Demon King's Pet Ch. 04

Chapter 4 - Untended Plots Need a Hand Before They Grow Wild

The next three days were spent in uncertainty. The king left to continue the conquering of his new realm, leaving Arisselia and Elli alone in his tent. He did not return that first night, and when the queen noticed the farmgirl's sleepless anticipation had turned into anxiety, she invited the younger woman into her bed.

A robed and hooded form came to check on them every morning, quietly inquiring if the queen required anything for the day before sending in those little monsters with offerings of food. But otherwise, they were undisturbed and unhassled. It seemed being in his harem did offer protections, and Arisselia reminded them both to be grateful for that particular blessing.

To pass the time, and draw Elli's thoughts away from anxious musings, the queen began teaching her to read and write in a proper tongue and not in the provincial manner of farmers. The hooded figure brought books, including one on magical theory, which allowed the queen to begin teaching the woman the ancient language of true spellworking.

"What's the point of all this?" Elli harrumphs on the third day, fingers aching from clenching around the awkwardly carved graphite.

"The point," the queen stops pacing to sit down beside her, "is that you lack the necessary skills to compete. He'll be bringing back more women soon, and your naiveté and eagerness won't be enough to entice him."

The girl slumped onto the low table that had become her work desk. "That sort of thing won't matter if he intends to get every last one pregnant again and again until we die."

"It's true, that's certainly a risk. However, I've got my suspicions. He spoke of his mother having relationships with her children, which means they're not in the custom of taking away the babies as soon as they can walk on their own. He seems to be fine with my... personality... and that you're teachable, not stupid. He wouldn't praise you for that if it didn't matter somewhat. That means there is some value to him in having a semi-autonomous harem capable of teaching their children. It's not uncommon for rulers to be judged by their ability to draw intelligent and talented women to their side, even if they don't have sex with all of them."

Elli carefully tried to spell out "semi atonomus" on her vocab list to ask about later before speaking honestly. "Even if he finds a hundred sorceresses, I just want him to look my way sometimes. But what do you want?"

Arisselia blew out a breath. "Freedom, obviously. I've always hated chains and contracts and men who think you belong to them, especially when all they bring to the table is nice dick. But, I'm not certain I'll be able to escape this time. And if he really does take out the Holy Knights, I think my only chance will be making a deal with him. Pop out a brat, perhaps, and then offer to assist in other ways."

"Children aren't that bad."

"Says the girl that already had to raise what, five?"

"Two and a half. Mattias was already seven when Ma died, so that wasn't as difficult as the babes."

"Broomsticks and beeswax, I could never stand a peasant life. Or the idea of having something that tiny depending on me. I barely even want to talk to anyone under the age of 15." Elli snorts at the older woman's declarations, and the lessons resume until supper arrives.

The lessons don't end there though. They eat in a soft silence as Elli tries to make it through another chapter of the book she's been assigned. Finding yet another word she doesn't know, she reaches for her graphite to write it down and winces as her forearm cramps.

"Come here." The queen has noticed, and now gestures for the farmgirl to join her on the bed. Elli gets her legs situated to the side of her rear, handing over her writing hand at the queen's gentle insistence. "It's an entirely different skill from what you're used to, I expect."

"It's why I don't let the darning pile up. Too much sewing at once does the same thing." Elli wiggles her fingers, hoping that the sensation passes soon.

Arisselia has other ideas. She pours something between her own hands, warms it, before gliding her palms over Elli's forearm and hand. Oil, the younger woman realizes quickly as skilled fingers work into the aching muscle.

"I think you've studied enough for today. Though there are other things you can learn about tonight." The oil is deliciously warming, and her fingers glide along easily, relieving the strain and tension. "Are you familiar with massage? Because my shoulders and hips are killing me from sitting on the floor for so long."

The request is about as subtle as a hungry chicken. "I can get a knot or two out, but..."

"I'll talk you through it. And then you can surprise him if he comes back."

"Do you think he'd like it?"

Arisselia has her hooked, and she knows it. She takes her time to finish massaging Elli's arm and hand before laying on her belly on the bed. "Start with warming the oil."

Elli listens to each of the sorceress's instructions, working the oil over her flawless skin, getting a feel for the muscles and tensions of her back and shoulders. As she's finishing, gently warming the skin with sweeping movements of her hands, she gets a naughty idea.

"You said your hips hurt too, right?" Elli adds more oil to her palms, maybe a little too much. She's been staring at the queen's gently rounded behind this whole time, sitting back on it just to reach the woman's shoulders. Impulsively, she cups the buttocks with her warm hands. "Should I massage here as well?"

"Girl," The queen swallows hard before parting her legs a smidge. "You may massage wherever you wish."

Is this what power feels like? Elli wonders. The queen's rear is pliant under her hands, and she makes oddly arousing noises whenever the excess oil drips down too far. From this angle, the mound between her thighs resembles the petals of a closed flower, glistening with the stray drops of oil. Elli's hands swoop over her narrow hips, rubbing away from the spine a few times in an attempt to keep her own attention from straying.

But the bounce of the queen's ass draws her gaze back to the folds.

"Um, Arisselia? My queen?"

The woman raises her head to look back at the farmgirl playing with her cheeks. "Yes, Elli?"

"H-how does one prepare for... sex?"

The queen turns away to hide a triumphant look, and maybe Elli wasn't the only one who missed being touched. "It's much like a massage, dear. Spread oil over the skin in the private areas, the more the better. And work it into every groove and nook and cranny."

"And the birthing canal?"

"Of course. Or the asshole if one is so inclined."

Elli bites her tongue to avoid asking why that would ever be necessary.

Trembling fingers reach for the oil jar. Coated well, Elli carefully wipes the queen's folds with her hand before opening up the petals. She'd never seen another woman's body quite like this before, was too young to assist in her siblings' births. She wonders if this is how her mound looks too, all delicate petals and a little hooded nub. She earns a delightful moan for rubbing that, and the bigger hole, right near the top where the petals meet and the buttocks begin, moves all on its own.

"Can I..."

"Goddesses above and below, girl! If you don't bring me to climax, I'll teach you a real lesson!"

Oh! Arisselia had never raised her voice like that before. It's so filled with need and frustration that Elli doesn't mind the threat. Kinda sounds like it could be a fun lesson actually. Still, Elli works an oiled finger into the fluttering hole, pushing inside and wiggling it around to make sure the birthing canal is well-lubricated.

"Elli..." The queen whimpers. "Three, your hands are smaller than a man's, so I can take three fingers, and keep rubbing my clit."

The farmgirl slips her other hand under the woman's mound, sliding her fingers up to catch the reddened nub she had found earlier. The queen grinds her hips into the motion, and Elli pulls her other finger out of her canal.

"Three?"

"Yes... dammit."

Feeling like a child that's been allowed to hold a bag of sweets, she curls her hand slightly and presses four fingertips into the empty hole. They glide inside all the way up to where her thumb meets her palm.

"Oh fuck! That's the whole bleeding broomstick!" Arisselia cries out, but her muscles squeeze tight around the half of the girl's hand inside her.

"Too much? I'm sorry, I..."

"Elli, no. Keep at it!" The queen moans into her pillow.

Thick fluid coats her fingers as she slowly pulls them out and glides them back in, her other fingers squeezing the swollen nub. Every sound that escapes the queen, even the way her hips shift to help, guides Elli in her own movements until the older woman's body tightens like a taut thread. Elli thrusts her fingers faster, and the thread snaps.

The blissed out queen collapses into the sheets, her oiled body and petals glistening under the candlelight. "Oh girl, that... I swear if you tick me off, I will ride your gods-damned face. That jackass's perversions are rubbing off on me. Or yours are..."

That doesn't sound like a particularly terrible punishment. Elli looks at the creamy mix of oil and slick on her hand. "And if I please you?"

Arisselia snorts, peeking up from her pillow. "I'll give you a real massage and show you how women can lay together." That sounded like a promise. "Come, I think I heard the imps filling the bath."

The next morning, the hooded one returns to check on them. Wife and concubine are curled up together in the king's bed, an update he's certain the soon-to-be emperor will be most pleased with. He clears his throat, waking them both.

"We will be departing shortly. Please get dressed and eat quickly." Two drone soldiers bring in a tray of simple foods.

"Where are we going?" The new queen's cold gaze makes it impossible to ignore the demand, even without the power of her magic.

"My queen, we are to meet his majesty in the fortress he has taken, our new base. Do not worry, we will get you to his side safely."

She nods dismissively at his words, her icy features giving away nothing of her thoughts.

An hour or so later, the sun still lingering close to the horizon, Elli climbs up the steps of a tiny structure, watching the queen's heeled boots doing the same. It looks like a cage or a box, but it's painted in green and gold. Tall wheels keep it aloft, and it's pulled by strange monsters, hulking beasts with long, clay-like faces and sharp teeth.

Arisselia settles onto a pile of pillows, probably taken from their tent as they were eating.

"Another benefit of being his slaves, I suppose. We won't have to walk all the way there, and we won't have to do all the physical labor." The queen picks at the lint of a new gown. Gold suits her hair and skin tone well.

She'd helped quickly twist Elli's blonde locks into a simple braid, well-suited for travel, and the long end of it dangles over the pale lilac fabric of the concubine's sheer dress. It was the only one that had fit her shorter, stouter frame, and she still fears her bosom will somehow rend the fabric apart.

The cage jolts as the monster army begins to move. Falling back onto some pillows, Elli settles in for what they fear to be a long ride. They continue through the day and night and on into the next, stopping only for short breaks and so the imps can deliver wine, bread, and dried meats.

During one foray, as the hooded being assigned to their care walks them to a hastily dug latrine, Elli spies that most of the monsters are either riding bigger ones as mounts or in open carts. Other carts are filled with what must be boxes of provisions and other supplies. Overall it's more efficient than she expected, though she wonders when the beasts of burden get time to rest.

The landscape changes on the second day, shifting from farms and forest to cliffs and blue, sparkling water. It's her first ever time seeing the vastness of the Aesglow Sea, and it's bigger and louder than any tales she's ever heard.

The sound of it comes and goes as they travel further. The sound of it puts the queen on edge. She chews her thumbnail and mutters to herself. "That demon actually fucking did it..."

"You mean he actually defeated the Holy Knights this quickly?" 

"With my luck lately?" The queen snorts. "He probably considered it a warmup." She sighs, searching her sleeve for something she grabbed while the imps were packing their things. "Mind helping me get ready in case our king decides to make good on his other promise." She waves a bottle of oil in her slender hand.

Elli nods, perhaps a little too eager to find out what five days without sex has done to their master.

At first, neither farmgirl nor sorceress notices the change in the rhythm of the cage's wheels rumbling beneath them. Elli moans against the queen's soft lips as the bump of a cobblestone sends the older woman's long fingers deeper than intended. Arisselia exploits the concubine's sudden weakness, plundering Elli's mouth with a wet tongue.

Eli retaliates, sliding her tongue against the queen's as her thumb rubs harshly against the queen's clit. Breaking the kiss with a shuddering sigh, Arisselia pulls away.

"Shh, I can hear a crowd around us. We must be in the city." Elli nods, grabbing a cloth to wipe up their mess. "But don't worry, Elli, I think we're both well prepared for what comes later."

Minutes later, their cage comes to a stop, and the sealed door opens. The queen climbs out first, standing tall and proud as a set of the mysteriously-cloaked henchmen flanked her.

"Tacks and needles, this is definitely Aescaster." Elli can just hear the woman curse as she follows after her, but Arisselia quickly pulls on a stoic face.

They don't have far to walk, but the grand entrance to the citadel's outer keep involves a wide staircase of slabs made from a white stone that gleam under the sunlight. Arisselia seems to have been here before, but it is the grandest, most beautiful building Elli has ever seen.

The tusked monsters stand guard at the ginormous set of opened doors, and maybe they really are gold, because the ceiling of the keep is also gold, and Eidannos is a prosperous deity. Elli stares up at the ceiling as a wave of anxiety rolls over her. Arisselia was meant to be a queen, based solely on how regally she saunters forward, unimpressed and detached from worldly cares. But Elli, even in a pretty gown, with clean hair and only one night missed since her last bathing, is still a serf's daughter, tempting the wrath of a god by treading in one of his sacred places just to be a side act in its desecration.

She shivers as their entourage enters the grand hall of the Holy Knights of Eidannos. It's filled to the rafters, and not just with monsters. Mortal men and women fidget under the ominous observations of the robed figures and the imposing conqueror seated on an even bigger throne. Pillows surround the base of it.

The monster king--demon lord or whatever title their master wishes to claim next--stands at the sight of his small harem. "Ah, there you are, my Queen! How lovely for you to arrive just as we are settling into your new home."

Some mortal man in livery calls out from the doorway, announcing them for some odd reason. "Queen Arisselia and the Lady-Concubine Elli."

Any moment now, divine wrath would strike her dead. Elli might be a concubine, but she was no lady, and she had no place being in these hallowed chambers.

And yet, nothing happens other than the king reaching for his queen's hand as she approaches so he can tug her onto his lap. His foot taps a pillow, and Elli obediently takes a seat next to his armor-clad leg.

"My king?" Arisselia keeps a cool note even though Elli can spot her tension as the monster raises her hand to his lips for a chaste kiss.

"Mmm. You missed me. Perhaps these sleepless nights of battle and violence were well spent."

"I have no idea what you mean."

"So you're going to pretend that I won't smell your ripe scent on my pet's fingers if I check? I can smell hers on your own hand."

She keeps her voice low, "I thought it best to be prepared for whatever you may demand as your reward."

"A few more nights without my touch and you might actually beg for me, my Queen." The king gloats, still not releasing the fingers that had been inside Elli's lonely field plot not an hour ago. "I heard you two played together the entire time I was gone, naughty little things."

"We did not!" Arisselia tightens her self-control and tilts her chin up to look at him directly. "I will have you know that most of the time was spent teaching your pet to read and other important skills."

"Skills? Then I'm glad I finally got a good rest last night. I've got something fun planned for you both, and it might make for an interesting test. But first, our new duties await."

One by one, human lords and petitioners come to address their new ruler. Most offer gifts, attempting to retain their lands as they capitulate. Others hint at grievances they would be most appreciative of if the new king could settle in their favor.

Elli tunes most of it out, content to rest her eyes as one of the king's hands comes to rest on her head. She jolts against his leg when the tone of conversation changes and the king stands to address his new subjects.

"And if any of you have relatives or whatever that you wish to attempt to send into my harem, know this. They will first have to meet my standards, and I will not accept anyone without the capability of doing magic. Then, they will have to beg at my feet and prove their desire to become my concubine. If anyone should wish to become one of my wives, they will have to prove themself to my first wife, Queen Arisselia, before I will even consider them. And my queen has the highest of standards."

The demon raises his queen's hand high, nodding to her in a mockery of respect, though Elli suspects he does have some regard for the talented sorceress. The crowd seems to as well, based on the hushed murmurs calling her the Sorceress of the High Veils. Elli may not be worldly, but even her simple town had known of High Veils, the secret home of the continent's most lauded magic school, even if nobody knew where that was.

Arisselia doesn't speak, and she does not deny any of the rumors now spreading. Her last hope for freedom fled with the remains of Aescaster's will to fight, so now she will play the dutiful wife and accept her twisted fate.

"Interesting." The king muses quietly before calling out once more. "Bring forth the prisoners."

He settles Arisselia down on the arm of his throne to watch as he inspects a string of naked and silver-thread bound captives. All but one are masculine, bearing what would be impressive musculature before the arrival of the monster king and his army. The last is a wisp of a woman, who can barely keep on her feet as the chains tug her along.

"You alone remain of the Holy Knights defending Aescaster Citadel." The seven men and one woman bow their heads in shame. Eight left out of what was commonly rumored to be 99. "The rest shall be hunted down or bear the guilt of hiding what they once were, for I will continue my conquest of these lands and destroy all of the orders of knighthood. As for you who survived the siege, your fate will be determined at the end of the tournament to celebrate my victory in seven days."

Shoulders slump in defeat and fear.

"You have until the closing ceremonies to either," the king highlights his points with raised fingers, "One, summon your god to do battle with me. If he shows, I will free each of you. Or two, prove your valor and skill against my soldiers in the tournament. Survivors may choose to retire or swear themselves to me. Raise your swords against me, and you will die."