The Great Khan Ch. 04

"I wonder who our khan's most valuable warrior will be in this engagement..." she mused quietly, her attention on the tea.

Sarantuya laughed almost gaily as she stood and moved up to the corpse, taking Nergui's yataghan. She also took the spear from the dead bahatur and brought it to Solongo.

"I daresay Galina has done her part," the First Wife stated, bringing the younger Sukh girl to her feet and giving her the spear. "Can we do any less to protect our mother?"

Solongo sent Bolormaa scampering to Turkina's lap while she joined Sarantuya in standing on either side of the matriarch, guarding her readily. No new attacks came, but they would protect her like true daughters of the steppe.

Turkina's eyes remained fixed on Galina, narrowed to conceal the utter hatred she felt for the soft Chinese whore who had undeniably saved her life.

She would never forgive her for it.

***

It had been a great victory, but the celebration that followed was a strange one, simply because of the heroes who would be lauded- that Boldbator, Kula, Gerel and Khorijin were to be praised for their bravery was a given. But the khan had also declared his wife Toragana and his concubine Galina would be recognized as well for their parts in the battle.

Though she fought at her husband's side, Toragana could legitimately claim to have killed four Batalji warriors in combat and a further two with her bow. Galina's claim, that she had slain the Batalji khan, Nergui, was fiercely contested, until Sarantuya, Solongo and Turkina herself all declared the truth of it. No one dared call the matriarch a liar, so they grudgingly accepted the account as truth, though they loved it not.

A brawl broke out during the celebration when one warrior, who clearly had a little too much airag, drunkenly disputed the already-established claim of Galina's heroism. Khorijin, furious that even a drunken warrior would contest her mother's account, punched him, hard. The fight was swift and brutal, ending only when Khorijin knocked the man on his face, stepped on his back and pulled on his arms, wrenching them backwards out of their joints with a sickening crack. No one else disputed the claim.

Boldbator rewarded both women with gold and plunder, careful to not praise them too lavishly, since many had distinguished themselves. Galina kept Nergui's knife, along with the gold Boldbator gave her. Toragana took no weapon but requested that the khan have fashioned for her a fitting suit of leather and scale armour.

The following morning, in front of nearly the entire clan, Boldbator had the prisoners they'd taken brought before him. Nearly two hundred men were kneeling, bloody and wounded, their hands bound behind their backs. He walked back and forth slowly in front of them, the sun beating down on their heads.

He stopped in front of one man, a zuun leader of some skill. Boldbator had defeated him in single combat, knocking him from his horse. The man glared up at him defiantly.

"I will give you a choice," Boldbator began. "Live and fight for me with honour, or I will send you beyond the veil of night."

The man spat blood on the Tengger khan's boot.

Boldbator sighed and shook his head before grabbing the man by the hair and pulling back, exposing his neck. His knife dragged easily across the man's throat, opening it in a welter of red vitae. Boldbator threw him face-forward into the door, twitching and drowning in his own blood. He moved in front of the next captive and looked down at him pointedly.

"I will give you a choice..." he began.

***

"One hundred and eighty-five of them agreed to serve you," Kula grunted as they sat around the fire. "I do not know if I should be impressed with your persuasive skills or disgusted with their weakness."

"If you and I were fighting on opposite sides for some reason and I captured you, brother, would you expect me to kill you instantly or would you be intrigued by my offer to serve me?" Boldbator asked, a shank of mutton in his hand. He licked the grease off his fingers.

"I cannot answer that, because I know you well," Kula pointed out. "I can say with certainty I would serve no other man who managed to capture me, I would take death."

"Not all men are mighty under the heavens, brother, like you and I. They are little men, destined for little things. That is not their fault, simply the will of the Tengri. There is no sense in punishing them for it, killing them in cold blood, when they may yet prove useful to our cause."

"You speak like a sage of old or a fat Uyghur priest sometimes, brother," Kula sighed. "You have a vision that I only grasp on a simple level. I do not envy you these insights, though I will follow you into the deepest Hell because of them."

"Hopefully it will not come to that," the khan said easily. The two men were attended by their wives, who sat nearby, waiting patiently. Chambui, as Kula's senior wife, served him directly, while Solongo prepared the food. Sarantuya served Boldbator, while Mai prepared his food. Khorijin stood nearby, acting as their guard, and Toragana sat off to the side, knowing that Boldbator had instructions for her. "You may approach now, Toragana."

She slipped forward and bowed humbly to her husband and then her brother. "How may I serve you, o khan?"

"Have you prepared for your journey?" Boldbator asked while Kula looked on. "I am eager to have this venture begin."

"Yes, husband," she answered, nodding her head. "Along with myself, I am bringing Solongo, Galina, three Uyghur scribes, six servants and two chests of gold and silver ingots. Khorijin and her arvahn shall be guarding us."

"And your eunuch scribes think that I am sending you with enough gold and silver to procure the wood I need?" Boldbator queried.

She nodded. "Not only enough to buy the wood, my khan, but the wagons to haul it back with, accompanied by drivers and probably some Tuvan or Yakku warriors to guard the train. Your terms are generous, according to their estimates."

"You never know when another bridge might be needed, I intend to make sure the Kyrgyz looks forward to more trade with us," he mused, considering his plans. "I would rather have them remember me as a generous and fair trader than a miser. They too will have heard of the treasure of Targetai."

He now looked at her levelly. "Is one arvahn enough, Toragana?" he asked. "Though I find myself needing the majority of my forces to defend our lands, as we have just seen, I would not want it said that I sent my wives into danger unprotected."

"That's a relief..." muttered Mai, Khorijin and Toragana all at once. He frowned at them for a moment and then awaited her answer. Toragana bowed her head and continued. "I have sent two bannermen ahead to act as scouts and messengers, my lord khan. We will travel through Sukh lands as far as we can while heading west, hopefully minimizing our danger."

Boldbator nodded.

"More than that, though, I believe that my sister-wife is more than capable of leading us safely to the lands fed by great Aral. We go swiftly and in secret, so hopefully none will know of the prize we carry. Once we have procured your wood, the coming back might be a little slower, because of the extra wagons and men, but we will return all the same, unharmed."

Boldbator looked over at his sister, who stood nearby dutifully. She didn't mind serving Boldbator, as her sister-wives now did, but she preferred to do it when they were alone, and she didn't have to share him. "Can you do this with one arvahn, egch?"

"Aye, brother," she said, nodding confidently. "To be honest, since swiftness and secrecy is of the essence, more men would simply draw attention to us, especially once we are out of the Sukh lands. It matters if you give me an arvahn or a zunn, the idea is to not be attacked. A larger force will just convince people we are transporting something valuable."

Boldbator nodded and looked back at Toragana. "See to it that your Sukh clansmen make sure the way is safe as far west as they possibly can."

"Of course, my khan."

"Solongo," Kula now grunted, looking at her. "You will leave the care of Bolormaa to Sarantuya in your absence. The khan has already agreed to it."

"Not me, husband?" Chambui protested. "It is I who am her sister-wife!"

"And I can't trust you to not try to hurt Solongo constantly," he replied, scowling. "What manner of a fool would I be to leave her defenceless child with you?"

Chambui bowed low and shuffled backward, concealing the red rage of her humiliation.

The matters at hand seemed completed and Boldbator dismissed those gathered. He retired to his ger, followed by Sarantuya, whom he would pillow with tonight. The women making the journey the following day would stay together in the wives' ger. The four women lay together naked, Toragana and Solongo cuddled close, while Mai lay in Khorijin's embrace. The Tengger girl took Mai's chin in her fingertips and nipped it gently, making her giggle before looking into her deep, brown eyes.

"So, I'm not allowed to kill you," she said quietly, a trace of a smirk on her lips. "You must feel relieved."

"I feel relieved every time a threat is removed from my life," Mai replied, her dainty hand reaching behind to caress Khorijin's taut ass. "I am just glad that it almost never comes down to murder."

"You dangerous little whore," Khorijin laughed, slinging her leg over Mai's and squashing their pussies together. They were no doubt going to fuck tonight, whether Toragana wanted to rest or not. "Now I am obligated to always protect you with my life, because I couldn't bear to see anyone else kill you."

"A terrible quandary for you," Mai purred, pressing her mouth to Khorijin's and kissing her hungrily as they began to squirm their bodies around. "Whatever will you do about that?"

Toragana looked over and smiled, sighing and shaking her head while she held Solongo close. Solongo was watching the other two in mild confusion.

"Do they always threaten to kill one another before they fuck?" she asked, shivering as she felt her sister's hand slide between her legs and caress her slippery netherlips.

"It seems to be the way of things," the older sister whispered back, dipping a finger into the younger girl and making her whimper. "I prefer our dynamic."

"We never fought," Solongo pointed out, her hands squeezing Toragana's breasts now. "We wrestled, but only to get ourselves work up for fucking. I don't think we've ever come to blows."

"No, I love you too much to hurt you," Toragana murmured, kissing her now. "I love you and I will always protect you, with my life."

The kang became a churning, writhing thing, the scent of women making love permeating the area. Whispers and whimpers became pants and gasps, leading finally to cries of ecstasy, as they all came. Sleep took them then, but whatever tomorrow's dangers might prove to be, they were safe for now, lost in one another's arms.

***

Boldbator lay back on the piled skins, rocking his hips while Sarantuya rode up and down on top of him, gasping in pleasure as his cock split her pussy wide open and drove deep inside her. He was feeling passive tonight, and let her control the tempo. She was staring down at him, her hands playing with her breasts as she writhed. Her sensual, sweat-slicked form shone in the flickering light of the braziers.

"Gnnnnnn, my khan," she breathed, squeezing around him as hard as she could. "I thank you for your attentions tonight. I have needed them so."

"You are my First Wife," he replied, his arms now resting on her thighs, squeezing them gently. "And yes, it is an honour you share now with Toragana, but you are my face to the world. When the see the Tengger khan, it is you the people of the steppe see at my side."

Sarantuya shuddered and whimpered, not only in pleasure, but trying to hide her emotion at her husband's words. He never failed to make sure she knew she was valued, for a unique reason. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his muscular chest, while his hands now began fondling and squeezing her breasts. She moved up and down on his cock slowly and rhythmically, feeling its entire length slide inside her, and then out until just the tip was left within. She blessed him for letting her dictate the pace.

"Does my khan... want sons yet?" she asked, trying to control her breathing.

"There is much fighting to be done yet, Sarantuya," he replied. "My sons would not be safe before I have unified the tribes. I would think on this after I have rallied them to my banner, and not before. Make sure the shamans and medicine women take care of you."

"Yes, my khan!" she panted, feeling him tilt his hips up and going even deeper inside her. She desired more than anything to bear his children, but she would be patient, seeing the truth of his words. Boldbator was starting a great war, even if all those about them didn't see or believe it yet. He fully meant to unit all the tribes and become the Khan of Khans. There would be fierce resistance, and his family would not be safe until this was accomplished. There would be no talk of sons until his horsetail banners stood proudly in every corner of the steppe.

She arched her back and cried out in pleasure as her tight pussy fluttered around his cock, which pumped his cum deep inside her. Scintillating delight danced through her, blooming out from her core as she climaxed, her mind lost in a euphoria she could never describe.

Her husband would be the Great Khan. She would be the mother of his heirs and matriarch of the whole Mongol people. She had come to like Toragana greatly, but she understood that her children would be the successors to Boldbator, no others. The notion enthralled her and she rejoiced to feel his seed within her.

Soon. Very soon, all their dreams would come true.

***

Author's Notes: You can probably tell that I have a slight fetish for writing historical fiction. To be honest, it's every bit as much fun for me as writing erotica, and when I get to blend the two of them together, well...

The story centers around Boldbator, of course, the Tengger khan, but I am trying hard to keep the cast inclusive, and not merely have a bunch of background characters reacting to his whims or orders. I hope each of them will develop for you, standing out for one reason or another. I've been focusing recently on Toragana, but the others will also come into their own light soon enough. Many people have messaged me and expressed a like for Mai/Galina, while a few even say they're find of Khorijin, for her raw, impetuous honesty. Kula may never become likeable, but that's not his purpose either. I still intend to flesh him out, however.

Hopefully referring to our Chinese starlet as both Mai and Galina is not confusing people. When the dialogue is centered on her, or from her perspective, I call her Mai. When Mongols in general are observing her, she becomes Galina, except for Boldbator, who prefers her Chinese aspect. I hope that clears things up.

I find I'm also going to enjoy the characters of Solongo and her daughter Bolormaa (which means 'crystal maiden' in Mongolian, by the way), as they are decidedly non-combatants and will provide a different perspective on things in a story about savage wars. Keep your eyes open for them as well.

I tend to be a stickler for details, so I've decided that Boldbator doesn't have sturdy lumber readily available and there might be a story worth telling in its procurement. The Mongols were not only superlative cavalry warriors, but they enjoyed innovation, especially when they could use it to freak out their foes, who refused to understand how a bunch of barbarians managed to build catapults to break down their walls.

Time Rider's up next, because Mark and Becky have been really patient. Then again, they've got plenty of time, so hopefully it wasn't too big an inconvenience for them.

Keep your stick on the ice!

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