. She felt his hands lightly touching her. She knew that she should not acknowledge them. She knew that she had to keep working. That she had to act as though she were alone in the room. But she couldn't. She kept working, but her body responded to every place his hand touched. His caresses were the lightest he could manage. He heard her breathing change as he allowed his hand to run down her back, to her ass, to her leg. He then would start moving his hand back up her leg, lifting up her skirt slightly, to allow her a glimpse at what was possible. Before long, he would remove his hand and start again. She had to stifle a moan each time he did this. It was getting harder and harder to keep working. She knew that she was panting. She was having a hard time standing. She had to prop herself up against the wall. The only victory that she maintained was that she had not looked at him or touched him, but she wanted to desperately. A warmth was spreading and growing between her thighs. Her body was giving out on her. She felt herself falling. He caught her and had one of his hands placed over her breast. She wanted it to start rubbing. She wanted him to play with her breast, to play with her body. She wanted to feel him fondle her. He did not. "My, my, and you had been doing so well," he said, "but now you're not working. You are misbehaving once again my pet. You force me to hold you up and you continue to act like a whore. "You shouldn't allow a man to hold you like this. You should be outraged that I have my hand atop your breast. Instead I can see that you want me grope you like this," and as he said that he ran his hand over her breast and found her erect nipple through her uniform. He took her nipple and squeezed. She moaned helplessly. He was supporting her body and she knew there was nothing she could do. She knew that she couldn't stop herself from writhing in pleasure. She didn't want to act like the slut that he kept calling her, but her body refused to obey her. When he released her nipple she knew that her body was shaking. She was trying to find the capacity to speak, the power to rebuke what he had said and to defend herself. She could not find the power to overcome the effect that he had on her. She knew that she could not speak that the only function her voice could serve right now is to coo with pleasure. "I find it rather insulting that you insist on pretending to be a maid. You don't deserve the title. You are nothing but a common slut that thinks she does not have to do any work so long as she lets anyone use her body," he whispered into her ear. She was still being held up by the arm and hand that was over her breast. She was trying to find her own strength to stand when she felt his other hand slip beneath her skirt and over top her panties. He was massaging his fingers against her pussy forcefully. She could feel nothing else. She wished he would rip off her panties and fuck her where she stood. She felt as though she were being lifted into the air as he touched her. She didn't realize that he was actually carrying her as he played with her. At least, she didn't realize it until she felt herself falling through the air and onto a couch. She was not capable of being shocked in that moment. All she knew was that she needed him to keep going. She knew that she could not survive with anything less. Her body was squirming on its own accord, but she managed to look over and see him. She saw those wondrous eyes, his golden hair, and his long hard body. She was looking at him in agony, in the agony that can only be felt by great pleasure interrupted and abandoned. "I want to hear you say it," he said in a voice that left no room for compromise. "Say what?" she said with great difficulty. "I want you to tell me what you want and admit to me what you are." She hesitated. She did know what he wanted, but she could not believe that he was going to force something so cruel upon her. She was looking at him in a desperate plea asking for him to spare her from this. He would not. Seeing him standing there unmoving, an invincible absolute, made her body cry out for him. She felt his eyes on her and knew she was losing the battle. He would not bend and she needed him; she needed him and could not wait a second longer. She stared directly into his eyes and her voice did not waver as she said, "I want you to fuck me. I want you to fuck me right now. I want you to use my body to pleasure yourself in whatever way you see fit. I want to feel your cock inside of me." "Is that so?" "Yes," her eyes filled with fire as she said that word. "Why do you want that?" he was not letting her get off easily. "I am a whore. My life is ruled by the need to have sex." "I will grant you what you wish upon one condition," his voice was reverberated within her as he spoke, "you must only be my whore. You will be a slut only to me and you will obey my every order from this day forward. If you accept you must call me your master." She had no choice. If this was going to be required of her she was not going to show weakness. She locked her eyes with his and she did not feel fear as she pronounced the words, "Yes, my master." He smiled. He had expected her to be afraid or embarrassed when he had made his last demand. She had met his challenge without turning away or flinching. He was impressed. He then issued his first command, "Stand up." Her body behaved automatically, it had always obeyed him. "Strip." She began removing her top. It was easy to accept his orders. She did not feel embarrassment as she peeled away her clothing. It felt more natural to be standing in front of him with nothing to defend against his gaze. The battle between them was more honest this way. Her body was her sole means of combat and she could use it much more effectively when it was released from any adornment. She was removing her clothing slowly, with unnatural patience. He thought about ordering her to hurry, but he enjoyed her slow tease. He felt himself hardening as he watched her. The way she escaped from each piece of her imprisonment accentuated a portion of her body. He wanted her. He wanted her so badly that he nearly forgot how he wanted to break her. When she stood in absolute nudity before him he looked over her. He marveled at each of her curves and her long legs. She was quite tall and the majority of that height was contained within the elegance that defined those legs. She stood with the confidence of a woman at a ball that was being hosted in honor of her and all of the things that she was. "Come closer." She walked with a poise that the women he had met could only dream of. She came close to him, stopping only an inch before him. It was hard not to grab her delicate body. It was hard to wait. "On your knees." She knelt before him. Her head was directly in front of the bulge in his pants. "You are going to be trained to please me. You are going to become a proper whore," he said looking down upon her, "Now take my cock out of my pants." She looked up at him with his cock in her small hands. "You are going to have my cock inside of you," he said as he looked into her shining eyes, "You are going to place it in your mouth and suck it. You are going to learn to make me cum." She delayed for an instant. She was not sure what to do with such a task before her, but she knew that she could not quit now. Slowly she began to open her mouth. She licked along the length of his hard shaft as she had done the previous night. She was uncertain of herself at first, but gained confidence as she felt his body begin to respond. She began kissing and lightly sucking along the length of him. She heard his ragged breath. She placed her mouth at the tip of his rigid cock. She did not open her mouth instantly, but began kissing the head. She was kissing the head of his cock the same way that she had swirled her tongue inside his mouth the night before. She deepened the kiss. She felt him moan and thrust forward slightly. She deepened the kiss again and sucked. She never got that much of his cock into her mouth, but there was no mistaking the effect that she was having. His hips were lightly bucking and he was growling with pleasure. She kept sucking his cock and suddenly felt it as he came explosively. He continued shooting cum onto her chest and breasts after she spit his cock out coughing. She hadn't expected his cum to shoot out so violently. She could taste it in her mouth and feel it dripping down her breasts. She liked the sensation of the warm flow of his juices running down her body and the knowledge that what she was tasting was a little piece of him. She had fallen over when he reached orgasm and was now sitting with her legs bent and spread apart as she held herself up with her forearms. Every bit of her body was openly exposed for him to see. He had wanted to scold her for releasing him as he came. He couldn't cause himself to say anything as he saw her lying there lewdly exposed to him. His cock did not soften. The orgasm had been extremely intense, but somehow he was still not satisfied. He needed more and it was written on his face as it was written on hers. They were staring into each others eyes. Nothing was being said, neither of them could speak, but they each looked at each other with unparalleled intensity. As he stared at her he took off his shirt with a violent intensity and then threw it across the room. He then finished undoing his pants and let them fall to the floor. He stepped out of them. She continued to stare into his eyes and heard nothing but the thumping that was her rapidly beating heart. They both wanted each other with such a ferocity that it was almost painful to bear. He fell to his knees with a great thud directly in between her burning thighs. He brought himself closer slowly in defiance of the moment, in defiance of what it meant to him. When his face was nearly touching hers, he leaned in and kissed her with great passion and fury. She felt it as he penetrated her waiting and anxious body. As he pounded away at her, she grabbed onto his back so tightly she drew blood. He kissed her along her neck and left it painfully bruised. Neither of them felt the pain the other was inflicting on them. All that they could feel was the onslaught and rampage of pleasure through them. There was no tenderness from either of them. They were both lost in the world that they had created and nothing could bring them out of it. They could not feel the floor that they were on or see any of the objects around them. Their bodies had been reduced in such a way that nothing but their sense of touch remained. It is impossible to know how long they remained like that. It seemed to go on for an eternity. When he finally came both of them were exhausted, bruised, and bloodied. He collapsed on top of her. She wrapped herself around him as she had the first night. He was her anchor to the world and to the life within it. She was having intense aftershocks from the many orgasms she had had in their coupling. Her body wouldn't stop to give her a moments rest. He moved himself off of her and picked her defenseless form up. He carried her into his room and placed her on his bed and then climbed under the sheets with her. She was quivering and tears were threatening to overcome her. She did not know the source of those tears. She wrapped herself around him tighter; she was clinging to him as though her life depended on it. She knew that she must not let go. As she held him she felt sleep coming to claim her. She did not have the will or the strength to fight it. She imagined as she began to fade out that his free hand was stroking her gently, lovingly. She felt happy thinking of this and felt a restored sense of serenity as she slowly drifted off into sleep. The Prince Ch. 03 No love is self-sustaining. If you love something you must fight for it. Love is something that can only come from you and it is demanding. Love demands that you would stake nothing less than your life to defend it. Love demands that you do not give up and that you do not give in. The demands of love are so great because of the rewards it holds. Do not ever give up on love. Love may be a cruel mistress at times, but she does not lie about her promise. This story would never have existed otherwise. Enjoy... The Prince lay awake next to her as he felt her body relax and release the tension stored within it. He had originally planned on leaving her writhing on the floor and telling her she needed to get back to work, but something had happened that he had not expected. He had never experienced sex with such an intense and violent fervor. He was reminded of that violence with every beat of his heart providing a dull aching pain to the small wounds she had given him. The entire episode had gone far beyond his control. It worried him that he had lost such control of himself and that he had let the moment rule his actions rather than his predetermined thoughts. He knew that there was something very special and very nearly frightening about the woman holding onto him. She held some power over him that could cause him to lose his reason and rob him of his better sense. He had not wanted to provide her any comfort. He had wanted her to know her place. He had wanted to show her that she was to be nothing more than a plaything to him. But, when he had collapsed atop her, he became worried. He had felt how quickly her heart was racing, how much her body was shaking, and heard the struggle for her to breathe. He knew that she needed a reprieve; that she could not be left alone in such a state. That was when he had found himself carrying her up the stairs and into his bedroom. He had wrapped blankets over her and had laid down next to her himself. At once, she had grabbed onto him as though her life depended on it. He knew she needed to calm down so he began lightly stroking his hand over her in a soothing gesture. He had not thought about the situation when it was happening; he had simply acted. He was thinking now. He did not notice that his hand continued to gently run over her even though she had calmed down and fallen asleep. He knew that something was taking place that had never happened before and he knew that there must be some exceptional cause behind it. He could not determine what that cause was. The Prince knew he was making an extreme reversal of his previous actions as he looked at her lying there; he had never allowed a woman to sleep in his bed. He had bedded a great number of women, but he had refused to allow any one of them to sleep next to him. He had felt that none of them were worthy of being close to him in that way. He found it somewhat amusing that the first woman to be allowed to sleep here was the one who had done so without permission. He began to peer at Amber's face, searching for an answer. She looked quite peaceful, as though nothing was wrong with the world. She was beautiful in an unassuming and honest way. There was nothing in her appearance that was meant to deceive anyone looking at her; her face and her body came forward with no declarations, only statements of fact. Her long slender limbs did not try to hide their length or to exaggerate it. Her face was free of guilt and pain, without having a mask of forced happiness to cover them up. Her hair was unadorned and luxurious. Each part of her body spoke some truth about her without having to scream or to whisper. While he was looking at her he felt a peace slowly washing over him that was akin to something he hadn't felt in a great number of years. He was nearly thirty and had been bitter for a large portion of his life. He hated looking around and seeing the incompetency that seemed to surround him. He could not believe how rare it was to find someone that could actually be trusted to do something correctly, even if what they were asked to do was a task that he had mastered during childhood. He snapped back to the reality of the moment and was amazed at how far his thoughts had wandered from the task at hand. He needed to know why she could affect him so strongly, not reminisce on days long since passed. The Prince looked for differences between her and the other women that he had been with for clues. Wealth was certainly a discrepancy, but it had never been a major factor in his mind. Beauty would have been a possibility for his weakness, if there had existed an incongruous difference between her and the other women, but there wasn't. He did not know her well enough in order for personality to play a large role in how she affected him. He looked at her again and realized that without a doubt that the answer must lie there. From the first time he had seen her face his thoughts had been influenced. Unfortunately, there was not much information to be had by looking at her. She appeared peaceful and contented, but no special features rose out. Nothing about her face could explain its power, but he knew that it was there. The strength to overwhelm him was lying just beneath the surface, hiding just beneath his scrutinizing gaze. He let himself fall onto his back. He was frustrated; it had been a long time since a solution to a question had eluded him. He felt his own fatigue as well and allowed his body to relax. He looked her over once again, searching for an answer, before allowing his eyes to close as well. *** He awoke an hour or two later feeling her still clinging tightly to him. He looked down at her, she was resting as peacefully as before. He had no intention of allowing this reprieve to last much longer. His cock was already erect as it always seemed to be upon first opening his eyes. He wanted her again, even though so little time had passed. He allowed his hand to start lightly running over her shoulder and down her arm. He then shifted his body down on the bed so her face was level with his. He leaned in and lightly kissed her on the cheek and then below her jaw and along her neck. Her body began to rouse as he did this. She released his arm. He rolled her onto her back as her eyes just barely began to open. He continued kissing her as he moved his body on top of hers. A moan escaped her lips as she felt his hand begin to move over her breast. She kept her eyes shut because it felt as though she were still dreaming and she did not want to be jerked back to reality. Every caress and kiss that he left upon her felt wonderful and she was wriggling with delight. She had been aroused before his first touch and she felt herself dripping in anticipation of what she knew was to come. She had never guessed that sex could be something this good. She had hardly thought of it, but she was beginning to understand why it could drive a man or a woman wild, chasing after it. She thought that she should not have given in so easily earlier and that she shouldn't be giving in so easily now, but he could tease her body and bring her to such an intense arousal that she dared not tell him to stop. She knew that she should be exhausted. She knew that her body should not be able to function in the way that it was. She knew that she should try to resist him. None of that mattered. She was grabbing onto him as he sucked on her erect nipple. She was thrusting her hips against the hand that was rubbing her drenched pussy. Her body acted independently from her thoughts. Her body followed his will and obeyed his every command. She remembered that she had agreed to be his slave, his whore, and that only served to further her arousal. She felt his every movement and cried out at his every touch. As he placed the head of his cock at her waiting entrance, her eyes flew open and she looked at him. She grabbed onto his powerful back and found his lips above her. She kissed him with an intensity she didn't know she was capable of. He rammed himself inside of her in one fluid stroke as she kissed him. He felt more in control this time than last, but he knew he was on the edge of that control. He moved her body to meet each of his long powerful thrusts. He was going to establish his dominance over every fiber in her being. He was going to make sure that she knew that her place in the world was beneath him, in every sense. She reveled in the feeling of having him inside of her. She placed her feet on the bed and started thrusting with him. She kept moving up to meet him with a greater and greater tempo. He could not keep pace, but she did not notice. She could not stop. She felt his body shudder and a convulsion ripping through her as he came. He slowly moved his body off hers. He sat next to her staring at her naked body. His cock was still somewhat erect. She could not take her eyes off of it. "Clean it," he said after he noticed where she was staring. She hesitated. She was not sure what he meant or how he expected her to clean it. She looked around helplessly trying to find something that she could use to wipe it off. She knew it needed to be close by as she did not want to stand. She felt his cum slowly running out of her and felt it slipping down her leg. She would not allow him to see something so embarrassing. As she frantically was looking about the room the Prince said, "I command you to clean my cock using your mouth." Surely she misheard him. She had already tasted his cum, but surely he could not want her to taste her own. She was worried because she knew that she had understood him correctly and she knew she would have to obey him. She knew that she would have to lick both of their juices from his cock. "Do it, now." She moved her closer to his lap. She gingerly grabbed onto his cock. She tried not to think of what she was about to taste as she moved her mouth closer to him. She began with a spot that appeared to have hardly any cum on it of any kind. She licked him lightly and felt him start to stiffen. She liked the feel of him hardening in her hand. She shifted her thoughts from what she was being forced to do, to what she was forcing his cock to do. She licked the along the length of him. She felt him continue to harden and hardly noticed the taste in her mouth. She sucked down all of the stray cum lingering along the length of his cock. Only when she had gotten every other place clean did she take his head into her mouth. She felt him continue to grow in her mouth as she sucked on him. Everything that she did felt wonderful to him. However, his body had already been exhausted and he had other plans for today. He lightly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to kiss him. It was a brief one, but it was intended to tell her that she had done well and he was not upset or disappointed. "Now that you have cleaned me, you must finish cleaning the rest of this place," the Prince said with a low rumbling voice that appeared to have lost some of its usual edge. She sat staring at him, completely mesmerized by his existence, and for an instant the words did not register. He stared back at her and it appeared that he had a tenderness in his eyes; a tenderness that was directed at her. He leaned in and kissed her again a long kiss that was not nearly as violent as it normally seemed to be between them, but no less powerful. When he released her, he rose from his bed and told her to follow him. He left the room clothed with nothing but his own skin. She was reluctant to leave in a similar manner, so she grabbed a sheet, wrapped it around her body, and chased after him. She found him standing in the foyer. Their clothes were strewn about the room. He stood waiting his body unabashedly laid bare before her. The sheet she wore was wrapped around her tightly, draping over her as though it were a long violet dress. The fabric hinted at the form beneath it as she hurried down the stairs to meet him. He could not help but to smirk at her modesty. He then inquired, "Whom do you wish to hide from, my slave?" Her face turned a darker shade of red as she turned away. She could think of no answer that would appease him. She was left with only one option, to reply, "No one." "Then stop hiding." She was looking down as he said this, not wanting him to see the shame she felt, but she managed to gather her will and meet his eyes as she released the sheet. She knew that she had stood naked in front of him once before already and that she should feel no more shame now than then. There was a difference from earlier that made her feel far more exposed than she had before, far more exposed and far more vulnerable. She couldn't quite put it into words, but she knew that the difference that left her vulnerable was also leaving her trembling now. She looked at him steadily, awaiting his instruction; even though, she knew that she was on the edge of fainting. She did not know how long she would be asked to wait, but she would not give in to the weakness she was feeling spreading throughout her without a fight. "From now on, you will be permanently assigned to working beneath me." She found strength in the certainty of his voice. It became easier to stand. "The special privilege given to you with this assignment will also have special rules," he said with smile creeping onto his face, "Please grab your uniform." It was difficult to move at first. Her muscles felt jerky and uncontrolled as she began walking over to her discarded clothes, but they slowly regained fluidity as she approached the waiting pile. The sense of impending doom ebbed away slightly as she grabbed each article of clothing. After she had picked up the last piece of clothing, she stood awaiting his next command. He walked over to her, deliberately moving with a slow confidence that ended each step with a declaration. The declaration was one of total mastery of everything before him. She knew that she was included in that mastery of his. She felt the weakness in her limbs become more pronounced with every step he took. She belonged to him. There was no escaping that thought as she stood before his blinding presence. She belonged to him. Her body belonged to him. Her life belonged to him. Her soul belonged to him. Those were the only thoughts flowing through her head as she stood lost in a daze. When he was within a few feet of her, he saw a tear run down her face. She made no move to hide it. It appeared as though she was completely paralyzed. She could not hold herself up any longer. The strain was too great. The last things she saw as darkness wrapped around her she was him running towards her. *** She felt his hands and arms holding her gently off the floor as she slowly came to. Her eyes opened to see him leaning over her with a concerned look on his face. The concerned briefly turned to one of elation and then to annoyance as he peered down upon her face. "This is the second time today that I have caught you sleeping on the job," his face was serious as he said this, but his voice had a tone of mirth. "I, I'm sorry, this has never happened before." "Truthfully? Then may I ask, what exactly you were doing yesterday?" "Waiting for you," she slapped her hands over her mouth as she said this. She did not know what had made her say it or all that those words entailed. Her pale face was flushed red with shame. His head jerked up in surprise, "Really? I didn't think that you had planned on meeting with me. Or, had you really desired to be fucked as badly as I claimed?" "I had wanted to see if you were all that the others had claimed you to be," she spoke a truth that she herself had not even realized until after it was pronounced. She clamped her hands back over her mouth after she spoke. His eyebrows crept a bit higher after she said this. "Am I?" She slowly moved her hands away and very softly said, "No, no you are not." "Then what am I?" he queried feeling a look of anger move over his face. He expected her to call him a demon or a fiend. For her to say that he was all of the things that he had heard for his entire life. He expected her to confirm what had been said by his staff, his parents, and all of the women he had been with. He did not know why the prospect of hearing it from her should bother him so much, he only felt the anger building throughout his body. An anger that would have an intensity capable of reducing all creation to ash. She pronounced a single word as he thought this, "More." He looked at her with the unborn fire still blazing in his eyes. He could not believe what she had said. So, he asked in a voice that was both full of fury and confusion, "What did you say?" She looked into his eyes and the fire did not burn her. She looked into his eyes and said, "You are more than what they said. You are more than I understand. You are more." Looking at his eyes it appeared that he was trembling. It appeared that he was overwhelmed by something great and unfathomable. He was not trembling though, he was completely still. She could not understand why she had thought him to be trembling when every portion of his body was still. He was still in the absolute sense, he was frozen as though he were a statue. A statue that was somehow more alive than any man she had met. She saw him like this for only an instant. He leaned down and locked his lips with hers. The passion and the force of the kiss held all of the power of the fire that existed within him. She was lost within it and he was consumed by it. The fire in that kiss was the very spark that had ignited existence. That kiss held all of the secrets to life and happiness. That kiss was exaltation embodied. When that kiss ended, he felt exhausted. Some small piece of his very soul had been imbedded in that kiss and he had given it to her unknowingly. She lay there, her head spinning, feeling his ragged breathing on top of her. Her arms had wrapped around him during the kiss. She could not describe the kiss in words. There was nothing to compare it to, no amount of description would be adequate in comparison to the experience. She knew without a doubt that she would never forget that kiss though or how it had felt. She knew that kiss had been special and that it always would be. The sense of weakness had left her. She no longer felt as though some doom was coming. She felt at peace and far better rested than she had in weeks. The uneasiness she had felt before was replaced by a sense of tranquility. She did not know it, but she was experiencing a rare sort of happiness that never lingers in the same form for long and is nearly impossible to capture. It is a type of happiness that comes from within and many people spend their entire life seeking it. He looked up at her and looked into those eyes that were the same color as her name. The expression on his face was hard to read and even harder to understand. He did not look happy, angry, or upset. He did not look tired or awake. He looked alive in a way that few ever are and even fewer can exist. The look on his face seemed to be his natural state of existence; she would never again imagine his appearance any different from the way that it looked in that moment. He leaned over her forehead and kissed it with a tenderness she could not have before imagine him capable of. He picked her up off the floor and moved the two of them onto a nearby couch. He held her against him firmly. She could feel his heart beat against her. His heart was strong and full of life, just as he was. He held her like that for some time without saying anything. He was peering out a window without looking at her. After some time he kissed her once more It was a soft slow kiss that ended far too soon. "You have done well today, my pet," he said in a distant voice. The Prince Ch. 03 She wondered what he was thinking. She wondered what was happening to him, what was happening to her, and what would happen to the both of them. As her mind was swimming with all of these questions left unanswered he looked upon her and said, "Now that I no longer have to worry about catching you, I can finish telling you the new rules of your employment." She looked up at him and realized that she had completely forgotten what they had been talking about before she fainted. It all seemed so long ago. She knew she had only met him yesterday, but it felt as though they had known each other for years. So much was happening that it was hard for her to keep pace. "From now on you will wear no undergarments of any kind whilst you work without explicit permission from me. You will continue doing your job unless I give you permission to stop. You will follow all of my instructions or you will be punished in whatever manner that I see fit." She found it difficult to focus on the meaning of the words he was saying. The voice he had left her wanting to relax and fall asleep. "I would also include a rule forbidding you to speak of any of this to anyone if I thought it were possible for you to follow it. However, I know that it is not. Instead, you will be permitted to tell one and only one person. You must trust that person completely for if they betray you, you will be the one to suffer the consequences. "There will also be rewards for doing an exceptional job. I will not tell you what an exceptional job entails or the rewards that will be given, but they will be possible for you to achieve without this knowledge. Do your best in any case. "Do you understand all of the rules that have been given to you?" he looked down at her for the first time since beginning instruction as he asked this question. She could only see the slightest hint of the expression that his face had contained earlier. "Yes, I understand," she said in a voice that was soft with a hint of confidence. "Then your new job begins tomorrow. This is your first reward. You have done well and deserve the remainder of the day off. Enjoy your rest, you will need it," he said as he helped her to stand. He brushed his lips against her cheek and walked over to begin collecting his clothing. They dressed in silence; neither of them so much as glanced at the other. They were both lost in thought. Much had happened this day and many things had happened that could not be easily explained or understood. When he finished dressing, he walked past her without looking at her. He seemed to have forgotten that she was even there. He grabbed the sheet that she had taken from his room and headed upstairs. He did not say another word to her. She was left standing in the foyer alone. She glanced around the room trying to process the things she saw around her. She felt exhausted and realized that there was nothing she could do right then. She knew he was right in saying that she would need her rest, particularly if any of the coming days resembled the last two. Amber then gathered herself and walked to the door and opened it. The sun was setting, leaving a flourish of pinks and oranges streaming across the sky. It was a beautiful and peaceful end to the warm summer day, completely unlike how the rest of it had been. It seemed odd that as she looked upon this sight a slight sadness began to form in her mind. The sadness did not appear to have an origin; it was not strong or overpowering. This feeling had a tone of loss to it. It was as though she was leaving something behind as she walked away, something that she would miss and something that she would never be able to recover. She was walking toward the palace lost in the trance that was settling over her. She knew that there was still much to do today and many things she would need to tell Marissa, but she couldn't focus on anything for more than a moment. Her thoughts contained little more than the action of putting one foot in front of the other. She did not know it, but he stood at his window watching her departure. He watched over her as a guardian would. His eyes were vigilant and did not leave her figure until she disappeared into the palace. The Prince had much to consider before they next met and knew that some time would pass before he saw her again. He was left to a torrent of thoughts as he walked away from the window and one question that would haunt him for some time. The question that he had always asked and would always ask. The question, "Why?" The Prince Ch. 04 Distance can be a great strain on any relationship. Distance between two people in love will show whether that love is meant to last or if it is far more fleeting. My love and I are separated by a great distance right now, but that distance is only a fleeting thing compared to our love for each other. It may seem like an eternity now, but the time that it will take for our separation to end will be insignificant to the life we spend with each other. If not for that distance I may never have written this story. I hope you enjoy my way of celebrating this love that I have found. Marissa thought of Amber the entire day as she worked. She could not help but to worry as to what may have happened during that day or what had happened to her the night before. Marissa had asked a few of her other friends earlier in the day if they had seen Amber before she had gone to bed, but none of them remembered having noticed her. This led her to believe that Amber must not have left the Prince's quarters until very late in the evening. This conclusion did not make sense as the Prince was known to have the capacity to be cruel and overly demanding, but he had never detained anyone so late into the evening as far as she knew. Marissa asked many different people about what they had heard about the Prince and his characteristics, but never asked the same person more than a question or two, so as to draw less attention to why she was asking the questions in the first place. She had wanted to discover if anything that had happened there could have been truly sinister or not. It appeared that if the Prince had done something wicked to Amber that she was the first person to ever experience it or at least the first to ever be willing to say anything about it. Marissa thought that the former was far more likely than the latter from the openness that the maids seemed to complain about the Prince and his ridiculous demands. There seemed to be no shortage of maids who had worked for him at some point or another. One of them had told her how at times he would just sit and watch her every movement and that inevitably she would become so nervous that she would bump into something and knock something over. She had been relieved of her duties the first time she broke something. Another told her about how he had entered a room as she was leaving, only to find places that she had missed instantaneously. She was required to clean the entire room again without exception or that not only would she be relieved of her services working for him, but that she would never work at the palace again. She spent the rest of the day working on that room and was glad when she found out for certain that she would never have to spend another moment in a room with him. There were many, many stories of things that he had done and how he had demoralized anyone that had worked for him. However, there were no stories of him striking anyone or even so much as raising his voice. This seemed to only darken the puzzle further as Amber had always been easily upset when yelled at or scolded, but had never had a problem telling Marissa if something like that was bothering her. In fact, Amber had generally let off steam to Marissa because the scolding was almost never the direct fault of Amber herself and even when it was Amber still preferred to tell someone as a means of release. Marissa knew that whatever was bothering Amber needed to be kept a secret and that it had to be truly unsettling in some way. She could not imagine what it was. She was forced to wait until they met for dinner, luckily she was nearly finished with her tasks for the day and was about to start heading towards the dining hall. She walked briskly, nearly running, as she hurried to meet her dear friend. Amber was sitting in plain sight and as Marissa approached she could tell that something was wrong. Amber did not seem to be aware of her surroundings or to even notice the rapid approach of Marissa. She did not look upset, but she did not seem to be herself. Marissa sat down next to Amber and whispered, "Are you all right?" Amber very slowly turned her head to look at Marissa and hesitantly said, "I'm honestly not sure." The expression on her face was one of honest confusion as she turned away again. "Please eat, we'll go for a walk after dinner so that we have some more privacy." "All right, but you make sure to eat something as well. You look like you need to as badly as I do." They ate their dinner in silence. Amber had a far away look in her eyes that gave no clues as to what she had experienced. Marissa could not decide if the expression on Amber's face was better or worse than seeing her crying. Her face had hardly any emotion; she appeared numb. Once they finished eating they both started heading towards the garden outside the palace. The sun had set, but a few vestiges of sunlight still remained making the darkness far less foreboding than it would be in a few hours. Amber walked slowly and Marissa was forced to do nothing more thsn keep pace even though her sense of urgency was overwhelming. Marissa waited until they were away from the palace. Then she waited until they had reached the entrance to the garden. But, after a few minutes of walking in the garden she could not contain herself any longer. She turned to Amber and asked, "What happened?" Amber at first looked as though she may not answer, still having that distant look in her eyes. After a moment though she seemed to remember where she was and who she was with her. "I don't know if you'll believe it. I don't know if I believe it. Are you sure you want to know? I don't want to burden you unnecessarily. I, I'll be fine," she finished the last sentence by averting her eyes and looking at the ground. "Yes, of course I want you to tell me. Amber, you are my best friend how could I not want to know what happened to you. You always do this and I always tell you that I want to help. Nothing has made me change my mindset on that," as she said this, she noticed a tear start running down Amber's face. The tear turned into a sob as Marissa wrapped her arms around Amber. Amber cried for some time with Marissa holding onto her. She told her how tired she had been and how she hadn't meant to fall asleep on his bed and she cried all the more hysterically as she told her what he did to her. She did not go into the details only explaining that he had raped her and how he must have brought her back to the dormitories. Amber calmed down a little at this point and then went on to explain what had happened that day. Marissa looked at her in shock, not believing what her dear friend had been through and unable to understand how well she had masked the suffering she must have gone through and must be going through. She embraced Amber tighter when she finished and simply said, "It's all right now, it's over." Amber looked up at her after the hug ended and said, "No, it's not." "What do you mean?" "He plans to have me continue to serve him in whatever way he wishes." "But, but he can't do that!" Marissa said in an impassioned cry. "You have to get away from here, anything will be better than letting him rape you again!" "I, I don't think that I can leave though. Anywhere that I could run, he would find me and he said he would punish me if I disobeyed him. I don't think that I can escape him." "There must be something that you can do! There must be some way to get you out of here, to make things better, to stop you from having to endure a torment that horrible day in and day out." "I cannot think of a way to escape, and," Amber hesitated before she said the next portion because she was not sure what it meant herself, "I am not sure that I want to." "What do you mean? You can't mean that, not after what he's done to you," Marissa said clearly rattled. "I don't know exactly how to describe it, but I don't think that I hate him. I know that I should, I know that what he did to me was terrible and that I should never forgive him for it, but I can't seem to make myself hate him. I don't know what's wrong with me or why I feel this way, but I don't fear him either." "But, how can that be? How can you not hate that bastard?" "I've been trying to figure that out since the moment that I left his home and am as baffled as you are. All I know is that I will not leave. Not yet, anyway. I'm more frightened of leaving and making him chase me than I am staying and doing what he asks." Marissa stared at her with an obvious look of frustration. She wanted to argue with her, to tell her to run away and to escape this place, but she could not find a way around what she had said. She was afraid for her friend but knew that telling her to leave could invite a far greater disaster than the one that had already befallen her. Her resolve broke as she hugged Amber again and said, "All right, but when you change your mind tell me. You'll be whisked out of here faster than you can imagine and we'll make sure that even he cannot find you. That bastard will get his due for what he's done one of these days; mark my words." Amber could not help but to smile through the tears as Marissa said that. When the hug ended, Amber wiped the tears off her face and suddenly recalled something that the Prince had told her. "Marissa, I have to have you promise me something." "Sure anything." "Do not tell another soul what I've told you, he told me that I was only allowed to tell one person what I have told you. He said that if others were to hear about it that there would be consequences that I would have to face." "All right, sure thing," Marissa said somewhat reluctantly. It was not that she had a problem with making the promise that nearly stopped her from saying those words. Instead, it was the fact that she wondered what the consequences could be. She ended up saying, "Let's head back before we can't see anything at all." "Sounds good," Amber said solemnly. She had a guilty thought that kept playing in her head that she could not rid herself of as they walked back. She had not told Marissa something and she was not sure why. She tried to settle her mind by simply saying that she did not want to disturb Marissa further, but she knew that was not the case. A nagging feeling kept her from saying what she was thinking right now. That feeling made it clear that it was a bad idea to tell Marissa this piece of information. So, she did not tell Marissa that she had enjoyed many of the things that he had done to her. She did not tell her that her body had ached for his touch and that she had felt a sense of emptiness when she left him. *** Captain Raymond Charles had his eyes focused on the quick and able hands that were unfurling the sail on the main mast. The sailor he watched was young and able, moving quickly from task to task, his golden hair shining brightly in the sun. He moved around the ship with a confidence that befit a man who had worked on this ship for a decade. He had only started work two weeks prior. He had been hesitant to hire someone that had no recommendations and had only worked on ships that he was not familiar with. However, there had been something in the young man's demeanor that had made Captain Charles decide to give him a chance. The captain was happy to see that he had not made a mistake in hiring him. He had been an excellent addition to the crew from the moment he started. He had been able to perform almost any task that was asked of him immediately. Anything that he needed to learn had to be shown but once for him to achieve mastery. He was intelligent and reveled in the demanding work. He had said his name was Thomas Franklin. The only people who could have recognized him for who he truly was would never be seen at the docks. He wore nothing ostentatious or surprising; his clothes were old and well worn, filled rich with experience. He spoke little, but had a slight accent to his voice that was hard to categorize as anything other than from the county. He appeared to be a boy that had left the farm in order to seek a bigger and brighter fortune than the life he been born into. He appeared to have just entered his twenties and his eyes shown full of energy. There was no bitterness in those eyes, only the unbridled happiness that comes from a youth seeking adventure. The Prince felt the sun on his bare back and the wind whipping through his hair as he hung onto the rope netting. He had always loved the sea; there was freedom here that could never be found anywhere else. It didn't matter where he was headed, that he had no say in it and no power over it. The great release was that there was nothing to be responsible for here other than the simple job of a deckhand. He was working on a small two sailed trading schooner that was moving along the coast of the continent making stops at various coastal cities. The cities and the sights on land held very little power over him, but he was glad for the stops simply because it allowed him to leave them behind once again. He was able to see them shrink and vanish as the ship put a vast distance between them. It was yet another city that could not hold him or bind him in place. He had joined the crew of the Whispering Wind two days after he had left the palace. He had done this before on other vessels throughout his life. His father had shown his great ire when the Prince had returned home after vanishing for a month the first time. The king had never found out where he had gone or what he had done, even though he had done everything in his power to make the Prince talk. The king had slapped him across the face that day in frustration and had called him, "A foolish arrogant brat that knows nothing of the world and needs to learn his place in it. "You are a disgrace to yourself, a disgrace to me, and a disgrace to our entire family! I will not stand to have you make a fool of me. I will not stand to have you ignore your position and your duties any longer. I will not have it!" The Prince had felt a rage that day that was never to be rivaled again as he told his father, "You. You are the one who knows nothing of the world and will never understand it." He had been seventeen when he had told his father this and it was after that day that his father had called him nothing but "The Prince" and had required everyone in the palace to refer to him only in that way as well. His father knew, as all others close to him did, how much he loved his own name. Taking that name from him was to be his punishment. He was never to be addressed in the way that he had always loved so much. The Prince had always hated the formalities in naming associated with nobility and when he was young, he had done his best to contradict them, but his father appeared to win this particular battle. He was to be addressed henceforth by one of the names that he despised. His name was stripped from him and he allowed no one to challenge his father. No one knew why the Prince never fought his father on this issue. Nothing had ever stopped him from fighting a contest before and it seemed as though this was one of the few issues that actually deserved the great force that the Prince could fight with, but the fury never came. The Prince's face had been unreadable that day; he carried no expression but stoicism. The Prince, however, was not thinking of that fateful day. He was looking into the distance of the world yet to be explored by him. He had always dreamed of mounting an expedition and seeing more of the vast lands not yet seen by him. That expedition was unlikely to happen, his father had been fearful to let him travel hardly anywhere after his mother had died. "Tom," one of the older deckhands, Joe, cried from below, "The captain wishes to speak to you." "All right, I'll report to him at once," the Prince replied as he agilely swung himself onto the deck and headed towards the captain's office. As he stood before the door he knocked and was then promptly given the permission to enter. Captain Charles sat at his desk looking over the maps and jotting down notes in his journal. He did not look up from his work as he said, "Please, take a seat." The Prince sat in his chair quite leisurely, far less formally than one would expect a deckhand to, but somehow his presence itself seemed to negate his relaxed posture. Captain Charles did not look up at him until his work was completed. When he did, he started by asking, "Who are you, Tom?" This question actually caught the Prince off guard. "I'm not sure what you mean." "All right, what I mean is this: you are far too good at your job to work on a ship as small as this one. Do not mistake me saying this to mean that I do not take pride in my ship. Quite the contrary, I ask this question because I wish to protect this ship and I cannot imagine a man with your obvious talent working on it unless you were somehow stopped from working on a more prominent one. What did you do to get yourself kicked off of your previous employers ships?" The captain had expected to see a look of shame or embarrassment or guilt after he had said this, any emotion would have made more sense than the broad smile that crept across Tom's face. The next words he heard him say were unusual as well, "You are far more clever than I realized captain. I'm glad. You have reached a plausible and likely conclusion, but it is not the correct one." Captain Charles waited for him to continue and shortly realized that his young deckhand was waiting for him to speak first. "Then, please enlighten me as to what the truth is. That is the reason that I called you here in the first place."' There was something unsettling in Tom's entire demeanor. He should not be acting this way. He should not be making him feel as though the person in power is reversed from reality. Power should not clothe him so naturally. "I was never kicked off of a ship, large or small. I have always left of my own accord. The reason that I have not risen is that I do not wish to rise." "What do you mean? Why would you wish to stay put and never rise above that of a deckhand?" "I am only working for you right now as a form of enjoyment. I love the sea and wish that I could spend more time here, but I shall leave your employment as soon as we return home." "This is only a hobby to you? But you are obviously so talented, and speaking to you leaves no doubt that you are intelligent. You could do great in this profession." "Of that I have no doubt, but I am already indebted to exist in a different sort of profession." At this point in the conversation Raymond realized that the man sitting in front of him was much, much more than he appeared to be. This was not a boy who had left a plain agrarian lifestyle. He must be some form of nobility as nothing else would explain his words or actions. Raymond realized that he was the one that was treading water and that his next words had to be careful as he did not know this man's position or influence. "Please do not worry Captain, you have nothing to fear from me. I chose this ship simply because I did not wish to be noticed. As I said I love the sea and I truthfully love the work that I am doing. I know you may think this bizarre, that a man of my status would wish to do anything other than bark orders, but I do not think that you can bark orders until you understand how to execute them yourself." "I never thought that I would say this to a man of nobility and mean it, but you are quite wise for your age." "I thank you for the compliment. Now, if I may be so bold: why is a man of your intelligence and ability working on so small a ship?" Raymond could not help but to chuckle at the question. It was the right one. "I work on this ship because I own it. I own others, but I always sail on this one so that I am never far from my family for long. I did not marry until after I had made my wealth so that I did not have to be away from home for long, but I, like you, cannot deny my love of the sea. The Prince Ch. 04 "The usual captain of this ship was given this excursion off. He had been at sea for a very long time and needed the break as much as I needed the change," Captain Charles paused for a moment after he had said this and he pondered asking "Tom" one last question. His curiosity won out as he asked, "Can I know your real name?" The Prince grinned thinking that this man was one of the few that actually deserved to know. Unfortunately, he could not take the risk of his identity being exposed or how the captain might react. Therefore, he replied, "No you cannot. I do not wish to sound rude by saying this, but things would become dangerous for me and this ship if my identity were to be known. You have discovered more than anyone else has when I have done similar things. Please do not treat me differently as I do not wish to arouse suspicion. Pretend as though we never had this conversation." "I understand your position and will follow your request. Though, I can't deny my curiosity and will continue to wonder who you actually are Tom." "I cannot blame you for that. May I return to my duties?" "Yes, you may." With that, the Prince turned and exited the room. Leaving the captain alone with his thoughts. It had proven to be a surprising day that made for a surprising trip. He wondered if anything else would come of the conversation he had just shared with his deckhand. *** King Henry was not happy. The Prince had been missing for nearly five weeks. Only he and three of his staff members knew that the story told of his son going on a hunting expedition was a lie. He knew that it would bring his son into danger if it were found out that he was out roaming the world unaccompanied and unguarded. He had considered letting it be known simply to teach his son a lesson on more than one occasion. However, he had never acted on the impulse as he was the heir to the throne and the only one that could keep the succession of the monarchy intact. King Henry had once thought that his son would make an excellent monarch. The Prince had always exceeded in all of his studies and seemed to have the ability to conquer any field of battle he chose. The king had once looked upon his son as a source of great pride. That began to change as he grew older and started to argue with his tutors and to best his swordplay masters. His son recognized no authority other than his own and would rebuke even the greatest of scholars and insult the other members of the nobility. Many of these actions were not uncommon for the heir to the monarchy to undertake, but he had ruined agreements with visiting diplomats and affronted the scholars to the point that they would avoid the palace at all costs. The king had been angry at his son for these things. He had never exacted to great a punishment on his son though for two reasons. The first was that the Prince had always shown such promise and always presented such good arguments that he had often had a difficult time deciding on the correct level of punishment. The second reason was the Prince's mother. Queen Iliana had always held a power over him that he could not deny. She had been stunningly beautiful and had had a radiant personality. Both the king and the Prince would ultimately succumb to any request that she made. She had never once made a demand, only requests, but those requests had been seen fulfilled far more readily than even the demands that King Henry himself had made. She had always kept the peace between him and her son. This was true even though he could see that she loved her son far more than she would ever love him. She had always done what he had asked or required, but she never went further than that. It had pained him to know that she did not care for him, as she cared only the monarchy itself. He had always loved her and that is why he secured her hand in marriage not long after meeting her. She had never returned his affections. She had been on the verge of engaging another man before he had made the request himself. Iliana's father had forced her into the marriage as Henry had forced him to. She had cried in outrage when the news was announced to her and she had looked at him that day with a glare of hatred. At the time, he had questioned whether or not it had been right to do what he had done. He had never fully answered that question, having simply decided that the proper place for a woman such as her was as a queen and nothing less. He would not allow the most beautiful creature that he had ever beheld to marry anything less than royalty. He had expected to see that glare of hatred when he saw her again on their wedding day. He did not find that expression. In fact, he did not find any expression on her face other than that of indifference and apathy. There was nothing improper in her manner or behavior, but he felt uncomfortable in her presence. He felt as though somehow she was not real or, even more disturbingly, that he was not real and she was. After the ceremony, he consummated the marriage. Her body did not respond to his touch that night. She simply lied there ignoring his presence altogether. Henry had never experienced anything like this. It disturbed to such a great depth that he felt as though sex were not a tool for enjoyment, but a vehicle of suffering and damnation. He very rarely slept with his wife and they lived in separate quarters. Whenever enough time passed though, he had always been driven to her room and had taken her. She always gave herself willingly, but the encounters always left a loathsome taste in his mouth. For the first few years, the king was faithful to her. The problem was that he kept having vivid fantasies of what he would do to her and found that he always did the same thing and was always left unsatisfied. He found himself drawn to the ready and willing harlots to a greater degree with each passing day. He found that he enjoyed sleeping with the cheapest slut to a far greater degree than he ever did his own wife. He knew that she as well as many in the palace knew of his actions, but he did not care. She had driven him to this. She had left him no choice. It was her that had made him commit these actions. Their son had been born shortly after he had began doing this. She had loved him dearly and had done everything in her power to bring him up so as to be the greatest man to exist. She treated him wonderfully, but also fairly. She did not spoil him as many mothers would; she simply fed his voracious level of ambition. She took care of him when he was ill and found the greatest joy in spending time with him. He was the bright shining star in her life and she taught him many lessons that he had carried throughout his life. It was her that had taught him that instructors can be wrong and that you must hold true to the convictions you carry and to never give up on them. She had taught him that there were many things left to be discovered and that he could find all of them if he wanted to. It was in no small part because of her that the Prince had grown up with such a fierce pride within himself. No one could touch that pride as the fire that fueled it came from within and he needed no one's approval to carry it. She could not have been more proud of him. She had died not long before his seventeenth birthday. It had been a rather prolonged death caused by consumption. She and the Prince had spent as much time together as the doctors allowed. They greatly feared him being affected by the illness and had allowed him to spend little time with her. It was during this time that he began to turn from a happy and exuberant youth to a jaded and arrogant one. As his mother's condition worsened, he became impossible to placate. He was angry at all of the fools surrounding her and all of the fools he saw surrounding him. Only when he saw her did he return to that joyful state that he had known all of his life. The king had not shown much emotion towards his dying wife. He found himself thinking only that he had wished that she had helped him produce more than one heir and that she had not corrupted the one he had so fully. He blamed her for his son's stubborn nature. He had thought that he could correct his son's faults after her death. The king had tried to make him act as his position demanded and to properly groom him for the throne. It was not long after this that his son had disappeared for the first time. The king had continued to blame his mother for the corruption that had been placed upon his son. He tried to undo the work she had done only to be met with failure and frustration. He drove his son further from him. After some time King Henry began to believe that the only solution to his son would be for him to marry. He thought that a woman had been able to control him as he had grown and that only a woman would be able to control him now. Once again, he was met with failure as none of the many women that he met held even the slightest influence over him. Even though he all but gave up on the idea of taming his son, he still feared that his son would take the throne without an heir of his own. The king may have had great personal differences with his son, but he did not want the monarchy to pass to any family but his own. It was for this reason that he continued pushing his son to marry and had continued to have him meet women. The king knew that his son would be returning soon. He had never stayed away for more than six weeks and had always found a way back without the slightest warning. King Henry did not know how to deal with his son or have any new ideas. He decided that for now he would let his son have his way with things and lie in wait. His son may have been brilliant, but no one is perfect and everyone makes a mistake sooner or later. He would wait for that day to come to teach his son a lesson. *** Amber's life had settled down a significant amount since the Prince's departure. She had once again established a normal routine and had become used to working at the Prince's home. The anxiety and power of the place had been exchanged for a sense of attachment. She really did love working here and thought it to be a wondrous sight to behold. Marissa had also stopped worrying over her so much as it became known that the Prince was no longer here. She made sure to check up on Amber constantly and do her best to see her smiling and happy. Amber did not mind this. Although, she honestly felt fine and did not need the extra attention, she appreciated the friendship that she had and knew that she would do no less if the situations were reversed. The weeks had passed by uneventfully, but Amber found herself with a reluctant sense of trepidation that she was never able to rid herself of fully. She had a hard time tracing its point of origin and was left to wonder about it. It was clear to her that the Prince was in some way connected to her anxiety's source, but she could not tell in what way he was connected. Amber felt lonely, even when she was surrounded by people. She felt an even greater disconnect to them than she had for most of her life. She had always had a hard time understanding why the things that interested her almost never interested anyone else or why all of the things that most girls spoke about were so meaningless to her. It had never made sense to her and it had been difficult for her to make friends because of that. The few that she had found in her life would always be very dear to her. Marissa was no exception to that rule and that was one of the reasons why she trusted her so very much. Amber loved Marissa as the sister that she never had. It was because she had a friend like Marissa that life was as simple as it was then. Amber had often pondered when the Prince would return and how things would change when he did. She knew that he would likely turn her life upside down again upon his arrival, but she did not know in what way. The longer he was away, the more that she questioned whether he would ever touch her again. It seemed plausible to her that the reason that he had left was simply because he did not desire her. She thought that it was possible that everything that had happened between them had been meaningless and that he would now toss her aside as simply as he had ravaged her body. The thought of this left her depressed even though she knew that it shouldn't. It seemed to her that she should be happy if he were to never touch her again, if he were to leave her alone. Instead, she began wondering if she had done something wrong. She wondered if something about her made her unwanted. It was depressing to think that she meant nothing to him. It hurt for her to think that he may never touch her again. She tried to avert her mind from such thoughts knowing that they did not do her any good and that they should not matter. Nothing about him should matter was all that she kept telling herself. The message never sunk into her mind. When she thought of him, she saw only those radiant eyes of his. They revolved around her head at times without her consent. Somehow, they seemed to represent him and everything that he was. She still knew that those eyes held the secret to who he was. She could not explain how she knew, but she was certain that she was right. She had tried not to think of him too much as she was afraid of experiencing the pain and the torment that she had felt the night that she had confessed to Marissa. The pain never came when she thought of him, though; it was much more like a dull ache. His actions and the reason he performed them remained ambiguous to her. She caught herself thinking at times that he had not been in full control of his actions. This could not be the case though, as she remembered the distinct feeling of complete and total dominance that he had placed over her. She had not even been able to stand before him. How would it be possible for anyone else but him to be in control when she had been so weak and powerless in his presence. As she once again thought of the feeling of his dominance over her, she felt a warmth spreading between her thighs. She had started to become used to the feeling as often when she would think of him she would experience it. At first, it had been nearly impossible for her to stand when she felt this way, but she had gained strength as time had passed. Her work was no longer stopped by the feeling. That sensation left her aware of a need for something. She did not know what it was, but she knew that it had to come from him as she only experienced this feeling when she thought about him. Her thoughts had left her distracted and she could not help but to jump as she heard the deep and familiar voice say from only inches behind her, "Let us see if you have been following my rules in my absence." The Prince Ch. 05 A reunion between two people in love is always filled with a fiery and explosive amount of passion. The Prince's return to Amber is an example of how that reunion can feel and how it can change our perceptions and make us realize something new about ourselves. A reunion can remove the doubt of whether love exists and tell you what that person really means to you. I have no doubts about how I feel for my love, but I cannot help enjoying the additional confirmation as much as she does. She felt his hands on her. She could not help but whimper as they familiarized themselves with her body again. His touches felt better than she had remembered. Warmth and pleasure trailed just behind his touches; the touches themselves were overpowering. Her body felt weak and out of her control. He stood behind her groping her breasts and kissing her neck as she stood there. She could feel his hard cock pressed up rigidly against her. The epicenter of pleasure that was his hand slid over her ass and down her leg, lifting her skirt up on the return journey. He ran his hands over her panties, rubbing her lips through them, as he said, "You have disobeyed me." The feeling of pleasure was electrifying and she was cooing with pleasuring uncontrollably as he spoke. He stopped moving hands and pulled her whole body tighter against his when she did not respond quickly enough. He repeated, "You have disobeyed me," as he ground his fingers against her covered pussy again. She screamed as he did this and her breathing came rapidly as she finally managed to say, "How? How have I disobeyed you, master?" "Have you already forgotten the rules that I gave you my whore?" he punctuated the sentence by slapping her hard on the ass. She cried out again feeling his every touch all too keenly and unable to experience anything but pleasure no matter how violent he was with her and her body. It was a battle to maintain her focus and to answer his questions. She made herself say, "No, no I have not forgotten your rules," as she squirmed against him. "Then what is this?" he asked as he grabbed her panties and pulled on them so that they dug into her hot wet pussy. Her body convulsed against his and she managed to say, "They're panties." "And what did I say about wearing panties my dirty little slut?" "That it's forbidden, master." "And what did I say would happen if you disobeyed me?" Her body kept writhing against him. "That you would punish me." She could not see him smile as she said this. It was a wicked grin that had shown that he had been looking forward to this. "Yes, that's right, my pet. And I know exactly how to punish you. I am not going to let you take those panties off for the rest of the day, but that's not all," he started tugging on her nipple as he said this. He kissed along her neck again, leaving a trail of small marks at the base of her neck. He stopped for a moment to tell her, "I am going to show you why you never want to be trapped in those panties again." His fingers started to grind against the soaked cloth again as he continued to massage her breast. She could not move, she could not stand, her body could only exist to feel the pleasure that he overwhelmed her with. Her body was his once again and she felt like a slut. She realized that she had been waiting for him to do this to her since the day he had left. She realized that she wanted to feel him stick his cock inside of her and fuck her without end. He carried her over to a couch and bent her over it so that her ass was sticking up in the air. He bent over her and whispered into her ear, "Don't move." She likely couldn't have if she had tried, but she waited expectantly for his return. Her level of arousal already far past anything that she had felt before. She was so wet that she could feel her juices starting to run down the inside of her thigh. It seemed that she would go mad before he could return. Nothing had ever made her feel the way that she did now, even the times when he had taken her before. Everything that was happening felt so much more immediate and intense. It was not long until she heard him approaching and felt him pressed up against her again. He leaned over her, placing his mouth at her ear and saying, "This is to be your punishment," he showed her a glass rod that was no more than a few inches long and rounded at one of the ends. She did not understand what he meant by that statement. He moved the rod so that the rounded end was pressing against her slightly parted lips. "Open your mouth and suck on it as though it were my cock." Her mind did not process the request, her body simply reacted. Her body craved to have his cock inside of her and would do anything to achieve that end. She grabbed the rod from him and sucked it as ardently as she wanted to suck his cock right then. She took as much of it in as she could and she only released her grip on it as he took it away from her. He then slid down her panties slightly and pressed the glass rod against her throbbing pussy. Her entrance gave way and she felt the wonderful sensation of being filled as the rod entered her. She moaned uncontrollably as he moved it further inside of her. He then pulled up her panties leaving the rod trapped within her. It was only then that she began to understand what his punishment would entail. "You will go about the rest of your work like this and only when you finish with everything will I end the torment that you are about to endure. I will not have you forgetting and wearing undergarments ever again. Is this not fair?" he asked coldly "Oh yes, master. Oh yes, master it is. I will never where panties again." "Good, now there is something else I want you to suck on before you get back to work." He let go of her body and she slowly moved herself off of the arm of the couch to see him standing before her with his cock openly exposed. She could not help but think that she would never want or see a more attractive man. Looking at his cock left her both weak and full of desire. She wanted to serve him completely. As she slowly moved toward him, she feeling the rod shifting inside of her. It was impossible for her to do anything other than let out soft moans of pleasure. She walked on her knees, shifting her legs as little as possible to approach him. It was difficult to keep herself from falling over and giving into the sensation between her legs, but she wanted to obey him. She wanted to fulfill his every wish. She gingerly took a hold of his cock and started kissing and licking along the length of it. She lubed the entirety of it up as they both groaned in pleasure. As she took him into her mouth, the rod shifted inside of her and caused her to moan and vibrate her mouth against his cock. A blow job had never been so pleasurable for either of them. He had decided that he would make it difficult for her and that he would not cum until she forced him to. However, that did not feel as if it would take long as she swirled her tongue and hummed in pleasure as she sucked on him. She managed to take more and more of him into her mouth as she was lost to all sensations other than the pleasure that the rod was giving her every time that she moved. He felt a pressure building along the length of his hard shaft and as he came that pressure exploded throughout the rest of his body. She sucked and swallowed nearly all of the tremendous amount of cum that spurted out of him. She hungrily gobbled it up in her frenzied state. Her eyes turned from his cock to his face. A little of his cum had run out the side of her mouth and down her cheek. He bent down over her and ran thumb along it, scooping it up and moving it closer to her slightly open mouth. She licked his thumb clean. He then moved his hand along her jaw, it settled wrapped around the back of her neck, his thumb placed at the base of her ear. She was helpless before him. His hand was firm on her and she knew that the power that was supporting her could just as easily destroy her. She felt fragile with him touching her. He moved himself lower to the ground and used the hand supporting her to pull her in for a fierce kiss. Raw passion and an intense energy filled her. She could not think or see or hear as he kissed her. She could only feel. She could only feel his tongue in her mouth and the warmth of having him close to her. Her body was a vessel of sensation. She could feel how badly he wanted her; how much strength it took to restrain himself. The tension within him spread to her through the kiss. The tension only served to heighten her senses and to cause her to rock her hips and move the rod inside of her. She was moaning throughout the kiss and was brought to an explosive orgasm as her body moved upon its own accord. He did not allow her body rest or the chance to recover. He scooped her up as he continued to kiss her and moved them so that she was resting in his arms as he sat on the couch. Her body was held up by his and she was left reveling in an increasingly feeble position. She was his. Everything about her belonged to him and she knew it. The kiss ended reluctantly. Her body continued to twitch and she was left constantly on the edge of orgasm or in the pleasure of diving into one. There was no reprieve for her. They looked at each other. His face was one of divine happiness, hers was one of exquisite and pleasurable torture. She wanted more. The rod inside of her would let her thinking of nothing else but having him fuck her unrelentingly. He smiled cruelly as he said, "Back to work." A pained and helpless expression came across her face. She could not imagine standing, let alone working in this state. It was not possible. She could hardly feel her legs as the numbness caused by her orgasm had set in. She looked at him pleadingly. Her face begging him to give her the release she needed. Her eyes begging him to fuck her. He smiled all the more wickedly seeing the state that he had reduced her to. He placed her on her feet and helped to keep her steady. Her body felt like jello and the slightest shift of the rod weakened her further, but as time passed with him keeping her from collapsing, she gained strength. It was a slow and agonizing process, but her body steadied. He supported her less and less as her strength returned. His hands never left her entirely and she knew that they would keep her from collapsing. She tried to take her first step. The movement of her legs and the rod within her weakened her again. He caught her and waited patiently. It was difficult to tell how much time passed, but she slowly learned how to walk again. She was the infant that needed to be taught to walk and he was the parent that kept her from being injured. After she started to walk more steadily he moved his hands off of her, but stayed close. He did not need to at this point, but it was comforting to know that he could and would catch her if she needed to be caught. He moved away from her when he was certain that she no longer needed him. He sat on the couch that they had kissed on. She knew that she would need to begin cleaning again and that even though her strength had returned to an extent, the rest of the afternoon would be agonizing torture. The Prince sat proud of his plan and how effective he knew it would be. As he watched her move, he could see her body still convulsing uncontrollably. She would never forget the lesson that he was teaching her today. He had expected her to be wearing her panties today. That her mind had been clouded on the day he had explained the new rules of her employment, had been clear. Even if she had remembered the rule, he had doubted that she would have followed it in his apparent absence. No one had heard of his approach and no one had seen him enter the grounds. He had more than one way of acting as an apparition and no one had caught him yet, when he did not wish to be caught. The punishment that he had promised her, should she disobey him, had been made real. He did not want her to forget the things that he could do to her and that it was he that held the power. He was glad that she had given him the opportunity to demonstrate that power. The rules that he had set up made it so that he could skew them so as reward and punishment were no longer separate entities. If she behaved, he would fuck her; if she misbehaved, he would fuck her. He would reward her with orgasms and he would punish her with orgasms. He had used the time away to think of how he would control her. He wanted to turn her into a mindless depraved animal that thought of nothing but his cock. He would remove the power that she had exhibited over him by doing this. His goal was to make her beg to have him fuck her and for him to refuse. If he could accomplish that, her power over him would be removed and he could know that he was the sole master of his own domain once again. He needed to break her and the sooner he did, the better. He continued watching her move about the room. She was performing his request. It was clear to see that she struggled mightily at times to maintain focus on her task, but she did not waiver. She did not look at him as she worked. She did not moan aloud, but her breathing was labored. It was difficult to move and hard to focus. She kept her mind on the task that she had to perform to the best of her ability and with every ounce of her strength and her resolve. If he wished for her to serve him this way, she would do so without fail. The sensations that rod inside of her gave her were incredibly strong and she was nearly lost in the blissful abyss that they drew her toward more than once. Luckily, learning to deal and work with the spreading warmth between her thighs had prepared her for this task to a certain extent. This was much harder than learning to deal with that, but she remembered how she had dealt with the spreading warmth and followed that practice once again. She moved slowly, taking her time with every action and not forcing herself to go any faster than she was able to. She thought only of one step at a time and focused all of her will power into taking that next step and that next step only. She did this every time that she walked, every time that she scrubbed, every time that she bent over. Her mind only focused on the move she needed to complete right then because otherwise she would be overwhelmed and lose the strength that she had so painstakingly accumulated. Every task that she performed was done slowly. Watching her was driving him mad. He could not believe that she was able to continue. He had thought that she would break right at the start. He remembered the look that she had given him when he had announced the task assigned to her and had thought that she would break right then. The Prince wanted to grab her and take her with an increasing tenacity as every second that she did not break passed by, but he did not. It became a torture for him to sit there waiting and watching her, but he did not leave and he did not take his eyes from her. He would outlast her. This time it would be her that broke. Amber did not know how much time had passed. She only knew that she had finally finished. It was then, and only then, that she turned to look upon the Prince. Her face had a slight look of defiance and pride as she looked at him. He stood slowly and walked towards her, his eyes boring into hers as he closed the distance. Neither of them spoke and as he closed the final step, he grabbed onto her hips and threw her over his shoulder. She realized how exhausted she was as he carried her and wondered how she had been standing only a few moments before. She could not protest him and did not want to. Amber knew that she had done well that day and that the Prince would be proud of her. It had been a long and hard day filled with the greatest trial of determination that she had yet faced and she had succeeded. He gently lowered her off his shoulder and into his bed. His body was positioned lightly on top of hers, his head resting on his hand as he looked down upon her and asked, "Have you learned your lesson?" She looked up at him and nodded. His voice had had a touch of tenderness and it had brought Amber to the verge of tears because, somehow, she knew that he was very happy with her. The knowledge of his pride in her was possibly more overwhelming to her than any of the things that he had done to her that day. She felt his pride in the kiss that he gave her. It was a long slow kiss that melted away the rest of the world. For a moment, it was as if only the two of them existed or ever could exist. She did not want that kiss to end and neither did he. They were both lost in it and consumed by it. After it ended, they both laid there looking into each others eyes. He wanted to take her then, but knew that her body had already endured much more than it could normally in a day. So, instead, he removed her panties and very slowly pulled the rod out of her. He heard her wince and gave her his hand to hold onto as he took it out of her. Amber had never thought that you could ache and feel sore in the way and the place that she did now. The rod had felt good inside of her the entire time that she had worked, but her body had not been able to produce enough juices to last her all that time. It was inevitable that it would come out reluctantly after having been in her for so long. She felt him move back atop of her after he had gotten it out. He wiped away the residue of the few tears that had escaped her and then began gently stroking her hair as he looked at her. They stayed like this for some time until the Prince broke the silence by saying, "You have done well again today, my pet. You have forced me to give you another reward. You shall stay here and rest until you recover." With that, he undressed her body and then wrapped her tightly into the sheets of his bed and lay down next to her. He gently caressed her until she drifted off into sleep. He knew that the day had not gone as he had planned. She had been stronger than he had thought she would be. He was glad though for two reasons. He was happy that he himself had not broken and that he had managed to last throughout the entire ordeal as well. The fact that he had found a worthy adversary also made him happy. If she had broken in a single day, he would have been ashamed of himself for having ever been influenced by her in the first place. The fact that she had made it through today intact told him that a mighty force flowed through her as well. She was strong, as strong as anyone that he had met, but he was still sure that he was stronger. He would outlast her no matter what it took. His dominance over her would be completed. She could not stop him from his pursuit, no one could. No one had ever stopped him, no one would ever stop him. Conquering her body was not enough, he would conquer every fiber of her being and she would not only obey him but she would live to serve him in every way imaginable. Amber was to be the crowning gemstone of the dominance that he was capable of. She was the prize that he would seek after and he would inevitably win. He turned and looked at the peace that had come back over her face. Looking at her, a peace fell over him as well. The battle of today was over and in some ways they had both been victorious. This battle was the beginning of the war that they would wage on and within each other. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek as she slept. She was clinging onto him as she always had seemed to after falling asleep. He could not help but to enjoy the feeling of her dependence on him. He thought that it was a sign of his dominance and control. That thought made him relax and lay back as well. He knew that he would likely have to sneak her into the palace again as he had done that first night. The thought of doing so brought a smile to his face. He enjoyed every challenge that crossed his path and sneaking her back without anyone noticing was another chance for him to triumph. The Prince Ch. 05 No one would know of his success but her. He could do what he wished with her and she had no say in the matter. The thought of this broadened his grin. He could not imagine a better way for things to have turned out. He was the master and she was the slave and nothing could or would ever change that fact between the two of them. The Prince Ch. 06 In order for someone to love you, you must stand completely naked and bare before them. You must be willing to expose the most intimate knowledge of your body and mind to that person and allow them to pass judgment upon it. Love is not blind, love reveals the truth and your desire for it. Love is the recognition of all of the things you value in a person. Love requires you to know what it is you value and for you to see it in order to exist. I know what I value and I see it reflected back at me every time I see my love. I hope that you may one day share in this feeling and to understand just how clearly Love can see. Enjoy... * Amber awoke to find herself still lying in the soft silken sheets of the Prince's bed. There was a low light coming from a few candles spread throughout the room. She could see from his window that night had fallen not long ago. Her body ached, but the pain was bearable. She looked around and wondered where he had gone. He must have left her while she was sleeping and she wondered if he expected her to leave or not. It was at this point that she realized that she was still nude and that she had no idea what had happened to her clothes. She scanned the room to see if he had left them some place obvious so that she could let herself out. They were nowhere in sight, which led Amber to the conclusion that he must not want her to leave yet and that he would have to return before she could go. Knowing this, Amber wrapped the blankets around her tighter reveling in the sensation of the silk against her body. She had felt it before, but she had never had the opportunity to fully experience the feeling of his sheets embracing her. Nothing in her past could compare to the touch of the blankets now wrapped around her. No bed should feel this good, was the only thought that she was capable of. She could understand why it was that anyone in the position to afford such a lavish and luxurious bedspread would insist upon having one. Amber knew that she would likely never experience something like this again; she used the spare moment that she had without him and enjoyed it unabashedly. She knew that time was fleeting and that she would have to return to the reality of what had happened today and what her true position was soon, but for right now, she would pretend that she belonged here. She would pretend that this was her bed, her home, and her room. She would pretend that she was the lady of this house. Within a minute or two, her fantasy was placed in limbo. The door had opened and she saw the Prince as he entered the room. She made herself sit upright on the bed with the blankets covering her chest modestly as he walked toward her. His face seemed to hold little emotion as he came near to her. This worried her as she thought that she may have angered him in some way or another. She found that this was obviously not the case when he leaned over and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, one that felt different from any they had shared before. The immediacy and violence that was normally associated with a kiss between them was not there this time. Instead, this kiss had a tone and a quality that was of simple, effortless bliss. The kiss made both of them feel as though happiness was the only possible state of existence and that any sort of pain or suffering was unnecessary and irrelevant. When the kiss ended, she looked at him feeling starstruck and dizzy. Before she was able to fully regain her wits, he asked, "Feeling better?" His face was just inches from hers. "Much," she said cheerfully. It was only after she responded that she realized that he had never asked a question like that before. His proximity kept her from being able to think deeply on the issue. Just as her slight sense of uneasiness started to set in, he spoke again. "Good. Now, before you go, I should warn you that the kitchen in the palace has closed," as he said this, his voice held no special character, but she could see that something greater lay just beneath the surface. There was a reason he was telling her this and that reason was revealed as he said, "In light of this fact, I want you to eat dinner here tonight. I will not have you being left to starve." Amber was thoroughly confused by his actions. He had let her sleep in his bed, he had taken the time to make her more comfortable, and now he wanted to make sure that she ate something. The way that he was treating her today was very different from what she had thought that she could expect from him. His actions made it almost seem like he cared for her. He had paused in his speech and was observing her, but she did not notice his watchful eye upon her. He had left her baffled. Her face had a very large question mark written on it. He was fine with her being confused as she was as he did not particularly want her to understand his current actions. He snapped her out of her revery as he ended the pause by saying, "I took the liberty of exchanging your uniform for your own clothing and have left the outfit sitting and waiting in the bathroom for you. I wish for you to dress promptly as I shall await your arrival in the dining room. Do you understand?" She did not understand, but she answered, "Yes I do, and I shall hurry." "Good, then you have all of my instructions," with that said, he moved himself off the bed and out of the room just as promptly as he entered it. She sat in the bed for a moment or two longer than she meant to as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. She moved herself off the bed sluggishly as she continued to think. Something in her interpretation of the events today must be wrong was the only possibility she could see or believe. It was not possible that the man who had put her through such a long and, wonderfully, agonizing torture could care about her well being. Those two facts seemed to contradict each other and she could see no way to reconcile them. She decided that the only reason that he could have for having dinner with her was so that he could exact a new sort of torture upon her. No other reason made sense. Her movements became more rapid and exact as she gained confidence in her theory. All of his previous, seemingly, caring actions towards her must have been part of a plan to leave her more vulnerable to him. The thought that he needed her more vulnerable confused her at first, but began to make sense as she realized that she had only been vulnerable physically to him before and he wanted her to be mentally assailable as well. Every one of his actions made sense with this as a motive. However, one thought crossed her mind that made her stop in the middle of dressing herself. She could not understand how he could kiss her like he had upon entering the room without meaning it. She kept telling herself that he had done it so as to complete the ruse and that he must simply be a very convincing actor. Her mind would not accept this answer fully, but she did not have the time to come up with a more satisfying one. She had not noticed what outfit he had brought her when she was putting it on, but she now saw herself in the large mirror in the room. He had picked out her favorite dress. It was pastel yellow in color and fit her very comfortably. The cloth held onto her slender frame lightly, only hinting at the figure hidden beneath. She had always felt beautiful in that dress and she could not help but to smile seeing herself in it. Amber tried to raise her guard as she rushed down to meet him, but if his goal had indeed been to leave her vulnerable in a way that she had not yet been, he had succeeded. She could not help feeling comfortable and happy. He had made it impossible for her to feel any differently. He stood waiting at the bottom of the stairway ready to meet her. It took all of her willpower not to run down the stairs and kiss him. Instead, she walked down the stairs without trying to seem rushed or hurried. She moved with the patient grace of the women that she had always admired growing up. Her entrance to the room was a feat that he had not expected her to achieve and that he greatly enjoyed watching. He could not help thinking that she looked as if she belonged here. She was a worthy adversary indeed. When she reached the bottom of the stair she stood and waited for him to speak. Instead of speaking, he simply smiled at her and began walking in the direction of the dining room. She followed him obediently. After they entered the room, he pulled out a chair and stood waiting for her. It took her a moment to realize that she was meant to sit down there. She hurriedly moved towards the waiting seat and sat down in it as he pushed it in for her. He then sat in the seat next to her. There were two plates and a bowl on the table in front each of them. The larger plate was covered and hid whatever lied beneath from view. The smaller plate held a decorative salad that had items on it that she did not readily recognize and the bowl contained a creamy and delicious smelling soup. The soup lay directly in front of her and it seemed that this was where they were both to start their meals. Smelling the food made her realize just how hungry she was and the effort needed to keep from devouring everything in front of her was momentous. She did manage to wait with the effort she exerted. Once he recognized that she was waiting for his permission diligently, he turned to her and said, "Please help yourself to as much as you would like. I know that you are famished." "Thank you," was all that she could reply before they began eating. She tried to constrain herself in how much and how quickly she ate, but the soup was delicious. It contained some sort of seafood and a variety of herbs. She did not know all of the things that she ate, but the smooth silky texture and rich flavor made it impossible to maintain a high level of control. He sat and watched her in obvious amusement as she continued to eat. Tonight, he had decided to be patient and to wait until her appetite had been satiated, to an extent, before beginning to speak to her. She went to the salad next, but her pace slowed a bit. No longer was she consumed and driven completely by her hunger. "Are you enjoying the food, my pet?" She stopped eating for a moment to reply, "Yes, it is very good." "I'm glad," he said with a smile on his face and in his voice, "Please try the wine, I am sure that you will enjoy that as well." She picked up her glass and took a sip from it. The wine had a light and sweet flavor to it as well as a decadent after taste. "This is delicious," was all that she could reply. "I am glad that you think so. I picked this particular bottle out because of how well it goes with the main course," and as he said this, he lifted the cover off of both the larger plates. A steak had lay in wait for each of them. Her sense of smell was captivated by the meat in front of her. He watched her reaction with a wry grin and said, "Try the steak and the drink together, I am sure that you won't be disappointed." She wasn't. The seasoning and natural flavors of the steak went together perfectly with the wine that he had chosen for the two of them. He never took his eyes off of her for more than a moment. He almost wished that he had not chosen that dress for her to wear, almost. She had been right in thinking that he wanted to make her vulnerable in a new way from before and he knew that his plan had worked. Her guard was down and he knew that the wine was likely already beginning to take its effect. "What did you do while I was gone Amber?" "Other than keep your home in order?" she asked uncertain of how he expected her to answer. When he nodded whilst taking a sip from his own glass she went on to say, "I suppose that the main thing that I did was spent time with Marissa." "Is Marissa a close friend of yours?" Amber giggled a little at the question. "Have I said something wrong?" was all that he could ask as he gazed at her. "No, it was just a funny question to ask." "How so?" "I simply don't know what I would do without Marissa," Amber answered in all honesty. "It was a funny question because of how obvious the answer is and must be." "What makes the answer so obvious?" "Do you honestly not know?" she asked after she finished tasting the sweet drink again. It seemed to her that he should know the answer to this question as easily as she did. "No, I can honestly say that I do not," he answered earnestly, nearly laughing at her unfounded suspicion that he knew was related to the glass in her hand. After staring at him for a moment she remembered that she had never even mentioned Marissa before a few moments ago and that he knew nothing about their friendship. It had just seemed that he knew more; it had just seemed that he should know so much more than he did about her. "I guess; you wouldn't, would you," he heard her say slowly and somewhat distantly. "No, I cannot say that I would," he said with a sly grin. "It's just that Marissa has helped me through so much. I don't know that I've ever had a better friend than her. She really means the world to me." "I'm glad that you have someone that you can depend on so readily." He had not meant to say that, but he could not deny that he meant it. Before she could speak again he went on to say, "How long have you been friends?" "Well, we both started working at the palace around the same time. Marissa was here a little less than a month before I was and when I arrived she instantly befriended me," she paused for a moment after she said this, but it was clear that there was something else she wanted to say. "She seemed to seek me out. It was, It was almost if she felt a need to protect me from the very start." "What makes you say that?" Her face still showed lines of thought crossing through it. "When I first arrived here, I went through the same sort of hazing process that all the girls do. The older girls seem to have a need to use the authority that they have on all of the younger girls. "I did not begin working here with a friend, as many of the girls did, and I do not make friends easily. I suppose that this made me more of a target, because I had no protection," he nudged her glass toward as she paused. She took another sip before continuing, "One day, I had been cornered by a particularly nasty group that liked to call themselves the 'Primas.' I tried to get away, to escape them, but whenever I tried to leave one of them pushed me back. They called me ugly, stupid, and many other names. They took things from me. They purposefully dirtied my uniform so as to get me in trouble. "I did my best not to cry, not to let them win because I knew that was their real goal. They did not want my things, they just wanted me to be miserable and for them to see it. I don't know why people exist in the world that act like they do, but they seem to be everywhere," there was clear distress in her voice. "I know, I have seen them as well." This seemed to calm her down a bit as she went on to say, "Anyway, it was right when I felt the first trickle of moisture run down my face that Marissa appeared. Marissa had never been afraid of anyone and even though there was only one of her and four of them, she never wavered or showed a hint of fear. I think that her calm was what bothered them more than anything; well, that and her clear willingness to fight. "At first, I had wished that she would not have helped me. I didn't think that I was worth her putting herself in harms way. It is not because I do not care for or value myself that I wished for her to stay away, but because I thought that I could handle it and did not need to be a burden on anyone. In fact, I even told her that after she had come to my rescue, but she wasn't willing to listen to me on that point. "She told me that those girls had had it coming for quite some time and that I was just an excuse to pay them back for wrongs that they had committed. I knew that she was stretching the truth back then, but I realized that it didn't matter and that if she really wanted to defend me so much, what could I do to stop her? "So, you see, she had always been there to help and protect me from the moment I arrived to such an extent that she would not listen to me even if I told her to stop." "Do you have any idea why she is so adamant about helping you?" "I honestly can't say because I'm not sure if she even knows the full reason herself, but she has told me that I am someone that deserves to be protected. That I do not deserve to be picked or punished without reason. She never could tell me fully why that was, only that she knew without a doubt that it would be a sin for her to ignore my plight and leave me." It was at this point that Amber discovered how warm and flush her cheeks felt. Both of them had continued to drink slowly and she had not even noticed him continuing to refill her glass as she had been so caught up in telling him everything he asked. She knew that he must have been refilling it though as the level had never dropped. A small voice in her head said that she needed to be more on guard now than ever, but that voice held too little power to be of consequence. She was happy to be talking to him. She was happy to be near him. She felt comfortable around him. It was not the same sort of comfort that she felt around Marissa. The comfort that she felt now was different from any she remembered. The feeling came not from the fact that she trusted him as she did Marissa, but that she trusted him in a completely different way. She trusted that he would understand her and the meaning of all the things she said. She trusted Marissa would always be a true and good friend to her even if at times she could be a bit misguided. With him, she trusted that he would always be able to know more about her than anyone else could. "So it appears that you don't know everything that happens in the castle," she said with amusement in her voice and a smile on her face. "What makes you think that I would?" "Well, all of the girl's in the palace say that nothing is missed by your eyes and that you see everything that happens," she stated as though the answer should be obvious. "Oh really," he said with a tone of some surprise, "and what else do they say about me?" "Only the obvious," her voice playful and teasing. "And what, is that?" "That you are as strikingly handsome as you are severe and exacting," she said leaning in closer to him. He shifted himself closer to her, so that he was looking directly at her and nearly touching her. "I wonder." "What do you wonder?" she asked feeling how close he was to her. "I wonder if I should be doing this to you." Before she could manage to ask what he meant by that he locked his lips atop hers. She resisted the kiss only for the instant that it took for the surprise to wash away from her mind. Her arms wrapped his back and she felt him pull her onto his lap so that she was sitting with both her legs swung over one side of him. He hooked one of his arms around her waist and started untying her dress while kissing her. Once he managed to get the dress loosened on her he started tugging it down and exposing more of her body. He moved it down far enough so that he could move his other hand beneath it and start massaging her breast. She grabbed onto him all the tighter as her body responded to his touch. Her body ached for his touch and tonight she wanted to be his more than she ever had before. She moved one of her arms off of his shoulder so that the dress slid down further, fully uncovering his hand on her breast. He kissed down her leaving a trail as he headed down her neck and toward her chest. The moment his mouth and tongue found her nipple, she couldn't help but to let out a moan and wrap her arms around his head. He kissed and licked it gently at first, but became more forceful as he started sucking as much of her breast into his mouth as he could. The Prince Ch. 06 She squirmed against him reveling in his touch. She tried to escape her arms from the dress as he continued licking and sucking her breast. She managed to, slowly and with difficulty, as she enjoyed the pleasure of his attentions. He seemed to know exactly where and what type of touch he needed to give her in order to send her further over the edge. Every portion of her body felt as if it were being touched and caressed by him. It was as though every pore in her body was feeling the mounting sensation of an orgasm. She felt him lift her and stand her up. She experienced the brush of air as her dress fell to the floor discarded. Her naked body was far more naturally encased by his arms than it ever was by the clothing she had just shed. He scooped her back up effortlessly and placed her naked body on the table away from where they had been eating. He then rapidly stripped himself as she lay there prone, her legs spread wide exposing her waiting pussy. Her legs were so long and beautiful that as he approached her again, he could not help but to take one of them and begin kissing along it. Oh Please. His kiss had the texture of intense and sublime heat. Oh Please. She moaned as he kissed higher and higher along her inner thigh. Oh Please. His upward motion stalled when his lips were just brushing against the outside of hers. Oh Please. He began sucking. Oh Please. The sensation was like none she had felt before and it left her body thrashing about involuntarily. Oh Please! Oh Please! Oh Please! He stopped for a moment and asked her in a low seductive voice, "'Oh Please' what?" Her face went flush as she realized that her repeated thought had been spilling from her lips. She had not just been thinking those words, she had actually been screaming them. Her body and her speech had been beyond her control and she did not know exactly what she had been pleading for. She only knew that she wanted it and she wanted it badly. Her desire was driving her mad. "Oh Please! Fuck Me." was all she could say. "No, I don't think that's what you were asking me for, at least not yet. I think you wanted me to do something else," and with that he licked along the length of her lips sending a shiver up her spine. Oh Please. "I think that you want me to do that again, don't you?" She felt her head nodding in reply. "I can't hear you," he said as he began licking and kissing all around the place that she so desperately wanted to feel his tongue. "Oh Please! Please, I want you to lick me," she cried as she moved her hips towards his face. He stopped when she did this and asked, "Where do you want me to lick you?" Oh Please. He was breathing right where the answer to that question was. She no longer cared what she said as she screamed, "Oh Please! I want you to lick my pussy!" He dived into his task without any further encouragement. She felt it as he licked along the length of her, spreading her lips apart with his tongue. He had both of his arms wrapped around and underneath of her legs. He stood and lifted her body into the air causing the blood to rush to her head as he shoved his tongue against her entrance. An explosion erupted within her sending shock waves down her spine and throughout the entirety of her being. She did not know what he did to her or how he did it. She did not care. She did not care about anything, as her body was suspended upon him. Her mind contained no thoughts. He had made her a conduit for the force of life within him. Her body responded in the only way it could. Her body responded with an intense and unrelenting feeling of pleasure that would not stop, would not slow, and would not give. There was no escaping what she felt or the shrieks of pleasure that escaped her. He held her there, unaffected by the uncontrolled thrashing of her body. Nothing could shake him, she was his and he was not going to let up. She would find no rest until he decided to give it to her. Time stopped for both of them. Neither had any sense of it or could even relate to the concept of it. The violent rapture held them locked in time and sped them through it. They created this place together and so long as they were bound together they could not leave it. He lifted his mouth from her and the two of them locked each others eyes. They were both taking great heaving breaths. He could feel her juices covering his face and running down his chin. His eyes and mouth held a look of unsatiated hunger. It appeared that he would attack her. She did not flinch when meeting those eyes or seeing that face. Her eyes shown with an intensity that could match his. Her body demanded more. She would accept nothing less than everything that he had to offer and she would not yield until she had all of him. Nothing less would do. He lowered her back onto the table slowly. Never breaking eye contact. He moved his shoulder from beneath her thighs and lifted his body so that he was standing strongly above her. He looked like an angry and beautiful god of Greek mythology. She did not fear him. She did not hate him. She did not stand unaffected. She wanted him in every conceivable way. She wanted him and she knew she would have him. She would know what it meant to fuck a god and feel his seed inside of her. He grabbed her hips and thrust himself inside of her in one stroke. Her body locked around his as he pumped himself into her. His eyes gleamed with the feral look that consumed him. He fucked her relentlessly. Her body responded with all of the force that he put into her. He never let her go and he never gave her rest. The pleasure she felt was unending and grew in fervency. Orgasms were no longer separated by minutes or even seconds, they were unremitting and innumerous. Her body was constantly left reeling and still she cried for more. The greater her body's response, the greater her need. Her want for him was magnified each time he filled her. Her need for him enhanced every time he slid from her. The capacity for speech had long since abandoned both of them. He grunted and growled as she shrieked in delight. The sensations they felt dominated them and enslaved them. Neither was in control and neither would stop. A power held over both of them transformed them into a single pleasure center. They both screamed as he came. He collapsed atop her, both of them gasping for breath. Sweat drenched both of them and their bodies slid over each other as they each took in air. She wrapped her body tight around his and pulled his head tight against her chest. Her orgasms did not stop with the removal of his cock from her. The intensity and frequency slowly began to decrease, but they did not suddenly stop. Her body had been built up to this state and it would take some time for her to come down from it. She was quivering uncontrollably. Both of them lay there, their bodies completely spent. He looked up at her, his hair matted to his forehead, his limbs weak, and his muscles crying in anguish. He smiled. He smiled in this moment because he knew that they were alive and that they would never be more so. The pain and exhaustion he felt were simply a tribute to the greatness of the time they had just shared together. Every muscle in him burned, but he did not feel it. He could feel nothing other than the strength within him and within her. Nothing could or ever would conquer that strength. It was the strength that had allowed men to reshape the world. It was the strength of creation and passion and the indomitable power of the human spirit made real. He kissed her and they were both lost again. They both felt that strength and that joy flowing through them. It was a feeling that once found could never be lost again. They each held a portion of the secret and the promise within. When the kiss ended, he said to her, "You are staying with me tonight." It was not a command and it was not a question. It was the statement of a simple truth that each of them knew and neither could doubt. His body moved slowly and strength did not return to it. However, when he picked her up she felt she weightless. Carrying her would never be a burden to him. Holding her was as natural as breathing and just as simple. He did not have to try or think to breath, he simply did, and carrying her was much the same. They moved into his room in silence. There is no need to speak when two people understand each other completely. They curled up together in his bed and shared many soft gentle kisses. They fell asleep not knowing or caring what tomorrow would bring. The Prince Ch. 07 Love can be difficult to identify at first. It is not as simple or as obvious as it is described. Only once identified is love easy to see and to know. The process necessary to learn that you are in love can be a struggle and even painful at times, but it is well worth the temporary suffering that may be experienced. This is the beginning of that process. Enjoy... Marissa did not sleep. She had been waiting for Amber's return. No one in the palace, with the exception of her, knew that the Prince had returned. She did not want to think of what he had done to her this past night, but she imagined that Amber was facing a horror that was far greater than one she had ever known. The idea of a man taking and despoiling her body was an abominable one. Only a cruel, sadistic, and fundamentally evil person could be capable of it. The thought that such a person could exist was nearly beyond the scope of her imagination. She knew that was the only type of person that she would ever believe deserved to die an agonizing death. She hated him. She hated the Prince and wished that such a death would meet him and soon. She did not believe that he deserved any better. However, she knew that such an event was not likely to occur and that she would never perform the deed herself. She knew she needed a plan. The plan she needed would have to pay him back for what he had done, what he was doing, and what he likely was going to do. Marissa needed to find a way to make sure that retribution was given to the Prince. She had nearly run off to tell her superiors what she knew was happening, when Amber did not come back for dinner that night and the hours had stretched out far longer than usual. The only thing that stopped her was the promise that she had made to Amber. She knew that there was only one person that had more power than the Prince and that he would be the only one that could protect her and Amber from his wrath once unleashed. Marissa needed to speak to King Henry and she needed to convince him that saving Amber and punishing the Prince was in his favor. Nothing else could work. The king had not been known to be particularly kind and it was known that he looked down upon all of those not of noble birth. He would not save someone he looked down upon simply out of the small amount of good nature within him. The king would only save someone so inconsequential if there was something in it for him. Marissa knew that King Henry and the Prince had disagreed on many things and had fought each other on a number of issues. It was this knowledge that gave her hope that she may find a wedge that she could use to drive between them. She would have to use the knowledge of Amber and his son's actions toward her as leverage. There would have to be negotiation in which she would have to both satisfy the king's want of power and save Amber. Before she did that though, she would have to secure an audience with the king. She did not know how she would do that while retaining her power as a negotiator. Knowledge was to be her only bargaining chip and at the moment she did not have enough. She needed enough knowledge to both entice the king into meeting with her and to negotiate with him after the meeting was arranged. She would have to wait and to let Amber go through more before she could find a way to release her. Marissa initially considered telling Amber her plan and to ask her for help in having it unfold, but she quickly scratched the idea. Amber was under enough stress already and Marissa knew that she would learn everything that Amber did whenever they spoke. Also, if Amber did not agree with the plan, it was possible that she would refuse to tell her any new information and foil the plan herself. Marissa was not willing to take that chance. She was going to have to be careful and not let anyone catch wind of what she was doing until it was too late. No one could know what was going to happen or what she wanted to happen for fear of it being reveal and the plan failing. This was going to be a long and difficult process ahead of her and she did not know if she would succeed, but she had to try. Marissa was going to do everything in her power to rescue Amber from the dire straits that she was now in. Amber was her friend and she would not stand idly by as she suffered. The world could be a cruel place, but that did not mean she had to accept it as such. Marissa would not let the evil in the world claim another victim without a fight *** Amber awoke curled up next to the Prince with one of her hands across his chest. The Prince lay on his back and looked more peaceful than she had ever before seen him. His body radiated heat and kept her from fully waking up. She was so comfortable here and she did not want to move from the spot she was now in. The feel of his body next to hers kept her in a blissful state, but as her mind began to function she started to think about where she was. This was his room and she had been allowed to stay in it with him as though she belonged here. The fact that she had been allowed to stay here made her feel happy, but it also left her thoroughly confused and somewhat suspicious. At this point it was becoming hard to deny that she desired him to at least some extent. She knew that when she had told him that his good looks were undeniable that she had not been exaggerating or veering from the truth in any way. He was beautiful and she desired his body because of it. What was disturbing, was the fact that no other man had brought her level of desire anywhere near the heights that she now felt. Compounding this with the fact that he had done cruel things to her only served to further muddy the issue. The fact that she was next to him comforted her and left her happy because of the fact that she wanted to be here. This was confusing, but not nearly as confusing as why he wanted her to be here. Her waking up next to him did not feel like an accident. Every other time she had been here he had woken up first. He had been the first to clothe himself and ready himself. In this way, it had always felt as though everything that happened was by his plan and design and that he never lost control. Was he still in control now? It was a question that crossed her mind that she could find no answer to. The situation made it appear as if he were not, but that did not give her any level of certainty. He could be awake waiting to see what she would do or he could honestly be completely asleep and unaware of the world around him. She wondered if he actually wanted her or if he desired her. The last night had been a spectacular one, but it had been so out of character from everything that she had seen from him previously. It was hard for her to trust such a sudden change even if it felt so very right being there next to him right now. If he had always acted toward her the way that he had the previous night she knew that it would have been difficult for her to do anything but fall in love with him. He had been charming and understanding and, most importantly of all, wonderfully easy to speak to. It was not often that she found someone that was easy to converse with and it seemed so simple when talking to him. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter was that he had not acted like this before. Or, at least, so it had appeared. Thinking back on it she began to realize that some of his previous actions may not have been quite as cold or cruel as she thought they had been. He had caught her when she fainted and he had allowed her to rest in his room. Was it possible that he had done those things because of the fact that he cared for her? Could it be that she had misinterpreted what had happened before? She could not yet make herself hope that those thoughts were true. In spite of that, those questions remained in her mind. Amber lifted her head up and looked at his face in consternation. She wished that she could just know what it was that she was supposed to be and that he would just treat her as such. Her life was now more complicated than it had ever been before and this left her head spinning. She thought that she wanted everything to return to normal and for her life to become what it had been before she had met him. Even as this crossed her mind she knew it to be false. Despite all that had happened, she was glad that she had met the Prince and that she had been able to spend time with him. She wished that she could be more than a sex slave to him, but did not believe that it was possible. Her family name had no ties to the nobility and she had been left with nothing when her father had died. Being anything more to him than she already was, was only a dream. Amber could not help but to feel a deep sadness as this thought came to fruition. As she looked at him, her eyes began to well with tears. She felt that she was ridiculous for feeling so awful over discovering this. It had been obvious and always would be obvious. She needed to leave. She needed to be away from him because she needed to clear her head and come to terms with her thoughts. Talking to Marissa seemed to be the route that she would have to take as none others were left open to her. Amber moved herself away from him very slowly and carefully doing her best not to disturb him. Somehow, she managed to get out of the bed without rousing him. Looking out the window she saw that the sun was about to rise. If she hurried, she could get back and change before anyone woke up. She left the room to gather the dress that she had been wearing the night before and to change back into it. It was lying in the dining room. The room in the same disarray as it had been left the previous night. She had not taken the time to survey the damage then, but she saw chairs knocked over and shoved out of the way as well as objects lying fallen to the ground off nearby tables. It looked like a disaster, but that did not matter now. She was working against the clock and she knew it. At any point he could come down and stop her and at any point her fellow maids could begin to rouse. She dressed with a greater haste than she had ever been capable of before. Upon finishing she bolted from his home and raced back toward the palace. Not slowing her pace until the servant's entrance came in to clear view. She slipped inside making as little sound as possible. There was no one in sight upon entering. Her movements became swift and controlled as she made her way back toward the dormitory. She passed only a select few people that did not take the time to notice her on the way. Upon arriving, she went to a mirror and surveyed herself. Her hair was a mess and she needed to wash her face, but she did not look terribly different from after an ordinary nights rest. Amber moved to grab a hair brush and saw, as she turned, a face staring at her hardly any distance away. The surprise nearly made her scream aloud. Instead, she gasped and then whispered, "Marissa, what are you doing here?" "I know he's back." The sentence was a simple one and Amber wondered how she was to respond to it. A silence spread between them as reality of what she had said and what it meant became clear to each of them. "Yes, he is." "Are you all right?" Amber hesitated before answering, "No, but we cannot discuss it here." With that said, Marissa wrapped her arms around Amber. During the hug, Amber realized that Marissa must have been terribly worried about her when she did not come back the previous evening. It made her feel guilty that she had enjoyed it so much. Her best friend had been suffering and worrying horribly when she had wonderfully happy with him. When the hug ended, Marissa told her, "Grab your uniform, we will go to the bath and get you cleaned up." Amber at first thought about protesting, but quickly realized that the warm water would do her good and that they would likely be able to talk there. She gathered her uniform and grabbed her brush and then announced, "Let's go." The two of them then began on their journey. Both were lost in thought and were moving without paying attention to where they were going. Marissa wanted desperately to speak and to ask her what had happened, but waiting was a necessity. They arrived without incident and quickly dove into the water, after shedding their clothing. Amber was the first to speak after they had each swam to the far end of the pool. "I'm not sure where to start. So much has happened and I don't understand half of it." "What do you mean?" Marissa asked with concern. "Well, he, he's acted so strangely and so characteristically and I'm not sure if he's acting the way he always has or if he's now actually acting differently. Does that make sense?" Marissa looked at Amber as if she had sprouted an extra head, "No, no that does not make sense." It was Amber's turn to look confused now. "Perhaps you should try starting at the beginning." "Okay, I can do that," she said with a much greater certainty than before. "As you have figured out, he came back yesterday and found me working in his home. He realized that I had...been breaking one of his rules and so he decided to punish me for it. Then," "Wait, what do you mean you broke one of his rules and what do you mean he punished you?" Amber looked away somewhat guiltily and with a feeling of shame in her voice she said, "I don't want to say. It's embarrassing." "Okay, then can you at least tell me why you broke his rule?" "The answer to that is it would be embarrassing to follow it." "Amber," Marissa said with an obvious tone of frustration in her voice, "can you please just tell me what happened so that I can try and figure out how to help you?" Amber's face turned a deep shade of red and she looked down as she finally whispered, "I was wearing underwear and I'm not allowed to when I am in his home." "What!" Marissa shouted in a hushed tone so as not to draw extra attention, but unable to hide her surprise. "You mean to say that he will punish you for keeping yourself decent?" The only sign of affirmation Amber could perform was to nod and continue facing away from her. "What a bastard. I don't understand how anyone could do that," Marissa muttered angrily, "How exactly does he punish you for such a transgression?" "I will not tell you that." "Did he hit you?" Marissa asked this with obvious anxiety in her voice "No, nothing like that," Amber said, her eyes once again meeting Marissa's. Marissa wanted to find out what exactly he had done, but she knew that when Amber did not want to tell someone something that nothing in the world could make her say it. "Was it that awful?" was all she could ask. "Yes," Amber said solemnly, "but not in the way that you're thinking. He did not hurt me physically in any way." This explanation only made Marissa want to ask her more about it, but she could see that this was the end of the line and that issue was now closed. Exasperated, she sighed and then asked, "What happened next?" "After my punishment was over, he took me to his room and let me sleep in his bed." "Where did he go?" "Well, that's part of what's bothering me and that I don't fully understand," Amber said slowly and with her brow furrowed, "He stayed with me." Perturbed by this Marissa could not help asking, "What exactly do you mean he stayed with you?" "I mean just what I said, he laid down next to me and I fell asleep on him. It was only today that I realized how odd that was even though he had let me fall asleep next to him before." "I didn't even realize that he had let you have a moments rest let alone stay with you for it." "It didn't seem that important until I thought about it more or, even unusual. It is not like I have ever been through anything like this before." "I know, it's okay. I'm just surprised and confused by his actions," Marissa said comfortingly. "As am I. However, that is not the strangest thing. Did you notice what I was wearing this morning?" "Why yes," and at this point Marissa's eyes shot wide, "you were wearing your favorite dress." "And how do you think that I got it?" Marissa hesitated to say what she knew that the answer must be. "He got it for you." "Yes, he did, while I was still asleep. He wanted me to have dinner with him in it." "Why would he want that? I mean why he would want you to have dinner with him and why would he want you to where that dress?" Amber shrugged in response. "Your guess is as good as mine. During dinner, he seemed interested in knowing more about me. At first I thought that there was some dark motive behind it, but he never revealed one. It was quite peculiar. We spoke for quite some time as we ate." "Well, what did he want to know?" She started by saying, "He wanted to know what had happened when I was gone." Amber realized that the answer to this question was one that might scare Marissa and she was not sure if she should tell her and cause her worry unnecessarily or if she should say something else entirely. She decided that the truth would have to be spoken sooner or later. "He also asked me about you." "Me!" Marissa exclaimed. "Shh, we're in a public place remember!" Amber scolded her and then went on to say, "Yes he asked about you. Well, not you directly, more about how close of friends we are. It's kind of hard for me to remember the exact details." "What do you mean it's hard for you to remember? This is important," Marissa said with obvious discomfort and concern. "Well we had wine with dinner, it tasted so good, and it was so easy for me to talk to him and I didn't think that I had very much, but he had been refilling my glass when I wasn't paying attention, and next thing I know I felt especially relaxed and was willing to tell him anything." Marissa took a moment processing the rapid verbal assault that had just transpired. "So what you're trying to say is that you had too much to drink and don't remember all of what happened?" "Um, not quite, I remember everything, just not all of it very clearly." "Okay, so you had dinner, drank too much, and told him about me. Am I missing anything?" "I suppose not, but I would say that I had dinner, drank too much, and told him about my life at the palace." "All right, I can live with that, but what happened next?" Amber's face went red again as she thought about what had happened next. It had felt so wonderfully good when he had kissed and licked her in that most private of regions. Her body began to respond as she thought of the experience and that only furthered her embarrassment. "The two of us went to bed after that," was all Amber could say. Marissa believed that she understood why it was that Amber did not elaborate and did not want to force painful memories upon her. They both stood in silence, but the reasons for both of them were quite different. Amber did not look up to see the expression of profound sorrow on Marissa's face, she simply said, "He let me stay with him and when I woke up at first I was happy to be there next to him. But the more I thought about it, the more upset I became so I hurried away from him and got back here before he woke up himself." Their eyes finally met as she finished speaking. "I can't blame you for leaving, but will you get in trouble for it?" Amber's expression became a distant one. "I had not thought of it. I only knew that I had to get away in that moment." "Yes, you did. You shouldn't even have to spend one moment with that rapist." "No, I left because I realized that I didn't belong there next to him." This last word was spoken in such a way that a listener would know that the name of that person was not to be used. However, the reason that the person's name was not to be used was far less clear. The Prince Ch. 07 "No, you didn't belong there next to him. You should never be next to such a person." Amber felt tears welling up in her eyes as Marissa said this. However, she managed to ask this next question with the same calm that a hero faces certain death. "Do you really mean that Marissa?" "Of course I do." Hearing those words may as well have been a strike to her face. How could she have expected anything different? She had been right in thinking that she did not deserve to be there and Marissa had just confirmed it. "Thank you." They were the two most solemn sounding words that anyone could ever hear. Amber forced herself to appear more cheerful and said, "Let's go, get dressed and have breakfast before we get in trouble for being late." Marissa had a hard time trusting the change she had seen, but ended up replying, "All right let's go." Amber looked all right on the outside, but she was in pain. Her entire body ached and she felt as though she was going to fall to the floor and cry because of it at any moment. It hurt. It hurt to know she did not belong there and she knew that it was true. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry it hurt so bad, but she forced herself to appear normal and no one could tell from the way she spoke how upset she was. It was going to be one of the longest days of Amber's life. *** He dreamed that night. He dreamed that a ship was coming and he had to decide whether or not to get on it. He did not know why, but he could sense that the choice was a critical one; not only critical, but defining. The choice was his to make, but it was difficult. Which decision was the right one was unclear, as were the consequences. He wanted to know more before he made a decision, but the ship had nearly arrived and time was running out. There was a crowd around him and he was having to fight his way through them. He was going to speak to the portmaster and find out where the ship was going. However, the more he tried to get to the port master the harder the crowd fought against his movements. When he finally made it to the portmaster it was time to make a choice. He had to decide without knowing what each choice meant. At that moment the Prince's eyes shot open and he sat up wide awake. He had had that same dream many times over the past few weeks. This was the furthest he had ever made it in the dream before waking. The other times, he just known that he had to make a choice and soon, but this time was different. This time he had nearly had to make his choice. The meaning of the dream was not clear, but that was not what disturbed him. If he had believed in some of the more fantastic ideas about dreams, he would have thought that this was a prophetic one. However, he did not think that dreams had any connection with reality. What disturbed him about the dream was that he kept having the same one. He had never had an experience such as this and it did make him wonder if there was some significance to the dream. His love of sailing could not explain the dream as the dream had left him with a sense that the ship would take him somewhere and that he would not be able to return. Nothing else jumped to his mind as a possible explanation. A moment passed where he continued to consider the issue, but his mind paused as he realized that something was wrong. He quickly deduced that the source of his disturbance was that Amber was gone. She must have left him when he was sleeping, but he found it surprising that she could have left without interrupting his rest. This was surprising because he often had difficulty sleeping and always woke up extremely early. He saw by looking at his window that this was clearly not the case as it looked to be around eight in the morning which was far later than usual. There were things that he needed to do, far from the least of which was announcing that he had returned. It bothered him only slightly that Amber was not there. He thought that he should have had a stronger emotional response that was in the direction of anger, but instead felt a much more hollow sensation that was difficult to identify. He rapidly decided that he would have to chastise her in some way when he saw her next. He did not take the time to decide what that punishment would be because he knew that he could easily improvise her punishment and have it be far more effective than planning it out. He moved out of bed and dressed himself with a casual indifference. The suit that he dressed in was one of great formality and had a military feel, but was of a completely different color pattern than the navy blue and white one worn by traditional officers. The Prince's suit consisted of deep shade of purple for the dominant color and burgundy for the trim. This suit did not overwhelm him and appear to large as it would for nearly any other man that wore it. Both he and the suit appeared to match each other in greatness. This was a sight to behold. The Prince only wore this outfit if he was planning on sending every person around him into a state of awe. The tactic had never failed him and he planned to make use of it today. As he headed toward the palace, many of the servants stopped in there work to gawk at him. His appearance was too great and unexpected for them to do otherwise. However, anyone that met his eyes directly would quickly turn away and attempt to return to work; they usually succeeded in only making themselves more obvious in their indiscretion. Doors were opened in surprise and word quickly spread of his arrival. By the time that he made it to the king's chambers, his father was waiting for him. Henry had already dismissed the servants from the room and stood watching the Prince. "Good day to you, my liege," the Prince said whilst stepping into a low bow. The formality was unnecessary in this case and was presented only to irritate his father. He held the position and waited. "Stand up. I have no time to waste on your foolish antics," the king said with obvious anger in his voice. "I see not how this auspicious display of my humility can be perceived as such. I am only doing the duty required to serve the great ruler of this land," the Prince said with a mocking tone as he stood up to his full height. His father's eyes bulged at this proclamation and left him in a truly detestable mood. He did not take the bait this time though and instead asked, "Where have you been?" The Prince locked his eyes after the question was finished. "You know what my answer will be before you ask the question." "That does not mean that I will not ask it," his voice filled with venom. "Since you are back and standing in such a nonchalant manner, I expect that you believe that I can do nothing to you." "Why, no, I would never make such a claim unless I knew it to be true," the Prince said in a very casual tone. "I simply believe that any punishment you could give me would be impossible for you to enforce; seeing that I could always vanish again." "You will not leave your rightful place!" "I never said that I had any intention to, I simply was stating a fact that I have no doubt was obvious to you." The king stared at him with an obvious anger coursing through him. No one could infuriate him as his son could. He looked for any weaknesses in his son, but could see none. Through gritted teeth he said, "Today you shall resume your neglected duties. There is much work to be done and I shall not see you shirking from it." The Prince stood looking at his nails as his father spoke. "What task would you like me to perform today." The king took pleasure in informing him of the duties and people he would need to speak to. The list was long and the Prince did not appear to pay attention or take a single note on the list of things that would be required of him. This frustrated the king as it always had, but he knew that his son would not forget a word that he had said and that everything would be performed to perfection. The only satisfaction that was derived from giving him these jobs was that King Henry knew that he detested the lot of them and would much prefer to have the time to himself to tinker with god knows what. The lecture that he gave him droned on for over an hour and when the king finally stopped speaking the Prince simply asked, "Is that all?" The king glared at him one last time before saying, "Yes, you may go." The Prince swept his way out of the room without another word. The encounter had gone much as he expected and he now had a long and tedious day ahead of him. He was not looking forward to this day and he knew that he would not finish all of the tasks required of him, but he would accomplish them as quickly as he could. The Prince Ch. 08 Knowing that you care for someone is the first step in beginning to love them. The realization that they are important to you and that you wish to see them happy is the beginning. The journey from here can often be fraught with peril and great challenges. Something will always get in the way of you being with any person that you care about, but it is when you choose to take control and to overcome these obstacles that a greater bond is formed. There are many hurdles that must be conquered for love to exist and this is one of the very first that Amber and the Prince will have to emerge victorious from. Enjoy... * A man stood outside the king's chambers and watched, unnoticed, as the Prince departed. It was not surprising that his presence was not marked by the Prince. Very few people noticed him when he did not want to be noticed. He had arrived at the palace a few days earlier, but the job that he had undertaken was not the one that he currently dressed for. He was dressed as a butler. The man quickly began walking away from king's chambers and headed towards a room a few corridors away. He then quickly changed out of his uniform and into ordinary clothing and grabbed a piece of parchment that he had specifically left out. He exited the room as promptly as he had entered it and headed directly toward the servants' quarters. Once there, he saw one of the maids walking past and call out to her, "Excuse me, miss." She stopped walking and abruptly turned to face him. "Yes?" she queried somewhat hesitantly. "I was just wondering if you knew where I could find my uniform?" She continued staring at him as he paused, awaiting a reply. Seeing that the question had confused her, he continued, "You see, I am a new gardener who is supposed to work here and I have no idea where it is that I am supposed to go to get it." "Get what?" "A gardener's uniform of course." "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. I thought that you were accusing me of taking your uniform," she said, as her face turned a light shade of red. "That's quite all right. I suppose I did ask that rather ambiguously," he began, taking greater note of the girl in front of him. She had light brown hair and deep green eyes. He had always had a weakness for green eyes. It took them both a moment to notice that their conversation had paused unconcluded. They were standing there looking at each other. She noticed first and averting her eyes, she quickly said, "The uniform room is down the hall," pointing toward the right and continuing, "Take the third left and then it should be on your right." "Ah, well thank you, Miss...?" "Bristow. Miss Marissa Bristow." "Thank you very kindly, Miss Bristow," he said in a smooth and low voice. He gently stuck out his right hand, which she slowly clasped. He grasped her hand softly and placed his left hand on the other side of it and said, "I hope that we shall meet again soon." He then let go and began to walk away. Marissa stood there a bit stunned for a moment, feeling the rush of heat in her cheeks. But before he managed to get far away she cried after him, "Wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at her. "Yes?" "It is customary upon hearing a lady's name to tell your own," she declared. He smiled broadly as he looked back at her and then said quite simply, "My name is Dante D'artagne, and I would never mean to offend you Miss Bristow." Upon saying that he tipped the wide brimmed hat that he was wearing and bowed slowly and deeply toward her. He then picked himself back up and headed in the direction that she had instructed. It did not take him long to arrive at the room and upon entering he was greeted by a man sitting behind a desk quickly scribbling notes down. "What is it you need?" "I am supposed to begin work today as a new gardener and was instructed to find a fitting uniform here." The man behind the desk had an unpleasant and unhappy look about him--a look that only comes from decades of scorning the majority of the world and disliking most everything in it. It obviously irritated him to have anyone interrupt him from his work, as it took him a long time to finally ask, "Do you have proof of your employment?" Dante then grabbed the note that he had taken from his room and gave it to the man, saying, "Yes, here it is." The man stopped writing and took a moment to look over the note, and then for the first time looked up at Dante. "Do you know what it is that you have been hired for?" Dante looked at him in confusion, "I believe so, yes." "You mean to say that you know that you are going to be working in the Prince's garden?" "Well, that is what the note says, does it not?" The man then began laughing loudly and obnoxiously. He did not stop. "Is there something that I am missing?" Dante asked over the laughter. "Do you mean to say that you do not know?" he asked, regaining some of his previous severe demeanor. "Well you are in for a wonderful surprise. Here, let me grab you your clothing and tools." The man left the room and Dante reflected on the man's mirth. It surprised him that someone could enjoy the prospect of someone else suffering as much as he seemed to. Dante knew full well that the Prince was notoriously cruel to those who worked under him, but that had not deterred him from the course that he was set upon. His job was to observe the Prince as often as he possibly could. He was not to be caught, for if he was he would find no support from the man who had hired him. The king's emissary had made that perfectly clear when they had first met and the job was first proposed. The man reentered the room still chuckling to himself, "One hell of a surprise, that's what you're in for." "You make it sound as though I'm walking into a trap," Dante stated. "Well that's just the thing now isn't it. Someone has pulled a number on you if I do say so meself." Dante looked at him quizzically. "Is there something I should be afraid of?" The man turned to him and gave him a toothy grin, "Only if you have half a brain." He then lifted up Dante's equipment and said, "This is what you will be needing. Well this and a few other things I'm sure you'll learn quick enough..." Dante eyed him warily, but took everything he needed and turned to leave the room, not wanting to be with the man any longer. It did not take him long to change into the new uniform and to put on the tool belt. He then headed toward the garden holding the same note that he had shown the man to get his equipment. It did not take him long to spot the man that was obviously in charge. After introductions were made, Dante quickly handed the note to the head gardener. The head gardener, Thomas, scratched his head initially when he read the note. "I wonder who thought it would be funny to give you this job." "I heard someone else say something along those lines. What exactly is it that makes this job so obviously loathsome?" "No one has told you?" Tom asked, obviously perturbed. "I can't say that anyone has," Dante said plainly. "Well, there are quite a few stories I could tell you, but to put it simply he is a terrorizing man." "What do you mean?" Tom looked at him impatiently. "I don't really have time to fully explain, but I suggest doing your absolute best at all times, because he does not tolerate any form of incompetence." "I'll keep that in mind. However, to be honest, I am just glad to have it for I have had difficulty finding consistent work of late," "Well, you may not say that after having to deal with him," Tom said, gesturing with his eyes towards the house, "but then again, he doesn't usually say much to us. He hardly seems to notice men in our employment as a matter of fact. Which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. All that I recommend is that you do your job to the best of your ability and keep your head low. I assure you that you do not want to meet that man's ire." "Thank you for the warning. I shall do my best to be as unnoticeable as possible," Dante said in earnest. Tom then went through his instructions to Dante and showed him the grounds, explaining what needed to be done in the area that he would be responsible for. Following the instruction Tom informed Dante that he would check up on him occasionally and ensure that the work was being done up to par. Dante settled into the work easily and became as innocuous as the plants that he was tending to. Nothing eventful happened that day other than a few staff members comings and goings and the Prince's return later in the evening. Dante marked each of the staff members' faces and decided that he would find a way to speak to each of them at a later time to see if he could learn anything new about the Prince. * * * The day had been long and tedious. The Prince had read and analyzed dozens of reports, made recommendations, and met with various ambassadors from around the kingdom. All of the reports that people brought with them were complaints and demands that the king remedy each of them. Some of these complaints were reasonable, others were not. The Prince could not help but to sympathize with those who were over taxed and were only requesting some level of reprieve from the extra burden upon them. He would have done more than sympathize had he the authority to, but the power of government was most definitely not yet his to wield. This fact frustrated him to a certain extent, but not as large a one as it used to. He had always loved having the ability to control and shape his own life and all of the things in it, this much was beyond question. In the past when he had seen the incompetency of those around him he had thought that the world would be better when he gained control, as he would then be able to make people live better and more productive lives. His mother had been the one to show him the error in his thinking. It had been many years ago, and the Prince could not have been more than ten when he had spoken to her on this issue. He had said, after a long day of contemplation and thought, "I cannot wait until I am king." His mother had looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but asked in a calm level tone, "What makes you say that?" "I will be the greatest ruler there ever was and I will clean up all the mistakes that past kings have made. I understand so much more than they did. I am capable of so much and will be able to create a world in which the greatest of things will be achieved!" he stated with a rising passion in his voice. At this point his mother smiled at him. It was a smile that he would never fail to recognize again. It was a smile of understanding. "And how, may I ask, my mighty king, do you plan on creating this great world?" "Simple. I shall find and gather all of the greatest minds together and we shall decide what is best for the people. We shall look at every great problem facing our society and find solutions for them. The whole kingdom will be put in motion towards the great goals of great men." "That most certainly is an admirable and noble goal. But, I wonder," she said looking off in to the distance, "what is the purpose of a king?" "That's easy-- the purpose of a king is to do whatever is best for his country." "And what is best for the country?" His words died as they tried to leave his throat. She had asked the right question and he thought that the answer should be obvious, but when he had tried to say it he realized that the answer was not as clear as he had initially thought. "I suppose that what is best for the country would be whatever is the best for the people that live in it." "Do you think that having the most brilliant men dictating to the masses would be the best thing for the people that live in this country?" Her point was made in such a way as to be completely undeniable. "No, I do not," he said, feeling ashamed that he had spoken his previous words. "Before you start feeling depressed I have a question for you that you are going to have to answer one day. I do not know the answer to it and I honestly have not met anyone that has found that answer, but you will have to find it." Her words ended on a distant note. "What is the question?" he asked with a hint of confusion and excitement in his voice. "What is it that would be the best thing for the people living in this country? That is the question that you must answer when you become king and you must not forget it. If you do, you would become a tyrant as many kings and rulers before you have become. This is the mistake that all of them have made and I do not wish you to fall into the trap that the power your position will present to you," she said, as she looked at her son with the love that only a mother can give. "I won't fail," he said with the fiery passion that he had been born with. He could not remember what had happened next, but that was unimportant. The Prince had never forgotten this lesson and in the years to come occasionally his mind would turn back to it to try to find a solution. Today his mind had turned to it once again as he sat, sipping on a brandy in his favorite chair, thinking about what he had discovered so far. The Prince had learned that there are trials in life that everyone must face and that it is how you face them that ultimately defines you. He had always believed that the greatest trial in his life would be finding a way to solve the riddle of what he was to do with his power after his father's death or abdication. It would have to be very different from anything that had ever been done, that much was certain. He knew that he could never take full power of the monarchy. He would never be able to relinquish it if he did and that would turn him into a tyrant. The power of the monarch would have to be divided, that much was certain, but how it must be divided eluded him. He did not want to see that power fall into the wrong hands and create another form of tyranny. A new division of power was necessary, but was that enough? Even if power was divided and splintered to the point that it was extremely difficult for any one person to gain power, would that stop tyranny from forming? He asked himself these questions and came up with the simple answer of "no." However, this answer only led to more questions. These questions led to a possible solution to stop tyranny. The idea entailed having something similar to the philosopher kings from Plato's Republic who would watch over the new form of government and prevent tyranny from being enacted. This train of thought then led to asking a question that he had never forgotten: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" Or, "Who will guard the guards themselves?" This question was a philosophical one that attacked very precept of the idea of having noble guardians watch over a society. The meaning of the question was what will prevent the guardians of society from turning upon it. Every time he thought he had grasped a solution to how the kingdom would be best ruled, he always came back to this question. The question left him with a sense of futility as he knew that he would be one of the best guardians that could exist, but he also knew that he was not incorruptible. There had to be some form of a guard that would prevent the government from becoming corrupt and tyrannical. However, the guard would need to be immutable and immortal. The Prince knew that no man or group of men could exist that would be the type of guardian that he required. There had to be some other solution and he felt as if it was staring him in the face and he merely could not see it. He set down his glass of brandy in frustration. He sat there staring at it for a moment as if it would somehow give him the solution to the problem that he was confronted with. His eyes bored into it deeper and deeper and all at once it hit him. The solution that he had found was not the one that he had been initially searching for, but it was an important one none the less. The color of the small amount of liquid still in the glass was amber. It was almost as though she were here with him this night, speaking to him, telling him her secrets. The glass that sat on the table and the liquid it contained held a power over him just as she did and it was the same type of power. The brandy held no power over him that he did not grant. If he chose not to imbibe it, the brandy would not affect him in any way The only way that the brandy could gain power over him was if he chose to drink it. Being with Amber was much the same. The power that she held over him was a power that he gave to her, not one that she took from him. He gave her power over him because of what he saw in her, the beauty that she contained. The dinner that they had together had been designed to allow him to gain an understanding of Amber and potentially why she had power over him. Or at least that was what he had convinced himself at the time, but after he had kissed her while lying on that bed and the way they had fucked that night left him with the knowledge that he was not being nearly as dominating as he had been telling himself. He knew now that the real reason that he had dinner with her was because of the fact that she was slowly, but surely, gaining his respect with each day. He had wanted to speak to her and he had enjoyed it. After speaking to her he had seen that her beauty extended inwards as well as outwards. No one in his life thus far had held the purity that she did. He felt that he could never corrupt that purity and that he would likely kill any man who tried. Upon realizing this, it became obvious to him that he wanted to and would always do his best to protect her. This fact bound them together in a sense. Even though he currently seemingly held all of the power, their fates and their lives had become intertwined and separating himself from her would no longer be as simple as it once had been. He already had control of her and now he wanted to protect her. He no longer could let her go. He realized that he wished that she was here tonight. His body craved hers. Despite this, he would not go to her now. His desire for her was strong, but not enough to break him and send him running after her. He could be patient when he needed to be and on this night that is exactly what he would do. They would meet the next day and he would have his way with her on that night. * * * Amber had gone to bed the previous night feeling that same pain that she had all day. The feeling that she did not belong here, with him, was a crushing and painful weight upon her. It had been a restless night and when she awoke the next morning she did not feel any better than she had the previous day. She was tired and she could feel the rings under her eyes. There was very little motivation for her to move and she would have greatly preferred lying there feeling as though she may die than get up from the spot. The only thing that kept her from doing that was that she did not want to worry or concern Marissa. It was her own problem and she would deal with it without placing a burden on anyone else. She dressed for the day much like a zombie would, feeling and thinking nothing, simply going through the motions required of her. Her breakfast went much the same, with the exception that she pretended to be at least somewhat happy. At some point during breakfast Amber heard Marissa start speaking about a man that she had met the other day. "He was very charming and, dare I say it, very handsome." "What did he look like?" Amber asked, knowing this was required of her. "Well, he was tall and had dark, nearly black, curly hair. He was wearing rather plain clothing other than a superfluously wide brimmed hat." "Did he give you his name?" "Yes, he did, but I nearly had to beat it out of him," Marissa said matter-of-factly. The Prince Ch. 08 Amber raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Am I going to have to do the same to you?" Marissa then laughed and patted her on the head. "Aren't you simply adorable!" Amber shot her a dirty look and she finally continued by saying, "No, you won't. His name is Dante D'artagne." "That's a handsome name," replied Amber. Marissa continued telling her more about Dante as well as asking her if she thought that they would meet again. Amber responded in all of the appropriate ways, assuring her friend that they would meet again and that he was every bit as charming as she had thought. The rest of breakfast swept by and Amber forgot much of the pain that she had been feeling as she spoke to Marissa. Her pain's remittance was not meant to last, as it rapidly returned after she left the breakfast table. Her walk to the Prince's home seemed to drag on for ages. Time seemed to slow so as to exact the greatest torture it could upon her weak and weary mind. She could not remember any of what happened or what she did as she worked, only the throbbing pain she felt in her heart existed in her mind. Seconds moved by, then minutes, then hours. Just as they had done the previous day. At one point, Amber collapsed to the floor hugging a pillow that she had been fluffing tightly against her chest. She was nearly crying, but she would not allow herself to release the pain she felt. For once she had not cried when she hurt and she was not about to now. There is no reason to cry, was what she kept telling herself. You do not deserve him and never have deserved him. You knew this from the beginning, it is not as though he is being torn away from you. He was never attached to you in the first place. There should be no pain in parting with something that never existed. Being upset is only acceptable when you lose something, not when the truth is rediscovered. Her thoughts kept her from crying, but did not make her feel better. The pain she felt was real and nothing that she told herself would make it go away. She barely even noticed the object of her work, let alone the rest of her surroundings. Amber had saved the Prince's room for last as she knew that it was going to be the worst part of this awful day. She entered it with a feeling of mixed despair and longing. This was where she wanted to be and also where she did not belong. As she stood looking about the room, the door opened behind her. The Prince stood before her making her feel small before him. Neither of them spoke as they stood staring at each other. Amber was the first to move. She tried running through the doorway, but he grabbed her before she could make her escape. She looked up at him and he could feel the venom of her stare as well as the great hurt that it contained. He did not know the source of her anger or her pain, but he knew that he could not let her leave. She struggled against him, but found no change in resistance. "Let me go," she said through gritted teeth as she continued trying to free herself. "No," he said in defiance, his voice hard. "You can't make me stay! You can't make me go through this again!" she said, as she tried striking him. Her blows could not hurt him as he had their bodies held too closely together. "Are you telling me that you do not wish to be here?" he asked with a hint of confusion in an otherwise unyielding tone. At first she quickly shouted, "Yes!" However, as the words left her lips she felt her desire to get away begin to weaken and realized that the word she had pronounced was not the true one. "No," she said, the word barely a whisper. Feeling his body pressed close against hers relaxed her as did the heat radiating off of him. She did not want to stay if she did not belong, but his arms felt too right being around her for her not to be meant to be here. "Then what do you want?" he asked softly. His voice was not gentle, but somehow it contained more compassion than she had ever thought possible from him. She looked up at him and into his eyes. He looked down at her and when he met her stare she could see what was, without a doubt, concern reflected in his eyes. She felt her entire body grow warm and flush as she looked upon him. She was confused by what she saw, but she also felt safe, somehow knowing that he would protect her. They stayed like this for a moment and then in a soft, slow voice, that was no louder than a whisper, she said, "I want to stay." The moment she finished speaking, he scooped her up into his arms and shut the door to his room. He then carried her over to one of the sofas and sat down with her curled up into him. "Then why did you try to run away?" He felt her body tense as he asked the question. She remained silent for a time, her head buried into his chest. He held her waiting patiently. When she finally spoke all that she said was, "I was afraid." "Afraid of what?" She turned her head to face him. "Afraid of the truth." He began lightly rubbing his hand along her arm and she felt herself begin to relax once more. "What about the truth are you so afraid of?" "I'm afraid that I don't belong here and that you shouldn't be keeping me around." The softness in his expression dissipated almost completely as she said this. "I'll decide who belongs here and I will keep you around as much as I desire to." Once he finished speaking, he pulled her for in for a powerful kiss. He would not let her go and he would not let the kiss end until he decided to. The message within that kiss was clear. It was a message of dominance and control. He held her under his power and she would not leave it unless he decided to let her. Amber's head swam as she felt the kiss rush over her and his roaming hand begin to explore her body. She did not resist him and was overwhelmed by the desire that soon took hold of her, taking away all of the pain that she had felt earlier in the day. It was then that she realized that the clothing she was wearing felt so wrong when she was near him. She wanted to shed it and feel his touch without any of the impediments that were currently in place. However, she could no longer speak even though he was currently kissing down her neck. The sensations she felt demanded her attention and would allow her to do nothing other than experience what he was doing to her body. He still held her in his lap, supporting her back and pulling her up toward him with one hand and massaging her breast with the other. He found her nipple through the fabric and began lightly tugging at it, making it harder with each passing moment. He made it clear that he was equally frustrated with the clothing that was in his way when he ripped open the top of her uniform exposing her breasts. It was then that he locked her lips in another kiss proclaiming his ownership of her and that he began playing with her breasts in earnest. He swept his hand over the soft and tender skin of her breast, feeling the silken texture and her hardened nipple. The texture of his touch and his kiss were extremely different and left her body unable to keep up with all that was happening to it. His kiss was full of demand, passion, and dominance. His touch was filled with a gentle caring that made her feel so wonderfully special and appreciated. The combination of both these textures made her body both melt and demand more. She felt the hand on her breast move back underneath her legs and then her body began floating through the air. She landed on his bed and felt him move himself off of her. He removed his clothing with far greater patience than he had ever managed in her presence before. She understood the meaning and watched as each piece of clothing fell from his body and he stood fully naked before her. The sight of his naked body drove her desire even further leaving her trembling in anticipation. He approached her slowly and with deliberate purpose. He leaned over her and very gently began removing the rest of her uniform from her. She felt it as he kissed along where her each item of clothing had been. A rush of warmth and electric pleasure flowed outward from the location of his every kiss. It was both pleasure and torture as she felt herself growing wetter and wetter with each passing moment. Even though he had not yet touched the wet hungry lips in between her thighs, she was on the verge of orgasm and begging for release when he finally finished freeing her from the confines of her clothing. Then his body climbed atop hers and she felt him begin to suck at the base of her neck as his hand found her throbbing pussy. The sensation of his fingers running along her soaked lips and spreading them apart was like an explosion that started from her pussy and sent unending shock waves throughout the rest of her body. The intensity of his touch was enormous and yet it still left her crying for more. She wanted his cock inside of her and she did not want to wait. Her hand searched for his cock and when she found it she grabbed hold and began stroking along it, lightly pulling him up higher. He grunted in pleasure and moved himself in between her legs. She felt herself cry out as he entered her, filling her in one slow fluid stroke. It felt so right to have him inside of her and she did not want to allow him to escape, so she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his back. He slid in and out of her with ease. Her pussy was wrapped as tightly around him as the rest of her body was. He rocked the two of them back and forth in a slow, patient rhythm. Waves of pleasure slowly washed over her like the surf of the sea washes over the beach on a calm day. She was lulled into a state of nirvana from which she never wanted to return. Neither knew how much time passed them by as they held onto each other and felt the resonance of pleasure echoing throughout their bodies. The gentleness that he exhibited did not last forever. Once she released her legs from around his waist she felt his thrusts become more forceful. He grabbed onto her hips and pulled her to meet his every stroke. The power that he used intensified her own sensations and drove her to a more lustful demanding state than she had been in previously. It became clear that he was not satisfied with only pulling her slightly to meet his thrusts when he moved himself out of her and rolled her onto her stomach and then penetrated her from behind. Then he grabbed onto her hips and pulled her onto all fours as he lifted himself onto his knees behind her. Now that he had her the way he wanted her, he began moving her entire body along the length of his cock, using her hips as a means to force her to slide along and engulf him as she remained on her hands and knees. She felt the control that he had taken and welcomed it. She wanted him to use her, to take her in any way that he wanted and to not give her a choice. Her body craved him and loved the feel of him inside of her, insatiably demanding. She rode his length without choice and without consent. She was his and that was all she wanted to be in that moment. At one point, he pulled her back into him, penetrating her as deeply as he possibly could and then reached around and found her clit. He rubbed as he held himself pressed inside of her. She screamed as she came. Her body shook as he continued to rub along her clit, causing his cock to vibrate within her and rub against her inner walls. The pleasure she felt was all-consuming, nearly painful, and he did not release her until she felt like she would lose her mind due to the feeling. Then he grabbed onto her hips once more and began ramming himself harder and faster than he had before. He felt the mounting pressure begin to spread along the length of his cock. He growled as he came and moved her along his length all the faster as she felt the warmth of his cum spreading within her. Only after the last bit of his cum spurted into her did he stop and then collapse atop her. Both Amber and the Prince gasped for breath and each held onto the other for support. He moved off of her and pulled her close to him, pulling the blankets over them. It took each of them some time to calm down, but when they did Amber was the first to speak. She looked up at him and asked, "Does this mean that I belong here?" A special thanks to PrincessJezebel for editing this story. The Prince Ch. 09 Upon discovering the passion and desire that you feel, once you know that you are in love with another person, there is always the greatest of celebrations. It is at this time that neither you nor they will hold back in expressing exactly how it is that you feel. This is a time when having sex will transition to making love. Making love is a celebration of what each of you have found in each other. Such a celebration will be made known in the words to come. Enjoy... He looked over at her, curled up next to him, with confusion plainly written on his face. "Do you think I would allow you to be here if you didn't?" "Well, no," she said and then hesitantly continued, "but I've stayed here before without your permission and I've always thought that you would rather be alone." "What made you think that I would prefer to be alone?" he asked. "Well you have all of your staff leave as soon as they have finished their work. You only have meals with others when it's a banquet that you are unable to avoid. And you don't seem to enjoy being in the presence of almost anyone," she stated in a soft voice. "If all of that were true I would have no choice but to agree with you. However, I must ask, do I make all of my staff leave the moment they have finished their work?" Before she could reply he spoke again. "Have I ever dined with anyone of my own free will? Is there anyone that I seem to enjoy being around? Do you know of any such exception to what you have just proclaimed?" Amber looked up at him wondering if what she was thinking was what she should say. It sounded too good to be true and she was afraid of having her hopes crushed by pronouncing them. However, the excitement and tension that she felt building within her left little choice as to what she would do. After holding it back as long as she could she finally spoke, her voice clear. "Me." He was looking at her intently. "You chose to keep me here, to spend time with me, to share a meal with me." "I will not deny it," he said without elaborating further and showing no intention to as he allowed his head to lay back against the pillow. "But... why?" She asked unwilling to let the conversation die there. "Obviously, because everything that you have said is true," he said as he picked his head back up to better look at her. "That's not what I meant and you know it," she said before she could stop the words from spilling forth. She felt her cheeks blush in response. She had no right to speak to him in such a way. "Oh, really? Are you sure? Are you sure that I knew exactly what you meant?" She felt the world begin to start spinning out of control as he asked this question. She looked to him and saw that broad smile on his face. The smile seemed to extend over her and lay claim to her mind, stopping her from thinking clearly. How can he smile like that? Why do I feel so helpless right now? A smile isn't supposed to bring pain or confusion. A smile is supposed to convey happiness and joy. Happiness and Joy, the world stopped spinning as she came to this thought. "Yes, I'm sure. You knew that I wanted to ask: "Why would you make those exceptions for me?' But you weren't going to answer until I asked it properly and for some reason you were happy that I said that you knew what I meant," she said a little more confidently than before. "Yes, I was," he said in response. "Why were you happy?" she asked. He could not stop smiling. "I was happy because for the first time I recognized part of what makes me enjoy having you around so much. I was happy because you showed exactly how strong you are." She saw what he meant in that moment. "You were happy because I was not afraid of you and because I was right. I stood up when so many others would have lain down." "Exactly," he said. A surge of joy and excitement began to overcome him as he continued to speak. "You were not afraid of me then and you are not afraid of me now. Why aren't you afraid? Don't you know what it is that I can do to you?" "I know what you can do to me. You have done it before," she stated simply. "Yes, I have, but were you afraid of me when you first met me? Were you afraid before you knew what I was capable of and had you completely trapped and within my power?" She began to say that she had been afraid then, that his presence had terrified her to her very core. However, as she tried to find the words, she realized that they were not true. "No, I did not fear you. I should have, but for some reason I didn't." He looked off into the distance when he began to speak again, "Exactly, I did my best to frighten you and yet I didn't, I couldn't. I was haunted by the question of 'why?' Why couldn't I break you? Why when I brought you to the edge of destruction did I break instead of you? Why did I always save you?" He had lifted himself so that he was sitting upright as he asked these questions. His voice had grown louder after each question he had asked, but his volume dampened greatly as he asked the last one, "Do you know the answer I found?" She shook her head no. She was still curled up along his side, but had risen with him and was clinging tightly to his arm. She looked at him with her large eyes wide, waiting for him to speak again. "The answer I have found is this," and he turned his head to face her once again, "I do not know the exact reason for it, but there is a connection between us. It is very strong and neither of can seem to change or alter its course. I know that you have felt it." It was not a question. As she stared into his eyes, the power of that connection took the control of her muscles from her. Her head nodded without her consent. "I had thought that time and distance be able to weaken it. Or, at least, to halt its growth. However, in my time away our connection continued to grow in strength and now it is impossible for me to avoid thinking about you. I find myself desiring to see you constantly." She could see in his eyes that he was speaking the truth. His eyes also told her that he had no more power to stop himself from speaking than she had to stop herself from listening. "To answer the first question that you asked me: you belong here. You belong here more than anything else in this house does. I am not sure that I would allow you to leave now, even if you desired to." As he spoke those words she found a profound sense of happiness overcoming her. It was a feeling that was the opposite of all the pain and hurt that she had felt the past two days. Tears of incomprehensible joy filled her eyes as she kissed him. Pain no longer existed as their lips met. The kiss was full of all the fire and passion that was held within them both. He pulled her on top of him so that she straddled his lap, as they kissed. His hands held her, gently supporting her body. She was on her knees lifting herself up to meet his lips and to feed the desire that was within her. She needed no support because, for the first time, she wanted him without guilt, fear, or doubt. She knew now that she was going to use her body to claim him and to make him hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled her body closer to his. His body was relaxed and immovable. Her hands felt the strong muscles along his back and she relished knowing that she was to take control of his body. Even with his great strength, that easily dwarfed her own, she would hold him powerless and feel the trembling of his body beneath hers. As she kissed him, she felt his hands begin to explore her body. His touch was light, as though he was touching the most delicate of flowers. He ran them down her back and found her ass. His hands stroked along it, gliding over the smooth warm skin. As his hands continued to rub, his fingers kept coming closer to the inside of her thighs and her hot wet pussy. She could feel his hard cock brushing up against her ass as she allowed her hips to move in rhythm with his touch. Her body craved more, but she was not going to give over control this time. She broke the kiss and then attacked his neck as he had so many times before to her. His hands clenched down on the round bottom of her butt as she did this. She moaned as she continued to suck his neck. Her body and her head were pulled upward by the force of his hands as he pulled her toward him until she was sucking his earlobe. A groan of ecstasy escaped his lips as her tongue grappled with his ear. The sensation he felt left his body numb and tingling. No kiss or touch had ever left him as weak as the soft nibbling and tugging of his ear for which she was responsible. His muscles were tense and he knew that he was holding her body pressed tightly against his, but he did not command them to do so. The air was too thin and no amount of it could satisfy his need to breathe. His vision was fuzzy and he felt as though he might black out if she did not allow him to recover. He tried to speak and found that no words came, only the guttural grunts of uninhibited pleasure. She did not let him rest and his vision ceased to function. Amber had made his body incapable of doing anything other than feeling her every touch and kiss, each of which shot like a violent bolt of electricity and heat throughout him. Nothing he had ever experienced had felt this good before. It was indescribable and she had yet to touch his cock. His body was writhing out of control beneath her as she kissed down his chest, allowing her hands to run down his shoulders and arms. Sounds were coming from him as never before. She knew that she had driven him to this point and felt pride as well as a desire to push him even further over the edge. The heat and scent of his body captured her senses, making her all the more feral in her actions. She kept moving her body down him, kissing along his hard, tense abdomen as her hands continued to grab his powerful arms. His cock stuck out towards her, standing entirely on its own, pointing toward her chest and then her neck as she drifted further down him. It was then that she pushed her body back and away from him and came hungrily at him with her mouth. She grabbed onto the base of him with her hand and squeezed him as she parted her lips and swallowed his head. Her tongue swirled around him and wrestled with him. She could feel him twitching inside of her mouth and his hips thrusting as she bobbed her head along him. He grabbed onto her shoulders tightly as she sucked him. It felt as though he would come the moment that she put him within her mouth, but he didn't. Instead, as she sucked him in he reached a plateau of ecstasy that was on par with his most intense orgasms. He knew that he was not cumming, cumming would have provided relief, but his cock was engulfed in the sensation of an orgasm without end. He could feel nothing other than the sensation of her mouth wrapped around him with a feeling of numbness wrapping the rest of his body. It was impossible for him to tell how long he was trapped like this as his brain was incapable of rational thought. After what seemed like an eternity of endless bliss he felt something change. He felt the numbness leaving the main part of his body and being replaced with the same endless pleasure that engulfed his cock. The spread of that feeling was slow and gradual. He felt it engulfing him. It was when that feeling had completely captured his body that he came. She heard him cry out louder than before as his orgasm took hold. She began attempting to swallow his cum as it shot forth from him, but there was too much. She released his cock from the confines of her mouth and felt it as the warmth of his cum shot over her face and breasts. Amber reveled in the sensation of his orgasm attaching itself to her body. It took him a moment to regain his senses and when he did he felt his entire body trembling. He opened his eyes to see her with his cum on her face and her smiling seductively at him as she used her finger to scoop portions of it up and swallow it. He felt her other hand still wrapped around his cock, slowing stroking it while using the mixture of her saliva and his cum as lubricant. His body felt utterly spent, but somehow he remained hard in her hand. He was weak and held no power over her in that moment. As she swallowed the last gob of cum from her face, she looked at him and grinned widely. "My turn," she said as she moved her body over his and impaled herself on him, her soaked lips parting easily as he slid within her. She bounced up and down atop him as she relished the sensation of having him back inside of her. Shivers coursed through her as she rode him. Her body was a tool to show and feel the terrific amount of happiness within her. Seeing his dazed expression of exquisite pleasure left her in a state of rapture. The feeling of his cock within her continued to leave him weak. However, he felt his strength slowly returning to him as she fucked him. His mind began to sharpen and he remembered how to use and control his hands. He grabbed her hips and began forcing her body to ride along him faster. His body grew steadier and the tremors began to subside and he knew that her turn for control would soon be at an end. The power of the orgasm that she had brought to him was beginning to fade and the feel of him stripping her of her power began to bring her closer to her own. The Prince was seeking retribution and he would not stop until he had attained it. His limbs were his own again when she felt him roll both of them over so that she was now on her back with her legs dangling in the air. He moved himself atop her with tremendous force, sending shock waves of pleasure down to her toes. It was her turn to let loose a scream as he continued to move within her. She grabbed onto the sheets of the bed for support. He was attacking her body with all of the power of a man possessed. He kissed along her neck violently. His body held her down so that she could not escape. She no longer possessed any power over him and she reveled in it. She had turned him into the hungry sex-driven beast that was now attacking her. The fact that she was responsible for the actions he was now committing served to heighten her pleasure and her want of him. She had wanted him to feel what it meant to her for him to say the words that he did and she knew that he was feeling it right then. It was her body that made it possible for him to feel the intense and violently powerful happiness that had overtaken her when he finished speaking. She gave in to the power within him as she finished thinking. Hot sweat covered both of their bodies, allowing them to slide against each other as he fucked her. She found herself lost within his touch and the closeness of his body and did not know what became of her. The feel of his touches and the power within them left her quivering in a state of intoxication. Her mind did not remember how she came to be lying on her side with his hands wrapped around her and his cock still trapped within her. One hand grabbed and squeezed a nipple as another repeatedly hit her clit. His lips patrolled the back of her neck as he held their bodies tightly together. His hunger for her body was insatiable. The movements he made were uncontrolled and wild. He could not stop, nor did he want to. Having her was like living in a dream. Her body aroused him to no end. Time slipped by at the slowest of trickles as they held each other. She felt the movement of his body against and within hers. She let loose screams as he compelled her to orgasm again and again. Eventually, she heard his groans begin to mix in the air with hers. His body began to pump faster and faster within her. She heard him let out a cry and felt the warmth of the cum within her as he let loose his third orgasm of the day. He collapsed after he finished cumming. His body no longer had the strength to support him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her lightly. He then attempted to speak and found that nothing needed to be said as everything between them was already understood. *** Where is she? Marissa found herself wondering. She was sitting with her dinner all but untouched on her plate. Amber was late again and Marissa found herself worried. Marissa sensed that something bad must have happened. Amber had been too quiet over the past two days. It wasn't so much that she was silent, as Amber never had been very talkative, however the tone of her silence was different from before. It seemed that her strength was beginning to fail. Marissa knew that she needed to do something about it, but no opportunity had presented itself. She found her head swirling with the thoughts of her friend. "Mind if I sit here?" she heard a voice ask. "No it's empty," she replied without looking. She heard him sit down next to her and then ask, "Something on your mind?" Marissa sighed, annoyed that she would have a nosy neighbor and then turned to him saying, "It's really none of your business. Oh..." "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, you just seemed a bit distracted. I'll leave you to your thoughts then," he said. She regretted having spoken so rashly as she saw whom she was addressing. It was Dante that was sitting next to her and she did not want him to form a poor opinion of her. "No, you weren't rude. I was. I just thought that you were some nosy stranger that was trying to force his way into my affairs." "Well, I am a bit of a stranger, but I wasn't trying to force my way in," he replied in a calm cool voice. "I just wanted to make sure that you were all right." Marissa found herself blushing slightly as he said this. "Thank you. I am fine though." "Well that is excellent to hear Miss Bristow." She couldn't say why, but she really enjoyed hearing him call her by that name. Remembering under what circumstances she saw him last she asked him, "Did you find it?" "Find what?" "The uniform and equipment room, of course." "Ah, yes. Yes I did find it." "I'm glad to hear it," she said. "It wouldn't be befitting for you to be running around the grounds without any clothes on." He chuckled at the remark. "I suppose not," was all that he could reply. "Then again you would make quite a spectacle," she said, without fully thinking of the implications of the sentence. "That almost makes it sound as though you would like to see me in such an attire," he said, a broad grin spreading across his face. She could not help but to imagine what lay beneath his clothing as he said this. Her cheeks brightened in response and she quickly tried to steer the conversation away from the idea of him being naked. "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that..." "That I would create a sensation and a stir because it is not often that you see a man running naked around the royal grounds?" he finished for her. "That is what you were going to say isn't it Miss Bristow?" She knew that he had handed her an easy way out of the situation. She also knew that he had known exactly what she had meant. There was no way to refute any of what he had deduced. "Yes, that is exactly what I was about to say." "Good, I'm glad that we understand each other so well," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "Now if I may ask, what is troubling you?" "Nothing that you can help me with," she replied. "Are you sure about that? I can be quite helpful when I put my mind to it." "I'm sure that you can be, but this is something that I am sure that you will have no power to alter." "I must say that you are making me quite curious," he replied looking into her deep green eyes. "You seem to be so certain in your words." "That's because I have good reason to be. There is only one man that has the capacity to help me with this matter," she said directing her gaze away from him. The Prince Ch. 09 "I see," he stated as he looked off as well. "That explains why you are so clearly upset. The heart is capable of feeling immense pain." "Oh...no," she said, understanding his interpretation. "That's not what's bothering me. In fact my heart has never been hurt before. I've never been close enough to a man for that to happen to me. It's just that I've never been in love before. I'm just worried about my friend." He continued looking at her, his expression one that showed a clear lack of understanding. "You see, I fear that she may be in danger or hurt right now and I wish that I could do something about it." Marissa was rattled. She knew that she likely shouldn't have told him as much as she did, but she found herself trusting him. She wanted to tell him more. "I know who I need to talk to, but I have no way of reaching him right now. I was trying to think of how I might talk to him and save her." "Why don't you just try speaking to this man? Perhaps he is reasonable?" he suggested. "He's not the type of man that you can go up and instantly be granted an audience to," she said with a look of frustration on her face. Dante leaned back and thought about what she had said for a moment. "So, he's a nobleman is he?" "No, he's not noble. He was just born into a family that has land and a title," she spat. "Clearly this lord has done something horrible for you to disparage him in such a way," Dante stated. "I hope that he hasn't done anything compromising to your friend." The words that Dante chose had the intended effect. Hearing him pronounce them agitated Marissa past her breaking point. "Compromising doesn't even begin to describe it. That bastard has likely done every sinful thing any person can possibly do." He could see how upset she was and knew that her anger would not stave off the pain she felt for long. "Let's go take a walk. You look like you could use the fresh air." She knew he was only suggesting it, but she felt as though she had no choice in the matter. The decision had been made for her in advance and the fact that her head was nodding now was superfluous. Her body felt weak. She had been worrying about Amber constantly since the Prince's return. She hadn't been sleeping or eating properly and that was beginning to take its toll. Dante guided her out of the castle and she hardly noticed the passage. He sat her on a bench off of one of the walking paths. The bench was far enough away from the palace that it was not easily viewable, but close enough that it would be a quick walk back. He sat down next to her and placed an arm around her. In ordinary circumstances, she wouldn't have allowed him to take the liberty. However, there was something different about this man that put her at ease and caused her to settle more deeply against him. She relaxed as he pulled her closer, helping to support her body. "Feeling better? You had looked faint in the dining room." Marissa took a moment before replying, "I think so. I'm sorry. You don't need to do this." "I don't think that I could have just left you there when you obviously needed to get out of there and settle down," he told her. "Drink some of this--it will help." He handed her a small canteen that must have come from one of his pockets. She sat up, placed her lips to it and drank the water from it. Her body seemed to normalize as she drank and she realized how badly she had felt as her condition improved. After she had drank her fill he turned to her and said, "You need to eat something as well." He handed her a small wafer that she quickly devoured. Color was restored to her face and she appeared to have regained full use of her faculties. She thought about what had just happened in the past few minutes. "You knew exactly what to do, didn't you?" He smiled in reply and said, "Well, you made it easy for me to deduce what I needed to do. You were pale, looked faint, and had hardly touched your food. I knew that you needed food and water to feel better. I also knew that you were upset and wanted to be away from people with the obvious looks of disgust you were giving most of them and the tone that you had started to use on me." "Sorry about that," she interjected. "That's quite all right. I could tell you were distracted and worried." She thought about what was appropriate to say and then said, "Thank you." He smiled again and said, "Don't thank me quite yet." "Why not?" she asked hesitantly. "Because there is still something that you need in order to feel better," he replied. "And what is that?" she questioned, almost fearful of the answer. She saw his grin broaden as he moved closer to her. "This," he said as he kissed her. At first Marissa tried to pull away, thinking that this was all too much and too fast, but gave in as she allowed herself to experience the soft caress of his tongue and the warmth of his lips. The kiss was soft and tender. It contained a smooth flow that melted away her thoughts and inhibitions. She wrapped her arms around him, hoping that the kiss they now shared could go on without end. Only once before had she ever been kissed by a man, but at that time they had both been little more than children. This kiss was nothing like the adolescent experimentation of her past. She felt the desire that it contained and her own response to match it. His hands held her close to him as their tongues gently brushed against each other. She knew that in that moment she would not stop him from doing whatever he wished to her. He had known what she needed immediately and she trusted that he would know what to do now. He moved one of his hands along her body, feeling her soft and gentle curves. His touch left her body weak and desiring more. His hand stayed away from her more intimate areas, but it was obvious that it desired to go there. Time passed slowly as she was held softly and closely against him, but the kiss ended sooner than Marissa would have liked. Their lips parted and they lingered as they slowly pulled away from each other, staring into one another's eyes. "Is what you needed," she heard him say. She held his gaze and found herself saying dreamily, "Is that all?" "For tonight, my dear. For tonight," he repeated. Thank you to my editor PrincessJezebel. The Prince Ch. 10 Few things are as troubling as the unknown. Not knowing what is happening or what has happened to the ones you love is perhaps the most troubling of all. Love itself cannot conquer this worry; nothing truly can. It is only through seeing them alive and well again that your doubts will be stayed. It is elating to know that the one's you love are safe and it is for this reason that even in the darkest of circumstances a homecoming is always akin to celebration. Enjoy... * "Any news?" Amber heard as she walked down the corridor. In a hushed voice the other replied, "Fighting hasn't started yet, last I heard, but apparently they have armed themselves and are prepared to fight." "Does anyone know how they acquired the weapons?" Amber paused nearby, attempting to look as though she were examining one of the portraits of the Prince's long dead ancestors. "We're not sure, but they must have been acquiring them for some time by the amount that they appear to have. They must have gotten at least some of them from the outlying areas near Lingley." "That's frightening. What do you think will happen? Will the people there fight?" "I'm not sure, but if it does come to fighting it will likely be Pyrrhic victory for either side." Amber moved away after she heard this for fear of being discovered. She had been attempting to listen to the rumors ever since he had gone. The politicians and royalty were keeping silent on the details of the rebellion, that it was happening had not even been announced, but the secret was too big to be kept completely silent. She knew that he was there. He had left the morning after he had told her that she belonged with him. He had not told her where he was going or why it was so urgent for him to leave, but as soon as she had known what was happening she knew that there was no other place that he could be. She had been hoping to hear something of him, but he had never been mentioned in any of the hurried and hushed conversations that seemed to be happening all around her now. Three weeks had passed since he had vanished and she could only hope that nothing had happened to him on his mission. The relief she felt knowing that no fighting had broken out made her feel as though she could function again, but her sense of dread had not dissipated in the slightest. She had hated the idea of violence and bloodshed all her life. Her father had shared her dislike of war and battles, but he had been conscripted into the army. Amber had been seventeen when her father had received the summons. She remembered being unable to understand why he was willing to go on that fateful day. She remembered trying to convince him to stay on the day that he was assigned to leave. She had pleadingly told him, "Don't go." "But you know I must," he had told her with a soft, sad look. "Why must you? You were the one that always told me that violence doesn't solve problems it only serves to further them," her voice rising in volume as she spoke. "How can you do something that goes against everything that you taught me?" He could see the tears begin to escape her eyes and he rushed over to catch her wilting form. At first she had fought him and tried to push him away in anger, but he would not budge and in truth she wanted him near. She embraced him and cried all the harder. As he sat her down on the one comfortable and sturdy chair they owned and told her, "I am doing what I must, to give you the best life I can. You are the most important thing in the world to me and I need to do right by you." She looked at him and asked in honest confusion, "How can leaving me possibly be what's best for my life? What am I to do, alone and abandoned?" "I cannot run from this without shaming myself and in turn you. I have never had the ability to provide you with the dowry you deserve, but at least if I continue to be respected your beauty will win the heart of some wonderful young man and you will live a life far better than I have been able to. You will be left in the care of Mrs. Billingsley until I am able to return. I have left enough money with her to care for you for the next two years." "But I don't need a better life. I'm happy with the one I have," she protested as she pulled away from him slightly. Her head rapidly began to clear as she focused on this fact and realized that she could fight him with it. "We won't be able to keep the life that we have now if I am to refuse this duty. We would have to run, never knowing a days rest or a nights sleep without worry. Is that what you want?" he pleaded. "As long as I don't lose the last of the family I have, yes it is," she said, her voice clear. He looked at her, clearly wounded. He began speaking again, but this time very slowly and with obvious pain in his voice. "I am not trying to take myself from you. I am trying to give you the best life that I can, but if this is how you feel I cannot deny your request. You are my daughter and you are all that I have left in this world. I will never abandon you as I have already dedicated the rest of my life to making sure that yours will be a good one. "However, you still have much life to live and I am not what you should base your life around. I know that you worry about me as well as my health and that you do your best to make sure that you are as small a burden as possible, but this is not the proper relationship of a father and daughter. A father should protect and provide for his family and help them to secure the best possible future. It is my aim to do that now, as it always has been. "I may not think much of fighting or war, but I am willing to do anything to protect my family and I will save you from persecution by doing what is required of me. It is for this reason that I feel compelled to leave you. Leaving you will mean that you are safe and away from harm and there is nothing that I want more than that. But, if you tell me that I cannot leave you without harming you even more greatly myself, I will stay." A tight knot had accumulated in her throat as he had spoken and it was now no longer possible for her to fight him or argue. She still didn't want him to go, but she also knew that telling him to stay would be wrong of her. She could see how hard it was for him to come to the decision that he had made and that his resolve was beginning to fail him now. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier to do it. "You could never hurt me papa." He pulled her tightly against him as soon as she said those words. They stayed like that, both weak and weary from what those words had cost each of them. "Bless your heart, my precious gem," was all he could muster in response when he finally let go of her. Amber sniffled and then told him, "You still have to come back though." "Of course I do." "You promise?" "Yes, in fact," he said as he let go of her to grab something out of his pocket. "I want you to hold onto this for me," he told her as he stuck out his hand. Amber's eyes went wide as she what he held. "But, that's your locket. Mom gave it to you. I can't take that from you." "You can and you will because you know how precious this is to me and that nothing on Earth will stop me from reclaiming it. You will know that so long as it is in your possession that I will have no choice but to one day return to you." "But it's the only picture you have of her," she protested. A sad smile crossed his face after she said this. "No, it's not. I have many pictures of her and they are running through my head all the time. Leaving this behind for a short while won't cause me to lose my sight of her." She tried to think of a way to argue with him, but knew that he had made up his mind. "I still don't think that I should take it," was all she could say to him. "But you will and I will return home soon," he told her. "Now give an old man a hug and a kiss farewell." She did exactly that and then he was gone from her life; a new chapter had begun. Amber felt tears rimming her eyes as she remembered the last exchange that she had ever had with her father. Two and a half years had passed since that day. It hurt to know that he was now gone and that he had never been able to reclaim the locket as he had promised. It hurt to know that someone so important in her life could be taken from her so easily. She desperately hoped that no one else in her life would be taken from her in such a way. She did not dare to name the person that she feared for in this moment. Amber worried that by naming him she would place him in danger and that the fears that she harbored would come true. She did not stray down the path that those dark thoughts would lead and silently hoped that she was imagining danger where there was none. * * * The weight on King Henry's head felt unbearable. Pain was shooting throughout his skull with every beat of his heart and he could not stand it. He should not have to deal with such an intolerable nuisance such as this. He felt much the same way about the cause of his headache. The king had a quivering messenger and a pile of reports detailing the Lingley Rebellion in front of him. He was angry and did not have the patience for anyone on this day. His advisors surrounded him each offering different solutions of how to deal with the problems that he now faced. He could not hear their words or focus on anything but the unfathomable amount of rage he now felt. No one should disobey their king, was all he thought. They have no idea how to run a country or the exertions that one must go through to make sure that they are all safe from foreign powers. If it weren't for my protection they would never have been able to rebel in the first place as every last one of them would have been enslaved. They have no right to do this to ME. I am the law and order that keeps them safe and I will not stand for it. "I will not stand for it!" he shouted at the top of his lungs to no one in particular. His advisors all fell silent and cowered before his rage. Every last one of them feared him and they all were ready to run at the sight of his fury. But, they could not as they were bound to him and were required to endure whatever torrent was to come. "They have no right to be doing any of this! They should obey their king. Don't they know what disobedience brings? It brings chaos. It brings death and destruction. I will not stand for my land being thrown into chaos. We shall crush this rebellion and have all of their leaders be made example of. Our land shall know peace again." He said, his anger finding an outlet in his speech. "The time for negotiation has finished and the despoilers of this land shall be brought to justice. I shall not deal with such cretins any longer. This is my judgment." "But, your highness, if I may interject," "You may not," the king said, silencing one of his braver advisors. All of them in the room backed away from the king and kept their eyes glued to the floor. None were willing to meet his gaze and he enjoyed that fact. He liked knowing the fear that he instilled in all of the men around him and the power that he held over them. This was the relationship that he desired amongst all of his followers, silent obedience and consent. He knew better than they did and they should recognize that. No one should dare fight against him; they should know the consequences. "Send orders to my son telling him to return at once. Also, send the command to the field general to use any and all necessary force to restore order. Make it clear that I want this matter settled as quickly as possible and that it would cause my great displeasure to hear anything other than good news upon our next correspondence." His advisors stood around him dictating his speech and waiting for further instruction. "That is all," he said, glowering at them. They then hurriedly left the room to carry out his commands. * * * His eyes were blurred. He could no longer distinguish much of what was around him, but he could tell that he was not there yet as he was still moving. The intense throbs of pain down his side were a constant reminder of that. He knew that he was close and that soon he would be able to rest, but he knew that he could not let up until then. It was difficult for the Prince to keep himself awake. He felt his mind drifting off at times forgetting where and who he was. He wasn't sure who he was now, there were images in his mind that felt like those of a stranger. He could not understand where they came from as he was sure in this moment that they could not have come from his own life. None of those things could exist in a world where pain and agony were the only constants. Sometimes he felt as though he could hear someone calling his name, calling out in warning and despair. He could not understand what they said, only what they meant. They were telling him that he was in danger and this would always force his mind to wake and for him to search for that danger. Invariably, there was none and as his mind settled his focus was discarded and he forgot what it was that he was doing and why he was continuing. It was in these moments that he considered quitting. He thought of allowing himself to fall to the ground, never to arise from it again. The cries of warning he heard were the only thing that kept him from giving up and giving in. He was hearing such a cry of warning now. It did not bother him as it had before, but it did force him to sit up and search his surroundings. He saw someone yelling at him this time. He was not sure if they were real or not. Everything around him had taken on a surreal tone. He stared at the man to see if he would vanish from his penetrating gaze, as so many apparitions had before. However, this man did not go, he remained solid. He was soon joined by others and they approached him. He prepared to fight them as he was not willing to give in to them. None would take him so long as he had a will to live. He attempted to draw his sword and found it to be too heavy. He held the hilt for support and when the first man tried to grab him he swung his arm at him with all the force he could muster. He felt himself falling as he did so and as he fell everything went black. His eyes opened in a dark room and a soft bed. He could not remember how or why he was here. Slowly, he tried to sit up. The pain ran along the complete length of his side and sent hot agony running down his body. He grunted as he fought the sensation and forced himself upward. His body was bare other than the sheets now covering him and this fact made it possible to examine the damage that he had endured. He could feel the stitches in his leg and the bruises on his back. Both of his hands had been ripped and torn to varying degrees, it was difficult to move his fingers. The back of his head was tender. None of the wounds would threaten his life any longer, but it would take a long time for all of them to heal. Knowing that his life was not in danger he recognized that he was sitting on his own bed in his home. He remembered the brutal trip that he had taken to get here and was proud that he had made it back. "Nurse," he attempted to shout. His voice had all the strength of a whisper. "Nurse," he tried again managing to get a bit more volume. "Nurse!" He finally managed to yell, followed by a stream of coughs and a lot more pain. He heard come running to the door and open it abruptly. "You shouldn't be doing that. Lay yourself back down at once," said the stern elderly woman. He recognized her as Agnes who had often tended to him when he was a boy. "I need water and I will lay back down after I have drank some." She turned to him and glared at him as she began to open her mouth in reply. As she looked at him she saw the resolve and tenacity in his stare and thought better of what she would say. "Of course, young master," she said as she turned and exited the room. The Prince had always liked Agnes to a certain extent as she had far greater backbone than the rest of the staff. He knew that she was a capable aid and that her advice was generally well reasoned. He could remember more than one time when he had disobeyed her and had payed the price for his action by injuring himself further. Even still, he knew that it would be easier for him to rehydrate himself sitting up rather than laying down if it were possible and he was not about to give up the hard work that he had just performed for no reason. Agnes returned to his room shortly later carrying a candle and a glass of water. "Thank you, Agnes," he said as she handed him the glass. She nodded her head in acknowledgment. He drank from the glass slowly as she stood nearby and his head became clearer. "How long did I sleep for?" "I am told that you could not be roused after you knocked one of your fathers soldiers unconscious early this afternoon," she replied plainly. He continued to sip from his glass as he took this piece of news in. He felt sorry for the man that he had attacked unknowingly, but knew that not much could be done about it at this point. "Is there any news for me?" "None that I was told," she stated in a dignified voice. "I was only sent to make sure that you were properly cared for." "Thank you, Agnes. That will be all," he said as he handed her his glass. He heard that the door shut behind her and was left in the darkness once more. * * * She had been in his home when they brought him in. He had been a ghastly sight as dried and caked blood had covered most of his clothing. She wasn't sure if he was alive or, assuming he was, whether he would survive the day. There was no way to tell what had injured him. She stood there in a state of shock as she saw him rapidly carried in and out of her sight. There were people all around her, but she couldn't notice them. Her eyes were trained on the grime that sullied his normally lusterous hair. It was only after he had vanished from her sight that her surroundings returned to her. A large man was standing in front of her and she realized that he must have just finished saying something to her from the look on his face. "I'm sorry what was that?" "I said that your services here will no longer be required today and that you are to go about your other duties," the large man replied to her. "My other duties," Amber replied slowly. "Yes, your other duties, now please leave the premises." Amber stood there for a moment unable to comprehend what he had said. "I'm sorry miss, but if you don't go on your own accord I will be forced to escort you out." She looked back at him and saw no softness in his expression. "No, that won't be necessary. I'll go." She had walked out of their unsure of where she was going and feeling dizzy. Her mind could not accept what she had seen or what she now was beginning to fear. He's dead, a small and sinister voice told her. He can't be! He's going to be all right, she yelled back inside her mind. He just as your father is. NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! Yes, it is and you know it in your heart. You can feel it, can't you. That same dark loneliness you felt when your father left you. "THAT'S NOT TRUE!" She yelled, frightening some people nearby. Though she said this with such passion, she feared about the truth of her own claim. This thought had haunted Amber as night came. She was unable to find peace or escape. The worst hours of her life past by as she lay staring at the ceiling filled with dread. She found that crying was a capacity that was beyond her now. There was no way for her to cope with the crushing weight she felt laying on her now. "Amber are you all right?" was the first thing Amber remembered hearing the next morning. She didn't remember sleeping or how the time had passed her by. The Prince Ch. 10 It appeared that Marissa had wrenched her gaze away from Dante for just long enough to notice that her best friend was in a significant amount of distress. "I'm fine. Don't. Worry. About. Me." She replied with a bit more venom than she had intended. Marissa looked back at her with a slightly confused and hurt expression on her face. "Are you sure? It's just that you look a bit pale and you haven't hardly touched your food." "Yes, I'm sure. I'm just worried about everything that's happening. I'll be fine." "Maybe you should lie down for a while anyway. It looks like you could use it," she said somewhat hesitantly. "It's not as though the Prince is going to be able to make enough use of his home for it to need much cleaning." Amber could not stand her even suggestioning his injuries. "No, he won't but there will plenty of people there to see him today and I will not allow his home to become befouled regardless of how many of them show up today," she said with anger teeming in her voice. She then promptly left the table and headed for his home, leaving a befuddled Marissa in her wake. It did not seem that she could get there fast enough as she shot towards his home. Every second seemed wasted and more dire than the last. She wondered if he would be awake. She wasn't even sure that he was still alive. No, if he had vanished from this world, I and everyone else hear would have heard about it, she thought. This calmed her a little but did nothing to stop her worry. She moved with greater haste as she got closer until she was sprinting toward his door. She did not stop once she got inside but continued moving until she reached his bedroom door and flung it open. He was laying on his back with his eyes shut in what appeared to be a deep and peaceful sleep. She slowly and quietly shut the door behind her and then began to move toward him and the side of the bed that he lay on. She felt her body trembling uncontrollably as she approached him. Fear and worry running through her without end. She crouched on the floor next to his still and resting body. She wondered if he was resting in the type of sleep that is difficult to wake from, if he was ever to wake again. Her hand moved across his face and brushed his hair away from his eyes. She had not meant to do it but her hand seemed to move on its own accord and now lay resting on his soft and warm cheek. Her body began to move in much the same way as her hand had and before she realized what was happening she felt her lips brushing against his. His lips moved in response and Amber was trapped by that kiss. She felt the kiss deepen and was overwhelmed with relief as she felt his hands holding onto her arms, steadying her. It was impossible for her to believe that it was real. She knew that her mind had run away with itself and that what she was feeling could not be happening. Her need for sleep must have finally caught up to her and allowed her to slip into this dream. She kissed him more fiercely as she decided that she wanted this dream to last a little longer and to go a little further. Normally she would have worried about hurting him in his current state, but as she knew that this was her fantasy she did not hold back as she normally would. She pulled the top half of her body onto his bed and lay atop of him, her tongue wrestling his. It felt wonderful and so natural to be kissing him as she did right now. It did not matter if it was real or not. All that mattered was how she felt in that moment pressed up against him. She craved more and decided that she would not stop until this wonderful dream came crashing down around her. She reached underneath the covers searching for the hard cock that she knew would be waiting for her in this world of hers. She found it and reveled in the sensation of her hand wrapped around the pulsating shaft. He moaned into the kiss as she gently stroked along him. Her body was now trembling in anticipation of what she was to do next. The simple thought of having him inside of her sent waves of ecstasy echoing throughout her body. She felt herself getting wetter in response and knew that she would be able to take him whenever she wanted. When, she was unable to wait any longer, she released both the kiss and the part of him that she would soon recapture. Her head was swollen with bliss. She stripped her body of clothing and then moved herself atop him. "AHHH!" He yelped in pain. She moved back in surprise. This shouldn't be happening in my fantasy, was all she could think. Then she realized that this was not a fantasy at all and everything that had just happened had been real and that she must have hurt him. "I'm sorry! I didn't know... Didn't think... I... I..." "Just get off of my right leg," he said in a hoarse voice through gritted teeth. She leapt off of him at the sight of the stitches running the length of his leg. His body relaxed a significant amount once she had moved off of him. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you. Is there anything I can do to make it better?" "It depends on what you're looking to make better," he said with a grin spreading across his face. "What do you mean..." she began to ask and then suddenly understood exactly what he meant. His cock was still pulsating and she was still naked. "Have you already forgotten what you were doing not a minute ago?" She blushed as she realized that she had been staring right at the head where all his blood was currently flowing. "I didn't mean to do that..." "I don't believe you," he said. "I think that you wanted me exactly the way that I am right now." "No, not exactly the way you are," she said involuntarily, slapping her hand over her mouth after she said it. "Oh really, and how exactly did you want me?" She looked away from him, trying to convince herself that this wasn't actually happening, that she hadn't actually attacked his body in such a way. It was impossible for her to do this though as she was still thinking about all of the things that had been left unaccomplished. "I wanted you inside of me," she finally replied. "And I am willing to guess that you still do Amber," he said as he stared at her naked body, a carnal look permeating his gaze. Her embarrassment caused her entire body to flush. "Look at me Amber." She did as he commanded. "Come closer." Once again, she obeyed. "I am going to check the extent of your desire." As he said this she felt his hand slide in between her thighs. Heat seemed to radiate from his hand and that warmth spread through the rest of her body rapidly. A moan escaped her lips as her knees went weak. It was with the greatest effort that she kept herself standing. She grabbed onto the headboard of the bed for support and allowed her legs to spread apart. His mouth soon found her breast as it was now dangling in front of his face as she stood bent over him with her back arched. She could feel his want of her in how strongly he pulled her nipple into his mouth. He was possessing her in a way that very few are capable of doing. Soon after his mouth and tongue had found her breast she felt a finger that slipped in between her waiting folds. Her hips began moving in tempo with the rhythm that his finger created. She found herself wanting more and no sooner had she realized it then a second finger joined the first. Her lips were spread wider and her legs in turn opened further. Her strength was failing her and her hand slipped off the headboard and onto his shoulders. She grabbed onto him for support and kissed him as she began moaning uncontrollably. His hand moved to where his mouth had been and she shrieked in delight as she felt a third finger enter her. She released the kiss and wrapped her arms around him for greater support. His kisses did not stop as they went along the length of her neck causing the shock waves of her pleasure to collide in excruciating ecstasy. The control of her body had long since escaped her as had her want or need of that control. All that she needed in this moment were the overlapping orgasms that she now felt. However, this was not all that she wanted as even his three fingers were not nearly large enough to compare to the feeling of his cock inside of her. That feeling could not be duplicated by anything but the thing itself. "OH Please! OH Please! OH PLEASE!!!" She both heard and felt him laughing as his both his hands held themselves in place. "What's funny?" she asked unsteadily. "I am amazed at how easily tormented you are and how quickly you turn into a slut whenever you are near me," he said in a relatively cool voice. "You're the one who made me this way," she said in retort. "Now let go of me so that I can have at your cock." She saw his mouth drop open as she pronounced these words and wrenched herself free of his grip before he could recover. She then knelt down on the floor next to his cock and grabbed hold of him. Being careful of his leg she then moved herself up and began sucking him into her mouth. It felt wonderful to have at least one set of her lips wrapped around him at last. So wonderful, that she found her sucking at him greedily. She wanted him filling her up, but she also wanted to overwhelm him with pleasure as he had done to her. It was this desire that drove her mouth and tongue into a frenzy. Seeing her suck him with such wanton and unrestrained desire left him weak and unable to resist the ministrations that she was performing. He could already feel his orgasm building and he knew that it would soon reach a peak. He tried to slow its assent, but to no avail. The pressure within him kept building higher and higher and even exceeded its traditional peak. He knew that he should already be cumming, but he wasn't. Instead the feeling of unrestrained and unvanquished pleasure continued to rise and build within him. He felt as those his very pores were about to burst with the intensity of pleasure that he was now feeling. It was not until after his whole body already felt as though it were bursting that he was finally able to achieve release. He felt the torrent of cum shooting forth from himself and let out a howl of unequivocal pleasure. He collapsed back onto the bed as his orgasm finally subsided. Amber walked over to the other side of the bed and curled up next to him after checking to make sure that he had no evident injuries on that portion of his body. As the stupid grin he had began to subside, he looked over at Amber and saw the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?" "How did you get to be in such a frightful state?" The Prince Ch. 11 Being in love leaves you vulnerable in a way that nothing else does. However, that vulnerability will not inspire fear when the love is true. Instead, it will leave you feeling safe as though you have finally come home. This is true even when you may not have realized that you had ever been gone. But, in the end it is what we all long to find and must work even harder to keep. Enjoy... His face changed. The expression he wore was a distant one. It did not belong to the room that they were now in and it also did not belong to a battlefield. "You worried about me." The words had come from him slowly. They were difficult for him to believe. He had meant to say them as a question, but as he had spoken he knew that he had already found the answer. "Of course I did," was all that she replied, as she gazed at him in wonder. "How could you have thought differently?" He turned his head so that it was facing hers, but she could see him looking through her; she could see him looking at something in the distance. When his eyes refocused and he was looking at her, he said, "It wasn't that I had thought differently. I hadn't thought on it at all. I just couldn't help but be amazed when I actually did." Her brow furrowed as she tried to understand what he meant. "Let me ask you something." "Anything," she said. "Why do you care about me? Why do you worry about me? Why is that you fear for the safety of your captor?" Amber hesitated and then said, "Because you are my master and I am a loyal servant to you." "I must disagree with you," he said. "I must disagree with my being your master or you being my servant. We have not shared such a relationship since I first used your name, Amber." "What are you saying?" "I am saying that we are equals Amber." "But we can't be, you are the Prince." "Don't call me that." "Don't call you what? The Prince? But you are." "Amber, I will not have you call me by my title." "Then what shall I call you by?" He looked deeply into her eyes and slowly said, "The only thing that I would ever have an equal call me, Edward of course." "But your father has forbidden it!" She exclaimed. "Amber, I don't give a damn what my father said it is what I want you to call me," he stated clearly. "But I can't, it just isn't proper. You are the Prince after all, I can't go calling royalty by their name as though they were just anyone else. It wouldn't be right it would strip you of your special status and everything that goes with it. No, no I can't do tha-" "Amber, listen to me," he said to her clearly enough to stop her rapid speech dead in its tracks. "I don't want any special titles, not here, with you. That is what I was just saying before. And, before you attempt to protest further know that I will not yield in this matter. If you wish to address me you will call me by name or by nothing at all." Edward gazed at her fiercely, unwilling to yield in even the slightest way. She looked back at him just as intensely and said, "All right, Edward, what was it that amazed you to the point of speechlessness?" He looked at her softly and said, "Simply that I was happy to have you sitting next to me. I have not been happy in this way for some time, but that is a story for another time. There is a more pressing one that needs to be told right now." She knew to which story he was referring. "Then please begin." "As I am sure you knew already, a rebellion broke out in Lingley the night before I left. I was sent there immediately to insure that the peace was kept and that insurrection did not spread to other parts of the country. "Upon my arrival I met with the general that was in charge of force that had been gathered should the rebellion turn violent or in any way get out of hand. He was hot-tempered and arrogant. The worst combination you could find in a leader in this type of situation. He told me that he could end it all in a day, all I had to do was give the word. He scoffed. "The fool, as if killing farmers and tradesmen seeking to protect their livelihood would solve anything. In fact, it was because of his soldiers actions against the general populace that the people rose up in the first place." "What did the soldiers do?" "They stole openly from shop owners and food carts. They drank to excess and picked fights with anyone they could. But that's not the worst of it if the rumors are to be believed." "What rumors?" she asked. "The rumors that what set this whole chain of events in motion was that a man had tried to reason with the soldiers, had tried to stop them from assaulting a defenseless passerby. They said that he was beaten within an inch of his life and that his daughter, who had been with him, was stripped and violated in front of him while he was struggling to breathe." She stared at him in horror and then whispered, "What is wrong with the world?" He looked away from her and stared into the distance, saying, "I don't know. I don't know what could drive a man to the level of abomination. Or, what it is that could make them act in such a heinous manner. "I find myself unable to acknowledge them as men at all. Someone who acts to defile the very nature of what separates man from beast needs only to be named as such and treated much the same. I feel no remorse killing a beast that would harm me or another man and it is with that same lack of feeling that I would slay any man that chose to act as a beast." Amber could feel the tension that permeated his entire frame. The feeling bled over and into her making it difficult to determine where his body ended and hers began. Without knowing why she did it, she lightly began rubbing his arm. At first this seemed to have no effect. It was as though he could not be reached in that instant, not by sight or sound or touch. Then, she felt it as the muscles in his arm released some of the violence contained within and were met with peace. His visage slowly changed from one with the desire to destroy to one of a somber calm. When he spoke again, his voice was free of pain. "Anyways, I immediately informed the general that I would be assuming command. I gave orders that none of the soldiers were to enter the city or harass any of the populace there. None were to steal from the surrounding countryside or violate anyone's property or detain any persons without explicit orders to do so. "I then set out to speak amongst the men in secret to better determine the source of the rebellion as well as the cause. I had found out that the man and his daughter had been very well respected in the community and that his son had been the source of inspiration to take up arms against the crown. "I discovered that his name was Alexander Brasher and that his father was William Brasher. It was said that he had inherited his father's bravery and that he was an exceedingly principled and intelligent young man. I realized immediately that should he back down that the rebellion would end with him. "I sent a messenger to request a meeting with him. He accepted my request on the condition that we would meet on neutral ground at one of the farm houses on the outskirts of the city. I agreed on the condition that we would both meet there with a contingency of no more than five men and that neither of us would carry a weapon to the bargaining table. "When we met there we began negotiations immediately. I could tell that the main concern on Alexander's part was fear of retribution as they had been treated so harshly by the soldiers before. This put us both in a difficult spot as I knew that the troops could not simply be ordered away from the area and that Alexander would not see the people of the city suffer at their hands again. "We left that day on fair terms and matters unsettled. We had made some progress, but time was critical and we both knew that time was running out and that one of us would have to act soon. He and I met each day until a messenger came from my father came ordering me back from the front and putting General Hastings in charge of the attack that would quell the rebellion. "I left in anger and disgust. I sent warning to Alexander to move all of the women and children out of the city and to prepare for the siege that was surely coming. I liked him and did not want to see him die for nothing, but knew that there was nothing more that I could do. "I rode away from the city with only a handful of trusted men. They were brave and good, but that did not prepare them for the road ahead. We were attacked by a group of men that mistook us for messengers. They did not wish for any information to reach the king and I am sure that they also wished to cut off the supply train for the army as well. "Two of my men fell within a heartbeat of each other, their chests pierced by arrows. Those of us remaining burst into a full gallop and tried to outdistance ourselves from our attackers. We fought as we ran. Ultimately I was the only one that made it through. I do not know what happened to the others. My horse, Moongaze, was the only thing that saved me from the fate of my guards. He was able to outrun them and continued the journey home without assistance. I am glad to have taken him on this journey, for otherwise I would not have survived." Both of them sat still and silent, letting the weight of his words settle. After a time, his eyes fell to her and hers rose to him. His face contained mourning and gratitude, hers held warmth and tenderness. As they looked into each others eyes he said slowly but clearly, "I am very happy that you are here, Amber." Without breaking eye contact she grabbed onto him a little tighter. She saw a single tear fall down his face. "As am I, Edward, as am I," was all that she said in reply. She moved herself closer to him and wiped the tear off of his cheek, their lips nearly touching, their breath on each others skin. Each of them labored for air. Her lips met his. He could feel the heat of her lips soaking through his He could feel the heat spreading throughout his body. He had not noticed how cold he had gotten, how weak he had become, how lifeless he had felt. He had forgotten that he could live any other way, but she had reminded him. She could feel it as he grew stronger. She could feel it as the control of the kiss slipped away from her. He took that control from her little by little, shifting it from a tender kiss she was giving him to a tender kiss that he was giving her. Time passed slowly as their lips were locked together. Time did not matter to either of them in this moment. Nothing mattered, but the warm embrace of the other. Nothing more was needed. The kiss went on in waves. A slow, but churning passion, matched in both rhythm and form by the movements of their tongues. It was a an unending dance, something that had been there long before this kiss and would be there long after. They were both a part of a small bit of magic; they made it real. So real, that the spell was not broken even as two sharp raps at the door. The knocking was taken from a harsh sound to dull thumps. Another sound was muffled; they could not understand the voice outside the door. They did not notice the noise of the door opening. The kiss ended with each of them staring at each other, unable to take notice of anything else. Nothing could be as important as what they were each looking at. No sight or sound or experience could compare. That was until Agnes finally shouted at the two of them, forcing a reluctant attention shift. It was as if each of them were slowly coming out of a dream and back into awareness. Amber did not remember where she was or that the blanket had fallen, exposing her bare breast. He could not seem to remember who the other woman was or why she could possibly be there. It was Amber who regained her senses first. Her face went through several shades of red and she quickly hid herself beneath the blankets with a squeal. The Prince quickly realized the situation once Amber had fled and looked directly at Agnes. "Why are you here?" he asked. Agnes gave him a snort. "Ah, so, you finally noticed me," she said shaking her head in disbelief. "I have come to inform you that you are to prepare for the king's arrival as he wishes to have you recount to him directly." "Is that so," he stated more than asked. "When will he arrive?" "In one hour's time," she replied moving to exit the room. "And if I may suggest, I recommend that she be fully clothed and out of here by then. I doubt that the king will be as tolerant as I." He nearly glared at her for that remark, but as he looked at her face he saw that she had a slight smile. It was not a smile of gloating, but instead one of understanding. His brow furrowed in confusion as he attempted to make sense of her expression. The door closed before he was able to and the sound jarred him from his musings. He looked down at the blankets that covered Amber's face. "Agnes is right, unfortunately, you need to leave." *** Marissa was on her way out of the palace long before her work was done. She felt too trapped within the building to stay. Her stride was filled with a certain nervous excitement that made it difficult for her to have an even pace. At first, she did not know where she was going or what she expected to find when she got there. She knew that it was silly and dangerous for her to act in this manner. The punishment for being caught was likely severe and it was not clear what she stood to gain by continuing to move forward. However, she found that she could not stop. It was not long before she ended up in the gardens near the Prince's home. "Marissa, what are you doing out here?" Her expression was slightly glazed over and it took a moment for her to recognize the speaker. "Oh, Dante, I simply seeked to escape the palace for a short while." He stared at her uncertain how to respond. He had never seen her quite like this before. She spoke again before he could reply, "May I ask why I find you out here?" "You know why I am out here," he said. "This is where I am assigned to work I have told you this before. I thought that the only reason that you had wandered out here was to see me." This brought Marissa's mind back from its wanderings and focused it on the present. With renewed focus she said, "I am not quite sure why it is that I came out here. I wasn't really thinking anything in particular on the way over." "And, here I was thinking that you wished to see me." "It is not that I did not wish to see you," she replied quickly. "I assure you that is not the case." "Then what is the case?" "That is what I am attempting to determine," she said with more potency than originally intended. "All right," Dante replied with caution, "Perhaps you should attempt retracing your steps." "I came out here to get away." "Away from what?" "Away from the mess that seems to be all around me." "What mess?" "I don't know, my entire life thus far, perhaps?" Marissa looked at him as she said this and then turned her eyes to the ground. Dante had edged his way closer to her, "Now Marissa, what do you mean?" "I feel as though I have lost sight of what is important to me. I used to be able to tell anyone what I wanted and how I was going to get it and now I no longer can say what is driving me forward. Nothing in my life makes sense anymore." "What changed your life so dramatically from the way it once was?" Marissa could not hold his gaze for more than a moment or two at a time. It was almost painful to see him for some reason she could not quite articulate. "I wasn't able to protect a friend. Protecting those close to me has always been my source of pride. I failed in my duty and now I fear that I am losing her and that if I do a piece of me will vanish with her. I need to do something. I have to redeem myself. Or else..." "Or else what?" Dante asked, his hands gently gripping her arms. "Or else I may never be able to live with myself again. How could I let this happen to someone dear to me? How could I be of any worth to anyone if I fail in my chosen duty? What good am I in this world?" "Marissa, look at me." Dante said gently as she turned herself to face him. "Even if you can't protect her this time, you will not have failed as a person. It is impossible to save everyone no matter how much you may want to. It will be alright and I am certain that you will find a way to help this friend of yours. You to strong and determined to fail twice." "If I am so strong why do I feel so weak?" She asked plaintively. "Even the mightiest of heroes are mortal and are subject to the weakness caused by fatigue. You will recover and I will help you, if you will let me. No one should have to shoulder so heavy a burden on their own." "You really mean that." It was not a question, she could tell from the way he said it. "Yes, I really do," he said without blinking. The two of them moved closer, nearly touching. He was staring into her eyes, when she turned her head slightly and backed away. "I do not know that you will be able to help me with this," she said. "I know that I can be of some service to you. I may not be able to solve this problem for you, but I can support you when you feel your strength failing you. I have already done so once," he declared. His eyes dared her to challenge his last statement. He knew she would not. "Are you so certain." "I am." Marissa could not deny him, she no longer felt weak or confused. She felt powerful, as though she could accomplish anything. Her heart beat proudly, she was so full of life in this moment. He kissed her and it only made her feel stronger. She knew that in those moment it was not he who held the power, she could bring him to his knees at any moment she wished. She was planning on doing just that and he was planning on letting her. Because in the end he knew who truly held the power.