The Blacksmith's Daughter Ch. 01

Author's Note: All characters participating in sexual acts will be at least eighteen years of age. This story is (very) loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and takes inspiration from a couple of fantasy and mythology-based stories, without a heavy emphasis on canon lore.

There will be instances of: violence, non-consent, bloodplay, bisexuality, and will be open to various other sexual fantasies should my muse take me there.

Feedback is always appreciated. This is just a story I had in mind and wanted to share. Hope you all enjoy!

The late afternoon sun warmed the back of her neck as auburn tresses were pulled aside to allow for the cool relief of the stream's offerings against pale skin. Nissa sat upon a lush bed of foliage, drinking in the soft sounds of running water and the muffled chirping of birds in the distance while she slipped one foot into a boot, and then the other, once the final droplets of a recent soak in the rushing waters had long since dried away.

An hour's worth of peace and reflection would be worth the scolding she'd surely receive for foregoing her chores. It's in my blood, Father, she would say. Can you blame me?

He seemed less attentive earlier that day, the paranoia of ensuring the safety of his only daughter did not seem to weigh down on him today as it seemed to throughout the majority of her life, and part of her felt some semblance of guilt for her consistent need to wander in spite of it all.

The thought alone brought a sigh to her lips as she pushed herself off the ground, brushing loose blades of grass from the skirt of her gown, just as the snapping of a twig made her spin so suddenly, her vision blurred.

"Who's there?" Brows knit together when she found the surrounding area as empty as it had been the moment she'd arrived for some peace of mind. The clearing rarely left much to be hidden, with trees thinly dispersed throughout the grounds until they became far more dense as one approached the village. The villagers themselves hardly ventured this far, and the reminder made Nissa push forward, gripping the light material of her skirt on either side and quickening her pace. She barely made it past the first few rows of trees when a pair of muscular arms seized her from behind, and spun her, to her own horror.

"Let me go!" She shrieked as the stranger pulls her against their broad chest, and her only method of self-defensed had been the curve of her nails digging into her assailant's arms in an attempt to shove them away, while her legs flailed as her petite form was lifted, and then dropped. When boots touched the ground below her, she heard a familiar baritone voice crying out behind her.

"Damn it, woman, are you trying to maim me??"

Realization dawned on her, accompanied by relief when she turned to see the raven-haired brute, the grin on his face reaching azure hues despite his attempts at soothing the crescent-shaped marks on his arms, courtesy of her sharp grip.

"Hadrian, you thug!" She shouted, attempting to push him, only for his frame to tower over hers and grip dainty wrists. Nissa did not fight back this time, not when he began walking her back against the trunk of a nearby tree and lifting her enough for lips to crash hungrily against her own.

When he pulled away, she fought the grin pulling at the corners of her mouth, and huffed instead, only to receive a groan in response.

"I thought you'd be happier to see me after so much time apart. And it's Ser Hadrian to you now."

"I would have been much happier if you hadn't scared me half to death." The stern expression gave way and softened, punctuated by a roll of her eyes when she shook her wrists free of his grip and slid her arms around his neck. "So, you've been promoted as one of King Sargon's men, have you? Finally?"

"After squiring for the likes of Frey for so long, I'd say the rewards for my service were long overdue." Hadrian lowered his grip until he found the small of her back, pulling her up further, until she had no other choice but to wrap her legs around his broad torso; a soft sigh when he continues: "And I hear it's your twenty-first nameday, so I thought I'd come visit with a gift."

Her head fell back against the tree as one brow lifted, equally as curious as she was doubtful, and she bluntly replied, "I don't see a gift."

The smile on his face transitioned into a devilish smirk when he pressed against her and the obvious signs of his arousal bulge through his trousers and against her thigh.

She responded with a humorless laugh. "Is that a gift for me, or a reward for you?"

"How about both?" One palm slipped from her waist to grip her arse through the material of her frock, her attempts at mock reservation dwindling when he uses his body to keep her pinned to the tree while his free hand tugged away at her bodice until plump breasts were freed, and his head fell to take one pink bud in his mouth with little warning, his tongue flattening against it before he's sucking and releasing a muffled groan against soft flesh.

"I've got to get back to the village," she whispered, though her words held little urgency as hips push forward with the pulsating encouragement of her core, the sharp pull of his teeth against one sensitive nipple making her buck against him yet again.

He was silent when he lifted his head, pulling her away from the tree, only to lower her onto the ground beneath them until she lay flat against a soft bed fallen leaves. The sun shone through branches above, blinding her briefly until Hadrian hovered over her, kissing her with an urgency that wasn't quite as sudden as his greeting, savoring a moment longer before allowing tongues to meet while one calloused palm slipped beneath the hem of her skirt to find the warm evidence of her arousal and coating rough digits in honey.

"Hadrian." It was spoken softly against his mouth, but firm. A plea and a warning that encouraged him to tease two digits against slick lips, already pulsating with need when he pushed past tight walls and spread her.

"Gods, I've missed being inside you," he muttered, his tongue swiping her lower tier as he toyed with her further, pushing past knuckles and hooking his fingers until she was writing against him, spreading her legs so her gown pooled at her waist, and she was opening herself to him further, soft gasps hot against his mouth as she repeated his name, begging.

His own groan in response was enough to hint that he was done with the relentless teasing, and he pulled his fingers from within her to unbuckle his britches, pulling his cock out from beneath the waistband and coating the length of it with the warm fluids he'd gathered from inside her. He did not wait a beat, and immediately aligns the head with her core before pushing past pulsing walls. Nissa's grip tightened at his shoulders, her back arching on a groan that catches in her throat, releasing only when he's buried himself inside her completely, taking a moment to relish in the tight grip of her cunt a until he's begun a series of short, hard thrusts that left them both gasping and groaning. Hadrian often greeted her this way, leaving little room for conversation and sheathing himself inside her with a quickness that spoke volumes of how he felt leaving her each time.

Her nipples perked as they brushed against the cotton of Hadrian's shirt, the added stimulation encouraging movement of her own hips until they met with each thrust, growing in pace with their desperate attempts at finding release until the sounds of his cock ramming into tight walls echoed around them. She was familiar with the sensation -- a growing tightness in her abdomen as beads of sweat became evident against the flushed plane of her chest, a soft whimper that made her toss her head back as she held onto him for dear life. She wasn't quite sure what she was climbing toward, but the desperation only grew when his pace quickened, and he bucked against her almost painfully with the mounting quickening of his hips.

"Nissa," he grunted, and all she can respond with is a chorus of moans and escalation of pleasure that held no resolution when he suddenly pulled out from within her and moved to grip his cock in his hand, pumping thick streams of cum onto the ground just below where her arse rested.

She wanted more, and such was evident in the way her cunt continued to throb with need, dripping warm arousal that coated her thighs, but all she could do was sigh softly when he kissed her once more, a series of pecks that continue while Hadrian tucked his cock back into his pants and pushed himself off her panting form, offering a hand and steadying her when she faltered on quivering legs.

"I've missed you."

"So have I," she replied, adjusting her bodice until it concealed her breasts once more.

"Then will you accept my marriage proposal this time?"

"Ha." The devilish smirk pulled at lips, now swollen from a series of passionate kisses. "If you've convinced my father to give you his blessing."

"Then no such luck."

When she's brushed away the remaining foliage from her skirt, she allows her palm to lift and rest against the sharp curve of his jawline, a sadness in her eyes when the pad of her thumb traces over his lower lip.

"Patience, my love. I've got to head back before he notices I've been gone for too long. If you manage to warm his heart through supper, then maybe he'll learn to change his tune."

***

The walk back was mostly filled with idle chatter, with questions on Nissa's father's health and state of his blacksmith shop filling the silence, along with tales of Hadrian's time at the Capital. He would occasionally hint at the life he'd give her away from the confines of the small village where they both grew up, but he'd trail off when she'd bring up the heartache at the idea of leaving her father alone.

When they reached the end of the trail, Nissa halted.

"What is it?" Hadrian asked, following her gaze toward the rooftops of the village just a stone's throw away.

"I don't see smoke coming from the shop," she muttered before pushing forward, a knot forming in her stomach. Hadrian fell at her heels with ease, moving to rest his palm against the small of her back.

"Perhaps he's taken a break from working the forge."

"Perhaps." The simple reply was more of a way to convince herself that all was well, but the growing tension in her stomach did not escape as they followed the dirt road onto dilapidated cobblestones, rushing past the first couple of shops that lined the perimeter of the town square.

They both stopped in their tracks when the shop came into view. However, the sight of four black horses with glowing red eyes did little to comfort her suspicions, and the concerned glance of townsfolk passing by or peeking through their windows did nothing to quell that additional fear.

"The Demon King's Guard," Hadrian muttered, tightening his grip on her waist. "What business do they have here? King Sargon's treaty with him is still valid."

"I don't know --" Nissa replied, pressing forward.

"Nissa, wait—"

"If you think I'm going to stand here while the Cadogan's guard is making themselves comfortable in my own home, you're mistaken." She did not falter as footsteps traveled up the steps lining the side of the shop. She felt a tinge of relief when she heard Hadrian treading behind her, but that relief was fleeting when she flung the wooden door open and found four cloaked and hooded figures towering over her father.

"Papa?" She asked, her voice a soft whimper as King Cadogan's men turned to look at her, their faces hidden beneath their armor aside from the reddish glow of their eyes. Her father sat at the table just behind them, the lines of his face deepening and eyes turning from her as ash-tinted fingers lifted to cover his face.

"What's the meaning of this?" Hadrian's voice boomed.

"Is this the girl?" A distorted voice called just as one of the guard turned to look at her father.

"Yes."

Her heart felt trapped in her throat as Nissa inched back, only to hear the door shut behind her, leaving Hadrian on the other end of the threshold to pound viciously on the fragile wood. She could feel it attempting to give way under his strength when her back fell against it, trapping her.

"Please let me speak to my daughter about this," her father's withered voice called behind them.

The four demons had begun to close in on her, but stopped at the plea, waiting a beat before one of them replied, "You have three minutes, Evander."

Wind blew around the small confines of the flat, encasing the demons in a darkness before disappearing along with them, and followed by the sudden ceasing of Hadrian's attempts at breaking in.

"What is this?" Her voice trembled as she remained frozen with her back against the door.

"I should have told you, I just -- I didn't believe Cadogan would follow through with his threat." Even from where she stood, she could see the light mist forming in her father's eyes.

"What—what threat?" The panic in her tone only escalated, and that seemed to be enough to lift Evander from his sitting position, and to close the space between them and wrap his arms tightly around her. The last time he'd embraced her in such a way had been when she was a child, and had cut a knee from a fall. Even still, her voice hardened when she pushed at his chest, betrayal weighing her gaze down. "What did you do?"

"It was your mother. We met when I went to deliver a sword commissioned by Cadogan shortly after the treaty between his kingdom and ours. I—I had no idea she was one of his...court ladies. As a river nymph, she was allowed to come and go as she pleased, and we fell in love."

Her mind began to wander as she listened, confusion and anger interchangeable in her features. Not once had her father given her much detail on her mother's origins, and she always assumed the pain of losing her was far too great. Nissa knew she was a Naiad, as they essentially sacrificed their own lives to give birth to children, whether they were half-human or not. But one of Cadogan's...?

"And then what?" Nissa felt she knew the answer, but still covered her mouth when he responded.

"Cadogan...is spiteful if he's wronged in any way. He threatened to wage war against us once more when he found that Talia was pregnant with a half-human child. All I could do was --"

"—all you could do was gamble my life away to make up for your indiscretion. How could you?"

"I didn't have a choice!" Silence fell between them and Nissa could only swallow the bile that had begun to burn away at her throat. When her father reached for her again, she backed away, eyes now bearing a hint of anger at the reveal. Perhaps that was why he was so protective of her. She was merely a gambling piece to ensure the Demon Kingdom did not retaliate against Sargon's people as they had almost three decades prior. His refusal to allow Hadrian to ask for her hand in marriage suddenly made that much more sense.

"You don't actually care for me, do you, Papa?"

"That isn't true." His voice was strained, and the greys of his eyes had begun to mist once more. "I've loved you from the moment you were brought you to me. You are all that I have in this world -- and I attempted to distance myself from that love knowing that you'd be taken away, but I could not. I apologize that I could not reveal it sooner, but Cadogan's sorceress bound my tongue until this very moment."

Nissa's hands trembled at her sides, and lifted to cover her face as a sob racked her body. She heard her father step forward, and did not recoil a second time, but the rush of wind that followed stopped his steps in their tracks. The four cloaked figures towered behind her father, and one of them reached a gloved hand out to push him to one side as they closed in on her.

"No...please..."

A scream caught in her throat just as another reached for her and grabbed her wrist, just before everything went black.

***

She was cloaked in a temporary darkness when they materialized, and she realized it was the sky above. Nissa heard from many that Cadogan's kingdom never saw sunlight -- rather, there were far too many clouds to expose much more than the light of the moon, or the dark orange glow from a sun that wished to cast its light on the dead roots lining the ground around them.

Somehow, Nissa had ended up upon one of the horses, with one of the guards sat behind her, with an arm secured tightly around her waist. Her skin crawled at the feeling, and she attempted to push his arm away, only to stop at the rough chuckle in her ear.

"I'm surprised you haven't lost a limb to shadow travel."

"Must be the magical blood," another one of the guards countered at her right.

"Please let me go." Her throat was dry, but if she couldn't fight her way out of their clutches, perhaps pleading with a demon might be enough. "I shouldn't have to pay for something I had no hand it."

The guard holding her shifted behind her, and she stiffened, but she realized it was to brush the cloak away from his face. Nissa wanted to fight the urge to look, fearful that she'd meet face to face with the horrid visage of a demon; but when her own emerald hues gave into her curiosity, she found that the demon in question was not fearful after all. His shoulder-length hair was a bright silver, surprisingly iridescent despite the darkness around them, and tied behind his head with a leather band. It complimented the sharp angles of his jawline and cheekbones, which led to the most striking pair of golden eyes she'd ever seen.

But this was what demons did -- disguised their true form to lure innocent women into Cadogan's clutches. That could very well have been what he'd done to her mother, after all. The others followed suit, removing their own hoods and revealing similar humanlike features -- variations of black, deep chestnut, and a similar silver shade of hair to her immediate captor. The latter bore similar angular features, but his eyes were more a shade of honey than gold -- brothers?

"Children are always the ones who suffer most from the sins of their fathers. Isn't that how the saying goes?" The one behind her spoke, his tone of voice oddly soothing and void of the distorted terror they'd borne when threatening her father.

"And you'd follow your king so blindly despite that truth?" She countered.

"Careful, little half-blood," the raven-haired one spoke. "Baiting us to speak treasonously against our king will only make it worse for you. If you behave, you might even find comfort within his palace like the other concubines have."

"I am not a concubine." Nissa shifted as the horse bucked suddenly.

"Well, not yet." He countered, and the others laughed along with him, except for the one directly behind her.

"Don't mind my comrades," he said after a beat of silence. "They get tired of the sound of their own voices and merely find you an entertaining alternative."

"Oh, fuck off," one of them called, but the laughter continued.

She felt the weight of her situation so suddenly, it nearly stole her breath away, and felt there was no need to waste her energy on begging for her release. She'd find a way, even if she died trying.

***

Time seemed to move differently in the wastelands of the demon realm, but the overhead shift from a deep orange glow to a dark red, and then violet made her consider whether it had been a trick of the mind. It was difficult to tell whether time moved at all when you were trapped in perpetual darkness.

It must have been an hour or so before she was greeted with the sight of a massive fortress of black stone surrounding a palace, whose walls were difficult to make out beneath the darkness of dusk. All she could see was the sea of illuminated windows that stretched far beyond her immediate vision. The columns and towers were somewhat visible within the confines of that light, and it only took a moment longer for Nissa to realize she'd been holding her breath at the sight.