The Last Princess of Lorrea Ch. 07

While she was in hiding in the Lorrean forest, Elena knew that he was looking for her -she overheard conversations while she was hiding high in the treetops, of the odd Kravaolian soldier grumbling about their Lord's obsession in finding her, yet she never spotted him in the forest. She was grateful for this, as she may have been tempted to take his life and forfeiting her own in return for the simple pleasure of seeking her revenge for that nightmarish day in the forest.

"And to think," he continued, "that it was my feeble cousin who found you! Such a waste" he hissed, his hand sliding over her hip and delving beneath her rear, squeezing her, causing her to yelp in fright.

"Please... let go of me - you are hurting me" Elena cried, her guards nowhere to be seen.

"Tell me Princess," he whispered against her ear, ignoring her pleas, "did you scream when Prince Henry plunged his cock into you?" he asked, his words causing Elena to tremble slightly.

"No... leave me alone!" she cried, trying to push Caspian off her, yet her arms felt like useless twigs as opposed to his solid wall of muscle.

"Tell me Princess, did you beg as he ravished you, over and over again? Or did you moan like a seasoned whore?" Caspian continued, clearly enjoying Elena's mounting anguish. "It is a shame you never experienced a real man first" he growled, as he ground his hips against hers, his hard erection clearly felt against her soft flesh.

"A real man?" Elena rasped, her tone of sarcasm lost in her plight for air, as Caspian wrapped his hand around her throat.

"Yes, one that would knock that stubborn streak right out of you" he snarled, his hand trailing down from her throat to her heaving chest, "because my little cousin sure hasn't, has he?" he asked wickedly as his hand slipped into her dress, causing her to gasp and writhe against his ice cold hand that was bruising her soft skin.

Caspian grasped her face with his other hand and ran his rough tongue up her cheek slowly, his grip preventing her from pulling away as she moaned in disgust. "I can taste your fear Princess, and it's exquisite" he hissed, before pressing his own lips against hers. Elena felt an ocean's difference between Henry's kiss and Caspian's- and although the former created instant nausea, it was soft and gentle, whereas Caspian's lips pressed hard against Elena's, bruising the delicate skin.

Elena found herself in an impossible position. If she were to assault the nephew of the King, which she was close to doing- in the same manner as on the forest floor, she would pay dearly- she may even be hung. Elena knew that Caspian would view her attack as a public humiliation - the castle was not vacant as the woods of Lorrea and the soldiers were no doubt lurking somewhere out of sight. Alternatively, Caspian could demand that he be appointed the executor of her punishment and thus removing her from Henry's protective aura. Elena did not know which of these consequences was worse and did not care to find out, so she straightened her knee that had been slowly bending and flattened her foot against the floor, harnessing that rising impulse to inflict pain. However, she also knew that she could not remain as she was, a passive recipient of Caspian's vulgarity which seemed to escalate the longer he had her pressed up against the tree. She needed to deter him without harming him or his pride. An idea struck her, a foolhardy one at best, but it was the ONLY one that came to her, his closeness and scent hampering her rational thought process.

As Caspian broke his punishing kiss, Elena, gasping for air, looked over his shoulder and stood up a little straighter. Her features changing from hopeless to hopeful, she called out loudly "Prince Henry!"

Caspian instantly pushed himself away from her, taking a few steps back before spinning around, prepared to offer any feeble explanation that came to him regarding his inappropriately close proximity to the Princess. To Caspian's confusion however, there was no sign of Prince Henry anywhere or his entourage.

"Nice try" Caspian growled, turning around to face Elena again. His confusion returned twofold though, as Elena was nowhere to be seen.

"What the-" he started to say, before a shower of cascading bark from the tree brought his contemplation to a halt.

Caspian looked up to find Elena several meters out of reach and rising steadily, her years of tree climbing aiding her speedy ascent.

At the sound of Caspian's foul swearing, Elena chanced a look below. Caspian's upper lip curled into a snarl as he reached for the first branch of the tree, intending to follow her. Looking around her, she snapped off a dead looking, fist -sized fruit or flower with which she was unacquainted, and dropped it, watching as it missed a startled Caspian by a few inches. She snapped off two more of the strange objects from the branches, however Caspian was aware of her actions and watched her every move as he continued to climb, avoiding the heavy falling objects with ease.

Elena pushed her sweaty hair away from her face as she continued to climb, watching Caspian closing in. She knew she would soon run out of branches and he would catch her, but just as that depressing thought crossed her mind, a brilliant one pushed it aside. Elena held on to a higher branch as she jumped up and down on the one below, putting her full weight on it until she heard a satisfying CRACK. Caspian moved out of the way just in time as a lethal limb crashed into numerous branches as it fell from the tree. She repeated this with three more branches, until she was satisfied that Caspian's ascent was impeded due to lack of hand and footholds. Elena watched with apprehension as Caspian attempted to climb the barren trunk above him, his fingers scrabbling against the bark as his grip slipped, again and again. Caspian let out a roar of frustration and unsheathed his broadsword, looking up at Elena with murderous eyes.

Elena was unsure what he thought he could accomplish by brandishing his sword at her, for even with the sword she was well out of his reach. Caspian swung at the tree trunk in frustration, dislodging a large piece of bark onto his own head.

Elena would have laughed if the situation had not been so serious.

"You'll have to come down sometime Princess" he called up the tree, his tone full of malice.

Elena was about to answer, but before she did, she noticed Ethan walking timidly towards the tree.

"Um.. excuse me.. My Lord? Lord Caspian?" he called up the tree in a small voice. Elena could barely hear him.

"What?!" spat Caspian, looking down at the boy in annoyance.

"The King wishes you to join him immediately at the council meeting" Ethan said, looking up at Caspian in fear.

"Curses!" cried Caspian, throwing his sword out of the tree in rage, which Ethan managed to dodge luckily, as it landed exactly where he had been standing.

Caspian looked up, catching Elena's triumphant face. "This is not over, my Princess" he hissed.

"I am not yours, nor will I ever be" she replied boldly, holding his gaze.

"Not yet, but you will, I promise you that" he said, his furious dark eyes not leaving Elena's as he descended the tree.

As Caspian descended and finally walked out of sight, Elena sighed and pressed her sweaty face against the cool tree trunk she was hugging, allowing the adrenaline to subside and the analytical part of her mind to surface after being overshadowed by survival instinct. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she seemed to be in a more danger than she had initially anticipated. She had foolishly hoped that Caspian's rage would have subsided or at least abated after a few years of war, but it seemed quite the opposite.

Elena closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool air that whipped through the branches, bringing with it the scent of rain, something she had sorely missed while being locked up in the north tower. She felt the tension of the last few days drain away as the wind blew the edges of her dress up around her, the soft fabric dancing around her bare feet.

Elena sat in the tree, not moving, for hours. The guards that were lurking in the shadows while lord Caspian "conversed" with the princess, were now sitting at the foot of the tree, relaxing as they watched the sun set over the castle walls. She ignored them completely and they ignored her too, an arrangement that suited her just fine as she contemplated what her next move would be.

After a while, a small commotion below her, broke her reverie, so she looked down to find the guards scrambling to stand at attention. The reason for this, she realised was the large figure of Prince Henry striding towards them.

"You are supposed to be guarding the Princess. Where is the Princess?!" he furiously demanded of them, as his eyes swept the surrounding area.

One of the soldiers raised a shaking hand and pointed to the tree above them. Henry's surprised face looked up and caught Elena's impassive face staring back down at him through the canopy. Henry's booming laughter caused a few birds to take flight out of fright, dislodging a few leaves that twirled in spirals before landing at Henry's feet.

"Enjoying yourself Princess?" he called up the tree.

Elena chose to ignore his teasing. She shifted a little on the branch making sure her dress wrapped around her legs, providing a little modesty.

"Alright, you can come down now Princess" he said, motioning to her with his hand.

"I'd rather stay up here actually" Elena called down.

"Don't make me ask twice, Princess" he said to her, a slight sharpness in his voice now.

Elena sighed. She knew she couldn't stay up in the tree and as much as she hated following any of Henry's orders, she couldn't see any advantage in staying up in the tree and antagonising him further.

"Alright, alright," Elena called down, "But can you and your men kindly turn around while I climb down?" she asked, aware of the view they would have from below, as Henry had yet to provide her with undergarments.

"I don't think so" Henry replied jovially. "Who would catch if you fall?" he asked, his face displaying mock concern.

"Fine" Elena snapped at him. She reached down and pulled the bottom hem of her dress forwards from between her legs, pulling it up and bunching it together in front of her. She realised that she was now exposing a fair amount of bare leg to those below, but it was the lesser of two evils. Elena gingerly made her way down the tree, using her arms only as she squeezed her legs tightly together to hold the bunched material in place. She felt absurdly like the gibbons that inhabited the trees of the Lorrean forest, swinging and slipping from branch to branch, until she felt Henry's strong hands grasp her hips and gently lift her to the ground.

Henry looked her over with amusement in his eyes. "Tsk, Tsk" he clucked his tongue as he removed a few twigs and leaves from her messy mane. "You know, it really isn't fitting for a Princess to climb trees" he said, noting her dirty fingernails and her ripped dress.

"Why did you climb up the tree in the first place? Surely you realised that it was not a very good escape route?" Henry chuckled, as he steered her with one hand at the small of her back, towards the castle.

Elena had done a lot of thinking while she sat up in the tree. She had come to the conclusion that it would be wise to keep the exchange between Caspian and herself private. She didn't think that Henry should know how much his cousin envied him or how much he lusted after her, she didn't know him well enough to anticipate his reaction.

"I just wanted to be left alone" Elena lied.

"You have been left alone too long, my Princess. Your were alone for two long years." Henry said, as they crossed the entrance hall.

Elena sighed and made her way towards the stairs of the north tower, resigned to return to her well furnished cell. Henry, however, grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the main stairwell.

"Where are we going?" She asked Henry.

"I think you could use a bedroom with a few windows in it" he answered as they reached the top of the stairwell.

Elena looked up in surprise, Henry's eyes studying her face as they turned and climbed another staircase.

"I know what you're thinking," he said to her, his eyes narrowing, "but rest assured Princess, they are not an avenue for whatever daring escape plan you are hatching right now."

Elena tried to arrange her facial expression into a puzzled one, yet she knew that he saw through it as he smiled knowingly, flashing his white teeth at her. How did he know that escape was the first thing that popped into her mind when he mentioned windows? Elena allowed Henry to steer her in the direction of a pair of heavy oak doors, already guarded by two armed guards. Henry opened the doors, sweeping his arm over the room. "I hope you find this more to your liking Princess" he said, stepping aside.

At first glance Elena was pleasantly surprised as she looked around the room. It was larger than her own bedroom in Lorrea and the vaulted ceilings added a little beauty to it. Directly opposite the door, there was a large four poster bed with red hangings, the focal point of the room and to it's left, there was a closed door. There was a large fireplace and a beautiful fur rug, but the thing that Elena liked most were three large windows, each looking out over a different part of the castle and the rolling hills, which at the moment were being threatened by storm clouds.

"I had the sense that you felt a little caged in, my little hummingbird," he murmured as he rubbed the back of her neck.

Elena shivered despite Henry's warm touch, for she realised what she had overlooked in first glance. The room seemed to have a lived-in feeling and even though it was spotless, Elena could sense that it was not one of the many guest rooms in the castle. As she took in the dark furniture and the war themed sculptures and paintings, the richness of the upholstery, she turned to Henry.

"This is your bedroom" she said flatly. Elena did not ask, she knew.

"Yes, it is" Henry answered, "and now it is yours." Elena stood in silence for a few seconds, her mind thinking of the best way to respond. "No thank you, I'd like to return to my room now" she said, turning on her heel and heading towards the open doors, but Henry caught her deftly around the waist, turning her around and locking his hands behind her back, pulling her close.

"It was not really an offer Princess" he said as she tried to wriggle out of his arms. "For the past few nights we have slept together in the same bed. As it's something that i've rather enjoyed and become accustomed to, I prefer to at least be a mite more comfortable."

"We did not SLEEP together" Elena hissed, "you wormed your way into my bed after I fell asleep" she said, her face red with anger.

Henry merely shrugged, pulling a few more leaves out of her hair. "I'll call for Catherine- you seem to be wearing half the tree" he said, ignoring her grimace about Catherine.

"I thought you were an accomplished tree climber? What are all these scratches?" he asked, running his fingers over the scratches on her back, causing her to wince slightly, as they were still a little tender.

"I had an itch" she snapped, hoping her haughtiness would deflect from his curiosity towards the outcome of Caspian's attempt to squash her against the tree trunk.

"Well next time, call me - I can help with all those hard to reach places" he purred, running his hand over her ass.

This time Henry allowed her to wriggle free, "I'll send for some dinner" he said, before closing the door behind him, leaving Elena alone in his bedroom.

As soon as he left, Elena combed the room for some hidden weapon or something that could be used as a weapon. She couldn't find anything sharp, but there were a few little statues made of brass and ivory that with a little weight behind them, could easily crush a man's skull. Elena placed a brass statue of a naked archer, shooting a bird mid flight, back in the same position as she found it. That little piece was especially nasty, with it's many angles and embellishments- Elena was satisfied that it could definitely cause a fatal wound. In the room adjacent to the bed she discovered the most exquisite bathroom. The room was wall to wall pink marble and in it's center a large marble bathtub. Her fingers trailed over numerous soaps sitting in their little golden dishes on the edge of the bath. She picked up a strange yellow-brown ball with holes in it, tossing it between her hands, the airy ball barely weighing anything.

An hour later, a young boy brought up a tray with her dinner and asked her where she would like him to place it, she indicated a spot in front of the fire. He left quickly, leaving Elena to enjoy the strange food before her. It was a leg of lamb, encrusted in pepper, with a mint sauce. As strange as it seemed to her when she sniffed it, she was pleasantly surprised at the interesting flavours that filled her mouth as she took her first bite. Elena took a small sip of the wine from the silver goblet, but didn't drink anymore. She knew that the Kravaolian wine was too strong for her and she would need all her wits about her when Henry returned later in the evening.

Elena was feeling sleepy, the meal causing her to feel content and extremely drowsy -she barely acknowledged the young servant who removed the tray. She lay down on the fur rug, her fingers playing with the soft fur, as the flames from the fire washed waves of warmth over her skin.

The next thing Elena knew, she was being prodded awake by Catherine. She led her to the bath which had been filled with warm water brought in by a few men, while Elena dozed on the rug. For once Elena did not resist Catherine's helping hand, she even lay back and closed her eyes sleepily as Catherine's light touch washed her from head to toe.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself Princess" said a voice that was not Catherine's. Elena opened one bleary eye and saw with a jolt that Henry was leaning against the marbled wall, a huge grin on his face.

Elena sunk deeper into the water and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to save some dignity. Catherine was nowhere to be seen and neither were Elena's clothes. "Please leave" Elena said, fixing Henry with a fierce stare.

"No. You know, I can't get what you said out of my head- about scratching your itch. You really shouldn't say things like that around a man, makes him think all sorts of sinful things" Henry said, slowly approaching her.

"Anyway, I know just the thing to help. You see this?" he asked, showing her that weird brown-yellow ball with holes in it. "This is called a Sponge. It was a gift from a Lord in a faraway land and it really is heavenly on the skin" he said, stepping closer. "Here, put it in the water and see what happens" he said, extending the sponge to her.

Elena was curious, but she kept her limbs wrapped tightly around her body. "Leave me alone" she said flatly, knowing full well that the Prince had no intention of doing so.

Henry sighed and started pulling off his clothes with little regard for modesty. Elena looked away quickly, a pink blush sweeping her face. She jumped suddenly as the bathwater rose suddenly and violently, splashing over the sides. She looked up and saw that Henry had lowered himself into the bathtub. Elena was so shocked at such an intimate act that it took her a few seconds before she started struggling to get to her feet and climb out of the bath. Henry however, had other plans- he grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him, causing her head to slip underwater momentarily.

Elena emerged spluttering from the soapy water. "Sorry about that" Henry said, the wide grin on his face a blatant contradiction to his words. She tugged her slippery foot out of his grasp and pulled her knees against her chest, wrapping her arms around them, her raging eyes staring at Henry over her knees.