Princess Xxalia Ch. 05

Princess Xxalia trembled with cold on the freezing slab of stone that had been her bed for the last three months. Alone in the cold dark cell she had little hope of knowing when she would be freed, if she was to be freed. With no light visible she was unable to determine day from night and her only method of counting the days was when the blind and deaf mute came to deliver her meals, a bowl of broth and a chunk of stale bread.

She thought a lot about her father King Trayk praying he fared better but realising deep down he was more than likely in as hopeless a situation as she was if not worse. King Dahl was making it blatantly clear how he felt about her father and the relationship he had with his daughter.

For many nights she had only thought about her son Wheren and it was then that her tears would flow and the despair of separation from her precious little boy squeezed mercilessly at her heart. She often thought of Corbelay, her homeland and her people now without their king. She knew her son would be well cared for but wondered if her people had any notion as to what had happened within the royal family.

Sometimes she thought of her brother and considered that perhaps he had no idea of her predicament since he would surely have seen her freed. Bayu was very much in love with her, was that love strong enough for him to defy his father? And it was then that her mind reached King Dahl, a ruler whose pitiless laws forbade relations between fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. A law that saw her thrown into the dungeon, left to die in the icy cell.

She flexed her back and gently caressed the small round bump of her once flat stomach again contemplating for the millionth time who the father of her baby was. It was surprising enough when she found herself expecting but as she mulled over the events she realised the father could be any one of three men. Her father King Trayk, her brother Prince Bayu and her future father in law King Dahl had all shared her within days of each other.

She began a lullaby, singing softly to her unborn when she heard voices. Startled and at first wondering if they were in fact in her head, she climbed off the slab and went to her cell door. Although completely blind in the darkness she had come to know every nook and cranny of her cell and was able to reach the bars at the small window of the door.

Torch light bloomed from the top of the staircase that led out of the cellblock and two shadows emerged and crept along the wall descending the stairs as quietly as possible. She made to call out since it was the first person she had seen that could also see her and understand her condition. But her cry died on her lips as an older looking guard and a much younger woman came into view. He seemed more at ease with his surroundings while she looked all about her as they stepped down into the large common area of the cell block. The guard walked across the room and touched the flame to the dry kindling in what Xxalia could then see was a huge fire place, illuminating the chamber and giving her full sight for the first time in months. She blinked at the sudden brightness as her eyes adjusted and saw that the room was circular with several cell doors along the wall. She felt the fire's distant breath, warm and comforting and longed to sit before it and bring feeling back to her numbed limbs.

The man secured the torch in a bracket and took a large bundle of blankets from the girl. She was looking about her curiously as he spread the quilts before the fire.

"No one comes down here," he said.

The girl turned at the sound of his voice, and became aware of the makeshift bed on the floor. Xxalia saw the uncertainty on her young features. Her figure was slim and athletic with small shapely breasts and slender hips.

"Grandpapa, why did you bring me here?" she asked, but the look in her eye indicated that she already knew.

"Sweet girl, you asked that I arrange this. Do you not wish to conceive?"

"I asked as a desperate woman but we are both married. If discovered our punishment would be severe, we shouldn't follow through," she said with a note of genuine concern in her voice.

"Vetine, my darling granddaughter, your marriage to Dariel was conducted during his absence as your parents felt he was an ideal match considering his noble birth. In spite of the union being against your wishes, he comes this very night to bed you. If you do not lie with me you will certainly bear his child."

Vetine looked away and Xxalia could see she was visibly torn though a child with her grandfather seemed the more desirous prospect to one with her husband. But the princess had heard the concern in her voice. The sentence for this pair was undoubtedly as brutal as what the princess now endured.

The older man, though her grandfather, was still spritely and far from conforming to an elderly disposition. His unruly hair was only just shot through with grey giving him a look of maturity rather than age. Xxalia realised he must be unaware of her presence here in spite of his guard's uniform.

He carefully removed his armour and tunic and stood in simple under garments. Xxalia saw tears on Vetine's cheeks as she slowly removed her heavy cloak and gown. The firelight glowed on her bronze skin, her tangles of black hair running well past her backside. Her grandfather groaned at the sight of her and Xxalia was amused to see how quickly he finished undressing.

"I have not had a man before this day," said Vetine. The fear prevalent in her eyes as she looked at her grandfather's rigid manhood. With renewed determination, or the notion of getting the event over and done with she wiped away the tears and lay on the blankets. Her grandfather knelt beside her and gently parted her legs.

"I must lie here," he said, stroking the quivering flesh over her lower abdomen. His fingers caressed the tight black curls and Xxalia heard Vetine gasp. Her grandfather massaged her sweet spot, his fingers delving between the folds. Vetine's legs quaked but she closed her eyes fighting to keep them apart.

She gasped as he caressed her, his fingers sliding carefully along the moist pink petals. He began to stroke himself as he touched her, his groans echoing around the chamber.

"You are ready," he said and moved to lie between the girls' thighs.

Xxalia saw him guiding himself to his granddaughter's virgin gate. The thick blunt head pressing eagerly against the girl's yielding flesh.

Vetine whimpered as she felt him strain against her unexplored entrance, "Wait," she said, her voice cracking as she winced in sudden pain. But with a hearty groan he drove forward, entering her forcefully. Her scream echoed throughout the dungeon as he pierced her maidenhead. His cry continuing until his firm length was fully sheathed by his untried granddaughter.

"Please Papa, no," she cried as he began thrusting into her. His hips rocked and his buttocks clenched as he rammed into her torn innocence. His moaning reverberated around the chamber accompanied by his granddaughter's sobs.

"Gods you feel good," he murmured as he pushed into her.

"Papa no," she sobbed though her voice now seemed resigned to the fact that her grandfather would have her completely.

"Bear my child Vetine," he mumbled as the pleasure enveloped him.

Their bodies shone in the firelight, Vetine's grandfather slicked with sweat from the exertion of plundering his granddaughter. Xxalia watched him kneel and take hold of her hips, pulling her onto him as he thrust forward.

"Gods Vetine," he grunted his movements jerking and urgent.

"Papa," she whimpered as she clutched the blankets, succumbing to his need.

He cried out suddenly, bending over her as his hips bucked. He groaned again and collapsed. She held him awkwardly as he panted hard against her, his body heavy between her parted thighs.

"Rest a moment," he murmured as he withdrew and a small trail of cream leaked onto the blanket. He eased himself beside her his softening shaft glistening in the firelight. Vetine clamped her legs shut and tried to control the sobs that wracked through her body. Regret was a hard burden and Xxalia wondered if the girl would conceive her grandfather's child. Her hand slid down to the slight rounding of her belly. Her only regret was allowing King Dahl to bed her. She hoped and prayed that the child she carried did not belong to the king of Farentine.

She left her tiny window as the pair dressed and departed. They threw the blankets onto the fire, destroying the blood and come stains which would serve as proof of their joining should their affair be discovered.

A week later, another light filtered through her cell window. She looked through the bars and saw two guards come down the stairway. She stepped away from the door as it was unlocked and thrown open. One clamped irons on her wrists and pulled her from the cell by the chain, the other followed behind her.

"What of my father?" she asked but the guards remained silent. She was led back up through the stairways and cell blocks, passed several shrieking female occupants and out into the sunlight. She cringed, blinking furiously in the bright light but eventually saw for the first time how filthy she had become. Her hands and feet were almost black with grime her grey shift was even more ragged and was closer to being the colour of charcoal. She didn't even want to think of the state of her hair. It had grown a couple of inches but was still a long way from the waist length curtain of white she'd been quite proud of.

She was led into a large open hall with tiered seating and an ornate throne at one end. The guards took her to the centre of the floor where she was shackled to a sturdy wooden post roughly the same height as her shoulders. She looked around at the hundreds of Farentine faces staring down at her all regally dressed in expensive silks and dripping with bright jewels. They rose suddenly as the king of Farentine entered and took his place on the throne. Xxalia hadn't considered how she'd feel if she saw her father's enemy again. With knowledge of what he truly meant to do to her father and her long dead mother she felt resentment and anger. She straightened her back and looked at the king, determined to stay strong in spite of her circumstances.

Once seated the unnerving silence was broken when a man stood with an open scroll and addressed the attendants.

"This woman is charged with the illicit act of fornication with her natural father. It is alleged that she wilfully had intercourse with her male parent as witnessed by the royal guard at the time of her arrest."

"Name?" asked the king, his eyes watching her intently.

"Xxalia," said the scrollbearer.

The king didn't move, his penetrating gaze locked with hers. Try as she might she could feel her stomach surge under his elegant countenance. He didn't look away he didn't move at all he simply watched her as she stood trembling.

"The prisoner is not Farentine," said the king.

"No majesty," said the scrollbearer, "She is native to the province of Corbelay."

"Corbelean law allows relations between father and daughter?"

"So it would seem Your Majesty."

"How do you plead?" he asked her, the green fire of his eyes like sunlight through a forest.

"My love for my father is innocent," she said swallowing to relieve her dry throat. She knew the king was goading her. He was well aware that Corbelean law allowed the union of father and daughter. He also knew she had born her father a son. This pretence was for the nobles he now sat before.

"On the contrary, Your Highness, it is heinous!" said the king, his glare suddenly flaring, "I would have thought you would come to realise this after spending all those nights alone in the dark. Are you not the least bit remorseful?"

"I love him more than ever," she grated out between clenched teeth.

"Such a pity," said the king, "Name the charge."

"For the wilful act of fornication with a parent, the prisoner is sentenced to one hundred lashes," said the scrollbearer.

"Have you anything to say for yourself, princess?"

"I only ask for leniency in that I am with child," she said.

"What?" the king suddenly sat forward, his hands clasping the arms of his throne, "When?"

"I conceived in the days prior to my capture," she replied.

The king suddenly stood, walking directly for her. She cringed slightly, her arms pulling involuntarily against her shackles as the imposing king drew near. His eyes never left hers as he took a handful of her tattered shift and tugged it to the side. Her stomach bulged against the fabric, her pregnancy undeniable.

"Did the guards touch you?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"No majesty, I was left quite alone in my cell."

"Who then?"

"Bayu," she said quickly praying her face did not give away her true torment.

The king hesitated a moment and she feared he would call her bluff. He had seen his son take her in the garden, surely he had no choice but to agree that the child was his grandchild? "The marriage will go ahead regardless of the contract. No Farentine child of royal blood will be born out of wedlock."

He let the shift go and turned to the man who held the scroll.

"The prisoner is acquitted," he shouted so the rest of the assembly could hear, "Remove all records of the crime against the princess and ensure she is well taken care of."

Still in shock, Xxalia was quite overcome when her Farentine maids scrubbed every speck of the dungeon from her and bathed her in sweet scents. She was dressed to perfection in an exquisite gown and had her hair cleansed and styled. They tutted over her short crop but resorted to simply framing her face and sliding pretty jewelled combs in it.

Once more receiving the treatment befitting a princess she slept in the softest of beds but woke in the night trembling as the memories of her isolation in the cold wet dungeon haunted her dreams. The following morning she was brought breakfast on a golden tray. Her new Farentine maids seemed unopposed to the Corbelean princess and fussed over her as her Cobelean maids had done.

Determined to see her father she hurried along the corridor the moment she'd been dressed and her maids excused.

"Hurrying to find me?" asked a low but extremely familiar voice from a dark hallway that led off the main corridor.

"Bayu!" she stopped suddenly, the prince's presence taking her breath as he came into view and leaned against the wall.

He was upon her in an instant his hands clenching her arms, his mouth hot and insistent on her lips.

"I prayed for your return," he murmured against her neck, "I longed to hold you and kiss you. My father said you had only arrived yesterday."

Xxalia then knew that her brother was unaware of her confinement within the palace dungeon.

He reached up and plunged his hands into her short hair, dragging her head back so he could hungrily kiss her neck.

"You cut your hair, it suits you," he said his body moving against hers.

"Bayu," she sighed, her thoughts suddenly blurred as her brother inflamed her with desire.

His hand went to her belly and he suddenly drew back, looking at her questioningly.

"You are with child?"

"Yes," she hesitated but in spite of her lust addled thoughts her instinct told her to keep up the ruse as she had done with the king, "Our child will be born in the summer."

"Our child?"

"I carry your baby, my brother."

His smile could not have been broader and he pulled her to him, kissing and caressing, his joy at her pregnancy apparent.

"You are happy then?" she asked since she'd never known how her brother would feel about her bearing his children.

"This is the happiest news. An heir on the way," he said stroking her belly, "We will wed soon to ensure he is born in wedlock."

There was no opportunity to get to the dungeons as Bayu refused to let her leave his side. She was unsure if she should tell him of her arrest and imprisonment. He knew nothing of her ordeal and she was reluctant to divulge the passed few months. The king had chosen not to tell his son, obviously telling him she'd returned to Corbelay and now was in Farentine to wed and give birth. Despite her hidden knowledge she enjoyed being close to him. Bayu loved her and saw to her every need. With the added fact that she now carried his child he became extremely protective.

"Come to my chamber," he breathed. They had just finished the evening meal and Xxalia was preparing to return to her chambers.

His eyes smouldered, their blue green depths endless and she found herself desiring him.

He did not let her answer but took her hand and pulled her after him. His room was exquisite with an enormous bed and all manner of exotic furnishings and luxuries embellished the room's space.

No sooner was the door closed when he pulled her to him. His mouth was on hers demanding and urgent.

"I have missed you so much," he whispered.

"I missed you too."

"You never wrote, I feared I might have lost your love," his hands tugged at the ribbons of her bodice. He unlaced it then slid his hands under the fabric to slide it off her shoulders. It pooled at her feet exposing her to his appreciative gaze. "You are so beautiful."

She gasped as his mouth went to her tightened nipple drawing against the bud until she groaned. He caressed her stomach, adoring her pending motherhood.

He picked her up and placed her gently on the bed, his eyes raking over her, taking in every inch of her ripening body. She watched him undress, smiling coyly as he slid out of his shirt and trousers his long manhood thick and erect. He lay beside her, his hands eager to keep touching her. She reached for him, her delicate hand encircling the rigid girth. He grunted at her touch, it had been just as long for him. Their mouths met and she eagerly sucked on his lips and tongue. He slid a hand between her legs which she parted compliantly, her crevice already soaking.

"Bayu yes," she moaned as he slid over her swollen pearl, his slippery fingers sliding into her and out to scorch across her aching bud, "Please brother."

He watched her writhe under his fingers, his smile at the power he wielded making her groan. Her hand squeezed him and he grunted as she began to lose control.

"Gods you're wet," he murmured kissing her ear and jaw.

"Bayu, I'm coming," she gasped the fire in her limbs making her tremble. The pit of her stomach swirled as the molten pleasure surged through her body. She cried out as her climax crashed over her. Her body gripped her brother's finger, milking it futilely as he continued to slide in and out of her drenched folds. She clutched her stomach holding on as the waves threatened to carry her away.

He drew lazy circles around her pulsing bud as her orgasm receded and her body relaxed. He eased himself between her parted thighs and found no resistance as he pushed into her.

"Gods, sister," he groaned as he slid to the hilt, her soaking curls pressing against his heated groin. He held himself above her, ensuring no weight pressed on his unborn. His buttocks clenched as he thrust into her deeply, his knees drawing up and forcing her legs to spread wider and accept more of him.

He panted with every stroke, his gasping breaths loud as he pushed into her. She opened to him, wrapping her legs about him, stroking his heated flesh as his powerful rhythm rocked them in unison.

Bayu's long rebellious hair swung down, surrounding her so that his scent encompassed her senses. She breathed him in, relishing his maleness and thought to toy with her breasts as he watched.

"Gods, yes Xxalia," he moaned, his eyes fixed on the trembling globes. She pulled at a nipple, groaning as the spark of pleasure shot through her.

"I'll finish too soon if you torment me," he grated. He put his weight on one arm and with the other slid his hand between their bodies, finding her hard.