The Princess and the Sorcerer.

[Niceandbrutal]

(Thread is closed for slut_in_white)

Jowan von Wolfenhorst was a healer in the employ of his duke. He'd always been able to instinctually heal or harm with but a thought, a talent that could very well have cost him his life if it weren't for the fact that he was a noble himself and the fortuitous healing of the duke after a nasty fall that otherwise would have cost the duke his leg. The duke took Jowan under his wing and brought him to his castle where Jowan was made the apprentice of the elderly sorcerer Falkenstaedtl, Falken for short. Jowan was a slow but steady learner, and while he was ambitious he never once made brooms to go berserk.

After a while, Falken died and Jowan came into his own as a powerful sorcerer. The Duke von Schell employed Jowan as a healer and as an assassin, Jowan being able to incapacitate and kill at a distance. Although his abiliy to kill was kept a secret, his infamy grew as bright heads put two and two together. A man so adept at healing would be equally adept at killing, the reasoning went. Jowan was feared by the duke's foes and revered by his friends for his healing powers.

At the age of 26, Jowan was in his prime. Being able to manipulate bodies, he took well care of himself. At 5'10" and with a lean and muscled body, Jowan was the picture of constitution and health. He had black hair, dark brown mischievous eyes and a quick smile revealing a flash of white teeth in a healthy tanned face. He had no problem getting his way with the servant girls of the castle and he could ensure that no-one of his affairs got pregnant after dalliances with him. Life was good, but dull.

Each day he received patients with real or imagined ailments. Each day was a mindnumbing parade of men with impotence problems, children with bloody noses or scabs, women with menstrual cramps and so forth. Jowan grew restless in what he considered a gilded cage. He was young, damn it! He wanted to be free, on an adventure! He wanted to... to... he wasn't sure what it was he missed, but he knew he wouldn't find it in the duke's immense castle. His thoughts hadn't yet turned to escaping though.

During the last couple of weeks, the Duke von Schell, the richest noble in the land, had brokered a deal with his king. He was to relent on some of the king's debt if he could marry his youngest daughter, a young woman of beauty beyond compare and a refined nature. The whole castle was abuzz with activity and rumors and even Jowan was caught up in the hubbub over the wedding. No-one in the castle were to see the princess, soon-to-be-duchess, befor the wedding day. The castle was cleaned and decorated, everyone chipping in to help. Jowan stood by and healed people after various mishaps.

Finally the big day arrived. Everyone stood in the courtyard, waiting expectantly for the fairest young woman in the land to appear and start married life as the Duchess von Schell. Jowan thought it patently unfair for her that she was to marry a man forty years her senior, but of such suffering alliances emerged. Everyone were dressed for the occasion. Jowan stood in his finest red and black robes, fidgeting uncomfortably.

An expectant hush fell over the crowd as the rumble of horses was heard. A rider bearing the royal banner emerged, followed by the royal gurdian knights on fierce steeds clad in shining armor. Then a gilded wagon emerged, the royal carriage. As it stopped, everyone tried to get a glimpse of the passengers. The king and queen were seen, and there...

The door of the carriage opened and the most beautiful woman Jowan had ever seen emerged. His heart lurched.

 

[slut_in_white]

Princess Adrianna kept her hands clenched in her lap as the carriage bumped and jostled down the road toward her new home.

Her new home. Where she would spend the rest of her days cooped up in this massive, empty castle to provide companionship to a man three times her age. And with warts, according to the rumors.

She swallowed thickly, fighting back the tears that threatened her suddenly. Her father would be angry if she started to cry now. She knew it was her duty to secure this alliance, no matter how miserable it might make her. She peered out the window at a pair of young girls walking through the gates of the castle in the distance, no doubt excited to see the wedding, and she envied them. So often, young girls wished to be princesses, but at the moment, Adrianna wished to be anything else.

The carriage came to a stop and, out the window, Adrianna could see what had to be the entire county gathered in the courtyard. She had to admit, the castle was quite beautiful. Sadly, the old man waiting for her at the doorway leading into the keep was not. She had met him only once before, and found him to be crass and lecherous. And he smelled terrible. She frowned, then caught a sharp look from her father and smoothed her expression into careful neutrality.

Adrianna heard the collective intake of breath from the crowd when she stepped out of the carriage into the afternoon sun. She wore a dress of white silk, threaded with gold that sparkled in the sun. Her hips swayed slightly as she stepped down from the carriage to the ground, gliding gracefully for several steps before stopping to wait for her parents. Her hair was the colour of spun copper, falling in soft curls over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. She was small, both short and fine-boned, making her look frail, though she was quite strong as a result of being a very talented horseback rider. She looked up at the sky for a moment, seeking an excuse to avoid eye contact with her husband-to-be. She closed her wide, crystal blue eyes for a moment, letting the sun warm her flawless, cream-coloured skin.

Her father took her gently by the arm and she opened her eyes to him. He offered her a genuinely happy smile, which she returned, convincing despite the turmoil inside her.

To anyone watching, she would have looked the picture of a blushing, happy bride-to-be. No one there could have guessed she felt like she was walking to her own funeral.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan was spellbound, an irony that wasn't lost on the sorcerer as he watched Princess Adrianna emerge from the royal carriage. Jowan had been fortunate in his placement in the courtyard. Being one of the important functionaries of the castle and a noble to boot, he was placed fairly close to the duke. Therefore he caught the princess' hesitancy as she emerged from the carriage. He didn't know why she'd hesitated just then, but he made an educated guess as he cast his eyes on the duke.

Duke von Schell stood looking at the princess with a lecherous and obviously gloating look on his face. The duke had always had problems with his warts and Jowan had exhausted himself trying to heal them. But as Falken had told him, some persons were incurable and that some ailments were symptoms of "deeper issues". When Jowan asked just what that was supposed to mean, Falken had just winked and said: "You'll find out."

As the King, Queen, and Princess passed Jowan, he bowed his head like everyone else. But he tried watching the princess from the corner of his eyes as she passed. She was smiling now, and blushing. But Jowan had a feeling that just might be playacting on her part. She seemed barely out of her teens and she was being married off to a boar of a man who might have been her grandfather. The duke had children from his previous marriage that could have been her parents. Jowan thought it obscene, yet there was little he could do.

As the royal trio reached the duke, Jowan plainly heard him addressing Princess Adrianna thus: "Welcome, my pretty bride! I trust the journey was comfortable? I look forward to having you in my chambers tonight!" Jowan cringed along with the rest of those close enough to hear the duke's words. The thought of the duke pawing at this pretty young woman was almost blasphemous and without really meaning to, Jowan's thoughts rendered the duke impotent.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna thought it a testament to her talent as a diplomat that she didn't cringe along with everyone around her at the dukes words. Even her father, the man who had arranged this whole marriage, made a face.

Good, she thought, I want him to know how much this alliance is going to cost me.

Adrianna, for her part, simply cast her eyes down, biting her lip. She couldn't stop the way her blush flared up further, but if the duke's expression was any indication, he clearly found her blush to be somewhat endearing. He didn't even realize his words were inappropriate - he was paying no attention whatsoever to the reactions of anyone else.

The ceremony began, then, a priest stepping out into the sunlight to speak about love and companionship and the virtues of a good husband and wife. Adrianna immediately found herself wishing she had a husband with any of them. She felt her stomach clenching against a sob that was threatening her throat again, so she tried to think of the positive attributes of the duke, hoping it might ease her suffering.

He was known to be quite kind to his subjects, providing for them with his immense wealth during seasons of drought. And he was very immensely wealthy - for the rest of her life, she was sure that she could have anything money could buy. And yet, none of this made her feel better. She wanted little but a horse to ride and enough household things to be comfortable. She knew people who were kind in public could be horrible in private - her elder sister was a perfect testament to that.

Adrianna blew out a soft breath and closed her eyes as if listening more closely to the priest's speech. Instead, she let the words flow in one ear and out the other, focusing on her breathing to calm herself. It would not do to have her break down in the middle of her wedding.

She could escape to her chambers and cry later. That, at least, was a small blessing - she had chambers of her own here, not shared with the duke. They were adjoined to the duke's chambers, but there was a door between them, one she hoped could be locked.

The priest finished his speech, ending it with "You may kiss the bride." Adrianna, still not quite listening, only realized what was happening when the duke grabbed her by the waist, pulled her to him and kissed her. She inhaled in surprise and couldn't help the grimace that flashed across her face at the smell of his breath. She held still, letting him press his mouth and tongue against her closed lips. The duke's hand drifted lower, until it was pressed against her bottom and he squeezed. Adrianna squeaked in surprise, and her mouth opened for long enough to allow the duke to shove his tongue inside. Then he pulled away, grinning at her.

Adrianna had to swallow the sound of another sob. Her socially inept husband seemed completely bent on humiliating her. If this was how he behaved in public, what was he going to do to her in private? She found her already significant dread for her wedding night growing.

"Come!" shouted the duke, "Let us feast!"

The crowd surged toward the door, and the duke, the priest and Adrianna ended up walking alongside their subjects as the people entered the huge keep and moved toward the large feast set up in the largest of the keep's halls. The duke seemed distracted enough, either at the though of hosting the feast or the thought of eating it, that he didn't pay all that much direct attention to Adrianna on their way to their seats. In fact, he payed so little attention to her that he was completely oblivious to it when he stepped on the hem of her dress. Adrianna felt the pull quickly enough to stop before the dress tore, but she was off-balance when she did, and ended up falling into the person next to her, grasping at his sleeve and shoulder for balance. She looked up, but her voice died mid-apology when her gaze met the handsome face of the castle's resident sorcerer.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan felt a twinge of pity for the princess as he watched the wedding ceremony and he almost retched when he saw the duke kissing the poor girl. Jowan had had the duke in his lab many a time to clear his warts, to little or no avail. When examining the duke, he couldn't help but notice his horrible halitosis. Jowan had dropped discrete hints about this to the duke, but he didn't get through to the old pigheaded man. And now he had his tongue in the princess' mouth! It was too horrible to contemplate.

Jowan was only too happy to oblige when the master of ceremonies waved the throng inside with the newlyweds. Jowan found himself passing the bride close by and he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. It was plain to see that she was unhappy with this arranged marriage. And why should she be happy? The duke's popularity was the result of a carefully orchestrated campaign of goodwill towards the people he secretly loathed. In private, the duke was a gruesome man. Quick to anger and vain, he'd employed Jowan to kill over petty grudges and Jowan, much to his shame, had complied. Several of the servant girls had come to him with bruises and broken bones after the duke had had his savage way with them. Jowan sighed again. The only bright spot he saw in this was that he'd be there to mend the princess if need be.

Lost in his reverie, Jowan acted on instinct when he turned and caught the person that had gripped him with small strong hands as she tripped. He grabbed under both her arms to arrest the fall of a cascade of copper hair and white silk. She looked up to apologise but she stopped mid-sentence as their eyes met. Time stood still for Jowan as he looked into those painfully beautiful eyes. He felt himself blush, seeing the same reaction in her. For what seemed a little eternity he could just hold her and look into her eyes, dumbstruck.

The spell, such as it were, was broken by the duke's insistent voice: "Come now sorcerer, I trust she didn't hurt herself enough for you to give her a full examination! But I know you will have ample opportunity to examine her more closely when she's heavy with my children!" He guffawed at his own witticism and slapped the king's back. The king forced a laugh at his daughter's expense, pain in his eyes for all to see.

Jowan helped Adrianna back on her feet, stammering and blushing all the while. "Um, ah, your royal hi- your majesty, I, um, I was thoroughly pleased to be of help in assisting, that is... are you all right, your duche- Milady?"

Jowan's ears turned bright red as a titter at his expense spread across the room. Even the servants were unable to contain themselves as he stood there like a shy teenager, trying to talk sensibly and failing miserably. The duke was not pleased though. He glowered at Jowan and leaned in to whisper with that horrible breath of his: "I know how foolish young men can be, Jowan. Make any advances towards MY bride and you shall live to regret it!"

Jowan backed away, more in revulsion than fear. The duke seemed pleased by that and he returned to Adrianna, grabbing her by the waist and kissing her. It seemed like he was marking his territory more than anything else. Then he clapped his hands and spoke: "Please! Be seated all! Let the feast commence!" Jowan just wanted to die, especially when he again cast his eyes on Adrianna and saw a pained expression pass over her lovely face.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna couldn't help but feel badly for the man her new husband had called Jowan. He seemed certainly kind enough, if perhaps a bit confused about her title. She could not fault him for that - most nobles would beat anyone of lower rank who did not refer to them properly, and her title had only just changed five minutes ago. It was enough to make anyone stumble. She recognized the look on his face when he had been staring at her, but he wasn't obvious or crude about it. Men leered at her all the time - he had been looking at her with something softer or more gentle. Still lust but, for once, not unpleasant. She hated the way the duke called him out in front of the entire crowd, especially given how infinitely more digusting the duke was.

She stood still as stone when the duke kissed her again, this time adamantly refusing to open her mouth for him, no matter how he pressed his tongue to her lips. She allowed him to kiss her, but she could not bring herself to respond.

The feast was a pleasant distraction from the miserable truth of the occasion. The food was wonderful and there was a constant parade of entertainment that allowed Adrianna a polite excuse to completely ignore her new husband. It was certainly much more pleasant than speaking with her progressively more drunk husband.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan excused himself at the earliest opportunity. He had eaten and drunk enough, and the entertainment bored him. A succession of bards and jesters performed lovesongs and ballads and risqué sketches pertaining to the wedding night. The duke and his cronies roared with laughter from the entertainment. Adrianna seemed to be distracted for the time being. For now, maybe that was enough.

Jowan's exit did not go unnoticed or unremarked, however. As he got up, the duke clasped his eyes on him. "JOWAN! Leaving so soon? It's my wedding feast! Approach me!" Jowan had little choice in the matter if he wanted to still be in the duke's good graces. As the hall fell silent, Jowan approached the table with the royal couple and the newlyweds. With downcast eyes he answered: "You wanted to see me, Milord?"

"Jowan, please show us how a lesser noble like yourself approaches and addresses your new duchess. Go on now!" Jowan had been prepared for this. He approached the table and was about to bow when one of the jesters, signalled by the duke, shoved him to the ground. Von Schell roared with laughter and pounded his goblet on the table. Jowan stood up and warned the jester off with an angry glare before giving Duchess Adrianna a proper bow. "I have work to attend to, Milord and Milady. May I please be excused?"

The duke grew tired of him and dismissed him. Jowan went back to his chambers and dismissed his servant. Alone, he wept. He felt pity for Adrianna. But more than that, he realised that he'd fallen for her. He loathed the duke. He'd forced himself on one of the loveliest women Jowan had ever seen and he had humiliated Jowan in public. As the evening grew late, sleep eluded him. He instead fell into a trance as he thought of Adrianna. Without fully realising it, he was scrying. His disembodied eyes sought her out in her chambers.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna found herself unable to find any redeeming qualities in the duke. The way he had forced Jowan into humiliation was too much; she very nearly snapped at him, to tell him off and chastise him for his awful behavior. But something kept her quiet - there was something unspeakably cruel in the duke's hooded, drunken expression, and she already feared for what he would do to her in his chambers later that night. She was sure embarrassing him would only make it worse.

As the night grew late, Adrianna found herself shifting away from her new husband as his hands started to seek out her body, apparently oblivious to the fact that they had hundreds of eyes on them. She did her best to avoid his clumsy gropes and managed to succeed until the duke stood, grabbing her by the arm, and announced, "Now, my good subjects, I believe I have been more than patient in waiting to consummate this union."

Adrianna's stomach lurched and she though she might lose her dinner. The thought of getting any closer to the man was abhorrent, yet she knew she would have to. Much to her surprise, it was her father who came to her rescue.

"Now, my friend," the king said cordially, gently detaching the duke's grip on his daughter's arm, "let us go somewhere more quiet to discuss business while my wife prepares your bride for this night."

The duke teetered on his feet, clearly drunk enough that he had a difficult time even comprehending what the king was saying to him. The queen, meanwhile, took Adrianna by the hand and left the room with her before the duke could protest.

They reached her chambers, which felt much more comfortable than any of the rest of the castle, filled as it was with Adrianna's things. The Queen sat with Adrianna on the bed and looked upon her daughter with a large measure of pity.

"My dear, I fear honesty will have to be the best policy in this situation. I do not expect you to find love with your husband, but you will be happiest if you do your duty and bear him many children. He will treat you will as the mother of his sons, and he will not be permitted to touch you so long as you are heavy with his child."

Adrianna bit back a sob. Even her mother recognized that she would never find pleasure with this man. Her best option was to become pregnant so she would have a reason to refuse his advances. Her mother hugged her and then, using the least unpleasant terminology that she could manage, explained the mechanics of the act to Adrianna. They could hear the sound of the duke returning to his chambers through the adjoining wall, so the queen pressed a kiss to Adrianna's forehead, pity still filling her, and left.

The door between Adrianna's chambers opened and the duke stood there, his shirt open and revealing a hairy potbelly, a lewd smile on his face even as he had to hold himself upright against the doorframe. "Come here."

She stood obediently, swallowing hard to contain the bike rising in her throat. She was overcome with dread - how she even managed to cross the few feet between them was beyond her. Once she reached him, his hand snapped out and grabbed her by the arm. His hand went around her to squeeze clumsily at her backside while his other hand came up between them. He shoved his hand uncomfortably down the front of her dress, groping and moaning.

Adrianna stood still, letting his hands roam over her. Gods, she just wanted this to be over. The duke nearly keeled over backwards as he practically dragged her into his bedroom toward the bed. He did fall over, pulling her down on top of him, when he reached his bed. He tore her dress in his hurry to get her clothes off.

Adrianna discovered, much to her surprise, that she was crying silently. She had retreated inside herself, trying to withdraw and escape what was being forced upon her, so she hadn't quite recognized that she had tears rolling down her face. The duke either hadn't noticed or didn't care.

Once she was fully naked and curled up on his bed, he began to undress himself. He was having trouble with his buttons in his drunken, impatient state, so he ended up removing only his pants before crawling back on top of her. She felt his hips thrust against her leg a few times, and felt his flaccid penis slap against her thigh a few times. Then he crawled off her, cursing.

Adrianna opened one eye, only to see the duke sitting on the end of the bed, tugging rather violently on his still-limp cock. Her glowered at her. "Come here! Do something about this!"

Adrianna stared at him, lost. She didn't want to touch him, but perhaps more importantly, she had no idea what to do. Her mother had told her that her husband's manhood would grow on its own. She had no idea what she was supposed to do to make it grow. She felt a sliver of hope growing in her chest - maybe this would be a reprieve! Maybe she would be safe from him tonight!

"Did you not hear me?!" he snapped. "Fix this!"

Adrianna inches toward him, still certain that fixing it was the last thing she wanted to do for a multitude of reasons.

The duke groaned in exasperation. "Put your mouth on it!" he ordered, as if it was something she should have known to do.

Adrianna physically recoiled, gasping, "No!" before she could stop herself. The smell alone was enough to make her want to retch, and he wanted her mouth there?!

The duke's expression darkened. "You will do as I demand woman!" He crawled toward her clumsily on the bed. Adrianna pulled her knees up to her chest, leaning away from him. She was too afraid of him to actually move. He grabbed her by the hair and pushed her head down toward his crotch. She shrieked, yanking her head away from him. The duke growled and back-handed her across the face, knocking her to the floor. Then he wobbled, looked down at his still completely flaccid penis.

"Eh, I must have drank to much if the sound of a screaming girl doesn't do the trick." He pulled the blankets down and crawled into bed. Then he seemed to realize that the naked Adrianna was still curled up on the floor, staring at him. He motioned dismissively at her. "Get out."

Instantly Adrianna scrambled across the room, still half-crouching, and escaped into the relative safety of her chambers, locking the door behind her. She crawled into her bed, still naked, and pulled the covers up over her head the way she had as a child when she feared the dark. She stared for several long, silent moments at the closed door, then broke down and began to weep, crying herself to sleep.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

In his trancelike state, Jowan had seen all that had happened between the duke and Adrianna. He wondered now if rendering von Schell impotent had been a wise course of action but he concluded that she'd got off easy. Jowan had seen what the duke was capable of when he could perform in bed. He was savage. He loved to hurt and traumatize. Jowan could mend physical wounds and soften mental traumas, although the latter was a subtle and difficult discipline. It wasn't free of certain... risks either.

Jowan came out of his trance. The castle was silent and lay in darkness. He looked down his naked body to find that he had reacted in a healthy manner at the sight of the princess' naked body. His arousal was only tempered by the sight of her mistreatment by von Schell and her obvious discomfort. It was the sight of her hiding beneath the covers and crying like a little girl that had brought him out of the trance. He decided there and then that he should be her guardian.

His first course of action was to write this letter.
Your majesties.

You worry for your daughter in the hands of her brute of a husband, as well you should. Although I cannot, for obvious reasons, be with her more than is necessary, I will endeavour to ease her suffering and watch for her wellbeing as much as I can. No serious harm will come to her.

A friend.

Jowan went to the window and opened it. He held the letter gently in his hands and whispered "the royal sleeping chambers" and released it. The letter fluttered and flapped before taking to the air like a fragile bird. It reached a certain height before it unerringly sought out the bedchamber occupied by the king and queen. The letter landed smoothly on the queen's nightstand as she tossed and turned in troubled sleep.

Jowan went to bed, but sleep was late in coming. He was awoken by his servant with breakfast. He was gently scolded for sleeping so late. There was already a line of hung over revellers at his laboratory, he was told. Jowan thanked him and ate as much as he could stomach. Then he washed and got dressed in his workrobes. As he went to his laboratory he couldn't help but smile at all the people that couldn't hold their drink.

He expedited them quickly with orders for them to get food and water in them as soon as possible. The light chores done, he settled down to wait for more patients.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna woke early the following morning, near dawn. She hadn't drank very much last night, perhaps suspecting that she wouldn't had been able to stomach it with how nauseous the wedding had made her. She dressed herself in a simple chemise and an emerald green dress, then pulled a hooded cloak on over her shoulders. It was partly to ward off the morning chill and partly to hide the bruise blossoming on the side of her face from where the duke had hit her. Then she escaped into the garden, anxious to make herself scare in case the duke decided he wanted to try again this morning.

She drew little to no attention in the vast castle gardens, partly because the hood hid her face and her clothes were not precisely luxurious, but that was much of the reason she chose them. She knew her parents would seek her out, but she did not want them to see her face - it looks worse than it felt, and it hurt quite a bit. She knew her father loved her, and that this union was only made out of necessity. Despite her anger at him yesterday, she no longer wished to make him feel more guilty. She found herself wondering how she would hide it later to take lunch with her mother when she saw a pair of maids discussing their hangovers and the speed at which Jowan had fixed them. Her heart jumped in her chest at the thought of going to him. She wasn't certain why, but she felt she liked him, even though they'd had barely exchanged any real words. Thinking of him made a certain warmth gather in her belly, and she thought it dangerous to seek him out, given how the duke had reacted to his attentions toward her yesterday.

Perhaps she would have to avoid seeking him out in the future. She did not wish to be the cause of his further humiliation, but at the moment she required healing if she was going to ensure her poor mother didn't break down into tears at lunch when she saw Adrianna's face. Hiking up her skirt, she set off to explore the castle with the intention of finding this Jowan in his clinic so that he might see to her face. She adamantly refused to admit that she also simply wished to speak with him again, away from the jealous gaze of the duke.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan had had a busy morning. In addition to all the hangovers, two stablehands had gotten into a fight over one of the serving girls. She'd been bruised and battered and the stablehands had cut each other with knives. They'd been forcibly led to him and he'd healed them and eased all their turmoiled minds. Jowan sighed, for the first time comprehending how they felt.

He'd come to the inescapable conclusion that he had fallen in love with Adrianna. More than anything he wanted to escape the castle, as his love would be unrequited and impossible. But he'd sworn to aid her whenever he could and he couldn't break his vow because of his love for her. That would be nothing short of selfish. No, he had to tough it out.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. "Enter!" he implored, and the door creaked open. As if summoned to him, she stood before him. Adrianna, looking as beautiful as she had yesterday, despite her plain clothes and- ouch! He didn't have to guess what had caused her face to bruise. Even without his scrying he'd have known it was the duke that had marred her features.

A wave of pity washed over Jowan as he beckoned her inside. He bade her sit as he tried to focus his mind. "I take it you're here because of this?" he asked, tapping the side of her face lightly.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna nodded mutely, looking ashamed. She wasn't entirely sure why she felt such shame over her bruise - part of her wondered if maybe she was being unreasonable, if maybe her husband was normal and maybe her revulsion at his smell, appearance and behavior was simply a result of her being somehow spoiled. If maybe she had brought his anger down on herself by beig a bad wife.

She sat on a small cot used by Jowan for his healing, and cast her eyes to the ground. "Please, can you make it go away? I don't mind if it still hurts, I just don't want to to be visible." She paused, realizing she sounded terribly vain, and added, in a small voice, "I don't want to upset my mother before she leaves..."

 

[Niceandbrutal]

"I will make you good as new Adr- Milady. But I have to manually examine you to ensure no bones are broken. Bones don't knit the same way flesh does, you see."

He gingerly touched her bruised cheek, a sharp intake of breath from her confirming his suspicions. Her cheekbone had a small fracture. Jowan had to look away momentarily so as not to show how upset he was. "This will hurt, Milady. Brace yourself."

He gently placed his hands on her cheek as he started mending her bruised and broken flesh and bones. She winced and gave a short whimper, but was otherwise a good patient. In a few minutes she looked pristine and unblemished.

Jowan had noticed two things: Her skin was as luxuriously soft as it looked, and she was sad and upset. He took a wild chance and tried to empty his head as he sought to soothe her troubled mind. The love he felt for her couldn't hurt the soothing now, could it?

He stepped away and looked her in the eyes. "Are you feeling better at all, milady?"

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna held her breath as he worked, trying to contain the small sounds of pain that wanted to escape her throat. It hurt, but she recognized the pain as the same sort of sensations she felt years ago when she'd been bedridden after breaking her leg falling from her horse. It was a good sort of pain - the kind of pain that came of healing rather than harming. She was not afraid of it the way she was afraid of the pain the duke was sure to inflict upon her again.

The pain in her cheek had lessened to a dull throbbing, and she closed her eyes, savouring the warmth of Jowan's hand on her cheek. She had known coming here would be dangerous; her heart ached at the fleeting thought of having a man like Jowan for a husband - gentle, talented, handsome, and who looked at her the way her father looked at her mother. The gods were cruel to show her now what her life might have been like, had she been free to choose her own husband.

His hand withdrew from her face and she felt herself rocking forward, seeking to maintain the contact for as long as possible. Her eyes fluttered open as he asked her how she felt. She barely heard him, instead lifting her eyes for the first time since she arrived to lock her gaze with his. It was much like the first time, before the feast - her heart felt like it skipped a beat, and time seemed to slow to a stop. Her voice died in her throat and she was left simply gazing at him in silence.

The sound of footsteps passing by the door of the clinic jolted Adrianna out of her trance and she dropped her gaze back to the floor, blushing furiously. "I-I'm feeling much better now. Thank you."

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Adrianna seemed flustered for some reason. Jowan could have sworn they'd just shared an intimate connection, the way she blushed and averted her eyes. Maybe she... but no, that would be cruel and too good to be true. But he was sure there was love in her eyes as she'd returned his gaze. If so, this could be dangerous. The duke was an unforgiving man.

His reverie was interrupted as the door flew open and an all-too-familiar voice bellowed: "Jowan! I need your help with my pri-..." Silence followed as Duke von Schell took in the scene before him. His eyes narrowed. "So!" He strode inside, fury in his eyes. He advanced on Adrianna and Jowan stepped between them without thinking.

"I have JUST finished healing a vicious bruise on your wife's cheek, Mylord! And she was just about to leave. Now, is there something I can help you with, mylord?"

Adrianna beat a hasty retreat, closing the door behind her. Jowan heaved an inward sigh. He knew all too well why the duke was here. It was his flaccid member that caused him trouble. Ugh. He'd looked over the duke's nethers before. He seldom if ever washed down there. This was going to take a while.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna was sure she looked like a trapped deer when the duke burst into the room and immediately assumed the worst. She escaped quickly while Jowan dealt with von Schell's ill-advised fury. It was only afterwards, while she fled toward the solar where her mother was waiting for her, that she realized Jowan had stepped between her and the duke, his arms out in what was unmistakably a protective gesture.

She smiled to herself, blushing again. The gods only knew she needed some bright spot in the darkness that was her future. Even if they could never be together, the knowledge that someone here cared for her at all was a welcome prospect that brought her more hope than so small a token probably should have.

Adrianna carefully arranged her face into a pleasant, neutral sort of smile, trying not to hide her despair, but rather to hide the love-sick look she was sure she was wearing. Her mother would never think for an instant that such an expression was brought on by the duke, and she did not wish for her mother to worry over some potential illicit relationship.

Even if she was married to the worst possible man, she could not bring herself to think that engaging in any kind of relationship with Jowan was a good idea. Not for the sake of respecting her husband, but rather because she feared the terrible things the duke would do if he ever discovered or even suspected such a thing.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Duke von Schell was angry. "I could not perform with my bride last night! She is a beautiful young girl and it's a shame she's deprived the love of a real man like myself. Fix it, Jowan! Fix it or so help me, I will start to suspect you have something to do with my impotence!" He leaned in towards Jowan, his horrible breath washing over him like a nauseating wave. "I saw the way you two looked at each other yesterday. I will not be cuckolded by an upstart son of a lowly baron with a few magic tricks up his sleeve. Now FIX ME!"

Jowan mustered all his patience. "Mylord, there are limits even to the magics I wield. Now, look at your warts, Mylord. What HAVEN'T we tried to get rid of them? Some things are beyond my abilities to cure. Age takes its toll, I cannot reverse the effects of aging." The next thing Jowan registered was that he was lying on the floor, seeing stars as pain seared through his head.

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!?" The duke roared. "You want to convince me that I am no longer able to make love, that I cannot take my wife as is my right and her duty!? You want her for your own! I'll kill you before that comes to pass, Sorcerer!"

That was too much. Jowan stood up, anger flashing in his eyes. "Mylord. How many times haven't I helped you and members of your household? Yes, I am a sorcerer. A very powerful and dangerous sorcerer. You've made me so, and I have served you well and true. I do not presume to steal your wife away from you, I am not stupid and I value life far too much to do anything foolish. For what it's worth, I'll give it a try. But I have to warn you, this magic is unstable and might have repercussions I have no control over. I want you to understand and acknowledge this before we proceed."

After a short stunned silence, the duke nodded. He'd never experienced someone talking back to him like this and he was dumbstruck.

"Very well" Jowan said, "then we proceed."

Jowan prepared a complicated bit of summoning magic. During one intense session with Falken, an imp from Hell had appeared. The imp had been at their mercy, and had promised to serve either one of them if ever they should need his services. Speaking the infernal language, Jowan ordered the imp thus: The duke should be able to perform sexually EXCEPT with Adrianna! He could gorge himself to his heart's content with every other woman in the realm, but NOT Adrianna. The imp smiled wickedly, relishing the thought of denying the duke the woman he most desired. "It shall be as you command, sire" it whispered. Invisible and insubstantial, it flew inside the duke's head and immediately set to work on his impotence.

The duke grinned as his nethers stirred. "Thank you Jowan, I'll never doubt you again!" he said with an insincere smile. He pulled his trousers back on and exited, leaving Jowan to heal the bruise from the vicious backhand of Duke von Schell.

 

[slut_in_white]

The king and queen departed that afternoon, leaving Adrianna feeling profoundly lonely in her new home. If one thing was certain, it was that she wanted to avoid the duke as much as possible, so she spent her afternoon exploring the castle, keeping to servant stairs and hidden passages.

It was bearing the dinner hour when she stumbled across the vegetable garden. There was a row of trees near the back, all in stunning spring bloom, so Adrianna crossed the garden toward them. She could smell the sweet nectar of the flowers from halfway across the garden and sighed with pleasure, reminded suddenly that it had been far too long since she had spent a day out riding - winter was only just relenting it's grip on the world, so she had been cooped up in the royal palace for moths before this.

She stopped below one of the trees, turning her face up toward the branches to catch the scent. Then she reached up and plucked one of the blooms, bringing it to her nose. A moment later, a voice called out from the only a few feet away. "Hey! Don't do that!"

Adrianna lifted her head, surprised. She had thought she was alone. A young servant girl around her age was glaring at her, but the girl's expression immediately shifted to one of fear as soon as she recognized Adrianna. She dropped immediately into a curtsy so deep Adrianna feared she might fall over, and began to tremble.

"Oh gods, mistress! I'm so sorry! I had no idea who you were! Please forgive me, please!"

Adrianna blinked at her, shocked by her reaction. She reached toward the girl, but stopped when the girl flinched violently. "Of course," she cooed soothingly, wondering why she was so afraid of punishment over such a minor infraction. It seemed the duke was even crueler than she thought. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be picked the blooms?" A gasp from the kitchen informed Adrianna that most of the kitchen staff had stopped to watch the exchange.

The girl looked up at her, eyes wide and still fearful, as if she believe the question to be some sort of trick. "Th-the blooms will grow i-into apples come autumn, Milady."

Adrianna smiled. "Ah, so there is one less apple for every bloom I pick." She reached out to the girl again, this time ignoring her flinch, and took her hand. "Stand up," she said, helping the girl to straighten. "It is I who should apologize, it seems. I did not realize I was causing harm. And so, I am very sorry for any damage I may have caused."

The girl gaped at her. "You... Well, of course you're forgiven, Milady. They're your apples anyway."

"And I should prefer to enjoy them as fruit rather than as flowers. So thank you for stopping me," Adrianna answered, smiling again before setting off again to further explore the castle grounds.

The kitchen staff was immediately set abuzz by the events, and within an hour, every servant in the palace was gossiping over Duchess Adrianna's shocking kindness, and the hope that perhaps life within the castle might improve with her gentler influence.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan kept to his laboratory most of the day. After the duke's visit there were no more visitors, however. He busied himself with making potions and poultices as well as reading up on spells to calm the mind. Adrianna should be safe from any harm from his spell. Adrianna. Ever his thoughts returned to her and the two times their eyes had locked. There was something between them, he was almost sure of it. His own feelings on the matter were pretty damn sure, at least.

Sighing, Jowan dropped all pretenses of busying himself with menial tasks. He did what he'd wanted to do all day. He sat down in his chair and entered the trance necessary to scry. His disembodied eye roamed the castle, searching for Adrianna. At long last he found her, approaching the apple trees. He witnessed for himself her kind and gentle nature as she apologised to a servant. It only confirmed what he'd suspected all along about her. The way people spoke about her, the way she carried herself, her eyes, all convinced him that she was that rarest of creatures: a beautiful personality in a beautiful body.

Jowan broke out of his trance then and wept bitterly. What he'd seen had only deepened his feelings for Adrianna. For a royal princess to treat a servant almost like an equal was almost unheard of. Yet here she was. And she was out of bounds for him because of that brutal wretch of a man. Jowan leaned over his desk, venting his frustration and sorrow.

He almost missed the dinnerbell. Every day, everyone of a certain standing were expected to partake in dinner in the main hall. Jowan cleared up his swollen red eyes and wiped away the tears as he rushed to dinner. On his way there he overheard several of the serving staff gosipping about Adrianna's kindness. As he entered the hall he found everyone else already seated. He tried to make his way to his place with as little fuss as possible. When he found his seat he stole a glance at Adrianna. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn she had stolen a glance at him as well.

The duke sat next to her, an expectant and lecherous grin plastered over his visage. Jowan only hoped the imp would serve him well.

 

[slut_in_white]

Adrianna arrived at dinner wearing a dark blue dress a little more fitting of her stature, and immediately regretted it. It was habit for her to dress nicely for dinner, as per her parents expectations, but she found the way the duke looked at her repulsive. She took her seat, shifting her chair as far from the duke as she could without it being noticeable.

Jowan came rushing in a moment later. Her eyes immediately took in his miserable expression and her heart ached for him. She wondered what had happened to make him so upset, and she wondered (mistakenly) if the duke had done something to him. Her distain for the duke grew immediately.

Over the course of the evening, she kept glancing up at Jowan. She kept her looks subtle enough that the duke didn't notice, but she knew Jowan caught her looking several times. Each time she blushed and looked away, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

Dinner ended and the duke, who seemed terribly impatient, quite rudely left before any of his guests, dragging Adrianna after him. She felt sick, knowing what was coming next.

He shoved her into his room and commanded her to strip. She frowned, unable and unwilling to hide her disgust and disdain from him as she mechanically began to remove her clothes until she stood before him in her underwear, using her arms to shield herself from his gaze.

"Lie down," he ordered, his eyes roving over her form, "and learn what it is like to be with a real man." He cackled, and Adrianna felt herself swallowing her bile again.

She got onto halfway to the bed when the duke gave a growl of frustration, gazing down at his own crotch, his pants halway down his legs. He tugged on his limp member, cursing at himself, then seemed to realize Adrianna was still standing there, watching him. She could see the angry humiliation on his face and it dawned on her that this was embarrassing for him - his inability to perform was humiliating. She couldn't help the little gleeful smirk that appeared on her face. It was unbecoming of her to enjoy his humiliation so much, but she couldn't help herself.

"What are you grinning at, bitch?!" the duke snapped, lashing out at her with his fist.

Adrianna's expression immediately changed to one of fear, and she jumped backwards out of the way, hunching over into a protective stance, afraid he might try to hit her again. She backed into a corner, watching him suspiciously.

The duke glowered down at his impotent manhood and then at Adrianna. "Get out," he snapped. "You don't deserve to share my bed, wench."

Adrianna scurried into her room, locking the door. She turned, checking to see how thick it was, whether it would block out enough sound, then she threw herself down onto her bed and began to laugh. She didn't deserve him? What a toad of a man! She knew what it really was: his impotence was embarrassing but he could never admit to it with an ego like his, so he gave her that excuse instead. His ego was so fragile and he was so out of touch with reality, she wondered how he could possibly have managed to elevate himself to the wealth and status that he had. He must have had dozens of people working for him who did everything. He certainly couldn't have managed it on his own, given his childish behavior.

It felt good to laugh, even if it was at the expense of her husband rather than out of true joy. She had worried that she would never laugh again. She crawled into bed, still smiling, and settled down to sleep only to find that she was not sleepy. Instead, her thoughts began to drift, and they continued to return to Jowan. She felt her body growing warm as she considered what it might be like if he was on the other side of that door...

 

[Niceandbrutal]

As soon as the duke dragged Adrianna off, Jowan was on his feet as well. He sped back to his chambers and fell into the trance just as she finished undressing. Jowan felt a pang of both lust and love when he saw her. He'd fantasized about helping her undress, caressing her lovely skin all the while. The duke on the other hand had ordered her to strip, turning what could have been a sensual act into a mechanistic one. He was like a child with a newly wrapped gift. He didn't relish in the excitement that went with unwrapping, he only wanted to see what lay underneath.

Jowan started, then heaved a sigh of relief as the duke lashed out at her only for her to dodge his fist. He chuckled at the duke's obvious embarassment as he chased her from his chambers. He loved her laughter. His heart warmed even further by the sound of it and the look of relief and happiness evident on her face. He checked back on the duke.

The duke was pacing his chambers, muttering and grumbling in frustration. His excitement was obvious, his rigid manhood on full display. He tried approaching Adrianna's chambers only to have his manhood droop and turn flaccid. Moaning in frustration he tugged at his manhood. As his shaft again throbbed to life he started for Adrianna's door only to have it deflate again. He whined, defeated. His manhood again began to grow and the duke resigned, pleasing himself manually. The imp was delivering on his promise.

He moved his disembodied eye back to Adrianna's chambers, wanting to watch her in peaceful sleep. He found her awake.

 

[slut_in_white]

As a princess, Adrianna's chastity was of the highest value, and thus she knew shockingly little of her body and her sexuality. That was why, when she felt the warmth growing inside her at the thought of Jowan waiting for her in her husband's chambers, she wasn't entirely familiar with it. She had experienced lust before, but never so intensely and never had she the opportunity to explore it before.

She rolled over so she was lying flat on her back, her body flushing as she imagined his kiss - against her mouth, then against her neck, and then trailing lower across her body. She closed her eyes, using two fingertips to follow the same path: they started pressed against her lips, then trailed slowly along her jaw to the sensitive spot just below her ear, down over the long column of her neck, across her collarbone and then disappearing down under the blanket toward her chest. She hesitated for a moment, surprised by the sensation of her nipples hardening just at the thought of touching them. She lifted her free hand as she lowered the one still resting on her collar, each moving to one of her pert breasts. The movement shifted the blanket, revealing only her left hand and breast. She massaged the soft flesh, slowly and gently at first, her breathing growing quick. Her fingertips brushed over her hardened nipple and she gasped, her spine arching instinctively. Immediately, her careful, exploratory massage took on a more urgent tone as she began to knead both breasts with greater vigor, her fingertips occasionally brushing and lightly pulling on her sensitive nipples. She drew in a sharp gasp each time her fingers gave a tug and her back kept arching while her hips began a slow thrust, heat pooling between her legs as a reaction to her ministrations.

With a fire going in the fireplace in the corner and the sudden heat her body was producing, Adrianna found herself feeling uncomfortably warm under her blankets. She threw the off quite suddenly, leaving her naked lying on her sheets, exposed but for the sheen of sweat covering her skin. Her legs were pressed together but, as one of her hands returned to her breasts, she pressed the other flat onto her stomach and trailed it down towards the throbbing valley between her legs. She moaned quietly at how slowly her hand was moving - part of her ached for her fingers to reach her throbbing slit while the rest of her found great enjoyment in savoring every sensation. She drew in a ragged breath as her fingers finally traced their way down her slit. She felt suddenly like her insides were on fire, and her fingers slipped experimentally between her lips, seeking out the source of the heat. She moaned quietly again, desperate to find it, feeling like the hot hunger inside her would finally be satisfied. Her fingers found her aching nub and she froze, her hips lifting off the bed at the sudden and extraordinary pleasure that simple touch granted her. She pressed one fingertip against it an gave a full-throated moan, gasping as she tried to catch her breath, her hips rolling on earnest against her hand as she tried to grant herself greater friction.

Her thoughts had drifted away from Jowan, distracted as she was by the simple sensations she was feeling, but her mind returned to him at that moment and she imagined that it was his hands, large, warm, calloused and gentle, were kneading her breast and toying with her clit. She gave a small cry of pleasure, her hands moving faster as heat flooded her body with that single thought alone.

She started dragging the length of her index finger against her little nub. She was tossing her head back and forth, moaning wantonly. She felt like that hunger for more pleasure was going to eat away at her until there was nothing left, but she didn't know how to bring herself higher. Then her mind was struck by the thought of Jowan entering her the way the duke was unable to and, at the same moment, curled her index finger to that it entered her slowly as she dragged the length of it along her clit. She had to lift her hand from her breast to contain the cry that issued from her throat before she could stop it. She spread her legs, hoping to give herself greater access, and slid her single finger in to her lowest knuckle, feeling the way her muscles contracted around her digit, then drew it out until only her fingertip parted her slit, and plunged it back in again, forcing her to muffle another cry.

She felt like she was losing her mind to the lust, but some instinct told her she was close to satisfying the intense desire she felt. She turned her head, biting down onto her pillow so she could muffle her cries without having to use her hand. Then she moved her free hand down to toy with her sensitive little bundle of nerves while her other hand continued to slide more and more quickly in and out of her. She entered quickly into a pattern - plunging her finger inside and pausing for a moment while she pinched her clit, feeling the way it made her spasm and throb, then draw her finger back out again so she could repeat the process. After two of these, she was nearly sobbing with the pleasure and the need for more. After six, her entire body shuddered and spasmed, her hips bucking of their own accord against her hands. Her vision went white and she found she couldn't quite breathe, making her go silent for the first time since she had started. She continued to pleasure herself, riding out her first orgasm for as long as she could stand it, her hips lifted high off the bed. Then, all at once, she withdrew her hands from between her legs, dropped her hips back down to the mattress and opened her eyes to stare up at the ceiling, quivering and breathing hard.

She lay there like that for several minutes, basking in her afterglow. Then, once she felt like she could stand, she wobbled as much as walked over to her wash basin, cleaned herself up, then wobbled back to bed, pulling the blankets back up over her body and falling promptly asleep.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

Jowan wasn't prepared for what came next. The way she traced her body with her fingers, the way she kneaded her breasts... this told him of a sensuality he'd only suspected in her. She seemed inexperienced, but her eagerness more than made up for it. He gasped and nearly broke his trance when she flung aside the covers and exposed her naked and aroused body. Jowan couldn't help but notice that he himself was now erect, despite the trance.

As she kept exploring her body, Jowan started thrusting against his robes while he kept watching her. He imagined himself pleasuring her with his hands, imagined that he was the cause of her moans and squeals. Then she found her pleasure button and her whole body seemed electrified as she arched her back and clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a throaty moan. As she sought out more pleasure from her nethers, Jowan started thrusting against his robes more violently as his lust mounted.

Her orgasm was a thing of beauty, her surrender to her body's violent reaction was sweet and a thing to envy. Then the most remarkable thing happened. She opened her eyes and lay there in the afterglow, staring right into his scrying eye. She couldn't possibly know he was spying on her, but it was as if she looked into his eyes in the throes of passion. That did it for Jowan. As the trance broke his penis erupted, soiling his robes. Cursing, he got up and stripped. He threw his robes in the hamper and washed himself, unwittingly mirroring Adrianna.

He lay down to sleep. He tossed and turned for a while before giving in to temptation and going into his trance again. He wanted to see her again before he fell asleep. He entered her room with his eye again and admired her peaceful sleeping form. He couldn't tear away. She was so beautiful. He relished every little detail of her. The way her hair shone in the light from her fireplace. The contented expression on her face. Her calm and quiet breath. Jowan fell asleep in his trance, a part of him lingering in her room to watch over her.

He awoke when the chambermaid entered Adrianna's chambers. He snapped out of his trance. It was still early morning. He sat and reflected over his actions this night. He felt that it was wrong to spy on her without her knowledge. His spying was only partially fueled by a desire to protect her. Jowan had always been scrupulously honest with himself. He lusted after her, and he suspected he loved her as well. When he'd been with other women he'd always lusted after others as well. But when Adrianna entered his life he hadn't only lusted after her. No. He'd started entertaining sweet thoughts about married life with her and picturing her and him in day-to-day situations. This was new to him, and more than a little confusing.

He re-established his trance and went to her room. She was still asleep and the chambermaid was gone. Perfect. He wrote a letter to her.

Milady.

I cannot reveal my identity, but know that you are being watched by friendly eyes. You've gained a measure of popularity amongst the staff after your unwarranted show of kindness in the garden yesterday. I will make sure no serious harm will befall you.

A friend.

Repeating his trick with the flying letter, he sent it fluttering into her chambers, landing on her pillow. Then he washed and got dressed, contemplating today's chores. He was sure he'd see the duke again.

 

[slut_in_white]

When Adrianna awoke, it was still early, only just after dawn. She felt pleasantly warm and there was still a certain sensitivity between her legs after her actions last night. She rolled over and heard the crunch of paper before she saw it. She sat up, looking curiously at the note, and unfolded it.

Her heart swelled as she read it. It meant more to her than one could possibly imagine to have someone here who cared for her and wanted to see her safe. She couldn't bring herself to believe that her string of luck with the duke's impotence would last, and she couldn't imagine how this mysterious protector would prevent the duke from taking her violently when her luck finally ran out, but that someone even wanted to save her made the prospect a little less miserable.

She clutched the note to her chest as she climbed out of bed and prepared for the day. She felt childishly attached to it, and ended up slipping it into her pocket once she was ready. She escaped from her chambers as she heard the sound of the duke awakening, speeding down the hall in the hopes of avoiding him the way she had yesterday. She ended up in the gardens again, a different one from last time. The garden was so large that it spilled out of a small, open gate into the fields beyond the castle walls where there stood a massive labyrinthine maze with walls made of a dozen different kinds of flowering shrub. Grinning and knowing that her lout of a husband would never find her in there, she set off, content to lose herself in it for the rest of the morning.

 

[Niceandbrutal]

After breakfast, Jowan busied himself with the usual parade of denizens of the castle with illnesses and various ailments. There was a small outbreak of the stomach flu and the morning passed quickly. He'd had to make some housecalls as well as working in his lab. After the housecalls he returned to find the duke waiting for him.

Jowan knew why the duke was here before he opened his mouth, but he heard him out nevertheless. After the duke's lamentations had come to an end, Jowan sighed dramatically. "Mylord, i told you these magics were fickle, and you agreed to them being administered to you before I started working my magic. Now, as I understand it you become... flaccid whenever you go near or think of your wife? Maybe you're trying too hard? Maybe you're so nervous because you truly want to impress her that you grow limp from nervousness?"

To Jowan's consternation the duke did not grow mad at his words. He nodded quietly and sighed. "Yes Jowan, you did warn me. But I feel sorry for her. I-I think she must have dreamed about me in her sleep. I heard her moaning last night, you see. I so wanted to go to her, but how could I when I am not able to satisfy her?" If it wasn't for the fact that Jowan knew the full story, he'd almost have pitied the duke then. Instead, he looked at him sagely with his features in sympathetic folds and understanding nods accompanying the duke's sad story.

"My advice, Mylord, would be to forget about sexual congress with your wife for the time being. You are the duke, and I know that you can have your way with any wench hungry for money. It sounds brutal, but there it is. Spread your seed elsewhere for the time being. In time you hopefully will be able to make love to the duchess."

Defeated, the duke retreated as Jowan heaved a sigh of relief. He was spent from the encounter with the duke and his fighting against the stomach flu. He needed a break. He often went to the labyrinth of flowery hedges, enjoying the smell of the flowers and the calm within the maze. The only thing that could be challenging was the fact that the maze was alive through Falken's magic. It shifted when you weren't looking.

He went to the maze, wanting to be lost in beauty for a while. He entered the maze, unaware of Adrianna's presence there. He managed to maneuver to the center of the shifting labyrinth, and he lay down to savour the peace and quiet. Soon he fell asleep.