Demon King's Pet Ch. 02

Chapter 2 - Tending the Fields

"Your throat will probably be sore. I'll try to ask if they have any food and fresh water, perhaps even tea." Arisselia speaks quietly.

It takes another moment for Elli to get her bearings. They aren't in the same tent as earlier. There are a few more posts holding up the roof, and some kind of sheer fabric separates the large space into sections.

"Where are we now?" She croaks, sitting up and rubbing some feeling back into her wrists. They are still naked, but if her eyes can be trusted, the silver chains had been removed by one of those hooded guys a minute ago. Now Arisselia only has a thin band of silver around her throat. Elli feels at her own neck, fingertips rubbing against the metal.

"If I had to guess, we're in his tent now." The reluctant queen paces as she tests her own collar. "I'm not sure if you made the right choice."

Elli shrugs, tucking her knees up to her chest. "I was pretty sure I was dead, so..."

"Fair point. First time though?" The woman stands proud and tall, but her tone is kind despite everything. Elli simply nods. "Maybe we can get access to some soothing tea or willowbark then. I certainly wouldn't want that thing halfway down my throat, and I've had some well-hung lovers before."

The farmgirl blushes and hides her face in her knees. "I probably wasn't thinking about what it meant at the time, just how bad the alternatives were. I mean, I'd probably have a kid or two by now if mama hadn't died. Lord Bruschnel thought it'd be better if I stayed home to help Pa for a few more years instead of trying to find him a new wife he hadn't earned."

"Lord Bruschnel, of course." The older woman snorts, still standing alert as she watches the tent's entrance. "Well that explains something if you're a serf. You're conditioned to never question authority and have very little in the way of a future. Something like this must be a leap up the ladder for you."

Elli shivers from those harsh accusations.

"No, child...young lady...I'm not mad at you. I would have made the same choice in your position, I'm sure." A gentle hand reaches down to pat her head, and Elli hates how much comfort she got from it. "It won't be easy. We need more information, and you'll need to learn fast. Though..." Arisselia pauses in thought, "It seems they are looking specifically for those of us with magic talent. He wouldn't have tossed you to the mercy of lesser soldiers or killed you outright."

"But that one with the broken tusk said..."

"I think you're more valuable than you realize here." Arisselia shakes her head. "A whirlwind, he said?"

"Don't remember. Can't remember anything after the kitchen."

"If I'd only heard about that, I'd think you were an elemental only. But I suspect you have more potential. Pity that oaf of a lord of yours never sought to train it."

"Morvenn in town asked to train me once, but only got to talk to me for a day before I was needed back home." Elli looks up to catch a haunted look on the sorceress's face. "Why isn't she here? Or Sandra, the baker girl who'd trance up and tell other people's secrets until she learned how to control it better?"

"The hedgewitch is dead, as is your friend. I'm sorry." The new queen shakes her head before unhelpful tears can fall. "She wrote to me some time ago for assistance with something, and I was in Bridgefall to finally help with those. I have a ritual I do before bed every night. Scrying, if you know what that is. Last night, it... Something went wrong and instead he found me. We fought all night, but his magic is stronger than my own."

Arisselia stands in defeated silence while Elli stays awkwardly on the floor until the sounds of voices reach them.

A small army of the little monsters, like the two in her kitchen, enter with trays held between them or above their heads. They pass by the two women and head into the deeper recesses of the tent. Arisselia gestures with a nod of her head for the farmgirl to go spy on them. Other than moving out of her way in a practiced but aloof dance, the creatures ignore her as they set food and drink upon a few low wooden tables. One of them runs around fluffing up pillows and cushions.

Elli tiptoes back to the entry area to report. "Looks like there's super at least. I haven't eaten since supper last night."

"We wait. Just a few minutes. I don't like that we haven't been given clear instructions and I don't think either of us wishes to be punished for breaking some silly rules." The older woman points behind herself at another hidden area of the tent. "Two more went back there. I can't tell what for, though."

Elli nods and scrunches back down to wait. A short while later, a column of the impish beings exit from the tent without a word.

They don't have long to wait. The monster king strides in, towering above even the tall sorceress. Squatting low to hide her nudity, Elli only just makes it to his knees. He regards both of them briefly before snapping his fingers and demanding, "Come."

The monster king continues deeper into the tent, and they follow. He pauses in the larger space to remove what little armor he wears and places the pieces alongside their brethren on a wooden mannequin. His robe is still open, and with a shrug that garment falls to the rug floor to be ignored. Now as naked as the two women, a pale green mockery of marble perfection, he leads them to the next cloth-lined chamber.

A vat of steaming water awaits them. Elli had never seen a basin so large. Most of her family would bathe in the nearby river when it was warm enough, and use a wet cloth otherwise. Only babies and linens were washed in tubs, and never one so large.

The king eases himself into the hot water before motioning to his new queen. "You, bathe me. And you," he gestures at Elli like the afterthought she was, "watch and learn. This will be your duty soon."

While he gestured at a simple stool, she instead kneels on the floor to watch. It is hard to read the monster's expression, but he seems pleased by her subservience.

Arisselia takes her task seriously as she spreads warm water over the king's skin. She raises cupped hands over his head to wet the top of his scalp. She finds the soaps--true, scented soaps--set out on another stool by the bath, and proceeds to spread a lather over his chest, his arms, all the way down to his clawed fingers. He stands to allow her access to his waist and legs, but as her hands move lower, he catches them with his own.

Guiding her fingers to the limp tool hanging between his thighs, he growls softly, "Don't forget to clean this well. Though I suppose my concubine already knows that lesson."

Arisselia locks him with a brave, disdainful look as she climbs into the tub, unbidden, and half-kneels in the water. She rubs her own chest with soap, never looking away from his eyes, before she presses her bosom up against the king's crotch. Elli watches as she alternates between pillowing the flesh against her own body and teasing her soapy fingers along every detail of the shaft and the softened spines at the tip until it is hard and a shade between forest green and purple dusk. The king's hips roll forward, pushing his girthy appendage between his queen's breasts until he is satisfied and spent after spraying his foamy yellow seed on her neck and breasts.

"That's enough for now, wash yourself well." He grunts at the queen, sliding down against the opposite side of the extra large tub so that she has to sit between his legs. "Girl, grab the shampoo."

Elli's face feels warmer than the steam coming off the water, but she complies after Arisselia nods toward a glass jar for her. The thick, oily liquid is cold on her fingers, but it warms and bubbles up as she very carefully applies it to the king's hair and scalp and even the crownlike horns.

"That's a good girl, massage it in." He relaxes against the metal edge of the basin, letting his long white hair and extra soap foam drip to the rug below. The king almost looks handsome, kinder, as his face drops its cruel expressions.

It doesn't last long though. He dunks his head under the water to rinse out the soap, and seeing that Arisselia is nearly finished, he waits in silence before helping her out of the large tub. "There's a small dresser to the left of our bed. You'll find a clean robe there." And then he turns to Elli. She huddles against the warmth of the tub, afraid to move without permission. "Come now, pet. You're the least clean of us all."

While that is probably true, as the sorceress was no stranger to soaps and cleaning oils, the upraised twitch of his lips hints of malice in his words. He isn't gentle with her. His muscles aren't just for show, and he easily lifts Elli with one arm and plunges her under the water.

Elli struggles, but he lets her breach the surface to gasp for air only to force her back under. Her hands fight against the grasp he has on her neck.

Just as quickly as it had started, the torment is over. He allows her to surface and waits until she settles in the water, looking up through wet lashes. Elli tries to tell herself it had only been mere seconds, that her brothers had held her under the river for longer as play, but her brain focuses on the thought of drowning. It isn't until he whispers in her ear that she realizes her back is against smooth metal and his hands are cupping her breasts.

"You've got lovely tits. Bet you'd give an even better breastfuck than my queen can, once you learn how to use them." Her gasp has nothing to do with being deprived of air and everything to do with his fingers pinching her hardened, oversized nipples. He chuckles, going back to cupping and squeezing her fluffy mounds to spread bubbles over them. "Tell me, have you ever had sex?" He seems to delight in her blushes and the soft pants that escape her raw throat. She shakes her head. "Laid with a man? Touched? Kissed?" 

She shakes her head harder, wet hair catching on her skin. "No, never my lord." Dammit, how is she supposed to address him?

"Are you considered too young, or perhaps too ugly by your kind?" He muses as he stops playing around and begins furiously scrubbing her abdomen and arms with a soapy cloth.

"No, my lord. I've seen maybe 19 or 20 summers." She hesitates as one of his hands moves lower and the other holds the cloth under her knee to raise her leg over the side of the tub. "Just unfortunate. Couldn't be married off until my youngest siblings are a little older. Otherwise I'd have been sent away by 16 or 17."

"How unfortunate, all the responsibilities of caring for children, and none of the benefits of actually being a woman." His fingers ghost over her mound, exposing the folds to the warm water one by one before gently sliding up and down to clean between them.

Abruptly, he pushes her forward and begins scrubbing her back, almost impatiently. "Your name. Before I decide to turn you into an obedient little breeding bitch."

"Elli." She wants to cry at the sudden harshness of the cloth and his tone.

"Elli. I like it, so I suppose I'll allow you to keep it. Stand up."

She obeys quickly, and he makes short work of washing her rear and legs.

"Sit back down, and put your feet on the edge of the tub as close to me as possible."

That command makes her pause for a moment, but before he can become angry with her, she manages to get both feet up and scoot them as close as she can. The water seeps into her exposed folds now that her thighs are spread apart as far as she could get them. Not that it mattered much as he wraps an arm under her breasts and lifts her back over the edge of the tub. Her butt hangs in the air, just barely touching the surface of the water, and her legs bend to keep her raised up.

At least he lets her brace against his chest as he runs a hand up and down her thigh. "Pity I can't just throw you to the floor and pound your virgin holes into oblivion right now, but I've never been one for breaking my toys or my women."

"Th-thank you, my lord." Elli stutters as his hand returns to the mound between her thighs. Two fingers feel their way into the center, sliding down to spread her apart so he can inspect her.

"Let's prepare you now, though your first time will still hurt plenty."

She holds a breath, afraid and unsure of what he meant, and gasps as an unexpected jolt of pleasure spreads from her mound to her belly. His fingers slide back down into the folds before gliding up to pinch the little nub at the apex. He soothes the nub with the gentle rub of his fingertips.

"Have you never touched yourself?"

"My lord," She grasps at words, fighting the urge to lift her hips higher and chase the feeling of his fingers. "I... I have, but I'm not often alone. I feel different when you do it." Her hips do begin to shake, and she struggles against his chest and the edge of the tub just to push harder against his hand.

Amusement rises up from his throat. "You do, Elli? Does it feel better with my hand?"

"Yes... my lord." She mewls as his fingers keep moving, rubbing against places she once thought secret. "So much better."

"And here?" His fingers circle lower, towards the end of her folds.

"I-I've never, not there." Something pushes inside, pinching at first, and then stretching, giving muscles she wasn't even aware of something to grab onto. "That's... that's where ma said a man enters and a baby comes out." She whimpers as the feeling tightens, and now he shifts his wrist away from her mound so they can both watch his fingers slide inside her birthing canal.

"At least you aren't completely ignorant of your new role."

She can't reply. Not with the way her flushed body tightens up around him. A keening moan escapes her lips as her toes curl. Her hips try to rock into the thrusts of his fingers, but her awkward grip on the tub's edge fails and she falls back into the water with a whimper.

"I think that's enough for tonight." He snorts out before finishing with the cleansing rituals and washing out her hair thoroughly.

Arisselia offers her a soft, blue robe after she follows the king to the main room. Whatever material this is, it isn't simple linen, and it feels like a whisper against her skin that does little to keep in the warmth she lost getting out of the bath.

"I don't think he's finished with us tonight, keep your wits about you." The older woman warns in a soft breath next to Elli's ear.

Their king ignores the brief exchange and takes a seat on a cushion at the table. He picks up a strawberry and regards the two women sharing his tent. "Eat. Drink. You'll need your energy to entertain me."

The two women do as they are ordered, and Elli begins the arduous task of untangling her wet hair in between bites of heavy meats and cheeses and simmered vegetables. Arisselia pours steaming water into a cup for her, and she finds its herbal flavor sweetened heavily with honey.

Before long, the queen is pulled onto the king's lap, his hands wandering between bites. He begins to explain their new roles in his world.

"You've never seen any of my kind before, not even in your legends?" Both women shake their heads. "Grand. We're conquerors, invading world after world to spread our influence. Those descended from our Emperor amass resources, allies, weaker family, and warriors mostly, and when they have an army ready, we find access to ripe new worlds to claim as our own and become its sole ruler. Then we look for locals with intriguing qualities for making offspring, and then our children continue the subjugation of more worlds.

"It's customary to make the one who helped open the doorway into the first queen or king, unless the conqueror finds them unfavorable. Though I've been incredibly lucky to find a second pretty little magic user on the first day. My elder brother said it took him months to start building a harem." He tosses a salty chunk of meat at the farmgirl. "And you both seem to understand your roles well. Behave for me, bear strong babies, and you'll be well rewarded."

Elli can only nod in reply, cautiously eating the scrap. Arisselia snorts, ignoring the hand playing on her ribs as she sips some wine.

"What's wrong, my Queen? Already looking for a rebellion?"

Arisselia looks up at him carefully, measuring his mood and her words carefully. "I know the ways of men such as you. I am no stranger to arranged relationships." She offers a sultry simper, the look almost foreign on her face from what little Elli knew of her. She even leads his wandering hand up to cup her breast, leaving herself exposed as the robe falls open. "I can play this game, and satisfy your physical needs. But don't think for a minute I'm done with our battle." She purrs, words not matching her tone as she nuzzles his neck. "Just release this last chain, and I'll show you what I mean."

He laughs. Elli can't see what is happening under the table, but his fingers are clearly tugging on the woman's tit in what must have been a painful way. The pain didn't seem to make it to the queen's face, but her brow furrows in concentration. "I look forward to your defiance, my Queen. Perhaps some day you'll raise an heir too strong, and they'll try to kill me for you. My mother once hoped for that, and she was executed for it."

"But, why us?" Elli pales when she realizes the question had fallen from her own lips.

The brows they raise mirror each other.

"Why?" After the surprise of the meek girl speaking up passes, he shares an almost pitying expression. "Have you never seen the results of inbreeding amongst your nobility? It's far more advantageous to select from the strongest sorceresses and bitches available in my new realm."

The king leans forward, neglecting his new wife's breast in favor of patting his concubine's cheek. "And while I wouldn't say you're all that strong, you have potential. In magic, and... other things. When my Queen grows weary of my touch, you'll be begging for it, won't you, pet."

It isn't exactly a question, and Elli feels her tummy tighten at the certainty in his voice.

"Do you have serfs in the realm you're from, my King?" Arisselia's voice takes on a cajoling note whenever she fishes for information.

"Not that I'm aware of. What is that, exactly?" He retracts his hand to grab his wine.

"In this area of the world, they're essentially slaves tied to the land. They work the fields or whatever job is allotted to them by their lords. They eat what the lord allows them to keep. They marry whomever the lord wills. I'm sure there are some laws and customs to prevent abuse, but I've seen those fail plenty."

"Slaves then." The king laughs easily at the concept. "When I'm finished remaking this world into my own, you'll find that everyone in it will be like a slave to me. But even you, my pet, will be higher up than most. Higher even then any lord you might have served. And as for you, my queen. What's mine is yours, for the most part, and what's yours you can give to any of my concubines that pleases you."

He releases Arisselia abruptly, and she tries not to let her relief show as she's able to move just out of his grasp under the pretext of grabbing some bread. But Elli notices. And as he turns away to look for something in a satchel resting nearby, she shares a sympathetic look with the queen. 

They may not be able to fight him, but they can still support each other.

The king returns, sliding some of the dishes aside and rolling out a large parchment over the table. "Of course, it will take me some time to cement my rule over your realm. But you can both assist me."

Elli leans forward, looking at the squiggles and symbols, until she recognizes what it is. "That's Stone Toad Forest!" She points at the little trees dotting the map before tracing what could be the river that runs near her family's fields.