The Kingdom Pt. 01

Their talk continues, mostly about the injustices in Carnelia and their effects on the poor. Still talking, they wander off towards the lake.

I never really wondered who my parents were. Things just are how they are and I always make the best of it. Like now.

Next out of the cabin is Jolie. She finds me still standing in the lean-to.

"I'm guessing I have you to thank for the dry clothes?"

I smile and shrug.

She embraces me, kissing me deeply. "Thanks for last night too. That was amazing."

"You're amazing," I tell her. Kissing her again.

She lays her head on my chest, then notices the bundle, now leaning against the cabin wall. "What's that?"

"It was on the ground amidst the collapsed roof. I think it must have been hidden in the branches. It's a bow. Were you ever taught how to use one?"

"No," she answers. "Father never let me. He said swords and bows were only for soldiers, not ladies. Perhaps Corinne would be willing to teach me."

"I'm pretty sure Kendric knows how to use one too, although I think he prefers a sword. Should we go ask them."

Jolie smiles and nods, so we walk over to where Kendric and Corinne are standing near the new shoreline, discussing last night's rainfall.

It turns out Kendric does know how to use a bow, although not an expert by his own admission, but has been coaching Corinne based on what he does know. I show them the bow I found, to which they both comment on the obvious quality of it. It's difficult to keep from staring at Corinne and imagining my cock in her mouth.

A short time later, the rest of the ladies come out of the cabin. As they gather around, Micaelah comes to stand next to me, slipping her hand inside mine.

Because of the rain, Kendric points out it might be a good idea to wait another day before traveling as the ground everywhere will likely be muddy, making progress difficult. His concern for the soldiers held captive is great, and delaying makes him feel guilty, although Teritha points out that the soldiers will likely be treated well since they're the only thing the Duke has to bargain with.

Jolie suggests he may even decide to let them go, possibly even fabricate a story to cover it all up, then claim ignorance of the reason for the disappearance of Duchess Teritha. Since there are only speculations to be made at this point, everyone agrees to make the best of another day here.

So after breakfast, Kendric leads a training session for Jolie, Lisbeth and Micaelah on basic swordplay, with Corinne's assistance, while Teritha and I finally get a chance to spar against one other. Wrapping our blades in old rags found in the cabin, we begin.

Teritha bests me all morning, giving pointers along the way. When I begin to feel frustrated, she smiles at me sweetly and whispers promised future rewards, which reminds me how much I like her, which causes my frustration to melt away. I also remind myself that she chose me as her bodyguard and that I've already saved her life once.

After the first practice session is over, followed by a break, Kendric continues working with Lisbeth and Micaelah on the finer points of how to wield a dagger, while Corinne works with Jolie on the basics of using a bow.

By midmorning, everyone is tired from the activity, except Corinne and Jolie, who work together on shooting more fish.

"Just make sure you don't shoot yourself in the foot!" I hear Corinne tell Jolie as they wade into the lake.

After I remove my tunic and hauberk, Teritha pulls aside my undershirt to look at my shoulder.

"It still looks bad but seems to be healing well," she says, approvingly. "Does it hurt any more because of our sparring?"

"It's a little sore, but not bad," I reply, sitting down. Teritha drops down beside me. We enjoy the tranquility for a few minutes before she breaks the silence.

"That was nice of you to invite Jolie to sleep outside last night, even though it didn't turn out so well." She laughs. "I heard you two come in after it began pouring."

"Oh, it turned out just fine," I say with a straight face.

"Oh really?" she says, poking me in the ribs. "Should I be jealous?"

Squirming, and unable to hold back a smile, I reply, "Probably."

"Well, I'm not. Sorry to disappoint you." she says mockingly.

"You never disappoint me, Teritha. I don't think you're capable of it."

She's taken aback by my words. "That's a nice thought, Quill," she says quietly. "I'm not sure I'll be able to live up to that though. At some point it's inevitable."

"Well, if it ever happens, I'll be sure to keep it to myself."

Teritha is silent for a time, causing me to glance over. Her cheeks wet with tears, she says, "I wish I could hug you right now."

My heart soars and my thoughts spin. Standing up, I look at her and say out loud, "I'm going upstream to refill the water flasks. Would you like to help me?"

She wipes away her tears and replies as she stands up, "Yes, I would. Don't want to sit here too long. Gotta keep my muscles limber."

I leave the hauberk and my tunic, but grab my daggers, then gather the flasks and make my way to where the stream enters the pond. Looking back first to make sure no one's following, I lead Teritha upstream a few hundred feet until we've passed around a bend. She stops me and looks back.

Seeing the pond is completely out of sight, she turns and embraces me, sobbing. I lower my daggers and the flasks to the ground then hold her a full five minutes before she relaxes her embrace and wipes her eyes with her shirtsleeve.

She doesn't say anything. Instead, she pulls my face to hers and kisses me. It begins sweet, but she's apparently hungry for more. Her arms wrap around my neck and her tongue sneaks past my lips to find my tongue. I pull her tight and lift her off her feet. She wraps her legs around my waist.

Holding her up, I look around for somewhere dry. Thirty feet away is a large boulder protruding from the ground. The top of it appears somewhat flat, although sloping slightly in the direction away from the stream. I carry her over and around the other side, our mouths still locked together. I decide it's flat enough and sit down as far back as possible with her on my lap. She sits up and pulls her shirt over her head. Her full, beautiful breasts greet me in the warm sunlight. She pushes up a little to undo her trousers. I quickly unlace mine and pull them down as she wiggles hers off. She takes both pairs, folding them into two makeshift pillows, and stuffs one under each of her knees. "You couldn't find anywhere more comfortable?" she teases me.

"On such short notice?" I retort, "You're lucky I found something not covered in mud. At least you don't have a rock digging into your back."

Further talk is abandoned as she guides my cock into her drenched pussy. I reach up to take a breast in each hand to massage them as she rides me. She begins to pant, then moans, then she stops abruptly and says, "Oh shit."

Based on her expression and the direction she's looking, I deduce that someone has found us.

"Well, well," an amused voice says. Lisbeth's voice. "The Duchess and her Page. What will the Duke say when he hears about this?" I can't see Lisbeth from my angle, so I keep my eyes fixed on Teritha's face. But she doesn't panic. Not Teritha.

"Are you alone Lisbeth?"

"Yes," Lisbeth replies calmly.

"Where's Micaelah?"

"She's still practicing with Kendric. She's learning fast. I think she's determined to best him by the end of the day!" She laughs.

If the situation wasn't so dire, I'd have to laugh at how normal their conversation sounds considering my cock is buried inside one of them.

"Well," Teritha says matter-of-factly, "It appears we have only two choices, sister."

"And what would those be," Lisbeth inquires, amused.

Teritha looks about to say something, then pauses. A few seconds later, she challenges Lisbeth, "You tell me."

Lisbeth is quiet for a few moments, then says, "You could try and bribe me to keep this quiet, which we both know isn't a permanent solution, so that means sooner or later you'll have to kill me."

"Good so far," Teritha says approvingly.

Lisbeth continues, "Or... you can invite me to join you, making me an accomplice to your illicit behavior."

I hold my breath for what seems like forever, while my cock twitches inside Teritha.

"So, what's it going to be Lisbeth? Death, or an orgasm? We don't have all day you know." She resumes riding me, sliding up and down my cock slowly.

Lisbeth appears on my left, her tunic already off. I look at the two sisters side by side, their top halves in full view. Even after all this time, I'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other in low light conditions.

Lisbeth smiles at me, then bends down to kiss me.

"Hello Quill."

"Hello Lisbeth," I reply, smiling.

Then she moves her breast to my mouth. I massage it with my hand as I first suck on, then gently bite, the nipple.

"My knees hurt," Teritha complains, climbing off. "Let's try something else."

After I get up, she gathers all the clothes, including my trousers, and lays them down on the rock for padding. Lisbeth sits down and leans back on her hands. I lift her legs and hold them up while Teritha guides my cock to her opening. It's not quite wet enough yet, so I crouch down and tease her clit with my tongue for a while. As soon as she's moaning, drenched and squirming, I stand up again and allow Teritha to guide my cock inside her sister's pussy. This time, I'm able to bury it to the hilt.

As I fuck her younger sister's brains out, Teritha leans over to rub Lisbeth's clit with her finger. She uses her other hand to roll one of Lisbeth's nipples between her fingers.

"Oooooh!... Oooooh!... Oooooh!... Oooooh!... " Lisbeth cries out each time I slam it home. Lisbeth reaches her orgasm soon with this much attention being paid to her.

As her ecstasy fades, I slow my thrusts then pull out. Panting, she stands up to kiss me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I kiss her in return, holding her close until she finally backs away.

Then Teritha has me sit down again, but instead of facing me when she climbs on, she faces away from me, placing her hands on either side of my torso to hold herself up. Teritha watches impatiently as Lisbeth guides my cock inside her.

"Mmmmmm......" Teritha moans as I fill her up. She rocks back and forth, sliding along my shaft. Lisbeth massages her sister's clit with one hand and my balls with the other. Teritha's pace quickens.

It feels so good, I begin thrusting up to meet her. Unfortunately, my timing is off and my cock comes out. Lisbeth grabs it, but instead of putting it back in right away, she takes it into her mouth and sucks on it for a few seconds.

"Oh Lisbeth... that feels amazing," I tell her. As she puts it back inside Teritha's pussy, Teritha says to her sister, "Lick it as it slides in and out."

"Really?" Lisbeth asks amused.

"Yes, please," I say, thrusting all the way inside Teritha.

Lisbeth shrugs and says, "Why not?"

As I slowly pull out, Lisbeth leans in and presses her tongue against the bottom of my shaft.

"Oh Lisbeth, your tongue feels unbelievably amazing," I say encouragingly, so she continues. As I thrust in slowly, her tongue eventually runs out of cock and is forced upwards into Teritha's clit.

"Oooooh," Teritha coos. "Oooh yeah," she laughs. "Please keep licking."

I pull out again slowly. Lisbeth tongue teases the full length of my shaft again. This time though, when I slowly push it inside, she uses both her tongue and her lips to suckle the underside. Once again, my balls force her mouth into her sister's clit, which she suckles as well.

"Oooooh!" Teritha cries out again, her body shuddering. Inspired, I only pull out a few inches, then push it in again. Lisbeth's mouth moves to my exposed shaft briefly, then back up to her sister's clit.

"Ooooh!"

I leave it buried inside Teritha as Lisbeth teases her sister's clit. "Keep licking right there Lisbeth," I tell her, then begin pumping in and out of Teritha.

"Ooooh!... Ooooh!... Mmmm!... Mmmm!... Mmmm!... Mmmm!... Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!..." Teritha cries out her orgasm. But I'm too close to my own release to stop, so I continue pumping.

"Oh yeah..." I breathe out, the pressure slowly building. Lisbeth moves down, her lips suckling the underside of my shaft as it slides in and out of Teritha. "Oh yeah... Oh yeah..." I pant.

"Yeah... Yeah... Yeah..." Teritha echoes me, caught up in the excitement.

Finally I reach the point of no return. I pull out all the way. Lisbeth grabs my cock, engulfs it with her mouth and pumps me with both hands just in time to receive my first load. But she hasn't had much practice at this, so when it fills up her mouth, jizz spurts out the corners and runs down her chin and my shaft.

"Swallow!" Teritha tells her, laughing as she crawls down quickly off the rock. Lisbeth swallows what she can, but the next wave hits before she's ready. Another load fills her mouth and overflows, going everywhere, all over her face, her chest and my balls. Gagging, she pulls back and turns her head. Spunk pours out of her mouth.

Teritha grabs my cock and takes over, stroking and sucking. I shoot one more load, which she promptly swallows, then milks me for another minute.

Lisbeth spits out what's left in her mouth. Some of it still dangles from her lips and chin as she says, "You've got to be kidding me."

Teritha swallows again then laughs. "With practice, you'll get the hang of it," she says, then proceeds to lick up most of the jizz that oozed out of Lisbeth's mouth onto my shaft and balls.

After cleaning up in the stream, we get dressed again. I strap my dagger harness on while Teritha and Lisbeth fill the water bottles.

Back at the cabin, no one seems to have noticed how long we were absent. Micaelah is still sparring with Kendric. Jolie and Corinne are still fishing.

The rest of the day is spent having lunch, repairing the roof on the lean-to, training, and looking for items in the cabin which might be useful.

§ 20 ~ Miscalculation

"What's this?" Micaelah asks, lifting up a metal, conical-topped cylinder, approximately four inches in diameter, she found sitting on the top of the stone oven. Underneath is another, smaller cylinder approximately two inches high. "There's waxy stuff Inside... and a wick?" She looks at it closer, then examines the cover piece. "And there's a small hole in the top."

"That looks like a candle, only much wider and shorter," I say. "I wonder how it works."

"I'm going to light it and see what happens when I put the top on," Micaelah says enthusiastically. She sets it on the small table next to the bed, then goes out to the fire pit. A minute later she comes back with a tiny stick, one end glowing red hot.

She lifts the cover, holds the miniature torch next to the wick, then blows on it gently. The miniature torch becomes a flame, and soon the wick begins burning.

"There. Now we can see better in here," she says proudly. "Alright, now let's see what happens when we do this." She places the cover over the candle. Ten seconds later, she lifts it off. The wick is still burning, so she tries it again, this time leaving the cover on for a full minute. She touches the cover carefully, expecting it to be hot. "It's still cool. The wick must have gone out." She lifts the cover off, and is surprised to find the flame still going.

"That's a neat trick. I wonder how long it will burn in there," I speculate.

"Let's find out," she says, putting the cover back on. "Let's check it later."

"That sounds good. I don't see how it could start a fire, so why not?" I agree.

After digging through every nook and cranny inside the cabin, we manage to locate a few items that might be useful to bring with us when we leave. A few hours later, Micaelah remembers to check the candle, so the two of us investigate.

Much to our surprise, it's still burning, and hardly any wax has been consumed. We both agree, this will definitely have to come with us, but for now we leave it burning right where it is.

Just before suppertime, the ground seems much drier than it was this morning, so I decide to go pick more berries. Jolie insists on accompanying me and holds my hand the entire walk.

An hour later, loaded with berries, the two of us make our way back to the cabin where the fish she and Corinne caught are nearly done cooking. The meal of fresh fish, venison, berries, and some wild lettuce Teritha and Lisbeth found growing somewhere nearby makes for a wonderful meal.

Afterwards, Teritha and Lisbeth surprise everyone by starting a rollicking song together, using stones, sticks and small logs as percussion to keep the timing. Corinne pulls Kendric up to dance with her, then Jolie follows suit, pulling me to my feet.

Soon after, I pull Micaelah up to join too and the five of us dance around like fools, laughing and spinning in circles.

As Kendric and Corinne spin around, right hands grasped, Micaelah reaches out and grasps Kendric's other hand, causing a chain effect. Now I'm spinning with Corinne, Kendric's spinning with Micaelah, then Jolie. Now Corinne and Micaelah, then me and Kendric. Now Jolie again. Everyone is singing now. Teritha jumps up and joins, followed by Lisbeth. Seven bodies weave and spin.

Finally, exhausted, everyone collapses to the ground, laughing. A short time later, Teritha and Lisbeth start another song. This one is mellow, with words describing the simple joys of living on a farm.

Micaelah then sings a sweet little ballad about a young couple stealing away to live happily ever after. It's a popular one that everyone knows, so everyone joins in on the final chorus. Micaelah claps her hands. "That was wonderful!"

Then Kendric surprises everyone when he sings out, mostly in key, a popular bardic tale of heroism, treachery and justice. Corinne adds sound effects and harmonizes during the exciting parts. Finally, I sing a lullaby I recall from long ago.

"Where did you hear that?" Teritha asks, an odd look on her face.

I reply honestly, "I'm not sure. I used to sing it to myself when I was scared or lonely, moreso during my earlier years at the orphanage. It's always in the back of my mind, but I don't know who taught it to me. Probably someone at the orphanage. Do you know it?"

"Yes. My grandmother used to sing it to me when I was little. I thought she made it up just for me," Teritha explains.

"Perhaps she heard it from or taught it to someone else," I suggest.

She looks thoughtful.

Everyone sits in silence for a time. Kendric stands up, expressing how he's looking forward to a good night's rest.

"Lisbeth, I and Micaelah had the bed last night," Teritha announces, "so we're going to sleep outside in the lean-to. The four of you get the cabin tonight, although you'll have to fight over who gets the bed."

After a brief discussion with Kendric, he insists that I take the bed and he'll take the floor. As he leans over to whisper something to Corinne, who pauses her conversation with Jolie about their training today, I lean over to Jolie and whisper, "I'll be sleeping in the bed tonight. Would you like to join me again?"

She smiles and whispers back, "Maybe. But I'm going to stay up a little longer. I want to finish talking to Corinne, then I want to talk to Teritha a little."

"Okay," I tell her, smiling back. She and Corinne dive back into their conversation, so Kendric and I make our way to the cabin. Once inside and settled down, I remember the candle and remove the cover, which is still cool to the touch. Sure enough, the candle is still burning, and it grows bigger with more air, lighting up the little room nicely.

"That's handy," Kendric says, settling down on the floor. I climb on the bed and remove my tunic. It's warm in the cabin, but I figure I'll probably cool down more so I leave my trousers on. I reach over and put the cover back on the candle, plunging the room back into darkness.