Faerie Tales: The Dreamwalker and the Water Goddess

[The_gladiator]

Faerie Tales: the dream Walker and the Water Goddess

(Author’s note: This story takes place in the world of Mary Gentry by Laurell K. Hamilton. We do not own the setting or any characters created by Hamilton, and use them only for our enjoyment in writing this story in a very wonderful world which we both enjoy reading about.)


There was a hush in the unseelie court’s main hall. Silence had fallen, and there was a tense anticipation in the air. That thickening of the air that meant something was about to happen. It was like the calm before the storm. This time was actually more like the eye of the storm. Everything had been in motion and then went still. All eyes moving between two figures.

The one figure everyone watched was queen Andais. She was dressed in black leather and looked angry, her eyes flashing with her rage. The target of her wrath stood at the base of her dais. Golden hair fell to the backs of his knees, held back from his face by two braids along the side, which he could use to push the hair behind his ears. His own eyes seemed to flash with his anger. His eyes were blue in color. The outer ring was sky blue, followed by a ring of turquoise, and finally a ring of azure, the colors moving from pale to darker in the center. They stood out nicely complimenting his sunkissed skin, a color that above anything else physically showed his seelie nature. His name was Gwydion and he was a recent member of the unseelie court. He was the most recently rejected by the golden court and the most recently accepted into the unseelie. Andais originally had planned to not accept him, but lord Gwydion, lord of sleep and dreams was a powerful individual and Andais could not really afford to be picky and choosy. It tickled her pink to have one of Terinus’s head of houses as her servant now, moreover as one of her Ravens.

Gwydion often butted heads with the queen and she quite frankly hated him. The hatred was mutual, and the proud Seelie could not stand having to be beholden to a mad woman. Tis why he often found himself in situations like this one. He again had defied the queens decree, had refused to strike a noblewoman at the queens order.

Andais’s eyes narrowed, “Do you seek to defy me yet again lord Gwydion?” It spoke to his power and influence that she still afforded him the term lord even when she was so displeased. “I should challenge you to a duel right now.” She said coldly.

Gwydion merely shrugged, they had played this game before. She would not challenge him. It was not that she feared him, although quite a few in the unseelie court did. She had once been a goddess of battle, she could kill him easily. No, she wouldn’t. He could serve her better alive. He was a powerful servant, to have one of the former heads of house for the seelie, as one of her subjects, pleased her. It was also pleasing to her that He was still respected among the Seelie. If Terinus continued to rule like a madman, Gwydion if brought to her side could be a powerful influence in gaining allies for the Unseelie. As he stared her down he thought on the events that had lead him to serving a mad woman. It had been over 20 years now. Time moved strangely in the unseelie Sithen at times so he could not be certain. More than 20 but less than 30 years for sure it had been since the events that placed him in this position.

He truly had been Lord Gwydion of the seelie, lord of sleep and dreams, and a powerful head of one of the seelie noble houses. His consort at that time was his long term love Aelwen. They were not married for there were no children between them. Sidhe Marriages were only recognized when the couple was shown to be fertile together. It was commonly known that Gwydion was extremely loyal to Aelwen, and she to him. So when she had come forward to him and admitted that king terinus had seduced her. Gwydion had gone into a rage. He had lost his cool. Gwydion was sure it had been rape; it would have to be to make his love betray him. However, the king, when he finally admitted to the seduction claimed it was perfectly consensual. It became a case of His word verses the kings, and strangely once the king made his view known she made no attempt to affirm or deny the situation from either view. Not thinking of possible consequences of his actions Gwydion had challenged the king to a duel. He still had no idea why the king had just not killed him. The king was very fond of duels and was very skilled at it. However when he had bested Gwydion in the ring, he had not killed him. His official reason was he could show mercy because he knew what betrayal of a woman felt like. Therefore he could be merciful. Gwydion had different theories for his reasoning. First, Gwydion was a powerful nobleman of the court, he was well liked and respected, killing him could have caused some fall out. However Gwydion suspected his second theory was even more accurate, Terinus knew that Gwydion would suffer more living in this cesspool of perversion far more than if he had merely killed him immediately.

Gwydion stood there still, back ramrod straight. He had accepted Andais’s offer to take him in because he could not stomach the thought of living among the humans. They offended his sensibilities almost as much as some of the unseelie did.

“You elect to take the woman’s place this evening Lord Gwydion?” Andais’s words cut like a whip bringing Gwydion back into the present. He should have known this was coming, he knew even though she would not duel him, he would not go unscathed for the defiance. He nodded stiffly.

“You may feel free to beat me all you wish my queen, as long as you do not hit this woman.” He said, “You seek to punish her because you feel her pink dress is too pretty for your court. I will not hit her over such a thing.” He said, each word digging himself farther into the hole he was digging himself he knew, however honor dictated he stand up for her, even though he knew it would not end well for him.

Andais’s eyes narrowed, “I know you dislike being tortured, the sight of blood bothers you. However that was not the torture I had planned for her. I planned to make the strumpet a part of one of y entertainment for the evening.” Gwydion did not react outwardly but inside his gut turned and roiled with rage and disgust. The queen’s words meant he was to be a part of one of Andais shows. No one save maybe Andais, in the unseelie court knew of the reasons that brought Gwydion to the Unseelie. However enough rumors abounded that many in the unseelie court knew how much Gwydion disliked promiscuity. The room seemed to collectively hold its breath waiting to see what would happen. Would the warrior cave in and strike the woman dragging her to the queen as requested, or would he submit himself to Andais in her place to be part of her little sex show?



Moderators Note: This thread is closed for Glad and Illiana, please do not post without permission of the authors. As always, we welcome any and all feedback Via PM. We hope you enjoy our story.

 

[bamagirlwriter]

Ashling watched the exchange from her table. This was the most interesting thing she'd seen in days. It was no secret that Lord Gwydion detested promiscuity, but it was also no secret that most of the female population of Andais' court would love to see him naked. For all her virginal naivete, Ashling was among them.

Ashling had been born of a frowned upon union. her mother was Seelie and her father pure Unseelie. Upon her birth Ashling had been left at the door of the unseelie sithen. Her seelie mother had taken one look at her sidhe scarlet hair, and the storm gray of her tri-colored eyes and decided that the child was a monster. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Ashling was actually a very gentle creature, she cried when she thought she'd hurt someone. one of the brownies had found her there in the snow and,thankfully, once her father had found out what her mother had done he'd come looking for her.

She'd been raised here in the Unseelie court for her entire life but even here she was an outcast. one look at her now told every sidhe here two things... she was part seelie, for her skin was as golden as if she had been on the beach tanning all day, and she had human blood in her somewhere. No sidhe had the voluptuous look that Ashling was graced with. It would not surprise her at all if, like the newly born royal triplets, she had more than one father... her mother seemed to be quite the promiscuous one.

Which brought Ashling back to the moment. The Woman Lord Gwydion defended was actually a friend of hers. a newer addition to the darkling throng. one of the many outcasts from the glittering court. She couldn't just sit there and keep her mouth shut and besides she was not frightened of Andais as the majority of the sidhe were. "Is that really necessary, my Queen?" She said standing and brushing off her father's outstretched hand. "Meliscent is new to our court. was she to grace your halls in the nude?" Ashling nearly blushed as all the eyes in the room whipped from the dais to her.

She didn't though... and she forced herself to breathe even and calm in the face of Andais' rage which was clearly written on her own visage as she came down the steps and moved with a chilling grace and precision to the table. "Lord Acanthus, your daughter has obviously forgotten herself." She said with a calmness that was obviously not what she felt as she reached the table. "perhaps she would like to join Lord Gwydion in entertaining us this evening."

 

[The_gladiator]

Light and dark, they stood facing one another, almost as if they were already in the ring. Gwydion in the exact path that Andais would need to take to get to the lady Meliscent. “You will do as I say or you will be punished. I will punish the strumpet how I say fit and I will not have some seelie bastard telling me what to do.” She struck like lightning her vicious backhand connecting with Gwydion’s jaw. The slap was audible to the entire court.

There was a hush, a long silence, no one said anything. Gwydion merely spat the blood on the floor. Then someone else spoke.

Everything happened so fast that it was clear that the speaker was responding to Andais’s words that she could punish Meliscent how she pleased and not as any way a defense of Gwydion. However it served in that purpose, deflecting the queen’s attention.

Lord Gwydion turned to face the speaker and one golden eyebrow rose. He did not know the speaker well, and did not know her name. He only knew her in connection to her father Lord Acanthus. Acanthus had lost to Gwydion in the dueling ring but he was formidable. He had been one of the most vocal opponents to Gwydion’s being allowed into the unseelie’s court. It appeared that his daughter inherited his big mouth and lack of good sense.

Lord Acanthus shot to his feet following Andais’s assertion that Ashling would join Gwydion in the day’s entertainment. He opened his mouth to protest but closed it, seeing only death in the queen of air and darkness’s eyes. “Sit.” Was all she said, in a bone chillingly cold voice. The lord gulped and sat, passing his daughter a what can I do stare.

The queen grabbed a handful of Ashling’s red hair, hair that reminded her of her niece, something that caused her to add an extra rough twist to it. “Come.” She ordered hauling her to the center of the room. “Lord Gwydion!” She made it a harsh bark a direct order just out of his name. He glided smoothly to her side as silent as he ever was. His mind was working a mile a minute trying to figure how they were going to get out of this situation.

Andais’s smile was almost gleeful as she shoved ashling at Gwydion. The lord caught her almost automatically, steadying her her face looking up at him her eyes filled with, something, was it fear? Apprehension, he honestly could not tell. The thing he did note was something about her nagged at him; something in her face drew him in, caught his attention and held it.

That brief spell was broken by the harshness of Andais’s words. “I see several options; we’ll see which turns out to be the most fun. In one scene we tie lord gwydion up, young Ashling here—oh yes that was her name, Gwydion remembered now—will cut off your clothes and have her way with you including stroking you until you spill that seelie seed all over that perfect golden abs. The other scene involves us tying Ashling up like the common whore she is while Gwydion beats her with a whip.” She smirked. I will give you two just a moment to decide which scene comes first. With that she took a couple of steps away leaving the two to presumably talk in hushed voices.

Gwydion felt his stomach flip flop. He did not like the sound of either of these scenes. Oh the former seemed easier on her, but hard on his sense of pride and self-respect. To be forced to ejaculate so publically, and not even into a mouth or belly of a woman, but all over himself no less. It was obviously designed to humiliate him. The other on the other hand offended him just as much. He despised torture. However as much as it would hurt and sicken him to have to beat her, it probably paled to her having to do that. Even though the second scene was far less sexually overt, He could not, would not put her through that. He knew he would tell her to do the former first so that perhaps Andais would be satisfied with that and he would not be forced to be the one to whip the girl.

His eyes showed his regret to Ashling that they were placed into this situation, but they were still hard, defiant, he would do this and would do it again if need be to defend the innocent. “Do what she tells you to do to me little one, with luck she’ll be pleased with my humiliation enough to spare you such pain.” His eyes locked with hers, waiting to see her response, would she follow his lead, or would she demand she be beaten to save his pride. He sure hoped she was not that stupid, his pride could survive a beating or two.

 

[bamagirlwriter]

"Don't be foolish, my Lord, it doesn't become such a handsome man. She have them both or she would not have said them both. The beating is less about you and more about me in any case. I remind her too much of the princess." Ashling whispered, unable to take her eyes from Gwydion's face. "We are going to be her toys tonight so i suggest you bite back that beautiful pride and realize it. She'll do as she sees fit. i grew up in this court, she wants more than a single humiliation from the both of us. i just pray she doesn't take it to full on sex tonight. I can do the hand job, it won't be my first... but the sex... well I haven't exactly practiced what i've learned. "

Ashling's cheeks blushed at admitting that to Lord Gwydion. Like many girls her age he had been among the ravens who played starring roles in her fantasies. she just happened to be the only one who wasn't well experienced in the acts. it would be like the queen to use that against her tonight and force the entire court to watch her virginity taken, thus also humiliating Lord Acanthus.

Ashling actually felt a little bad about that, but she couldn't sit and let Gwydion take the queen's bait alone. and it had been bait. Meliscent's dress was barely recognizable as pink it was so dark a rose color. The queen had been bored and wanted to make someone play for her tonight. Gwydion had answered that call. Ashling hadn't wanted to see him forced to rape an unwilling woman for Andais' pleasure so she'd volunteered in the only way she could. she defied the queen.

"Don't worry so much about me, my Lord. I volunteered to do this so you would not be forced to rape someone for the queen's amusement and believe me it would amuse her." her eyes swirled like a storm over the ocean in all three rings as she searched his face for understanding. this had been for him, not meliscent.

 

[The_gladiator]

For some reason this woman’s words calling him foolish needled him a thousand more times than anything Andais could do to him. “Foolish I am not, but aware of her mercurial moods I am. I thought to spare you some pain.” He forced out between gritted teeth. The words were to cover up his surprise. Why would she have volunteered for this? His mind immediately began running tallies in his head, trying to see the advantage to her. No one in the unseelie court did something purely for selfless reasons. Even his noble defense of melifiscent was partially self-serving; he had no wish to strike the girl.

It took a few brief seconds for the rest of her words to sink in. She was a virgin and volunteered to play whore for Andais so he would not be forced to rape an unwilling victim. Did that suggest that she was willing? He snorted at himself the number of proposals he had gotten since he had joined the court were staggering, should it surprise him that a woman such as Ashling would be willing to stoop to playing as part of Andais’s sideshow in order to get into his pants.

Still, her words rang true; he did have to set aside his pride. Not for the first time Gwydion wished that he were a different sort of man. It had been many years since a woman had touched him, Andais did not allow her ravens to play with others without her express permission. As one of Andais’s least favorite people, of course such gifts were not granted to him. Any right minded unseelie would jump at the chance to have this beauty’s delicate hands stroking over him, granting him release, but the publicness, the lewdness ate at Gwydion, for he was not unseelie and such displays were—different in the golden court.

“What do the humans say? When in Rome?” he muttered. “Do it then, show the court your experience with hand jobs.” This part at least he could insist on. Better he have bruised pride than her bruised skin. Plus, it would be easier for her to do what she needed to him before she were sore with welts and probably—Knowing Andais—coated in blood.

Andais stalked back over, a vicious smirk twisting her beautiful features. “So have you two made a decision?”

Gwydion bowed his head feigning deference to the queen, the lowered gaze hiding the rage that he could not school out of his features. “Yes ma’am, I will allow her to pleasure me.” Here he affected a sigh, “It will be such a hardship to have this beautiful woman’s hands upon me.” There were titters throughout the hall at that comment, “But I think I can manage to suffer through it.” In feigning to the crowd that he was reluctant, he really suggested to them that he did want it, that Andais had given him exactly what he wanted. Although the bravado hid his true dislike for this situation. He waited for Andais’s next move and How Ashling would proceed.

 

[bamagirlwriter]

Andais Narrowed her eyes at Gwydion. "Well in that case i suppose we shall tie up young Ashling first." as she spoke she motioned for her ravens to take the girl.

Ashling whispered harshly to Gwydion. "I knew she was going to do that. Don't worry. i can take it. besides i like a little pain. just don't kill me okay?" and with that she was half carried half dragged across the room to the st Andrews cross that had been brought in.

Ashling stood by it stoically. still openly defying the queen by refusing to do anything of her own accord. She still had no fear of the woman she simply stared at her, jaw set. "As you will, my queen." lightning flashed in her eyes as she spoke. she had to keep calm or her magic would rise and she had not managed to completely control it when she was upset yet.

With a simple gesture from their queen Silence and Griffin, the two ravens who had dragged her across the room, began ripping Ashling's gown and undergarments from her and placing her against the sturdy wooden X, normally it would be padded to keep it's captive from being harmed but this was Andais and it was not padded in the least.

Ashling was angry at both andais and gwydion in turn. Had he done that little show on purpose or had he thought the queen would let it slide? anyone could have told him she wouldn't. Ashling was pretty sure that the former King of the Seelie would not have either. he had been just as sick and twisted as Andais in his own way.

As the guards fastened her wrists and ankles to each leg of the cross, Ashling took a deep breath. at least it was only her back and ass that was currently on the line. She hoped there was a point short of mutilation where the queen would be happy. Ashling would heal of course but it could be severe enough to require time.

 

[The_gladiator]

That had gone well hadn’t it? Gwydion could have kicked himself, his little show of bravado to take the spot light off of young Ashling had utterly backfired. Should he have expected anything less? This after all was queen Andais. Nothing with that woman was ever easy.

Tri colored blue eyes watched them drag the young noblewoman, who for some reason looked so familiar to him, away and over to the St. Andrew’s cross, unpadded, of course. If looks could kill, the two ravens that dragged the woman to her fate would have dropped dead poleaxed by the heat in his gaze alone. He knew technically they had no choice, but he was fairly certain that the captain of the guard, and griffin did not need to look so happy about what they were doing.

He tried to school his features as he looked to Andais, fortunately turning away from the humiliation of the woman. Not that staring at Andais was any better. She looked livid as she handed Gwydion a whip. Technically, a flogger with multiple tails. Gwydion stared at the instrument as if it offended him, which it did, but he suddenly realized he could make the crowd, and the queen think it bothered him for a completely different reason. “You expect me to use this my queen?” he asked putting as much distain and disgust into the question as he could manage.

“Yes, I wish her to bleed for her impertinence,” the queen growled.

“How very…plebian,” Gwydion said his voice dripping with mocking haughty seelie distaste. Even though the queen was almost his height, he looked down his very patrician nose at her and snorted. “A noble does not beat a lady in public with anything so crass as a whip.” Here he paused to hype his very real revulsion, “Especially where her blood will spoil his dinner finery.”

The queen’s eyes narrowed, “What are you saying then, I presume you have a point Lord Gwydion,” could there be any more distaste in her use of his title and name.

“Of course, a noble does not even stoop to using his hands for why should he dirty his hands with such an action.”

“How very seelie of you,” Andais growled.

“Exactly, a seelie noble, in this situation would beat the girl with a riding crop, just as he would school his recalcitrant horse.”

Andais glared at Gwydion, but finally nodded, “Fine lord of sleep and dreams, we will try it your way, but if I am not amused with your performance, I will make you use the flogger, and you will make her bleed.”

Gwydion nodded as Andais gestured and a crop was brought to his hand. Her words about liking a little pain had given him this idea. However it would require more acting on both their parts. He moved almost silently until he was standing behind her. He was unable not to appreciate the graceful swell of her bottom coming down from her back. Her long hair had been shoved over a shoulder to get it out of the way of her beating. He wasn’t sure how much of the exchange she had gotten, or if she was aware of his presence. He hoped she was smart enough to play along and give Andais some kind of show.

The first moment he was sure she knew he was there was when he stood close behind her and cracked the crop against his open palm the whistle and crack sounding in the suddenly silent room. He circled the cross to look into her eyes holding up the crop, gently tapping it against her cheek. The crowd thought he was taunting her and they ate it up. In actuality he was showing her what she was to be beaten with, so she would be prepared for how it would feel.

He then circled around back behind her and let the crop trace down her back from neck to the crack between her firm cheeks. Again making a show of it. Also in a way letting her know that believe it or not he had done this before, and he would not hurt her more than necessary.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you were enjoying yourself Lord Gwydion. But enough playing around, get on with it,” Andais snarled.

Gwydion said nothing merely kept silent moving around her making her anticipation grow. He needed her surprise to provide a cry, so perhaps he did not have to hit her as hard to get the noises the queen surely wanted. And with that he struck without warning, the crop whistling through the air before landing a stinging blow on her right buttock. It was his goal to stress to the crowd when he beat someone it was not just the physical pain but that the other senses needed to be involved, emotions and the like. Seelie might be different than the unseelie, but, behind closed doors some things were actually more similar than either court would admit. Gwydion detested doing something like this in public, to him; such an act should be reserved for consenting adults in private.

 

[ilianacole2]

Ashling had no trouble hearing what transpired between the Queen and Lord Gwydion. In fact, she was grateful that her face was hidden from the view of anyone who would dare to interrupt them for she could not help but smirk. He was smarter than she thought. A crop could certainly do her damage, even enough for the queen, but it would not strip the flesh from her body as Andais surely was hoping to see. She could work with this.

All too quickly the queen granted his request and Ashling's body was humming with anticipation. the sound of the crop hitting her reluctant assailant's hand actually made her jump a bit though she doubted anyone but Gwydion would have seen it. As he tapped her cheek with the instrument she tried to communicate with her eyes alone that she understood she must put on a good show. However the shiver that ran through her at the feel of the leather whispering along her spine was in no way a show, but then it was gone and she struggled to hear where the Seelie might be. She could hear nothing as she tried to concentrate, to anticipate. But his crop drew a real and true cry of surprise as it stung her buttock, leaving its warmth behind to radiate across the cheek. The girl honestly had to bite back a moan of pleasure.

Oh, Lord Gwydion had definitely done this before. She had little time to wonder with whom and if he had enjoyed it before the next strike landed on her left buttock and drew another cry of surprise from her. This seemed to work, for she could hear the murmurs of the crowd. Perhaps if she kept trying to think of something distracting she could continue to give Gwydion genuine responses and please the queen. She could do that. She simply imagined Lord Gwydion kissing and caressing her between each blow and she was lost to her fantasy until the next blow drew a louder cry of pain and surprise from her. The hard part was biting back and hiding her moans of pleasure. Only the Raven at either side of her and Gwydion were close enough to sense and perhaps even smell her arousal, no one said a word though and the queen was too far away to know a thing. As was evident by her next words.

"Listen to how prettily the child screams. I believe she is regretting her bravado now, but Lord Gwydion does seem to be enjoying himself a bit too much, doesn't he?" she cooed to her court. Something Andais only did before being particularly cruel. " Perhaps i should insist he break that pretty skin of hers and fuck her while she is attached to the cross. That would certainly be a show!" a murmur went through the court and Ashling froze. She would happily have Lord Gwydion be her first lover, but to do it in front of her father and the entire court was another matter all together. " Now pick up the pace and turn her screams into music for my ears before I make you do just that, Dream Lord!"

 

[The_gladiator]

There was a sputtering noise that accompanied the murmurs at Queen Andais’s words. Gwydion knew who it had to be. He hoped that Lord Acanthus wouldn’t ruin this, the progress he had made. His wrath could only spoil the delicate balance Gwydion had strove to create here. He didn’t even spare the lord a glance though; he was in a headspace that was allowing him to do this. Oh, there was certainly that part of him that enjoyed what he was doing, the way he had turned it into an art form. He still detested the public display it forced him to put on.

Gwydion made no response to Andais’ order. He did flick a gaze to her and gave a slight shrug. He circled around in front of Ashling once again. He studied her for a long moment. Just as the ravens to her either side, Gwydion couldn’t help but to be aware of the young woman’s arousal. His eyes seemed to be asking her a question. He finally simply mouthed trust me—there being no way to ask her if she minded if he exposed that arousal to the entire court.

The lord of sleep and dreams knew that he either needed to do as the queen ordered and up the number and intensity of strikes he gave her so she would scream more, or he had to do something else to get the crowd’s attention, and feed into another emotion Andais loved. If he did not feel like satisfying her inner sadist perhaps he could appeal to her lust, her hunger for sexual exhibitionism rather than her carnal desire to see someone in pain. In essence, could Gwydion satisfy her with humiliation rather than pain? Only time would tell

He let his left hand fall on her left hip, letting her know where he was but also to clue her in further that he was about to get—cute—as they say. He slowly let the leather tip of the crop slide down her spine again. He let it dip between those cheeks again, but this time he pressed a tad deeper on the down stroke, so he knew well that Ashling would feel the tip slip over her anus and then further. He let the tip trail even farther, slipping through her lower lips. By the way the leather slid through, he knew what he had smelled was accurate and as he drew the leather away he was rewarded by seeing her juices glistening over the tip of the crop. He held the crop up for everyone to see, as the crowd couldn’t have missed what he had done.

It became all too clear that he had made his point when there was the sound of a chair toppling over backwards and more of the spluttering he’d heard earlier, however other than a hushed round of murmurs that was the only sound to break the silence.

“So, you proved the girl is a strumpet and enjoying it, what of it Lord?” Andais snapped, however it almost came off as petulant, Gwydion was spoiling some of her fun. Gwydion again said nothing as he swung the crop through the air, a fine spray of her moisture flying to spatter on her back prior to the blow, making it all too clear to her what was all over the crop. There was a wetter smacking noise this time. He knew the wet leather would hurt even more, and probably give the queen the screams she also desired. He knew in that moment that his tactics were working. Petulant Andais might sound, but she also sounded intrigued, a hint of lust had begun to fill her voice. Now if they could only get through this scene without Acanthus challenging him to a dual they might all walk away from this with nothing but their pride broken, rather than their bodies.