Moon Witch Ch. 02

The general, ever so stoic, agrees at last. I wish I could know what he was thinking about in the preceding silence.

But knowing that the moon-glow is safe from these people gives me security. Maybe Era can figure out what to do with the moon-glow should she find it. Or maybe, I'll be able to escape sometime soon and use the moon-glow to fund our future.

I hope that she can manage on her own for now. Era always had a gift for creating wonderful garments out of nothing. We would crawl through the garbage and find any old piece of fabric thrown out, and by the next day Era would have constructed something beautiful for herself or for me. When we were younger, while I talked magic with papa she would practice her stitches all curled up in the squishy armchair by the fire.

I smile at the bittersweet thought of my sister. How is it that only a couple of days have passed since I've last seen her, but I already feel that I'm in another chapter of my life? She will be okay, I have to tell myself. Maybe I'll return to Era having moved to the city, rich old ladies wearing her designs.

"Welcome back, general." A young groom emerges from the stables, deftly bending at the waist to General Erik. Erik gives a curt nod to the groom, dismounting smoothly and helping me slide off the horse. I wonder what the groom thinks of me, foreigner with wrists tied in the king's campgrounds. If he thinks my presence as odd at all, it's not evident on his face.

"General?" He gives a hmm in response, digging through one of the leather packs on his horse. "Will my restraints ever be removed?"

General Erik pulls out a small bottle that I recognize. It's the last potion I left him before running back to Era. I smile internally despite myself. The healer side of me, I assert.

"You're not going to run off, are you? Or fight anyone?" General Erik seems a little distracted, rummaging through the packs and pulling out items.

"I don't think I would win anyone here in a fight," I say, eyeing the figures roaming around us. Everyone seems to be large or tall, dressed in colored robes. At the very least, everyone is larger and taller than me. Even the few women I see around us seem to be larger in stature than myself.

The general slashes my binds with a knife I didn't even know he had in hand and I rub my wrists warily, glad to finally be free of my binds. "In here, Miss Selene. I have matters to attend to, but we shall see each other by evening." I'm ushered into a tent. Men and women, all dressed in white robes, are present. They turn towards the entrance, and much like the groom did, give swift bows to Erik. He grabs me by the shoulders, having me stand tall and presenting me to the silent room.

"This is Selene. She is our guest, to be treated with the highest respect. Please assist her in washing herself and provide her with clothing." He says something else briefly in their language. With that, the general spins out of the room, leaving me alone with these people.

After Erik leaves the room, these people seem to find their voices once again. Murmurs spread, and a man and a woman step forward. The woman grabs me by the elbow, and leads me out the door. "Please, follow me." The words sound foreign in her mouth, her accent shining through. She must not speak my language often. I bite at my lip. I assume that those dressed in white must be servants of some sort.

The woman guides me to a lake, just near the outskirts of their camp. The man joins us, holding soaps and what looks like robes similar to their own, only in an emerald green. "I will assist," the woman says, making to help me undress.

My cheeks burn. "No! I will do it myself. Must he be watching?"

The man blankly looks at my pointed finger, saying something to the woman. "Yes, we do not watch," she translates before adding her own words. "You don't worry, healer. We will keep you safe."

The general must have told them my intended station. I gulp, nodding my thanks and grabbing the soaps from the man. I'm not sure what is ahead of me, but I take my time washing myself, stripping off my pinafore and shirt with the popped buttons, massaging the soap into my scalp and combing out my long hair. Though my safety and privacy has been promised, I settle myself into the water as deep as I can stand, hoping my flesh is hidden away from any prying eyes.

The king's camp seems dry and dusty, so different than the lush forest I'm used to being surrounded in, and when I climb out of the water after as long as I can idly enjoy the water, it feels as if I barely have to dry myself with a cloth before the water is already steaming off of my skin.

The woman helps me dress in the green robe, light and gauzy materials that do much better at keeping me cool in the hot sunlight. Some foreign underthings to slip on first. A long white underskirt is tied under my armpits and over my breasts, stretching almost to the dusty ground. A robe of the same kind of silky fabric is tied around my waist on top. Looking down at myself, it seems a little too large for me. I glumly notice that the woman's robes fit her much less... childlike. Perhaps as a point of respect for my anxieties, the man keeps his back to us.

Afterwards, they escort me back towards the tent and I let out an unwitting yawn. The man notices and says something to the woman, who says to me kindly, "Healer may rest here until General Eryx returns."

Eryx? "Thank you." I give a grateful smile and settle into one of the tent's corners. I don't feel much like making conversation. That is, if any of the white-robed figures can communicate with me at all.

Too late, I notice that the tent has gone quiet once more. I whip around to see what has happened, and nearly come face to face to a crotch.

"Miss Selene." General Erik bends down, offering me his hand, probably choosing to ignore my cheeks which have reddened considerably.

"Thank you, general." I take his rough hand, allowing him to help me up. Past him, the servants don't give any attention to our interaction, but offer another round of bows as Erik leads me out into the cooling air.

"It's time for you to have an audience with the king." The general has an hand on the small of my back, guiding me towards the largest tent at the other end of the camp. "King Azrath has been informed of what has happened, of course, with limited details about your moon mushrooms."

"Thank you." I'm beginning to feel like I'm a talking doll, tossed around and having to thank everyone around it.

"Is there anything you would like to know? Before we go in? I'm sure you must have some nerves." Erik has briefly paused, the two of us just a few feet from the entrance of the tent.

"Eryx?" I blurt out.

His mouth tightens, and my heart stops. I can't afford to anger the only one here who's trying to stand up for my interests. But then I realize that he's laughing. "How did you figure that out? Yes, my given name is Eryx. I tend to adopt Erik when I'm around foreign audiences. It draws less negative attention."

"I picked it up from one of the people who helped me with my bath." I look down at the ground. "I'd also like to know... Is there anything I must know about your king?"

The general frowns. "The king can be... Volatile. He is a confident man, but doesn't like to be displeased. It is never a good idea to tell him no."

Nerves shudder through my body. I would have never imagined I'd be meeting royalty, much less as a forcedly hired healer. "Thank you for answering my questions, general."

"That's all? You have an audience willing to answer any of your questions and this is it? You must have a lot of confusion."

"I'd much rather get this over with, in all honesty. I'm not sure there's anything you can tell me that would help me feel prepared for meeting your king. Are you being nice to me because you're handing me off forever? To soothe your guilty conscience?" I can't help the snark that leaves my mouth.

"I will see to it that you are treated with respect, Miss Selene. I may be in and out of the camp at the command of my king, but I will still be around. As a healer, you shouldn't be mistreated by anyone of our kingdom. In fact, you may become more valuable to the king than I am, and I do know that our ruler thinks highly of me." The general looks at me expectantly, as if he hopes to smooth down my jagged nerves with his words. I don't have much else to say in response.

"I appreciate it, general. I really do."

And with that, I'm led into the king's tent.

Inside is decorated with more than I could've imagined would fit into the tent. Lux furs, elaborate tapestries, and wrought metal sculptures stud the interior. Plush cushions are placed in a circle on the floor, and against the farthest wall sits King Azrath. His skin is very dark, not at all like what I've seen in my lifetime. His hair has been shorn tightly to the scalp, head adorned with a simple band of metal.

"Eryx!" Azrath stands to embrace his general as a friend. I'm shocked by the king's height. He is much less broad than the general, but stands a head taller than Erik does. The king towers over me so much so, that I nearly forget my manners before I dip into a panicked curtesy.

"I have returned with the healer, my king."

The king responds with a belly laugh. "I can see that, my friend. Petite thing she is. Pretty, no?"

"If you say so, king." I think I see the muscles in the general's jaw clench.

"I hear your name is Selene," says King Azrath. "I'm grateful that you were able to save Eryx's life. He's always been a reliable friend to me. A loyal subject, too."

I bob into another curtesy. I may not have frequented the halls of any palace, but I'm aware of how royalty demands to be addressed. "I am honored by your gratitude, King Azrath."

The king grins at me, his teeth shining brightly against his dark flesh. "Well-mannered, too. Though the ones from Sorreas always seem to be. Eryx tells me that you're a bright young healer."

"It seems my reputation precedes me, your majesty."

"We're in a severe need of healers," Azrath nods. "And with your expertise, I think you belong of the highest station. I'm going to have you training with our senior healer. He services the palace, which includes our militant forces."

"I understand." So far it seems that there's little conversation, just this king being a king and telling me what will happen. Given what the general has said about the king, I don't have much desire to cut into his monologue anytime soon.

"I'm sure that Eryx has caught you up, anyhow. For today, I'd like to see you in action. Guard!" He calls, and a man enters the front, offering a bow. "Clear the area, please. Any visitors will be turned away."

"Yes, my king." Another bow, and the guard makes himself scarce. I take a look at the general's face, but he looks as bewildered as I feel.

"King Azrath, I have been under the impression that she would be employed in your service as a healer. That alone." There's an expression I can't quite decipher over the general's face. He must at least know more than I initially thought, though, because there seems to be a hidden request in his carefully chosen words.

"I think I know what's going on," chuckles the king dangerously. "You've grown attached to the sweet flower, haven't you? You'd like to have a taste too?"

My system freezes at the king's lighthearted words. My face feels hot and I know that all the blood has rushed out of it. I steal another glance at the general, who looks as grim as ever. "My king, I beg you. Please. Not this one."

The darker skinned man waves his hand, as if to clear the air of his general's impertinent request. "Perhaps I'll allow you to sample her should you ask for it later, my general. Take a break, Eryx. You are dismissed."

The general bows. I can feel his eyes on me but I keep my stare down at the floor, my mind flapping in horror. You promised. As naïve of me it may have been, I trusted in this grim giant to keep his promise to me.

Without the slam of my home's heavy wooden doors that would normally indicate the general's departure, the only thing that makes me certain of Erik's disappearance is the dark hand that suddenly grabs my chin, forcing it up. I stare back into Azrath's dark eyes, which suck me in like bottomless pits. I fight to keep the eye contact, determined not to give in to this man.

"You are quite a beauty, Selene." The king murmurs, reaching for the waist tie on my robe. He pulls at one of the ends, and I feel the friction of the bow being undone before the knot releases. The robe flips open, and the king tenderly slips the robes off my shoulders, just as Reno did before with my pinafore. His long and slender fingers stroke my sensitive skin, running from my ears to my collarbones to the rounded muscle in my tensed shoulders.

It's when his right hand slips to my waist and he takes a step closer to me that I break, close my eyes, and feel tears springing to my eyes. "Please."

"You look great in our dress. Such pale, creamy skin." He takes another step towards me, crooning words which grate against my skin like sandpaper. I stand my ground because if I move, my legs will give out. "I've always loved all the ties that come with our robes. Lots of things to untie, to undress the hidden sweet treats underneath."

The king's arms wrap around my shoulders again, this time to untie the bow on my back that holds the high overskirt secured above my breasts. The long gauzy fabric falls to a puddle at my feet, leaving just my important bits covered. Without warning, the king scoops me into his arms and gently sets me down onto a padding-covered table. I moan in desperation as I realize that at this odd height, it's a table designed exactly for what the king is going to do with me. He pushes my thighs apart and settles himself in between them.

I close my eyes once again, and the king's hands returned to my waist, but this time the positioning is obscene. The lump at his crotch is so close to my center and couldn't be more intimidating. "Open your eyes," he whispered. "I want you to see everything."

I open my eyes, the water filling them making my tear ducts ache. "Please, King Azrath. I'm scared."

"Don't be scared, honey. You've got a body meant for fucking. I'm a man. I'll make you feel better than any boy has." The king snakes a hand around the underside of my breast, cupping the heavy flesh.

"I've never-" My breath catches in panic from the touch as the king looks at me incredulously.

"Never?" I shake my head furiously, vainly hoping that he would spare me.

"Not even kiss-eeeeeee!" My voice rises to a squeal as the king rips off my underclothes, revealing my chest and the dark patch of hair between my legs. Reno's exposure of my breast had been the first time any man had seen me that way, and now, the king is seeing my pale body stretched out lewdly in front of him. I'm sitting with my elbows locked, hands behind me supporting the weight of my torso, and at this point the king pushes me back so my elbows thud into the plush fabric of the sex table.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything there is to know about pleasuring a man." The king is leaning over me, the hardness hidden under his robes pressing into my sex. Before I can do more than give a groan at the new sensation, Azrath's lips are on mine.

Hot. Wet. If the sensation of Reno's hands on my throat were on my lips instead, it would be kissing. The king's full lips are on mine, stealing the breath out of my chest. His soft lips nibble at my soft flesh, sliding across and between my pink ones. I can't help the low groan that comes out, my hands uselessly pushing against his hard upper body. I could never have imagined kissing feels this good. His erection presses into me again as he pushes on top of me once again, and the heady combination of the pressure between my hips and my lips makes a shudder run through my hot body.

The king responds in earnest, shoving his tongue into my mouth. The intrusion of my mouth causes a stir in me again, making my lower belly clench in some perverse excitement. When his tongue flicks across the surface of mine, the dance between our lips makes another desperate moan escape my throat, but this time in fear of my arousal.

I don't know how long he's pressed against me, mouth covering and sucking at mine, tongue invading me, teeth nipping at my sensitive flesh. It could have been thirty seconds or thirty minutes. But somewhere along the way, I forgot that I was supposed to fight.

"You're a natural," says the king as he breaks away with a smirk. I'm panting with confusion and excitement, my head empty, and his hungry gaze sweeps down my naked body splayed out like an offering in front of him.

He reaches out a hand to cup my breast again. "Small, but these." The king's expression is one of pure hunger. He catches my nipple, darkened and hard and pointing out away from me, between his thumb and forefinger. The feeling of his fingers on my nipple makes me cry out, my back arching to thrust out my breasts towards his touch. I groan as he molests the sensitive nubs, knowing that I should be hating this. Yet, my body is betraying me, a fact that's not lost on Azrath. He entwines the hair close to my scalp between his fingers, and yanks my head forward so I'm facing down at my crotch. He whispers, "You're dripping wet for me, Selene."

I look down at my pussy. The lips are puffy and coated in juice, the color dark and hot. I bite my lip in agonizing disappointment at my physical reaction. "I'm nooOOT-" My voice screeches as the king drags a finger through my slit. My first time being touched like this, and my body is more than ready to provide lubrication. Perhaps I really am a natural.

The king moves his finger at the entrance of my most secret place, and even the sensation of this finger makes me squirm, my hips wiggling back and forth in instinct, seeking more friction. He pushes a finger into me, and a moan bubbles past my swollen lips at the thought that this man is going where no one has been before.

The king pushes another finger into me, and a rush of breath hisses through my teeth. It's starting to be uncomfortable as my pussy stretches to accommodate the extra width. Regardless of the wetness my body is producing, my passage grips onto Azrath's fingers uncomfortably, which he pushes back and forth to massage the inner walls of my tight flesh. The discomfort allows some of my conscious thought to return.

I've always known of sex, and known that it is a good, pleasant thing. But the dark fingers plunging into my entrance are making me feel sore. I don't want to enjoy what Azrath is doing to me against my will. He's stealing from my body these sweet reactions, making my pussy gush out the cream that lubricates his fingers' entry into me. Something in me wants Azrath to bend over me again, so I can feel the commanding pressure of his hard body over my soft curves.

By this time, my discomfort against Azrath's two fingers has abated. So he adds another one, eliciting a pained groan from me. But at the same moment, a gentle touch on the sensitive nub between my pussy lips rips another moan from me and distracts me from the stretching of my passage.

The king smirks down at my half-lidded expression, both hands hard at work in and around my sex. Encouraged by my reactions, those slim fingers flick across the surface of my clit once again, making my whole body tense up. He presses a finger each on either side of the sensitive nub, squeezing my most sensitive place in a way that feels much too intense.

"Please," I sob, though whether I'm begging him to stop or keep going I'm not sure. My head feels light and my whole body feels hot. "Please."

The king ignores my reluctance, though, and hurriedly undresses, slipping out of his own black set of robes. I've been reduced to a puddle of moans, and let a particularly panicked one loose as the king's cock springs out. I didn't expect them to be so... big. Yet something about seeing the dark flesh sets my stomach on fire. It excites me.