Bastileborn Ch. 01

Irena Floramare felt her hands trembling as enemy soldiers led her and her sister Tabitha deep into the lower corridors of Daylith Palace. Seventeen years had passed since the turning of the century, and the short-lived peace brought by the Blood Accord was already forgotten. Irena's father was once a powerful warrior king of the Swaying Valley, but his own brother, Fritmon Floramare, murdered him in his sleep. Fritmon had been offered great riches to do away with King Tobias, allowing Irena's beautiful home to be conquered by the southern kingdom of Daylith. It was a shameful defeat since some of the greatest human warriors in the history of Bastileborn were conceived and reared in the valley kingdom.

Irena's head began to ache as she thought of these things. She also noticed a continued heaviness in her legs. Tears began to drip from her beautiful chin and fall cold on her hands. Her wrists had been bound in front of her for many weeks by that point. The dark corridor was cold. The air was wet against her face as she and her sister hurried along between four guards. They soon reached a narrow staircase that led straight up for thirty feet. The doors at the top were opened for them, and they stepped into a warm, torch-lit dormitory. The walls were stone with old tapestries hung over them to help insulate the room. The place was obviously slave quarters.

Irena stood proud and gently placed her bound hands on her sister's shoulder. Poor Tabitha was blinded in an accident as a toddler. Irena was fiercely protective of her. Tabitha turned eighteen two months earlier, but she was still Irena's baby sister.

"Where are we, Iry?" Tabitha whispered. Her delicate face was pale with fear and dirty from their violent abduction.

"I think we're in the palace at Daylith," Irena whispered as she wiped dirt from her sister's face.

"Not another word from you two," growled one of the guards as he grabbed Irena's arm and jerked her away from Tabitha. "Matron, we have new arrivals. Come take this one with you. She'll be a nice toy for the young master. We'll escort the blind one to the laundry room," yelled the guard.

An old round woman appeared from a door on the right with three other aged women behind her. They seized Irena and began to pull her into the room away from her sister.

"No! Stop, you wretched women! I am Princess Irena Floramare! I will not be treated like a savage!" she cried as she fought to get away from them.

"Iry!" Tabitha shrieked as the men seized her and carried her in the other direction.

"Tabitha, don't be afraid! I'll come for you," Irena yelled as tears poured from her eyes.

The women pulling her were old, but they were not weak. They dragged Irena into a washroom and proceeded to strip her of the once beautiful spring dress she had been wearing in the Lacustrine gardens. They freed her hands, and she immediately tried to fight them again.

"Stop making such a fuss, you stupid girl. We are not going to hurt you or your sister unless we have to," grouched the matron.

Irena let out an exhausted sigh and allowed them to finish removing her clothes. She was aching with fatigue after her miserable journey south. She was soon standing naked in the center of the humid room as the women gathered pitchers of water and soap.

The gray stones under her feet were pleasantly warm. The floor had small canals built into it every three feet. Warm water constantly flowed through the little gullies, heating up the stones. It was a remarkable bit of engineering. Irena was admiring it as the old women thoroughly washed her and combed the tangles out of her long blond hair. They even trimmed and groomed the hair that no one was supposed to see. Then they dressed her in a skimpy red satin dress that barely covered her beautiful frame. It was split down the front and back all the way to her pelvis. The matron made her sit on the floor so she could braid her thick blond locks into something more manageable.

Once her grooming was finished, they immediately bound her hands again. Then the matron led Irena to an elegant door at the end of the slave quarters and knocked loudly. It was yanked open, revealing two well-dressed palace guards. They were wearing light green and gold armor on their chests and shoulders. Irena couldn't make out any facial features through the T-shaped holes in their burnished helmets.

"Take this one to the young master's room," the matron ordered. Then she pushed Irena out the door.

The guards seized her bound arms and led her down a beautifully adorned hall. The carpet was deep red and thick under Irena's bare feet. The stone walls were covered in bright red drapes and tapestries with gold fringe. The images depicted on the tapestries showed magnificent battles between mortals and gods waged across jagged mountain tops.

When Irena wasn't admiring the art, she was taking careful notice of her surroundings. She already had her mind set on escaping. Guards were stationed along the hall in intervals of a hundred feet. If she tried to flee, she would be caught almost instantaneously. It dashed her hopes of rescuing Tabitha on her own.

Suddenly, the guards stopped in front of two massive wooden doors. They were decorated with deep carvings of grand battles between dragons and mountain dwarves. They knocked loudly and waited.

"Enter," called a man's voice from within.

The guards opened the doors and led Irena into the middle of a luxurious bedroom. The stone walls were plastered smooth and painted white. Elaborate gold vines decorated the corners and edges of the walls. The painted vines snaked across the ceiling where they met in the center. At that point, the vines seemed to grow down and become a chain connected to a magnificent golden chandelier. The chandelier held fresh candles on multiple branches that were surrounded by carved glass votives. The fixture could easily be lowered with the chain, allowing a servant to light it in less than a minute. Irena stared up at it in wonder for a moment.

The guards motioned for her not to move before they hurried from the room and closed the doors behind them. She looked around the magnificent room for a moment. The east-facing wall was made up of two large bay windows on each side of two glass patio doors. The doors opened onto a stone balcony that offered a spectacular view of the Daylith Gorge. The windows flooded the room with light even when the sun fell behind the mountains in the west.

Her gaze eventually settled on the man standing in front of the window on the right. He was looking at a collection of daggers on an oak table. He was tall and built like a young warrior. His hair was dark brown and well-groomed. His face was very handsome and cleanly shaved. Thick dark eyebrows made his eyes look brooding. Irena could tell by his embroidered blue waistcoat and matching slacks that he was a nobleman, possibly a prince. She suddenly felt more at ease to be in the company of royalty again.

"Young Master, I am Princess Irena Floramare of Lacustrine City, the Swaying Valley capital. Please tell me who you are and why I'm here. Will I be allowed to rest soon?" she asked.

The young man looked at her in angry astonishment. His large hazel eyes and dark eyelashes were striking, combined with the severe expression on his face.

"How dare you address me without permission? I am the firstborn prince of Daylith, not some random palace guard," he snapped before he placed one of the daggers in his belt and approached the princess.

"How dare you treat my sister and I like lowly criminals? We are descendants of the Floramare warrior clan. The greatest line of warriors in the history of..." before Irena could finish her sentence, the young man slapped her hard across the face, knocking her to the floor. It took her a moment to gather herself as lights flashed in her eyes.

"If you dare speak out of line again, you'll get ten lashes. You're no longer a princess. Your kingdom belongs to my father now. You and your sister are war spoils. Be thankful for your remarkable beauty. Were you of common look, you would have been killed on the spot. Your sister is safe washing linens, and you're my personal slave. You could not have asked for a better fate."

Irena swallowed hard and slowly looked up at the young prince with tears in her eyes. She had never been treated so poorly by a noble in her entire life.

"Stand up and let me see your face," he ordered, but she turned away from him and gently touched her aching cheek. "I said stand up," he snapped as he reached down and jerked her off the floor. "You're a slow learner, or perhaps too arrogant to accept your father's defeat," he grumbled as he grabbed her chin. He pulled her face around to examine where he had hit her. "Hmm, looks fine. I hate hitting something so beautiful, but if you don't learn your place, you will earn some bruises," he said as he pulled the dagger from his belt and sliced the rope off her hands. He tucked it back into place before he began examining her wrists for injury.

Irena suddenly felt brave with her hands free. She quickly knocked the man's hands aside and reached for his dagger, but he seized her wrists in a blink and jerked her around completely. He held her tight against his chest as he drew his dagger and pressed it firmly against her throat.

"You stupid sheltered girl," he hissed in her ear. "If you ever try anything like that again, my guards will peel the flesh off your sister's fingers and dip them in arsenic," he growled. "I didn't spare her life out of pity. I knew she would be the key to controlling you," he snapped as he pushed her across the room.

She crashed into the wall and stumbled to the floor in a daze. She watched the prince nervously as he approached her and knelt down in front of her.

"If anything happens to me, my guards have detailed instructions on how to torture your sister to death. If you act out of line one more time, you and your sister will pay the price for it. If you truly want to keep her safe, I recommend you swallow your pride and obey me," he whispered as he reached over and stroked Irena's soft hair. "Do you understand?" he asked.

Irena was pale with fright as she slowly nodded.

"Good, now go stand where you were so I can look at you," he sighed as he stood and walked back over to the table that held the daggers.

Irena slowly pulled herself up and returned to the center of the room, feeling cold inside. Her will was broken, and she feared she would never see her sister again. The prince smiled as he slowly walked around her, examining every beautiful curve and line. Her golden hair, bright gray eyes, slender body, and soft pink skin could inspire any man's lust.

"You are magnificent. I haven't seen such beauty in a long time. Tell me, do you have any skills?" he asked as he slipped his fingers around her long braid and began loosening it.

Irena was a little confused by his question as she felt him taking the braid out of her hair.

"Um... I can sing and play many instruments. I can ride and fight as well as any warrior," she said, regaining some of her pride.

"That's not what I meant. Are you skilled in the art of pleasure? Do you know how to pleasure a man?"

Irena's heart sank and her stomach turned after that question. She quickly realized what kind of slave she was.

"I... uh, don't have any experience like that," she said as she felt her hands trembling again.

The young prince suddenly laughed. He was genuinely surprised by her answer.

"I don't believe it. How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm twenty," she whispered.

The prince laughed again and smiled at her incredulously.

"The valley folk really are prudes," he said in amusement. "That's good for me, at least. No worries, I can teach you how to pleasure me. This will be fun," he said as he pulled the princess into his arms. "My name is Dienon, by the way."

He smiled as he brought his lips to Irena's trembling mouth. He kissed her carefully at first, enjoying the sweetness of her breath and lips. Irena was very surprised and afraid to move. She figured the prince would yell at her for not knowing how to respond, but he was actually quite pleased with his new toy.

"Mmm, you smell wonderful," he whispered as he drew away from her. His warm breath felt bizarrely pleasant on her face. "You are welcome to use my name during sex, but outside this room, you will never speak unless I tell you to. You will get ten lashes the first time you break this rule, twenty the second time. Your sister will be whipped as well, and I shall be very cross if my new toy gets scars for misbehaving," he said as he slowly pulled the straps of her tiny dress off her shoulders.

Irena shivered as her satin dress slipped off her body and fell to the floor. Dienon looked over her inviting breasts and beautiful curves and smiled in absolute delight. He gently ran his fingertips over her nipples and down her sides, letting his palms rest on her hips. She felt like silk under his strong hands. Irena's neck and chest blushed to have a strange man touching her body like he owned it.

"They bathed you in ginger oil, didn't they? It's my favorite spice. I love how it tastes on your skin," he whispered as he brought his warm mouth to her neck and kissed it.

Irena shuddered as Dienon groped her thighs and ran his lips over her neck, making her skin tingle. She was beginning to feel lightheaded as her heart pounded frantically. No one had ever touched her like that before.

Dienon felt her trembling and drew away from her. There was clearly a look of terror on her perfect face. He chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair, which he had thoroughly un-braided earlier.

"Calm down, or you'll faint. I think you can handle me," he whispered. "I want you to enjoy me, Irena. Open that sheltered mind of yours and let a little pleasure in. If you please me, you and your sister will stay safe and protected under my orders. Piss me off, and I'll reserve the hardest jobs in the palace to keep you busy. You will simply work yourselves to death. Being my personal slave is a highly sought after position. You should humbly accept your new social standing. So, will you at least try to please me and try to enjoy it? Is that such a terrible thing to ask?" he whispered as he searched her bright gray eyes.

Irena gulped as she thought about her situation. She knew it could have been worse. Dienon was young, attractive, and somewhat restrained in his cruelty. She could have easily been sent to a hideous duke that would have been raping her by that point, but the gods had led her to Dienon instead. He was offering her an opportunity to protect Tabitha, and she knew she had to swallow her pride and take it.

"I will try, Prince Dienon," she whispered as she searched his large hazel eyes.

"Excellent," he said with a pleased smile. "I will have tremendous fun with you," he whispered. Then he caught her mouth in a passionate kiss.

He held her body tight against his, making it difficult for her to breathe. He slightly lifted her up and began nudging her towards the four-post bed, and they soon stumbled onto the white and gold satin comforter. The material was cool against her naked back.

Irena's heart jumped into her throat to be trapped under Dienon's heavy body as he explored her mouth with his soft lips. She was also surprised at how pleasantly warm he felt. She was still terrified by the thought of letting him have his way with her, but she would do it for Tabitha. She had to keep her wits about herself.

"I'll work you in gently, Irena. The thought of pleasuring you is somewhat thrilling," he whispered in between deep, exploring kisses. The taste of her mouth and skin was making his body tingle happily.

Irena's mind was racing right along with her heart. Of all the things she faced in her young life, she never thought she would end up a pleasure slave, and the way her body was reacting to it frightened her even more. The touch of Dienon's skin and the smell of his breath made her insides ache with a strange want. She couldn't think straight, with her body giving mixed signals of terror and pleasure.

While Irena was experiencing a range of confusing arousal, Dienon was busy planning how to massage her into a fit of ecstasy. He considered himself a skilled lover, and he knew he could ease her terror and make her feel something new and wonderful. He wasn't sure yet if she deserved such attention. She had angered him many times in the few minutes after they met, but on the other hand, he enjoyed her rebellious nature. He also liked the ache in his pants as his erection pressed against her soft thigh.

At that point, he noticed a tear fall from Irena's eye. He stopped kissing her and gently wiped it from her cheek. He was being graceless in his excitement. He looked at her in pity as he trailed his fingertips down her soft neck. Then he kissed her mouth softly for a long moment to ease her trembling. He skillfully drew her top lip between his before gently doing the same to her lower lip. Then he slipped his tongue into her mouth and played it against hers. He could tell she was new to kissing, and it aroused him even more.

Irena was beginning to find pleasure in what Dienon was doing. She thought it was gross at first, but the way he caressed her mouth with his lips sent delightful tingles throughout her body.

Dienon genuinely didn't want Irena to be terrified of his touch. She wouldn't be able to enjoy his skills if that were the case. He was pleased when he felt her heart ease its frantic pounding. She was even making a timid effort to kiss him back. He looked at her beautiful face and smiled at her progress. Then he climbed off the bed to undress a little.

Irena gulped and watched him curiously as he removed his waistcoat and loosened the collar of his linen shirt. Then he reached for her thighs and ran his hands between her legs, sending a shudder of fear and excitement up her spine. His hands were soft and warm against her skin.

He slowly pulled her knees apart, causing her stomach to fill with nervous fluttering. He smiled as he revealed her beautiful pink lips. She was aroused and too frightened to realize it. He knew he could make her feel it. That thought aroused him tremendously. He wanted to hear her admit her desire as he knelt down and brought his face close to her aroused skin. Her alluring smell made his body ache with want, and that inspired him to show off his skills.

Irena heard him take a deep, satisfied breath. Then she gasped when she felt something warm and soft lap over her swollen lips.

"Oh! Was that your tongue?" she asked in astonishment as she looked down at him.

He burst out laughing at her reaction.

"It was. Did you like it?" he asked in amusement.

"I... don't know," she said in slight revulsion.

"Then I should do it again for good measure," he said with a smirk before he lapped his tongue over her lips and over her clit in one hot stroke.

"By the gods," she groaned with her insides trembling.

His tongue left the most amazing feeling tingling between her legs. Her heart was now hammering against her ribs. Her head fell back against the bed. She groaned when he did it again. Her legs twitched as she felt him lapping long strokes along the bend of her legs. Then he lapped over her lips again, letting his tongue slip into her opening. That sent a powerful shudder through her midsection. It was thrilling. He massaged her outer lips until her legs were jumpy. Then he plunged his tongue deep inside her.

"Oh god," she groaned as he licked hard against her inner muscles. His hot probing tongue was making her feel wild and breathless.

Irena's startled noises were encouraging him to lick deeper and harder, provoking more gasps and squirming. He was very aroused by her reactions. It was putting him in an excellent mood.