Command and Vanquish Ch. 04

Riding him, feeling his hard body in between her legs, his cock filling her to the heights of pleasure, quickly overtook her. Pumping up and down on him hard, her whole body tensed, steadying herself on his shoulders, as an orgasm racked her entire body with tremors. This was too much for him, and he too came, shooting his seed deep inside of her.

Breathlessly she panted, "That might not have been smart. We don't know if the Queen will let me come back to you or not."

He rolled on top of her and lovingly looked down. "Nothing would make me happier than to have a child with you...and you WILL be my Queen. I won't have another."

*******************

Jem spent much of the next week with the Queen, pleading his case to dismiss Lady Mia and reaccept Isabella as his fiancé, the future Queen of Pangain. The Queen disliked the idea for several reasons: Isabella no longer held title, she was formerly royalty of the nation Pangain just destroyed, and Lady Mia did nothing to deserve a dismissal. However, her age-weary spirit could not deny her heir. Jem would be King. She'd been slowly relinquishing control of her kingdom to him anyway, and he could make good decisions. She smiled inwardly at the admission that he wasn't even really making a request of her. Instead, he was subtly informing her who his Queen would be, and only out of respect was seeking her word to officially formalize his engagement. She relented.

News spread quickly through the country, and never more quickly anywhere else but the nobility's social circle. In Prince's Hall, across from the Queen's palace, the commotion of change made everyone uneasy.

*******************

"Thank heavens we're all going out tonight. The gossip, moving, and unnecessary panic around here is giving me a headache," Rayth said, putting the last layers of clothing on.

"Oh, poor Isabella, if all this is giving you a headache, I can't imagine what it's doing to her," Alenya said, stroking makeup onto her eyes, intently looking in the mirror.

Rayth chuckled, moving to stand behind Alenya, "And no sympathy for Jem?"

Alenya put her cosmetics down to smile up at him through the mirror, "The Prince...is he in need of sympathy? He seems quite happy to me. I don't think shattering one girl's life to have what he wants has ever bothered him."

"Ooooo! Quite scathing, my Lady!" Rayth chuckled and teased, "Nothing more kind to say about the man who gives you all the money and clothes you want, not to mention your freedom?"

Alenya went back to applying her makeup, the burning in her cheeks clear and apparent. "Forgive me, my Lord. I'm forever grateful to him for the wonderful things he's done for both of us. But let him rape you once or twice, and see if you can forget about that as well."

Rayth sobered a bit. "Forgive me, Alenya, I know it must be hard for you." He bent down and kissed the back of her neck, whispering, "But he can't be all that bad, because he gave us the ability to have each other, love each other," he slid his hands down her, "touch each other however we want to..."

She laughed and tried to push him off. "Rayth! I'm trying to get ready! We shouldn't keep the Prince and Isabella waiting!"

Playfully, his face took a serious look, his beautiful eyes blazing, "I'm not stopping you from getting ready...go ahead...keep going, I'll find something to do..." he rubbed his hands down the front of her again.

Her face flushed and her breathing became harder, her hand unsteadily trying to finish her makeup. "Honestly, I don't know how you expect me to..." She gasped as he slid his hand beneath her dress and in between her thighs. "Rayth! We can't! We have to..."

He groaned and spun her around to kiss her. "Jem and Iz be damned right now, I want you."

She only faintly fought him, half-heartedly protesting. "We can do this later...afterwards...after we get back...not now..."

"Let's stay in tonight..."

"You just said you were happy to be going out..."

"I lied..."

They grasped at each other, kissing all over passionately.

"We're going to be late," Alenya whispered.

"No, that's okay," Jem called into the room, laughing, "We'll wait out here."

"Damn it!" Rayth cursed, half smiling.

Embarrassed Alenya straightened herself out, "Please tell them I'm almost ready and invite them in," she whispered.

Rayth went to his door and pulled it open to see both Jem and Isabella smiling at him. "What?"

Jem cleared his throat, "May we come in?"

"By all means."

Isabella rushed for Alenya, to give her a hug and help her finish getting ready (Isabella had tried to tell Alenya to have the slaves help her, but Alenya couldn't bring herself to do it). Jem and Rayth took a seat, mindlessly poking fun at each other.

A knock came to the door.

When Rayth pulled it open, he was surprised to see a somewhat tussled Navin look nervously into the room.

"Uh, my Lord, is um...is Jem with you?"

Jem got up and came to the door. "Nav! What's going on, my friend? This is supposed to be your night off, why are you still here?"

"Your majesty, can I speak with you out here for a minute?"

Jem looked somewhat confused, since Navin was almost always unflappable. "Sure...but I don't know if I trust Rayth alone in the room with the girls. He's owned both of them at one point or another, you know."

"Fuck you Jem," Rayth said, embarrassed at the truth of the statement.

"It'll only be a moment, Sir," Navin said, not noticing the dig on Rayth.

Jem stepped outside and gave Navin a look as if to say, "nothing can be this big a deal." Navin nervously stared at the floor, trying to find a way to begin.

"Sir...everyone's heard the news that you're going to be dismissing Lady Mia."

"Yes...and?"

"Sir, I don't mean to overstep my bounds here, because I know technically right now Mia is still tied to you. It's just that...well, Sir, I think Mia is a wonderful woman. She's been nothing but kind, sweet, and dignified through all the mess she's been thrown through."

"So what are you saying? I shouldn't dismiss her? I should keep her instead of Iz?"

"Um...no Sir. It's just that...I hate to see her go through this alone. This is a tough time for her...and she needs love. She needs someone to be kind to her, and to hold her."

Jem was still confused. "You're saying that you think I should hold her?"

"NO, Sir..." Navin was beginning to get frustrated. "Not you, but someone else should."

"Who then?"

Navin cleared his throat. "me."

Jem tried to stifle a laugh, but his smile betrayed his inner amusement. "Captain, why exactly did you need to speak to me? Exactly what are you looking for?"

"Sir, I've come here to ask your permission to court Lady Mia. She's still yours, and even if you dismissed her, out of respect for you, I feel that I'd need to ask you. I know it might seem inappropriate, and I hope you're not angry...Sir, I tried not to, but I couldn't help..."

Jem shook his head and placed his hands on Navin's shoulders. "No..."

"No Sir?"

"I mean, 'No', don't apologize for anything. You've done nothing wrong, and I'd be happy to see you find happiness with a wonderful girl. You're right, she is wonderful. But not for me. Trust me, I hate seeing her hurt as well, and I feel terrible for her. She was forced into this, reluctant as I was. She deserves to be happy. I think it's a great idea, if you really care for her, that you try and be with her. Good luck... you have my blessing."

Navin's face lit up, but he fought to maintain his composure. "Thank you...thanks Jem, I..."

"You're wasting time. We'll all be leaving shortly, and you'll have the Hall to yourselves."

Navin fidgeted a moment, then laughed, grabbed a hold of Jem, and pulled him in for a hug. "You're a good man, Jem."

"Don't be too happy yet, old man, you're about 10 years older than her, she might say no."

"With age comes wisdom, and after dealing with you, I'll look like a saint to her."

"See you tomorrow, Saint Navin." Navin laughed as he turned to leave, and Jem stuck his head in Rayth's door. "Come ON! Aren't you guys ready YET?"

Rayth, Alenya, and Isabella moved into the hallway, and Jem approached Alenya. Jem and Alenya both felt the tension still between them, as Jem had been quite cruel to her while she was a slave. He wanted her to be comfortable with him now, though, as his best friend's lady.

"Lady Alenya, you look beautiful as ever," he said in his kindest, most sincere voice. He extended his arm to her. "Please, allow me for the evening."

Alenya sucked in a subtle apprehensive breath as she place her hand in the crook of his arm. He smiled, and she tried to smile back as if she was dealing with a devil trying to act the part of angel. "Rayth trusts him," she told herself, "so I must learn to as well." She didn't look back to see Rayth's jaw lock, ever possessive of his girl.

Isabella slid her arm around Rayth's waist. "Lord Rayth?" He looked down at her, his old familiar friend whom the two of them, perhaps too many times, had felt the unspoken, unacted-upon sentiment of more than just friends. Tonight, she was letting him know that although she deeply feared him when he owned her, their friendship was back to where it had once been. "I appear to be without an escort for the evening," she continued. "Would you mind?"

Rayth warmly placed her hand into his arm, giving it a small squeeze, "Of course not, Madam Princess, but I warn you I'm going to strangle your fiancé if he does anything to Alenya tonight."

She laughed and pushed him slightly with her hip, "Don't worry, I won't let him get to far away, he's mine, and I can't help be a little jealous myself."

"Maybe that's why you and I get along so well. Putting up with Jem unites us," he chuckled.

She kissed him on the cheek, "and maybe that's why Alenya will fit in so nicely...she's put up with him for a long time, and is learning a new way to do that tonight. I'm happy for the two of you, Rayth, it's about time she freely shared your love."

"And we're all happy to have you home, Princess; it's about time you've brought things back to normal."

*******************

Navin knocked on Lady Mia's door. One of her slaves pulled it open, and he entered to find her carefully packing her things. Upon seeing him, she smiled bitter-sweetly, "Hello, captain."

"My Lady." He looked around the room, again unsure of how to begin. "I, um...I would like to say..."

"Please, let me say something first," she said, the pain of what was happening making her more bold than she'd previously been. Still with her sweet, faint voice, she told him, "I wanted to thank you for everything. Of all the people here, you've been the kindest to me, sensitive to me, and I'm terribly grateful to you. When I think about it..." she sat on her bed, "...yes, it hurts to consider not being good enough to love, or always standing in the shadow of another woman, but in a way leaving will be a relief. I'll miss some things here..." she trailed off and looked at him. "It is a shame...I feel we might have been very good friends."

"Thank you for the kind words my Lady," he said, trying to use his militant nature to armor his vulnerability. "I've actually come to talk to you about that...and about you leaving. I...I would you to stay."

"I'm sorry but..."

"Not with Jem."

"...What do you mean, then?"

Navin fidgeted and looked around the room, but after holding a stare with her for a minute, he cracked, disarmed his rigid defense, and decided to pour his heart out to her. After only three long strides, he reached her by the bed, dropped on his knees, and took her hands. He looked up at her intently, praying she would understand.

"It's not fair. It hasn't been fair from the start. For an angel like you to be made to feel you're not good enough for a man is an unforgivable crime. You're a jewel, a treasure, that only the Prince's jaded eyes mistook for a stone. Damn his eyes for not seeing you for the loveliness that encompasses you. But I can't watch him throw something this precious away, and I can't let you leave without you knowing you're the finest lady I have ever met. I've been here so long. I've seen nobility come and go, ladies flaunt their finest, employ their greatest charm. I've seen slave girls dressed up and given to us, straining to give us anything we desire. I've never...NEVER...been taken with any of them. Not until you. From the moment I met you, I valued everything about you. My desire has only grown from there, to the point I'm about to boil over and destroy myself."

He shook his head as if he were coming to his senses. Suddenly, his confession half embarrassed him, and he sought a way to continue with dignity. "I couldn't let you leave without knowing how I feel about you. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay. Not with Jaimeth...with me."

She looked down at him, shocked, but happy. "Captain...I don't know what to say. I would be lying if I said I wasn't strongly drawn to you as well, but I shouldn't. Prince Jaimeth..."

Navin shook his head. "Jem's not a problem. I've already spoken with him. We have his blessing."

"He's...he's okay with this? He won't be angry?"

Navin smiled, "No...he wants you to be happy...and me."

Her large blue eyes seemed to light up as she bit her lower lip. Cautiously, she took Navin's hand. Then, feeling somewhat foolish, she leaned in to kiss him, then backed away.

"Forgive me, captain...but may I?"

Before she could say anything else, he sprang up, and kissed her hard as he pushed her back onto the bed. He kissed her mouth sweetly, then tenderly pressed kisses to the sides of her face, holding her to him.

Mia nestled into him, having for several weeks dreamt what it would feel like. "Perfect," she murmured to herself, which caused a deep chuckle to escape him.

"Reading my thoughts are you?" He rolled over to hover over her, kissing down at her, feeling her cheeks with his thumbs. "Mia? There's something I'd like to show you, if you'd let me."

Shyly, she nodded, knowing it was something physical.

"Mia...have you and Jem ever been together?"

"Yes...there were a few times when he wanted to try."

He began kissing down her neck, down her chest, carefully letting her get used to the feel of him with her. "Did you like that feeling? Would you like to feel that with me?"

She bit her lip before saying, "No, captain...I'm not sure either of us actually enjoyed those times."

Navin kept kissing her as he quietly cursed, "Amateur." Navin knew in his mind that aside from Isabella, Jem never tried to please anyone but himself. Mia had never known what pleasure could feel like. He delighted in knowing he'd be the first to show her. He nuzzled into her neck as he explained, "I need to show you what loving SHOULD feel like. It will feel very good for you, I promise. If you'll let me, I'd like to show you what you've been missing. I promise, I'll be gentle with you, I won't hurt you. But if you're uncomfortable with anything I do, I'll stop the second you say."

She felt silly for a moment as she responded, "I don't want you to stop...I think I feel comfortable with anything you do."

He reached behind her and began to remove her clothes. "Would you feel comfortable if I took your clothes off?" She blushed, then smiled as she sheepishly said, "Maybe I'd be more comfortable if you took yours off first."

A smile spread across his lips, but he wasted no time in pulling everything off. He stood at the foot of her bed completely nude in no time. He stood there, smiling as she soaked in the sight of him. He'd never been self-conscious about the way he looked. He trained hard every day, as evidenced by the rock-hard formations of muscle that covered him. The only interruptions to his smooth, rippled skin were occasional scars here and there from blades (most scars were from sparring in his younger days; only few blades ever managed to reach him during actual fights).

He climbed back onto the bed with her, again letting her get used to the feel of him. She cautiously explored the expanse of his skin, growing excited at the look and feel of him. Jem had been the only other man she'd ever seen. While Jem was also well-muscled and attractive, his youth was no match for the mature masculine form that now lay beside her. She was overwhelmed with how good he felt.

"My beautiful..." he murmured, running his hands over her body, "I'm going to touch you and kiss you, but just say the word and I'll stop if you want me to."

"No please," she half groaned, "Go on...please..."

He smiled as he hiked up her dress to her stomach and ran his hands between the hot, smooth, fleshy insides of her thighs. He pulled her legs slightly apart, toying with the wetness that had formed there. "So lovely...let me see..." he moved down in between her legs, allowing her to lie on her back on the bed. He spread her legs apart to see the rosy pink source of her pleasure. Growing rock hard himself, he began kissing her legs at her knees, instructing himself to control his desire to take her hard and instead focus entirely on her pleasure. He would make this a night she would not forget.

He kissed up her knees, and nuzzled his face in between her thighs, letting her feel his hot breath pant against her sex. Then, pausing, he drew out his tongue to extend one, long, wet lick up the entire length of her.

Her eyes went wide, she gasped, and used her feet to buck against the unfamiliar, VERY pleasurable sensations that coursed through her. He paused to murmur rhetorically, "That feels nice doesn't it?" His tongue reached out to lick her over and over.

"Yes! Yes, that feels nice!"

"Mmm...it tastes nice too..." he continued to lap at her, diving his tongue into her, rapidly toying with her clit. He ran his tongue over the length of her, then took her whole sex into his mouth, gently sucking in pulsating waves.

"Oh...oh my goodness! I never knew it could feel like this!"

"Oh, darling, it'll feel much, much better by the time I'm done with you." He swirled around her lips, spreading them, tasting every inch, licking all over, over and over, while she wildly grasped at his chopped light hair. She pulled his head into her, reaching down to feel his face, the rough patches that seemed ever present regardless of how often he shaved, tickling her thighs, driving her wild. Then applying steady consistent attention to her clit, she thought she would go out of her mind.

"Heavens! What are you doing to me?"

He didn't answer, just smiled as he kept at it, the same spot, flicking lightly, fast, steady pressure, building it up, putting her over the top.

"AaaahhHH!" She screamed out, clamping her legs over his head as her orgasm shook her. He positioned himself to hold her through it, wrapping his arms tightly around her, kissing her face and whispering reassurances into her ear, holding her until the last tremor subsided. She'd never felt so good, and now wrapped tightly in his strong arms, the lovely scent of him relaxing her, she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke, he was still there, holding her. "Hello, there, beautiful," he said, smiling down at her.

"Oh, forgive me for falling asleep, I shouldn't have..."

He silenced her with a kiss. "This is your night to feel good," he told her when he broke away.

"When I leave here," she shyly asked, "how will we stay in touch?"

Navin somewhat looked away. "You wouldn't have to leave here, and I wouldn't want you to. I have a permanent room here at the Hall. You'd be welcome there. I do have a home in the country side, but I'm only there every so often." He looked at her vulnerably. "I wouldn't be able to ever offer you all the things Jem could. But I'd give you whatever I have. You can have my home, my room, wherever you'd be comfortable."