Where Princes Kneel

Perking up, I followed her as she turned on her heels and made her way inland, then stopped at the stone wall. There, a servant opened a heavy metal door, revealing a roomy, smooth-bore tunnel lit by gas lamps.

Eleode entered, but her entourage stayed, and, for a moment, so did I. But when I saw the leash going tighter, I hurried after her.

The clammy subterranean air closed around me, and I gave a shiver as I felt the cold mix with the maritime moisture.

"This is amazing..." I said to the princess. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's an old war tunnel," said Eleode. "Designed to resist artillery. If this seems like an atypical reception, it is because I am avoiding the ceremony. I was supposed to lead you up the main road to the front of the castle, but I am in no mood for fanfare. I wouldn't be, even if I felt safe being outside these days."

"Safe? How do you mean? You're a princess."

"I'd rather not dwell on that."

"Okay... so what will we be doing when we arrive at your palace?"

"The wedding ceremony is in five days. We have until then to get to know one another. I, for one, prefer to do so over activities, and there is no shortage of those at the palace, as I've made sure."

"That's sounds wonderful!"

A hint of a smile creased her sullen lips.

"I'm glad you think so," she mumbled.

In silence, we proceeded through the tunnel, climbing the occasional flight of steep concrete stairs, until, at last, we reached an enormous gilded door. Bracing herself against the wall, Eleode slowly coaxed the gigantic slab open.

On the other side, a magnificent cavern of a room yawned open in front of me, gleaming with gold on every edge and draped with fine cloths. Hardly an inch of wall was left bare of some decoration, and the same could be said of the floor; a mosaic portrait shared space with a luxurious tasseled rug and a bed that could sleep a dozen.

I gaped at this panorama of affluence, speechless, until Eleode began indifferently through it. Before the leash could go taut, I followed her to an arch at the other side of the room. Joining her, I stopped again, finding myself on a high balcony that overlooked the ocean. For a few moments, I watched as it crashed against the mossy rocks and showered the lush grass on the shore.

Eleode sat down on one of the two woven chairs on the balcony and motioned to the other, saying, "Have a seat."

I did so, and she set down my leash.

"Tell me," said Eleode, "what do you know about Haygía? What you'll be doing here?"

"I know that it's a prosperous empire," I quickly replied. "And that its scientific achievements are enjoyed all over the world."

"And for men?"

"A man's lot is to serve all women, but especially the woman who takes him as a husband."

"No."

My brow jumped.

"You are close, but that's not entirely accurate. A man's lot is not to serve. There's an old saying in this country: 'Keep your man happy, and he'll keep you happy.'

"Then... what do I do?"

"What do you do? Well, us being royals, you do the same thing I do- essentially nothing. But, more generally, a Hayguían's male is there to be her support. Of course, he helps her occasionally, but it's more important that he be there for her. He should be her shoulder to cry on. He should be her adviser when she can't find her way. He should be her lover when she craves intimacy."

Eleode stood up and leaned over the railing, sighing as her head lolled dispiritedly.

"I promise you," she said, "I need all of those things."

This was my cue.

"Princess?" I asked, getting up. "What's wrong? Something is clearly troubling you."

"Please," she said, "just call me Eleode."

"But... are you alright?"

"No, but a proper royal doesn't feel."

"No one can hear us here. It you want to open up now, we can pretend this conversation didn't happen."

Eleode sighed again and sank back into her chair.

"Fine," she said. "I will tell you- this country isn't safe for me. Everyone denies it, but there is discontent in the streets. I know because I have been there. Five times, I have disguised myself as a peasant and mingled with the commoners, and none of them have any love for their queen or their princess. The high council practically runs the nation, and they all know it. They realize that, by now, the crown's only purpose is to leech money from the peasantry."

"I... I never realized anyone felt that way."

"I do. And they know it too. This kingdom did not get to where it is now by being complacent; the peasants will demand change. They'll tear us down."

"What happens then?"

"I don't know, Emilio. I just don't know."

For twelve long seconds, she continued to stare despondently out over the ocean. Then she turned to me and stood up. A tear dripped from her eye, but I could see her lips struggling to smile. She snapped her fingers once, and I got to my feet.

Without warning, she curled her arms around my torso and pulled me in, pressing her lips into a kiss. For just one moment, I hesitated, then reciprocated, gently pulling her into me while letting her warm, eager tongue explore my mouth.

She pulled away, and I opened my eyes, then our lips locked again. I brought up my tongue experimentally and danced with hers. Then we separated.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I just... I just needed to get that off my chest. I can't trust any of my servants, and my mother denies everything. You're all I have to talk to."

"What about your father?"

"He's been dead for three years."

"You poor thing..."

"I don't know if you know this, Emilio, but I am very, very glad I have you."

I blushed.

"I'm glad to be here," I returned. "And if there is anything else I can do to help you, please, let me know."

Eleode stood up and smiled a smile that could have melted the heart of Olga the Invincible.

"I won't hesitate," she promised.

She took up my leash, then turned and headed back to her bed. I followed gamely.

At her bed, Eleode set down the end of my leash as gently as though it were made of glass, then made for the door.

"I have some business to attend to," she said, her voice growing cold. "I'm afraid I'll be gone for several hours. You'll have to entertain yourself for the time being. Stay in this room. If you meet the staff, they wouldn't try to harm you, but... I still worry."

I shivered.

"Oh," she added, "one other thing: when I return, be ready to make love."

I grinned lasciviously and intoned, "As you wish, princess."

"I look forward to it."

Her door creaked open, then shut with a noise like a judge's gavel. All at once, I was alone.

I couldn't help myself; I collapsed back on her bed, overcome with euphoria. This was it; this was what I had wanted. I was in the hands of a smart and compassionate woman. I had no power, nor did I want any. All I wanted was to love and be loved.

I lay there for at least half of an hour, then, at last, I sat up.

Spotting a bookshelf on the far wall, I slid quickly off the bed and skittered up to it, leash whispering over the soft carpet behind me.

On the top shelf, the books seemed to be primarily historical, with some tomes of economics as well.

On the next shelf down, things got more interesting. 'Mysteries of Men' and 'The Happy Marriage' showed themselves prominently, followed by 'Applied Male Anatomy,' then 'The Life of a Man' and finally 'The Nature of Female Affairs.'

Now Eleode was tipping her hand. With a sidelong glance, I pulled one of the latter books down from its place and threw myself onto the bed, then cracked open the book and started reading.

The time rushed by. As I read further and further into Hayguía's fascinatingly accurate take on male and female psyche, I heard the creaking of a hinge.

"Emilio?" said a quiet voice. "Are you here?"

I sat up, pleasant surprise written across my face.

Eleode pushed the door all the way open, and, when I saw her, my face fell. Her eyes were wide and hollow, but her brow was creased low over them. Her pretty lips were knitted shut, and her chest heaved with fast, shallow breaths.

"Eleode?" I gasped. "What happened to you?"

"Oh... I'd rather not talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, I've been wanting this all day."

With that, she climbed onto the bed after me and straddled my lap.

Immediately, I could feel her tension. Her fingers felt like ice picks as they weaved their way beneath my shirt, thawing as they touched my smooth, warm skin. Her legs trembled, at first with cold, then with heat as she inched closer and closer to me, then pushed me onto my back.

Now she was over me. I could see the trouble on her face melt slowly away as her hands traveled up and down my chest, two five-pointed circles of heat on my warm flesh. Her fingers traced the grooves of my muscles, then, finally, trended down to my pants.

With deliberate slowness, she lifted away one layer, then the other. With the last bit of cloth gone, she sidled down on my body and brought her face up close to my treasure, then gave it a gentle squeeze between her thumb and forefinger.

I heard a little whoop of approval, then her hands set to work. Her gentle fingers pressed together up and down the shaft, massaging my nerves and drawing my masculinity to full strength. At the same time, I could feel her other hand probing my testicles, cupping them, then gently bouncing them up and down.

"Do you feel that?" she cooed. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

I could only moan incoherently.

Her fingers tested my stiffness again, then batted around my cock gently.

"Ooh," she moaned. "It does... I've never seen one like this before."

She crawled up me again, and her lips came within an inch of my ear. Her hot breath rolled across the side of my head.

"Now," she whispered, her voice husky with desire, "keep it that way."

Eleode shifted her weight and brought herself up, then down onto me. Immediately, I felt her tightness and her pent-up energy shoot through my body. Her knees tightened around my hips like jaws, and she squealed with animal force.

I closed my eyes. All I could feel was Eleode. I felt her sex, working over mine with savage speed, and I felt her hands clamp down around my shoulders. Then her lips came down on mine, smothering me in a kiss, muffling us as we moaned into each other's mouths.

I could have sworn I heard her heart thumping.

Then, suddenly, her lips pulled away and she gave a panicked little stutter. Her hands released from mine and she punched the air above me. Her squealing grew erratic and she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

All at once, her sex tightened, and I lost control. My balls contracted, my foreskin stretched back and my entire body went rigid as I emptied in one wave, then a second, then a third.

Eleode slumped onto her hands. Her breathing was fast and heavy, and her arms trembled with effort.

Before I opened my eyes, I felt her lips on mine. Her kiss was shallow, sloppy and uneven, and I did nothing to reciprocate. A few moments later, she stopped trying to kiss, and I felt her press her cheek to mine.

"That's good," she huffed. "That was so good."

"Thank you, Eleode."

"You stay right here. I'll be back for more."

With that, she dismounted me, grinding against me as she did. Then, with a hip-swaying sashay, she exited the room.

Twenty seconds passed in silence. I sighed, feeling the heat radiate from me as sensation gradually returned to each of my limbs. That woman had made a mess of me. And I couldn't wait to see what she would do next.

Then I heard a thumping noise. At first, I made nothing of it, then curiosity prevailed, and I sat up.

A few seconds later, there was another thumping noise, closer this time, and the door swung open. In charged a mass of three women, all wrestling violently. To my horror, Eleode was in the middle of them.

The other two were lean, rugged ones, clawing at Eleode with furious aggression.

The fighters all fell onto the carpet, scuffling like animals. Eleode already had her hands pinned behind her back, tied there with a hastily applied bond, but she had not given up. On her reddened face, I could see anger, fear and desperation; everything except confidence.

I watched, terrified, as the two rough women brought down Eleode. One of them- the bigger one- knelt over her legs and planted her palms on the princess' breasts, causing her to yelp, while the other forced her mouth open and stuffed in a wad of cloth. Next came a scarf-like strip that went around her mouth, covering the lower half of her face.

Then the smaller ruffian pulled a knife.

"Now," she sneered, "you keep nice and quiet, or I'll slit you right here. Understand?"

Nothing. The smaller thug nodded to the bigger one, who gave Eleode's breasts a mean squeeze.

Eleode shrieked for just one moment, then nodded fearfully.

The big thug released her grip on Eleode, and the small one insinuated the knife under the princess' clothes. There was a sharp tearing noise, and Eleode's top layer came off.

As I watched, mouth agape, Eleode's outfit came off, one shred at a time. First, the intruders exposed her clean, muscled shoulders, then her long arms. Next, they went down her chest, slicing all the way to her pussy. With a lustful growl, the big ruffian shoved her hands into Eleode's clothes, then ripped it savagely open, revealing a stomach of firm, unblemished skin and two wonderfully smooth breasts.

"Heh," said the big one. "She's hard."

With a playful smirk, the big one reached down and pinched Eleode's left nipple, then her right one, watching as the pinned princess squealed under her touch.

"Quit fooling around," said the smaller one. "We got to get out of here before someone sees..."

She spotted me and froze. Her companion did likewise, and they stared blankly at me for a few seconds. Then the worry melted from their faces.

"Well, look at that," said the big one. "Looks like the princess' bitch is here, too."

She rose.

"Come here, boy."

I cowered, then finally thought to run. I scrambled back off the bed and got to my feet, then dashed to the balcony.

The balcony offered no options. The ground was severely sloped and rocky, and the masonry was too smooth to climb. Looking back, I saw the bigger ruffian shuffling towards me. She pounded her fist into her palm and licked her lips.

For the first time in my life, I wished I knew how to fight.

The woman advanced on me, and I flinched. Then, all at once, mighty arms wrapped around my torso, and I lifted off my feet.

The world swiveled around me, and I felt myself hauled backward, then, all at once, the woman jerked her shoulders, and I flew from her grasp. I landed in the cushioning of the bed, and, in an instant, she was over me.

Her head stayed perfectly still and her eyes bored holes in me as her hands ripped at my clothes.

"Hey!" said the small one.

The big one's hands stopped where they were, and she faced her partner.

"Come on!" said the small one. "Honestly, Fara, do you have to fuck everyone we find?"

"Yes."

"Well, then tie him up and take him with. We can't do him here. It's too conspicuous."

Fara took one last look to me, then said, "Fine."

Forcefully, she pulled my head up and rammed her lips onto mine, sucking like she wanted to eat my tongue.

"Fara!"

Resentfully, Fara pushed me away, then, without looking, seized my wrists and tied them together in front of me. Getting up, she grabbed my leash and yanked me up next to her, where her fingers grabbed my chin and twisted until my ear was to her mouth.

"Okay, bitch," she whispered. "We're taking the princess back to the boss, and I'm taking you home. I could stuff a gag in you and shut you up, but if you keep your trap shut, I won't. Got it?"

I nodded stiffly.

"Good. You ready?"

I nodded.

"Not you," she snarled. "Her!"

"Ready," said the smaller one. "I've got the princess stripped, just like the boss wants her. Now let's go."

Fara hoisted me onto her shoulder and started after her companion. As she did, I marveled at her strength; this woman was barely bigger than I was- maybe not at all- and yet my weight barely slowed her down.

I guessed that she had done this many times before.

I looked around, trying to see where we were going, but it was useless. Even if I had been familiar with the castle's geography, I couldn't have kept up with the route these bandits were taking. Just outside Eleode's room, they hauled us into a closet, and everything went dark. I smelled dust and I heard shuffling, and Fara's shoulder shifted gently under my hips. There was a creaking of wood and old rope, and we went down. A few moments later, an ancient wooden door creaked open, and I saw a wedge of starry night sky.

"No guards," said Fara. "Excellent."

Without another word, we started down the hill, and I tried and failed to see ahead. I felt cool, moist outdoor air, and I heard feet rustle on soft Hayguían grass.

Fara stopped and turned a little, and I seized my chance to look ahead. I saw a wagon with a black shroud ahead of us, its horses waiting obediently.

Eleode thumped onto the wagon's deck, and, in turn, I felt myself slung into the air. I landed painfully on a floor of old wooden planks. I looked up and watched as the two kidnappers vaulted in after us.

"We've got her, Liz!" said the small one. "Get us out of here!"

"Ja," said a new voice.

With the leathery slap of reins, the cart horses started moving. I heard damp dirt sloshing under the wooden wheels, and I saw the castle slowly shrink behind us.

It felt strange to ride on dirt instead of cobblestones.

A few minutes passed. I looked to Eleode, who curled up on her side in the far corner. She brought her knees as high as they would go, barely managing to cover her sharply defined nipples, and her feet stayed clasped between the lobes of her ass, trying unsuccessfully to hide her softly reddened vagina from view.

Her face told a different story to her posture. Her eyebrows crouched into a single, razor-thin line, and her pretty eyes stared fixedly straight ahead. Immediately, I could tell that she was thinking.

Beside her, the smaller bandit rested one hand on the floor and the other on her knees. Her eyes, too, were hollow with thought, but her face was not intense. Judging by her softly pouting mouth, I could have sworn that she was remorseful.

Fara looked to have no such inhibitions. Her mouth stayed set in its lazy grin, and her hungry eyes alternated between me and Eleode. After a few minutes, she settled on me, and her red cheek grew even redder as she eyed me up and down, her eyes tracing every line of muscle on my half-exposed chest.

I brought up my hands and pulled my shirt closed.

"Hey, princess," said Fara, kneeing her in the ass, "where's your bitch from? Is he Emmesschian?"

"I thought Emmesschian men were bossy," said the smaller bandit. "Isn't that right, Liz?"

"Ja," said the driver.

"I'm not from there," I piped up. "I'm from Fulzore."

"Fulzore?" said Fara. "Never heard of it. Are the men there good at licking?"

I shrank away from her. She gave out a soft, heavy chuckle.

"Well," she said, "there's a first for everything. Get up here, bitch. And crawl. I want you on the floor."

I hesitated for a moment, then looked to Eleode, silently begging her permission.

Across the wagon, Eleode's eyes seared hatred at Fara, then she looked to me. Grudgingly, she nodded.

Reluctantly, I leaned forward, then planted my hands on the ground and shuffled closer with my feet. Awkwardly, I shimmied my hands ahead, then continued up with my knees.

I saw Fara's hand, and, a split second later, I felt a sudden yank on my collar, hoisting me up to a kneeling position. Then her hand clamped around my chest and crushed me to her. I could feel her hot chest heaving, and her breath puffed heavily across my face. With my arms pinned between us, I could only look helplessly up at her.