Saleria Tales - A Bed for the Night

"Yes?"

The man who had opened the door was old, surprisingly tall for a butler - even taller than him - and looked quite sour. Well, perhaps that was not a surprise considering it was already dark outside.

"I need to speak to the Duchess. It's urgent."

The butler looked at him down his nose.

"The Duchess has already retired for the night. Come back tomorrow."

"She will want to hear my news. Like I said, it's urgent" he said slipping a gold mark in the butler's palm. "Tell her... Ducky sent me."

The old man looked at him for a little longer but then his fingers closed around the coin and it disappeared in his pocket.

"Very well. You may wait here."

The butler left and he took advantage of the moment alone to pick the rest of the burrs from the back of his cloak. Oh well, at least his choice of clothes had been a success. The more people that considered him a nobody the better. There was a tall mirror on the wall and he smiled at the image. His chin already had quite a stubble and his broad shoulders and strong hands probably made him look more like a common thug than anyone important. Unless he showed the golden signet ring hanging from his neck.

The mansion was quite elegant and certainly fit everything he had heard of the Duchess. And with the Duke leading his men somewhere on the South front she had even more reason for keeping up the appearances. A formidable woman indeed.

"You have news for me, stranger?"

The man turned towards the stairway and saw the Duchess approaching him. He chuckled silently. Already sleeping indeed.

Well, the hearsay had been correct on one more thing. She still looked quite good for someone her age and her behaviour was almost as regal as the Queen's. She hadn't been expecting any guests though as she was wearing a relatively simple red dress adorned with a little lace. Her long auburn hair was gathered on her left shoulder and flowed down the front. Her dark eyes were boring into him.

"Yes."

There were a lot of things she didn't need to know and many more he didn't want to worry her with but it still took quite a while to tell. As he was reaching the end he suddenly got the feeling of being watched. Turning quickly he saw a young woman standing in a nearby doorway. As his eyes met hers she blushed - and quickly disappeared.

"My daughter" the Duchess explained as he turned back. "She's always curious. Just like me, I suppose. Speaking of which, you still haven't told me your name."

"Your highness, I'm deeply sorry, but it's best if I'm only a stranger to you", he said bowing.

She chuckled.

"Very, well. Stranger."

"But now I must leave again for I have no time to waste."

"Nonsense. No guest of mine is leaving when it's already dark outside. You can spend the night here and resume your journey at sunrise. Erolf!"

He was smart enough to recognize the tone of her voice and instead of a futile argument complied silently. And a soft bed was of course much better than sleeping on hard ground.

As the butler showed him to the guest room he was in deep thought. What if he was followed?

It felt like he had barely closed his eyes when a sound brought him wide awake. Someone was outside his room. He quickly drew the long dagger from under the pillow and silently slipped from the bed. Soundlessly moving close to the door he pressed his back against the wall. It felt cold to his naked back. Damn. He shouldn't have stayed.

The door opened silently and someone entered. He sprang into action and a heartbeat later he had tackled the intruder against the wall and was holding a hand on his mouth and the dagger on his throat.

A small squeak made him realize he had mistaken. The intruder was not a man - it was the Duchess' daughter he had pinned against the wall.

"What in the King's name are you doing here? Spying? Trying to steal something? Trying to kill me?"

His angry questions made her sob as she tried to find her voice to answer:

"No. No, I wasn't... I'm not... I..."

It dawned on him that she hadn't been carrying anything and that she was wearing only a little more. Her nightgown was thin enough to show off her shapely figure quite well and he could see her nipples pinned against the wall. She was shorter than her mother, had much darker hair and she clearly had all the beauty her mother evidently had once had. As the fear and anger in him subsided understanding came. He pulled the dagger away from her throat and dropped it on the table nearby.

"Oh, now I get it. You didn't come here to spy. You came here because of me. A man. A dark, mysterious stranger who was important enough for your mother to meet even late at night."

She was still trembling against him but no longer felt like she was about to faint at any moment.

"You wanted me. Wanted to seduce me. Wanted to feel my arms around you. Wanted to feel my lips against yours. Wanted me to take you."

She nodded almost imperceptibly, still a little afraid.

He paused. Oh, she was clearly very much like her mother. She knew what she wanted and would go to great lengths to get it. She also had a great body and since he was wearing absolutely nothing the only thing between them was her filmy nightgown. Her slight trembling just helped make him more aroused. He moved his lips right by her ear.

"Very well" he whispered in a deep voice. "Tonight... you're mine."

He followed his words by kissing the side of her neck right below her ear. Then licked the same spot. She shivered visibly at his touch.

Finally he lowered his left hand from her mouth and used his free hands to capture hers against the wall. Still he kept licking and nibbling the sides and the back of her sensitive neck. She squirmed with pleasure and desire and was already moaning quietly. He began gently tracing his fingers along the inside of her arm, then moving to caress her breasts.

For a moment he wondered what would happen if somebody heard her moans, but soon the thought vanished as she began grinding her shapely behind against him. Oh, she had certainly noticed what kind of an effect her movements were having on him and she clearly wanted more.

His fingers kept teasing her perky nipples bringing out more little moans and shivers. She felt very warm and soft against him in the rooms cool air. There was only a little light in the room, most of it coming from moonlight getting in through the crack in the window shutters, but it still was quite enough to show off her wonderful figure through the thin cloth. Still, soon his fingers found the two little knots that were the only things holding the nightgown on and soon enough the gown was a little heap on the cold floor.

There was clearly little fear left in her, only desire and anticipation despite the fact that her hands were still locked against the stone wall by his left hand. The fingers of his right hand were tracing her velvety skin down her sides, round her wide hips, inching toward her intimate area.

"Yes..." she whispered, her whole body tensing as his fingers got closer.

She was biting her lips and a tiny squeal escaped her lips when his fingers finally found their target.

"My, you ARE horny, aren't you..." he said half to himself.

Not only were his fingers simply drenched with her love juices as they teased her little mound, but she was also trying her best to twist her body so she could get his hard pole inside her. So far she hadn't quite succeeded in that, but her lust and and her movements were certainly enflaming his desire. A part of him wanted to just take her rough but the rest of him wanted this pleasure to last.

Letting go of her hands he pulled back a little and as she turned pulled her against him to a passionate kiss. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, their lips still locked together. Their kiss finally broke as he lowered her on the bed and then climbed on it as well.

"Please, take me already" she whispered huskily spreading her thighs invitingly. "Oh pleas-s-s..."

Her words were replaced with a long moan as he ignored her request and instead moved to pleasure her with his tongue. Her fingers were soon in his hair, trying to keep him from stopping. That was pretty much the last thing on his mind though. He enjoyed the situation far too much; he loved the way she tasted and as his tongue was making her squirming even wilder and her moaning more forceful with every little lick; he wouldn't have stopped even with the house on fire. Suddenly her whole body jolted and she drove her hips against his face as the wave of pleasure washed over her. Sensing this he attacked her little love bud with increased vigor wanting to make her avalanche of ecstasy even greater and longer.

He was successful. If he hadn't entwined his arms around her thighs he wouldn't have been able to keep licking her and as it was she came close to breaking his nose with her wild bucking. She nearly fell off the bed as well.

As her movements again began to calm down she began pleading once more:

"Please, take me. I want to feel you inside me. I want you. Please..."

He smiled in reply and got on his knees. Her left leg was resting against his shoulder and he gave her ankle a little nibble. Then he moved forward guiding his hard member to the entrance of her love tunnel. Keeping her leg on his shoulder he slowly slid inside her savouring every moment.

It was a long time since the last time he had last been inside a woman but this was unlike anything he had previously experienced. The unusual position felt amazing, she felt so delightfully hot and wet, her pleasure-filled moans were music to his ears and her alluring eyes were begging him to go deeper. He did, slowly filling her. She had her arms around him and her fingernails were already digging into his back. She seemed unable to lay still and her movements just drove him to thrust in her faster and harder. Her eyes were still locked in his and her moans were getting more verbal:

"Ohhh.... Yes... Yes.. Take me... Ohh yes... Harder... Take me. Fuck me. More. Fuck me. YES..."

He loved it. Her nails in his back however were becoming too painful for him so suddenly he pulled away and before she even had time to be disappointed he rolled her around. Lifting her up he again entered her, now from behind.

Soon they were again both in throes of passion as their bodies danced through their primeval motions, joined in lust. Her fists were closed around the bed sheet and she was biting on the pillow just to keep her moans from waking the house. Soon she was no longer content with just being the receiver. Releasing the pillow she began countering his thrusts with her own, bouncing her petite frame back against him with more and more enthusiasm, driving him wild with desire. The bed was creaking from their wild lovemaking and the cool air provided a wonderful contrast to her heavenly warmth. The more she moaned the more he wanted her. Finally the bliss proved too much for him and he lost control and erupted inside her.

His legs went weak and he collapsed next to the young woman. She was still far from satisfied however and climbing on top of him she guided his still pulsating rod back inside her resuming her energetic bouncing. Some other night this would have been enough to revive him for another round but after all that had happened the previous day he was simply too exhausted. She seemed to realize this soon enough and her ride began slowing down until she just laying there with his arms around her.

A little later the room was once again silent and only the cries of some night bird outside could be heard.

In the morning he was again awakened by a sound. His hand reflexively closed around the arm above his face bringing a surprised squeak from the arms owner.

"I... I just wanted to know who you are" explained the young woman with her fingers still holding the ring on the chord going around his neck. "Is that..."

"...the King's signet ring? Yes. He sent me on this mission. But if you value your life, do not tell a single soul about this."

The woman gulped and looked a little pale. She recovered quite fast though.

"But you still haven't told me who you are. I will never forget last night and even if I'll never see you again I want to hear at least a name."

He sighed and turned to look deep in her dark eyes.

"It is safer if you don't know my name yet. But wait..."

He took his cloak from the floor and dug another signet ring from a hidden pocket. Then he placed it on her palm wrapping her hand gently around it.

"That one's mine. I will return for it and for you after the war. If i'm still alive. But until then..."

"I understand" she replied after a long silent moment.

He got up and put on his clothes. She was still laying on the bed, naked and beautiful and watching him when he walked out the door. As he was heading towards the door leading outside he noticed the Duchess standing near the stairway. Neither of them said a word but to his surprise he saw the Duchess give him a wink. A little smile rose on his lips. Never underestimate a woman.

Outside the air felt chilly and after last night the world outside felt even more dangerous and demanding than yesterday. But now he had one more reason why he had to succeed. Adjusting his cloak and taking a deep breath he began walking towards the sunrise.