A Royal Sacrifice Ch. 11

Cedric frowned and reached for Rebecca's chin. Again she denied him and he cursed softly, took hold of her and pulled her to him. "Listen to me, Rebecca. I have heard the rumors. I have spoken to Evie about them. She has shared with me her suspicions that you were charmed. I do not see you and that woman out there as one and the same. She has a choice in what she does. You did not." He embraced her and kissed her forehead.

Rebecca wept softly and found herself buried in Cedric's comforting embrace. He stroked her hair, then her back, cooing soft words of comfort across her brow. Eventually she calmed and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Cedric smiled and ran his finger over her lips.

"Thank you," he answered back and lowered his mouth to hers. Rebecca's lips parted and her tongue merged with Cedric's. He tilted her head to one side, and deepened the slow seduction of his muscle dancing with hers. She whimpered and he smiled against her lips. "We should go," he told her as his hands move in and out of her hair, sweeping it back from her brow and then tucking it behind her ears.

"I don't want to go," she answered back.

Cedric eyed her with a questioning look. "Rebecca I don't expect you to do something you don't want to do."

"Cedric... I believe I have been with Bagdemagus, but I don't remember it. I just remember..." she blushed, "the scent of me being different at times."

"It doesn't matter to me. You were charmed."

"Yes, I believe I was. Evelyn has helped to council me, as has Muriel. Cedric, I don't want to go to sleep anymore fearing his memory invading my dreams. I want a new memory... a new dream." She stepped back and stared at him. Her fingers trembled as she reached up to untie the top of her bodice.

Cedric stopped her by placing his hands over hers. He closed the distance between them and took over the unveiling of her skin. Inch by inch was left exposed to his eyes as well as to the eyes of the stable's inhabitants; The moonlight gave Cedric the light he needed to gaze upon his woman's flesh.

His fingers moved to trace the shape of her collar bone and when she shuddered under his touch, he smiled. One hand moved to cup the back of her neck and he brought his mouth down to hers. Again they kissed. She gasped and moaned into his mouth, he drank up every sound. His tongue left hers to slide slowly along her jaw. He made his way to her ear lobe and tenderly assaulted the flesh with his teeth. Cedric felt her fingers claw at his shirt and it was his turn to shake as she timidly began to work the hem from his trousers.

He nibbled his way down her neck and across to the shoulder he'd left exposed to nature's caress. He paid homage to her skin and used his tongue and fingers to learn every curve that God had graced her with. Her bodice was open and hung at her waist. He slid down to his knees and looked up into Rebecca's eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still giving her a way out.

Rebecca's hands slipped to her hips and she pushed the rest of her dress down, leaving her underskirt behind. Cedric waited and closed his eyes, then opened them when he heard the final rustling of clothes. He stared at the center of his lady's sex. Her hand covered her mound and he saw it trembling as she tried to hide herself. Cedric reached out and took her hand away. He kissed her palm and then moved to place a kiss on the thick curls she'd been hiding from him. When she shuddered under his ministration, he pressed a deeper kiss upon her silky hairs. Again she moaned and again Cedric kissed her. The next time she sighed from pleasure he used his tongue to taste the juices that had seeped from her sex.

Her hands moved to his hair and she toyed with the blond curls. Cedric continued tasting her; his tongue sweeping across the hooded nub of her sex. She flexed her fingers and gathered the thick strands between her fingers. Cedric grinned when her hips naturally thrust forward. He angled his head so his tongue could dive between the thick folds of her pussy. He swept the tip up and then down, searching for the slippery opening. He pushed his wet muscle into her hole and swirled it slowly to the right, then left. Cedric's hands refused to remain idle while his tongue took all the pleasure.

Fingers moved from her hips to the roundness of her ass cheeks. He held her close to him as his mouth brought her closer to a pending release. Rebecca whimpered his name, biting her lower lip to stifle the cry of pleasure that threatened to explode. Cedric grinned and moved one hand to the front of her sex. He pushed two fingers into her pussy and curled them. As Cedric explored the inner depths of her with his thick digits, his mouth continued to feast.

When she grabbed his head with both hands and pushed him forcefully into her Cedric was growling low. He welcomed the heated juices that erupted from her womanhood. He suckled deep and enjoyed the tangy and sweet nectar. He continued to sup on her as she shuddered violently around him. She shook as he cleaned her depths and then washed away every sign that she'd come for him. He rose to his feet and stared into her glazed eyes. "A good memory?" he asked, his voice was thick with emotion as he studied her.

Rebecca barely spoke the whispered, "Yes." Cedric lifted her into his arms and stepped over her dress. He carried her through the stable and used his foot to gently kick open the door to the groomsman's private chambers. He knew Eric was busy elsewhere and would have no need of the small cot that he had inherited after John's move to the Knight's quarters.

Evelyn stared at the castle. The lights from the thousands of candles, that had been lit and placed around every window and along every path, made the entire keep sparkle. She glanced at the stables and wondered when Rebecca would emerge. She'd seen her handmaiden and Cedric enter the large and spacious building. She'd almost gone after them, but told herself that Rebecca needed whatever Cedric was able to provide. She was not ignorant as to the relationships between a man and a woman, after all she'd lived in the village, and there were often women and men fornicating in various states of undress.

"You didn't run away?"

Evelyn turned to face Prince Drest. "Welcome back," she replied and accepted the wine goblet he offered her. He'd left her to search out a bottle and two glasses. She'd spent that time thinking about Drest and her feelings for him. They had traveled the labyrinth together, not touching unless it was a forced situation. Several turns of the hedge maze were narrower than others and Drest would often lead her forward with a gentle, but firm hand. They'd reached the center and took a seat at the gazebo. He'd sat beside her, his fingers brushing against the top of her hand. She'd wanted to speak, so say something wise and compelling, but no words came to her. Instead she found herself leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder and then welcoming the weight of his arm as he wrapped it around her back.

He'd turned to her, tipped her face to his and kissed her with barely a whispered touch, then he'd risen from their seat and helped her to stand. They walked back through the simple maze and then stopped when catching sight of Rebecca and Cedric. She admitted to Drest she wasn't ready to return to the stifling confines of the castle. She'd enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the gardens. Drest smiled to her and left to get them something to quench their thirst. Now he was back and she was once again forced to come to terms with the feelings that were building inside her.

"Would you like to return to the gazebo? Or is there another place you would like to enjoy your wine and solitude?" Drest asked as he poured her a glass of the sweet red liquid.

"Let us head back to the gardens."

Drest walked beside her again, this time holding the wine bottle and his empty goblet in one hand and allowing the other to rest on the small of Evelyn's back. She enjoyed the weight of his palm pressing against her. She could feel the strength in it; the heat of it seemed to sear her, yet she welcomed that too. They wove their way along the lit path, eventually settling on a bench that rested just under Evie's bedchambers. Drest poured his wine and topped off her glass, then set the bottle down and claimed a place beside her.

They sipped in silence, until she was again becoming comfortable in his presence and she was leaning against him. Drest wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to his side. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

Evelyn chuckled softly. "Are you sure you want to know?" she asked.

Drest smiled and toyed with her hair. "I'd not have asked if I didn't want to know."

She looked up at him and smiled. "This night has been very different. From dancing with bumbling oafs, to spying on my handmaiden and my friend, to sitting here with you and being civil."

He laughed back. "Well, the night is not yet over. I'm sure if I work really hard at it I can raise your temper and you can be back to full-fighting form come morning."

Evelyn pinched his side and rolled her eyes as he doubled over in mock pain. He rose and took the glass from her hand, placed it on the ground next to his goblet and the bottle. "You cut our dance short Your Highness." He offered her his arm and she happily took it.

In a few moments she was once again feeling herself being transported to another place in time. She felt at peace in Drest's arms. He'd become a friend to her, and now she knew she was beginning to feel something more for him. She'd come to him for advice. He'd given it, but not in a way that made her feel she had to take it or that she was inferior. He'd not balked at her idea to learn to use a weapon, even going as far as to have a sword of her own crafted for her. He added archery to her list of growing skills as well as close combat with a small dagger. She was becoming quite the skilled soldier.

"You're thinking again," he whispered against her ear.

"It's a bad habit," she answered back, her breath short and raspy. Drest's mouth moved to slide lazily over to hers. He kissed her deeply, pressing her back to the wall of the keep. Evelyn went willingly. Her hands moved to tangle in his hair and she pulled him down to her. The small kiss in the gazebo had been swift, too swift for her growing desires. She wanted more and acted on instinct, opening her mouth and allowing him the access they both desired.

She hissed when his fingers moved to casually cup her breast. She leaned into his touch and whimpered when his thumb ran across the hardening tip. "Evie," Drest whispered into her hair and squeezed the round globe with gentle pressure. "This is going to become a habit." He kissed her temple and then her mouth again. He licked his way across the top of her bosom. His fingers tugged apart the ribbon that kept her closed off to him.

She shook as the air touched the wet moisture of his kiss and sent goose bumps across her pale skin. "What is?" she breathed out and in. His scent filled her and she licked her lips, then tugged her lower lip with her teeth as she felt that same moisture capture the pearl of her tit.

"This," he mumbled against her ridged areola. She felt the tip of his tongue trace the shape of her nipple, his teeth pulled on the bead and then released it. Her fingers formed fists that gripped the shoulders of jacket; she held on for dear life as he spread her bodice further open and began to learn the taste, texture and weight of the twin globe.

"Ohh," she whimpered as he slid lower and kissed her stomach. She felt her knees growing weak and her sex tightening in anticipation for more. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. His hands slid over her hips and then came to stop at her thighs. She stared down at him and looked past her exposed bosom. Her nipples arched out for attention, silently begging him to return to them. She saw control sweep back over his chiseled features. Her tongue darted out to moisten dry lips as he rose and began to repair her state of dress.

"Once a habit is started, it is hard to break," Drest told her after he'd secured the final ribbon's bow.

Evelyn shook her head, but had no words. Drest kissed her lips again and walked her back to the castle. He took her to her rooms and left her to her own devices. Outside her door he questioned the guards and made sure they knew the penalty if she were to come into harm. He then left to return to the bench, where he picked up the bottle of wine and headed to the gazebo at the center of the labyrinth. As he made his way through the maze he stopped and studied his surroundings.

Lights that had been set up along the path had all been burning brightly, but now ahead of him was darkness. He knew that there was a servant that was in charge of the maze and his duty was to keep the candles burning. It was the servant's presence that had made Drest not push things further with Evelyn while they sat in the gazebo. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He continued to sip from the bottle of wine, but at the same time flicked his wrist, which dropped a small dagger from its hidden sheath under his coat. Drest walked further down the dark, unlit path. He searched out the unseen enemy and was rewarded with a shadowy figure blocking his way.

"You will not win," he told the wizard. "Already you fail because so many have seen you. Why is that wizard? Are you running out of time?"

Bagdemagus closed the distance between them and smirked. "I am not the one running out of time."

"You have been in her rooms. She told me of this. So why do you wait to slay her? She grows stronger every day. More skilled and confident in her abilities. Her people are growing to trust her and the villagers are now prospering from her council. Why do you tarry?"

Bagdemagus lifted a brow. "I do not tarry. As you know the girl is special to me. I make no secret of that. You were wise to stop when you did. It saved me a lot of trouble. I wasn't in the mood to slaughter the son of King Oren. Though. . . it is on my list of things to do."

Drest thrust his weapon forward, but Bagdemagus dodged it, catching Drest's leg with a solid kick. Drest stumbled and caught himself by gripping the branches of the hedges. Laughter rang out as Bagdemagus slid in between the thick branches and disappeared on the other side. Drest cursed and hurried back to the castle, calling for the guards to search the grounds.