War of the Senses

I

"Commander Lotte, King Ingvar has been captured!", reported an excited, dark-haired young messenger, covered in mud and soot, as he suddenly entered the tent.

All around the table fell silent and looked at Lotte Thorkenson, the Maervegr Army Commander with anticipation. In the flickering light of the campfire, Lotte was even more impressive. Her golden-red hair and white skin were a continuation of the flames in the fireplace and her iron armor, filled with battle marks danced fluidly through the play of light and shadow.

The war had been going on for almost two years now. Ingvar had invaded Maervegr in his quest for more land. The king claimed he had no choice. His nine children are his life, and they demanded more fields, more crops, more steel, more gold. And each of them would have his kingdom, no matter what the cost.

Lotte showed no emotion. She reflected for a moment, oblivious to the looks she was attracting. The expectation was that Ingvar would be beheaded, as a sign of strength from Queen Anniken and, of course, from her war commander, Lotte. Invaders would receive no mercy from the Queendom of Balstad.

"Take me to the prisoner."

Lotte put on her heavy bearskin cloak and left the warm airs of the military tent to feel the cold, damp night air of the camp on the walk to the makeshift prison. She liked the cold. She was born in the mountains. Everywhere, people were rushing around carrying weapons, torches, supplies, tools, and all sorts of battle gear. Over the murmur of soldiers' voices could be heard now and then the rumble of explosions in the distance. War does not sleep.

King Ingvar had been taken to a tent, surrounded by six guards, who saluted Lotte when they recognized her. Inside, the commander saw a large, bearded fellow with thick, dirty, unkempt dark hair. He looked at her fiercely and roared.

"Bitch! How do you think you can arrest me? My children will take everything that is yours! And damned if you touch a single one of them! This land will be my inheritance. The Vaernes Dynasty will set down roots in Maervegr!", and spat.

Lotte paid no attention to the bravado, and turning to one of the guards asked:

"How is he? Any major wounds?"

"No, Commander. A few scratches and light cuts, only."

"Then he should stay that way. Take him to the castle. I want him put in a room with bars, but not in prison. Give him food, wine, and let him wash. Then give him clean clothes."

The sub-commanders and the others in the room looked at each other in surprise, but no one would stand up to Lotte.

"I don't think you understand, bitch! I don't matter. All that matters is my children. It's my seed! Kill me. Torture me. Fuck you. I don't care. I know they will win the war in the end and not a hair on their head will ever be touched."

Ingvar's concern for his sons was perhaps the most notorious fact in his kingdom. He was said to have had a prophetic dream in which the Gods told him to protect his children at all costs. From what the Gods revealed to him, the death of any of his sons would trigger events that would lead to the entire Vaernes Dynasty's end.

Thus, the king had lived for his family and his sons since that night. Each of his sons was worth everything. For each of them it would be worth killing hundreds or thousands, pillaging lands and walking entire armies to conquer foreign countries. For his children, Ingvar would not only kill and die. He would live. Each of the children was a precious divine gift to be loved and protected. Of the nine children, six were male, and each of these had his own castle with a garrison of loyal soldiers at disposal. The girls would be given in marriage when they reached the appropriate age and would ensure the expansion of the family's power. For the time being, they were in Castle Haulgland, under the care of Queen Vijje -- who was the mother of three of the nine children. Ingvar considered his children a godsend, no matter if they were his with the queen, with lovers, or with prostitutes. All were blood of his blood and of equal importance. However, as they grew older, the king realized that there would be a dispute among them for the wealth of the kingdom and decided it was time to expand the holdings of the Vaernes Dynasty. The sons, however, were kept off the battlefield, even if against their own will. The three eldest chose a general to represent them on the battlefield, and for the others, Ingvar himself chose loyal soldiers to stand in for them. Isolated and protected in their fortresses, the king's sons only awaited the outcome of the war to divide up the spoils.

So far, Ingvar had been successful.

Four kingdoms had already been incorporated into Skaknottr, the volcanic country ruled by the Vaernes Dynasty for centuries. With his coffers full and five more sons in need of land, Ingvar turned his troops to Maervegr, the prosperous Queendom ruled by Anniken Balstad. Everything seemed to indicate that the country of modest proportions, nestled between the mountains and the Sea of Takke, would be an easy prey for Ingvar's phalanxes, but so far Lotte had managed to prevent the invasion, in a remarkable resistance.

The Queen's Commander gazed at the prisoner. Beneath the armor adorned with bronze flame detailing was certainly a strong fellow in his early forties. The angry look in his eyes radiated power. He was someone who was not used to losing, to giving in. Above all, he knew that sooner or later his generals would make it over the mountains. No matter what that whore dressed as a soldier would do.

If Lotte noticed what was going on in Ingvar's mind, it was of no concern to her.

"Tanja, come with me. I need you to help me with the next steps", Lotte said to her orderly. "I'll be in the castle if you need me. Stick to the plan and let me know if any of the generals try anything crazy to save King Ingvar."

Lotte mounted her white mare and quickly made her way along the muddy road flanked by black forest to the castle. She had a bold plan in mind, but it would need the Queen's approval.

When they arrived, Tanja, the orderly, refused to hold back and asked:

"Is this really what you are planning, Commander? Pardon me, but it seems to me a rather peculiar strategy... and perhaps a bit complicated to accomplish... a long shot... at least..."

Lotte was quite sympathetic to her assistant's little insurrection. After all, it was indeed an unusual task that she had imposed on her. And probably something that had never been done in a war period. But every battle required a different strategy. Each challenge required its own approach. And she knew that she had a few months, at most, before Skaknottr's forces would break through her walls. It simply would not be possible to win that battle with swords, shields, and horses.

"That's exactly what I need, Tanja. I trust that your contacts will achieve what I have asked of you. Use well the resources I gave you. Offer them parsimoniously and fairly. But, also, try to be as persuasive as you can. I know you can be very persuasive. You're a smart, eloquent, woman and usually gets what you want. I would never trust this task to anyone else. But be quick. I need everything ready as fast as possible."

With these words, she dispatched Tanja with detailed orders of what she was to do and return as soon as possible. Then she went to Queen Anniken. She would not linger there.

The guards outside the door could only hear the Queen shouting in displeasure. A few moments later, however, she changed her tone of voice to a calmer one, probably listening to her Commander's reasoning. In the end, she seems to have given in to Lotte's plan, who left the room with her characteristic determined look, leaving Anniken with a distressed expression behind.

Now it was up to her.

II

Ingvar did not realize what they were waiting for to use him as a bargaining chip. Surely, his generals would offer a generous amount of gold in exchange for his life. Or perhaps Anniken would kill him. It didn't matter. His children were safe and the war would be won anyway. That he was alive at the moment of victory was of little importance. The glory of the Vaernes Dynasty was secured. No fratricide war for land or wealth. All his children would have their own country.

Still, it had been tremendous bad luck that he had been captured. But how could they have foreseen the rockslide? They couldn't. Good thing he hadn't brought his children. His seed was safe.

For the first few days he had been kept in a tight but decent room in the castle. A cell meant for religious people or something, probably. But that afternoon he had been moved to a larger room, with a huge bed covered with furs, and a door at the back that led to a huge bathroom with a latrine, sinks, and a bathtub. Yes, that looked like a room, if not fit for a king, at least for a blue-blooded prisoner. A sturdy mahogany chair had been placed in the center of the room, and he could not understand why.

Ingvar was ordered to bathe, and despite Lotte's surprise, he gladly complied, and laid down in the stone bathtub filled with thermal water.

No docility was in his nature, however. He intended to escape as soon as possible. And if those bitches wanted to kill him, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of going to the gallows in public. He would go down fighting. But he still wanted to know what Annike and her watchdog, Lotte, wanted with him. A peace deal? Maybe. He could settle something like that. He would pay a fee, sign a treaty. And as soon as he could he would take that shithole of a country for himself anyway.

Ingvar's eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for a scape route and for whatever he could use as a weapon. First, he looked at the room he was in, but he was already familiar with everything there. He knew what he could do with the few resources available. Then, he noticed the bathroom. It was wide and cold. The wall at the back had been adorned with tapestries that featured the lionesses of House Balstad in silver over snow-capped mountains.

"'Imbeciles.'", thought Ingvar. "That fucking expensive carpet is going to rot with the fumes from the baths. Only these whore morons would put such carpets on bathroom walls. Fuck it. When this place is conquered my children will wipe their asses with these carpets and with the silk dresses of these whores."

These ramblings were in Ingvar's mind when the musclemen who were watching him were called. After a while, they returned and ordered him to sit down on the chair.

"My clothes!", Ingvar demanded.

None of the guards answered. They just tied him firmly to the wooden chair. Hands, arms and legs were bound with thick leather straps.

The king tried to fight back, but sharp swords came dangerously close to his throat. It was not yet time to fight to the death. There, he would be just like cattle in the slaughterhouse. It would send no message. It would be foolish and he was not a fool.

Still, without any further explanation, the soldiers left, and bound to the chair and naked the king was left in the center of the torch-lit stone room. Beneath his broad, strong chest, covered with thick black hair, his heart was beating fast with anxiety.

The wait was not long.

The creak of the door revealed the entrance of Lotte's imposing figure. This time she was not wearing armor or even the heavy bearskin cloak, but only a dark red dress tied by a ribbon around her waist and high-top leather shoes. Sleeveless, you could see her draconic tattoos covering her right arm and parts of her left arm intermixed with tribal and military symbols. Her reddish-blond hair had been combed and arranged in braids. A thin dagger adorned her waist threateningly.

"What do you want, bitch?", shouted Ingvar, spatting near Lotte's feet. "Gold? I can get gold. Land? Maybe we can trade some of the land I conquered. But, I think you're in a hurry. You know that my generals are about to break through your barriers at Gallanmond Pass".

She stared at him for a few moments and then gestured with her hand to the door. Three women entered and stood behind Lotte, quiet, but with calm countenances. All young, between eighteen and twenty-five years old, and unquestionably beautiful.

"I want hostages.", replied Lotte. "I will give you your freedom in exchange for the freedom of some of your children."

Ingvar laughed.

"Never. Never."

The proposal seemed too absurd to Ingvar. How could it be? Everything he had done was precisely for his children. Lotte's proposal could only be some kind of joke. But when he noticed that she kept her expression straight, Ingvar decided to emphasize his answer, stressing his refusal.

"Each one of my children is worth more than all this land."

"I guess you think so", said Lotte -- "But I don't think you understand. I know that you would not exchange any of your children for ransom. They are worth more than land or gold or even your own life."

The king listened attentively, still not understanding what Lotte was implying.

"However, nothing prevents you from having more children. And we can keep these new ones as hostages."

"Never!" shouted Ingvar.

Lotte then took a few steps and stood behind Ingvar.

"This is in case you think about biting." She said while putting a leather strap in the king's mouth.

The man was still stunned. He was not going to have children with Lotte or anyone else. Only then did he realize that he was naked and sitting on a chair completely tied up. Still, being a man, nothing could compel him to make children against his will. That was not how it worked.

Lotte turned to face Ingvar while the girls looked relaxed and peaceful and each looked for a place to sit.

The Commander sensually stood next to Ingvar and slowly pulled a strap from her dress revealing her beautiful left breast with a pink halo. The light from the fireplace streamed through the diaphanous dress and revealed what was to come. Then she removed the second strap and the dress came down ethereally and rested at Lotte's feet, revealing the other breast, a belly whose sides were painted with tattoos, and a hair-covered pelvis surrounded by thick, firm thighs.

It was inevitable that the smell of Lotte's perfume reached Ingvar's nostrils. It was good. Lavender, honey, something citrusy like lime.

The dazzling sight of Lotte naked and her sensual scent caused an involuntary reflex in Ingvar and his penis threatened to stiffen.

"No, I can't! I must resist everything. This slut won't seduce me."

The image of Lotte's breasts and sex inches from Ingvar's face made him hone his thinking.

"I mustn't see anything. If I don't see anything, she won't stand a chance", and then he closed his eyes.

Lotte had expected this. He would close his eyes and there was nothing she could do if she wanted him to still be able to bear children. But while a man may close his eyes and stop seeing, it is not possible for a man to ignore his other senses. One cannot not hear, ignore a touch, avoid a smell, or refuse a taste. Lotte's weapons were not in sight, but in the other senses. That was why she had chosen the perfume she wore so carefully. It was one which the Queen particularly loved, coming from far away, from a land where it was not cold, where there were fruits of all colors and where people walked almost naked in the streets. Annike had begrudgingly given up the ruby-colored bottle for this unusual mission. This scent was for special occasions, not for seducing a brute and crude fellow who had no more manners than a lowly soldier. He was a rude man with no class, no subtlety. Just muscles.

Commander Lotte had a mission to accomplish, but she knew that, just like in battle, patience was needed here. The plan was hers. She would stick to it. It was a battle, like so many others, but fought with senses.

She surrounded the king letting her perfume penetrate his nostrils. She touched his arms softly, letting her fingers slide down to his shoulder.

"Take your hands off me, you bitch!" growled Ingvar.

Anger, denial, would be his defenses. She needed to bring him back to the present, to the here and now, while he tried to think of a thousand things to keep his inner beast from getting aroused. Mentally, he needed to be out of that room in which Lotte, smelling like a forest nymph, stood walking around naked.

Lotte's fingers reached around Ingvar's neck and chest. She licked his earlobe and he ruffled the hairs on the back of his neck.

"A small victory." she thought.

But it was still too little. His member was still flaccid. He managed to control himself. He was clearly meditating, getting away from there. He was thinking about his kingdom, his children, his war, his death. The last thing he wanted to think about was Lotte and her adorable, inebriant smell.

Lotte, for her turn, was bringing to her mind the most exciting scenes possible. She had to be more wet than ever. She focused. She remembered especially happy passages of her life, some of them there, in that very castle. She needed the king, but she didn't need to think about him. She despised him. He would be an object and a mission. That's all.

The golden-haired militarian brought to mind one particular evening, when she had swum naked in the creek then made love hidden in the banks. She had been unable to scream and had hidden her first orgasm with her hands in her mouth. If the people nearby heard her screaming on all fours, it would be a scandal... But she had not resisted and had given in to temptation even at this risk. Her body, still without tattoos, was exposed and uncovered. Her sex was first touched by the cool breeze, and then by other things...

The thought aroused her. Moisture formed between her legs and she touched herself for a while, ignoring those around her.

"Aaah" she moaned softly in Ingvar's ear. She dipped her fingers deep into her sex and placed them under the King's nose.

He could smell sex and tried to turn his face away, but it was too late. Then he struggled to move the chair, to drop to the floor, to get out of there, but the furniture looked -- and probably was -- bolted to the floor.

Lotte let him tire himself out. It wasn't ideal, but there was nothing she could do about it. She thought it would be better for him to be rested. It would make things easier.

The king's muscular, black-haired body was beginning to sweat. His penis was no longer so flaccid.

Lotte rubbed her tits against Ingvar's face, slowly. The large, soft smelling breasts touched the thickly bearded face and her nipples swelled. Then she sat on his lap, facing him and once again made him feel her breasts against his broad chest. In her sex Lotte could notice Ingvar's penis swelling, while his face revealed that the king was trying in every way to avoid an erection.

Lotte's hips moved in a back and forth movement over Ingvar's penis. More and more... The member seemed to swell a little. He was giving in. But it was necessary to call for reinforcements.

"Malin, I need you." Lotte said in a sensual voice, getting up from Ingvar's lap.

The dark-haired and brown-eyed woman took off her clothes and approached the two of them, and promptly responded to a signal from her commander. Mallin carefully placed both hands on Ingvar's penis, feeling its warmth. Firmly and carefully, she began to make upward and downward movements. As the member became stiffer, Mallin put it in her mouth. It tasted like cock, but it also tasted like Lotte. She couldn't help a glance at her commander since it was the taste of her sex that was on Malin's lips and she was sucking it with eagerness.

"No... no... no...," Ingvar murmured. "Take this filthy mouth of me, you whore!"

In his head the king avoided at all costs to think about those soft hands masturbating him and the warm and moist tongue that enveloped his penis. His kingdom depended on it. He couldn't have children with those sluts. He could not let his children be hostages to those witches, whores, sluts.