Tales of Alavern 02 (Non-Canon)

Tales of Alavern: Changing of the Guard

Prologue

The Great Mother sighed contentedly as she returned to the skies above the island of her people. Watching her new son and the daughter who was once queen embrace one another in sexual passion the night before had reawakened the fire of her own long-dormant lust. She had sought out the aid of an old flame to quench it. The Sun God, Urthet had been confused by the sudden visit but was all-too-willing to fulfill her request. She knew he was hoping for a child from their union but she paid no mind to that once she felt satisfied.

She parted the skies over her people's island, looking down as her many daughters moved about their business underneath the late-morning sun. Her heart filled with pride that these children had all known peace for as long as they had lived thanks to her. She breathed deeply, taking in all of the emotions of her people and quivered as she still felt a great deal of sadness about them. She knew it was due to her people's lack of children, remembering the tears she felt as her daughters wondered aloud if she had abandoned them for some misgiving or other.

The truth was, she had no idea why the magic pool she had given them all those centuries ago was no longer giving them children. It was the entire reason she had broken into another universe and brought a man from a world called Earth to her island. She had expected the man to become enslaved to her people, slowly winning their trust and possibly their affection with his kind nature but he had been immediately subject to cruelty she hadn't foreseen this generation of daughters was capable of. They had shackled him and dragged him towards the palace like an animal, speaking of killing him and the Great Mother worried she would have to intervene.

The man had surprised her greatly though. He had not shown fear for his life, instead showing anger at his mistreatment and calling out her daughters on their cruelty. He had challenged the queen herself and she had wagered her crown, facing him with a sword while he fought bare-handed. Despite the odds so stacked against him, the man had won his difficult battle. The Great Mother's heart soared as he took the crown, only to try and give it back. He won over several of those who had mistreated him just by being himself and became both a king and her son.

She knew that her people were about to go through a challenging time but if her son could heal the hate in her daughters' hearts, she would be able to begin searching for other good men to bring to the island without having to fear that they would be killed like had nearly happened to her son. All the new men she would bring in the future would be given a fair chance, and her daughters could have children and families once again. All depended on how her new son would bond with her people. She searched the island for her new son, watching and waiting for the moment when she may need to intervene for the future of her people.

Chapter 1

Brianna marched through the halls of the palace, her armor gleaming in the morning sun as it shone through the windows. Worry filled her heart for her dear friend Naomi as she made her way towards the royal chambers. She had looked around the palace, trying to find where Naomi would have slept after going their separate ways from their bath last night. Nobody had heard anything about, nor seen the former queen since the night before. She had expected Naomi to look for a room and had been waiting in the hallway near the baths for her friend to pass by so she could offer to share her own room and bed.

She stopped in front of the door to the royal chambers, taking a deep breath and pushing her personal concerns down for the moment. She had to report her plans for the day to her new king, then she would have time to go track her friend down before her duties would begin. She adjusted her armor one last time before knocking twice and entering the room, clearing her throat.

"Good morning, your high..." Brianna stopped mid-sentence as she took in the sight before her. The king and her best friend lay sound asleep together, Naomi's head on Cyrus's chest and both of them wearing contented smiles. She noticed his pants and Naomi's favorite pair of panties joined together on the floor and her heart ached terribly. Tears began to fill her eyes despite her best efforts to fight them off and she quickly left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

She pressed her back up against the wall, willing her knees not to give out from under her as she tried to sort through everything going through her head. Her emotions became a whirlwind, threatening to tear her chest apart as she grabbed her head in her hands. Every part of her knew that she was acting improperly for a woman in her position, but her duties suddenly seemed unimportant. All that mattered to her in this moment was the image burned into her eyes of Naomi...her Naomi, in the embrace of that man.

Memories of childhood swirled about, tormenting her with all the times Naomi had smiled at her and none of those smiles had been like the one she had just seen on her queen's face. Her heart cycled through rage and pain, sorrow and bitterness as she tried and failed to get ahold of herself. She had never felt this way before, had never felt anything grip and shake her heart so. Her rigorous, duty-obsessed mind tried to tell her that she should be happy about this development. That the king and former queen were not at odds despite how he had taken power, that he had treated her well enough to cause that smile.

He was not the first bed mate Naomi had taken, of course. There had been others here and there, smaller sexual conquests of her queen's during the few times the mood had struck her but there had never been a lover. None had proven worthy of her queen before, but there had never been a bed-mate like him before. Not only was he a man, an entirely new sexual experience for her endlessly-curious friend to explore but he had put that smile on her face. A smile even Brianna had never seen before. Her queen had never taken a lover, saying once before in confidence that the only lover she would deem worthy had not yet approached her with an offer to share her bed.

She never knew who her queen had been alluding to that day but as she pictured that smile, she kept flashing through memories of Naomi's body. How many times it had been bared to her, through shared baths and mutual massages. She knew her friend so intimately, knew that she should be happy that that smile had found its way to Naomi but...but...

"Captain?" she heard a voice call out. She turned her head towards it and found the palace's head physic, Megara, walking towards her wearing her formal robes. She stared at the woman clad in sky blue, with runes spelling out a prayer to the Great Mother, as she came closer and realized that she had sunk down to the floor without even realizing it. Brianna wiped her eyes, standing up quickly as her duty-driven mind forced her whirlwind emotions to the depths of her heart.

"Yes, Head Physic." she replied, her voice slightly hoarse from the sobbing she had done a moment ago. "I wasn't expecting to see you here at this time of day. Is everything okay?"

"I feel I should be asking you that, Captain." Megara replied, coming up and eyeing her with concern. "Is this new king of ours that distressing? To cause you of all people to break down into tears?"

"No..yes..I don't know." Brianna said, her emotions threatening to burst forth again. "The king is fine. I just...he's without clothing in there and I found the sight more distressing than I thought." she said, opting for a half-truth before her emotions went out of control again.

"A naked man, eh?" Megara said thoughtfully, stroking her chin with her fingers. "We have no record of what one looks like. If this man is going to remain on our island, especially as king, it will be important to learn what we can while the opportunity presents itself. I should go grab some things to write and draw with. Would you mind informing him that I'll need to speak with him very soon? I should be returning to the royal chambers before too long."

"I..I can do that." Brianna said, straightening her posture. "Just give me a moment to steel myself and I'll inform him of your message after I give him my duties for the day."

"Thank you Captain and best of luck." Megara said, giving a polite half-bow before casually walking away. Brianna stood there for a moment, steadying her breathing as she found herself once again alone in front of the door to the royal chambers. She steeled herself as best she could before approaching the door again. She was the captain of the royal guard, had faced down warriors aplenty and earned her position through hard work and determination.

She stepped to the door again, giving it harder knocks than she had before and entering the room. The sight was different now, as both her king and her former queen had woken up. Cyrus was adjusting the pants that had been made for him yesterday, leaving him still bare-chested with his many scars out in the open. He stared at her and she turned to her gaze to the side. She saw Naomi sitting gloriously naked at her vanity, brushing her hair and humming to herself. Naomi smiled warmly at Brianna in the mirror, causing a heat to rush to Brianna's face.

"Good morning, Brianna." Cyrus said gently to her. Brianna snapped her attention, a small rage burning at the sight of him completely at odds with the respect he had earned from her yesterday. She shook her head, trying to keep herself in her right mind before straightening her posture and looking him in the eye.

"Good morning, my ki..Cyrus." she said, correcting herself as she remembered how he preferred to be addressed. "I'm here to report today's plans for the guard, as well as deliver a message from the head physic."

"Oh, I can't wait to get rid of the title." she heard him grumble quietly to himself. "Alright then, tell me everything you need to and we'll go from there." he said out loud to her, putting on a pleasant face. Her body tensed up, her heart screaming at her to include how angry she was when he asked her to tell him everything she needed to. It took a supreme effort of willpower to return to her false normal.

"I'm ordering my troops to recomb the beaches after finding you there yesterday, in case there are any other intrud...visitors that have washed ashore. I'm also ordering a thorough search of the other two islands that make up our home, just in case." Brianna said almost mechanically, keeping her back straight and fighting the urge to look over at Naomi both out of habit for her reports and to watch her friend prepare for the day. "Also, the head physic will be coming to the royal chambers soon. She would like your help in collecting information on your body, since our knowledge of men is so limited."

"And probably loving every second of having something new to study." Naomi said from the vanity, getting up and turning around. Brianna couldn't help darting her eyes over to Naomi's body and taking in the sight of her glorious nude form. Her former queen seemed to be practically glowing as she casually strode over to her wardrobe, the sun hitting her body in a way that seemed to bath her in light. Brianna stood there transfixed and watched her friend pick out clothing. "Yes Brianna?" Naomi asked, smiling at Brianna in the cutest way. "You're staring."

"I..uh.." Brianna stuttered, finding herself blushing and turned away. "This is just all very unusual. Yesterday morning I was delivering this report to you. Now things have changed and...I'm just adjusting."

"I see." Naomi said, flashing her eyes to Brianna as they changed to a lovely amber color. "Well, we'll all get used to things before too long I'm sure. I'll still be around, so I hope you'll spend time with me when you've finished your duties for the day. I think it would be good for both of us to talk without titles or duties in the way for a while."

"Yes." Brianna replied, finally relaxing a bit and smiling at Naomi. "I would like that." She took a breath and turned fully back to Cyrus, giving him her full attention. "Will you require anything of me today, Cyrus?" she asked him, resuming her usual demeanor.

"I think I'm good Brianna, thank you." he replied as he put his black shirt on, covering the multitude of scars on his body and thankfully easing the memory of seeing him naked in bed with Naomi earlier. "I'm going to be spending most of today just asking questions of anyone willing to speak with me. I don't know if I'm stuck here or not, but it would be a good idea to learn "

"Very well. Then I'll take my leave of you, Cyrus...Naomi." she said bowing to the both of them before exiting the room. She shivered slightly as the image of Naomi smiling naked at her stuck in her mind. She didn't know why her feelings towards her former queen were spiraling in her soul so viciously, but she endeavored to distract herself with her duties until her heart and mind returned to normal.

Chapter 2

Megara walked back towards the royal chambers, her arms encumbered with a number of blank scrolls, writing tools and a few things she had to assist her with drawing. Manic glee was plain to see on her face and every palace servant who saw her coming quickly made themselves scarce, for fear of being 'volunteered' for one of her experiments.

Her head swam with a myriad of questions that she wanted to ask the man who had become king as she wound her way through the palace halls. As shocked and possibly disgusted as the rest of the Verni would be with her, she couldn't help the joy she felt at the opportunity to study a subject that no other living Verni had ever even seen. It had been nearly 50 years since she had been this excited about her studies, and she felt half her age in her excitement.

A brisk walking pace had put her back in front of the door to the royal chambers from her office in less than 10 minutes, despite the size of the palace. She caught sight of the former queen, leaving down the hallway in a two piece outfit that same color as that of the royal servants. A brief pang shot through her at the thought of Naomi's now-reduced status but it didn't last long against the wave of joy she felt at getting to be the first to study something truly new to the Alavern Isles. She quickly mosied up to the door, knocking loudly on it several times.

"Uh..come in?" came the voice of the king Megara had yet to meet, sounding a bit confused or perhaps unsure. She shrugged, simply not caring whether he was ready or not as she opened to the doors and got her first sight of him.

"Good morning, your highness." she greeted him casually. He was dressed unexpectedly simply for a king, only wearing black silk pants and a shirt that would have been very oversized on most Verni. "I trust that Captain Brianna gave you my message about the inquiries I wish to make of you?" she said, a sudden bout of nervousness filling her.

Since he now wielded the power of the crown, he didn't have to submit to anything he didn't wish to. He could simply send her away if so desired and there would be nothing she could do about it. Well, nothing legal anyway. She tried not to let her nervousness show as she silently cursed herself for getting so lost in her excitement that she had forgotten that.

"Good morning." he replied pleasantly. "You're...Megara, correct? Naomi told me a bit about you before she left." Megara sighed in relief, seeing his pleasant demeanor as a good hope that he would cooperate with her desires.

"Yes, my name is Megara. I'm the palace's head physic and I was hoping that you would allow me to learn more about you, your highness." she said, trying to remain as formal as possible in case he turned out to be tempermental after all.

"Just Cyrus please." he said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I'm not really all that comfortable being treated like a king. I'm just a guy from Las Vegas who won a fight."

She stared at him, dumbfounded by his demeanor and trying to keep her jaw from going slack in disbelief. This was a man?! The great and terrible menace that plagued and enslaved her ancestors? He had beaten the queen, legitimately won power over her entire people, and now he didn't want it? She stood there longer than she meant to, noticing his look changing from slight discomfort to confusion. She blushed slightly, more than she thought she was still capable of at her age, and cleared her throat.

"Very well then. I shall call you Cyrus when circumstances don't call for something more formal." she agreed, trying to keep from becoming dumbfounded all over again. "At any rate, would you mind assisting me in my studies? As you are probably aware by now, a man hasn't set foot on the Alavern Isles since a time now lost to legend. As a result, our knowledge is pretty limited. Since you'll be living with us for probably some time, I would like to study your body for our records."

"Study my body?" He asked, sounding suddenly nervous. "Like, taking my temperature and stuff?"

"Well at some point, yes but for now I'd like to take some measurements, sketches and ask you a few questions. Could you please take off your clothes?" She asked him, giving off a professional demeanor that masked her curious excitement. She observed him as his face grew red and giggled at him. "Oh come now, don't tell me you're shy." she said to him in a teasing voice. He coughed into his fist and replied.

"Nothing wrong with being shy, as long as you don't let it get in the way of living life." Cyrus replied. "That being said...do I really need to be naked again? I just put my clothes on like five minutes ago, if that."

"If it's an inconvenient time, we can delay the examination but if something happens that threatens your health then it will be quite difficult to treat your wounds given my people's insufficient knowledge. I'd prefer to do it earlier, just to be on the safe side. Besides, baths are communal on the Alavern Isles. You're going to need to become comfortable showing your body at some point." she said. The communal baths had been a half-truth, given that many women preferred to bath alone or in the company of someone special but it wasn't exactly uncommon for a large group to bath together casually.

"Yeah..." he groaned, his body slumping in defeat. "I can't really argue with that I suppose. If I'm stuck here, I'll need to get used to the customs and such. Just...please be respectful. I have..body issues." he said as he began stripping off his shirt.

"But of course, my king...Cyrus." she corrected herself. She watched with great interest as he peeled his shirt off, revealing his toned arms and heavily scarred body to her. She winced a bit, knowing well the kind of pain he must have endured while receiving them. She quickly placed her things on the nearby desk, readying a blank scroll and her pen. "If you're ready, I'd like to begin asking you some questions."

"Go ahead. I can't promise I'll have every answer you're looking for, but I'll try." he said as he neatly folded his shirt and placed it on the bed.

"First off, would you say that you are physically typical for a male?" she asked, already scribbling her notes on his upper body.

"I suppose I'm in the ballpark of typical." he replied, sighing out as he looked at his pant a moment more before pulling them down as well. Megara's eyes went wide as he revealed himself to her and her pen stopped for a moment as she took in the sight of him. His legs were more well-muscled than any Verni she had ever examined, even those with long military careers, and between them... "I'm about average in terms of height, slightly overweight, heavier muscle mass due to my career involving boxing, let's see...what else?" he thought out loud. Megara's attention snapped back to him when he stopped speaking to think and she found her cheeks burning as she realized how long she had been transfixed by the sight of his phallus.