The Service of the Gryphon Princess

Talox leaned both his talons on the parapet, squinting at the horizon. Somewhere in that direction, just over the Grey Hills, gryphons were fighting dragons. If the brave gryphon squadrons should fall, if the rampaging reptiles should reach the Spring Palace and the royal family themselves... well, it was just unthinkable. Already it was being called the definitive battle of their age.

And Talox was left out of it. He could see Commander Grevval's point: it would hardly do to leave the castle completely empty, even in this direst of emergencies. Someone had to stay behind to keep the fires burning and the hawks fed. Talox just didn't see why that someone had to be Talox. He knew Grevval saw him as incompetent - a liability, even - but he was sure he didn't deserve the label. It was an easy enough mistake to put his talons through the rear legs of his chainmail and his paws through the front. Anyone could have done it. Grevval was quite unfair to keep going on about it so. And as for the day he'd got his head stuck in the butter churn, well that he admitted was genuinely embarrassing, but it was just sheer bad luck that Grevval had been the one to discover him.

There was a distant flash of red from over the hills. Dragon fire? Talox balanced on his paws and pulled himself up to his fullest height, as though by doing so he might somehow peer over the top of the hills. And that's when he spotted the two figures approaching the castle.

They were black monks. Black monks were unmistakable because of the ragged black sheets they wore over their bodies, covering everything except their paws, talons and beaks. Even their wings were covered, meaning the monks had to rather demeaningly walk on foot from village to village, preaching and begging for scraps and shelter. Talox wasn't overjoyed by the prospect of entertaining monks, and let out a rather self-indulgent sigh as he clinked down the tower steps towards the gate.

"Open the door!" shouted a distinctly unmonkish voice, with a hard rap of a beak against the woodwork. Talox did so, and the monk in front pushed himself rather rudely inside without being invited.

"This castle is now in the service of the princess," he announced, throwing off his disguise to reveal the trappings of a royal guard.

"Um..." Talox blinked in confusion. "This castle's the property of the Free Duke of Feugenmist. I... don't think you have the authority to take it over?"

"No. I don't." He nodded his beak towards the other monk. "But she does."

The second monk also shed her disguise, and indeed proved - surprisingly for a monk - to be female. But that was possibly the least surprising thing about her. For unlike the mottled brown of Talox's coat or the distinguished grey of the guard's - both rather common colourations - her fur and feathers were both a pure, bright and unblemished shining gold. Only one type of gryphon had a coat like that: a royal one.

Talox at once dropped to the floor; his belly, beak, wings and tail all pressed as flat against the flagstones as possible in a gesture of respectful submission.

The guard cleared his throat. "Presenting her most pure and benevolent highness Princess Phyroselxia, divine of divines of the sky-temples of Elgraenios, overwing-honour of the twelve royal legions, supreme of the vastlands of Telintir, and first maiden of all gryphons."

"Your Radiance," said Talox meekly.

* * *

The royal guard - whose name was Silvon - had been ill amused to find that Talox constituted the entire household. Commander Grevval, as it turned out, had been given orders to stay put without being given any explanation why, and had taken it under his own wings to disobey and fly to join the battle instead. Other than that, the plan to smuggle the princess out of harm's way had been rather a brilliant one. Not even dragons would swoop to bother a couple of lowly monks travelling alone. And Castle Feugenmist was unlikely to be a target of their war, standing guard as it did over nothing much of any particular value to anybody.

The princess lay curled in front of the fire, sleeping off her hard journey, the soft gold of her coat rising and falling with the swell of her breath, seeming to shimmer as it caught the light of the flickering flames. Talox - sitting a respectful distance back - couldn't help but stare in awe. She was to him a divine being, second only to a god, but she was also a gryphon and female and lying right there in front of him. And she was beautiful, his male mind couldn't help but notice. Not just her incredible golden coat but the sleek fullness of her body, the polished curve of her beak and her carefully manicured claws. Not just young and beautiful, but actually... perfect.

Unbidden and irreverent thoughts intruded into his mind, and he carefully squashed them. It didn't do to have carnal thoughts about the princess. She was far removed from base things like physical intimacy, let alone with the likes of him. Her virtue was famously pure and unsullied, carefully guarded by the old queen who surrounded her with a constant chaperone of females and eunuchs.

He looked again at Silvon, who sat sharpening his already-sharp claws nearby. He must surely be a eunuch, to be allowed so close to the princess. Talox had always pictured eunuchs as effeminate, but there was nothing effeminate about Silvon. He was big and deep-voiced and looked like he could easily eviscerate Talox with an idle flick of a talon, if they ever came to blows. Silvon glanced up and glared at him as though he were thinking of doing just that.

"You. Soldier," trilled a melodious but knife-sharp female voice. The princess was awake.

Talox dropped respectfully into a floor-hugging bow. "Your Radiance."

"I'm rested now. Take me to the great hall."

"You... um... are already in it, Your Radiance."

"Really?" She looked around her with an expression of perplexity. "You call this 'great'?"

"Yes, Your Radiance." He got back to his feet and decided, with a sense of loyalty to his castle, to explain some of its wonders. "The great hall was built when the castle was extended by Archyngro the Fierce in 787... or it might have been 878. One of those. The fireplace is particularly renowned. I can't remember why. And on the wall behind me, this large tapestry was woven to commemorate the battle of... um... some famous battle, anyway. It's got gryphons fighting each other. My favourite's that black one in the corner, who's playing the trumpet."

Neither member of his audience seemed to be paying much attention to his words. Silvon was keeping an eye out the window for approaching dragons. The princess hadn't given the fireplace or the tapestry more than the briefest of glances, but was staring at Talox himself as though he were some exotic item of food she'd just discovered on her dinner plate.

Silvon interrupted. "Does this castle have an armoury?"

"Certainly. Please follow me."

They both followed him into a long vaulted stone chamber. Armour plates and chainmail, steel helmets, one-talon and two-talon flight axes, dropping knives, wing nets, beak bayonets and a hundred other contrivances of war gleamed from the walls, all well-oiled and ready to kill. Even after the depletions of the departed force it was still an impressive collection.

"Quaint," muttered Silvon as he inspected it. "Still, better than nothing. My monk disguise only allowed me a very few small weapons." And he began taking down some very large weapons indeed.

The princess sidled up to Talox as the eunuch swung a beak-scimitar experimentally. She smelled of sweet perfumes: a honey scent with a sharper edge of hot ginger, and another smell he couldn't quite place but was highly agreeable to his nostrils.

"So you're a male?"

"Yes, Your Radiance." He wasn't quite sure what to make of the question.

"A real male. Not a eunuch. Intact."

"Yes, Your Radiance." He glanced at the guard, who was making so much clatter putting on a coat of chainmail (which he managed without putting the wrong limbs in the wrong holes, Talox noticed) that he couldn't possibly overhear.

"I've never met a real male before."

"You haven't, Your Radiance?"

"Not privately."

"I hope I don't disappoint, Your Radiance."

"I'm sure you won't. Show me."

"Show you what, Your Radiance?"

"Your... intactness. I've never seen one. I wish to see."

"Your Radiance?!"

"I'll get rid of my minder. Silvon!" She called his name sharply and loudly and he attended, now clad in the castle's best chainmail with several exotic weapons slung about him.

"Your Radiance?"

"I heard something. Down there. Have a look." She gestured to a narrow stairway leading downwards.

"That's the dungeons, Your Radiance," Talox supplied. "There's nothing down there except rats."

"I insist you check, Silvon. It could be spies. Or assassins."

The eunuch eyed Talox suspiciously. "The Queen would not care for me to leave you alone with this... unknown stranger."

"Well I'm not going down into any horrid dungeon full of assassins, and I'm not having you leave me without a guard, so you're going to have to, aren't you? It'll only take a few minutes. Really, whatever could happen in a few minutes?"

He nodded his unwilling consent, and gave Talox a Look to indicate very clearly the very unpleasant things that would happen if he tried anything while he was gone. As soon as his tail had disappeared from sight down the spiral staircase, the princess whirled on Talox.

"Alright, soldier. Show me the goods."

"But..."

"That's an order."

Not knowing what else to do, and feeling extremely self-conscious, Talox reached back a talon to unbuckle the rear two straps of his chainmail. Then he pulled the armour forwards as far as his wings, along with the undercoat of padding, revealing the naked fur of his hind quarters.

"How interesting." Her most pure and benevolent highness Princess Phyroselxia, divine of divines of the sky-temples of Elgraenios, overwing-honour of the twelve royal legions, supreme of the vastlands of Telintir, and first maiden of all gryphons, ducked her head under Talox's tail and ogled his balls. He could feel her hot breath tickle against their fur. She nudged them with her beak, making them wobble back and forth. Talox took a sharp breath in.

"All to your satisfaction, Your Radiance?"

"They're bouncier that I'd expected." She nudged his balls to the side more firmly, watching them swing and wobble back to the centre, then she nudged them again the other way. "These are quite fun."

"I'm... glad you're enjoying playing with my balls?"

"That's 'I'm glad you're enjoying playing with my balls, Your Radiance.'"

"My apologies. I'm glad you're enjoying playing with my balls, Your Radiance."

"Better. I'm bored of them now. What else do you have?" She ducked out and came round under his left flank, peering at the sheath that hung between his hind legs. She gave it a prod with a claw. "Make it come out."

"But Your Radiance..."

"That's a royal command. Make your penis come out. I wish to see it."

Talox had been desperately holding himself in. It had been challenging, with the princess poking about his testicles. And there was something more than that. He realised now what the familiar smell was behind all her perfumes. She was in heat. The cloying scent cut straight from his nostrils to his loins without bothering to consult his brain.

His feathers fluffing up with embarrassment, he relaxed his muscles and let his erection spill out.

"Is that all of it?" the princess asked with a sniff.

"Yes, Your Radiance." Talox was a little hurt. He was quite sure his cock was a perfectly respectable size.

"Is it supposed to curve up like that?"

"That's quite normal, Your Radiance."

She tapped it with a claw. "How many females has it been in?"

"Ah.. um..." Talox squirmed, and his feathers fluffed up even further. "None so far, Your Radiance."

Her talons wrapped around his shaft. "Oh, it's so hard! And warm too. Feels nice to hold."

Talox heard the tap of claws on the staircase. "Quick, Your Radiance, I hear Silvon returning..."

"I haven't finished with you yet." She ran her talons over his cock from base to tip, making him grunt.

"Your Radiance, please!" The eunuch was about to appear at the top of the stairs at any moment.

"Oh very well." She released him. "Make yourself presentable. And be quick about it."

He had to be extremely quick; he had mere seconds. With a ripple of his hips he threw the chainmail back over his haunches. He was still in some disarray, with his armour hanging open at the bottom and his erection jutting visibly down below, and no time at all to get it under control or to refasten the fiddly straps. Instead he threw himself down on the floor just as Silvon came into sight, taking on the gesture of subservience appropriate to the princess' presence. And which so handily hid his shame from sight beneath him.

"What took you so long?" yawned the princess, looking the very picture of boredom. "Did you find any assassins?"

"No, Your Radiance. Nothing but rats." A slender pink tail dangled from his beak. He gulped once and it disappeared.

* * *

Talox shivered in the cold night air. A metal coat wasn't a wonderful insulator, and worse, it stopped him from fluffing up his fur and feathers to keep out the cold. But he was a soldier, and he endured. After all, he had a princess to guard.

Silvon had curled himself up to sleep in front of the princess' chamber door, still wearing full armour and weapons. He was there to guard her partly against invaders but mostly, Talox suspected, against Talox. Talox hadn't been given any instructions except to keep out of the way, and he'd taken it under his own wings to stand guard on the battlement immediately above the princess' window. It seemed the proper thing to do, despite all the discomfort.

It was nearly midnight when he heard the casement creak open below. He peered over the parapet and was met by the princess returning his gaze from the window, her golden feathers looking almost white in the moonlight.

"There you are," she said.

"Where else would I be, Your Radiance?"

"Perhaps flying romantically down to my window?"

"I wouldn't dream of such improper behaviour, Your Radiance."

"But I would. In fact, I command you to do just that. I'll leave the window open." Her head ducked back inside. It reappeared seconds later to add the postscript, "and don't dawdle," before disappearing again.

Talox paused in bewildered uncertainty for a few moments. But only for a few moments. She was the princess. You had to obey the princess. Both his duty and his libido told him to obey, and those were two things that very rarely agreed on anything.

He removed his armour and left it in a tidy pile. It wasn't that he couldn't fly in his chainmail, but it was highly unlikely he'd be able to alight fully armoured on a small window ledge and climb through without making the most enormous clatter and rattle. In the event, he made enough of a clatter and rattle of the job even without the armour that he was certain the eunuch must have heard something. He stood statue-still for a half-minute once his feet were on the carpet, watching the inside of the closed door without daring to breathe. Fortunately, it was a good thick door of solid oak, and there was only silence from without.

Princess Phyroselxia lay on her flank in the centre of an oversized four-poster bed with sheets as clean and white as a fall of fresh snow. Her coat seemed even more luxuriously golden than usual against that white backdrop. She held her beak slightly open with the pink slip of her tongue visible; her eyes - as golden as her feathers - were fixed on Talox as unwaveringly as any predator watching its prey. Incense and perfume mingled in the air with the familiar blood-stirring scent of a female in heat.

"Kiss me," she commanded.

"Yes, Your Radiance."

"But kiss me quietly," she whispered with a nod towards the door.

He climbed gingerly onto the bed and - barely daring to believe his luck - licked his tongue gently over the princess' beak.

"More."

He lapped at her beak again, and receiving no complaint carried on doing so, letting his tongue slide pleasantly over the smooth keratin. She began to purr as he kissed her more sensitive lower mandible, so he continued in the same manner with a bit more confidence. Finally, most wonderfully, she turned her beak towards his and let her own tongue slide out, the two meeting in a warm, damp, tickling point of contact. Talox wasn't sure of the most proper technique but he danced and fumbled his tongue against hers and the result was most agreeable, even exhilarating.

"Enough kissing," she said, snapping her tongue back in. "I wish to play with that absurd penis of yours again." She glanced beneath him. "Ah. Good. I see you've got it out already."

"I'm all yours, Your Radiance." Talox lifted a hind leg obediently to present himself to her.

"I am NOT stooping under you like a suckling pup. Get on your back."

"On my back? But..."

"Stop complaining. On your back. Now."

It was a most uncomfortable and degrading position for any gryphon to be in, but Talox did as he was told. He lay down on his back with all four legs - and his cock - sticking up uselessly into the air, and his wings spread out to either side. The princess - who had vacated the bed to make way for the manoeuvre - climbed back on when it was complete, leering over his up-ended body possessively.

"What would you have me do next, Your Radiance?" he whispered.

"Nothing. I have you exactly as I want you." She curled her talons tight around his cock, and began to stroke up and down. "Is this the proper motion?"

"Mmm," murmured Talox indistinctly. "Perfect."

"Perfect, Your Radiance," she corrected.

"Radiant, Your Perfection," he slurred, allowing a soft shroud of pleasure to fall over his mind and blanket his intellect.

"Will it give you an orgasm if I carry on doing this?"

"Only if Your Radiance commands," he said rather sillily.

"I do not command." Her talons released him, making Talox sigh in disappointment. "Is it supposed to be leaking like that?" she asked.

"Leaking?" He crooked his neck to look. A few drops of pre-cum had gathered on the end of his cock.

"Did you... ejaculate?"

"No, Your Radiance, that's just pre-cum. Just a bit of, ah, an advance guard. If I were to ejaculate, there'd be a lot more than that. A LOT more. And it would shoot out, not drip out." He wondered what book the princess had learned about sex from.

"Is it edible?"

"What?!"

"The pre-cum. Is it edible?"

"I... suppose so, Your Radiance, if you really wanted to?"

"I do. Keep still." And she bent her head and stuck her tongue out of her beak to lap the ooze from his cock. It tickled wonderfully as it lapped across his most sensitive spot, but then she jerked her head away with a grimace. "Ee. Ew. Uck. That doesn't taste good at all."

"I don't think it's really meant to be eaten, Your Radiance."

"I suppose it's not designed to go in the beak at all. Rather, in the other end."

"Um... yes, Your Radiance."

Talox watched her as she eyed his upside-down body laid out across her bed, her gaze wandering from beak to tail and from wingtip to wingtip, but lingering especially over his up-standing cock.

"I wish to try that."

"Your Radiance?!"

Talox had never expected the princess to go so far, but was in no position to resist as she clambered over him. Her talons planted themselves firmly on the base of his wings and her hind quarters lined up over his cock.

"Your Radiance," he whispered urgently, his eyes on the closed door with Silvon asleep just beyond. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am, now shush." She shifted her paws to bring her hips forward a little. "I simply wish to know what it feels like."