Twins of Trallis: Snowstorm

Allora cried out as near boiling water was dumped over her head and her skin was scrubbed to a rosy pink shine from head to toe by two bathroom servants. Finally allowed to sit within the cooling water her hair, neck, face and ears came under the same harsh scrubbing her body had. Sweet smelling soap and lotions were applied to her hair and washed out over and over again and the nails of her feet and fingers were cut, cleaned and polished to a high shine.

Taken shivering from the water she had been in for so long she was walked to yet another room. An older woman waited there. It was here that she sat in a high chair and her hair was brushed until it dried, shining and golden. A beautifully decorated hair comb was used to pull her hair from her face and keep it in place. Small tendrils curled about her face highlighting the shape and she looked into the mirror it was an oddly different version of herself that stared back. All her instincts told her to pull the comb back out and hide behind her curtain of hair so she shifted and sat on her hands rather than appear rebellious.

Within the mirror she could also see Ari seated in a chair behind her with the two men close by. Each of Lord Gerahn's sons had men at arms that never left their side such was the precarious nature of being a ruler in this realm. Ari had grown up with these men beside him, each only a few years his senior, he paid them well, rewarded them often and they had shown their loyalty to him on more than one occasion. There were no other men in this realm he trusted as much as the men beside him, not even his own family. Unusual maladies and hunting accidents had claimed more than half of his brothers in the last decade, his good health and good luck was entirely due to his men.

Fine charcoal lines were added to her eyes lids making her eyes seem wider and the juice of warberries, so named for their blood red colour, were used to stain her lips. The woman pinched her cheeks and held out a hand to help her stand from the chair. Taking a small pair of shears the old woman knelt down and closely trimmed the find blonde hair from between her legs. Once done she turned to Ari, "Will that be all, Prince Ari?"

"Yes thank you, Nahn. You may go, and see to the other arrangements," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Allora watched the woman go. Self-conscious in her nakedness she did not look at the men directly but waited for instruction feeling a blush rise against her glowing skin.

Ari's boots appeared before her as she looked at the floor and she tensed a moment before his hand lifted her face up to look at him. He took a cape and wrapped it about her shoulders covering her nakedness and, allowing a small smile to soften his features for a brief moment, pulled a hood forward to conceal her face. Taken forward the three men surrounded her and walked up a spiralling staircase from the servant's baths to an upper floor.

Allora trembled, safety was in the anonymity of the slave caste and within the kennels, the servants and slave girls of the upper floors were held above those who dwelt below the castle and as she moved higher up the stairs she felt the safety of knowing her place and having Clio within reach slip away from her. All she could do now was listen and do her best to please those who commanded her. She tried desperately to remember the little Clio had told her of the upper floors, which amounted to almost nothing she realised, making her tremble in fear.

Dark corridors lined with rich tapestries passed by her as they seemed to walk for the longest of times. She had become confused as to which direction they had entered the floor from the stairs and knew she would never find her way out of the upper castle without help. By the time the men entered a suite of rooms, Allora had turned pale with fright and could barely hold herself upright her trembling legs felt so weak.

The two men at arms moved away as Ari lead her deeper in the suite and through to another room. Allora took a look at the sumptuous furniture in the large bedroom and finally overcome with fear and dread, wilted, falling in a heap to the floor shrouded by her cloak.

Allora woke slowly and blinked her eyes feeling the strange softness of the mattress below her and quickly standing and smoothing out any wrinkles she had left on the rich quilt covering the soft bed. She stood uncomfortably not sure what she should do when a woman bustled in and stopped seeing her standing uncertainly beside the neatly smoothed bed. Allora recognised her from the baths down stairs, they acknowledged each other with a look and a slight incline of their heads, but neither of them said anything. The woman placed a basin and pitcher on the night stand along with several towels and left the room quickly.

Almost as soon as she left Ari walked in and Allora froze. Ari smiled, it was almost like having Dana back from the grave and all the fantasies and feelings of puppy love he had held as a young man came flooding back as he gazed as at the girl he had purchased and transformed into the image he had always held of his perfect mistress. He closed the door behind him.

"I have dreamed of you," Ari said softly. He stepped toward her and she gathered the cloak around her without thinking. "You have no need to fear me. You will be cared for and looked after here, within these rooms." Her eyes showed her lack of comprehension. "You will not be returning to the kitchens. You will stay here, with me. You will learn the ways of the courtesan, starting with reading then music and artistic endeavours. Above all you will learn what is pleasing to me and my men at arms."

He was close to her now and his hand reached out to stroke her face. Allora jumped at the contact of his fingers upon her. She had questions she wanted to speak but so well trained in her slavery by Clio and the women of the kitchen and kennels she mere stood and tried not to shy away from his tender touch on her cheek. She knew what pleasing Ari would entail and while she was more than a little frightened, she was also very curious after the events of the last weeks since coming of age and all she had experienced. Tilting her eyes up to him she noted that the cool grey eyes seemed warmer now, less calculating than when he had been speaking with the kitchen master.

Ari's hand drifted lightly from her cheek down over her shoulder pulling the cloak back from her body gently. He knew he could take the girl by force. He was a prince of the realm. He could merely have just walked in and removed her from the kitchen taking her how he wished but he did not want his father or brothers to know of his interest in the girl and bring her under their scrutiny. His obsession was such that he did not want to share her with anyone, not even his men at arms, the fewer people who knew of her whereabouts the better as far as he was concerned. If the kitchen master had not left for a new life within the week he would be dealt with as his thinly veiled threat had implied.

Glancing down and taking in her form he let his face soften further as he bent to kiss her lightly. His smile widened as she tilted her head up and returned his kiss albeit tentatively. Encouraged Ari kissed her deeper parting her lips with is tongue. Nearly twenty years her senior the young girl before him was delightfully soft yet firm, tentative yet yielding, just as his fantasies had told him she would be. He found himself suddenly nervous to finally have the girl he had dreamt of for so long within in grasp. Stepping back slowly he pulled his tunic over his head leaving him bare chested. His fingers fumbled clumsily with his belt as he watched her face.

Allora watched with interest as Ari began to undress. His chest was broad and covered generously with thick curling black hair. She could see the well-defined muscles of a man who trained regularly and her eyes drifted down his abdomen noticing the ripping muscles there as he dropped his belt and trousers to the floor stepping out of them. Her eyes fixed on his manhood. The large cock jutted out from a groin unhindered and surrounded by tight curls of dark hair. The sac holding his royal jewels hung below seemed well proportioned to the cock that had captured her attention.

Ari stepped forward again tugging at the ties of her cloak that held it around her neck. She had not said a word or even so much as uttered a sound from the time he had seen her approach with the kitchen master and he longed to hear her voice. He bent to kiss her once more pulling her against his body.

"Do you understand that your life has changed dramatically this day?" he asked still talking softly.

"Yes, Sir," Allora whispered after a moment's hesitation.

"I want you to understand that I have no wish to hurt you," he kissed her again, remembering the punishment Dana had endured at the hands of his father. "This first time that we lie together may be painful at first but it will pass. Do not be afraid of me."

Allora nodded and accepted another kiss while Ari's hands travelled lightly over her body making her tremble slightly. She felt her fear being drowned by the anticipation and excitement she felt. Clio had trained her well and she knew what to expect she had known for some time and only her gift for melding into the background of the busy kitchen had saved her from previous advances that might have better prepared her for the life she knew she would have with the man kissing her and creating a flutter of butterfly wings in her belly.

Stripping back the covers, Ari picked her up and placed her Allora carefully on the bed and went to move beside her. Leaning up on an elbow he held her eyes as his hand explored more of her body. The rounded breasts kept their form and his hand cupped the soft flesh allowing his thumb to roll over the hardened nipple gently.

New and strange sensations invaded her chest as Ari explored her. She breathed deeply letting out a long soft sigh making him smile down on her. "This first time may not be pleasant but it will not always be so," he reassured her. His hand drifted down her body and he could almost make himself believe it was Dana lying beside him. In that moment he realised how much better this was. Better than his fantasy. He would be her first, the one she would measure all men by. There would be no comparison to his brutal father, or a past love from an unknown land, this girl would be truly his. His hand cupped her sex feeling its warmth and he leant to kiss her wanting nothing more than to lose himself in the moment.

His fingers delved deeper while his mouth travelled the path his fingers had originally made down her neck and over her shoulder. He trailed kisses down onto her chest and sucked gently on her nipples, his fingers moving to her tight cunt and slowly testing the resistance within. Her breathing had changed, increasing its depth and pace and he moved up rolling onto her pinning her beneath him. Continuing his kisses he stole her breath and moved his legs between hers edging them apart and resting his hard cock against her thigh.

The cock against Allora's thigh felt even larger than what her mind told her she had seen when he undressed. She tensed as he moved forward spreading her legs wider and felt the red hot poker nudge at the entrance to virgin cunt.

"Relax, you will feel less discomfort if you relax. Trust me, I do not wish to harm you," Ari murmured in her ear feeling her body tense in expectation. He forced his cock into her slowly feeling the barrier stop the slow penetration. He raised his head to look into her face and smiled softly holding her tight and then thrust forward hard. He continued to move into her as he swallowed her cry of pain and surprise with a deep kiss, winding his tongue around hers in a dance almost as exquisite as the tight sensation he felt around his cock. Pulling out slightly he thrust again and yet again until he was fully buried within her. Stilling his movements he held her tightly until she relaxed in his arms once again.

Blinding lights of pain had lanced through her brain and behind her eyes she wanted nothing more than to close her legs and expel the intruder now that it was over. All of the things Clio had told her about sex and what would happen, she was disappointed that it seemed to be over so soon and let herself relax into the strong arms holding her so tightly aware of the trickle of warm fluid between her legs.

Leaning up on his arms above her Ari began to move again slowly at first testing her reaction as he watched her face. She seemed surprised and looked up at him her face a mixture of emotions. Feeling his long held desire and need surface with the friction of her tight cunt he began to move faster eventually leaning back down to kiss her between ragged breaths as he tried to hold back the flood within him unsuccessfully. He groaned loudly as he came wrapping her tightly in his arms once more.

Allora was breathing heavily sensations rolling through her body, making her limbs tingle and the fluttering in her tummy taking control of her body and make it tremble all the more. They lay there for long moments before Ari rolled to his back pulling her to lie on her side resting her head on his chest his arms surrounding her.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly. Tilting her chin up to his face, he looked into her eyes, "Lingering pain?" Allora shook her head. She felt some discomfort but not pain. In the end far from the disappointment she had felt in the beginning she actually enjoyed the experience and was hopeful it might happen again before he sent her away back to the slave kennels.

*****

Allora hadn't known life could taste so sweet. Even though she was trapped within the suite of rooms, Ari and his men at arms were attentive and saw to her every need as if she were a princess bride from another realm. He had been pleasantly surprised that she was able to read and constantly challenged her to improve her skill furnishing her with books of music and art. He entreated Nahn, the only other woman Allora had contact with in those first weeks to teach her the dance of the snow maidens. Nahn had once been a great beauty within the women quarters of the castle and a favourite of Lord Gerahn.

A tentative friendship formed between Allora and Nahn. Ari had saved Nahn from being relegated to the slave caste of the lower floors of the castle by taking her as one of his attendants when age had begun to mar the beauty of youth that she had clung to for so long. She was loyal to Ari and trust-worthy and she helped Allora learn the ways of a courtesan. Her natural gracefulness and inquisitive mind made her a quick study in music and dance as well as the legends of the bards which fascinated her. Ari came to her often and when basking in the afterglow of their love making he would question her on what she had learned and her opinions of things she had found. He was thrilled to know she could dance the dance of the snow maidens and watched rapturously as she performed him on cold winters night marvelling at the way her skin and hair shone in the moonlight.

Unsurprisingly, she found in the legend of the storm dancer a poignancy that touched all the hearts of those who heard or read it. He warred with his feelings of wanting to tell her of her origins of her blood link with the heroes of legend but his desire to keep her happy to be his alone and remain with him stilled his tongue. Unwilling to share his love of Allora with anyone it was with two minds that when a strange fever swept through the upper floors of the castle he spoke to the physician about his secret mistress and asked him to ensure she did not have symptoms.

"Has she been to the women's quarters at all?" the physician asked.

"No, never," Ari responded still looking concerned.

"I believe," the physician said slowly, "That a girl infected with a virulent and fatal virus was smuggled into the women's quarters in order to decimate your family and kill your father who has recently survived as many as four assassination attempts." Janus's curiosity was peaked though and he continued. "It is best to be sure though, as it is only a theory at present."

Janus walked into the suite of rooms and stopped in his tracks as Allora danced into the room without noticing that Ari had brought the physician. Nahn appeared beside her startled by the sound of the door during a dance lesson. Ari and Nahn both saw the look on the physicians face before he resumed his normal countenance.

"Allora!" She exclaimed and the girl stopped mid movement and glanced up. Allora smiled as she saw Ari had returned early to see her progress with the dance. Her eyes then travelled to the man beside him and lit up.

"Greetings," she said before adding, "How lovely to see you again, Janus. I am far from unwell, Ari, my love." She said, inquiring, "Why have you brought the physician?"

Ari's surprise turned to pride as Allora spoke as if she had been born to the life she now enjoyed. He watched as emotions played over the face of Janus before speaking. "Just a precaution, many people have succumbed to fever this winter. Allow the physician to examine you, please."

"Of course," Allora smiled and turned back to the physician, "Shall we go into the bedroom?"

"Yes, and I should examine your attendant as well. Does she visit the women's apartments?" Janus recovered himself and began to speak professionally again.

"No," it was Ari that replied, "She is unwelcome there. She has a small room across the hallway from this suite."

"Good, that bodes well," Janus said as he began conducting his examination starting with the attendant who he found in remarkable condition and health for a woman of her age. Ari had taken a chair within the room and watched as the physician worked. He held Allora on his lap as Nahn endured a thorough examination and then instructed her to wait in the next room as Allora was given the same examination.

Once Nahn had gone and Ari had resumed his chair he spoke to the physician as he worked. "How is it Allora seems so familiar with you, physician?"

"The kine of her childhood, Clio, works in the infirmary. Allora visited often when she worked in the kitchen. The woman has been inconsolable since the girl's disappearance," Janus spoke frankly.

Ari mused over this information as he watched the examination. He had not considered that the girl would be overly missed by anyone. His observations of her in the kitchen had made him believe her friendless and uncared for as the kitchen master had said. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on his behalf but now more people knew of Allora's existence which would endanger her if she was seen as a weakness for his growing list of enemies could exploit.

"You are healthy. Are you happy?" Janus asked the Allora as the examination finished.

"How could I not be happy here?" Allora returned the question before answering more fully at the blank look on Janus's face. "Ari treats me as if I were a princess. I have been encouraged to read and learn. To dance and sing and wear clothes I have only dreamed of. He is a gentle and kind man who treats me better than I deserve. I love him," she admitted though she had never said it to Ari afraid of his reaction to being loved by a slave girl.

Ari's heart swelled in his chest, he loved Allora. His obsession with her mother had driven him to pursue her imprisonment here but over the weeks he had come to know the girl she was. She was so different from her mother, she did not possess that resigned sense of self defeat, instead she embraced every new challenge and experience with a sense of wonder and curiosity. She was his world. With her he could shut out the castle intrigue and sense of always having to be on guard against the machinations of the power hungry politicians and his brothers.