Torgan Wine Ch. 02

She did accept a gift from me, a bell on a ribbon. A jest that she and I both understand." Andnaeuth paused. "I believe she has kept her word as best she could in the difficult circumstances I pressed her into."

"Trying to seduce a woman who is exclusive to someone else, Prince Andnaeuth, is not behavior I condone. Not even in these circumstances." King Tamnaeuth's cold appearance reminded her very strongly of the way Andnaeuth had looked in the hall ordering her to accompany Daeira to dress properly. "Are you satisfied, Prince Draeseth?"

"No." The silence after his word made her feel as if she'd been struck deaf.

Rising from her place next to Daeira, the priestess of Maeralya spoke coolly, "You have demanded the right to keep her for the allotted year and won it. Lady Isonei has been insistent on keeping her word. Had she not done so we would not be here. For the remainder of the year, you are bound to one another."

"She wears his... gift," spitting the word as if it had another meaning. "I require her to remove it."

"A gift-" The priestess began but the King raised his hand cutting her off.

"It is a suitable punishment for Prince Andnaeuth's transgressions." The King's cool eyes looked past her to Andnaeuth. "Take back your gift."

Horrified gasps and murmurs went through the audience of lords and ladies watching the scandalous spectacle unfold. She could feel the tremor in Andnaeuth's hands as he untied the ribbon, pulling it away. Her neck felt bare and her heart ached. It was all she could do to keep from turning to embrace Andnaeuth, but her eyes at least remained dry.

"I ask again, are you satisfied, Prince Draeseth?" The King's tone suggested that the question would not be asked a third time.

"Yes." The answer sounded forced.

"The Lady Isonei is in your care until the next festival in nine months time. You are aware of the difference in our calendars, I expect there will be no confusion on her date of return. When the sun sets and the festival begins your year is done." Measuring the stone-faced prince with his cool gaze, the King continued, "Do you understand that being in your care requires you to keep her from harm, and not to harm her yourself?"

"I am aware, and I understand." Draeseth's fists were clenched as he sat stiffly with his back sword-straight.

"Dinner is concluded." The words felt like a slamming door. With only a moment's pause, the King turned a smile on his gathered guests, "All of my guests are welcome to join me in the ballroom for some welcome diversion."

As the King rose so did everyone else. The Torgans bowed as if they were being forced to at knifepoint and stalked from the dining room. Isonei was uncertain if she was meant to follow. Taking a breath she turned to glance at Andnaeuth.

He was holding the ribbon and bell clasped in both hands. His face was schooled into an emotionless mask, but the anguish in his eyes was unmistakable. "Lady Isonei." Andnaeuth inclined his head, stepping around her. Embracing him or speaking to him would be more than he could bear even if she could force words past the lump in her throat.

Her father stepped forward and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, Isonei. You'll be home soon."

She struggled not to burst into tears, nodding.

"If he mistreats you, send me word any way that you can. You will be fetched home immediately." He kissed her head repeatedly.

"Yes, father." Isonei managed to whisper.

Even her brothers seemed genuinely concerned. Ivorith's anger had vanished and Ialath quietly reassured her that nine months was not so long. As they stepped back the priestess stepped forward and gently touched her arm.

"I'll walk with you." Her smile was warm as she guided Isonei with a hand on her back. In the quiet hall, the priestess spoke gently, "Try to remember the reasons you chose to stay. This has been difficult for you both. A letter for you will arrive every month from your father, to be certain that you are well you are expected to reply." She stopped and turned Isonei to face her for a moment, "If you are afraid that you can't write freely and need to return, mention to your father my soothing words. You'll be fetched home to spend the rest of the time safely ensconced in his house."

"Thank you." Isonei took a deep breath. "It may not be a pleasant year, but I don't believe he would ever hurt me, not deliberately."

"Good." She took Isonei's hand as they walked the rest of the way to Draeseth's rooms in silence.

As they approached the door, Burgath stepped out and looked at them with a frown. "Why didn't she follow immediately?"

"She had to say her goodbyes to her father and brothers. You could have waited to observe if you had concerns." The priestess' coolly cheerful voice brought Draeseth to the door.

"And Andnaeuth?" Burgath eyed Isonei with disapproval.

"I assume they said their goodbyes before dinner, she didn't speak with him after your departure."

"Is that what delayed them coming to dinner?" Draeseth's sour expression made the priestess squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"You would have to ask her. If you have changed your mind about taking her to Torga-"

"No. She will come with me as she should have." He spoke briefly to Burgath in Torgan. "Enter, Isonei." He remained in the doorway as she released the priestess' hand to slip past him.

Isonei came to a stop next to the sofa, waiting to be chided. The knife she had given him was nowhere to be seen but the dress and chemise she had left in were draped carefully over the back of the sofa. It looked as if Daeira's maids had taken the wrinkles out of it.

The sound of the door closing sent her teeth back into her painfully chewed inner lip. Waiting anxiously, she blinked as Draeseth stalked wordlessly past her into the bedroom and closed the door. Her eyes searched the room until she found the pull that would summon a servant.

If Draeseth was in no mood to speak to her she hoped that a servant would help her out of her clothes and be able to fetch blankets for her night on the sofa. A nervous maid arrived shortly, relieved to be speaking to Isonei and not Draeseth.

The rooms had a small servant's chamber attached, Isonei hadn't even noticed the narrow doorway. The bed there was prepared for her and her dress was hung inside the door. A soft nightgown was brought for her to change into before the maid helped her out of Daeira's gown. No one wanted to knock on Draeseth's door to ask about her things.

Settling onto the narrow bed she wondered what she had to look forward to in Torga. This would be a very long nine months, but it could always be worse. Turning away from the door she closed her eyes, trying to rest.

Half dozing sometime later, Isonei heard the door open. "Are you sleeping?" Draeseth's deep voice sounded almost hesitant.

"No, I'm tired but I can't-"

"Come to bed. I waited for you to come speak to me. I almost thought you'd left." His accusing tone made her stomach knot.

"You closed your door," she sat up and turned to face him speaking quietly, trying to explain. "I thought you didn't want to speak to me. You're angry and I think, perhaps, you have a right to be."

"Come to bed." Draeseth held out his hand.

Rising to take it, Isonei realized he was still dressed in his clothes from dinner. "You haven't dressed for bed."

"I don't. I didn't want to be naked when you came to speak to me." He didn't look at her as he walked with her to the bedroom, but he didn't drop her hand either.

Nodding, she ran her tongue over her swollen and sore inner lip. "I am sorry, Draeseth. I didn't realize I was doing something wrong until I saw how hurt you looked."

He grunted and left her standing next to the bed as he closed the door. "Why didn't you take off the bell?"

"It was a gift." She shook her head helplessly. He didn't understand the etiquette. "It isn't done to ask or demand-"

Draeseth cut her off sharply. "He lied when he called it a jest. I can imagine what a bell means to a jester. You were wearing a symbol of his affection."

"It was a jest, and it wasn't. His bells mean a great deal to him, to part with one..."

"What was the jest?" He moved to look out of the window into the darkness.

"That's not going to make you less angry." She sighed moving to sit on one of her chests. "He made a jest about imagining me climbing into his bed wearing his cap of bells. I teased back saying I wouldn't, I'd wear the bell collar."

"That pleased him." Draeseth's shoulders were hunched and his voice was a rasp.

"He called me a horrible queen to tease him that way, since he would have to wait so long for the chance to-"

The Torgan cleared his throat loudly. "Queen?"

"He calls me the queen of fools."

"When you return you'll be his. It's already been decided." He turned his head to fix her with a bitter look. "You'll drink from his cup and stay with him in the morning."

"No. As miserable as it is to be exclusive to someone I may never do it again." She watched his lips tremble and his eyes close as if he were trying not to weep as he turned back toward the window.

They sat in silence until he asked, "He is the crown prince, if he asked you to be his alone you would refuse him?"

"As I feel now? Yes. He's aware of that. He wants me to try to enjoy myself with you so that I don't come away from this unwilling to ever try it again. That was one of the things he said to me that made us late for dinner."

"What were the rest?"

"He tried to reassure me that I kept my word as well as anyone could ask in the circumstances. I realized I shouldn't have accepted the gift, and he told me I would break his heart if I returned it." She bent and rubbed her face feeling exhausted as she tried to remember. "I think started to weep and he started to try to make me laugh by insisting Daeira would tell me at length how selfish and thoughtless he is. He asked for my forgiveness when he couldn't even make me smile."

"You seemed happy enough when you came into the dining room, the jester was in good spirits," Draeseth muttered viciously.

"I told him I didn't want to go to dinner, I wanted to run and hide forever. He offered to put me in a box in his room. We were jesting back and forth about it until we both felt better." She looked at her fingers, the memory of her final jab made her smile as much as it brought the lump back to her throat. "Before we walked in he'd schooled his into this very regal looking mask, and said so solemnly, 'The gauntlet awaits.' I couldn't resist making another jest just as we walked in, he was trying not to laugh."

"I'm not the only one you enjoy teasing." He sounded as exhausted as she felt.

"No. I once teased a priest of the nameless dark when I saw him buying a lantern. I don't think my father stopped chiding me for a week."

A sound like a strangled laugh came from the Torgan and she looked up in surprise. "Get into bed, Isonei. We have a long journey in the morning."

"Not-not until you can forgive me. I-" Her eyes widened as he pushed away from the window and pulled her up from her seat on the chest in the space of a breath.

"You want me to forgive you? When you would break my heart and not his?"

"I don't want to break either of your hearts. I can't bear to hurt either of you. If you can't forgive me, tell me what I can do to ease your pain."

"Promise me you won't drink with anyone at the next festival." His dark eyes glittered.

"I promise you, I will not drink with anyone at the next festival. I will not attend any of the masquerades if that will-"

He cut her off with a rough kiss that made her whimper. "And if I asked you to promise not to chew on your lip?"

"I can't promise that. When I'm nervous or unhappy-"

"You've deprived me of your kiss. If I see you chewing on it again you won't like what I do to break you of the habit." Draeseth ran his hands through her hair as she nodded her understanding. "Help me undress."

Draeseth sat on the bed and she helped him take off his boots, wrinkling her nose slightly. "I can run a bath if you'd like."

"In the morning, I'm in the mood to punish you by making you sleep next to a man that doesn't smell like soap."

"You're punishing yourself by going to sleep dirty." She stood, frowning at him.

"No, I'm punishing my soap loving Aran who has driven me mad today by letting the jester try to seduce her." The smile that was forming on his face was wicked. "The more I think of it the more it appeals to me."

"You're trying to be beastly, aren't you." Isonei struggled to suppress a smile as his face split in an evil looking grin.

"I am now. I will be your flower wine in the morning, tonight you will spend with the Beast of Kroscur." He lapsed into Torgan as he pulled her closer and began to kiss the side of her neck punctuating each one with a sharp bite.

Gripping the shoulders of his doublet, she whimpered and moaned at the sensation, the feel of his lips and tongue on her skin and the gentle suction of his kiss followed by the bite a half dozen times down the side of her neck. He pulled her hands down to the fasteners of his doublet, turning her head to bare the other side of her neck, speaking what sounded like an order in his tongue.

With a shiver she started to unfasten them quickly, her nimble fingers easily undoing the line of them and opening it to reach in for his shirt. His soft wicked laugh made her flush before he started to kiss and bite his way down the unmarked side of her neck. Distracted by his biting kisses, opening his shirt took more effort and he didn't stop kissing up and down the side of her neck until it was open and her hands were on his bare chest.

He murmured something in her ear that she couldn't understand.

"I don't-" Isonei gasped as he ripped the nightgown down the back and said it again. "You want me to undress?"

His wicked grin as he said it a third time tearing the cloth away from her completely seemed like it might be a yes. Draeseth stood to shrug off his shirt and doublet, pulling her hands to the fastener of his pants. They came open easily and she sank to her knees as she tugged them down for him.

Before she could stand again, he placed his hand on the top of her head and growled something at her as he looked down. "I think... I recognized one word of that."

He started to laugh and pulled her face closer to his hardening cock. Isonei hesitated trying not to think about how he hadn't yet bathed and he sounded amused as he pressed her nose to the base of it repeating himself.

Her resigned sigh against his skin seemed to please him and she began to kiss and take long licks from the base toward the tip. That he didn't taste unpleasant was a surprise. Bringing one hand to the shaft to stroke as it hardened, she let the other caress his thigh and hip.

The growling groan that came from him was thrilling. She began to use her tongue to tease beneath the dark head of his grey-green cock, giving a soft moan as his hand knotted in her hair. Opening her mouth to suck and make her tongue dance around the eye as he pushed the tip in with an insistent thrust.

Isonei brought her roaming hand to his balls caressing and gently massaging as he began to try to push deeper forcing her mouth open wider. His growls were insistent but she couldn't understand what he wanted. Pressing her tongue to his shaft she tried to suck more firmly, letting her tongue massage from beneath.

Bringing both his hands to her head, he began to massage it and try to hold it in place as he tried to push still more of his impressive member into her mouth. She moaned around him and he exultantly called out, her name being the only thing she recognized, thrusting deeper until her eyes began to water.

Draeseth held her still as he throbbed, spilling his seed into the back of her mouth forcing her to swallow. Tilting her head back, he almost purred what sounded like praise before pulling her up and bending her over the edge of the bed. "Draeseth, I-"

His unintelligible response as he squeezed her ass cheeks made her shiver.

She felt him move one hand between her thighs rubbing roughly. "Gently, my Draeseth, please!" His hand came down over her ass sharply making her yelp and he held her in place as he began to rub again more gently. Arching her back to give him better access, he purred at her again and lifted her hips twisting her until she faced up.

Her legs over his shoulders as he pulled her close, almost standing her on her head, he began to lick and tease hungrily. His arms were wrapped around her holding her close against him. Draeseth's tongue moved over and between the folds of her sex, as the fingers of one hand pressed firmly against her as she'd shown him once before. With his other hand, he squeezed her breasts, moving back and forth twisting her nipples.

Isonei panted and writhed in his grip, "Draeseth, mmn please, yes. Please!" His tongue slipped inside as his grip tightened. "Draeseth, yes!" The feeling of building tingling pleasure made her try to squeeze him between her trembling thighs. He didn't stop until she was moaning out her release and begging for him. "Draeseth, please! I want you, I need you, please!"

The Torgan lowered her hips back to the bed, pulling her up to kiss as she tried to wrap herself around him. His kiss made her lip sting but she wanted it so desperately she ignored the pain. He pulled back with a smug smile pointing to the pillows as he gave an order she thought she understood.

Fetching the pillows to position herself with as he knelt and grinned, she gazed up at him admiringly. "You look so magnificently wicked when you grin that way."

That he insisted on speaking Torgan was as stirring as it was frustrating. The only word she could understand of his response, as he stroked her face with the back of his hand, was Kroscur.

"You're going to have to teach me Torgan. I don't know what you're saying but I love the way you sound."

The low soft sound of his laugh as he pushed her back made her flush with anticipation. "I want you to know what I said. You'll learn the rest, but for tonight I would hear you say this for me." Draeseth moved his hands possessively over her spread thighs. "You belong in front of me with your pretty legs spread. Tell me you belong in front of the Beast of Kroscur willing and wanton."

His dark eyes were glittering as he loomed like a vengeful god waiting for her to deny him. Her breath caught and she shivered. "I belong in front of you, my beautiful Beast of Kroscur, with my legs spread." She tried to sit up needing to touch him as he groaned something in Torgan.

Draeseth's hand wrapped around her throat and he pushed her back down giving an order. Isonei stroked his arm looking at him in bafflement. "All of it.Tell me."

"For the Beast of Kroscur, I am willing and wanton." She breathed watching his face split in a grin. He gave the order again. "I belong in front of you with my-" The feeling of him pushing inside urgently made her forget to speak.

He squeezed her throat for a brief moment and thrust, giving the order again.

"Draeseth, yes. I belong nnm oh gods please, don't stop!" It felt like every inch of her was starting to burn as he moved between her thighs. She held onto his arm panting as he gave the order breathlessly moving his free hand to her most sensitive spot. "For the Beast of Kroscur, I am... Yes! Yes, please! Mmmn, I am willing and wanton. Draeseth, please! Harder! I need-"

The sudden power of his thrusts and the pressure of his hand not just on her sex but around her throat made her feel like every muscle in her body was going to tighten until she exploded. Draeseth was the one racing to keep up with her this time. Isonei panted helplessly for air as her release made her whole body shake, burning and tingling and going numb for a moment as the sensations overwhelmed her.