"The Queen's Assassin" (closed)

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

Morrow was only enjoying the feel of the warmth wholly surrounding him. Suddenly, hands were pulling him back above the water surface.

"Lord Morrow," Luna asked with concern. "Are you okay?"

He blinked the water from his eyes. They filled again from the water dripping down his forehead, so he shook it to clear them. He looked from the Queen to her Handmaiden. Then, feeling as though returning to life, he grabbed Stella and pulled her into the tub atop him. And. Laughed.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

Stella squealed in surprise as Morrow pulled her over the edge of the tub into the warm water, splashing it to the floor and all over her. She scrambled for a hold to get out, but as she did, Stella ended up with a handful of manhood. She didn't immediately know what her fingers had grasped, and when she realized that it was Morrow's cock, she quickly pulled her hand back, the result being that Stella fell directly into Morrow's torso and arms.

Her embarrassment was immeasurable, and Luna's laughter didn't help. Again, Stella flailed both her arms and legs in an effort to grab anything that wasn't Morrow. She got her hands on the tub's rim finally, but her dress and shift were an issue; the fabric was clinging to her legs, preventing her from parting her knees enough to get them -- then her feet -- on the tub's bottom to climb out.

Scrambling, Stella's knees finally came free of the cloth, but spreading them to find the hardwood, she only found Morrow's manhood ... with her womanhood!

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

Stella's squeal made Morrow laugh, just as it had Luna. The whole incident was turning out to be far funnier than he'd ever expected.

He didn't do anything to make it harder for the Handmaiden to escape the tub. But he also didn't necessarily do anything to help her. Morrow suddenly felt Stella's hand wrapped around his cock. It was only now that he realized that it had grown some since he'd entered the tub. The comfort of the bath had had an effect on Morrow that he only recognized now.

The shock was all too evident in Stella's reaction. She struggled to get control of herself. But that only landed her atop him. Morrow instinctively grasped her waist. He was fearful that she was going to fall facedown into the water again.

Luna's laughter continued as the mayhem did. Finally, Stella gained purchase on the tub to lift out. Two very obvious things became immediate to Morrow. The first was the Handmaiden's delicious bosom. The thing fabric of her dress and shift were glued to her young, firm tits. Her nipples, swollen and hard from either the unexpected excitement or their natural state, poked out at Morrow like fingertips.

The second thing he noticed was that she'd ended up with her thighs parted as her womanhood was just barely touching his balls. With his hands still on Stella's waist and without thinking of the ramifications, Morrow pulled the young thing up his body a few inches. Her pussy slid right atop his cock. He could feel fabric between his bared cock and her pussy. Maybe the shift was between them? Maybe it was another linen garment? All Morrow knew was that if it hadn't been there, he could have so easily moved Stella just another couple of inches this way, then that way, and been inside her.

But he could see the horror in Stella's eyes. And believe it or not after pulling her into the tub in the first place, Morrow wasn't really a cruel man. At least, not with women. So, he lowered his hands to her hips and lifted her upwards in an attempt to help her out.

"Sorry about that, Lady Stella," he apologized with a sincere tone. "I was only trying to be funny. I was inappropriate. Please forgive me."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

Stella felt Morrow pull her forward with his strong hands on her waist, and the feel of his erection -- partial or not, who knew and who cared? -- pressing hard against her pussy. She was, in fact, wearing a pair of linen underpants, and they might have been the only reason Stella's purity was taken from her at that moment.

At the same moment that Morrow lifted her weight from him, Stella managed to straighten out her legs; the result was that she was suddenly above the man, feet on the tub's floor, hands on its lip, as she looked right down into Morrow's face. Her heart was pounding hard and fast, the madness of what had happened overwhelming her brain and preventing her from moving any farther out of the bath.

"Sorry about that, Lady Stella," Morrow apologized, looking up to her. "I was only trying to be funny."

"Funny...?" she asked, repeating with more shocking emphasis, "Funny?"

"I was inappropriate," he told her, his tone sincere. "Please forgive me."

Stella hesitated, just remaining there over the top of him for a long moment as the water continued to drip down off of her and her drenched clothing. Her emotions were all over the place: she was embarrassed by the unexpected bath and the fact that she'd been so inappropriately close to the man's nakedness, also known as his cock; but she was also feeling some other emotion that she'd never felt in a man's presence, and she wouldn't realize until after she'd gotten out of the tub that it had been lust.

Suddenly, with her mind beginning to clear out some of the confused feelings, Stella leaned her weight to her left arm, reared back with the right one, and punched Morrow right in the nose. Oh, it could barely be called a punch, of course; it wouldn't even draw blood from his nostrils. But she thought that it made her point. With Luna finally offering a hand, Stella made her way out of the bathtub, hurried covering the distance to the privacy changing screen usually used by Luna when the male dressmakers were here showing her the latest fashions. Behind the screen, she looked down to her body and found the clothing stuck to her curves like a second skin. She almost laughed, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the outburst.

"Well, that was interesting," Luna said, standing over Morrow with a smile. She glanced toward the middle of the tub, finding that the lower water level and his excitement had left the tip of his cock just barely peeking out with its cyclops eye. She couldn't help but think Oh, I hate to waste a good stiffy ... but... She looked to Morrow's face again, telling him, "Finish up. I have food and drink for you ... and after you're done with those, we need to talk about the future."

Luna strolled to the screen, found Stella, laughed -- which caused her to blush and giggle -- and helped her out of the sticking wet layers of clothes to dry her off. A trip to her own walk-in closet and a few minutes of work, and the two of them emerged from behind the screen again. Stella walked tentatively toward Morrow, her gaze mostly on the floor before her, and apologized, "I'm sorry for hitting you, Lord Morrow."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

Stella didn't much appreciate Morrow's apology. Instead of accepting or refusing it, she punched him instead. It hurt, of course. But he'd done worse damage to himself after getting too drunk and falling on his face.

Luna helped her Handmaiden from the tub. Morrow watched with great interest as Stella padded barefoot across the stone floor or rugs. Her ass and even her legs were so wonderfully displayed by the clothing clinging to her. His only thought was how he wanted her even so much more now, despite being slugged.

"Well, that was interesting," Luna said, smiling.

He caught her looking down his body. His own glance found his cock poking a bit out of the seriously dirty water. Luna told him, "Finish up."

Morrow chuckled at his first thought. It involved his erection and either the Queen's mouth, the Handmaiden's pussy, or his hand. He wisely kept those ideas to himself.

"...after you're done with those," she said about the meal on the table, "we need to talk about the future."

He watched Luna head for the screen. Again, his gaze was on a beautiful ass. She disappeared, a moment later laughing with the other female. Morrow wondered what they were laughing about specifically.

He finished cleaning, then pulled the cork plug from the tub's side. The water rushed out a hole and into a gulley that took it Gods knew where. It might have been wasted to the outside of the castle. It might have gone to the animal pens. It might have gone to the laundry. Each castle had different uses for dirty bathing water.

He stood, lifted a bucket of clean water, and dumped it over his head. Shaking off, he then dried with a towel and stepped out to a fur mat. Someone in Luna's employ had retrieved some of his clothes from the cottage. Seeing them made him think of Clara for the millionth time since last he'd seen her. He would ask Luna about the girl. But not right now.

Morrow chose to don his warrior clothes. He sat at the table to eat. He initially did so quickly. He had barely eaten in four days. But then he remembered what gorging would do to a starving man. He'd nearly starved to death on a handful of occasions in his life. They'd all occurred for different reasons. But the results had been the same. He'd gorged on what food finally came to him. And then he'd retched it all up again.

"I'm sorry for hitting you, Lord Morrow," Stella told him after Luna led her out from behind the screen.

He stood and bowed politely to her. "You had every right, Lady Stella. I acted inappropriately."

They all sat to eat. Plenty of food and drink had been brought for all. Luna asked if Morrow had a plan for what came next. "There are a handful of conspirators still on the loose, My Queen. I'll direct my men on gathering them up. Since we've already held the public execution, I assume that you don't mind that we deal with the others at the time we find them?"

Morrow listened to Luna's opinion. He would agree to whichever way she wanted to take care of these people. He continued, "Lord Rolph of Windham has expressed a desire to chase after the kidnappers immediately. He is--"

He paused. He'd been about to say He is going to be here tomorrow. But then he remembered that he'd been in the dungeon for four days. He instead said, "I will have to make contact with him to see where we are on this, My Queen."

They discussed that some more, too, before he said, "I do have another project in mind. I learned of a gentleman operating a piracy scheme near the Mouth of the Western Yall. I hear it's rather profitable. This man holds the title of Count and has four or five hundred acres of mostly timber and wetlands in his name.

"My suggestion, if you are interested, My Queen," Morrow continued, "is to pay this man a visit and learn a little more about what he'd been up to. I suggest this, as opposed to simply cutting his head off and feeding it to the crocodiles, because no one has been complaining about this man's piracy. There must be a reason for this. One does not simply pay off a pirate on one's way to a distant market and not report it to the Authorities once you reach port."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Luna's bed chamber:

When Morrow brought up Rolph -- with whom the former had failed to meet as he'd been chained to a wall in the dungeon -- Luna informed him, "Lord Windham is here in the City now. He arrived yesterday ... which, as it happens, if the reason you are here clean, fed, and watered."

Stella couldn't help but chuckle, nearly spitting out the chunk of bread upon which she'd been chewing. When the others looked to her with curiosity, she gulped the food down, cleared her throat, and said meekly, "Sorry, My Queen, My Lord, it just ... well--"

"It sounded as though I was referring to Lord Morrow as I would refer to a stock animal," Luna filled in; she, too, chuckled a bit before looking to the man apologizing, "Forgive me, Lord Morrow. It wasn't supposed to come out that way. What I meant to say is that Lord Windham and I have been discussing the mission to rescue the kidnapped girls. I have him squared away with forces and supplies ... but we need your knowledge ... your intelligence connections ... before we proceed."

They discussed that a while before Morrow informed Luna, "I do have another project in mind." He spoke of the piracy taking place at the Mouth of the Western Yall. (OOC: map; bottom center). He wanted to deal with this pirate in a way that most might find unorthodox; most people would simply find the man and his accomplices and kill them all, but Morrow wanted to interrogate him first as there were questions that needed to be answered first.

"...no one has been complaining about this man's piracy," Morrow said. "There must be a reason for this. One does not simply pay off a pirate on one's way to a distant market and not report it to the Authorities once you reach port."

"I agree," Luna said, her response initially short and sweet. Morrow seemed to have his plan in place; what more did she need to say to show her approval? She did tell him, "Let me know what resources you need -- men, coin, other supplies -- and they are yours."

Luna had noted that during their hour-long meal and conversation -- as well as during the hour or so that preceded it -- Morrow had not once mentioned Clara. Luna had been prepared to inform him of the girl's situation and had simply been waiting, but now as their dinner and discussion neared its end and he still hadn't brought up his former partner in both work and pleasure, Luna wondered if whether or not she should simply remain quiet on the subject.

Then, without forewarning, Stella rose, crossed the room to the Queen's writing desk, retrieved and returned with a folded and wax-sealed piece of parchment, and set it next to Luna without a word. Luna looked between it and her Handmaiden with a hesitant expression, then moved the parchment to a place between her and Morrow.

"Lady Clara wished you to have this once you were able," Luna said. "She tried to write a message to you herself ... but, as you know, her literacy skills were not particularly..." Luna went silent a moment; she was in no way wanting to belittle Clara for only having the basic writing and reading skills afforded many people of the Peasant Class. "She asked me if I would write it for her ... which I did."

"She is well," Stella offered when the chance came. She would have said more if now for the glance she got from Luna that spoke volumes about how the woman Morrow wanted to wed and bed probably shouldn't be speaking about the current well-being of the woman he'd bedded but not wedded.

"When you are ready, Lord Morrow," Luna continued as she stood, indicating that the meal and discussion were over, "If you have more questions than those answered in Lady Clara's letter, I will answer them ... if I can." She looked between the two -- both stood as was appropriate when the Queen herself stood -- and finished, "For now, Stella, will you please show Lord Morrow to the quarters we have arranged for him here in the castle?"

"Yes, My Queen," the Handmaiden said, curtseying before circling around her for the door.

"Lord Morrow," Luna continued, "We had some of your things brought to the castle. They are here in your quarters ... quarters which are yours permanently, if you wish to keep them. I want you to feel at home here while the repairs are continuing at Orland House, which, by the way, have continued during your time with us." Luna had to suppress a smile at her quip about Morrow's time shackled in the dungeon. "I put one of the Castle Architects in charge of the project. I hope you don't mind."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

The quarters Luna had arranged for Morrow were far more than he'd expected. They were far more than he needed actually. But her take them. Willingly.

Morrow looked to Stella, standing in the still open doorway. She looked unwilling to enter his private quarters. He didn't blame her. Not after what he'd done in the bathtub.

"I want to apologize again for my behavior in the bathtub," he told her. "I meant no offense. And--"

He paused, looking to the floor. Looking up again, he said, "The way I touched you. It was inexcusable."

Morrow hesitated a moment. He contemplated the various wrong directions his next words could take him. "I found myself overwhelmed. By you, m'lady. By my lust for you, Lady Stella."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

"The way I touched you," Morrow said. "It was inexcusable."

Stella studied Morrow's expression and body language as he dropped his gaze to the floor and searched for his next words. She didn't know him as well as some might -- Clara, obviously -- but she thought she knew Morrow enough to know that he was being sincere.

"I found myself overwhelmed," he continued. "By you, m'lady."

Stella smiled, both tickled and a bit embarrassed by his declaration. She'd had many men say similar things about her to others or directly to her face, but Stella had never wanted any man to say them as much as she did Morrow.

Stella had never before had romantic feelings for a man. Oh, she'd had feelings of lust for men on occasion. It was natural. Instinctive. But Stella had always been able to slake that lust in Luna's bed. She's never even felt the need to masturbate ... until Morrow.

He continued explaining his sense of being overwhelmed with, "By my lust for you, Lady Stella."

A fiery blush exploded through Stella's face and neck as she diverted her eyes like Morrow had before her. She didn't know how to react to Morrow's statement; she herself was confused about her own feelings, about sex, about men in general, and about Morrow in particular.

"I cannot," Stella said barely above a whisper. She looked up to Morrow again, meeting his gaze; her eyes began to glaze over with threatening years. She clarified her statement, saying, "I cannot ... cannot be with you, m'lord ... even though ... even though I want to."

Stella's heart was pounding as her eyes feel to the floor again. "I ... I must remain pure ... for my husband..." She peeked up at Morrow, smiling meekly as she said, "...whoever he might be."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

Morrow couldn't figure out what was going through Stella's mind. All he knew for certain was that she hadn't run away in fear or disgust of him.

"I cannot," Stella said barely above a whisper.

Morrow wasn't certain what she meant by that. Then she continued, "I cannot ... cannot be with you, m'lord..."

That wasn't a surprise to Morrow, of course. She was the Queen's Handmaiden. She was take with maintaining her purity of body until the night following her wedding. To a true Noble. Chosen by her Queen, no less.

Sure, Luna had said she would consider giving Stella to him. He was, after all, earning Stella in ways no other Noble ever could. But Morrow hadn't honestly concluded the Stella was to be his yet.

Then, Stella said something that shocked Morrow. Speaking of not being able to be with him, she added, "...even though ... even though I want to."
Morrow to a step toward Stella, but her body language warned him not to get closer. With the most sincere voice possible, he told her, "I want to be with you, Stella. You want to be with me."

"I ... I must remain pure ... for my husband..." she responded to the question Morrow hadn't yet asked. She peeked up, smiling. Meekly, she said, "...whoever he might be."

Morrow decided to risk it. He began walking ever so slowly toward Stella as he spoke. He would stop, both walking and talking, the moment she looked ready to flee.

"You know what I asked of Queen Luna in return for my work, yes?" Morrow asked. "I asked for a Noble title. She gave that to me. I asked for an estate to go with that title. She did. I am now Lord Morrow Tyne, Viscount of Orland.

"Most importantly, though," he continued, "I asked for a wife. Stella, I asked for you. I want you to be my wife, Stella. The Countess of Orland."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

When Morrow took his first step toward her, Stella flinched a bit, moving one foot so little as to not be considered a step but most certainly to have been noticed as Morrow stopped where he was. He told her, "I want to be with you, Stella. You want to be with me."

After she said she had to remain a virgin for her husband, then gave the smallest of hints that possibly she'd accept him as such, Morrow again began moving her direction; his forward movement was so slow that one might have thought he was staking a deer in the forest, not a pure woman who he wished to make less so.

"You know what I asked of Queen Luna in return for my work, yes?" he asked.

"Yes, m'lord," she answered.

He wanted to ensure that she knew precisely what his requests had been and reminded her: a Noble title, an estate, and a wife. "Stella, I asked for you. I want you to be my wife, Stella. The Countess of Orland."

She'd stood fast where she was the entire time he'd been talking, and when he finished, Morrow was within reach of Stella. Her heart was pounding harder than it ever had; her chest swelled and shrunk with deepening breaths, causing her bosom to become more obvious with each inhale as -- after the bathtub incident -- she'd changed into a tighter fitting top that tended to lift and squish her breasts together.

After a long moment of them simply staring into one another's eyes, Stella said, "If My Queen decides that I am to marry you, m'lord..." She paused, verifying with the voice in her head that this was truly what she wanted for herself before continuing, this time with a smile, "...I will happily become your wife ... your Countess of Orland, m'lord."

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

Morrow couldn't have missed the excitement Stella's body was showing if he'd wanted. She'd picked the most perfect blouse to wear. He wondered if she'd picked it to purposely show off her perfect, young firm, breasts. Or had it simply been happenstance? All he wanted to do was put his mouth upon those perfect orbs and kiss them until she was moaning from the pleasure.

"If My Queen decides that I am to marry you, m'lord..." Stella began.

Morrow was fully prepared for her to simply say that she would submit to the future chosen for her by Luna. Many if not most women found themselves betrothed to men they themselves had not chosen. That went for the Peasants Commoners, Nobles, and Royals alike.

But Stella smiled with what Morrow thought was happiness, even delight. She finished, "...I will happily become your wife ... your Countess of Orland, m'lord."

Morrow's lips widened in a smile as well. He moved a bit closer to her still. Only inches separated them. He asked, "Even though I know and accept that we will not be together until after we are wed, would you permit me to at least kiss you, m'lady?"

If she said yes, Morrow would gently move up against Stella, taking her waist into his hands as he leaned in to kiss her.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

Morrow asked, "...would you permit me to at least kiss you, m'lady?"

Stella wanted to kiss Morrow as badly as he wanted to kiss her; with the exception of Luna -- who obviously wasn't a man -- Stella had never kissed anyone before. But after letting Morrow get close enough to reach out for her waist, their bodies nearly coming into contact, she backed a step suddenly.

"I cannot, m'lord," Stella said softly, with a touch of disappointment in her tone. She couldn't meet his gaze as she explainied, "I cannot, m'lord ... because ... I ... I wouldn't want to stop at ... at just a kiss. I wouldn't stop ... at just a kiss, m'lord."

Tears that had begun quickly welling in Stella's eyes ran down her cheeks as she backed another step, sobbed once, then turned and hurried away.

Despite it being the middle of the day, Stella didn't come across another person until she turned the last corner before Luna's private quarters. She suddenly ceased her half-walking, half-running pace, word her eyes and cheeks, and resumed at a more casual pace to the door, which the Warrior Elite Bodyguard opened for her with a respectful, "M'lady."

Inside, the moment she made eye contact with Luna, Stella again began crying. Luna went straight to her, taking her into her arms, inquiring with loving concern, "Stella, what is it...? What happened?" Then, with a more accusatory time, asked, "What did he do to you?"

Stella sobbed a couple of times, then managed, "Nothing, m'grace. He did nothing ... nothing ... to me." Pulling back to look into Luna's eyes through her own tears, Stella sobbed once more, then confessed, "I wanted him to, though. I wanted him to..."

In all of their years of intimacy together, dating back to the youth of kissing and touching for curiosity's sake, to the first serious drives for the euphoria of sexual ecstasy, Stella had never once been the one of them to initiate an encounter, and yet now, she pulled Luna to her and engaged her in a kiss that she hoped would replace the one she'd missed with Morrow.

It did ... and at the same, it didn't. As the passion between the two of them immediately exploded, leading to an hour and a half of emotion-filled love making and multiple orgasms -- most of them uncharacteristically her own -- Stella couldn't get Lord Morrow out of her mind. It was the first time in their shared sex life that Stella's mind hadn't been fully set upon the person in her arms.

They napped for some time after they'd concluded their impromptu love making, after which they slipped on thick, warm robes and socks and sat at the fire in the other room; it had been fed and stoked by a female servant over the past two hours to keep that room warm, but no one has dared enter Luna's bed chamber itself or even knock at the door while it was closed and Luna was alone with her Handmaiden.

"Do you want him, Stella?" Luna finally asked after a servant had brought them hot tea and a platter of food. When the younger woman responded by only looking down into her streaming cup, Luna clarified, "Do you want to be Lord Morrow's lover, Stella?"

A long moment passed in silence before the Handmaiden responded with obvious conflict, "I ... I don't ... I don't ... know the answer, My Queen."

"Luna," the older female corrected. When Stella looked up into her eyes, Luna was smiling as she explained, "I'm not asking as your Queen. I'm not asking as your lover ... your current lover."

She laughed, trying to relieve the tension obvious in Stella's expression and body. Luna continued, "I'm asking as your friend, Stella. Do you want to be with Morrow...? Do you want to lie with him ... to make love with him...?"

Stella began crying again, overwhelmed by it all. It wasn't just the uncertainty of whether she wanted to be with Morrow intimately, sexually; it was also that Stella felt as though she was betraying her Queen, her lover, and her friend.

Luna understood that without Stella having to explain and scooted over closer, taking the Handmaiden into her arms for a loving hug. After a long moment of soothing caresses, Luna broke the silence with something the other woman never expected to hear. "I release you from your commitment, Stella."

The younger woman looked into the older's eyes with surprise, responding only, "My Queen...?"

"You committed to being my Handmaiden, to remaining chaste," Luna reminded her, "until I told you it was time for you to no longer be so."

"Until I married," Stella clarified. "Until you choose me a husband."

"No," Luna countered. "Until I told you it was time for you move on ... to be a woman ... a real woman--"

Stella pulled Luna's face to her own, kissing her, before doing her own reminding, "I've been a real woman ... with you, Luna."

"With a man," the Queen corrected. "It's time--"

"I'm not married--"

"You don't have to be!" Luna stressed. "Not now ... not anymore ... as of this moment." Luna turned Stella's face to meet her eyes and asked yet again, "Do you want to be with Lord Morrow?"

Stella just stared for a moment into the eyes of her Queen, her lover, her friend. Then, finally -- with a blush and a happy smile -- she nodded her head enthusiastically.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Morrow's Private Quarters:

"I wouldn't want to stop at ... at just a kiss," Stella told Morrow. "I wouldn't stop ... at just a kiss, m'lord."

Morrow liked that thought. That she wouldn't want to stop. Not that she wouldn't be able to control herself. Which were actually the same thing if one thought about it. Which Morrow preferred not to do.

Tears began welling in Stella's eyes. And then she turned and was gone. Morrow considered calling for her to stop. He considered going after her. But he knew he had to let her go. He'd pushed as far as he really should have. He'd learned what he wanted to know. She wanted to kiss him just as he did her. She wanted to do more with him just as he did her.

He closed the door and wandered about a moment, thinking. Then, he masturbated to the fantasy of standing behind the beauty as she was on her hands and knees upon his new bed. It wasn't nearly the same as to actually being inside Stella. But it was as close as he'd likely get until they were finally married. If they were finally married.

Morrow spent an hour or so tending to his possessions. He was conflicted on learning that everything he owned was here now. Luna hadn't had just enough moved here from the cottage to serve him for a few days. Literally everything he owned that had been in the home he shared with Clara was here.

That made him wonder, though. It seemed pretty obvious that Luna or Clara or both didn't want him to have a reason to return to the cottage. Could that possibly be because Clara was still there? Morrow wanted to jump on his horse and ride there for an answer.

But he knew that that was wrong. He'd given Clara the opportunity to move on. She'd taken it. He couldn't go back on that. Their last minutes together had been spent in the throes of passion, followed by Clara asking him to leave. Forever. Oh, she hadn't actually said the word. But she'd meant it. For him. For herself.

Instead, Morrow headed for Luna's private quarters to inquire about Lord Rolph of Windham. Morrow had planned on meeting with Rolph days ago, only to instead end up in the dungeon. Upon his release, Morrow had been told that Rolph was here in the Capital. Possibly in the Castle even.

"The Queen is not receiving visitors, Lord Morrow," the Bodyguard at Luna's door told him when he arrived. "However, I can tell you where you will find Lord Windham."

Morrow found the Republic's newest Viscount in yet another corner of Luna's Castle. Rolph was sitting with a trio of men around a table filled with maps and parchment writings. Rolph was delighted to see Morrow again, as was Morrow of Rolph. The latter dismissed the other men for an hour-long break.

Rolph had two immediate needs for the break. He wanted to catch Morrow up on the search for the missing girls. But first, "Tell me about life in the dungeon."

The Lord of Windham laughed, saying, "I'm only giving you a hard time. Queen Luna told me what happened, and she said the punishment was only to ensure that others didn't follow your intrusion, they are calling it."

"What exactly does that mean?" Morrow asked, specifying, "Intrusion."

Rolph described the rumors flying about regarding Morrow's actions. He started with the least offensive and most accurate of them. "That you stormed your way to the door of the Queen's bed chamber, demanding to see her, and after you struck down one of her Bodyguards, you yourself were knocked silly by the Warrior Elite. They say that even the Queen got in a punch or two."

"Well, that's not horribly far off, though, not entirely accurate," Morrow responded. He asked, "And the worst of the rumors?"

Rolph described how it was being said that Morrow busted his way through the Bodyguard, burst into Luna's bed chamber while she and her Handmaiden were in the bath, pleasuring one another. "Some are saying you demanded to fuck both of them but that the Queen being the Queen and all only permitted you to fuck her Handmaiden, in the ass as her purity is being protected for some lucky duck Noble husband."

By the time Rolph had finished, Morrow was steaming hot with fury. "Who is spreading this filth? Who started this? I want to know!"

Rolph was concerned about naming names. He knew Morrow's capabilities from the night of Viscount Ulronni's death. To name one of the gossipers meant certain violence and likely bloody death. When he hesitated on providing a name, Rolph found himself slammed against a tapestry covered stone wall. The breath knocked out of him, it took Rolph a moment to grunt out, "I'll give names."

When Morrow backed off and he had regained his composure, Rolph warned, "This can only lead to violence that could harm your reputation--"

"It's not my reputation about which I am concerned!" Morrow snapped.

Even though it sounded to Rolph that Morrow was speaking about the Queen's reputation, it was actually her Handmaiden's that Morrow was concerned with. Morrow pressed him again. Rolph hesitated, then finally said, "Captain Hilleran, of the Warrior Elite. From what I have learned, he is the most vocal of the Queen's opponents who still work for her."

"Why the fuck is he still in the Warrior Elite?" Morrow shouted. "How can a man like that still be part of her Bodyguard?"

"Well, for clarification, he'd not part of Queen Luna's Bodyguard," Rolph explained. "He actually requested not to be assigned directly to the Queen's protection. He leads the City Guard--"

"Not anymore, he doesn't," Morrow said.

He spun and strode out of the room. Rolph watched him go. Then, knowing Morrow was going to need backup, Rolph snatched up his weapons belt and strapped it on. He followed Morrow as he stormed through the passageways asking for Hilleran's current location. They eventually learned that the captain was drilling his forces on the Training Field between the Primary and Secondary City Walls.

Morrow had also spoken quietly to some men and women loyal to him during his trek through the castle. Rolph had gotten the impression that Morrow had been gathering backup. And yet none of those people remained with him.

Finally, Morrow strode out of the castle, through the first castle wall, and onward to the Training Field. Rolph was close behind. Looking back over his shoulder, he began to notice something. Some of the people Morrow had spoken to earlier were also exiting the castle and following them.

As they neared the Field, Rolph caught sight of another of Morrow's men, a young runner from the castle. The boy wasn't coming from the direction of the castle but from the Secondary Gate, from the City. And over the next minute or so, a dozen more men, all armed, would hurry in through the gate, heading Morrow's direction.

Rolph finally figured out what was going on. Morrow had gathered his loyal forces without looking like he was gathering forces.

Morrow and Rolph's quick moving pace directly at him eventually caught Hilleran's attention. He was standing in the midst of more than 30 men. The unit's members ranged from common soldiers to experienced Elite Force trainers.

They all had two things in common, though. The first was battlefield experience. One did not join the Warriors Elite without it. The second was a tendency for blind loyalty. These men were expected to defend their leaders without question. That went for the Queen. And that went for their Captain.

(part 2 is coming)

 

[HumanBean]

(part 2)

"That's far enough, Lord Tyne!" Hilleran called out, using Morrow's surname when he was still about 30 yards off. "You are not welcomed on this field of honor!"

It seemed obvious to Rolph that Hilleran understood the reason behind Morrow's approach. When Morrow continued onward, the Captain gestured two of his more senior trainers forward. Although each wore steel daggers, they'd been teaching swordplay with Batons.

As the distance between Morrow and the pair closed to combat distance, they raised their weapons. Morrow could have pulled his own sword. But he wasn't here to harm these men. Instead, he surged at the nearest Trainer when close. The man attempted to strike Morrow, who ducked, sidestepped, and threw a punch. It connected solidly, dropping the man as Morrow snatched the Baton.

The second Trainer charged, swinging his weapon at Morrow's head. Again, Morrow dodged, this time swinging his own Baton. It struck the man in the back of his skull, sending him falling forward to the ground. Morrow checked that both men were staying down. They were.

Turning back, Morrow found Hilleran turning round and round in place as he scanned all about him. The Captain had caught sight of Morrow's impromptu force as it quickly closed on the Field from multiple directions. Ultimately, Hilleran and his 30 men would find them surrounded by more than 50.

"Stop, Tyne!" Hilleran commanded as he turned back to Morrow. "Stop! Disarm and disperse then men! Before I order my Warrior Elite to kill each and everyone of them."

Rolph couldn't help but smile as he watched Morrow slow to a casual walk toward Hilleran. The Captain had tossed out the Warrior Elite name expecting it to scare Morrow's own little army into fleeing for their lives. Rolph could see that it hadn't worked.

With a calm but firm voice, Morrow ordered, "Captain Hilleran! On your knees! Renounce your untrue accusations against Lady Stella--"

Morrow went silent a moment. His demand centered on the reputation of his future wife, not on that of his Queen. Quickly, he continued, "Untrue accusations against Queen Luna and Lady Stella immediately or lose your head!"

"Morrow!" Rolph called from a few yards behind. When the man only half turned his head, Rolph said softer, "You don't have the authority to--"

"Captain!" Morrow cut Rolph off, turning back to Hilleran. He ripped his sword from his left side and his dagger from the right. Starting toward the Captain slowly, he repeated, "You will renounce you untrue accusations--"

"Warriors!" Hilleran called out. He called out a formation style, and his men reacted accordingly.

Rolph couldn't help but notice that the new formation was designed to protect Hilleran specifically. It didn't necessarily make the Unit more dangerous to Morrow's men or better protected from them either.

Rolph caught Morrow looking into the air to his right, then his left, then making a signal. Before Rolph knew what was coming, a slew of arrows struck the ground at the feet of the Warriors Elite unit. Rolph looked to the Primary and Secondary Walls. On each, he found a dozen or so archers notching a second course of missiles. The Elite unit began to show panic.

"You have one chance to survive this, Warriors," Morrow said in a calm voice. "Disarm and drop to your knees."

"Warriors!" Hilleran called out again. "If the man beside you drops his weapon, drops to his knees, or in any way surrenders and shirks his duty, kill him!"

A second gesture from Morrow led to another volley of arrows. These pierced the ground even closer to the Warriors' feet. Immediately, half a dozen men tossed their weapons onto the ground and knelt. Over the next twenty or thirty seconds, a dozen more would join the surrender.

Hilleran again called out his threat. But only more men surrendered with not one of the still armed threatening his fellow Warrior. Morrow made another gesture. The encirclement leapt forward a step. They clashed steel against steel or shook their weapons menacingly while letting out a war cry.

More of Hilleran's Warriors surrendered. The Captain scanned his unit. Fewer than a dozen men still stood. Rolph couldn't help but think they were all about to shit their pants. Warrior Elites, my ass, he thought to himself.

"Captain Hilleran, surrender you weapon, drop to your knees, and--" Morrow repeated again.

But Hilleran instead charged Morrow, his steel sword up against Morrow's wooden one. Again, Morrow was able to perform a simple dodging maneuver. He struck Hilleran across the shoulders with great force. It nearly put the man on the ground.

Behind him, Morrow's forces advanced on the still standing Elites, again crying out loudly. A third barrage of arrows struck, some of them finding feet and legs. Almost immediately, the remaining standing Warriors surrendered. Morrows force began collecting weapons.

"Captain Hilleran...!" Morrow was again calling.

The man once again rushed Morrow. This time, though, the Queen's assassin pulled his sword from its pommel. He blocked Hilleran's swing easily. A sword fight erupted. The Captain was a skilled swordsman. But he was aging. And he enjoyed his fatty, sweety foods a bit too much.

Morrow was simply the better man. He blocked or dodged two dozen swings and stabs. In the process, he sliced his weapon across Hilleran. The man suffered a cut to each arm and a shallow stab to his side.

"Renounce your untrue accusations, Captain," Morrow demanded as Hilleran began to show his exhaustion and pain. "Renounce. And you will live." Then, more menacingly, Morrow threatened, "You will keep your head right where it is as opposed to upon a pike."

As Rolph watched from several yards, Hilleran's face filled with anger. He growled, "First, you kill the King for his chicken shit wannabe King of a son. Then you kill the Prince for his whore of a snatch-snacking sister."

That seemed to be too much for Morrow, Rolph could see. Morrow began closing on the Captain. When the distance was right, Hilleran lunged forward with a skillful attack. Unfortunately for him, Morrow had anticipated it. He spun away to the side, swinging his sword with speed and force. It caught the Warrior Elite Commander in the back of his neck. The man's head was neatly sliced from his shoulders. It bounced across the ground, rolling to a stop near the kneeling soldiers.

In various directions, there were cries or gasps, mostly from civilians who'd come across the fight. For a long moment after that, there was only silence. Eventually, Morrow began a slow, firm, serious talk about how absolute loyalty and respect was expected from every member of the Queen's service.

"If you cannot swear to this oath," Morrow told them as he walked amongst them, "you are welcome to drop your arms, armor, and anything indicating your service to the Queen and the Republic of Yalla. Then, you can get your chicken shit ass out of this castle. Out of this city. And out of this Republic."

He looked about him at the faces, then hollered, "Do I make myself clear?"

Some of the men acknowledged Morrow. He just happened to be near Hilleran's head at that moment. He whipped out his dagger, sunk it through the Captain's temple, then lofted the skull by the man's long hair. He repeated expectantly, "Do I make myself clear?"

There was an almost universal, almost simultaneous mix of, "Yes, m'lord", "Yes Lord Morrow," and "Yes, sire."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Queen Luna's Quarters:

Stella was helping Luna into something warm but comfortable, casual yet still royal, when a hard rap at the main door to her quarters' foyer was followed immediately by the entry of one of her Bodyguards. Wearing a concerned look as he pounded a fist to his chest in salute, he said, "My Queen, forgive me, but ... there's something you need to see ... now, Your Highness."

Her Handmaiden quickly helped Luna into her boots and Rock-bear stole, followed by strapping her weapons belt around her waist. By the time they'd finished, four more Warrior Elite Bodyguards had arrived at the door, certain that there was going to be trouble that might threaten their Queen. They led her through the Castle, into the Ward and then out the Primary Gate.

There, Luna stopped in shock, uncertain of what had just happened: another of her Warrior Elite Units was on its knees, disarmed and surrounded by armed, mostly civilians in street dress; above her on the walls to each side were archers, most but not all in Castle Guard uniforms; and most shockingly of all, between her and the disarmed Elite unit, stood Lord Rolph of Windham next to Lord Morrow of Orland ... who was holding aloft a dagger, upon which was the severed head of who she would soon learn was one of her Warrior Elite Captains.

A sudden cry of terror came from next to Luna as her Handmaiden saw what her Queen had. Stella spun away, hiding her face in her hands as she cried into them in horror. Luna quickly took hold of her, trying to calm her as she gestured one of her Bodyguard and told him, "Take her back to my Quarters. Stay with her until I return."

The Bodyguard did as ordered; Stella peeked back once, only to turn away again, unable to look upon the horror. Luna waited until Stella was gone, then looked back toward Morrow, wondering what the hell had happened and what the fuck she was supposed to do about it; somehow, she thought this was going to end with her assassin once again shackled to the dungeon wall.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Warrior Elite Practice Grounds

Midday:

Lord Rolph of Windham was the first to notice Luna and her Bodyguard contingent approaching. Quickly, he called to his new friend, "Lord Morrow ... behind you."

Morrow turned to see the approaching horde of Elites. His first thought was that they were coming to Hilleran's aide. Then they parted to reveal the Queen. Without hesitation, Morrow dropped to one knee, lowering his eyes to the ground before him. The skull of the dead Captain hit the ground, held firmly in place by the dagger still in Morrow's hand.

Beside him, Rolph looked up to the archers and waved them off. Then, as they began clearing, he looked to the small army and indicated they should sheath their weapons. Most did. Some of them, though, didn't have a proper scabbard or pommel on their belt. They'd been working their day in, day out civilian jobs when they'd been to Morrow's aid.

Once that was as underway as it was going to get, Rolph knelt, too. Behind him, whether soldier or smithy or shoemaker, each man dropped to one or two knees.

A sudden cry of terror brought Morrow's eyes up again. He saw the horrified face of Stella just before she spun away. Morrow's heart turned over anxiously. This couldn't possibly help me, he thought.

"Take her back to my Quarters," they heard Luna told one of her Bodyguards. "Stay with her until I return."

Morrow dropped his eyes again, waiting. If Luna approached, he would wait until she was near to say, "My Queen, I can explain."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Warrior Elite Practice Grounds

Midday:

As she looked from Stella back to the Lords, Luna caught sight of Rolph getting the archers on the walls both inside and outside of the Inner Ward to stand down. That, at least, reassured Luna that he and Morrow were in control of the situation, whatever that situation might be. Morrow himself had already taken a knee, and when his men began to realize that the Queen was nearing them, many of them followed suit; others, however -- fearing that perhaps the surrendering Warrior Elites might not remain so -- maintained their guard, while simultaneously showing respect to their Monarch.

With his eyes on the ground before him -- and the head on a dagger beside him -- the new Viscount of Orland said with a hopeful tone, "My Queen, I can explain."

"I hope so, Lord Morrow," Luna said sternly, adding before he could begin, "but not quite yet, if you don't mind."

Stepping closer to the man, she looked closer at the severed skull still in his control; caked in dirty blood, it took a moment to realize that it was Captain Hilleran, an officer in her Castle Guard and the former Commander of the unit now kneeling before her. Luna had only yesterday heard of the rumor the officer had been spreading about how she'd gained the crown and with whom she regularly spent time in bed, namely her Handmaiden. Luna had planned on speaking to the man later today, something she obviously wasn't going to have to do now.

"May I have an explanation, Lord Morrow?" she asked in a quiet voice as she reached the kneeling man. "Please, keep it brief and on point."

Morrow said what he felt he needed to say, and -- although she would have preferred to have handled it away from Hilleran's man and crowd, which was growing with each passing minute -- she understood why he did what he did the way he did it. Again just for him, Luna said, "We will discuss this at a later time, m'lord. For now, please rise ... please leave the Captain's head where it is."

As Morrow rose to his feet again, Luna turned and waved forward one of her closest servants. She whispered to the woman, who initially looked confused but then -- with her Queen's urging -- turned and practically ran back into the Castle. Luna ordered one of her Bodyguard to go with her, then turned back, leaned down, and took hold of the hilt penetrating the Captain's skull; she rolled it to ensure that the head didn't fall off and raised it to about chest level before her.

All along the base of the wall to her right, the building crowd -- now counting at least 300 men, women, and children -- reacted to what they saw their Queen doing; some gasped, some murmured, and some even cheered or applauded. Luna looked to the Captain's men kneeling in the center of the Training Ground. Many of them had their eyes on the ground, as was appropriate for a moment like this, but still more were looking up. Of those not staring at the ground, some were looking around themselves to the armed men guarding them; they likely wondered if at any second, the armed men -- whether Guard, Militia, or civilian -- would be ordered to execute them.

But Luna also noticed that most of the kneeling men were either glancing her way or staring steadily at her. These men she knew likely didn't consider her as their rightful ruler; they likely desired the opportunity to avenge their deceased Commander by doing the same to Morrow, Luna, or both. These men could be very dangerous for her right now, and while they'd all been disarmed of their swords, Luna had no doubt at all that there were several blades of various types, lengths, and lethality amongst them.

She didn't want to risk her life and her reign by getting near the men, but at the same time she needed to show them that she wasn't afraid of them. Luna walked a couple of steps forward, putting her near the decapitated Commander. She looked down at the headless man, then knelt down and placed the skull neatly on the ground in roughly the position as it would be if it had still been attached. Putting a hand upon the bloody skull, Luna jerked the blade out; again, the crowd reacted with various sounds.

"Your Captain," Luna called to the kneeling Castle Guard, "was a traitor to the Crown! To my Crown me! To me!"

She gave them all a moment to consider her statement, then continued, "He spoke lies ... about me, his Queen. About others ... both men and women in my Court. Loyal, trusted people ... without whom the Republic of Yalla could not rebuild itself to the majestic Realm it once was."

She paused for a moment, reading the kneeling men's reactions to her words, then continued, "But Captain Hilleran's treachery ... is not your treachery. Stand!" Luna saw a great deal of confused head turning amongst the men, then ordered again, "Stand! All of you!"

One by one, the men rose to their feet until finally the entire group was on their feet; around them, Morrow's men became a bit more on guard and ready with their weapons. The servant that Luna had sent off returned, with the Warrior who'd accompanied her carrying a large coin bag.

To Hilleran's men, Luna said, "I know some of you do not believe that I should be your Queen." She hesitated, smirked, and said, "Too fucking bad for you." Some in the crowd laughed, cheered, or applauded. Luna waited until they'd quieted again -- she didn't notice some of the City Guard telling them to be so -- then continued, "But ... I will not force you to continue protecting me ... the Castle ... or the Republic. You don't want to do it ... and I don't want you here to do it either.

"Most Rulers would simply have you executed," Luna said, watching the group show a bit of nervousness at the mention of what many of them had thought was coming all along. "I'm not going to do that. I'm going to give you permission to leave. Leave your duty ... and leave my Castle.

"For some of you," she continued, "the City Guard was a calling. For some of you it was simply a way to earn coin ... to support your families ... or perhaps your local tavern and its flirtatious wenches." Again, there was a joyous response from the civilians along the wall. "For those of you who wish to depart but feel that you cannot do so because you need the coin..."

Luna gestured the servant and the Bodyguard to take a position a few yards away; the latter untied and opened the bag of coins, and the servant pulled out a handful of coins ... Gold Sovereigns. She asked the group, "Which of you earns the most coin for being a member of the City Guard?"

She didn't immediately get an answer; most of the men were hesitant to respond as they didn't understand what was about to happen. Finally, one of the men wearing Officers insignia responded, "Ten Gold Sovereign, My Queen." He paused, then clarified, "I earn ten Gold Sovereigns a month, My Queen ... as a Lieutenant in the City Guard."

Luna nodded her understanding, then asked, "Who earns the next amount beneath that?" One by one, each of the Officers and Common Soldiers called out their incomes in order of descending amount until finally the lowest paid amongst them spoke up; the smallest monthly income was two Gold Sovereigns, which -- to be honest -- Luna thought was kind of low.

"Each of you," Luna told them, gesturing then toward the pair with the money, "Will come forward and collect two months wages now." A murmur -- including both confusion and excitement -- rolled through Hilleran's City Guard unit and the civilian crowd as well. Luna continued, "After you have your wages ... you will leave my castle. Tomorrow ... if you feel that you can serve me loyally ... you will return to this very spot by the time the morning's light falls upon it. You will swear your loyalty ... to the Republic ... to the Crown ... to me!"

Luna looked to Morrow, smirked, then looked back to the City Guard unit and added, "You will report here to Lord Morrow Tyne, Viscount of Orland ... you will swear your loyalty to him, too. But be aware!"

Leaning down and picking Hilleran's head up by a mass of dirty, bloody hair and displaying it out before her, Luna continued with a harsh tone, "Just as Lord Morrow killed your Commander with my instruction for his treachery ... Lord Morrow has my instruction to kill any one of you who he feels is not loyal and trustworthy. So ... my advice is ... if you cannot convince Lord Morrow of your loyalty ... don't ... return! Take your wages and find a new vocation ... or better yet ... get the fuck out of the City of Yalla!"

With that, Luna turned away, winking to Morrow as she headed back for the Castle, leaving him to deal with all she'd just said and done.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Warrior Elite Practice Grounds

Midday:

Morrow was very unsure of what was going to happen to him after beheading the Captain. Luna could have thanked him for eliminating a distrustful, treacherous enemy. Or she could have had Morrow executed for killing the Commander of her Castle Guard.

Her response to him saying he could explain was unexpected. "I hope so, Lord Morrow, but not quite yet, if you don't mind."

He remained on one knee, his gaze on the ground before him. Luna neared. He couldn't see what she was doing. But Morrow presumed she was trying to identify the skull he held via the dagger in his hand.

"May I have an explanation, Lord Morrow?" she asked, adding, "Please, keep it brief and on point."

"Captain Hilleran had been breeding discontent and disloyalty amongst his men, My Queen," he told her. Morrow contemplating telling her that the man had been speaking about Luna and Stella's goings-on in the former's bed chamber. He chose not to, instead saying, "His treachery was reason enough for his arrest. His resistance led to his death, My Queen."

A moment passed. Luna spoke in a calm voice, "We will discuss this at a later time, m'lord. For now, please rise ... please leave the Captain's head where it is."

Morrow released his grip on the dagger and stood. He turned to face Luna, looking to her. His body language continued to speak of his servitude to her. It was ironic. Before Luna, Morrow had never felt subservient to anyone: Lord, Noble, Royal. He'd never cared for social rank. He'd certainly never given it the respect that most people felt it deserved.

Oh, he was polite and respectful to those socially higher-ranking people than him who'd been about to pay him large sums of gold to do a job for them. But as soon as the gold had changed hands, Morrow had been just as likely to kill his former employer than to kneel to them again.

This reputation was probably the reason Prince Nellan, Luna's brother, had had him arrested immediately after he'd assassinated the siblings' father to gain the former the crown. Morrow had assumed that after he'd then killed Prince Nellan to give the Crown to Luna, that she, too, would have him killed. It hadn't happened yet. he was beginning to think that it might. Until right now, he thought to himself.

"Your Captain," Luna called to the men who Morrow's men had disarmed, "was a traitor to the Crown! To my Crown me! To me!"

She spoke of how Hilleran had told lies to his men. Morrow wondered whether Luna would get into those intimate details. She didn't. She gave the Castle Guard members the benefit of the doubt regarding their involvement in the Captain's misdeeds.

Morrow didn't know whether he could have been so lenient. He probably would have had then jailed and questioned. He probably would have interrogated them. Even tortured them. All in an attempt to discover who was loyal to Luna and who wasn't.

As it turned out, he didn't need to. Luna gave them all the benefit of the doubt. Then she paid them two months wages before departing the grounds. Morrow looked at Luna shocked. She caught his expression but simply continued.

"Tomorrow, if you feel that you can serve me loyally," she continued, "you will return to this very spot by the time the morning's light falls upon it. You will swear your loyalty ... to the Republic ... to the Crown ... to me!"

Morrow began to doubt the logic of this move. He could understand paying out the gold. There could be disloyal men who would remain simply because they needed to income. Then one day in the near future, when he thought he could do it and get away with his life, one of them could kill Luna.

But Morrow would have paid the men off and then told them to get out of town, permanently. He wouldn't have trusted any of them to remain.

Then the true surprise came. Luna smirked to him and told Hilleran's men, "You will report here to Lord Morrow Tyne, Viscount of Orland ... you will swear your loyalty to him, too. But be aware!"

What the fuck? Morrow thought to himself. To me? They're going to report to me? He didn't understand this at all. First, he had other operations in the works. He was supposed to preparing Rolph and Philip for their mission to locate, rescue, and return dozens of missing girls and women. And he still had a long list of traitors, conspirators, and general bad guys to chase down, capture, and punish.

Then, Luna lifted Hilleran's severe head into the air before her. She displayed it to not just his former men but to the crowd that was now pushing close to 500. She warned the men that they could face the same punishment if they ever showed the same disloyalty as their former Commander.

Then, again winking to Morrow, Luna departed. He watched her head back into the Castle. Behind her, the City Guard members began lining up to collect their wages.

Closer to the wall, the crowd had become more animated. They first celebrated Luna as she departed. Once she was gone, two very different things occurred. About half of the crowd dispersed. They exited out the Secondary Wall gate or returned to their work or to the marketplace inside the ward.

The other half, though, taunted the now-dead Captain's men. The general consensus was that none of the men could be trusted. Morrow gestured to both other Castle Guard, City Guard, and Warrior Elite officers. He ordered them to create a barrier between the crowd and the men collecting wages. He feared a riot and possibly deaths. His own men, the one's who'd surrounded Hilleran's unit, joined the wall of armed men, too.

Rolph joined Morrow. They quietly discussed what had just happened. Neither of them really noticed that the line was drifting a bit toward them. Three men in particular had caused the line to edge closer and closer to where the two Lords were standing. It was subtle, and despite always being on guard for treachery, Morrow didn't see it coming.

Suddenly, the three men pulled hidden blades and turned at the Lords. Morrow and Rolph both reached for and pulled their swords. But even before they'd gotten them out, a scream of pain arose. One of the three men dropped forward to his knees, an excruciating expression on his face.

Behind him, a fourth man slashed a blade through the air. It cut across the throat of one of the three attackers. The third attacker turned toward the man but too late. The fourth man flipped his blade through the air, sinking it into the man's chest.

"They were going to kill you, m'lord!" the man called out as he dropped to both knees. All around him, Hilleran's remaining men either backed away or dropped to their knees. None of them wanted to be dead, too. The man continued, looking to Morrow, "I was listening to them, m'lord! They were going to kill you, take the gold, and flee!"

Yet a fifth man confirmed the fourth man's claim. "It's true, m'lord. I heard them, too. I feared doing anything about it! Forgive me, m'lord."

Morrow surveyed the situation a moment. Then he directed the payments to continue, with the line being more heavily guarded. The fourth and fifth men were separated from the others. Morrow ordered Rolph to take them apart to be questioned.

The remainder of the people were finally paid off and sent out the gate. The crowd began to further disperse. Eventually, Morrow had the gate locked.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

(OOC: Thanks for letting me run with the science and numbers. It was fun.)

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
The Queen's Private Quarters
Later that evening:

"Lord Morrow, Lord Rolph, welcome," Stella greeted the men after the Warrior Elite Bodyguard outside her Queen's private quarters had knocked to signal their arrival. She stepped back from the door, gesturing them inside as she smiled and said, "Please, come in."

The Handmaiden led the men into the Drawing Room, the largest and most spacious of the five rooms that made up Luna's Private Quarters. It was the only room directly accessible from the main passageway by visitors; there were other entrances/exits, of course, but they were all either private or hidden.

Upon entering the Drawing room, the two men would immediately notice the warmer temperature when compared to the passageway and -- with the exception of the kitchens -- even the other occupied rooms of the Castle. It included not one but two large fireplaces. The first was to the left and directly warmed an area with multiple couches and plush armchairs placed there for the Queen to socialize with her guests.

The second was to the right and directly warmed the dining room, which included a table and chairs that seated Luna and up to 11 guests if you included the end of the table opposite where Luna herself sat. Currently, settings for Luna and six guests were placed at one end of the table, with the cold and room temperature items already on the table and the hot items either still being cooked in the kitchen down the hall or being kept warmed there until they were wanted.

Directly ahead as the two men followed Stella inside were a set of four floor-to-ceiling doors that featured some of the clearest, smoothest, most transparent panes of glass available. The technology to create them had been perfected by unknown artisans in an unknown distant land generations earlier, and the secret of making the glass was known only to the Artisans of the Republic of Yalla. As such, it was an important export to the wealthiest Houses across the Known World. A great deal of the glass was used in this castle simply as a sign of wealth and advanced technology.

"Her Highness is waiting in the Library, m'lords," Stella told the pair as she continued onward. She pushed open a doorway and stepped through, again gesturing the men to follow her. The Library was another magnificent room but for other reasons. It was only half the size of the Drawing Room but held far more importance to Luna. The vast majority of the wall space was was comprised of shelves filled with books, volumes of books, and rolled parchment scrolls. No one knew exactly how many individual items were present in the library, but the number reached into the low- to mid-six figures.

Luna was extremely proud of the library's contents, but it wasn't a book about which she was the proudest and the most protective. In the middle of the room was a Map of the Known World that was unlike any other known. What made this one special was that it wasn't a flat map like the others. This map -- which was 8 feet long on each side and rose in the center a foot higher than the outside edge -- depicted something about the World as a whole that Luna and many others believed but which others still contested: that the world was not flat but was a sphere, a globe, and that the Known World portion of that globe occupied only a fraction of that globe's total surface.

This shape of this map was the result of the work of The Great Orman Ruun who, centuries earlier, had been the Royal Astronomer for the Emperor of the Frenkish Empire. Orman had made two discoveries that had upset both the scientific and religious worlds.

The first, as stated, was that the World was round, not flat. He proved this by comparing the lengths of the shadows of two identical obelisks located far apart on the same exact day of the year. The significantly different lengths, Orman claimed, could only be caused if the surface of the World curved between the two obelisks. And if it curved between them, wouldn't it continue to curve beyond them to both the south and north.

There were other bits of science involved, too, of course:

• The sun didn't set at the same time in locations west and east of each other.
• Using a navigational spyglass -- once the most recent powerful ones had become available -- one could see the very tip top of a ship's sails on the horizon long before seeing the ship below them.
• That different constellations were seen in the night sky from different locations on the World.
• That during Lunar Eclipses, the World's shape upon the Moon's surface was curved.

Orman's discoveries didn't just stop at proving that the World was round though; using the numbers he'd collected from his obelisk shadow measurements -- which had required him to personally walk from one of the monuments to the other, a distance of 1,000 kilometers -- he was also able to give size to the World: 35,000 kilometers in circumference*.

And the discoveries simply continued. The Known World -- that portion that had been investigated -- was roughly 2,500 km across from west to east and even less than that from north to south. If Orman's numbers were correct, then the 6 million-plus square kilometers of the Known World that was actually known was a fraction of the total surface of the globe.

What the hell was out there beyond the distance that the farthest traveling ships had gone...?


* OOC: The circumference of Earth at the equator is barely over 40,000 kilometers, for comparison's sake.

(Part 2 next)

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

(Part 2)

"Good evening, My Lords," Luna greeted the pair when they entered the library and came into her view. She stood in a corner near a cast iron, charcoal burning stove that was used in place of a wood-burning fireplace; the immeasurable value of the library and the danger of embers from firewood being casted out into the room made a fireplace illogical. "I want to thank you for coming tonight. Dinner will be served shortly, but ... in the meantime ... I would like to speak to the two of you regarding other things of importance."

Behind Morrow and Rolph, movement caught their eye, leading to them turning to see Betty entering the Library. She smiled broadly, then giggled before saying to her husband, "Surprise, m'lord."

To Rolph, Luna explained, "I know that you and Sir Philip will be heading east soon, possibly even tomorrow, and I didn't want you doing so without a last visit with your wife."

Even though it might have been considered a bit inappropriate in the company of the Queen, Betty stepped right up to Rolph, pressed her body to his, stood on her tippy toes, and pressed her lips to his own. The kiss was passionate, and when their mouth's separated, she giggled and blushed as she looked to Luna with an embarrassed expression. "Forgive me, My Queen."

"No apology necessary," Luna said, smiling wide. "I arranged this little get-together. If there hadn't been a kiss involved, I would have been disappointed."

She looked to the door yet again, this time catching one of her Private Kitchen Staff nodding knowingly to her. Luna turned for yet another door, asking, "Shall we sit down to dinner?"

They sat down in the seats to which Luna pointed them: the men went down one side of the table, with Morrow nearer to her and Rolph next to him; the woman, of course, sat directly opposite their mates. Even as they were being poured their first glass of wine, yet another dinner guest arrived, Philip. (OOC: Imagine him in something a little more appropriate for dinner than armor.)

"I think some of you are yet to meet Sir Philip of Tothan," Luna introduced, gesturing the man toward the seat next to Rolph, for whom he obviously was working on the hostage recovery mission. A moment later, yet another guest was escorted in by one of the Bodyguard from outside the door. Luna continued, "And I'm sure that each of you is yet to be introduced to Lady Imogen of Nurva."

Whereas the men had all filed down the men's side of the table, and all the women had filed down the women's side of it, Imogen sashayed her way down the men's side as Luna continued, looking specifically between Rolph and Philip, "Imogen will be accompanying you east ... to assist you in searching for the missing girls."

Luna was expecting a surprised reaction, and she wasn't disappointed; the mission to find the missing girls was going to be fraught with danger, potentially resulting in the drawing of considerable blood, possibly from both sides of the fight. It was no place for a woman, of course, unless she was a fierce warrior, of which the petite, teenage redhead didn't appear to be.

"The two of you will require ... cover on your mission east, m'lords," Luna explained. "You will travel with Imogen as her escorts, returning her to the care of her grandfather in Nurva on the frontier of what's left of the Frenkish Empire. The Papers of Protection you carry from both the Republic of Yalla ... from me, obviously ... as well as those you carry from her grandfather, the Baron of Nurva, who by all accounts is likely to one day become the next Frenkish Emperor ... will ensure that you are not harassed in any significant, let alone fatal way as you travel."

 

[HumanBean]

(OOC: Thanks for letting me run with the science and numbers. It was fun.)

Of course. They were great! Thanks for doing that.

(OOC: My writing partner meant "Betty" in her last post, not "Clara". The image was correct, though.)

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
The Queen's Private Quarters
Evening:

Morrow's eyes widened at the sight of Stella. His gaze fell to her delicious figure, settling eventually upon her bosom. It remained there far longer than it should have.

"Please, come in," she said invitingly. Rolph led the way. She gave Morrow a flirt smile.

He returned the smile. He took her hand, kissed it, and said softly, "Wonderful to see you again, Lady Stella."

She led them to Luna's Library. Again, Morrow was in awe. He'd seen the libraries of many of his former employers: Royals, Nobles, even Priests of the Book of Un.

They'd all had hired Morrow for his ability to kill people they themselves hadn't been able to. And they'd all had libraries. Few, though had had one like this. And none of them has had a Map of the Known World like the one Luna had.

Morrow was instantly in awe of the map, just as he had been with Stella's bosom. He understood and accepted that the Known World was on a globe, not a flat mass. He'd been raised with that knowledge.

Others had believed and still believed today that the globe theory was sacrilege and total bullshit. Morrow believed better. He knew better.

He stepped closer to it, studying it as Luna and Rolph spoke about today's events. Only the most important cities and nations were identified. Morrow was literate and could read them all.

He knew many of them from his own experience. At one time or another, he'd lived or worked in nearly every major city. Looking between the names, Morrow thought, Been there. Been there. There, too. Would have skipped that one.

The irony of Morrow Tyne's profession was that it had taken him all about the Known World. He was a very well-traveled man.

He'd never measured his life by the kilometers he'd traveled before. If he had, Morrow would have realized that he'd traveled more than 15,000 kilometers in his life. By foot, by horseback, by cart or coach, or by boat.

Movement caught Morrow's eye. It drew him out of his reminiscing. He smiled, seeing Betty entering.

"Surprise, m'lord," Stella said to Rolph. She smiled and giggled to him. She kissed him passionately.

Rolph enjoyed and returned the kiss. At the same time, he peeked past Stella toward Luna. It wasn't exactly proper to be trading spit in front of the Queen.

"I know that you and Sir Philip will be heading east soon, possibly even tomorrow," Luna told Rolph, "and I didn't want you doing so without a last visit with your wife."

"Thank you, My Queen," Rolph said, bowing his head. "I don't know how to thank you."

Stella was thinking the same as Rolph. She giggled and blushed as she looked to Luna, apologizing, "Forgive me, My Queen."

Luna reassured them that no apology was necessary. "I arranged this little get-together. If there hadn't been a kiss involved, I would have been disappointed."

Rolph chuckled softly. He bowed again, this time more playfully, saying, "Our pleasure, My Queen."

They headed for the dining table. Philip joined them, another pleasant surprise. Rolph had wanted all four of them together for a conversation: Phillip, Luna, Morrow, and Rolph himself.

The biggest surprise was to come, though. A young beauty entered as Luna introduced, "And I'm sure that each of you is yet to be introduced to Lady Imogen of Nurva."

All three of the men respectfully rose from their seats as one. Philip, the nearest to her, gave the young woman an up and down look. She was young and beautiful. And as she neared him, Philip could see that she was smiling to him. To -him. Not to the others.

"Imogen will be accompanying you east," Luna informed the others, "to assist you in searching for the missing girls."

"No," Rolph said. His response was immediate but polite and respectful. He bowed his head, adding, "My Queen.

He looked to Morrow for support. He got nothing. Looking back to Luna, Rolph explained as respectfully as he could, "It's dangerous, My Queen. I can't guarantee my own safety. Philip's safety. It's possible that neither of us will return.

"Our mission is to rescue a couple of dozen girls and young women," Rolph continued. "They were likely taken because they're young, pretty, and innocent and will fetch a good price as..."

Rolph looked to Imogen again and smiled. To Luna, he continued, "How can taking another young, pretty, and innocent woman with us make our job easier? Or safer?"

"The two of you," Luna explained, "will require ... cover on your mission east, m'lords."

"I have to agree with Lord Rolph," Philip said. He added as he nodded politely, "With respect, My Queen."

"Queen Luna," Morrow chimed in, drawing her attention. He contemplated the questions on his mind. "I sense that there is more to your request for Imogen's involvement than you are telling us, Your Majesty."

"You will travel with Imogen as her escorts," Luna explained, "returning her to the care of her grandfather in Nurva on the frontier of what's left of the Frenkish Empire."

"What?" Philip asked with shock. "We're not going to Nurva. The girls haven't been moved that far."

"Can you be certain, m'lord?" Morrow asked.

Philip didn't immediately respond. Eventually, he responded softly, "No, m'lord. I can't."

Morrow looked to Luna, prompting, "There was more, My Queen?"

She talked about how the team would be protected by official Papers of Protection. Morrow have some additional suggestions. Rolph spoke of the men and supplies he thought would be needed. And Philip gave more info about where he believed the girls were heading.

"I wasn't told all of the destinations or names of those involved," Philip said. "But I know enough to get us started, or we wouldn't be here."

"Once we get our hands on one or two of these fuckers--" Rolph started. He stopped quickly, looking between the women, apologizing, "Forgive me, m'ladies."

"We'll learn more," Morrow filled in. "We'll connect the dots. And we'll get these girls back."

Looking to Imogen, Morrow smiled. "You are very welcome, m'lady. And we will take very good care of you."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
The Queen's Private Quarters
Evening:

Imogen smiled, then blushed, when Rolph asked with regard to her joining the quest, "How can taking another young, pretty, and innocent woman with us make our job easier? Or safer?"

Luna caught the girl's reaction and smiled, as did both Stella and Betty; Betty went further, asking playfully, "Is my husband flirting with the new girl?"

As Luna and Stella laughed, Imogen raised her hands to hide her face, embarrassingly peeking out as she giggled. The conversation continued regarding the mission until finally Morrow smiled to Imogen and said about her place in it, "You are very welcome, m'lady. And we will take very good care of you."

"They will, m'lady," Stella reassured the slightly younger beauty. Loving to refer to Rolph in this way, she promised, "My husband is a true hero, as I am sure Philip will prove to be as well." She looked to the third male at the table, asking, "Lord Morrow, will you be traveling with Rolph and Philip?"

"He will not," Luna answered for him. "Lord Morrow has other tasks with which he must keep himself occupied."

They continued on with their dinner before retiring to the Drawing Room to sit at the roaring fire and chat further about things. By the time they dispersed and went their separate ways, everyone knew what they were doing to further the success of Luna's Reign and better the lives of the people of the Republic of Yalla.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Late Evening:

The socializing at the fire in Luna's Drawing Room ended. Everyone rose, wished the Queen goodnight, and headed for the exit.

Rolph took Betty's hand in his crooked elbow. They wished the others a goodnight yet again in the hallway. The Queen had arranged a guest room for them. Rolph was eager to get his wife out of her clothes. Any man would be with such a beauty.

Behind them, Philip waited for Imogen to emerge. He smiled to her yet again. "May I escort you to your door, m'lady?"

As Rolph had for Betty, Philip offered his crooked elbow. They didn't wander off alone together as the married couple had, though. A Lady's Maid had been waiting for Imogen throughout dinner. She'd sat in a chair in the passage. She'd taken a modest dinner there as she chatted with the Bodyguard.

The three of them strolled slowly along. Philip set the slow pace intentionally. He wanted more time to speak to the young beauty. The group hadn't been told much more about Imogen during dinner. It had been aggravating for Philip. He'd been desperate to ask more of her background. But he was the newest male to the group. He hadn't felt it his place.

Now, though, he asked without hesitation. How long have you been in Yalla? What brought you here? Have you enjoyed the City? Are you returning home now for a reason? Is he mission simply coincidental? Things like that.

Philip wasn't the only single male wishing to ask more questions of one of the single females. Morrow couldn't offer Stella an elbow and an escort. She didn't have to head away to her own quarters. She had a room right off her Queen's private quarters, of course. It didn't prevent him from asking, "Would you like to take a stroll along the wallwalk, m'lady? It is a fair, dry night."

His fortune was good and she accepted. Morrow, like the others, offered that elbow. They ascended the nearest tower. Morrow greeted a Castle Guardsman there, asking, "Coats?"

The Guardsman opened a door and pulled out fur coats, hats, and gloves kept there for important persons. Morrow helped Stella into the heavy but warm items. Stepping outside, they found the night dry but very chilly. Morrow should have offered to take Stella back inside. But he badly wanted to be alone with her.

"I leave the City tomorrow to serve the Queen," he told her. It wasn't anything Stella didn't already know, of course. "I expect to be back in six, maybe seven days. Possibly longer."

He moved his free hand to rest upon the back of Stella's hand as it rested in the crook of his elbow. It was an act of intimacy, a next step, both minor and major simultaneously. The speed at which their relationship was moving was ironic. It was quicker than was appropriate. And yet by this time after meeting Clara, Morrow had already had his cock inside her.

"When I return," he continued, walking her slowly along the wallwalk, "I would like to speak more to you about our future. Together."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Late Evening:

Luna exchanged farewells and watched the group exit into the passageway outside her quarters. She'd believed that Stella would remain with her, but Morrow asked Stella, "Would you like to take a stroll along the wall walk, m'lady?"

Stella looked to Luna, smiled, and gave her a go-ahead gesture. She watched the two head away, wondering whether she'd see the young woman again at all tonight. The two women had had several conversations about the very thing Morrow would ask about a few minutes from now: their future together...

On the Wallwalk:

"I leave the City tomorrow to serve the Queen," Morrow told Stella. "I expect to be back in six, maybe seven days. Possibly longer."

"I will miss you, m'lord," Stella said, smiling up to him. "Your presence in the castle has been ... welcoming, m'lord." She felt his free hand lay upon her own and tightened her grip around his elbow. "But your service to the Queen is important. I understand."

"When I return," he continued, "I would like to speak more to you about our future. Together."

"I would like that, too, m'lord," Stella agreed. She stopped, and when Morrow turned to face her, she moved closer. "You wanted to kiss me once, m'lord ... and ... I told you I couldn't ... because I wouldn't want to stop. When you return ... whether we are married or not ... I would like you to kiss me." Her smiled widened. "And ... I won't stop."

They returned to the castle's interior, heading for Luna's quarters again. At the door, Stella thanked Morrow for the walk, saying, "Until your return, m'lord."

Earlier, outside Luna's quarters:

"May I escort you to your door, m'lady?" Philip asked Imogen.

"Please, m'lord," she answered. She glanced her Lady's Maid, telling her, "Please go ahead, Jessica. Stoke the fire, please."

She waited for the servant to turn a corner out of sight, then allowed her escort to begin then toward her quarters ... slowly. Just as Philip had wanted to talk more to her, Imogen had wanted to speak more to him. They chatted about dinner and other topics until Philip turned the conversation to Imogen herself.

"How long have you been in Yalla?" he inquired.

"About a year," she said, her tone not particularly filled with joy. "I traveled by ship, from the City of Nurva, via the Eastern Bight and The Dead Coast. It was a horrific voyage ... cold, rough winds ... rough, dangerous seas. The Dead Coast, of course, is aptly named. There are no ports in which to resupply until you reach the Mouth of the Eastern Yall River, and even then, the port there is controlled by pirates and other vile creatures.

"We continued up the Eastern Yall without stopping," Imogen continued. "On the river, though, Locals would row small boats loaded with water and food and other supplies out to travelers. It was the first time I had a taste of fresh food in more than a month."

"What brought you here?", Philip asked.

"A marriage proposal," Imogen answered, again with an obvious lack of joy. She looked up into the man's eyes and smiled knowingly. "I was to marry Prince Nellan ... the Queen's brother." She smiled at Philip's reaction. Looking to their path again, she explained, "My grandfather, Baron Wornal of Nurva ... he is the first cousin of the Frenkish Emperor, His Grace Dorian of Norla. Dorian has no children and no siblings. My father is his closest male relative and, therefore, the Heir Presumptive.

"There are people who wish to see a marriage between the Frenkish Empire and the Republic of Yalla," Imogen continued. "They believe that the union would be beneficial: Frenk's power and reputation of strength combined with Yalla's wealth and culture. The combination could return the greatness of both the Frenkish Empire and the Empire of Yalla, both of which began their collapses even before I was born."

Philip spoke on what Imogen had said, then asked, "Have you enjoyed the City?"

She smiled up to him, saying as she gave his arm a little squeeze, "Not until now, no." She looked away, giggling; she knew better than to flirt so obviously as it took so little for the cute little thing to excite most men.

Philip asked, "Are you returning home now for a reason? Is the mission simply coincidental?"

"Are you asking if I'm leaving because, obviously, I cannot marry the now dead Prince Nellan...?" Imogen asked, pausing to smile knowingly to Philip again, "...or are you asking whether I asked to partake of your mission ... to be close to you, Lord Philip?"


In a Guest Quarters:

Rolph thrusted one last, deep, hard time as he grunted, filling Betty with his seed as he groaned out loudly. Betty -- on her knees, back arched downward to press her bosom into a pillow around which her arms were wrapped -- giggled at the sounds her husband made upon ejaculation. She loved the sound of him surrendering to his euphoria, his heavy gasps as his orgasm exploded through him.

She waited until he collapsed over her backside before she rolled him off to his back. Crawling into his lap, grasping his shaft, and putting it inside her again, she purred, "My turn."

Betty would ride hard and fast atop Rolph until she, too, exploded to the great joy of climax. She'd been getting good at this -- fucking -- and after enjoying the waves of pleasure, started them up again until the two of them came almost simultaneously. Just as Rolph had collapsed down upon her earlier, Betty now collapsed upon him. She giggled at the feel of their hearts pounding opposite one another, joking that each heart was trying to fill the other's body with their shared blood.

"I will miss you, m'lord," Betty whispered after she'd regained her composure. Pulling Rolph tighter to him with one hand as the other grasped his sticky shaft, she giggled and said, "I will miss this, too, my husband."

They laughed and kissed and talked about things, then Betty sat up, her parted thighs upon Rolph's; she grasped his shaft again, stroking it toward hardness. She reminded him, "Your mission is important, Rolph. You are going to rescue those poor girls from a fate I would not wish on the daughters and wives of my greatest enemies."

He was getting hard again, and as he did, Betty moved from atop his thighs with her own thighs parted to between his knees on her own as she continued, "Some of these girls who you save will be very thankful ... very appreciative." Her tone began to show concern. She said, "Some of them will want to show you their appreciation ... in ways that most men would not be able to deny."

Despite not liking to do so, Betty lowered her head to take the bulbous head of Rolph's cock in between her warm, wet lips. She sucked a moment, took some of his shaft in, then withdrew. Stroking his shaft and fondling his balls, Betty said with a soft, desperate voice, "I can only hope that you will deny them, m'lord ... m'husband."

With that, Betty lowered her head again to give Rolph a blowjob. She'd only stop once he'd ever cum or told her it was unnecessary.

 

[HumanBean]

Map of the Known World -- OOC thread

The Castle of Yalla
Late Evening:

"When you return, whether we are married or not," Stella told Morrow, "I would like you to kiss me."

Her smiled widened, as did his. He remembered that Stella had feared that she wouldn't be able to stop kissing him once she'd started. He remembered that she had feared that she wouldn't be able to stop doing much more than kissing once she'd started.

As if hearing Morrow's thoughts, Stella continued, "And ... I won't stop."

"And I won't let you stop," Morrow said, smiling, then laughing. He realized that his comment could be taken poorly. He corrected with feigned regret, "Unless you want to, of course, m'lady."

Morrow walked her to the smaller, less conspicuous door that led directly into her own quarters, off Luna's. He paused at them. He hoped that she might alter her calendar and invite him in now. She didn't. She continued walking toward the door to Luna's Drawing Room, around the corner. Morrow fell in line, hoping Stella didn't catch what he'd been insinuating.

"Until your return, m'lord," she said at their destination.

Morrow took Stella's hand, lifting it upwards as his face came down. He pressed his lips to the backs of her fingers. The touch was far more intimate than was proper. But Stella permitted it. He released her, saying, "Until my return, m'lady."

He watched her enter the room, then departed.

Ten minutes later, in Second City*:

Clara's cottage. He strode through the gate and the front door with purpose.

"Clara?" he called from inside. "Clara!"

The cottage was illuminated by several candles, a lantern, and a fire that was still roaring. The occupants weren't in sight. And Morrow saw none of Clara's possessions anywhere in the room. But it was obvious that the cottage was still in use.

A man hurried out from behind a drape hung in a doorway. He was followed by his wife, then one child, and finally another. The mother grabbed the little ones, holding them to her. Their faces were filled with fear of the loud, armed stranger in their home.

The father initially pleaded in a different language. Morrow, the world traveler, recognized it as the Virtish dialect of the Vint language, the most spoken language of the indigenous population of the northerly Kingdom of Vint. (map)

The then repeated in the Common Tongue with his heavy accent, "Take what will! Please, no harm wife, children. Please! I beg."

"You live here?" Morrow questioned angrily. He got no answer and stressed, "Do you live here now?"

A female voice with the Virtish accent spoke from beyond the parents, "Yes, m'lord. Is our home now."

(OOC: Imagine the next character in a night gown contemporary to the age.)

The most beautiful young woman Morrow had ever seen stepped out from behind the older adults. She stepped away from her parents, closer to Morrow. Her path put her directly between him and the fireplace. The light of the dancing flames penetrated her thin, woolen sleeping gown. Her wonderfully curvy form revealed itself to Morrow as clearly as if she was standing before him nude.

"Clara gone, m'lord," she said. "Clara gone, six days. She give cottage to us. To me. To family. I have paper, prove."

The mother began rattling on in Virtish. The younger female snapped at her. Then, gesturing, she told the others to go back into the other room. An argument erupted.

Morrow understood enough of the words to understand what was happening. The girl wanted to speak to him alone. The mother and father didn't. But in the end, the father urged the mother and younger children to return to the back of the house. The animated conversation in Virtish continued, eventually fading away.

The girl introduced herself. Then, she asked, "You are Morrow? Clara's lover, yes?"


* The cottage was first mentioned in Post #138. Interactions occurring inside it seem to have begun in Post #167.