The Palace Pt. 09

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Secrets revealed.
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Part 9 of the 13 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 07/21/2016
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AspernEssling
AspernEssling
4,238 Followers

Yasina wanted me to watch her son deflower a virgin. That was the task she set me. Unbeknownst to her, I was fully aware that he had already had two ... unsuccessful encounters. I didn't know if they were complete failures, or just unsatisfactory.

For the sake of familiarity, he used my rooms for this third attempt. Perhaps it was because there were no spy holes in the Emperor's more private chambers. Either way, I was in position, in the adjacent room, when Bishkur entered.

He poured himself a drink, and then waved a salute in my direction. Clearly he knew that I was there. Or that someone was there - did he think it was his mother?

When they led his concubine in, I had a momentary twinge of regret that she wasn't for me. I didn't even know her name. But the girl was Roxoni, for certain. She had jet black hair, and those familiar almond-shaped eyes. Her eyelashes, like Nanka's, were long and thick. With additional makeup, the effect was spectacular.

She was tall, towering over Bishkur in her high sandals. He offered her a drink of wine, and sat beside her on the divan, though a little farther away than I would have.

It was another evening of firsts for me: I had never spied on other people having sex before, nor I had I ever watched an Emperor. And I certainly had never seen a homosexual male attempting to deflower a virgin.

Several things became immediately apparent. The Roxoni girl was attractive, and definitely not shy. Her accent was better than Nanka's, and she laughed at anything Bishkur said which was even remotely funny. She was clearly going out of her way to please him.

And while the girl might be a virgin, it was also plain that she didn't want to remain one. Her hand was on his arm, and she batted those stupendous eyelashes mercilessly. Bishkur, however, proceeded very slowly, and deliberately. He engaged the girl in a remarkably inane conversation. She gave short answers, obviously eager to get on to the main event. But he seemed to be completely unaware of how ready she was.

Eventually, Bishkur asked her to dance for him. The Roxoni smiled at that, revealing a slight gap between her front teeth. She proceeded to swing her hips, all the while looking him in the eye. This was the most brazen virgin I had ever heard of!

She wasn't much of a dancer, but she was a great stripper. She had the typical olive skin of a Roxoni woman. Her breasts were firm and nicely shaped. Her stomach was almost flat, and she had long, shapely legs. Her ass - which I saw a great deal of - was tightly rounded.

I spared a glance for Bishkur, but couldn't decipher his expression. Did he feel as I would have if I was forced to watch a man strip? Was he bored - or simply concealing his distaste?

The concubine surprised me again. She danced closer to Bishkur, giving him a close-up view. Then she went to her knees and shook out her long black hair. She seemed to be running her hands up and down his legs. I couldn't see very well from this angle - though I had an excellent view of her backside.

She must have untied his trousers, because she lowered her head to his groin. I had a momentary flash of jealousy: why couldn't my virgin have been like this? But that was not a charitable thought; this evening was supposed to be about the Emperor, and not about me.

Bishkur had his eyes closed, and his head thrown back. One of his hands toyed with her long hair as she fellated him with enthusiasm. She smacked and slurped noisily, and then swallowed his seed when he reached orgasm. Then the Roxoni girl sat back on her heels, naked, while he recovered.

The Emperor then drew her back onto the divan, next to him. Again, he attempted to draw her into conversation. It took me a moment to realize what he was doing: Bishkur was sticking to the plan I had outlined for him.

But that strategy was for a reluctant, nervous virgin. This concubine could not have been more eager. It was clear to me that she was ready. Only he didn't see it. The wall was breached, the garrison was demoralized, and Bishkur could have launched his assault with every prospect of success.

Instead, he delayed. They drank another glass of wine, while he quizzed her about her family. Then he complimented her on her beauty, searching for adjectives to describe every part of her body. Bishkur accompanied this commentary with gentle caresses, stroking her arm, or her leg.

The Roxoni girl was more impatient. She reached for his penis, and began to manipulate it, seeking to produce another erection. Now the roles were reversed: she was the active partner, trying to seduce a reluctant virgin.

He was still talking, still stroking parts of her body - but resolutely avoiding her breasts or her privates. What on Earth was he doing? Why was he sticking to the script, despite all the evidence which suggested he didn't need it anymore?

Finally, she knelt on the divan and tried to fellate him a second time. Bishkur shifted his hips away. Then he reached out a hand to stop her.

- "No, my dear." he said. "Let me."

He stood, and led her to the bed. On the way, he re-tied his trousers. Bishkur was fully clothed, while his black-haired virgin was naked. He placed the Roxoni concubine on her back, and began to kiss her ankles. She spread her legs wide for him, and propped herself up on her elbows, so that she could watch what he was doing.

His back was to me, so that I could not see his face, or much of his technique. But I could see her expression clearly. She looked ... confused? Was she wondering - as I was - what Bishkur was doing? He spent an inordinate amount of time kissing around her knees.

Was he reluctant to go any further? Perhaps his homosexuality made him squeamish about a woman's private parts ... No. I could tell by the position of his head, and the expression on her face, that he had arrived at destination.

It was that - the expression on her face - which fascinated me. At first, she showed disbelief, that the Emperor of Zamarka was going down on her. Then her eyes partly closed, and she licked her lips. But all too soon, her eyes opened, and she simply watched him. How could I describe her facial expression?

It came to me, eventually. It was a mixture of boredom, and disappointment.

He did not bring her to orgasm. Not even close. Instead, it was the Roxoni girl who took the lead again. She disengaged, gently, and then flipped over onto her knees. She raised her backside, and offered herself to him.

Bishkur knelt behind her, and ran his hands across her rump. He untied his trousers, and I was treated to a view of the Imperial buttocks.

And then nothing happened.

A very short time later, Bishkur climbed off the bed. "I'm sorry, my dear." he said, as he re-tied his trousers. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

He was kind, but firm, as he ordered her to dress, and then sent her on her way. When she was out the door, Bishkur turned to face the section of the wall where I was concealed.

- "We will speak of this tomorrow." he said.

******************************************************************************

It was decidedly odd. When I saw him the next day, the Emperor looked much the same as ever. Calm, at ease. Yet he shouldn't have been. He knew that I had watched him fail again. And this was no reluctant virgin, with moral scruples, like Elseya. The Roxoni woman had blatantly offered herself to him. But Bishkur seemed remarkably unconcerned.

Why? It was another strange piece of an unusual puzzle.

- "I am sorry that you had to watch that." he said. "It must have been ... disappointing."

- "Well -" I began. But Bishkur held up a hand.

- "We will discuss my most recent ... failure." he said. "You will note that I moved too deliberately, too ... slowly. On the positive side, I did achieve an orgasm ... orally. However, I could not sustain an erection later, and was unable to penetrate her. Does that adequately describe last evening?"

- "Essentially, yes," I agreed, "but -" Again he stilled me.

- "We will agree that while my performance was ... inadequate, there were encouraging signs. In fact, you will come to the conclusion that I should read more. Love poems, erotic writings, and the like. Also, I might benefit from a revision of your generalized strategy. Perhaps it could be ... tailored, to my particular ... situation."

I didn't say anything. Bishkur always chose his words carefully. That gave me one more piece of the puzzle. And in this case, he was saying 'we will agree', and 'you will come to the conclusion'. My input was hardly necessary, if he was going to speak for me.

- "Do you agree?" he asked.

- "As you wish, Highness. My report will suggest precisely those things." I said.

- "And again, Carrach - I am sorry that you had to be ... privy to that."

- "There is no need to apologize." I said. "And now that my report is concluded - I have some ... observations which may interest you, Highness. Since these are merely my ... private musings, they will of course not be included in my report."

Bishkur raised an eyebrow. "Is this ... necessary?"

- "I believe so." I answered. "I don't want to keep secrets from you."

- "Go ahead, then."

- "First, I have some questions. Your Highness need only nod, or shake his head. I don't believe that that constitutes a discussion. Here is one: when you were younger, did your mother provide women for you?"

Bishkur nodded, slowly. He also showed me two fingers.

- "Twice? No - two women. I see ... was there any penetration, with these women? Intercourse?" He nodded again, and showed me one finger.

"Hmm. One of them. Was she the aggressor? Did she initiate it?" I asked.

Bishkur looked surprised. But he did nod.

"Yet when you attempted to initiate penetration, you were unsuccessful." I didn't even have to wait for his nod. "This happened several times." Nod. "Many times." Nod.

"Your Highness has no problem reaching orgasm through oral stimulation." I said.

- "That is correct." he said. "Manually, also. How did you know?"

- "Just a guess, based on yesterday. But I have more questions."

- "Carry on." he said.

- "Your mother assumed that your failures to achieve penetration meant that you were not attracted to women." Nod. "So she sent those two women away?"

Bishkur shook his head, slowly.

"Really? They're still here?" I said.

- "No." he said. His face showed no emotion.

Yasina had ordered them killed, then, as I suspected she had done with Sartag. "To keep the secret?" I asked. He nodded. "Your first love?"

Bishkur didn't nod this time. A single small tear rolled down his cheek.

"I'm sorry." I said, feeling painfully inadequate. "Shall I stop?" Bishkur waved a hand, indicating that I should continue. But he turned his back. I waited.

- "You have nothing to be sorry about." said the Emperor. He turned around again. "And, no - you may continue. I am curious to see what else you have ... guessed."

- "Your mother decided that you were homosexual. So she sent you a male lover." Nod. "I suspect that you were unable to penetrate him?"

- "Nor he me." said Bishkur. "Our encounters were limited to mutual masturbation and fellatio."

- "You're not homosexual at all." I said.

- "You believed that I was." he said. "What changed your mind?"

- "A combination of things. I have no experience with homosexual men, but I found it interesting that you would be willing to at least attempt to have sex with concubines. That led me to the conclusion that your mother would've sent you women, first."

"That conversation between the two of you told me more ... she wouldn't have accepted it easily, had you simply told her that you were homosexual."

- "No." he said. Only a single word, but it spoke volumes.

- "So you had encounters with women. They didn't end well. When I first concluded that you were homosexual, you didn't object, or correct me. Nor did your mother. Which means that she believes that you are."

- "Yes."

- "You let her believe that, even though you're not? Was it to protect the life of your male lover?" He nodded. "You were afraid that she would have him killed if you told her that you really weren't interested in men?"

He nodded. Something in his expression told me the answer to my next question. This time, I was the one who wanted to cry.

"He's dead, too, isn't he?"

- "Yes." said Bishkur.

My heart went out to him. What he must have gone through ... how did he keep a rein on his emotions? I would have been screaming.

- "You're not homosexual, Highness. Asexual, perhaps. But likely not even that. Dysfunctional might be more accurate. That can be corrected."

- "How did you come to all of these ... conclusions, Carrach?" he said.

- "Last night." I said. "You had no trouble achieving orgasm, when she took you in her mouth. But you stubbornly stuck to the script, following my stupid strategy, when that lovely girl was more than ready. You performed oral sex on her. But you didn't even try to penetrate her because you never believed that you would be able to."

"You have lied to me, too - twice. The first was when you let me think that there was a chance of success, when you yourself don't believe that."

- "And the second?"

- "When you said: 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak'. That's not quite true, is it?"

- "What makes you say that?" he asked.

- "Because you never use a cliché, Highness. As long as I've known you, you've searched for the most appropriate word. You never take the easy route."

That got the first ghost of a smile from him. "I am becoming ... predictable."

- "But there's one thing I don't understand." I said.

- "And that is?"

- "Why do you continue to let your mother believe that you're homosexual? You know that with the right woman - if she initiates it - you could have intercourse."

Bishkur didn't answer. He just looked at me.

"Oh." I said. "She has too much control over you as it is."

- "You are very clever, Carrach. And very kind." said the Emperor. "I am glad that you are here."

******************************************************************************

ONE MONTH LATER

Bishkur had tested me, and I had passed. In my own mind, I also liked to think that I had tested him, as well. We trusted each other - at least, that was my impression.

I managed to play my assigned role without giving anything away. Yasina was angry, but gave her son a breathing space - which meant that I was called upon more frequently. She reserved me twice herself, though only one was another long, multi-orgasmic test of my endurance. I also slept with each of the original concubines twice more.

It was odd, because I didn't like all of them to the same degree. But I didn't dare to ask for my favorites, for fear of putting them in danger - much like with Nanka. That was especially on my mind when Olom fell pregnant, followed by Nima.

I was going to be a father. But I wasn't sure if I was going to be allowed to have anything to do with raising them. That would depend on Yasina's mood, and whether I continued to play the game by her rules. Olom was delighted with her pregnancy, while Nima worried that having a baby would spoil her figure.

I also met - and fucked - three new girls.

One of them - Ankit, by name - tried very hard to impress me with her enthusiasm. During our second encounter, she screamed out my name - well, the Emperor's name - as I thrust into her from behind. She had an exceptional little ass, which she used very skilfully. After my climax, she snuggled in close and pressed her head against my chest.

- "You are so good to me, Lord." she said.

- "Am I?"

- "Soo good." she repeated. "I could be good to you, too."

- "You are." I told her. Men do not always think clearly immediately after an orgasm.

- "I could be even better." she whispered.

Now I was paying attention. "How so?"

- "I would do anything for you, Lord. Anything." she said, looking up into my eyes, and fluttering her lashes. "You can trust me."

I thought about what Ankit had said, for perhaps one turn of the glass. Anything could have been a reference to sex. She might have been offering to participate in my favorite fetish or perversion. But 'You can trust me' had a significantly different meaning. So I wrote it down, and presented it to Notroh, to pass on to Yasina.

That was the last I saw of Ankit. She was married off to a merchant on the frontier - or so I was told.

I had few qualms about it. She was an ambitious little baggage, and that was dangerous for me, as well as for her. She might also have been a plant - a test. Nanka had told me that the tests never ended. I couldn't afford to fail one.

The Empress did give me some time off, when Bishkur went away on another inspection tour. 'Showing himself to the troops', she called it. It was a chance to go home, for me.

At the gates, I found Serim in his usual spot, and leaned over to drop a coin on his little mat. This time, he surprised me.

- "Blessings upon you, Lord." he said. "You are in good company, today."

I was with Notroh and Enpy, as usual, and wearing a hood. Serim had never said anything like this to me before.

- "Am I, now?" I said.

- "You are, Lord."

- "I am always in the same company. You never told me this before." I said.

Serim smiled. "Perhaps it is you who is changed, Lord." he suggested.

That left me puzzled. Madmen often speak in riddles, they say. But Serim had never struck me as a madman. I wanted to ask him what he meant - and normally, I would have. But I was wearing a hood, and my guards would be nervous, or suspicious, if I engaged in a long conversation. I was not supposed to draw attention to myself.

Father was delighted to see me, as ever. He was full of news: an old rival had fallen, and broken his hip, which apparently served the fellow right. An old friend was thoroughly senile - at the age of 60, he was taking a new wife.

- "Madness!" said my father. "And this Emperor of yours - what have they been feeding him?"

- "I don't understand, Father." I said. "And when did he become my Emperor?"

- "You work at the Palace. You must know what goes on. Seriously - how have you not heard?"

- "They keep me very busy - far from the Emperor's wing of the Palace." I lied. "What are you talking about?"

- "That randy young goat, Bishkur!" he sputtered. "A new concubine every night! Sometimes two or three a night - and sometimes two or three at once!"

- "Really?" I said, feigning disbelief. Actually, I wasn't feigning; I had never had two at once. Perhaps it was something I should take up with Yasina.

- "And he gives each one of them a rose, after he deflowers them. You get that? Flower - deflower? I should have gone into the rose business: we would be rich. Rich!"

- "I'm sure the stories are exaggerated, Father." I said.

- "When Old Zoer was young, he went out and led armies, fought campaigns. The only battles this one fights are wrestling matches with concubines!"

- "He's still very young, Father." I said. It didn't stop the flow.

- "His only victories are getting his concubines pregnant! By the time he's done, they'll need to build a new wing of the Palace just to house his offspring!" shouted my father.

- "Good one." I said.

- "I know." he said, with a wink. "Tried it out just yesterday at the fountain. Got a great response from the neighbors."

- "What do you really think of him, though? The new Emperor?" I was curious to know how Bishkur was perceived outside the Palace.

AspernEssling
AspernEssling
4,238 Followers